Method of and machines for wrapping articles

Claim 2

In a method of completely or partially wrapping an article or a plurality of articles presenting at least partly a substantially cylindrical surface with sheet material to package or label same, using in particular thermoplastic foils, viscose foil which can be hot-sealed, paper, composite materials or the like, comprising the steps of withdrawing the sheet material in the form of a web from a supply reel and guiding it to the article to be wrapped, setting the article into rotation while it engages the sheet material, so that the article entrains the sheet material and wraps it around its external periphery, and while it is in said engagement imparting a translational movement to said article along a predetermined path directed transversely of the axis of rotation of the article, the improvement comprising the steps of successively releasing articles so that they are successively placed onto predetermined areas of said web, and move forward in engagement with the web after having been released by releasing means, engaging abutment means which act on the outer periphery of each article in a direction opposite to the translational movement thereof thereby imparting on each article a rotational motion and causes the article to wrap the web around its outer periphery, and severing a predetermined portion of the web after the article has been placed on the sheet material.

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising parting off the web after the article is brought in engagement with the web but before rotational movement is imparted to the article, the web being cut to leave a web section of predetermined length corresponding to the dimension of the article.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising imparting feeding movement to the web to feed it from its supply reel at a speed which is the same as or less than the speed of translational movement of a supporting arrangement which causes said translational movement.

Claim 5

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising maintaining the article in rotation during a further translatory movement after it is wrapped by the sheet material, until it reaches a dispatch position.

Claim 6

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising coating the surface of the sheet material which faces the article being packed, prior to or during rotation of the article being packed, with a coating of adhesive either over localized areas of the sheet material or over the whole or its area.

Claim 7

A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising exposing the wrapped article to heat for the purpose of hot-sealing, shrinking or drying the sheet material enwrappIng it.

Claim 8

A machine comprising in combination, a supply reel rotatably mounted in said machine for unreeling a web of sheet material, supporting means for articles to be at least partially wrapped with said sheet material, said supporting means comprising endless transport means operatively mounted thereon and moving said articles along a predetermined path, means for guiding said web onto said endless transport means operatively connected to said supply reel, means for feeding articles at predetermined intervals onto said web at a location at which it has already been guided onto said transport means, the movement of said feeding being synchronized to the movement of said transport means, transverse cutting means operatively coacting with said transport means for severing a predetermined portion of said web after an article has been placed thereon, abutment means operatively mounted along said predetermined path, said articles successively peripherally tangentially engaging the abutment means which acts in the direction opposite the movement of the transport means thereby causing them to be successively rotated by the frictional engagement therebetween and wrapping a predetermined portion of said web around themselves, said transverse cutting means severing said web upstream from said peripheral tangential engagement of said abutment means with respect to the direction of said articles along said prederimined path.

Claim 9

A machine comprising in combination, a supply reel rotatably mounted in said machine for unreeling a web of sheet material, supporting means for articles to be at least partially wrapped with said sheet material, said supporting means comprising endless transport means operatively mounted thereon and moving said articles along a predetermined path, means for guiding said web onto said endless transport means operatively connected to said supply reel, means for feeding articles at predetermined intervals onto said web at a location at which it has already been guided onto said transport means, the movement of said feeding being synchronized to the movement of said transport means, transverse cutting means operatively coacting with said transport means for severing a predetermined portion of said web after an article has been placed thereon, abutment means operatively mounted along said predetermined path, said articles successively peripherally tangentially engaging the abutment means which acts in the direction opposite the movement of the transport means thereby causing them to be successively rotated by the frictional engagement therebetween and wrapping a predetermined portion of said web around themselves, said transverse cutting means severing said web upstream from said peripheral tangential engagement of said abutment means with respect to the direction of said articles along said prederimined path.

Claim 10

A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the transport means is an endless conveyor comprised of chains, belts or similar conveyor elements guided around deflection (return) and drive rollers, and the conveyor carries a plurality of said support elements distributed over its length.

Claim 11

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the conveyor takes the form of a driven rotating drum with supporting elements for articles to be packed, which elements are distributed around its periphery.

Claim 12

A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein a web extractor device is provided with at least one drive roller to rotate in engagement with the web of sheet material, by means of which the rate of withdrawal and supply of the web of sheet material can be set and regulated.

Claim 13

A machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the drive movement for the drive roller of the web extractor device is derived from the drive system for the transport means, via a gearing system whose transmission ratio can be varied in stepped or in infinitely variable fashion.

Claim 14

A machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the web extractor device and the transport means each have separate drive arrangements, and both drive arrangements are allocated a common proportional controller.

Claim 15

A machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the proportional controller is provided with a device for adjusting the setpoint value.

Claim 16

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein said supporting elements are arranged at uniform intervals along the conveyor and supported thereon.

Claim 17

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein to do duty as said supporting elements, in each case pairs of supporting rollers or the like which together support an article for packing and are freely rotatable about parallel spindles, are provided, and these extend over at least part of the width of the conveyor.

Claim 18

A machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the mutual center to center distance of the supporting rollers is adjustable.

Claim 19

A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the transport means takes the form of a driven rotating drum with supporting rollers for articles to be packed, which arrangements are distributed around its periphery, the mutual center to center distance of the supporting rollers is adjustable, and the rotating drum comprises two co-axially located twin carriers each located at one end and consisting of two single carriers on a common carrier shaft and in each case two single carriers of the two twin carriers are arranged in line with one another in the axial direction and together Form a carrier pair supporting one of the rollers of a roller pair and both pairs of single carriers are adjustable in relation to one another in the angular sense in the peripheral direction.

Claim 20

A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the abutment means forms a co-hesive co-operating surface or one which is split up into subsidiary surfaces, and extends at an interval from the path of movement of the articles on the transport means, along said path and substantially parallel thereto.

Claim 21

A machine as claimed in claim 18 wherein the abutment means consists of a plate or the like extending substantially over the width of the transport means.

Claim 22

A machine as claimed in claim 18 wherein the abutment means consists of one or more lengthwise bars, strips or the like combined together to form a group.

Claim 23

A machine as claimed in claim 20 wherein the abutment means comprises several groups of straight lengthwise bars arranged one behind the other in the direction of movement of the transport means, these bars forming substantially comb-like abutment units in which the attitude of the bars is in each case separately adapted to the locus of movement of the transport means.

Claim 24

A machine as claimed in claim 20 wherein the abutment bar or bars is or are pivotally mounted about a transverse axis in the neighborhood of its or their front end (considered in the direction of movement of the transport means), so that they can deflect through a range which is limited by stops.

Claim 25

A machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the abutment means takes the form of at least one rail extending along the path of movement of the transport means over at least part of the length of said path, which bar sets the supporting rollers into rotation when the latter pass it.

Claim 26

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the transverse cutting means is allocated to the transport means so as to lie at the side of the web of sheet material which is remote from the abutment means, and exhibits parting-off elements adapted to execute a parting-off movement which penetrates at one side between two successive supporting elements.

Claim 27

A machine as claimed in claim 24 wherein the conveyor is assigned a transverse cutter device which carries out all the parting-off operations and whose drive system is adapted to the drive system of the conveyor.

Claim 28

A machine as claimed in claim 24 wherein the transverse cutter means is arranged for adjustment along the path of movement of the conveyor.

Claim 29

A machine as claimed in claim 24 wherein each supporting element is assigned a separate transverse cutting device supported on the conveyor.

Claim 30

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein sets of air-blast nozzles are provided which are arranged to blow a stream of air onto the end of each section of sheet material formed by the severing operation, and hold same into contact with the article being wrapped.

Claim 31

A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the conveyor is assigned a feed mechanism located at a position in front of the abutment means considered in the direction of movement of the conveyor.

Claim 32

A machine as claimed in claim 29 wherein the feed mechanism comprises a distributor device adapted to the conveyor drive system and supplying articles for packing successively, at intervals, to the supporting elements on the conveyor.

Claim 33

A machine as claimed in claim 29 wherein the feed mechanism exhibits an inclined entry track at the end of which, adjacent the conveyor and terminating above the conveyor, is located an escapement device capable of intermittently opening and closing.