U.S. patent application number 13/622628 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-21 for form fill compression seal and cut-off packaging system for compressible goods.
This patent application is currently assigned to ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Donald Lee CREVIER, Benito GONZALEZ, Gary LIND, Daniel MCDONALD, Stanley PIOTROWSKI, Lawrence SHARE. Invention is credited to Donald Lee CREVIER, Benito GONZALEZ, Gary LIND, Daniel MCDONALD, Stanley PIOTROWSKI, Lawrence SHARE.
Application Number | 20130067860 13/622628 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46968394 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130067860 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MCDONALD; Daniel ; et
al. |
March 21, 2013 |
FORM FILL COMPRESSION SEAL AND CUT-OFF PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR
COMPRESSIBLE GOODS
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a packaging system for
compressible goods utilizing pre-punched alignment apertures on
wicketed and/or chain-linked open bottom bags. The disclosure
relates to a bag transport and indexing system through the form
fill compress and seal system. The disclosure further relates to
the use of sprocket pins spaced accordingly on either a horizontal
linear or rotary machine so that the sprockets correspond to the
pre-punched apertures on the wicketed and/or chain-linked open
bottom bags.
Inventors: |
MCDONALD; Daniel; (Palatine,
IL) ; CREVIER; Donald Lee; (Essex, IL) ;
SHARE; Lawrence; (Skokie, IL) ; PIOTROWSKI;
Stanley; (Addison, IL) ; GONZALEZ; Benito;
(Arlington Heights, IL) ; LIND; Gary; (Franklin
Park, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MCDONALD; Daniel
CREVIER; Donald Lee
SHARE; Lawrence
PIOTROWSKI; Stanley
GONZALEZ; Benito
LIND; Gary |
Palatine
Essex
Skokie
Addison
Arlington Heights
Franklin Park |
IL
IL
IL
IL
IL
IL |
US
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Glenview
IL
|
Family ID: |
46968394 |
Appl. No.: |
13/622628 |
Filed: |
September 19, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61536263 |
Sep 19, 2011 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B31B 70/946 20170801;
B65B 5/045 20130101; B65B 61/188 20130101; B65B 43/123 20130101;
B65B 31/00 20130101; B65B 43/267 20130101; B65B 51/146 20130101;
B65B 31/047 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/405 |
International
Class: |
B65B 31/00 20060101
B65B031/00 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising the steps of: providing a concatenation of
packages, wherein the packages include an upwardly facing opening
and further include a series of spaced apertures proximate to the
upwardly facing opening; engaging the series of spaced apertures
with a plurality of pins; a first step of transporting the
concatenation of packages by moving the plurality of pins, whereby
the packages are successively placed in a filling station which
inserts compressible goods into the upwardly facing opening;
compressing the filled package thereby reducing the volume of the
filled package; and closing the upwardly facing opening.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of closing is a sealing
step.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of sealing includes
thermal sealing.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the concatenation of packages is
provided as a stack.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the stack is a wicketed stack of
packages, wherein rods pass through spaced apertures of successive
packages.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the packages of the concatenation
are inverted whereby the upwardly facing opening is a bottom of the
package and the top of the package is at a lower position.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the bottom of the package includes
a reclosure.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the bottom of the package is
closed.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the packages includes
sidewalls.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the sidewalls
includes a valve.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the sidewalls are polymeric.
12. The method of claim 6 further including a second step of
transporting the concatenation of packages by moving the plurality
of pins, whereby the packages successively moved from the filling
station to a compressing station for the step of compressing and
the step of closing.
13. The method of claim 12 further including a third step of
transporting the concatenation of packages by moving the plurality
of pins, whereby the packages successively moved from the
compressing station to a cutting station for a step of cutting the
packages from the concatenation of packages.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first, second and third
transporting steps are combined into a single indexing step wherein
the first, second and third transporting steps apply to different
packages within the concatenation.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the filling station, the
compressing station and the cutting station are configured around a
circular path.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the compressible goods are
provided successively along a conveying device.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the filling station includes a
gripper which sequentially engages the compressible goods and
places the compressible goods into the packages.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein the filling station and
compressing station are combined into a single station.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the series of spaced apertures is
placed on at least one flange extending from the open bottom of the
package.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the filling station includes a
plow for spreading apart the upwardly facing opening.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
61/536,263 filed on Sep. 19, 2011, the contents of which is hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] 1. Field of the Disclosure
[0003] The present disclosure relates to a packaging system for
compressible goods utilizing pre-punched alignment apertures on
wicketed and/or chain-linked open bottom bags. The disclosure
relates to a bag transport and indexing system through the form
fill compress and seal system.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] In the prior art, the form fill compress and seal technology
has been substantially developed. This technology forms a
container, typically from polymeric material, fills the container
with a compressible good, typically a large compressible good such
as, but not limited to, a blanket or similar item, compresses the
compressible good within the package and then seals the package
shut.
