US3815313A — Apparatus and method for automatically sizing and…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 334 words

Apparatus for automatically sizing and at a later wrapping station forming a selected shrink wrap film envelope around a package such as a luggage member and then sealing and shrinking the film to protectively wrap the luggage member, the selection of the proper film thickness resulting from weighing the lugage member on a computing scale and then with an electric eye sensing system grossly measuring the height, width and length of the luggage member as a conveyor advances said luggage member toward a wrapping station, during this time a computer receives said information pertaining to the weight and gross size of the luggage member and after evaluation of this information feeds functional signals to the wrapping apparatus station whereat there is maintained a storage supply of shrink wrap film containing a plurality of film strips of various weights and thicknesses and from this storage supply a signal from the computer causes apparatus to be actuated and at least one selected film to be fed to the wrapping station, the luggage wrapping apparatus including: (a) means for engaging the selected film and moving this film as a strip to the wrapping station to form a curtain; (b) a conveyor adapted to advance the luggage member into said film to form a lower extent of film and to drape an upper extent of film over the advancing luggage member; (c) means for heat sealing the upper and lower extents of film to each other to peripherally seal the film and form an encasing envelope of film around the luggage member; (d) means for servering the encased luggage member from the strip of film extending from the storage supply, said severing occurring at a determined distance from the sealed envelope, the severing means providing an extending web portion, and (e) means for forming a handle aperture in said extending portion so that when the encasing film and extending web portion is heat shrunk the extending web and handle aperture thickens to provide a support and handle means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 334 words

Apparatus for automatically sizing and at a later wrapping station forming a selected shrink wrap film envelope around a package such as a luggage member and then sealing and shrinking the film to protectively wrap the luggage member, the selection of the proper film thickness resulting from weighing the lugage member on a computing scale and then with an electric eye sensing system grossly measuring the height, width and length of the luggage member as a conveyor advances said luggage member toward a wrapping station, during this time a computer receives said information pertaining to the weight and gross size of the luggage member and after evaluation of this information feeds functional signals to the wrapping apparatus station whereat there is maintained a storage supply of shrink wrap film containing a plurality of film strips of various weights and thicknesses and from this storage supply a signal from the computer causes apparatus to be actuated and at least one selected film to be fed to the wrapping station, the luggage wrapping apparatus including: (a) means for engaging the selected film and moving this film as a strip to the wrapping station to form a curtain; (b) a conveyor adapted to advance the luggage member into said film to form a lower extent of film and to drape an upper extent of film over the advancing luggage member; (c) means for heat sealing the upper and lower extents of film to each other to peripherally seal the film and form an encasing envelope of film around the luggage member; (d) means for servering the encased luggage member from the strip of film extending from the storage supply, said severing occurring at a determined distance from the sealed envelope, the severing means providing an extending web portion, and (e) means for forming a handle aperture in said extending portion so that when the encasing film and extending web portion is heat shrunk the extending web and handle aperture thickens to provide a support and handle means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 89 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 1 in which the film storage of the shrink wrap film includes a multiplicity of rolls of film carried adjacent a transport carrier of the package, the film rolls being positioned and grouped so that in response to a computer signal one, two and more like weight films may be simultaneously fed from said rolls to longitudinal sealing means to form a film strip of selected weight and width to provide the desired width film curtain at the wrapping station.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 47 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 2 in which substantially like rolls of film are disposed above and below the transport carrier so that like widths and thicknesses of film may be selected to provide like upper and lower extents and weights of film.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 53 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 3 in which the means for engaging the film includes gripping jaws which engage upper and lower films and bring them to an overlapped condition and in way of a sealing means which heat seals the ends of the film to form a curtain.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 53 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 1 in which the extending portion is the trailing web portion is cut to form a triangular form with the apex of the form extending rearwardly and substantially midway of the trailing edge and with the handle aperture formed in the larger web portion.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 144 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 1 in which the means for advancing the luggage member further includes a first conveyor disposed to receive and transport the just weighed luggage member; a plurality of conveyors transversely disposed to the first conveyor with each transverse conveyor disposed to receive a luggage member when deflected from the first conveyor, said transverse conveyor transporting the luggage member to discharge conveyor; a deflector means associated with each transverse conveyor, said deflector means in response to a signal from the computer actuated to dislodge a luggage member from the first conveyor toward and onto said transverse conveyor and in which the like upper and lower films are joined to form a curtain at the wrapping station, the films which are associated with one transverse conveyor being different from another as to weight, width and combinations thereof.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 126 words

