Package making – Register control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-18
2004-06-22
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Register control
C053S052000, C053S551000, C356S240100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06751925
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filling apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in a filling apparatus for producing packaging containers filled with liquid food, such as milk or soft drink, a web-like packaging material is continuously formed into a tubular shape, while being transported, and then the tubular portion of the packaging material is filled with liquid food to thereby produce a packaged product.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a conventional filling apparatus.
In
FIG. 1
, reference numeral
11
denotes a packaging material. The packaging material
11
in the form of a roll
12
is loaded into the filling apparatus, is fed into the filling apparatus by means of an unillustrated feeder and is transported in a web-like form within the filling apparatus.
Subsequently, the web-like packaging material
11
is gradually formed into a tubular shape by means of an unillustrated forming ring and other components. The thus formed tubular portion of the packaging material
11
is longitudinally sealed by means of an unillustrated longitudinal sealing apparatus. While being transported downward, the packaging material tube is filled with liquid food supplied from above via a filling pipe
13
. Next, while being nipped from both sides, the packaging material tube is laterally sealed at predetermined intervals by means of an unillustrated lateral sealing apparatus, thereby forming containers
14
each in the form of, for example, a pillow or a bag.
Subsequently, an unillustrated cutting apparatus cuts the packaging material tube at the laterally extending seal portions S
1
, thereby separating the containers
14
from one another. An unillustrated forming apparatus forms each of the containers
14
into a predetermined shape through bending along preformed creases, thereby completing a packaging container
15
.
Since the packaging material tube has a substantially circular cross section, the transported packaging material tube presents difficulty in positioning. For example, forces received from the forming ring cause the packaging material tube to turn in the direction of arrow A
1
or A
2
, whereby the longitudinally extending seal, i.e. overlap portion S
2
, deviates from a predetermined position. When the container
14
is shaped to form the finished packaging container
15
while the overlap portion S
2
is improperly positioned, preformed creases of the packaging material
11
fail to positionally coincide with actual creases, resulting in a poor appearance of the packaging container
15
.
FIG. 2
is a plan view of a container formed with an overlap portion located at a predetermined position.
FIG. 3
is a plan view of a container formed with an overlap portion which has deviated from a predetermined position.
In
FIGS. 2 and 3
, reference numeral
14
denotes a container in an early stage of forming; reference numerals
14
a
and
14
b
denote lugs; reference numeral S
1
denotes a lateral seal portion; reference numeral S
2
denotes an overlap portion; and reference numerals m
1
and m
2
denote creases preformed in the packaging material
11
(
FIG. 1
) and along which the lugs
14
a
and
14
b
bend. As shown in
FIG. 2
, when the container
14
is formed with the overlap portion S
2
properly located at the predetermined position, the creases m
1
and m
2
each assume the form of a straight line. Thus, the lugs
14
a
and
14
b
can be bent along the creases m
1
and m
2
.
However, as shown in
FIG. 3
, when the container
14
is formed with the overlap portion S
2
removed from the predetermined position, the creases m
1
and m
2
assume the form of segments out of alignment. As a result, the lugs
14
a
and
14
b
cannot be bent along the creases m
1
and m
2
and, instead, the lugs
14
a
and
14
b
bend along creases n
1
and n
2
.
In order to cope with the above-described problem, a paper guide is disposed along an unillustrated transport path on which the web-like packaging material
11
travels. The paper guide is pressed against an edge portion of the packaging material
11
so as to move the packaging material
11
perpendicular to the direction of transport, thereby adjusting the position of the overlap portion S
2
to coincide with the predetermined position.
However, in the conventional filling apparatus, because the paper guide is pressed against an edge portion of the packaging material
11
, the edge portion is consequently damaged.
The packaging material
11
is formed through longitudinally cutting an unillustrated wide web at a plurality of positions. When variations in the width of the packaging material
11
arise due to positional cutting error, even the positional adjustment of the overlap portion S
2
fails to cause positions of creases m
1
and m
2
to coincide with the positions of the creases n
1
and n
2
.
FIG. 4
illustrates creases preformed in the packaging material.
FIG. 5
is a sectional view of a packaging material tube.
In
FIGS. 4 and 5
, reference numeral
11
denotes a packaging material; reference numerals
11
a
and
11
b
denote edges of the packaging material
11
; reference numerals m
1
and m
2
denote lateral creases preformed in the packaging material
11
; and reference numerals m
11
to m
14
denote longitudinal creases preformed in the packaging material
11
. When there is no positional cutting error, the width of the packaging material
11
is constant. However, when an error in cutting position occurs, variations in the width of the packaging material
11
result.
As a result, the distance &agr; between the edge portion
11
a
and the crease m
11
varies. Even when the position of the overlap portion S
2
is adjusted in the course of formation of a packaging material tube
41
as shown in
FIG. 5
, the creases m
1
and m
2
fail to coincide with the creases n
1
and n
2
(FIG.
3
), resulting in a poor appearance of the packaging container
15
(FIG.
1
).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in the conventional filling apparatus and to provide a filling apparatus capable of establishing positional coincidence between creases preformed in a packaging material and actual creases to thereby improve the appearance of the packaging container.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a filling apparatus including a light source for irradiating, with light, a portion of the outer circumferential surface of a packaging material including a longitudinal overlap; light detection means for issuing a sensor output upon reception of light emitted from the light source and reflected from the outer circumferential surface of the packaging material tube; and overlap location detection means for detecting the position of the overlap as a peak in the sensor output.
Light reflected from an end portion of the packaging material exhibits greater intensity and appears as a peak in sensor output from the light detection means. Accordingly, a location on the packaging material tube which causes emergence of a peak in the sensor output is detected as an overlap portion.
Since light reflected from the eNd portion of the packaging material is greater in intensity than light reflected from other portions of the packaging material, the face of a packaging container does not cause noise. Thus, the overlap portion can be detected with high accuracy.
Upon completion of a packaging container, a user can judge from the position of the overlap whether or not forming has been performed properly. Thus, sampling a packaging container from a production line becomes unnecessary, thereby simplifying the work of judging whether or not forming has been performed properly, and thus reducing the cost of production of a packaging container. Also, all packaging containers can be checked so as to see whether or not they have been
Kinoshita Shigehiro
Nishimura Hiroyuki
Otsuka Yuzo
Yamazaki Takeo
Durand Paul
Lorusso, Loud & Kelly
Rada Rinaldi I.
Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
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