U.S. patent number 3,738,482 [Application Number 05/213,755] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-12 for flexible bag package article.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Union Carbide Corporation. Invention is credited to Joseph M. Cwikla.
United States Patent |
3,738,482 |
Cwikla |
June 12, 1973 |
FLEXIBLE BAG PACKAGE ARTICLE
Abstract
A package article of flexible packaging bags such as used in the
meat packing industry in conjunction with automatic and
semiautomatic packaging apparatus is made by assembling a
multiplicity of flattened stacked flexible bags on a wicket which
may be canted to imbricate the bags, securing the wicket with an
inner carton element and enclosing and securing the wicketed
stacked bags and the inner carton element in an outer carton
element.
Inventors: |
Cwikla; Joseph M. (Hickory
Hills, IL) |
Assignee: |
Union Carbide Corporation (New
York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
22796377 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/213,755 |
Filed: |
December 29, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/229; 206/554;
248/100; 206/499; 211/57.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
33/001 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
33/00 (20060101); B65d 085/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/57R,57A ;211/57
;229/53 ;248/100 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Rothberg; Samuel B.
Assistant Examiner: Lipman; Steven E.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A package article comprising, in combination:
a. a multiplicity of flattened stacked flexible packaging bags,
each bag having at least one ply provided with wicket holes,
b. a wicket having a center portion disposed to effect bearing
contact with a portion of an upper surface of the topmost bag of
said multiplicity of bags and having wicket legs extending
perpendicularly with respect to said center portion through the
wicket holes and projecting beyond the wicket holes in the lower
ply of the bottommost bag of the multiplicity of bags,
c. an inner carton element disposed flat atop the multiplicity of
flattened stacked bags provided with a tab member folded around a
portion of the wicket, and
d. an outer carton element foldably enclosing the bags, the wicket
and the inner carton element.
2. A package article according to claim 1 wherein the wicket is
disposed in a canted orientation and the flattened stacked bags are
imbricated according to the canted orientation of the wicket.
3. A package article according to claim 1 wherein a liner is
interposed between the multiplicity of bags and the carton
elements.
4. A package article according to claim 1 wherein a liner is
interposed between the assembly of the multiplicity of bags and the
inner carton element and the outer carton element.
5. A package article comprising, in combination:
a. a multiplicity of flattened stacked flexible packaging bags,
each bag having a lower ply provided with wicket holes and an upper
ply clear of the wicket holes in the lower ply,
b. a wicket having a center portion disposed to effect bearing
contact with a portion of the upper surface of the lower ply of the
topmost bag of said multiplicity of bags and having wicket legs
extending perpendicularly with respect to said center portion
through the wicket holes and projecting beyond the wicket holes in
the lower ply of the bottommost bag of the multiplicity of
bags,
c. a tab folder element disposed flat atop the multiplicity of
flattened stacked bags provided with a tab member folded around the
wicket center portion, and
d. a tray folder element foldably enclosing the bags, the wicket
and the tab folder element.
6. A package article according to claim 5 wherein the wicket is
disposed in a canted orientation and the flattened stacked bags are
imbricated according to the canted orientation of the wicket.
7. A package article according to claim 5 wherein a linear is
interposed between the multiplicity of bags and the carton
elements.
8. A package article according to claim 5 wherein a liner is
interposed between the assembly of the multiplicity of bags and the
inner carton element and the outer carton element.
Description
The present invention relates to a package article and more
particularly to a package of flattened stacked flexible packaging
bags made of plastic or the like material of the type customarily
used in the meat packaging industry and in which the bags are held
on a wicket which is in turn secured by an inner carton member with
an outer carton member enclosing and securing the bags, the wicket
and the inner carton member to complete the assembled article.
Packaging operations in industry are of significant import and
interest towards promoting the rapid, efficient and economical
packaging of products for the market. Food packaging generally and
the meat packing industry in particular require additionally the
strict maintenance of sanitary conditions. Automatic or
semiautomatic packaging techniques have been developed towards
achievement of these desired goals. Semiautomatic packing
techniques, that is to say those requiring the cooperation of a
human operator with a machine, are uniquely of interest to the meat
packing industry since the products being packaged frequently are
not exactly alike as to size, shape and weight, a circumstance
militating against fully automatic packing. To the extent that food
products, meat cuts and the like for example, are at least
sufficiently alike in size, shape and weight in a given series to
permit the use of packaging bags of the same size and material,
some degree of automation in the packaging operation is possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,090 to Roberts et al. and the copending
application of Kupcikevicius et al., Ser. No. 173,960, assigned to
the same assignee as this application are illustrative of such
semiautomatic techniques and apparatus. To a much lesser degree,
the automatic part of a packaging process may take the form of
relatively facile availability of one bag at a time from a bag
supply source.
