Feeder and jacket applicator

Claim 2

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said articlefeeding means including frame means for holding a stack of such articles, said frame means being arranged to that only the bottom article in the stack can move along said pathway, drive roller means disposed under said frame means and arranged to engage and drive the bottom article of the stack along said pathway, cam means disposed under said frame means and arranged to engage and lift the stack so that the bottom article therein is not in contact with said drive roller means, and means for driving said cam means periodically to lower the stack and the bottom article thereof into contact with said drive roller means.

Claim 3

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of suCh film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said article-feeding means including frame means for holding a stack of such articles, said frame means being arranged so that only the bottom article in the stack can move along said pathway, a pair of rotor means disposed under said frame means, endless means trained about said rotor means, said rotor means and said endless means being arranged to provide an upper run of said endless means disposed just below said pathway, pusher means carried by said endless means and arranged to extend upwardly a predetermined distance into said pathway to engage and push the bottom article to the stack therealong, a plurality of cam disposed under said frame means and adjacent said upper run, means for driving said cams and said rotor means so that movement of said pusher means corresponds to movement of said cams, each of said cams being proportioned and arranged to extend upwardly to hold such articles above the path of movement of said pusher means, and said driving means being arranged periodically to lower said cams to lower the bottom article of the stack into the path of movement of said pusher means.

Claim 4

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of suCh film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said article-feeding means including frame means for holding a stack of such articles, said frame means being arranged so that only the bottom article in the stack can move along said pathway, a pair of rotor means disposed under said frame means, endless means trained about said rotor means, said rotor means and said endless means being arranged to provide an upper run of said endless means disposed just below said pathway, pusher means carried by said endless means and arranged to extend upwardly a predetermined distance into said pathway to engage and push the bottom article to the stack therealong, a plurality of cam disposed under said frame means and adjacent said upper run, means for driving said cams and said rotor means so that movement of said pusher means corresponds to movement of said cams, each of said cams being proportioned and arranged to extend upwardly to hold such articles above the path of movement of said pusher means, and said driving means being arranged periodically to lower said cams to lower the bottom article of the stack into the path of movement of said pusher means.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 in which said driving means is arranged to drive said means for feeding such film strips and in which said driving means includes means for selectively varying the speed at which said pusher means is driven relative to the speed at which such film strips are fed, thereby to determine the amount of film strip between adjacent articles.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 2 in which said rotor means include at least one pair of sprockets and said endless means includes at lest one chain trained about said sprockets, in which said cams are mounted for rotation about axes generally parallel to the axes of rotation of said sprockets, and in which said cams are drivingly connected to said sprockets.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 in which said plurality of cams includes three cams spaced along said pathway and adjacent said upper run, each of said cams having a perimetral portion which extends upwardly a distance substantially equal to said predetermined distance, and in which said pusher means includes three pusher elements spaced about said endless means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 in which said driving means is arranged to drive said means for feeding such film strips and in which said driving means includes means for selectively varying the speed at which said cam means is driven relative to the speed at which such film strips are fed, thereby to determine the amount of film strip between adjacent articles.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 including spaced apart rotor means and endless means trained thereabout and arranged to provide a run of said endless means adjacent said pathway and between said frame means and the point at which such film strips are fed to said pathway, stop means carried by said endless means and arranged to extend into said pathway, means for drivingly connecting said rotor means and endless means to said driving means so that the movement of said stop means corresponds to the periodic movement of said cam means, said stop means being effective accurately to space such articles relative to such film strips.

Claim 10

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movemeNt therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond he side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said first means including, on each side of said pathway, an upper roller and a lower roller providing, respectively, first resilient roller portions arranged to grip therebetween the outer side edges of such film strips and second resilient roller portions disposed axially inwardly from said first roller portions and arranged to grip therebetween portions of such film strips spaced inwardly from their outer edges, and a heating element disposed between said first and second resilient roller portions and extending through the path of movement of such film strips, said element being arranged to heat and melt the portions of such film strips between the portions thereof gripped by said first and second resilient roller portions, the axes of said upper and lower rollers lying in a common vertically extending plane perpendicular to the direction of movement of such film strips past said rollers, and said heating element being a generally straight wirelike element extending downwardly and in the direction of movement of such film strips to intersect said plane at the point at which such film strips intersect said pane, said element extending downwardly at an angle of approximately 45* relative to said plane, said upper and lower rollers being respectively provided with peripherally extending grooves disposed between their respective resilient roller portions, said element lying in a second vertically extending plane which is perpendicular to said first mentioned plane and which axially bisects said grooves whereby, said element extends through a portion of the groove in said upper roller and a portion of the groove in said lower roller.

