US3422712A - Web aperturing means - Google Patents

Description

s. P. LOVAS ET AL WEB APERTURING MEANS Sheet Original Filed Feb. 4. 1964 cm iifllw 3 INVENTORS EN P. LOVASC/ GEORGE SDIMONlCO A ORNEYS Jan. 21, 1969 s, P, ov s ET AL 3,422,712

WEB APERTURING MEANS Original Filed Feb. 4, 1964 Sheet g of 2 ZNVENTORS STEVEN P. LOVAS GEORGE SDIMONICO BY I fiimw, Vii Mm i TTORNEYS United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There are disclosed package forming machine parts including means for intermittently moving a web, a vertically reciprocable platform having thereon mold cavities in which to receive and temporarily hold package pockets formed in the web to be punched, and web punching means comprising a stripper foot having an aperture therethrough and disposed to overlie one face of the web to be apertured, a punch sleeve reciprocable across the plane of the web and through the foot aperture at rest positions in the web movement, and a punch sleeve cuttings displacing plunger mounted over the foot aperture and disposed to be telescoped by an end of the sleeve, the sleeve end disposed to telescope the plunger being provided with sharp angled punching teeth and there also being included a punch cuttings, receiving tube attached to and reciprocable with the punch sleeve and supported on and movable with the platform.

This application is a division of the copending application for US. Letters Patent Ser. No. 342,430 filed by Stephen P. Lovas and George S. DiMonico on Feb. 4, 1964, entitled, Packaging Machine and Method of Forming Packages, and now patent 3,347,011, issued Oct. 17, 1967.

The identified parent application covers a machine and method for the vacuum packaging of products in flexible plastic pockets formed from continuous rolls of heat sealable webs wherein a first web is drawn from a roll and moved step-by-step by margin gripping conveyor means, heated, differential pressure molded at one station into pocket clusters each divided by wall portions depressed at a centrally intersecting point, the molded pockets being held by differential pressure action and cooled at a succeeding station in the molded shape and against memory relaxation, fill being deposited in the molded and held pockets, an evacuating orifice being formed at the depressed intersection point, a cover web then being applied over the filled pockets and heat sealed thereover except at the intersecting point, an enclosing chamber then being formed about a there presented filled pocket cluster at another station, the pockets being there interiorly evacuated through the evacuating orifice and the chamber being evacuated about the enclosed cluster, followed by ring sealing of the cluster about its orifice, followed by a venting of the chamber to atmosphere to cause the pockets to conform in shape to the fill therein, after which, and at another station, completing heat scaling is performed at the previously non-sealed intersection point, followed at succeeding positions by dividing of the clusters into individual packages by transverse and longitudinal cutting of the heat sealed webs.

The present invention, while applicable to broader uses, has for a purpose the provision of novel means for aperturing webs in machines of the character hereinabove referred to.

In its more detailed nature the invention seeks to pro- Patented Jan. 21, 1969 vide a web aperturing means comprising a stripper foot having an aperture therethrough and disposed to oppose one face of a web to be apertured, a punch sleeve reciprocable across the plane of the web and through the foot aperture, and a punch sleeve cuttings displacing plunger mounted over the foot aperture and disposed to be telescoped by said sleeve, the punch sleeve end disposed to telescope the plunger being provided with sharp angled punching teeth.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claim and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat fragmentary and schematic side elevation of package forming machine structure having the web aperturing means of the invention incorporated therein.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view illustrating the web aperturing means of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 33 on FIGURE 2.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, namely that of the parent application hereinabove referred to, the machine frame structure is generally designated 5 and supports thereon a driving motor 6 arranged to drive a speed reducer 7 of any approved type through driving pulley and belt means generally designated 8. See FIGURE 1. The speed reducer serves to impart the desired rotation to shaft means 10 and therethrough to an indexing unit 17 of any approved type the power output shaft 18 of which carries a driver sprocket 19. The driver sprocket 19 is chain coupled at 20 to impart rotation to the driver sprocket 21 on the cross shaft 22 whereon the chain driving sprockets 23 are mounted, thereby to impart intermittent or step-by-step movement to the web feeding chains schematically indicated at 24 and which are to be assumed as equipped with the web margin gripping clamps illustrated in detail in the hereinabove mentioned parent application but not shown herein. The chains pass over idler sprockets 27 at the web receiving end of the machine at the right of FIGURE 1.

