US4054160A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tying machine
Assignee: International Packaging Corp
•
Filing: 1976-12-09
•
Granted: 1977-10-18
•
Expires: 1996-12-09
Abstract
Abstract A tying machine for tying articles of various sizes utilizing a twist-tie ribbon. The tying machine may be quickly adjusted to control the length of the tying ribbon that is metered out by the machine and to center the article to be tied at the tying station in accordance with the size or diameter of the article to be tied.
Inventors
- 👤 David S. Knudsen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:38
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B13/00; B65B13/02; B65B13/16; B65B51/00; B65B51/04; B65B51/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 35
Claim 1
Independent Claim
77 words
Apparatus for tying articles of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon comprising: means for twist-tying articles having an adjustable opening to receive articles to be tied within the opening, and means for adjusting the first mentioned means to control the length of the twist-tie ribbon metered out for tying objects of various sizes and adjustable means for adjusting the opening of the machine for centering objects of various sizes to be tied in said first mentioned means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus for tying articles of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon comprising: means for twist-tying articles having an adjustable opening to receive articles to be tied within the opening, and means for adjusting the first mentioned means to control the length of the twist-tie ribbon metered out for tying objects of various sizes and adjustable means for adjusting the opening of the machine for centering objects of various sizes to be tied in said first mentioned means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
181 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie comprising: means for storing a continuous length of tie material; means for metering out a preselected length of tie material from the storage means; means for severing the preselected length of tie material from the continuous length of tie material; means for receiving the preselected length of tie material and forming it around an article to be tied after it is severed; means for receiving and twisting tie material presented to it by receiving and twisting the ends of the tie material on itself, said twisting means being arranged in a spaced relationship relative to said forming means; said receiving and forming means being movable towards the twisting means and including means for positively guiding and forming the tie material around an article to be tied and presenting the tie material ends to said twisting means; and drive means coupled to each of the aforementioned means for actuating the severing means, the forming means and the twisting means to twist-tie an article positioned in the machine.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
181 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie comprising: means for storing a continuous length of tie material; means for metering out a preselected length of tie material from the storage means; means for severing the preselected length of tie material from the continuous length of tie material; means for receiving the preselected length of tie material and forming it around an article to be tied after it is severed; means for receiving and twisting tie material presented to it by receiving and twisting the ends of the tie material on itself, said twisting means being arranged in a spaced relationship relative to said forming means; said receiving and forming means being movable towards the twisting means and including means for positively guiding and forming the tie material around an article to be tied and presenting the tie material ends to said twisting means; and drive means coupled to each of the aforementioned means for actuating the severing means, the forming means and the twisting means to twist-tie an article positioned in the machine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for metering out a preselected length of tie material includes an individual drive means for actuating the metering means and timing means for controlling the length of time the drive means is actuated.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 2 including means for rapidly adjusting the tying apparatus for tying articles of varying sizes over a relatively wide range of sizes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 4 wherein the adjusting means includes adjustable means for centering an article to be tied at the twisting means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 5 including actuating means movably mounted in the path of the article to be tied as the article is positioned at the twisting means for actuating the drive means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 6 wherein said tie material storage means comprises a rotatable spool having the tie material wound thereon and extending into the metering means and including means for preventing rotation of the spool except during the intervals the tie material is metered therefrom.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 2 wherein said forming means includes means for assuring that the tie material is pulled evenly from the forming means when received and twisted by the twisting means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
229 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie comprising: means for storing a continuous length of tie material having its free end extending outwardly therefrom; means receiving the free end of the tie material for metering out a preselected length of tie material from the storage means; means for severing the preselected length of tie material from the continuous length of tie material; movable means for receiving the tie material from the metering means and forming the tie material around an article to be tied, said movable means including means extending adjacent the metering means for receiving the tie material from the metering means to assure positive reception of the tie material including any camber the tie material may exhibit; means for receiving the tie material from the forming means and twisting the ends of the tie material on itself and thereby removing the material from the forming means; means for positively controlling the operation of the forming means to assure positive clearance of the various sized articles to be tied when positioned to be tied and positive placement of the ends of the tie material at the twisting means; and drive means coupled to each of the aforementioned means for actuating and operating the severing means, the forming means and the twisting means to twist-tie an article positioned to be tied.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
229 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie comprising: means for storing a continuous length of tie material having its free end extending outwardly therefrom; means receiving the free end of the tie material for metering out a preselected length of tie material from the storage means; means for severing the preselected length of tie material from the continuous length of tie material; movable means for receiving the tie material from the metering means and forming the tie material around an article to be tied, said movable means including means extending adjacent the metering means for receiving the tie material from the metering means to assure positive reception of the tie material including any camber the tie material may exhibit; means for receiving the tie material from the forming means and twisting the ends of the tie material on itself and thereby removing the material from the forming means; means for positively controlling the operation of the forming means to assure positive clearance of the various sized articles to be tied when positioned to be tied and positive placement of the ends of the tie material at the twisting means; and drive means coupled to each of the aforementioned means for actuating and operating the severing means, the forming means and the twisting means to twist-tie an article positioned to be tied.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
