PACKING ARTICLES, SUCH AS PACKAGES OF ROLLS OF PAPER

EMBALLAGE D'ARTICLES, NOTAMMENT DES ROULEAUX DE PAPIER

English Abstract

PACKING ARTICLES, SUCH AS PACKAGES OF
ROLLS OF PAPER

Abstract of the Disclosure

A pack or bundle comprising a bag of thermoplastic
film such as polyethylene, individual packages of rolls of
paper, such as packages of four rolls of toilet tissue, packed
in the bag, a closure panel inserted in the bag engaging the
contents, the panel being heat-sealable on its outside face,
the bag having a marginal lip at its mouth projecting beyond
the closure panel folded over on the outside face of the clo-
sure panel and heat-sealed thereto to close the bag, and the
method of making such bundles involving inserting the contents
and the closure into the bag through its mouth, and folding
over the lip and heat-sealing it to the panel.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The method of packaging comprising loading a
bag of flexible packaging material with product through the
mouth of the bag and inserting a closure panel through the
mouth of the bag with the inside of the closure panel lying
against the product, the product height being such that, with
the closure panel on the product, the bag has a lip all around
the bag projecting beyond said panel at the mouth of the bag,
the lip at any point around the bag being of relatively narrow
width substantially less than half the distance across the
panel from said point, the lip on the inside thereof and the
margin of the panel on the outside thereof being of compatible
sealing material, folding over the lip on the outside of the
panel, the lip extending all around the margin of the panel on
the outside of the panel with a substantial portion of the
panel exposed within the lip,, and sealing the lip to the mar-
gin of the panel on the outside of the panel, the bag being a
heat-sealable plastic bag and the closure panel being compati-
bly heat-sealable on the outside face thereof with the plastic
of the bag, the lip of the bag being heat-sealed to the outside
face of the panel, the bag being spread open at its mouth, and
the product and the end closure panel being simultaneously
pushed into the bag through its mouth and the product thereby
compressed, compression being maintained while the lip of the
bag is folded over on the outside face of the panel and heat-
sealed to the coating on said face, the product in section
transverse to the bag and the panel being generally rectan-
gular, the product and bag being dimensioned for a relatively
tight fit of the product in the bag, the lip comprising four
marginal portions of the bag which are folded over around the
four sides of the panel on the outside face of the panel, and
each of the four marginal portions being heat-sealed to the
outside face of the panel, said four marginal portions being
heat-sealed to the panel at intervals while compression is






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maintained, the folding over of the marginal portions being
effected by folding members having gaps therein and the heat
sealing being effected by entering heat sealing members in the
gaps.
2. A package comprising:

a bag of flexible packaging material which is heat-sealable at
least on the inside;

said bag being formed with a first end closure at one end and
an open mouth at its other end;

product in the bag of generally rectangular shape in section
transverse to the bag and of generally rectangular shape in
section lengthwise of the bag thereby having four generally
rectangular sides and first and second generally rectangular
ends;


said first end closure of the bag being such as to enable
opening up of the bag with portions of said flexible packaging
material of the bag at said first end closure of generally
rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of said first end
of said product;

said product being packed in the bag with its said first end
at said first end closure of the bag with said portions of said
material of the bag at its said first end closure of generally
rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of said first end
of said product and generally flat at said first end of said
product, and with the bag generally tight girthwise around
said four generally rectangular sides of said product;






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the height of the bag being such in relation to the height of
the product that, with the bag at its said first end closure
of generally rectangular shape and generally flat at said
first end of said product, the bag has a lip all around the
bag at the mouth of the bag projecting beyond said sides of
said product;

a flat closure panel inserted in the bag on said second end of
said product;

said closure panel being generally rectangular in shape cor-
responding generally in shape to said second end of said pro-
duct and having edges adjacent the edges of said second end of
said product;

said closure panel being heat-sealable compatibly with the bag
at least around the margin thereof on the outside for heat
sealing of said lip of the bag to said margin;

said lip providing four marginal potions of the bag at the
mouth of the bag constituting flaps at each of the four edges
of the closure panel;

each flap at any point thereof being of relatively narrow
width substantially less than half the distance across the
panel from said point;

said flaps being folded over on the outside of said closure
panel overlying the closure panel all around the margin there-
of and being heat-sealed to said margin thereby forming a
second end closure, with a substantial portion of the panel
exposed within said flaps.




