Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to an apparatus
for and a method of producing containers from a strip of
flexible sheet material, for example, paper.
Such containers may be employed, for example,
for packing granular or powder substances, such as coffee
or flour.
It is already known, from French Patent 1,281,258,
to employ apparatus for forming and filling containers of
flexible sheet material in which, for example, paper is
utilized to form the containers by wrapping the paper around
formers on a turntable or rotary head. In that apparatus,
a section of a sheet is fed horizontally to the formers
of a turntable, which is arranged in a horizontal plane.
However, the flimsiness of the sheet material and the in-
stability of the horizontal arrangement of the sectionor sheet of paper to be wrapped limit the reliability and
the productivity of the hitherto commercial]y available
apparatus. Furthermore, these apparatuses have the substan-
tial disadvantage that the horizontally formed containers
must be reoriented into a vertical position essential for
a subsequent filling operation. The prior apparatuses
must therefore be stopped for the operations of removing
the containers from the formers and transferring them into
holding boxes. These unsatisfactory cyclical stoppages
restrict the productivity of the prior apparatuses, and
in addition involve substantial mechanical disadvantages.
The handling of the flexible and easily damaged body of
an empty container, i.e. its reorientation from the hori-
zontal to the vertical and its transfer, is also associated
with difficulties.
It is accordingly an object of the present inven-
tion to provide a novel and improved apparatus for and method
of producing containers from a strip of flexible sheet
material by forming the containers on vertical formers
so that the containers do not have to be reoriented for
filling.
According to the present invention, there is pro-
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vided in a bag forming and conveying machine of the type
having a plurality of parallel vertlcally disposed
rectilinear mandrel~ adapted to be moved along a closed
path, for cooperation wlth bag forming means, the
improvement comprising means for feeding a ~heet of
material vertically downwardly ad~acent one side of a
mandrel at a predetermined positlon ad~acent said clo~ed
path and means for holding said sheet of material agalnst
the ~ide of said mandrel for the subsequent wrapping of
said sheet about said mandrel to form an open top bag.
Thus, apparatus is disclosed for produclng
containers from a strlp of flexible sheet materlal, the
apparatus comprising a former, means for advancing the
sheet material ln a vertically downward direction to the
former with the sheet material extending parallel to a
flat face of the former, means for severing an end section
of the sheet material from the strlp and means for
wrapping the severed end section around the former to form
the container.
Thus, the end section of the strip of material
e.g. from a coil, disposed in a vertical position and
advancing vertically downwardly, may be held in a flat
condition by the gravitational force of the downwardly
directed weight of the strip end section. Furthermore, a
plurality of vertically downwardly directed formers are
preferably cyclically located at the end of the vertically
downwardly suspended strip, which are oriented downwardly
~o parallel and 80 ad~acent the vertically suspended edge
of the strip coming e.g. from the coil that the flexible
strip can be stably anchored or pressed against the
vertical formers without deviatin~ from the correct flat
arrangement.
A feature of the preferred embodiment of the
apparatus according to the invention i8 that the flexible
material strip i8 cut after its end ha~ been securely
anchored to the vertical former.
Preferably, the apparatus includes means for
removing the former from the container by relative
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vertlcal displacement of the former and the container to
leave the container ln an upwardly open condition for
subsequent filling of the container. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, means are associated with the
form for pre~sing again6t a bottom portion of the
container during the vertical displacement ~o that this
operation i8 effected with high reliability even during
movement of the former and without stopping the latter.
Preferably, means are provtded for advancing the former,
the pressing means and the container along a horizontal
path, the pre3sing means comprising
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a pressing member at the bottom of the former for pres-
sng against the bottom of the container, a rod extending
vertically downwardly through the former to the presser
member and means for vertically reciprocating the rod rela-
tive to the former during the advance along the horizontalpath.
The apparatus may also comprise means for holding
the container in its upwardly open condition and means for
advancing the former and the holding means in vertical align-
ment with one another, at least during the stripping ofthe container from the former, the pressing means being
adapted to displace the container downwardly from the former
into the holding means. The former and the holding means
may each be one of a plurality, each of the holding means
being respectively associated with one of the formers for
receiving a container therefrom, and means being provided
for advancing the formers and the holding means in syn-
chronism with one another around an endless path past a
transfer zone at which the containers are transferred in
succession from the formers to the holding means.
The invention also provides a method of producing
containers from a strip of flexible sheet material, the
method comprising the steps of feeding the sheet material
in a vertically downwardly extending direction to a former
so that an end section of the stip is disposed parallel
to a flat face of the former, severing the end section
from the strip and wrapping the severed end section around
the former to form the container.
Preferably, the fitting of the sheet material
to the former includes suspending the end section of the
strip so that the end section hangs under gravity in a flat
vertical position parallel to and adjacent the flat face
of the former.