Apparatus for autOmatically wrapping a package as in claim 6 in which each transverse conveyor has an upper and a lower roll of film which are of like weight and width with the films fed toward the conveyor and joined to form an initial curtain, and in which the means for sealing the films around the luggage member includes an additional sealing means adapted to form a second seal disposed to join the upper and lower films at a position toward the film rolls, and in which the severing means is positioned and adapted to cut the films between the envelope forming seal and the second seal with the second seal providing the curtain forming means for the following luggage member carried by this transverse conveyor.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 120 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 1 in which a storage supply includes rolls of film carried on a rotary turret selectively movable to a delivery position above a luggage supporting conveyor and the film advancing mechanism includes a pair of substantially parallelly arranged mandrels having like diameter roller sections, each section having peripheral film engaging surfaces, the roller sections spaced so as to grip the film and advance and retract the film when the film is brought between the roller sections which are counter rotated by a drive means connected to the mandrels, the gripped film being maintained in a guided plane through the rollers by means of retained guide fingers positioned between the roller sections.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 99 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 8 in which there is provided a film end sensing means, which means is positioned below the luggage supporting conveyor, the end sensing means in response to a signal from the computer stopping the advance of a film of selected width and thickness to provide a curtain whose extent below the conveyor is sufficient to provide a film cover for the lower portion of the luggage member and provide an extending portion for joining with the upper extent of film and forming the sealed film envelope around the luggage member.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 52 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 9 in which the film end sensing means is a pneumatic apparatus having a plurality of sensors serially arranged to sense associated jets of air, the obstruction of which is used to determine the advance of the film as it is passed therebetween.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 93 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 8 in which there is also provided a lower turret on which is carried rolls of film of widths and thicknesses which substantially correspond to like rolls carried on the upper turret and in which there is provided means for gripping the end of the upper film and the end of the lower film and advancing each film to and by each other and to position them in an overlapped condition whereupon means is provided for joining the films to form a film curtain.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 43 words

Apparatus for automatically wrapping a package as in claim 11 in which there is provided a film advancing mechanism operatively associated with every roll of film, each mechanism carried by and moved with the turret upon which the roll of film is stored.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 270 words

The method of automatically sizing, weighing and at a later wrapping station forming a shrink wrap film envelope around a package such as a luggage member and then sealing and shrinking the film around the luggage member to protect the member, the selection of the proper film thickness resulting from weighing a luggage member and grossly measuring the height, width and length of the luggage member while advancing said luggage member toward a wrapping station and feeding the derived weight and size information to a computer for evaluating and feeding said information as functional signals to wrapping station apparatus whereat the method steps include: (a) selecting and delivering to the wrapping station at least one strip of shrink wrap film from a storage means having a plurality of film strips of various weights and thicknesses, the delivery of the selected film occurring in rEsponse to a functional signal from the computer and grasping the delivered film and positioning the film to form a curtain in the path of the advancing luggage member; (b) advancing the luggage member into said film curtain and causing a draping of the film over the luggage member; (c) sealing the upper and lower extents of film to form an envelope of film around the luggage member; (d) severing the sealed envelope from the strip of film at a determined distance from the encased luggage member and forming a trailing web of film attached to the sealed envelope, and (e) forming a handle aperture in said trailing web portion of film which web and aperture when heated thickens to provide a reinforced handle and support means.

