Package making – Methods – Wrapping contents including cover forming
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2001-12-04
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Package making
Methods
Wrapping contents including cover forming
C053S479000, C053S463000, C053S234000, C053S377400, C053S477000, C053S233000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324817
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a method of wrapping a product.
The present invention is particularly advantageous for use on machines for cellophaning packets of cigarettes, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Known machines for cellophaning packets of cigarettes operate substantially in steps, i.e. as opposed to continuously, which seriously limits the maximum operating speed of the machine on account of the maximum acceleration the packets of cigarettes can safely be subjected to without being damaged. The aforementioned known cellophaning packets are constructively similar to the packing machine disclosed U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,695.
Continuous cellophaning machines have been proposed featuring a wrapping wheel comprising a number of conveyor heads, each for engaging a packet of cigarettes and a respective sheet of wrapping material; and, for each conveyor head, the wrapping wheel comprises a number of active and/or passive wrapping fixtures for folding and stabilizing the sheet of wrapping material to form a tubular wrapping about the product.
For example, GB-A-1,134,500 and GB-A-2,235,913 disclose continuous cellophaning machines of the type referred to above.
Known cellophaning machines of the above type, however, are expensive and difficult to produce on account of the complex design of the wrapping wheel, in turn due to the large number of moving components on the wheel.
Moreover, each conveyor head on known cellophaning machines of the above type is allowed only a limited degree of movement on account of the wrapping fixtures about the head, which restriction makes it extremely difficult to feed the product and respective sheet of wrapping material continuously to the head, and to continuously unload the product enclosed in the tubular wrapping off the head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of wrapping a product, which provides for wrapping a product continuously, involves none of the aforementioned drawbacks, and at the same time is cheap and easy to implement.
According to the present intention, there is provided a method of wrapping, in a sheet of wrapping material, an elongated, substantially parallelepiped product having two opposite longitudinal end bases, the method comprising the steps of feeding said product to a conveyor head, which engages the product by said bases; feeding said conveyor head continuously, and by means of a conveyor, along a wrapping path and through a supply station for supplying said sheet of wrapping material, to assign said conveyor head and said product to said sheet of wrapping material; and, along said wrapping path, moving said conveyor head with respect to said conveyor so that said sheet of wrapping material cooperates with at least one passive wrapping fixture to form, about the product and with said sheet of wrapping material, a tubular wrapping at least partly enclosing said conveyor head.
The present invention also relates to a machine for wrapping a product.
According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for wrapping, in a sheet of wrapping material, an elongated, substantially parallelepiped product having two opposite longitudinal end bases, the machine comprising a conveyor head for engaging said product by said bases; a supply device for feeding said product to said conveyor head; a supply station for supplying said sheet of wrapping material; a conveyor for feeding said conveyor head continuously along a wrapping path and through said supply station to assign said conveyor head and said product to said sheet of wrapping material; at least one passive wrapping fixture for forming, about the product and with said sheet of wrapping material, a tubular wrapping at least partly enclosing said conveyor head; and first actuating means which, along said wrapping path, move said conveyor head with respect to said conveyor so that said sheet of wrapping material cooperates with said passive wrapping fixture.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2720738 (1955-10-01), Brightwell
patent: 4144695 (1979-03-01), Seragnoli
patent: 4866912 (1989-09-01), Deutsch
patent: 5533323 (1996-07-01), Osti et al.
patent: 5794413 (1998-08-01), Draghetti
patent: 5839253 (1998-11-01), Draghetti
patent: 1134500 (1968-11-01), None
patent: 2235913 (1991-03-01), None
Ghini Marco
Spatafora Mario
G. D Societa'per Azioni
Hughes S. Thomas
Jimenez Marc
Ladas & Parry
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