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3. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the
bag is a bag of heat-sealable plastic film and the closure
panel comprises a piece of non-heat-sealable material having a
coating of heat-sealable plastic on its outside face.

4. A package as set forth in claim 3 wherein the
product comprises a plurality of individual paper items which
are per se compressible, said items being assembled in a stack
having said four generally rectangular sides and first and
second generally rectangular ends with the items so arranged
that the stack is compressible girthwise.

5. A package as set forth in claim 4 wherein the
paper items are rolls of paper assembled in said stack with
the axes of the rolls extending lengthwise of the bag.


6. A package as set forth in claim 5 wherein the
rolls of paper are toilet tissue rolls in individual packages
within the bag, each individual package comprising a plurality
of the rolls wrapped in a heat-sealable wrapper, said panel in
comprising a piece of non-heat-sealable material with the
heat-sealable plastic coating on its outside face allowing the
heat-sealing of the flaps to the panel without sealing to the
roll wrappers.


7. A package as set worth in claim 3 wherein the
plastic coating generally completely covers the outside face
of the panel and has a non-slip characteristic for non-slip of
packages in a stack.

8. A package as set forth in claim 3 wherein the
plastic coating generally completely covers the outside face
of the panel and has a slip characteristic for facilitating
sliding of the package.





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9. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the
bag comprises a length of gussetted tubing of heat-sealable
plastic, and said first end closure is formed by a heat seal
extending across the bag.

10. A package as set forth in claim 9 wherein the
closure panel comprises a piece of non-heat-sealable material
having a coating of heat-sealable plastic on its outside face.

11. A package as set forth in claim 10 wherein the
product comprises a plurality of individual paper items which
are per se compressible, said items being assembled in a stack
having said four generally rectangular sides and first and
second generally rectangular ends with the items so arranged
that the stack is compressible girthwise.

12. A package as set forth in claim 11 wherein the
paper items are rolls of paper assembled in said stack with
the axes of the rolls extending lengthwise of the bag.


13. A package as set forth in claim 12 wherein the
rolls of paper are toilet tissue rolls in individual packages
within the bag, each individual package comprising a plurality
of the rolls wrapped in a heat-sealable wrapper, said panel in
comprising a piece of non-heat-sealable material with the
heat-sealable plastic coating on its outside face allowing the
heat-sealing of the flaps to the panel without sealing to the
roll wrappers

14. A package as set forth in claim 10 wherein the
plastic coating generally completely covers the outside face
of the panel and has a non-slip characteristic for non-slip of
packages in a stack.





15. A package as set forth in claim 10 wherein the
plastic coating generally completely covers the outside face
of the panel and has a slip characteristic for facilitating
sliding of the package.

16. The method of packaging utilizing a bag of
flexible packaging material which is heat-sealable at least on
the inside and which is formed with a first end closure at one
end and an open mouth at its other end, said method comprising:

loading the bag with product through the mouth of the bag;

said product being of generally rectangular shape in section
transverse to the bag and of generally rectangular shape in
section heightwise of the bag thereby having four generally
rectangular sides and first and second generally rectangular
ends;

said first end closure of the bag being such as to enable
opening up of the bag with portions of said flexible packaging
material of the bag at said first end closure of generally
rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of said first end
of said product;


the product being loaded in the bag with its said first end
first and at said first end closure of the bag with portions
of the material of the bag at its said first end closure of
generally rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of said
first end of said product and generally flat at said first end
to said product;


the girth of the bag and the girth of the product being such
and the product being so loaded in the bag that the bag is
generally tight girths around said four generally
rectangular sides of said product;





