Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Heat sealing apparatus with die cutting device.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for heat sealing a lid to
a pre-formed cup or recipient: More particularly, the invention relates to an
improvement in the making of individual condiment filled covered cups
obtained by such apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various apparatuses and methods are known for packaging
individual portions of condiments, such as coffee cream or milk, in a cup
which is heat sealed to a lid. Such methods include the use of a sheet of
heat sealable material which is placed over several cups and wherein the
rims of the cups are heat sealed to the sheet. In some cases, the method
consists of using pre-cut lids interconnected by severable tabs which are
then heat sealed to the cup rims. In other cases, a sheet of heat sealable
material is placed over the cups and portions of the material are heat sealed
to the rims; the containers then proceed to a next station where the sealed
portions are die cut from the sheet to form separate liquid filled cups.
United States patent No. 3,911,640 issued October 14, 1975
to Rausing pertains to a method for forming, filling and sealing containers
under aseptic conditions from a first web of substantially impermeable
thermoformable material which comprises forming a plurality of container
elements in the first web, introducing a filler material into the container
elements, applying a second web of substantially impermeable
thermoformable material to the filled container elements and sealing the
second web to the first web to close and seal the filled container elements.
The filled and sealed containers are thereafter separated after leaving a
sterile chamber.
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United States patent No. 4,565,052 issued January 21, 1986
to Hautemont comprises a process for packaging a product which consist of
longitudinally advancing a thermoplastic base web downstream through a
plurality of work stations, forming a row of receptacles in each successive
zone of the base web in a forming station, filling a row of receptacles with a
product covering and sealing the covering web to the base web and cutting-
out the field and sealed receptacles from the base and covering webs in a
cutting station.
United States patent No. 4,176,507 issued December 4, 1979
to Mancini discloses an apparatus for heat sealing a lid of a series of like
lids
interconnected by several tabs to an opened container; the containers are
momentarily station beneath the lid heat sealing and tab severance station
to press and heat seal and align lid into a supported container rim. The tab
which interconnects the sealed lid to the supply of series of interconnected
lids is severed prior to the conveyor advancing the next container to be
sealed.
In the above described methods and apparatuses, the
severance step is achieved by means of a cut through two material webs
resulting in an important waste of material. In some cases one of the web
material may be aluminum foil thus affecting recycling of the waste material
which cannot be used to form future thermoplastics webs.
It has been noted that, in such apparatuses where a cutting-out
step is carried out, a major problem exists in the alignment of the web
covered recipients in the cutting device. Such misalignment results in time
loss due to stopping the operation of the machine, clearing it of debris and
unacceptable lid covered recipients, re-positioning the web and its sealed
recipients in the machine, and re-starting the operation.
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OBJECTS AND STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above
problems existing with various types of heat sealing machines.
This is achieved by providing a machine which uses pre-formed
cups which are brought to a heat sealing station and subsequently to a die-
cut station, the latter being disposed at the outer end of the heat sealing
machine wherein the pre-formed filled cups, heat sealed to the underface of
the web material are properly located and a positioning station prior to the
die-cutting operation.
The present invention therefore relates to an improvement in
an apparatus for heat sealing a lid to an open-top filled pre-formed cup
wherein successive rows of laterally disposed filled plastic pre-formed cups
are conveyed concurrently with and under a continuous heat sealable web
to a condiment filling and heat sealing station where the web is heat sealed
to the top edges of the cups to form a continuous uncut web, with a series
of filled cups sealingly attached therebeneath, the improvement comprising:
(a) a die cut device disposed at the output end of the
condiment filling and heat sealing station to receive the
web with rows of cups sealed thereto, the die cut device
comprising:
(1) a bottom plate having a first row of laterally
disposed cup positioning cavities to receive and
position a row of cups therein, and a second row of
laterally disposed die cut cavities longitudinally
disposed downstream of the first row to
subsequently receive the first row of cups therein;
and
(2) a second plate disposed vertically above the first
plate having a series of cutting faces disposed
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vertically above the second row of cavities, the
cutting faces having a shape corresponding
substantially to the contour of the top edges of the
cups;
(b) means for bringing the plates in contact with one another
so as to sever the web material at the said contour to
thereby separate, from the web, the filled cups with die
cut lids sealed thereon and to thereby form separate
individual lid covered cups;
(c) means allowing discharge of the separate individual cups;
and
(d) means collecting the continuous web having cut-out holes
therein as a result of a die cutting operation.