Claim 15

Independent Claim 270 words

The method of automatically sizing, weighing and at a later wrapping station forming a shrink wrap film envelope around a package such as a luggage member and then sealing and shrinking the film around the luggage member to protect the member, the selection of the proper film thickness resulting from weighing a luggage member and grossly measuring the height, width and length of the luggage member while advancing said luggage member toward a wrapping station and feeding the derived weight and size information to a computer for evaluating and feeding said information as functional signals to wrapping station apparatus whereat the method steps include: (a) selecting and delivering to the wrapping station at least one strip of shrink wrap film from a storage means having a plurality of film strips of various weights and thicknesses, the delivery of the selected film occurring in rEsponse to a functional signal from the computer and grasping the delivered film and positioning the film to form a curtain in the path of the advancing luggage member; (b) advancing the luggage member into said film curtain and causing a draping of the film over the luggage member; (c) sealing the upper and lower extents of film to form an envelope of film around the luggage member; (d) severing the sealed envelope from the strip of film at a determined distance from the encased luggage member and forming a trailing web of film attached to the sealed envelope, and (e) forming a handle aperture in said trailing web portion of film which web and aperture when heated thickens to provide a reinforced handle and support means.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 64 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 13 in which the step of grossly measuring the size of the luggage member includes employing a series of electric eye systems so that interruption of the beams of said systems by a luggage member placed in a determined position causes a size pattern and signal information therefrom to be fed to the computer.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 13 in which the delivery of film to the wrapping station includes providing a nultiplicity of rolls of film differing from one another as to widths, thicknesses and combinations thereof.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 81 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 15 in which the delivery storage of rolls of film includes the further step of arranging the rolls on upper and lower turrets and the steps of gripping the end of a selected upper roll and gripping the end of a selected lower roll and bringing the two ends of said rolls into an overlapped condition and in this condition joining the ends of overlapped film portions to form a curtain.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 86 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 13 in which the transporting and wrapping of the luggage member includes the further steps of arranging a conveyor system in which a first conveyor is disposed to receive and transport the just weighed luggage member; positioning a plurality of transversely disposed conveyors, each disposed to receive by means of an actuated transferring apparatus a luggage member from said first conveyor and providing a discharge conveyor to receive a luggage member delivered from the transverse conveyor.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 108 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 17 in which the transferring of the luggage member from the first conveyor to a transverse conveyor includes the additional steps of arranging a deflector means in association with each transverse conveyor and actuating one of said deflector means in response to a signal from the computer to selectively deflect the luggage member from the first conveyor to the transverse conveyor and the further step of providing like upper and lower rolls of film in association with each transverse conveyor and joining the ends to form a curtain into which an advancing luggage member is fed for wrapping.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 80 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 13 in which the film advancing includes the step of arranging a pair of mandrels in a substantially parallel manner and providing on each mandrel a plurality of like roller sections having resilient film engaging outer surfaces and between the roller sections guiding and supporting the film by positioning guide fingers to establish a guide path and rotating the mandrels to selectively advance and reverse the feeding of the film.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 98 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 16 in which the luggage advancing means is a conveyor disposed below the turret and there is provided the additional steps of sensing the end of an advanced film as it is fed to and past the upper surface of the supporting conveyor and the step of stopping the downward travel of the film in response to a signal from the computer as and when the luggage member is fed into the curtain to cause the luggage member to engage and travel on the lower Extent of film.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 73 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 20, in which sensing the end of an advancing film includes the further step of arranging a determined sequence of pneumatic sensors in way of like spaced and positioned pneumatic jets so that when a film is passed therebetween signals derived from the interruptions of the jet air streams are fed to the computer for controlling the feeding of the strip of film.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 48 words

The method of automatically wrapping a package as in claim 16 in which there is provided the additional step of providing a film advancing mechanism operatively associated with each roll of film and carrying said mechanism on the turret on which the roll of film is removably retained.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1977-06-10	1977-12-10	1978-06-11	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1981-06-10	1981-12-10	1982-06-11	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1985-06-10	1985-12-10	1986-06-11	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus and method for automatically sizing and wrapping a shrink wrap envelope around advancing luggage

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