[0006] Typical examples of this prior art have been developed by
the assignee of the present application and include U.S. Published
Patent Application 2011/0266188 entitled "Form Fill Seal Packaging
Method and Apparatus for Compressible Goods" published on Nov. 3,
2011; U.S. Published Patent Application 2011/0198260 entitled
"Method and Apparatus for Compressing and Holding in Compression
Woven Fabric Articles and Products Thereof" published on Aug. 18,
2011; and U.S. Published Patent Application 2011/0197549 entitled
"Method and Apparatus for Compressing and Holding in Compression
Woven Fabric Articles" published on Aug. 18, 2011, the contents of
all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
[0007] In the prior art, the bags have typically required loops or
thickened material on both film webs of the open bottom. These
loops or thickened material are used to transport the bags on guide
rails or similar retaining means. This requires that the side of
the bag with the loop or thickened material must be the control
fixed or datum side, which may make the bags more difficult to
control accurately. Moreover, the loops are formed on material
which must be removed from the final product.
[0008] While these disclosures are well-developed and suited to
their intended purposes, further improvements are sought which
respect to accurate bag handling and increased manufacturing
speed.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to
provide improvements in the form fill compress and seal technology,
particularly with respect to accurate bag handling and increased
manufacturing speed. These improvements are sought in both manual
and automated production and in both horizontal and vertical fill
application.
[0010] This and other objects are attained by providing either
wicketed open-bottom vacuum bag or chain-linked open-bottom vacuum
bags, which may possibly include zippered closures or one-way
vacuum valves. Other embodiments may use open-bottom non-vacuum
bags, such as one-time-use laminate film bags. These bags are
typically made from two-layer laminate films, the outer layer being
made from a gas barrier material such as nylon or polyester, the
inner layer being made from a polyolefin type heat sealable
material such as low density polyethylene. These bags have
pre-punched apertures spaced across the open bottom, extending
through one or both film webs. These bags are then loaded, either
horizontally or vertically, with compressible goods. The goods are
compressed and the open bottom is sealed shut. By use of drive
machinery with sprocket pins which aligned with the pre-punched
apertures, very accurate registration of the bags is achieved along
with increased manufacturing speeds. Additionally, this
configuration allows for fast and simple changeover from packing of
one size of compressible goods to another size of compressible
goods. Moreover, the bag making becomes more simplified because the
control, fixed or datum side becomes the inverted closed top of the
bags, which may include a zipper. The incoming film can be a
continuous piece of material across its width, and there may be
only one throw-away piece, rather than two pieces. Thus waste is
reduced. The opening of the bag bottom through which the product is
loaded may have either offset flanges of different lengths or
flanges of equal lengths to assist with the bag opening and product
loading processes. The apertures, can be pre-punched during the bag
making process or even punched in the packaging machinery.
[0011] Further possible advantages may include semi-automatic or
manual loading of the compressible goods and ease of registration
and feeding of the bags into and through the process. Furthermore,
the process could run at a speed convenient to the operator, the
machine could be easier to control and may even have a smaller
footprint as compared to previous designs.
