US3645825A — Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers

Claim 1

Independent Claim 231 words

Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers each having a top peripheral flange, said apparatus comprising a plurality of side by side platens adapted to support a queue of said containers, a sealing head, support means for a roll of lidding material, means for moving the head and a queue of containers carried by the platens relative to one another in a linear direction of travel of said queue, storage means for the lidding material including a roll of said lidding material on the support means, said lidding material being sealed to The flanges of the queue of containers by the sealing head, severing means for severing the lidding material extending between adjacent containers, said sealing head and support means for the lidding material being stationary, and drive means for moving the platens past the sealing head, the arrangement being that the lidding material is unrolled by the movement of the platens after it has been sealed to the leading containers in such platen, said sealing head including reciprocable die means and wherein said drive means is intermittent and provides dwell times between movements of the platens so that the lidding material is heat sealed to the containers during such dwell times, and wherein said die means comprises several dies each of which is adapted to seal one container, said dies being connected for simultaneous operation but being capable of independent operation.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 231 words

Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers each having a top peripheral flange, said apparatus comprising a plurality of side by side platens adapted to support a queue of said containers, a sealing head, support means for a roll of lidding material, means for moving the head and a queue of containers carried by the platens relative to one another in a linear direction of travel of said queue, storage means for the lidding material including a roll of said lidding material on the support means, said lidding material being sealed to The flanges of the queue of containers by the sealing head, severing means for severing the lidding material extending between adjacent containers, said sealing head and support means for the lidding material being stationary, and drive means for moving the platens past the sealing head, the arrangement being that the lidding material is unrolled by the movement of the platens after it has been sealed to the leading containers in such platen, said sealing head including reciprocable die means and wherein said drive means is intermittent and provides dwell times between movements of the platens so that the lidding material is heat sealed to the containers during such dwell times, and wherein said die means comprises several dies each of which is adapted to seal one container, said dies being connected for simultaneous operation but being capable of independent operation.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 57 words

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support means, sealing head and severing means are located in the named order in the direction of movement of the platens, the containers which are sealed with lidding material and moved from under the sealing head carrying the lidding material therewith to unroll such material before reaching the severing means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 56 words

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the platens are each adapted to carry four containers in a square array, and are machined to within one thousandth of an inch so that the flanges of adjacent containers therein and in adjacent platens will be almost touching, ensuring that there is a minimum wastage of the lidding material.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 31 words

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each platen has a coating or covering of resilient heat insulating material which also serves to prevent scoring of the platen by the severing means.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 45 words

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the platens have through apertures in which the containers sit so that such containers can be removed from the platens by means over which the platens pass and which can be pushed up through the apertures in such platens.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 38 words

Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the severing means comprises reciprocable cutter means for severing the lidding material transversely of the queue of containers and a longitudinal knife means for slitting the lidding material longitudinally of the queue.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 223 words

Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers each having a top peripheral flange, said apparatus comprising a plurality of side by side platens adapted to support a queue of said containers, a sealing head, support means for a roll of lidding material, means for moving the head and a queue of containers carried by the platens relative to one another in a linear direction of travel of said queue, storage means for the lidding material including a roll of said lidding material on the support means, said lidding material being sealed to the flanges of the queue of containers by the sealing head, severing means for severing the lidding material extending between adjacent containers, photoelectric sensing means for detecting the position of over pitched printed matter on the lidding material, adjusting means comprising a friction wheel engaging a platen downstream of the sealing head but upstream of the severing means and a brake motor which is drivingly connected to the friction wheel and is under control of the photoelectric sensing means to move platens downstream of the sealing head and lidding material sealed to containers therein away from the platen under the sealing head, whereby the lidding material is moved relative to the platen under the sealing head until the over pitched printing is brought into register with the platen under the sealing head.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 223 words

Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers each having a top peripheral flange, said apparatus comprising a plurality of side by side platens adapted to support a queue of said containers, a sealing head, support means for a roll of lidding material, means for moving the head and a queue of containers carried by the platens relative to one another in a linear direction of travel of said queue, storage means for the lidding material including a roll of said lidding material on the support means, said lidding material being sealed to the flanges of the queue of containers by the sealing head, severing means for severing the lidding material extending between adjacent containers, photoelectric sensing means for detecting the position of over pitched printed matter on the lidding material, adjusting means comprising a friction wheel engaging a platen downstream of the sealing head but upstream of the severing means and a brake motor which is drivingly connected to the friction wheel and is under control of the photoelectric sensing means to move platens downstream of the sealing head and lidding material sealed to containers therein away from the platen under the sealing head, whereby the lidding material is moved relative to the platen under the sealing head until the over pitched printing is brought into register with the platen under the sealing head.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-02-28	1975-08-30	1976-02-29	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-02-28	1979-08-30	1980-02-29	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-02-28	1983-08-30	1984-02-29	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus for sealing thin walled containers

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