Whatever the degree of complexity of the apparatus and techniques
employed in a packaging operation involving food, meat products in
particular, it is of the utmost importance that the supply of
packaging bags be maintained in a sanitary condition and that the
bag dispensing action be accomplished with facility and without bag
waste or the incidental production of torn bag scraps which
interfere with smooth and efficient operation. While these
desirable characteristics are very important in even the simplest
modes of semiautomatic packaging, they are of much greater
importance in the more fully automated modes such as for instance
those involving opening the bags one at a time with an air stream
for insertion of a product unit into each bag sequentially. In
these more automated techniques the relatively higher packaging
speed necessitates a sanitary, continual and consistently reliable
bag supply arrangement. Bags for such use, irrespective of the
complexity of the particular packaging technique, are customarily
supplied to the user in bulk packages which must be opened and the
bags loaded by hand into the bag dispensing portion of the
apparatus. Where such bags are provided with holes for wicket
mounting, the bags must be manipulated to align the holes and
thereby facilitate wicket insertion. This, of course, involves
considerable human handling with attendant possibilities of
contamination due to accidental drops as well as the handling per
se. It is also important, more so on the more fully automated
apparatus, that the bag installation on the apparatus be made with
the care necessary to insure smooth continual bag dispensing action
without binding or tearing malfunctions which cause process
interruptions if not complete shut downs.
Up to the time of the present invention, the industry has not had
an entirely satisfactory arrangement for the uninterrupted, rapid,
sanitary and faultless supplying and mounting of wicket held bags
for use in packaging operations.
It is thus the principle object of the present invention to provide
a package article of flattened stacked wicket held flexible
packaging bags secured on a wicket, which bags can be readily
loaded into a bag dispensing station of a packaging operation with
facility and little or no human contact with the packaging bags
themselves.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a package of
bags which are wicket secured and aligned, that is with a holding
wicket in the bag wicket holes included in the package article.
Another and important object of the invention is to provide a
package of bags which is easily assembled, handled, transported,
stored, opened and installed ready for use and which affords an
exceptionally high degree of protection against bag damage and
contamination.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a package of
wicketed packaging bags which is readily installed in a bag
dispensing section of automatic packaging apparatus in precise
alignment and register with other componentry of the apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a unitary
packaged article of packaging bags which can be assembled with
other like units into a larger package and readily unpacked to suit
bulk handling, transport, storage and ultimate use
requirements.
In general the present invention comprehends a package article
comprising, in combination a multiplicity of horizontally flattened
stacked flexible packaging bags, each bag having at least one ply
provided with wicket holes, a wicket having a substantially
horizontal portion disposed to effect bearing contact with a
portion of an upper surface of the topmost bag of said multiplicity
of bags when an inner carton element is removed and wicket legs
extending perpendicularly with respect to said center portion
through the wicket holes and projecting beyond the wicket holes in
the lower ply of the bottommost bag of the multiplicity of bags, an
inner carton element or tab panel disposed flat atop the
multiplicity of flattened stacked bags provided with a tab member
foldable around the wicket substantially horizontal portion, and an
outer carton element or tray folder foldably enclosing the bags,
the wicket and the inner carton element.
A package article according to the present invention may
advantageously have the wicket disposed in a canted orientation and
the flattened stacked bags imbricated according to the canted
orientation of the wicket.
It is also a further improvement in a package article according to
the present invention to provide a liner which may be interposed
between the multiplicity of bags and the carton elements or,
alternatively, between the assembly of the multiplicity of bags and
the inner carton element and the outer carton element.
A still further advance in the art is constituted in an assembly of
package articles according to this invention enclosed in a larger
carton package or shipping container to facilitate bulk handling,
transport, storage, ready unpacking and ultimate use of the
packaged bags.
The foregoing and other additional objects and features of the
invention will be more fully understood from the ensuing detailed
description and the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an unopened package article
according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the FIG. 1 article with the tray
folder element opened,
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the FIG. 1 article with the tray
folder element opened, the tab panel element removed and the
wicketed bags partly unpackaged,
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an assembly of FIG. 1 articles
partly removed from a larger shipping container,
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a development of a tray folder element
according to the invention,
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a development of a tab panel element
according to the invention and
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a packaging bag.