Claim 11

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movemeNt therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond he side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said first means including, on each side of said pathway, an upper roller and a lower roller providing, respectively, first resilient roller portions arranged to grip therebetween the outer side edges of such film strips and second resilient roller portions disposed axially inwardly from said first roller portions and arranged to grip therebetween portions of such film strips spaced inwardly from their outer edges, and a heating element disposed between said first and second resilient roller portions and extending through the path of movement of such film strips, said element being arranged to heat and melt the portions of such film strips between the portions thereof gripped by said first and second resilient roller portions, the axes of said upper and lower rollers lying in a common vertically extending plane perpendicular to the direction of movement of such film strips past said rollers, and said heating element being a generally straight wirelike element extending downwardly and in the direction of movement of such film strips to intersect said plane at the point at which such film strips intersect said pane, said element extending downwardly at an angle of approximately 45* relative to said plane, said upper and lower rollers being respectively provided with peripherally extending grooves disposed between their respective resilient roller portions, said element lying in a second vertically extending plane which is perpendicular to said first mentioned plane and which axially bisects said grooves whereby, said element extends through a portion of the groove in said upper roller and a portion of the groove in said lower roller.

Claim 12

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat-sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a mOving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said first means including means for heating air, first conduit means for connecting said heating means to a source of air under pressure, means for holding the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips together, means for directing heated air upwardly at such side edges and downwardly at such side edges so that the edges are tightly urged together and melted by such air, and second conduit means for connecting said directing means to said heating means, said directing means including, at each side of said pathway, manifold means providing a downwardly facing manifold portion extending along said pathway and above such vertically registered side edges and an upwardly facing manifold portion extending along said pathway and below such side edges and said downwardly facing portion, said manifold portions being perforated to provide a plurality of downwardly directed and upwardly directed jets of heated air spaced along said pathway and through which such side edges must move, such air being supplied to said manifold means at a pressure between 8 to 20 p.s.i., said heating means heating such air to a temperature between 700* F. and 1,400* F., there being eight of said perforations of 0.050-inch diameter provided in said manifold portions with one-half inch spacing between adjacent perforations, said downwardly facing portions and said upwardly facing portions being spaced approximately one-half inch apart, each of said manifold means providing a longitudinally extending wall portion extending between said manifold portions and disposed laterally outwardly from such side edges to direct such heated air inwardly toward such side edges and longitudinally extending shields extending downwardly and upwardly, respectively, from said downwardly and upwardly facing manifold portions to keep such heated air adjacent such side edges.

Claim 13

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat-sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a mOving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said first means including means for heating air, first conduit means for connecting said heating means to a source of air under pressure, means for holding the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips together, means for directing heated air upwardly at such side edges and downwardly at such side edges so that the edges are tightly urged together and melted by such air, and second conduit means for connecting said directing means to said heating means, said directing means including, at each side of said pathway, manifold means providing a downwardly facing manifold portion extending along said pathway and above such vertically registered side edges and an upwardly facing manifold portion extending along said pathway and below such side edges and said downwardly facing portion, said manifold portions being perforated to provide a plurality of downwardly directed and upwardly directed jets of heated air spaced along said pathway and through which such side edges must move, such air being supplied to said manifold means at a pressure between 8 to 20 p.s.i., said heating means heating such air to a temperature between 700* F. and 1,400* F., there being eight of said perforations of 0.050-inch diameter provided in said manifold portions with one-half inch spacing between adjacent perforations, said downwardly facing portions and said upwardly facing portions being spaced approximately one-half inch apart, each of said manifold means providing a longitudinally extending wall portion extending between said manifold portions and disposed laterally outwardly from such side edges to direct such heated air inwardly toward such side edges and longitudinally extending shields extending downwardly and upwardly, respectively, from said downwardly and upwardly facing manifold portions to keep such heated air adjacent such side edges.

Claim 14

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such plastic articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat-seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said second means including a lower seal roller disposed below said pathway to extend transversely thereacross and a cooperating uppEr seal roller disposed above said pathway to extend transversely thereacross, the axes of said rollers being parallel, transmission means for drivingly connecting said seal rollers to provide corresponding movement thereof, a constant speed rotary driver and a relatively variable speed rotary driver, clutch means for alternatively drivingly connecting said constant speed driver and said variable speed drive to said transmission means, one of said seal rollers having an axially extending heating element carried on its periphery and axially extending compression elements disposed on opposite sides of said heating element, the other of said seal rollers having a pair of axially extending compression elements disposed on its periphery and spaced apart to engage, respectively, said first mentioned compression elements during each revolution of said seal rollers, whereby, as such film strips move between said seal rollers, said compression elements tightly hold such strips together on each side of such a zone while said element melts such a zone, and means for operating said clutch means so that, during the period said compression elements are engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said constant speed driver at a speed corresponding to said predetermined speed of movement of such articles and film strips, and, during the period when said compression elements are not engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said variable speed driver at a speed corresponding to the size of such articles.