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the height of the bag and the height of the product being such
that, with the bag at its said first end closure of generally
rectangular shape and generally flat at said first end of said
product, the bag has a lip all around the bag at the mouth of
the bag projecting beyond said sides of said product;

inserting a flat closure panel in the bag to lie against said
second end of the product;

said closure panel being generally rectangular in shape cor-
responding generally in shape to said second end of said pro-
duct and having edges adjacent the edges of said second end of
said product;

said closure panel being heat-sealable compatibly with the bag
at least around the margin thereof on the outside for heat
sealing of said lip of the bag to said margin;


said lip providing four marginal portions of the bag at the
mouth of the bag constituting flaps at each of the four edges
of the closure panel;


each flap at any point thereof being of relatively narrow
width substantially less than half the distance across the
panel from said point; and

folding said flaps over on the outside of said closure panel
so that they overlie the closure panel all around the margin
thereof and heat-sealing said flaps to said margin to form a
second end closure, with a substantial portion of the panel
exposed within said flaps.



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17. The method of claim 16 wherein the bag is a
bag of heat-sealable plastic film, said closure panel is a
piece of non-heat-sealable material having a coating of heat-
sealable material on one face, said closure panel is inserted
in the bag with said coated face thereof toward the outside,
and said flaps are folded over on and heat-sealed to the mar-
gin of said coated face.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the product
comprises a plurality of paper items which are per se com-
pressible, said items being assembled in a stack having said
four generally rectangular sides and first and second generally
rectangular ends with the items so arranged that the stack is
compressible girthwise, and the stack is loaded as a unit in
the bag.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, for the load-
ing, the bag is spread open, and the stack is pushed as a unit
into the bag under conditions such that the stack is compressed
girthwise.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the paper items
are rolls of paper, said rolls being assembled in the stack
with the axes of the rolls extending lengthwise of the bag.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the rolls of
paper are toilet tissue rolls in individual packages, each
package comprising a plurality of the rolls wrapped in a heat-
sealable wrapper, said individual packages being assembled in
the stack with the axes of the rolls in the packages extending
lengthwise of the bag.



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22. The method of claim 19 wherein the bags are
supplied as a continuous series of gusseted tubing of heat-
sealable plastic having heat seals extending across the tubing
at bag length intervals forming said first end closure for each
bag with lines of weakness extending across the tubing adjacent
each said first end closure seal, each bag being separated from
the tubing by separation at a line of weakness.

Description

BYWAY HIS 7735



PACKING ARTICLES, SUCH AS PACKAGES OF
ROLLS OF PAPER
Background of the Invention

This invention relates to the packing or bundling of
articles for storage and shipment, and more particularly to
the packing or bundling of articles such as packages of rolls
of paper, e.g., packages comprising four rolls of toilet its-
sue wrapped in plastic film, or rolls of paper toweling.
The assignee of this invention has for some years
supplied to the paper industry in Europe machinery for accumu-
feting a number of rolls of toilet tissue or household paper
toweling and over wrapping the rolls in a wrapper of polyethyl-
one film, as an economic alternative to packing the rolls in
cartons or cases of corrugated paper board.
The stated over wrap method is not a viable method
for the U.S.A., however, because US. producers of rolls of
toilet tissue and paper toweling require that the wrapped bun-
die have an identical configuration to the existing corrugated
case, that it be printed on all four side, and that it be
able to go through existing handling systems, including auto-
matte poulticing and automatic warehousing and dewarehousing
which require the use of optical scanners to read reprinted
propositioned codes. The US. carton configuration is sub-
staunchly larger than that in Europe, and is close to being a
cube. This has made modification of the assignee's existing
over wrapping equipment to meet the requirements of the US.
paper industry well-nigh impossible.