With reference to the drawings, a package article, shown generally
as 11, according to the invention comprises a multiplicity of
flattened stacked flexible packaging bags 13 made of plastic or the
like material with an uppermost or top bag 15 atop the bag stack
and a bottom bag 17 bottommost of the stack. A typical bag 19 is
shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings and may be made from extruded
tubular plastic material such as polyethylene. A bag 19 is formed
by arcuately cutting a flattened extended tubular plastic film into
desired bag lengths and heat sealing one arcuate cut to define a
bag bottom 21, a bag upper ply 23 and a bag lower ply 25. Upper ply
23 is further cut to define an arcuate lip 27 and to expose a
portion of the inside bag surface of the lower ply 25 which is
pierced by punching or other suitable means to form wicket holes
29. A multiplicity of individual bags 19 are arranged to form a
stack of bags 13 with the wicket holes 29 in substantial register
as between bags to permit the insertion therethrough of the legs 33
of a wicket 31. The wicket 31 is fabricated of rigid metal rod or
wire and is formed to provide, in addition to legs 33, a
substantially horizontal portion 37 extending centrally of and
perpendicularly to the legs 33, and wicket shoulders 35 extending
upwardly of the legs 33 and horizontal portion 37 and connecting
these parts as shown. Other forms of wickets may be used in package
articles according to this invention with equal facility.
A stack of wicketed bags 13 is arranged on the bottom panel 41 of a
tray folder element 39 precut and formed to provide, in addition to
the bottom panel 41, side panels 43 and closure panels 45. Tray
folder element 39 may advantageously be formed to include a hole 47
to facilitate the pulling and removal of a package article 11 from
a bulk package carton or shipping container 59 as illustrated in
FIG. 4 of the drawings. A tab panel element 49, precut and formed
to provide a tab member 51 is placed atop the topmost bag 15 of the
stacked bags 13 with the tab member 51 passing between the topmost
bag lower ply 25 upper surface and the wicket horizontal portion 37
between the wicket legs 33. Tab member 51 is bent or folded up and
back approximately 180.degree. around wicket horizontal portion 37
onto the upper surface of tab panel element 49. The wicket is then
canted to imbricate the bags and the tab panel element thereon and
to substantially reduce the vertical height from leg 33 ends to
shoulders 35 of the wicket. With the wicket, bags and tab panel
element 49 thus in place on the bottom panel 41, the tray folder
element 39 is foldably closed along precreased lines between the
bottom and side panels and the side and closure panels and the
closure panels are taped for instance by tapes 53 or otherwise
secured closed. The basic unit package article 11 is thus complete,
with the bags wicketed and the wicket secured at the top with tab
member 51 of inner carton element 49 wrapped around the wicket
horizontal portion 37 and the ends of the wicket legs 33
immobilized against the inner surface of the tray folder element
bottom panel 41.
In order to provide additional protection to the bags 13,
particularly when a significant amount of handling or long distance
transport is to be expected, it is advantageous to interpose a
liner 57 between the assembled stack of bags and the carton
elements as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The liner may be an
open ended bag of plastic or the like, of sufficient size to
accommodate the bag stack and be provided with a closed end which
may be taped, for example with tapes 55, or otherwise secured to
the finger hole 47 edge of bottom panel 41 of the tray folder
element 39. Alternatively, a liner 57 may be interposed between the
assembled bags and tab panel element 49 combined and tray folder
element 39 and secured thereto as hereinabove described.
A number of package articles according to the invention may
advantageously be assembled and enclosed in a bulk carton or
shipping container 59 as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings to
facilitate and resolve the practical problems involved in handling,
transport, storage and ultimate use. The outer or bulk carton 59
may be provided with a tape or tear strip 61 to facilitate opening
at the time of usage.
Drawing FIGS. 4, 1, 2 and 3, viewed sequentially, illustrate the
manner in which the package article of the invention is unpacked,
opened and disassembled to provide the wicketed stacked bags 13 for
use in an automatic or semiautomatic packaging operation. FIG. 4
shows a group of package articles 11 partly removed from a bulk
carton 59 which has been opened by the tear strip removal of one
end. A unit package article 11 as shown in FIG. 1 is removed from
the bulk carton group by pulling out on the finger hole 47 of the
one selected, usually at the top of the array, and may be carried
thus and placed at the installation point. In FIG. 2 the package
article is shown with the tapes 53 cut or removed and opened to
reveal the tab panel element 49 atop the stacked bags 13. From the
FIG. 2 disposition, the bags 13, wicket 31 and tab panel element 49
are slid forward, that is to say towards the viewer, the wicket leg
33 ends are inserted into wicket boss holes on whatever apparatus
at the packaging station, the tab member 51 is unfolded from around
wicket horizontal portion 37, tab panel element 49 is removed and
tray folder element 39 with the liner 57 secured to it is pulled
rearward, that is to say away from the viewer of FIG. 3, clear of
the wicketed stacked bags 13 now mounted on the packaging station
apparatus ready for use. Thus it can be seen that the present
invention provides for the unpacking and installation of bags at a
use point of a packaging station with only minimal human contact
with the bags themselves. Moreover the bags are continuously
secured on the wicket all through the unpacking and installation
procedures thus materially reducing, if not completely obviating,
the chance of accidental spills or drops.
