Apparatus for shrinking wrappers of packages

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SHRINKING HEAT-SHRINKABLE WRAPPERS OF PACKAGES, COMPRISING: (A) A HEATING CHAMBER HAVING A TOP, BOTTOM, SIDES AND OPPOSITE OPEN ENDS FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE PACKAGE THROUGH THE CHAMBER, (B) CONVEYOR MEANS POSITIONED IN SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING FROM SAID OPEN ENDS FOR MOVING THE PACKAGE THROUGH SAID HEATING CHAMBER, (C) SAID CONVEYOR MEANS COMPRISING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CONVEYOR MEMBERS FOR SUPPORTING THE PACKAGE, EACH OF SAID CONVEYOR MEMBERS BEING A HELICALLY WOUND COIL OF WIRE CONNECTED AT ITS ENDS TO FORM AN ENDLESS MEMBER WHICH IS RESILIENTLY STRETCHABLE ALONG ITS LENGTH, AND (D) A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED DUCTS SURROUNDING SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING ALONG SAID TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSMITTING HEATED AIR TO SAID TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER AS THE PACKAGE PASSES THERETHROUGH, (E) SAID TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER HAVING A SERIES OF OPENINGS FOR THE FLOW OF SAID HEATED AIR FROM SAID DUCTS INTO SAID CHAMBER, WHEREBY THE HEATED AIR SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPINGES ON THE TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES OF THE PACKAGE FOR THE WRAPPER HEATSHRINKING OPERATION.