Apparatus for packaging articles

Claim 1

An apparatus for separately, sealably packaging articles within a tubular film, comprising: a film reservoir adapted for issuing a continuous tubular film therefrom; a first guiding roller being in contact with the film for changing the direction of the film issuing from said film reservoir; a second guiding roller being in contact with the tubular film issuing from the first guiding roller spaced from said first guiding roller and at a higher elevation than said first guiding roller; an elongated separating plate having smooth edges and being positioned within the tubular film between the first and second guiding rollers and maintained at said position by said first and second guiding rollers; a cutting element positioned adjacent the separating member and separated therefrom by portions of the tubular film, said cutting element being intermittently movable into and in contact with the tubular film between the cutting element and the separating member for transversely cutting portions of the tubular film at longitudinally spaced-apart locations; a drive roller in contact with the film issuing from the second guiding roller, said drive roller being at a higher elevation and laterally spaced from said second guiding roller for bending the film over a portion of the second guiding roller for maintaining the separating plate adjacent the cutting element and being intermittently movable for intermittently indexing transversely cut portions of the film to hereafter article filling and sealing stations; a pressure roller positioned adjacent the drive roller in contact with the film and urging said film against the drive roller; a loading platform positioned adjacent the drive roller and extending downwardly from said drive roller on a side of the film opposed to the cut portion of the film for receiving film passing from the drive roller with said cut portion of the film being uppermost; an air blower; a first conduit connected on one end to the air blower and the other end adjacent and directed toward the cut portion of a film positioned on the loading platform for discharging air from the blower against the cut portion of the film for opening the film cut and forming a pathway into the tubular film; means for gravitationally passing an article downwaRdly along the loading platform, inserting an article through the cut portion of the film and into the tubular film; sealing means for intermittently transversely sealing the tubular film on longitudinally opposed sides of the transverse cut portion of the film after placing the article within the film; cutting elements associated with the sealing means, said cutting elements being movable with the sealing means for cutting the film in two between the transverse cut on the film and each traversely sealed portion of the film; and a second conduit connected at one end to the blower and the other end being adjacent the first and second cutting elements for passing air from the blower against the cut portion of the film between the first and second cutting elements for moving the cutoff portion of the film from the loading platform.

Claim 2

An apparatus for separately, sealably packaging articles within a tubular film, comprising: a film reservoir adapted for issuing a continuous tubular film therefrom; a first guiding roller being in contact with the film for changing the direction of the film issuing from said film reservoir; a second guiding roller being in contact with the tubular film issuing from the first guiding roller spaced from said first guiding roller and at a higher elevation than said first guiding roller; an elongated separating plate having smooth edges and being positioned within the tubular film between the first and second guiding rollers and maintained at said position by said first and second guiding rollers; a cutting element positioned adjacent the separating member and separated therefrom by portions of the tubular film, said cutting element being intermittently movable into and in contact with the tubular film between the cutting element and the separating member for transversely cutting portions of the tubular film at longitudinally spaced-apart locations; a drive roller in contact with the film issuing from the second guiding roller, said drive roller being at a higher elevation and laterally spaced from said second guiding roller for bending the film over a portion of the second guiding roller for maintaining the separating plate adjacent the cutting element and being intermittently movable for intermittently indexing transversely cut portions of the film to hereafter article filling and sealing stations; a pressure roller positioned adjacent the drive roller in contact with the film and urging said film against the drive roller; a loading platform positioned adjacent the drive roller and extending downwardly from said drive roller on a side of the film opposed to the cut portion of the film for receiving film passing from the drive roller with said cut portion of the film being uppermost; an air blower; a first conduit connected on one end to the air blower and the other end adjacent and directed toward the cut portion of a film positioned on the loading platform for discharging air from the blower against the cut portion of the film for opening the film cut and forming a pathway into the tubular film; means for gravitationally passing an article downwaRdly along the loading platform, inserting an article through the cut portion of the film and into the tubular film; sealing means for intermittently transversely sealing the tubular film on longitudinally opposed sides of the transverse cut portion of the film after placing the article within the film; cutting elements associated with the sealing means, said cutting elements being movable with the sealing means for cutting the film in two between the transverse cut on the film and each traversely sealed portion of the film; and a second conduit connected at one end to the blower and the other end being adjacent the first and second cutting elements for passing air from the blower against the cut portion of the film between the first and second cutting elements for moving the cutoff portion of the film from the loading platform.