Summary of the Invention

Among the several objects of this invention may be
noted the provision of an improved mode of packaging items in

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plastic film instead of in corrugated cases the provision of a
package or bundle utilizing a plastic bag, e.g., a polyethy-
tone bag, in which the items are tightly bundled; and the
provision of such a package or bundle which is adapted for
stacking of packages or bundles one on top of another, and
which is slip-resistant for maintenance of the packages or
bundles in stacks.
In general a package or bundle of this invention
comprises a bag of flexible packaging material which is heat-
sealable at least on the inside, product in the bag, a closure panel in the bag on the product at the mouth of the bag, the
panel being heat-sealable at least on its outside face, the
bag having a marginal portion or lip at the bag mouth all
around the bag projecting beyond the panel and folded over on
the outside face of the panel and heat sealed thereto. The
method of the invention generally involves loading the bag
with product through the mouth of the bag and inserting the
closure panel with its other face on the inside and lying
against the product and its heat-sealable face facing the out-
side and with said marginal portion or lip of the bag project-
in beyond the panel, folding said marginal portion or lip
over on the heat-sealable face of the panel and heat sealing
it thereto.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent
and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing a bag used in the invention
separated from a continuous series of bags;
Fig. 2 is a view in section showing product comprise
in a collation of packages and an end closure panel in post-
lion for being entered in a bag through a horn which has spread
the bag open at its mouth;

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Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the pack-
ages and end closure panel entered in the bag;
Fig. 4 is a view on line 4--4 of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the horn
withdrawn from within the bag and a marginal portion or lip of
the bag at its mouth projecting beyond the end closure panel
folded over on the outside face of the panel, this view also
being generally in section on line 5--5 of Fig. 7;
Fig. 6 is a view in section on line 6--6 of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. I, showing the
folding over of the marginal portion or lip of the bag at the
bag mouth on the outside of the end closure panel;
Fig. 8 is a vow similar to Fig. 7 showing the
folded-over marginal portion or lip of the bag being heat-
sealed at intervals to the outside face of the end closure panel;
Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on line 9--9 of Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 is a perspective of the package or bundle
comprising the bag, product and end closure panel with the
stated marginal portion or lip of the bag folded over on and
heat-sealed at intervals to the panel; and
Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing the
sealing completed to be continuous all around the folded-over
marginal portion or lip.
Corresponding reference characters indicate core-
sponging parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to the drawings, there is indicated at 1 a
bag of flexible packaging material which is heat sealable at
least on the inside, and which in general is a polyethylene
bag comprising a length of gusted polyethylene tubing
closed at one end constituting its bottom end by a heat seal
as indicated at 3 extending completely across the bag and open

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at its other end constituting its mouth end 5. The gussets of
the bag, which are indicated at 7, are relatively deep so that
the bag, when packed as will appear, approaches the shape of a
cube. It is contemplated that the bags will be supplied in a
continuous series, formed by providing the bag bottom heat
seals 3 across continuous gusted polyethylene tubing T at
bag length intervals (see Fig. 1), with lines of weakness 9,
e g., lines of perforations, extending transversely across the
tubing adjacent each bag bottom heat seal 3 for tearing each
bag away from the tubing, the open mouth of each bag occurring
at the end of the torn-off bag opposite the heat-sealed bottom
end.
Product indicated generally at 11 in Figs. 2-6 is
packed in the bag in a manner to be described. As herein if-
lust rated, the product 11 comprises a set or collation oftwenty-four packages 13 of rolls R of toilet tissue, each of
these twenty-four packages comprising four rolls of toilet
tissue arranged in two side-by-side rows of two rolls each,
with the two rolls in each row arranged end-to-end, the four
rolls being wrapped in polyethylene. Such four-roll packages
of toilet tissue, which are widely sold in the U.S.A., gent
orally measure nine inches long, nine inches wide (at the wide
east and four and one-half inches deep (each roll R generally
being of four and one-half inch diameter and being four and
one-half inches wide). The twenty-four packages are arranged
as illustrated in Figs. 2-5 in four layers, each layer come
prosing six packages arranged in three side-by-side rows with
two packages arranged end-to-end in each row. Thus, the stack
11 of the twenty-four packages in section transverse to the
bag is generally rectangular, and measuresigenerally eighteen
inches endues, twenty-seven inches widths and eighteen
inches huts. Its girth, indicated at G in Fig. 4, is
generally eighty-five inches. The bag 1 has a girth core-
sponging to the girth of the stack for a tight fit of the
stack in the bag, and has a length, (in its Fig. 1 unpacked

