Apparatus for producing nearly parallelepipedal packaging containers

The invention refers to an automatic apparatus for producing nearly parallelepipedal containers of flexible packaging material, particularly suitable for packaging liquids.

Packaging machines which produce packaging containers in the form of filled 
and sealed envelopes or bags from a continuous web of suitable 
heat-sealing sheet material which is transformed into a continuous hose, 
are already known. The basic steps carried out by said machines are: 
transversally heat-sealing said continuous hose, at intervals 
corresponding to the size of single containers to be produced, metering 
the feed of liquid to be packaged, forming the containers (i.e. 
transforming the hose into envelopes or bags) and severing the produced 
containers. The presence of intermittent or discontinuous movements is the 
most important limitation of packaging machines of the above mentioned 
type. It is clear that said machines and generally the mechanical devices 
operating in them cannot be used in systems with higher packaging speeds. 
Particularly if the basic operations of sealing, shaping and severing of 
single containers are carried out with a sequence of steps to be performed 
at separated stations, also considerable problems of synchronisation and 
therefore of structural complication are caused. The most important 
consequence thereof is that it is impossible to reduce the length of some 
operating steps below a given limit. 
Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to obviate the 
above-mentioned drawbacks and limitations of the prior art. 
The apparatus according to the invention consists of a system with 
continuous motion eliminating idle times of the intermittent or 
discontinuous movements. It allows nearly parallelepipedal packaging 
containers to be produced, in an automatic and continuous way and with a 
high packaging speed. 
The apparatus according to the invention is a structurally and functionally 
simple and compact system; it consists of two substantially equal and 
symmetrical opposed assemblies of jaws, engaging between them a length of 
the packaging material hose; each assembly comprises actuating and guiding 
means for setting and constantly keeping said jaws in a purely 
translational continuous motion, which maintains them always parallel to 
themselves, in particular horizontal, and with the jaws of the first 
assembly being perfectly opposed to the corresponding jaws of the second 
assembly; there is no relative rotation of the real sealing member and of 
its bearing; the jaws in the operative stage engage the packaging material 
hose without applying any harmful stress to the hose and to the container 
being shaped. Each jaw supports operative packaging means for carrying out 
in a single operating step or station all the packaging operations of 
containers, i.e. transversally sealing said hose, metering the feed of 
product to be packaged within the containers, shaping each container into 
a nearly parallelepipedal form, and severing every two consecutive 
containers. 
Said actuating and guiding means essentially consist, for each assembly, of 
two rotating parallel disks, whose axes of rotation present a 
misalignment, each jaw being pivoted to said disks at two points of the 
jaw which present the same misalignment as said rotating disks, so that 
for each jaw a kinematic motion like that of an articulated parallelogram 
is obtained. 
According to a first embodiment of the invention, said operative packaging 
means are arranged in an outer position with respect to said two rotating 
disks, said two pivot points of the jaw lying then at a side end of the 
jaw, and its other side end being pivoted in a third rotating disk, 
parallel and coaxial to the one of the other two disks, which is the 
nearest to said third disk. 
According to another embodiment of the invention, said operative packaging 
means are arranged in an inner position with respect to the two rotating 
disks, said two pivot points of the jaw lying then at the two side ends of 
the jaw. 
The packaging means for carrying out the transversal sealing step consist, 
for each jaw, of a sealing member reciprocating with respect to a jaw 
portion which forms a support; during the operative stage in which a jaw 
of the first assembly and the corresponding jaw of the second assembly are 
engaged with each other, such jaws collectively move with a rectilinear 
motion, in particular with a vertical motion. Moreover, in order to 
guarantee the required sealing pressure during the operative stage, spring 
and cam means are provided. 
The metering and shaping means carried by each jaw consist of members which 
are stationary or partially stationary and partially movable with respect 
to the jaw, as well as of surfaces of the sealing members, which through 
the cooperation of some corresponding jaws of the two assemblies carry out 
the automatic liquid metering and the automatic shaping of a container 
nearly into the form of a parallelepiped with four triangular end flaps.