71 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 9 wherein said means for metering out a preselected length of tie material includes an individual drive means for actuating the metering means and timing means for controlling the length of time the drive means is actuated, the individual driving means being electrical motors and the timing means being electronic timing means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 9 including means for rapidly adjusting the tying apparatus for tying articles of varying sizes over a relatively wide range of sizes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 11 wherein the adjusting means includes adjustable means for centering an article to be tied at the twisting means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 12 wherein said tie material storage means comprises a rotatable spool having the tie material wound thereon and extending into the metering means; and including means for preventing rotation of the spool except during the intervals that tie material is metered therefrom.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
68 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 9 wherein the apparatus includes frame means for the apparatus constructed and defined with an article receiving throat for receiving articles of varying sizes, over a relatively wide range of sizes, to be tied, and including adjustable stop means for centering the article to be tied in the apparatus.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 14 including actuating means movably mounted in the throat in the path of an article to be tied for actuating the drive means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 9 including means for movably mounting the metering means and the severing means for adjusting the length of tie material that is metered out to accommodate articles of varying sizes.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
116 words
Apparatus for tying articles with a twist-tie ribbon comprising: means for advancing a preselected length of ribbon from a continuous length of twist-tie ribbon; means for severing the preselected length of ribbon from its continuous length; means for twisting the ends of a twist-tie ribbon delivered thereto; movable means for receiving the ribbon from the advancing means and for forming the severed ribbon around an article to be tied while delivering the thus formed ribbon to the twisting means; said forming means including means for assuring that the ribbon is evenly pulled from the forming means at the twisting means; and drive means coupled to operate said advancing means, severing means, twisting means and forming means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
116 words
Apparatus for tying articles with a twist-tie ribbon comprising: means for advancing a preselected length of ribbon from a continuous length of twist-tie ribbon; means for severing the preselected length of ribbon from its continuous length; means for twisting the ends of a twist-tie ribbon delivered thereto; movable means for receiving the ribbon from the advancing means and for forming the severed ribbon around an article to be tied while delivering the thus formed ribbon to the twisting means; said forming means including means for assuring that the ribbon is evenly pulled from the forming means at the twisting means; and drive means coupled to operate said advancing means, severing means, twisting means and forming means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus for tying articles with a twist-tie ribbon as defined in claim 17 including means for limiting the length of unexposed ribbon during the ribbon advancing operations including while the ribbon is being advanced from said advancing means to said forming means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus for tying articles with tie material capable of being twisted to form a tie as defined in claim 9 wherein the forming means comprises fork means mounted for movement towards and away from the twisting means while opening and closing around the various sized articles to be tied when positioned to be tied.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
155 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: adjusting the tying mechanism for feeding a preselected length of twist-tie ribbon from a supply of ribbon relative to the size of an article to be tied; feeding a preselected length of twist-tie ribbon to forming scissors for forming the ribbon around an article to be tied; de-forming the ribbon, and forming the de-formed ribbon around the article to be tied while the ribbon is carried to a tying station by the scissors to assure that the ribbon will be evenly pulled at the twist tying station; causing the scissors to successively open around the articles to be tied to assure clearance thereof and close around the article to be tied while carrying the ribbon to the tying station; and stripping the ribbon from the scissors while twisting the ends of the ribbon upon itself to twist-tie the article.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
155 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: adjusting the tying mechanism for feeding a preselected length of twist-tie ribbon from a supply of ribbon relative to the size of an article to be tied; feeding a preselected length of twist-tie ribbon to forming scissors for forming the ribbon around an article to be tied; de-forming the ribbon, and forming the de-formed ribbon around the article to be tied while the ribbon is carried to a tying station by the scissors to assure that the ribbon will be evenly pulled at the twist tying station; causing the scissors to successively open around the articles to be tied to assure clearance thereof and close around the article to be tied while carrying the ribbon to the tying station; and stripping the ribbon from the scissors while twisting the ends of the ribbon upon itself to twist-tie the article.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon as defined in claim 20 wherein the steps of adjusting the mechanism includes adjusting the mechanism relative to the diameter of an article to be tied for centering the article at the tying station.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
200 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: adjusting a twist-tie mechanism for metering out a preselected length of tying ribbon correlated to the size of the object to be tied with the ribbon; positioning the object to be tied in the adjusted twist-tie mechanism; actuating the twist-tie mechanism while positioning it to be tied; automatically twist-tying the positioned article with the tying mechanism in accordance with the following sequential order of steps: severing the previously metered length of tying ribbon from a continuous length of ribbon; forming the ribbon around the article positioned to be tied while delivering the formed ribbon to a tying station for the mechanism, the forming step including forming the ribbon for assuring the ribbon is evenly pulled from the forming means at the tying station; twisting the ends of the ribbon delivered at the tying station while stripping the ribbon from the ribbon former and deliverer; retracting the ribbon former to its "home" position while the ribbon is being twisted; metering out a preselected length of tying ribbon for the successive tying operation; withdrawing the twist-tied article from the tying mechanism; and de-actuating the tying mechanism.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