The lower web 26 is drawn off a supply roll 28 supported at 29 on the frame and is the web which is to have fill receiving pockets formed therein.

In this example disclosure this web also is the web in which apertures are to be punched by the aperture forming means of the invention claimed herein. However, it is to be understood that said punching means may be placed for punching a cover web or webs of kinds or natures other than are in contemplation in the package forming machine of the herein referred to parent application.

In the machine of said parent application the upper flights of the web feeding chains, moving from right to left as viewed in FIGURE 1 initially pass a first Web preheating station A, then a second preheating and holding station B, a pocket cluster forming station C, a pocket holding and filling station D and then a lower web orificing station E at which the web punching means of the invention claimed herein is located. After being orificed at station E the pocketed and orificed web with its filled pockets has a cover web applied thereover as shown at 30 at the left in FIGURE 1 and then is moved on through an initial sealing station, a package evacuating station, a final sealing station and through package cluster separating means all as clearly shown and described in the herein referred to parent application but none of which are of importance in this particular disclosure, and hence are not shown or described herein.

It should be mentioned, however, that the pocket molding and holding devices at stations C and D are carried on a vertically reciprocable platform or carrier 8.

At station E, the orifice punching means generally designated 107 of the invention claimed herein is located. At this position, a supporting bracket 108 is suitably mounted on a super structure portion 109 of the machine framing and includes a horizontally turned portion 110 to which a presser foot or stripper 111 is removably secured at 112. The foot 111 has an aperture 113 extending therethrough and disposed to receive therein a plunger 114 which is suspended stationarily on a carrier 115 which is secured at 116 to the bracket 108. The previously described vertically reciprocable platform or carrier 78, has an end portion extending under the evacuation orifice punching station as illustrated in FIGURE 2, and this platform end portion carries a sleeve mounting and punched disk receiving tube 117. At the top end of this tube is mounted a sharp angled toothed cutter sleeve 118 which is sized to freely telescope over the stationary plunger 114 as shown in FIG- URE 2. It will be apparent by reference to FIGURE 2 that each cluster of molded pockets will include the depressed cruciform portion molded over the intersecting mold wall portions and this depressed cruciform portion will come to rest at the punch station centered over the axis of the tube 117 and the punch sleeve 118 carried thereby. Thus each time the platform 78 rises, it will cause the sharp angled teeth of the sleeve 118 to punch through the web, in this particular example disclosure at the cruciform depressed portion of the web, the presser foot or stripper 111 preventing objectionable movement of the web upwardly or objectionable deformation of the perforated web portion, and the disk thus punched out of the web will be forced downwardly through the punching end of the sleeve 118 to fall into and through the tube 117 and the communicating discharge tube portion 119 for collection in a waste trough or the like (not shown).

It is repeated that in this example disclosure the orificing means of the present invention is shown in form and position for forming evacuating orificing in a web employed in a package forming operation, but it is to be understood that said means may be employed in the orificing of various kinds and placements of webs, and modified in structure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

We claim:

1. In a package forming machine, means for intermittently moving a web to be apertured, a web aperturing means comprising a stripper foot having an aperture therethrough and disposed to overlie one face of the web to be apertured, a punch sleeve reciprocable across the plane of the web and through the foot aperture at rest positions in the web movement, and a punch sleeve cuttings displacing plunger mounted over the foot aperture and disposed to be telescoped by an end of said sleeve, said sleeve end disposed to telescope the plunger being provided with sharp angled punching teeth, and there also being included a punch cuttings receiving tube disposed in axial alignment with the punch sleeve to receive cuttings from the punch sleeve and deliver them away therefrom said receiving tube forming a support for the punch sleeve and being in turn supported on a vertically reciprocable platform having thereon mold cavities in which to receive and temporarily hold package pockets formed in the web to be punched, each rest position of the Web being arranged to place each punched aperture between package pockets in the web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,431,541 lO/1922 Randall 83126- 2,220,236 ll/ 1940 Haegele 83124 2,220,270 1l/1940 Page 83126 X 2,282,259 5/1942 Sorensen 83123 JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

Images