In one form of the invention, the bottom plate is moved
upwardly towards the top plate during the die cutting operation.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present
invention will become apparent from the detailed description given
hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detailed description,
while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is given by way of
illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit
and
scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
IN THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a heat sealing
apparatus equipped with a die cutting device at its output end in accordance
with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the die cutting device
at the output end the heat sealing apparatus;
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Figure 3 is a perspective view of an individual lid covered cup
obtained from the die cutting device;
Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of the sheet, partly
broken away, passing through the die cutting device;
Figure 5 is a schematic cross sectional view of the die cutting
device prior to a die cutting operation; and
Figure 6 is a view similar to that of figure 5 after the cutting
operation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to figure 1, there is shown a conventional packaging
machine, generally designated 10, having a supporting base 12 enclosing
conveying and driving mechanisms (not shown) for its operation. Over a
condiment filling and heat sealing station 14 of the machine, a series of
laterally disposed chutes 16, in which are lodged open top pre-formed cups,
convey the cups onto a conveyor 20 (see figure 2) having a series of laterally
spaced cup receiving and supporting openings 22. Condiments, such as
coffee cream or milk, contained in a recipient 24 is fed to the laterally
disposed opened top cups by means of a conduit 26. A roll 28 mounted to
the frame of the machine feeds a continuous web sheet 30 of a
thermoplastics heat sealable material over the conveyor and the opened top
cups. A heat sealing device 32 seals the sheet 30 to the top edges of the
condiment filled containers 18'.
The above described heat sealing machine is well known and
does not require further detailed description.
The present invention is concerned with providing a die cutting
device or station, generally denoted 34, at the output end of the machine 12.
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Referring to figure 2, the sheet 30 with its filled pre-formed cups
18 sealed to its under surface travels between a top plate 36 and a bottom
plate 38 forming parts of the die cutting device.
Referring also to figure 4, the top plate 36 is fixedly secured to
a die cutting frame 35 and to four cylindrical supports 40, 42, 44, 46. The
bottom plate 38 has four circular openings through which the supports 40,
42, 44 and 46 extend allowing the bottom plate to be vertically displaceable
to and from the top plate 36. Annular stoppers, such as those shown as 48
and 50, limit the vertical displacement of the bottom plate 38.
Referring more particularly to figure 4, the bottom plate 38
further comprises a first row of laterally disposed cup receiving cavities 52
and a second row of laterally disposed cavities 54, which row is disposed
downstream of the first row relative to the displacement of the web 30 as
indicated by arrow 55. The cavities 52 have a shape corresponding to that
of the condiment receiving portion of the cup 18 while the holes 54 have a
shape corresponding slightly greater than the overall contour of the top 56
(shown in figure 3) of the lid covered filled cup 18'. This top part 56 has a
peripheral portion 58 which is heat sealed to the flanged edge 60 of the cup;
it also defines a tab portion 62 to facilitate the removal of the lid from the
cup
for use.
Referring to figure 5, the top plate 36 has a series of laterally
disposed die cutting faces, one of which is shown as 64, each having a
configuration corresponding substantially to the outer contour of the top edge
56 of the cup 18'.
The web 30 with a cut-out holes 80 (see figure 4) is wound onto
a roll 66 (see figure 1 ) mounted to the frame of the machine aft the die
cutting station 34.
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The operation of the die cutting station will now be described,
first with reference to figure 5. The web 30 with the filled cups 18 sealingly
attached therebeneath are conveyed at the output end of the machine to the
die cutting station 34. Due to the particular position of a roll 67, the web
travels slightly lower that the bottom wall 69 of the top plate 36. A first
row
of laterally disposed cups are positioned over the first row of cavities 52.
Through a synchronizing arrangement with the conveyor drive mechanism
of the machine 10, the vertical displacement of the bottom plate 38 is
accomplished by means of a chain 70 rotating a cam wheel 72. During this
vertical displacement, the sloping walls of the cavities 52 frictionally
direct the
cups 18 in a proper positioning thus achieving adequate positioning of the
cups in the die cutting device prior to the die cutting operation itself.
Referring to figure 6, as the bottom plate 38 reaches its upper
most position, the web is moved against the die cutting faces 64 where the
web material is cut at the contour of the top edges of the pre-formed cup to
thereby separate the cups 18 from the web sheet 30. In the embodiment
illustrated, the cups 18' fall by gravity through an opening 76 in the bottom
part of the die cutting device. Referring back to figure 4, the web 30 with
its
series of cut out holes 80 is wound onto the roll 66.
The separate filled cups 18' may be collected in a bin 82 (see
figure 1 ) or may be directed by other conveying means (not shown) to other
cup collecting equipment.
Although the invention has been described above with
respect with one specific form, it will be evident to a person skilled in the
art
that it may be modified and refined in various ways. It is therefore wished to
have it understood that the present invention should not be limited in scope,
except by the terms of the following claims.