FIG. 5 of the drawings shows a development plan view of a tray
folder element 39 die cut or otherwise formed from any suitable
carton stock such as for example corrugated paper board. The
dimensions of element 39 depend of course on the size and quantity
of bags to be packaged but in practice certain criteria or guide
lines have been found useful respecting the dimensional
relationships amongst flattened bag dimensions, bag stack heights
and the cutting and folding dimensions of the inner and outer
carton elements.
As shown in the drawings, FIGS. 5 and 6, the dimension L, which is
the tray folder element 39 overall length, is the length of one
flattened bag plus 6 inches or 15.25 cm; the dimension W, which is
the inside width of the tray folder element bottom panel 41, that
is between inner surfaces of the outer carton element side panels
43 when the package article is assembled, is the width of one
flattened bag plus 11/2 inches or 3.8 cm for flattened bag widths
of from about 4 inches or 10.16 cm up to 61/2 inches or 16.5 cm and
the width of one flattened bag plus 2 inches or 5.1 cm for
flattened bag widths over 61/2 inches or 16.5 cm; the dimension A,
which is the width of each of the tray folder element closure
panels 45, is equal to one half of the dimension W plus one half
the overall width of the wicket 31 being utilized; the dimension B,
which is a cutting dimension for the tray folder element closure
panels 45, is equal to one half of the dimension W minus one half
the overall width of the wicket 31 being utilized plus one half
inch or 1.27 cm; the dimension C, which is a cutting dimension for
the tray folder element closure panels 45 is variable and depends
upon the arcuate shape of the bag open ends relative to particular
bag size; the dimensions D and E, which are cutting dimensions for
the tray folder element closure panels 45 are variable and depend
upon the arcuate shape of the bag closed ends relative to
particular bag size. The dimension D may be computed usually as one
half of the difference between the dimension W and 4 inches or
10.16 cm and the dimension E may be taken usually as 2 inches or
5.1 cm. The dimension H, which is the inside height of the tray
folder element 39 when the package article is assembled, is equal
to the bag stack height plus the thickness of the tab panel element
49. The dimension L', which is the length of the tab panel element
49, is approximately equal to the dimension L; the dimension F,
which is the width of tab panel element tab member 51, is equal to
the overall width of the wicket 31 being utilized minus three
fourths of an inch or 1.9 cm; the dimension G, which is a cutting
dimension for the tab panel element 49, is equal to one half of the
difference between the dimension W and the overall width of the
wicket 31 being utilized plus one fourth of an inch or 0.63 cm; and
the dimension J is equal to 21/2 inches or 6.35 cm for flattened
bag widths of from about 4 inches or 10.16 cm up to about 12 inches
or 30.5 cm and is equal to 31/2 inches or 8.9 cm for flattened bag
widths of from 12 inches or 30.5 cm up to 18 inches or 45.7 cm.
L = flattened bag length + 6" (15.25 cm)
W = flattened bag width + 1 1/2" (3.8 cm) for flattened bag widths
of 4" to 6 1/2" (10.16 cm to 16.5 cm) and flattened bag width + 2"
(5.1 cm) for flattened bag widths over 6 1/2" (16.5 cm)
A = 1/2(w + wicket width)
B = 1/2 (w - wicket width + 1" (2.54 cm))
C = variable
D = variable, usually [W - 4" (10.16 cm)/2]
E = variable, usually 2" (5.1 cm)
H = bag stack height + thickness of tab panel element 49
L'= l (approximately)
F = wicket width - 3/4" (1.9 cm)
G = 1/2 [w - wicket width + 1/4 " (0.635 cm) ]
J = 4 1/2" (11.43 cm) for flattened bag widths of 4" (10.16 cm) to
12" (30.5 cm) and 5 1/2" (13.97 cm) for flattened bag widths of 12"
(30.5 cm) to 18" (45.7 cm).
EXAMPLES
Several test samples of package articles were made according to the
present invention, each containing 500 8 .times. 14 inch flattened
plastic bags on an M-shaped wicket. Some of the tray folders and
tab folders were made from 125 pound test corrugated board and
others from 200 pound test corrugated board. Certain samples were
provided with liners and others were not. These samples were tested
in handling, shipping, stacking and the like simulated and/or
actual conditions. Selected samples were agitated on a shaker table
for vibration periods of up to 32 hours. All of the tested samples
were found to be in suitable condition for use on automatic bagging
apparatus upon opening and unpacking after the tests. The linered
samples were found to be in generally better condition than the
unlinered samples with respect to the shaker table vibration
tests.
The foregoing description and dimensional information is useful and
illustrative for the purpose of explaining the invention, but
persons familiar with the packaging arts and the carton pattern
makers art will, in the light of this disclosure, undoubtedly
design alternative carton elements which, when incorporated in an
assembled package article, fall within the scope and spirit of this
invention. It is therefore intended that the description be taken
as illustrative only and not be construed in any limiting
sense.
* * * * *