200 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: adjusting a twist-tie mechanism for metering out a preselected length of tying ribbon correlated to the size of the object to be tied with the ribbon; positioning the object to be tied in the adjusted twist-tie mechanism; actuating the twist-tie mechanism while positioning it to be tied; automatically twist-tying the positioned article with the tying mechanism in accordance with the following sequential order of steps: severing the previously metered length of tying ribbon from a continuous length of ribbon; forming the ribbon around the article positioned to be tied while delivering the formed ribbon to a tying station for the mechanism, the forming step including forming the ribbon for assuring the ribbon is evenly pulled from the forming means at the tying station; twisting the ends of the ribbon delivered at the tying station while stripping the ribbon from the ribbon former and deliverer; retracting the ribbon former to its "home" position while the ribbon is being twisted; metering out a preselected length of tying ribbon for the successive tying operation; withdrawing the twist-tied article from the tying mechanism; and de-actuating the tying mechanism.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for tying objects with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: feeding a preselected length of ribbon from a supply of ribbon; severing the preselected length of ribbon from its continuous length; transporting the severed length of ribbon to a twist-tying station; de-forming the severed length and forming the de-formed length of ribbon around an article to be tied while transporting the ribbon to the tying station; and twisting the ribbon formed around the article to be tied to twist-tie the ribbon to the article thereby twist-tying it.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for tying objects with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: feeding a preselected length of ribbon from a supply of ribbon; severing the preselected length of ribbon from its continuous length; transporting the severed length of ribbon to a twist-tying station; de-forming the severed length and forming the de-formed length of ribbon around an article to be tied while transporting the ribbon to the tying station; and twisting the ribbon formed around the article to be tied to twist-tie the ribbon to the article thereby twist-tying it.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method for tying objects with a twist-tie ribbon as defined in claim 23 including limiting the amount of unexposed ribbon during the ribbon feeding steps to correct any camber the tie material may exhibit during said steps.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
201 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: providing a twist-tie ribbon tying machine having an adjustable opening to receive an article to be tied and means for adjusting the length of ribbon metered out for tying objects of variable diameters and for centering the article to be tied relative to the tying station in accordance with the size of the article to be tied; adjusting the machine for metering out a preselected length of ribbon; adjusting the opening of the machine to center an article to be tied positioned in the opening in accordance with the diameter of the article relative to the tying station; positioning and centering an article to be tied at the machine tying station; metering out a preselected length of ribbon; cutting off the preselected length of ribbon; advancing the length of ribbon to the tying station; and while advancing the ribbon forming the ribbon around the article to be tied, including momentarily restraining the central portion of the ribbon, and after the formed ribbon is advanced to the tying station, twisting the ends of the ribbon upon itself to thereby tie the article in the tying station.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
201 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: providing a twist-tie ribbon tying machine having an adjustable opening to receive an article to be tied and means for adjusting the length of ribbon metered out for tying objects of variable diameters and for centering the article to be tied relative to the tying station in accordance with the size of the article to be tied; adjusting the machine for metering out a preselected length of ribbon; adjusting the opening of the machine to center an article to be tied positioned in the opening in accordance with the diameter of the article relative to the tying station; positioning and centering an article to be tied at the machine tying station; metering out a preselected length of ribbon; cutting off the preselected length of ribbon; advancing the length of ribbon to the tying station; and while advancing the ribbon forming the ribbon around the article to be tied, including momentarily restraining the central portion of the ribbon, and after the formed ribbon is advanced to the tying station, twisting the ends of the ribbon upon itself to thereby tie the article in the tying station.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
156 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: providing a twist-tie ribbon tying machine having an adjustable opening to receive an article to be tied and having means for adjusting the length of ribbon metered out for tying objects of variable diameters and for centering the article to be tied relative to the location of the tying station in accordance with the size of the article to be tied; adjusting the machine for metering out a preselected length of ribbon; adjusting the opening of the machine to center an article to be tied positioned within the opening in accordance with the diameter of the article relative to the location of the tying staion; positioning and centering an article to be tied at the machine tying station; metering out a preselected length of ribbon; and twist-tying the article positioned at the tying station with said length of twist-tie ribbon.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
156 words
A method for tying objects of varying diameter with a twist-tie ribbon including the steps of: providing a twist-tie ribbon tying machine having an adjustable opening to receive an article to be tied and having means for adjusting the length of ribbon metered out for tying objects of variable diameters and for centering the article to be tied relative to the location of the tying station in accordance with the size of the article to be tied; adjusting the machine for metering out a preselected length of ribbon; adjusting the opening of the machine to center an article to be tied positioned within the opening in accordance with the diameter of the article relative to the location of the tying staion; positioning and centering an article to be tied at the machine tying station; metering out a preselected length of ribbon; and twist-tying the article positioned at the tying station with said length of twist-tie ribbon.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-10-17 | 1981-04-18 | 1981-10-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-10-17 | 1985-04-18 | 1985-10-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-10-17 | 1989-04-18 | 1989-10-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |