Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-01-16
Sipos, John (Department: 3728)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S447000, C053S467000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173555
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns a method for feeding flat sample bags into further processing. The invention further concerns an arrangement of a web of flat sample bags as an intermediate product of the aforementioned inventive method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Flat sample bags are to be understood as, e.g., bags which consist of two pieces of a film material welded together on all sides or of one folded such piece welded together on three sides, Such sample bags are usually filled with liquid, pasty or powdery contents or contain solid, more or less flat objects. This kind of sample bag is mostly produced from two quasi-endless webs of film-type material wherein the webs are guided against each other and are welded together along their longitudinal edges. At the same time, the webs are welded together transversely at regular intervals and the bags thus produced are filled between the steps of transverse welding. It is also possible for only one web of film-type material to be used, the web being folded parallel with its longitudinal edges and the two longitudinal edges are welded to form a welded edge opposite the folded edge. In both cases, a web of sample bags is formed which is then separated into individual sample bags.
Flat sample bags of the kind described above are often further processed by supplying them into the continuous processing of other objects to be added to the latter in any manner. For example, the sample bags may be laid or glued into printed products or they may be added to the packing of other objects or introduced into envelopes together with printed matter.
For the automatic feeding of the described sample bags into further processing with a high throughput, the sample bags are, e.g., filled into suitable boxes in which they are arranged in the form of a horizontal stack. In publication EP-0 706 967 (or U.S. Pat. No. 5 601 396), a method for handling sample bags ordered in this manner is described. However, it shows that further measures are necessary if feeding speeds of 40,000 to 60,000 bags per hour are to be achieved, i.e., speeds which are, e.g., usual in the processing of printed products into which sample bags are to be glued.
Such further measures are proposed in the publication EP-739 822. These measures are based on the finding that the problems occurring when handling the bags at high speed are caused by the fact that the bags do not have a stable form and thus are difficult to grip. In the above publication, it is suggested that the form of the bags be changed such that it is more precisely defined and such that the bags can be stacked more easily.
It is also known not to separate the sample bags from each other and to feed them into further processing in the form of a web of sample bags. For this purpose, discrete lengths of a web of sample bags are rolled up to form, e.g., rolls which are positioned on suitable unwinding devices for feeding. It is known also to produce and feed the web of sample bags quasi on-line by transporting the web to the feeding location in hanging loops and, if necessary, buffering the web in this form between production and further processing. In these methods, the bags do not need to be gripped individually and therefore high feeding performances can be achieved. This advantage, however, must be paid for with considerable additional cost for additional apparatus. Methods for feeding webs of sample bags are, e.g., described in the publications EP-0 292 891 (or U.S. Pat. No. 4 901 935) and EP-0 253 959 (or U.S. Pat. No. 4 841 714).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method with which the advantages of the different known methods for feeding flat sample bags into further processing can be combined or with which their disadvantages can be eliminated, respectively. With the inventive method, it is possible to feed flat sample bags into further processing with simple means and at very high feeding speeds.
The basic idea of the inventive method is to accommodate a discrete length of a web of sample bags in a container arranged such that a head end of the web can be gripped at any time, independently of the fullness of the container, and that the web can be pulled out of the container in an ordered manner without further aids by pulling on this head end. In order that the discrete lengths of webs in different containers can be connected to each other and prepared for feeding, it is advantageous if the tail end of the web in each container can be gripped also at any time independent of the fullness of the container and without changing the web arrangement in the container.
With webs of bags which are arranged in a container as a plurality of folded stacks or of arrangements similar to folded stacks, the features presented above can be implemented in the most simple manner. Containers which are especially suited for the method are, e.g., cardboard boxes each shaped like a parallelepiped.
For feeding the web into further processing, a first container is positioned in the region of the feeding location. Then the head end of the web is pulled out of the container and guided into a feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism comprises guide means and drive means with which the web of bags is moved and it comprises separating means with which each foremost bag of the fed web of bags is separated from the web (it is also possible for a group of bags to be separated and processed together). Guide means and drive means grip the web, e.g., along its longitudinal edges.
In order to avoid the necessity of having to introduce the head end of each discrete length of web into the feeding mechanism, the tail end of such a discrete length of web, which, as mentioned above, can also be gripped, even when the container is completely full, is connected to the head end of the web in a succeeding container. This method step can be carried out with the simplest means (e.g., with adhesive tape), e.g., manually and at any time during feeding from the first container. In this manner a series of containers is created from which, during processing, empty ones are removed in front and to which full ones are connected in the back.
The advantage of the inventive method compared to known methods in which individual sample bags are processed is the fact that it is not necessary to grip individual bags, i.e., because the method step in which the not clearly defined form of the bags limits the feeding speed is eliminated. The expenditure for arranging the web of bags in the container is about the same as the expenditure for arranging individual bags in stacks.
The advantage of the inventive method, compared to known feeding methods in which webs of bags are fed, is the fact that no devices which would make the method more costly are required apart from the containers which are advantageously simple cardboard boxes. For this reason the inventive method, without any kind of adaptation, is advantageous for feeding bags into highly complex devices for high performance processing as well as being advantageous for feeding into the most simple devices with considerably smaller processing performances.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2650703 (1953-09-01), Hagen
patent: 3285405 (1966-11-01), Wanderer
patent: 4201029 (1980-05-01), Lerner et al.
patent: 4416376 (1983-11-01), Scheffers et al.
patent: 4458814 (1984-07-01), Meschi
patent: 5036977 (1991-08-01), Schofield et al.
patent: 5956926 (1999-09-01), O'Connor
patent: 0 372 688 (1990-06-01), None
Jaeger Erich
Scheuber Markus
Ferag AG
Pearne & Gordon LLP
Sipos John
LandOfFree
Method of feeding flat sample bags into processing does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of feeding flat sample bags into processing, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of feeding flat sample bags into processing will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2535380