[0012] A further embodiment could employ chain-linked vacuum bags
with a reclosable zipper through which the compressible products
are loaded. The pre-punched apertures are formed in the film above
the zipper.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become
apparent from the following description and from the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a concatenation of
chain-linked bags of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 2 is an overhead plan view of a first embodiment of the
present disclosure, a horizontal rotary carousel-type
configuration.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a second overhead plan view of the first
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 4 is an overhead view illustrating the use of
acorn-shaped pins in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the
apparatus of the present disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the embodiment of the apparatus
of the embodiment of FIG. 5.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the
apparatus of the present disclosure.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a still further embodiment of
the apparatus of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like
numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, one
sees that FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a concatenation of
chain-linked bags 100 as used in embodiments of the present
disclosure. The bags 100 are inverted so that open bottom 102 is
presented as the uppermost part of the bag 100 in the orientation
of FIG. 1. The open bottom 102 is formed between offset flanges
104, 106 (see FIG. 3) thereby presenting a path for filling or
loading. Typically, one flange, illustrated here as flange 104
includes a series of spaced alignment apertures 108. The spacing of
the apertures 108 corresponds to the spacing of the sprocket pin
drive elements of the manufacturing apparatus (see subsequent
figures). Front and rear polymeric walls 110, 112 extend from the
flanges 104, 106 to form the bags 100, which a storage space formed
therebetween. The top 114 of the bags 100, configured at the
lowermost portion of the bags in the illustrated configuration,
includes a closure 116 such as a zipper. Furthermore, the front
polymeric wall 110 in FIG. 1 includes an optional one-way vacuum
valve 118 which may be used to evacuate further air during the
compression process. Furthermore, side seals 120, 122 are formed
between the front and rear polymeric walls 110, 112 thereby forming
the side seals of the finished package. Typically, a slit 124 is
formed between the side seals 120, 122 of adjacent bags 100.
However, some embodiments may cut between the side seals 120, 122
of adjacent bags during the manufacturing process, particularly in
the steps wherein the flanges 104, 106 are cut to form separate
packages.
[0023] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a horizontal rotary carousel
embodiment of the present disclosure. This embodiment includes a
horizontal rotary carousel apparatus 10 which receives the
concatenation of chain-linked bags 100 at bag loading station 12.
Alternately, the bag loading station 12 could receive a stack of
wicketed bags 100' aligned with rods 101. In either case, the
chain-linked bags 100 or wicketed bags 100' have an open bottom 102
(see FIG. 1) and are inverted so that the open bottom 102 is facing
upwardly. The bags 100 or 100' are opened by separating the flanges
104, 106 and the bags are loaded, either automatically or manually,
with a compressible good or product, such as, but not limited to,
blankets, bedding or other cloth materials, at bag loading
stations. This loading is typically done in a downward vertical
direction, but it is envisioned that some embodiments could use
horizontal loading. The concatenation of chain-linked bags 100 or
100' is then indexed around a portion of the circular carousel by
sprocket pins engaging the spaced apertures 108 so that the filled
bag is received by compression/sealing station 14 where the filled
bag 100 or 100' is compressed so as to reduce its volume and the
open bottom 102 is sealed shut in an air-resistant or airtight
configuration so as to maintain the compressed configuration. The
concatenation of filled bags 100 or 100' is then indexed again
around a portion of the circular carousel by sprocket pins which
drive the spaced apertures 108 to arrive at cut-off station 16
where the filled, compressed and sealed bag 100 or 100' is cut from
the concatenation and the flanges 104, 106 are removed (i.e., the
material above the bottom seal of the inverted bag 100 is removed)
in order to form a separate package or bag. The various indexing
steps are typically incorporated into a single indexing step
wherein different steps (filling, compressing, sealing) may be
simultaneously applied to different bags 100, 100' throughout the
concatenation.
[0024] A further envisioned embodiment is the vertical rotary
carousel wherein the path and movement is vertical, with vertical
rotation and individual stations having sprocket pins spaced to
accept the bags with the pre-punched apertures on one or both film
webs on each of the wicketed and/or chain-linked open bottom bags.
This is accomplished in that it still utilizes a rotary carousel
style machine with multiple stations that can accept and use either
wicketed bags or chain-linked bags that are open bottom and may
include zippered closures and/or one way vacuum valves. Typically,
a smaller footprint (i.e., less floor space required) is achieved
by such a configuration.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates the sprocket pins 30, which are
preferably acorn shaped, which engage the spaced apertures 108. By
use of a reduced diameter 31 on its inner neck on the proximal
machine side, the concatenated bags 100 are held in place through
the packaging system. FIG. 4 further illustrates a typical
configuration of the compressing/sealing station 14 wherein a plow
32 is provided to separate the flanges 104, 106 thereby providing
an opening for the insertion of compressible material 200.
Additionally, a reciprocating arm 34 is provided to compress the
compressible material against stationary anvil element 36. A
sealing element for sealing the previously open bottom would
likewise be provided in this station.
[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a horizontal two-sided linear floating
track embodiment of the form fill compress seal manufacturing
apparatus 10 wherein a concatenation of chain-linked bags 100 is
received. As previously described, the concatenation of inverted
chain-linked bags 100 includes a series of spaced apertures 108
which is engaged by the sprocket pins 30 in order to drive the
chain-linked bags from right to left in the orientation shown in
FIG. 5. Likewise, a series of goods of compressible material 200
(such as, but not limited to, blankets, bedding material or other
cloth) is received on a conveyor belt 40. The goods of compressible
material 200 are sequentially engaged by gripper 42, rotated ninety
degrees so as to have a vertical orientation, and then vertically
inserted into the inverted open bottom of sequential chain-linked
bags 100 at loading station 12. The concatenation of chain-linked
bags 100 is then indexed to the left (in the illustrated
orientation) to the compression/sealing station 14 where the bag
100 and its contents are compressed and the previous open bottom is
sealed thereby forming a bottom seal for the final product. The
concatenation of chain-linked bags 100 is then indexed again to the
left (in the illustrated orientation) to the cut-off station 16
where the material above ("above" in the inverted position, "below"
with respect to the final product) the bottom seal is removed and
any further cutting is done to separate the formed filled
compressed and sealed bags into individual products.
[0027] FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate how the filling, compressing and
sealing steps can be incorporated into a single station 48 and used
in a horizontal two-sided linear floating track configuration of
FIG. 5. The sprocket pins 30 are configured on two opposing chain
loops 50, 52, formed by pairs of guide wheels 51, 53 and 55, 57, to
engage the pre-punched alignment apertures 108 and thereby serve as
a driving mechanism for the concatenation of chain-linked bags 100.
The flanges 104, 106 are separated by plow 32, and opened by
floating tracks 150, 152 to receive the compressible goods,
compression with the floating track now moving inwardly to compress
and seal the two film webs. This demonstrates that the film web
held by the fixed rail could move laterally (left to right in the
illustrated embodiment), which could make up for the film webs
having differential tension and slack from product loading. This
assists in the film webs being flat and square for film-to-film
heat sealing. Additionally, it should be noted that separate
individual motion drives could be implemented whereby the
chain-linked bag loading into the process could be at a different
speed than compression, which could be at a different speed than
bag sealing if this were done in a separate operation from the
compression step.
[0028] Additionally, FIGS. 5-8 illustrate how loose film web may be
addressed in carousel systems. With these systems, after the bags
100 are placed into the machine or apparatus 10, one side or film
panel of the bag having the pre-punched apertures 108 is held in
place and in register. The other opposite side or film panel of the
bag 100 is not contained or held. Thereby, it is a loose film web
which makes compression and heat sealing after compression
difficult to control. Therefore, the embodiments of FIGS. 5-8 have
pre-punched apertures 108 on both flanges 104, 106 Both flanges
104, 106 would be held by corresponding opposing chain loops 50, 52
of sprocket pins 30 on each side of the linear tracks 150, 152
thereby eliminating the loose film web. Moreover, at least one of
the parallel tracks 150, 152 can float in that it can open up to a
predetermined distance greater than that from the bags being loaded
into the process, thereby opening up the open bottom of the bags
for product loading. Both sides or film panels of the open bottom
bag are held and under control. After the compression step, this
aids in aligning the film webs into a flat and square configuration
for the sealing step. This spreading or pulling the film webs flat
can be done either before compression and continue as compression
occurs, or after compression. In both cases, this would occur
before heat sealing, and ensure that both film webs are flat and
square for sealing.
[0029] It is further envisioned that some embodiments might load
through an opened zipper of an upright bag (with a sealed bottom),
compress the bag and contents and then close the zipper. This
typically would eliminate film-to-film sealing after compression
thereby reducing the need for alignment of the bag walls. Moreover,
the zipper end stomps could be held and used to support the bag
during zipper opening, product loading and zipper closing. The
alignment apertures would be typically eliminated. Additionally, a
peel seal may be provided above or below the zipper, with
activation provided by a heat seal jaw after compression. This
embodiment could further use the zipper itself for guiding, support
and bag transport thereby eliminating the extra material needed for
bag guidance in the previous embodiments.
[0030] Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are
most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the
invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it
should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited
thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended
claims.
* * * * *