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condition) of about thirty inches, weaken provides for a margin
net portion or lip 15 of the bag at the bag mouth projecting
about three inches beyond the end of the stack at the bag
mouth when the stack is fully inserted in the bag
referring to jig. 2, the bag 1 is shown as having
been opened for loading the stack 11 of packages 13 in the bag
by applying the mouth end 5 of the bag to means indicated gent
orally at 17 for spreading the bag open at its mouth and grip-
ping it to enable pushing or ramming the stack into the bag.
As illustrated, this means 17 includes an expansible and con-
tractable horn comprising top and bottom plates or platens 19
and 21 and side plates or platens each designated 23 adapted
to be moved between a counteracted position for slipping the bag
over the platens and an expanded position for spreading the
lo bag open at its mouth, and a surrounding rectangular frame
structure generally designated 25 against which the bag is
gripped by the expanded horn platens. The horn platens, when
expanded, may stretch the bag slightly thereby fully to open
it, and may have flared entrance edges as indicated at 27 to
2G guide the stack into the bag. The frame structure 25 is shown
as having a top I a bottom 31, sides each designated 33 and
an end 34, the latter being engage able by the bottom of the
bag when the stack is inserted in the bag.
With the bay applied to the horn platens 19, 21r 23
I and with these platens spread outwardly and gripping the bag
against the top 29, bottom 31 and sides 33 of the frame struck
lure 25, the stack 11 of packages 13 together with a closure
panel 35 are inserted in the bag through the spread-open mouth
5 of the bag. As shown, the closure panel comprises a piece
of relatively thin sheet material, such as heavy paper ~40-80
pounds per ream or liner board (100-140 pounds per ream) have
in generally the same shape as the shape of the end of the
stack, Leo generally rectangular with arcuate corners, and
measuring about twenty-seven inches wide and eighteen inches
high for the stack of twenty-four package as herein described,

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with a coating 37 of heat-sealable material, e.g., polyethyl-
one, compatible for sealing with the material (polyethylene)
of the bag on one face of the panel constituting its outside
face. The closure panel is applied flat against the outer end
of the stack with its heat-sealable face 37 on the outside,
and the stack and the panel are pushed or rammed into the bag
through the loading horn arrangement formed by the platens 19,
21, 23 to the point where the leading end of the stack engages
and spreads out the bottom of the bag, and the trailing end of
the stack with the closure panel 35 flat against it are spaced
inwardly from the mouth end of the bag the distance, e.g.,
three inches, provided for by use of a bag long enough for
this purpose relative to the length of the stack. With the
closure panel 35 thus spaced inwardly from the mouth end of
the bag, the bag has the marginal portion or lip at its mouth
as indicated at 15 projecting beyond the panel as shown in
Fig. 3.
The stack 11 and panel 35 are pushed into the bag 1
by means of a ram 39 having a head 41 of sufficiently smaller
outline than the panel 35 to allow the top portion aye, the
bottom portion 15b and the side portions 15c of the lip 15 of
the bag to be folded over into Eace-to-face engagement with
the outside heat-sealable face 37 of the closure panel. Thus,
for example, the head 41 of the ram may be of rectangular form
measuring about twenty inches wide and eleven inches high, at-
lowing about three and one-half inches all around the head for
the folding over of the three inch top, bottom and side port
lions aye, 15b, 15c of the projecting three-inch lip 15 of the
jag.
To facilitate the bag loading operation, the bag may
be expanded by blowing air into it. As the stack is pushed
into the bag, with the bag spread and gripped by the horn
platens 19, 21 and 23 at its mouth, the stack expands the bag
to some extent so that the stack is tightly confined in the
bag. The stack engages the bottom of the bag which in turn
engages the end 34 of the frame structure 25 for some compress
soon of the stack by the head 41 of the ram against the end 34
of the frame structure.