With reference at first to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, the apparatus 
according to the invention comprises two pairs of parallel disks 1, 2 and 
3, 4, respectively, which are vertically arranged and are bodily connected 
two by two by means of two horizontal parallel axles 5 and 6 respectively. 
Between said disks of each pair, jaws 7 and 8 are fitted so as to be 
angularly equidistant along the circumference; in this embodiment the jaws 
are six for the disks 1, 2, and also six and symmetrically arranged for 
the disks 3, 4. 
The whole therefore forms a structure with two assemblies (one on the left 
and the other on the right with respect to the figures), which are 
substantially equal and symmetrical, and reciprocally engaged as it will 
be better explained hereinafter. 
Said axles 5, 6 are each pivoted in bearings 9, 10 carried by the fixed 
apparatus casing 11, and in bearings 12, 13 carried by two fixed rings 14 
and 14' respectively, fastened to the casing 11. The jaws 7, 8 are in turn 
freely mounted through their journals 15, 16 and 17, 18 respectively, in 
suitable bearings carried by the respective disks 1, 2 and 3, 4. 
Each journal 16 and 18, outside the respective disk 1 and 3, is integral 
with an arm 19 and 20 respectively (inverted with respect to the arm 19 in 
relation to the jaw); the journals 21, 22 of these arms 19, 20 are freely 
mounted on gear disks or rings 23, 24, which rotate about said fixed rings 
14, 14' through bearings 25, 26. 
It is to be noted that the distance D between said journals 16 and 21 (or 
18 and 22) is the same as the misalignment D' between the disk 1 and the 
ring 23 (or between the disk 3 and the ring 24). 
Whereas the disks 2 and 4 are not gear disks and are not engaged with each 
other, the disks 1 and 2 are mutually engaged gear disks as shown. 
The operation of the illustrated structure is carried out by the driving 
shaft 27 of the apparatus through two pinions 28, 29 carried by said shaft 
and engaged with the gear disk 1 and the gear ring 23 respectively (see 
particularly FIGS. 1 and 4). Through the axle 5 the rotation is 
transmitted to the disk 2; the right assembly in turn is caused to rotate 
through meshing of the disk 1 and the ring 23 with the disk 3 and the ring 
24 respectively; the axle 6 transmits in turn the rotation to the disk 4. 
The assembly of members 27, 28, 29, 1, 2, 3, 4, 23 and 24 forms a 
particularly compact and rigid driving unit. 
By virtue of the illustrated kinematic system, wherein the jaws 7 and 8 are 
mounted like an articulated parallelogram, according to the invention said 
jaws are constantly keeped in a purely translational motion and therefore 
always parallel to themselves. 
Each jaw 7 or 8 comprises a support 30, a sealing and shaping member 31, 
metering and shaping plate members 32, 33, integral with the member 31, 
and a cutting member 34. The sealing member 31 is spring mounted in the 
support 30 by means of a compression spring 34', so as to be horizontally 
sliding. Also the cutting member 34 is spring mounted (and normally kept 
in the position shown in FIG. 3) so as to be sliding within the support 30 
and through the sealing member 31, the member 34 being guided by the 
engagement of pins 35 (integral with the support 30) and slots made in the 
member 34. The cutting edge of the member 34 is V-shaped, like a 
guillotine. The member 34 is provided with two rotating rollers 37 and 38, 
which may engage the fixed vertical cam tracks 39 and 40. The sealing 
elements are formed by two laminar L-shaped laminar bodies 41 and 42, 
fastened to the sealing member 31 by means of plates 43, 44. The electric 
pulse to carry out the sealing is taken through engagement between sliding 
contacts 45, 46 (carried by the member 31) and plates 47, 48 fixed on the 
cams 39, 40; of course the member 31 and the plates 43, 44 are 
electrically insulated at the surfaces of the laminar bodies 41, 42. 
The operation of the above described apparatus is now the following. A hose 
49 of packaging material, produced in previous steps of the packaging 
cycle, is vertically fed to the apparatus in a continuous way, as 
schematically shown in FIG. 1, while the left and right assemblies of the 
apparatus are rotating in an uniform and continuous way according to the 
arrows F, F', and the two groups of jaws 7, 8 are constantly moving, as 
above mentioned, in a purely translational motion. The hose is therefore 
engaged between a jaw 7 and the corresponding jaw 8, which come to mutual 
contact through their members 31 at the point A. The contact between two 
corresponding jaws finishes at the point B; beyond this point they begin 
to move away one from the other, while the two following upper jaws are 
already engaged so as to avoid any stress by the liquid column within the 
hose against the transversal sealing. 
