Packaging machine

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR MAKING INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES FROM A COMPARTMENTED SHEET PROVIDED THEREIN WITH DEPENDING COMPARTMENTS CLOSED BY A SUPERIMPOSED COVERING SHEET AND ARRANGED IN TRANSVERSELY-SPACED LONGITUDINAL ROWS AND LONGITUDINALLY-SPACED TRANSVERSE ROWS, THE COMBINATION OF: (A) A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE PROVIDING LONGITUDINALLYSPACED INLET AND OUTLET ENDS; (B) TRANSVERSELY-SPACED LONGITUDINAL RAILS CARRIED BY AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET ENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE AND RECEIVING THEREBETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL ROWS OF COMPARTMENTS IN THE COMPARTMENTED SHEET; (C) PROPELLING MEANS UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM FROM A HEAT SEALING STATION FOR PROPELLING THE COMPARTMENTED SHEET, AND THE COVERING SHEET SUPERIMPOSED THEREON, LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID RAILS FROM SAID INLET END OF SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE TO SAID OUTLET END THEREOF; (D) HEAT SEALING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE IN A HEAT SEALING STATION DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID INLET END THEREOF FOR HEAT SEALING THE COMPARTMENTED AND COVERING SHEETS TOGETHER AROUND THE COMPARTMENTS IN THE COMPARTMENTED SHEET; (E) LONGITUDINAL SHEARING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE IN A LONGITUDINAL SHEARING STATION DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID HEAT SEALING STATION AND IN THE VICINITY OF SAID DOWNSTREAM PROPELLING MEANS FOR LONGITUDINALLY SHEARING THE HEAT SEALED COMPARTMENTED AND COVERING SHEETS INTO LONGITUDINAL STRIPS ALONG LONGITUDINAL LINES BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL ROWS OF COMPARTMENTS IN THE COMPARTMENTED SHEET DURING MOVEMENT THEREOF, SAID LONGITUDINAL SHEARING MEANS, LONGITUDINAL RAILS AND THE DOWNSTREAM PROPELLING MEANS BEING ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER TO PERMIT SEVERANCE OF THE COMPARTMENTED SHEET SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINES OF CORRESPONDING ONES OF SAID RAILS; AND (F) TRANSVERSE SHEARING MOTION IN A TRANSVERSE SHEARING STATION DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID LONGITUDINAL SHEARING STATION FOR TRANSVERSELY SHEARING THE LONGITUDINAL STRIPS EMANATING FROM SAID LONGITUDINAL SHEARING STATION INTO INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES ALONG TRANSVERSE LINES BETWEEN THE TRANSVERSE ROWS OF COMPARTMENTS, SAID TRANSVERSE SHEARING MEANS BEING LOCATED DOWNSTREAM OF THE OUTLET ENDS OF SAID LONGITUDINAL RAILS AND DOWNSTREAM PROPELLING MEANS.