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While maintaining the ram head 41 pressing against
the end closure panel 35 and maintaining the stack under some
compression in the bag, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the horn
platens 19, 21, 23 are withdrawn from within the bag to allow
the portion of the bag which had been spread out by the horn
platens to contract into engagement with the stack (and the
peripheral edge of the end closure panel 35) and to allow for
the folding over of the top, bottom and side portions aye,
15b, 15c of the projecting three inch lip 15 of the bag at its
mouth. These marginal portions or flaps aye, 15b, 15c are
then folded over around the top, bottom and side edges of the
closure panel 35 into face-to-face engagement with its outside
heat-sealable face 37. The folding is by means of folding
members at the top, bottom and sides of the mouth end of the
frame structure 25, these members being illustrated as bars
pivoted at the mouth ends of the top, bottom and sides 29, 31
and 33 of the frame structure 25, the top folding bar being
designated 43, the bottom folding bar being designated 45 and
each of the side folding bars being designated 47.
Each of the folding bars 43, 45 and 47 is formed
with notches as indicated at 49 for entry of heated sealing
members designated 51 for pressing the folded-over margins or
flaps aye, 15b, 15c of the bag against the heat-sealable
outside face 37 of the end closure panel and heat-sealing the
margins thereto at spaced intervals around the panel 35
adjacent its periphery. The sealing is in the nature of spot
sealing, the sealing members 51 being shaped to form elongate
spots 53 (e.g., four inches long and an inch wide). The
sealing is carried out with the ram head I pressing against
the end closure panel 35 and maintaining the product 11 in the
bag under some compression, whereby the closure of the bag by
the sealed-in-place end closure panel is completed to form the
package indicated at P in Fig. 10 with the product tightly
encompassed by the bag and the end closure. The package P,
comprising the bag, product and end closure panel, may also be
referred to as a bundle or bale; the bag may be referred to as
a baler bag.

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Following the spot sealing operation, the spot seal-
in members 51 are withdrawn, the folding bars I 45 and 47
are retracted, the ram head 41 is retracted, and the package,
bundle or bale P completed to the point where the margins aye,
15b, 15c of the bag at the mouth of the bag are folded over
and heat-sealed to the heat-sealable outside face 37 of the
end closure panel by the spot seals 53 is removed from the
frame structure 25. The discontinuous seal formed by the spot
seals 53 may then be made continuous throughout the folded-
over margins or flaps aye, 15b, 15c as shown in Fig. 11, worth continuous seal is designated 55, in a separate heat-
sealing operation, thereby completely to seal the package P to
protect its contents.
The coating 37 on the outside face of the end do-
sure panel 35 may cover the outside face completely and may remade such as to have anti-slip characteristics (e.g., made
somewhat rough) so that bundles stacked one on another with
the non-slip coating 37 of the panel 35 of one bundle engaging
another bundle will resist slipping relative to one another.
It is also contemplated that, if desirable, the coating 37 may
be made with a slip characteristic so that bundles may slide
easily relative to one another. If neither of these correct-
eristics is wanted, the coating need not cover the entire face
of the end panel 35, but may be limited to a band around the
panel adjacent its periphery.
It will be observed that the product height is such
in relation to the length of the bag that, with the closure
panel on the product the lip 15 at any point around the bag
is of relatively narrow width substantially less than half the
distance across the panel from said point. The lip is folded
over around the edge of the panel on the outside of the panel
and, being narrow, leaves a substantial portion of the panel
episode within the lip.

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In view of the above, it will be seen that the sex-
oral objects of the invention are achieved and other Advent-
genus results attained.
As various changes could be made in the above con-
structions and methods without departing from the scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the
above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall
be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.