Film shaping apparatus

Claim 2

In a film forming collar for shaping a film into an enclosure tube and including a top plate having a trapazoidal form with a short front end and a wide rear end and forwardly coverging side edges, a pair of parallel side plates depending from said top plate and being aligned with the margins of said front end, a film being led to such top plate from said rear end, guide bar means positioned under said top plate and adapted to be parallel when operative and extend rearwardly from said front end at the edges thereof to fold the film about said side edges, the film moving downwardly from said top plate to be formed into an enclosure, the improvement of a front roller operatively positioned at said front end to provide a film guide means thereat, said front end being recessed to receive said front roller whereby the film to be formed is led over said front roller to reduce the friction of passage of the film over said top plate and around said side edges, a center portion of the film moving downwardly over said front roller, a second roller positioned parallel to said front roller and below it for said film to move to, around and rearwardly from said second roller; and a nose assembly means positioned below said top plate at said front end, portions of said nose assembly being positioned in alignment with said side plates, and means for positioning said rollers on said nose assembly in a vertical plane.

Claim 3

In a film forming collar as in claim 1, the improvement comprising said portions of said nose assembly including edge plates having lower front corners forming angles of about 45* with a plane defined by said top plate, said front corners being adapted to have portions of the film led thereover and folded therearound.

Claim 4

In a film forming collar as in claim 2, the improvement comprising said nose assembly being removably secured in the film forming collar and cooperating therewith to shape a film pulled through the collar into an enclosure tube, the height of such tube being controlled by the relative position of said second roller in the collar whereby by changing the said nose assembly to a different nose assembly with a second roller therein at a different vertical spacing from said front roller a different height enclosure tube can be formed.

Claim 5

Apparatus for forming a continuous heat-shrinkable envelope around one or more abutted rows of objects, such as cans, as they are advanced into the apparatus, from a film or sheet of plastic or other material as it is moved through the apparatus comprised of a horizontally extending, substantially trapezoidal shaped film guide plate positioned to extend upstream in the apparatus, the side edges thereof forming 45* angles with the front edges thereof, a guide roller positioned at the front edge of said guide plate, a pair of parallel side plates mounted perpendicular to said guide plate and extending vertically downwardly therefrom, such side plates having forwardly positioned lower corners forming substantially 45* angles with the plane of said guide plate, a bottom plate operatively secured to the bottom edge of each said side plate and adapted to extend inwardly therefrom in substantially perpendicular relation thereto, the forward edge of each of said bottom plates being at an angle of about 45* to the lower edge of each side plate, a second guide roller positioned parallel to said first guide roller but below and spaced from said guide plate and extending between said side plates whereby a substantially rectangularly shaped opening is defined by said second guide roller, said side plates and said bottom plates into which said objects can be fed, a film passing through the apparatus having its center portion passing over said first guide roller and down to and around said second guide roller, movable guide means for continuously engaging a length of moving film and drawing it against the side edges of said guide plates wherein the film folds therearound, said guide means positioning marginal portions of the film for movement down along said side plates and around the corners of said side plates and said bottom plates to form a continuous envelope around the abutted objects passing into the opening, and a nose assembly means positioned below said guide plate at said front end, said nose assembly means having edge plates forming extensions of said side plates, and means for positioning both of said rollers on said nose assembly means.

Claim 6

Apparatus for forming a continuous heat-shrinkable envelope around one or more abutted rows of objects, such as cans, as they are advanced into the apparatus, from a film or sheet of plastic or other material as it is moved through the apparatus comprised of a horizontally extending, substantially trapezoidal shaped film guide plate positioned to extend upstream in the apparatus, the side edges thereof forming 45* angles with the front edges thereof, a guide roller positioned at the front edge of said guide plate, a pair of parallel side plates mounted perpendicular to said guide plate and extending vertically downwardly therefrom, such side plates having forwardly positioned lower corners forming substantially 45* angles with the plane of said guide plate, a bottom plate operatively secured to the bottom edge of each said side plate and adapted to extend inwardly therefrom in substantially perpendicular relation thereto, the forward edge of each of said bottom plates being at an angle of about 45* to the lower edge of each side plate, a second guide roller positioned parallel to said first guide roller but below and spaced from said guide plate and extending between said side plates whereby a substantially rectangularly shaped opening is defined by said second guide roller, said side plates and said bottom plates into which said objects can be fed, a film passing through the apparatus having its center portion passing over said first guide roller and down to and around said second guide roller, movable guide means for continuously engaging a length of moving film and drawing it against the side edges of said guide plates wherein the film folds therearound, said guide means positioning marginal portions of the film for movement down along said side plates and around the corners of said side plates and said bottom plates to form a continuous envelope around the abutted objects passing into the opening, and a nose assembly means positioned below said guide plate at said front end, said nose assembly means having edge plates forming extensions of said side plates, and means for positioning both of said rollers on said nose assembly means.

Claim 7

In forming apparatus as in claim 4, the improvement comprising said edge plates having lower front corners forming angles of about 45* with the plane defined by said guide plate, said front corners being extensions of the lower corners of said side plates and being adapted to have portions of the film led thereover and folded therearound.

Claim 8

In a film forming collar as in claim 4, the improvement comprising said nose assembly being removably secured in the apparatus and cooperating therewith by said second guide roller to shape a film pulled through the apparatus into a tubular envelope, the height of such envelope being controlled by the relative position of said second guide roller in the apparatus whereby by changing nose assemblies a different height envelope can be produced.

Claim 9

In a film forming collar for shaping a film into an enclosure tube and including a top plate having a trapazoidal form with a short front end and a wide rear end and forwardly converging side edges, a pair of parallel side plates depending from said top plate and being aligned with the margins of said front end, a film being led forwardly to and over such top plate from said rear end, guide bar means positioned under said top plate and adapted to be parallel when operative and extend rearwardly from said front end at the edges thereof to fold the film about said side edges, the film moving downwardly from said top plate to be formed into an enclosure, the improvement of a front roller operatively positioned at said front end to provide a film guide means thereat, said front end being recessed to receive said front roller whereby the film to be formed is led over said front roller to reduce the friction of passage of the film over said top plate and around said side edges; and means for adjusting the position of said front roller in relation to the top plate front edge, said front roller having its top surface protruding above the plane of said top plate to take the tension on the film as led to and over said top plate and to position the film slightly above such top plate, a center portion of the film moving downwardly over said front roller.

Claim 10

In a film forming collar for shaping a film into an enclosure tube and including a top plate having a trapazoidal form with a short front end and a wide rear end and forwardly converging side edges, a pair of parallel side plates depending from said top plate and being aligned with the margins of said front end, a film being led forwardly to and over such top plate from said rear end, guide bar means positioned under said top plate and adapted to be parallel when operative and extend rearwardly from said front end at the edges thereof to fold the film about said side edges, the film moving downwardly from said top plate to be formed into an enclosure, the improvement of a front roller operatively positioned at said front end to provide a film guide means thereat, said front end being recessed to receive said front roller whereby the film to be formed is led over said front roller to reduce the friction of passage of the film over said top plate and around said side edges; and means for adjusting the position of said front roller in relation to the top plate front edge, said front roller having its top surface protruding above the plane of said top plate to take the tension on the film as led to and over said top plate and to position the film slightly above such top plate, a center portion of the film moving downwardly over said front roller.

Claim 11

In a film forming collar as in claim 7, the provision of a second roller positioned parallel to said front roller and below it for said film to move to, around and rearwardly from said second roller.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said bottom plates have vertically upwardly extending edge flanges portions of which combine with portions of said edge plates and with said corners of said side plates to form film folding edges in the apparatus for folding laterally spaced portions of film therearound as it moves through the apparatus.

Claim 13

Apparatus as in claim 9 where said edge flanges of said guide plates each include a section extending vertically upwardly from said flange portions that form film folding edges in the apparatus.