Patent ID: 6148589
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
A method of packaging groups of cylindrical articles, comprising the steps of:carrying cylindrical articles forwardly while sorting said articles into groups, each group being composed of a predetermined number of said articles;inserting said article groups in a thermal shrinkage film formed into a cylindrical shape;heat-sealing, in the course of carrying said article groups enclosed in said film, a boundary between one film portion enclosing one of said article groups and a film portion enclosing the next of said article groups by upper and lower end sealers;wherein said step of heat-sealing said film comprises the steps of:preparing front side and rear side holding conveyor belts for pressing from above said articles, which conveyor belts are provided on front side and rear side carrying conveyor means disposed in front of and behind said upper and lower end sealers respectively, wherein at least one of said holding conveyor belts is movable forwardly and rearwardly relative to the other;positioning a rear end of said front side holding conveyor belt behind a front end of said rear holding conveyor belt in a state in which said upper and lower end sealers are most separated from each other; andmoving at least one of said holding conveyor belts so as to be separated from each other as said upper and lower end sealers are gradually moved closer to each other.