The severing of the end portion may be effected
after pressing the end section against the flat face so
that the severed end portion remains in a flat vertical
condition during the subsequent wrapping of the end section
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around the former. Thus, the container may be formed in
an upwardly open condition around the former and may be
subsequently stripped Erom the former by relative vertical
displacement of the container and the former, pressure being
exerted on the bottom portion of the container within the
container to effect the stripping of the container from
the former by displacing the container downwardly from the
former into a container holder disposed below the former
and advanced in synchronism with the former in a horizontal
direction.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
cutting of the vertically downwardly depending flat end
section of the strip is effected after the suspended end
section of the strip has been anchored to the former in
such a manner that the flat sheet or end section severed
from the flexible strip from the spool can be transferred
to subsequent wrapping locations without moving from its
vertical flat arrangement, and the former is one of a
plurality of vertically downwardly extending formers moving
along a path in which, at least in a zone at which the end
section is held against the former and the container
is removed from the former, are located with reference to
the vertical plane, in which the end section of the strip
is positioned under gravity, with a degree of closeness
and parallelism which ensure the positioning of the sheet
without deviation from the stable, vertical flat, vertically
downwardly extending position.
In this embodiment, the container, wrapped around
the former, is located in a vertical position with a fil-
ling opening facing upwardly for the filling of any sub-
stance to be packed into the container by gravity.
The former in this embodiment is provided with
a plunger mechanism having a movable bottom for pressing
in an axial direction against the interior of the bottom
of the container for stripping the latter from the former
as the former is advanced. The plunger mechanism is actuated
by a push rod which has a pin actuated by a known displace-
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ment mechanism for coaxial movement of the bottom of thevertical former within the container.
The reciprocating mechanism is aligned with one
of a plurality of underlying boxes which, at least in a
zone at which the container is transferred thereto, is ar-
ranged coaxially with the former and is synchronized with
the movement of the former from which the container is
stripped during its movement which, in this zone, is iden-
tical to that of the underlying box.
The former iN this embodiment is one of a plurality
of vertically arranged formers in a circular or endless set
with a corresponding circular or endless set of underlying
and synchronized boxes, to which a plurality of the con-
tainers are transferred at the synchronous transfer zone,
at which each former and a respective one of the boxes are
arranged coaxially one below the other and are synchronized
for simultaneous transfer of the containers stripped from
the formers and transferred into the boxes during the syn-
chronized movement of the formers and the boxes.
The preferred embodiment of the invention pro-
vides a substantial increase of reliability and consequen-
tial increased operational productivity and is characterized
by optimum safety and operational precision.
The apparatus according to the invention may be
employed in the formation of the strip from a coil in
a machine which fills, weighs, conditions and seals the
containers with a content of granular or powder substances,
such as flour, sugar or coffee, even under vacuum and even
in continuous operation, and may be integrated with a down-
stream apparatus for the extrusion and connection ofmaterials with printed or cut-out decorations and with
flexible strips provided with heat weldable interior and
exterior layers.
The invention will be more readily understood
from the following description of a preferred embodiment
thereof illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
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Figures 1 to 5 show successive steps in the pro-
duction of a container in a first embodiment of a container
producing apparatus; and
Figures 6 to 10 show further embodiments of con-
tainer producing apparatuses.
In Figure l, there is diagrammatically illustrated
a vertically downwardly moving end section of a strip 1
of flexible material, which comes from a coil or spool or
an extrusion device. Draw-off rollers 2 advance the strip
1 and guide it downwardly, so that it is fed in the
direction indicated by an arrow.
In Figure 2, the free end section of the strip
1 from the coil, due to the force of its gravitational
weight, is longitudinally stretched like a plumb thread
and assumes and stably maintains a flat, vertical position
parallel to a flat face of a former 3. Thus, the end
section of the strip 1 is suspended so that it hangs under
gravity in a flat vertical position parallel to and ad-
jacent the flat face of the former 3.
As shown in Figure 2, the vertically suspended
end section or portion of the strip 1, during movement into
a position in which it is pressed against the flat face
of the former 3 by means of a horizontally displaced plate
4, does not lose its parallelism with respect to the flat
face of the former 3, since it was already disposed closely
parallel to this flat face.
F'igure 4 shows, as indicated by reference numeral
5, the strip end portion or section severed from the strip 1
along a line 6 by means of a cutter (not shown~ while it is
secured to the former 3. From Figure 4, it is apparent
that the severed strip end portion 5 remains secured ver-
tically and stably to the former 3, and the strip end por-
tion 5 remains in this vertical engaged/secured condition
in all subsequent phases of the wrapping of the strip end
portion 5 about the former 3 to form a container by wrap-
ping mechanism which is of a conventional type well known
to those skilled in the art and which, therefore, will not
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be described in greater detail herein. It can also be seen
that the severed edge 6 of the strip end portion 5 is hori-
zontal so as to form a horizontal edge of the container,
which is located in a vertical position with an upwardly
facing open,ing.