Claim 15

Apparatus for feeding and jacketing articles comprising means for serially feeding such articles to a pathway for movement therealong with predetermined spaces between adjacent articles, means for supporting a first source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such plastic articles, means for supporting a second source of plastic film strip having a width greater than the width of such articles, means for continuously feeding such plastic film strips and such articles to and along said pathway at a predetermined speed with film strip from such first source being disposed above and in registry with such articles and film strip from such second source being disposed below and in registry with such articles and with the vertically registered side edges of such film strips extending respectively laterally beyond the side edges of such articles, first means for continuously heat sealing and joining the vertically registered and moving side edges of such film strips to provide a moving plastic sleeve in which such articles are disposed, and second means for heating such strips along transversely extending lines disposed in the spaces between such articles, said second means being arranged to melt the vertically registered film strips along zones adjacent such lines thereby to divide such strips into lengths with each such length containing an article, and said second means being arranged to heat-seal and join the transversely extending edges of such lengths, said second means including a lower seal roller disposed below said pathway to extend transversely thereacross and a cooperating uppEr seal roller disposed above said pathway to extend transversely thereacross, the axes of said rollers being parallel, transmission means for drivingly connecting said seal rollers to provide corresponding movement thereof, a constant speed rotary driver and a relatively variable speed rotary driver, clutch means for alternatively drivingly connecting said constant speed driver and said variable speed drive to said transmission means, one of said seal rollers having an axially extending heating element carried on its periphery and axially extending compression elements disposed on opposite sides of said heating element, the other of said seal rollers having a pair of axially extending compression elements disposed on its periphery and spaced apart to engage, respectively, said first mentioned compression elements during each revolution of said seal rollers, whereby, as such film strips move between said seal rollers, said compression elements tightly hold such strips together on each side of such a zone while said element melts such a zone, and means for operating said clutch means so that, during the period said compression elements are engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said constant speed driver at a speed corresponding to said predetermined speed of movement of such articles and film strips, and, during the period when said compression elements are not engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said variable speed driver at a speed corresponding to the size of such articles.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 10 in which said clutch means is electrically operated and in which said means for operating said clutch means includes cam operated switch means associated with one of said seal rollers.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 10 in which said clutch means includes a first electrically operated clutch for drivingly connecting said transmission means to said constant speed driver and a second electrically operated clutch for drivingly connecting said transmission means to said variable speed driver, and in which said means for operating said clutch means includes a cam mounted on one of said seal rollers for rotation therewith, and a switch for alternately energizing said clutches, said switch and said cam being constructed and arranged so that, when said compression elements are approaching engagement, said first electrically operated clutch is energized and, when said compression elements are leaving engagement, said second electrically operated clutch is energized.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 3 in which said second means includes a lower seal roller disposed below said pathway to extend transversely thereacross and a cooperating upper seal roller disposed above said pathway to extend transversely thereacross, the axes of said seal rollers being parallel, transmission means for drivingly connecting said seal rollers to provide corresponding movement thereof, a constant speed rotary driver and a relatively variable speed rotary driver, clutch means for alternately drivingly connecting said constant speed driver and said variable speed driver to said transmission means, one of said seal rollers having an axially extending heating element carried on its periphery and axially extending compression elements disposed on opposite sides of said heating element, the other of said seal rollers having a pair of axially extending compression elements disposed on its periphery and spaced apart to engage, respectively, said first-mentioned compression elements during each revolution of said seal rollers, whereby, as such film strips move between said seal rollers, said compression elements tightly hold such strips together on each side of such a zone while said element melts such a zone, and means for operating said clutch means so that, during the period said compression elements are engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said constant speed driver at a speed corresponding to said predetermined speed of movement of such articles and film strips, and, during the period when said compressioN elements are not engaged, said seal rollers are driven by said variable speed driver at a speed corresponding to the size of such articles, said constant speed rotary driver being drivingly connected to said driving means and said variable speed rotary driver being drivingly connected to said means for selectively varying the speed at which said pusher means is driven.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 10 including drive roller means disposed along said pathway downstream from said seal rollers in the direction of movement of such lengths of sleeve, said drive roller means being arranged to receive such sleeve lengths from said seal rollers and to move such lengths away from said seal rollers at a spaced greater than the speed at which the film is fed to said seal rollers, thereby to separate such lengths at such melted zones.