Figure 5 shows a plurality of the formers 3
travelling around a circular path of travel and having
containers formed in successive steps thereon and, thus,
diagrammatically illustrates the successive steps in the
formation of each of the containers. It will be seen from
Figure 5 that the cut edge 6 of the strip end portion 5
forming each of the containers remains horizontally disposed
during the successive steps of the wrapping of the strip
end portion 5 about the vertical former 3 to form each of
the containers.
Figure 6 shows details of a stripper mechanism
by which each of the containers is stripped from its former
3.
As can be seen in Figure 6, each of the formers
3 is provided at its bottom with a presser plate 71 which
is mounted at the lower end of a rod 9 and which is reci-
procable therewith, relative to the respective former
3, in a vertical direction along the axis of the former
3. The presser plate 7, within each container, presses
against the bottom interior surface of the container to
strip the container from its former 3 and to locate the
thus-stripped container in an open-sided box-shaped up-
wardly open container holder 8 after the formation of each
container. The reciprocation of the rods 9 is effected
by cam follower rollers 10 at the upper ends thereof run-
ning along a cam groove 11 in a stationary drum 12. The
formers 3 and the container holders 8 are driven in syn-
chronism with one another, with each holder 8 disposed
directly below a respective one of the formers 3, by drive
chains ~not shown), so that the formers are advanced in
succession through the location at which the severed end
sections of the strip are applied to the formers, with the
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formers being disposed in a vertical position with the flat
face thereof adjacent and parallel to a vertical plane in
which the respective severed end portion of the strip hangs
under gravity in a stable, vertical flat downwardly ex-
tending condition, the formers 3 and the container holders8 being advanced in synchronism with one another by the
chains around an endless path past a transfer zone at which
the containers are transferred in succession from the for-
mers 3 to the container holders 8 by the presser plates
7. In this way, the containers 5 are transferred by pres-
sure exerted within the containers during the synchronized
movement of the containers, the formers 3 and the holders
8 and in a continuous manner without stoppage of the ap-
paratus.
Figure 7 shows parts of the apparatus and, in
particular, shows a plurality of the container holders 8
travelling around an endless path, the formers 3 travelling
around a circular path in synchronism with the container
holders 8.
Figure 8 shows parts of a modified embodiment
of the apparatus, in which the formers 3 travel around an
endless path while the formers 3 travel along a similar
but offset endless path, with a section of each of the two
paths being located one below the other.
Figure 9 shows a further modification of the ap-
paratus in which the container holders 8 and the formers
3 travel around circular paths disposed one below the other
and in which a plurality of further container holders 8'
travel around another circular path tangential to that of
the container holders 8, the containers 5 being transferred
from the container holders 8 to the container holders 8',
by a conventional transf~r mechanism which is not shown
in the drawings but which will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art, with the containers 5 empty and in a
vertical, upwardly open orientation, so that the containers
can be filled and sealed while they are carried around by
the contain holders 8' by filling and sealing mechanisms
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g
(not shown).
Figure lO shows a further modification of the
apparatus which is similar to that of Figure 9 but in which
the container holders 8' travel around a longer endless
path.
Various other possible geometrical and kinematically
corresponding and synchronized combinations, which are not
shown in the drawings, can be constructed within the scope
of the invention. The invention further includes various
embodiments of different dimensional relationships and dif-
ferent structural relationships and also the selection ofthe materials employed can be effected in accordance with
the speed and the physical and organic characteristics of
the substances to be packaged. It will be apparent that
all container production apparatuses employing a coil of
a strip of flexible material in which a free end portion
of the strip is suspended in a vertically downwardly ex-
tending condition fall within the scope of the invention.
It will also be clear that the invention also embraces all
container producing apparatus provided with a cyclical
plurality of vertical formers which are moved parallel and
close to the vertically suspended end edge of a strip so
that they can be brought into engagement therewith without
the above-described vertical and adjacent disposition en-
sured by gravity being disturbed, are included within the
invention.
It will also be apparent that the invention in-
cludes package producing apparatuses with vertical formers
which are provided with means acting within the containers
for displacing the containers from the formers during the
advance of the formers by acting directly within the con-
tainers to press the containers on the interior bottom sur-
faces thereof and thus to strip the containers formed by
wrapping in a vertical orientation. Thus, it will also
be clear that the circular or endless turntable carrying
the formers with a plurality of container holders respectively
associated and synchronized with the formers for displacing
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the empty containers into the holders during the synchronized
movement represents a further feature of a preferred embodi-
ment of the invention. In addition, the invention includes
all apparatuses which wrap vertical sheets around a plurality
of vertical formers in order to form containers which are
already vertically arranged with openings facing upwardly,
and which are transferred into a plurality of associated,
underlying holders during synchronized movement.