Therefore the jaws carry out, through the laminar bodies 41 and 42, the 
transversal thermosealing onto the flattened hose 50, this operation 
beginning at the point A and ending at an intermediate point between A and 
B, as determined by the length of the sealing time. Severing of the hose 
in single packaging units C, through the above described members 34, 37, 
38, 39 and 40 in the arrangement of FIG. 5, is carried out just before the 
beginning of the jaw separation at the position B; therefore, at the 
moment of cutting, the sealing bead is suitably cooled and consequently 
solid and, as the members 34 are set in action while the jaws are still in 
a pressure condition, a perfect horizontal cut, centered in respect to the 
transversal sealing strip, is assured. 
Of course, during the run A-B, feeding of the product to be packaged within 
the container is carried out. 
From the above it is clear that each jaw 7 and each corresponding jaw 8 
with their purely translational motion always move, approach and engage in 
a perfect opposition and are also kept in this perfect opposition during 
all the contact time A-B, since they are being naturally moved so as to be 
always normal to vertical symmetry plane of the packaging material hose. 
In the length A-B the two jaws move with a vertical rectilinear motion, by 
virtue of the above illustrated sliding assembly of the members 31 with 
respect to the supports 30, said assembly between 31 and 34 also assuring 
through 37, 38, 39, 40 the required transversal sealing pressure on the 
hose. 
The descending vertical motion of each pair of jaws engaging the hose is 
characterized by an average value of translation speed lower than the 
feeding speed of the hose 49, with consequent accumulation of packaging 
material over each pair of engaged jaws. 
The combined effect of mutual approaching of the two pairs of jaws engaging 
the hose (this approaching naturally resulting from the particular 
kinematic motion in question), of metering and shaping action of the 
members 32, 33 and 31 with the relevant plates 43, 44 of the jaws in an 
operative condition, of the aforesaid packaging material accumulation and 
of pre-existent scoring lines on the hose 49, causes said hose to be 
transformed in a continuous, quick and automatic manner into a series of 
filled and sealed containers, which are detached the one from the other 
and already nearly parallelepiped-shaped with relative four triangular end 
flaps. 
It is evident that, by changing the shape of the plates 43 and 44, it will 
be possible to obtain shaped containers with lower and upper surfaces 
which are squared and flattened. 
Turning now to the embodiment of the present invention according to FIGS. 6 
to 11, also in this case the apparatus consists of two assemblies (one 
left assembly and one right assembly) which are substantially equal and 
symmetrical and reciprocally engaged as it will be explained hereinafter. 
The left assembly comprises two parallel, vertically disposed disks 51 and 
52, whose journals 53 and 54 respectively are secured to their disks and 
are pivoted with a misalignment E in a fixed cranked arm 55, arranged 
between them, on one hand, and in bearings 56 and 57, fastened to the 
casing 58 of the apparatus, on the other hand. 
The corresponding members of the right assembly are designated with the 
references 59 to 64 (the member corresponding to the arm 55 is not shown 
in the right assembly of FIG. 7). 
The rotation drive of said two assemblies is carried out by means of an 
electric motor 65, the shaft 56 of which causes said journals 54 and 62 to 
rotate through two helical gear-worm screw connections 67, 68 and 69, 70 
respectively. Between said disks 51, 52 and 59, 60 respectively, six jaws 
71 and 72 respectively are mounted; each jaw 71 is freely mounted on two 
pins 73 and 74, carried by the disks 51 and 52 respectively; each jaw 72 
is in the same way mounted on two pins 75 and 76 carried by the disks 59 
and 60 respectively. The pins 73, 74 and 75, 76 have a misalignment E' 
identical with the aforesaid misalignment E. 
It is clear that also in this embodiment, the jaws 71 and 72 are mounted 
like an articulated parallelogram, and therefore they constantly achieve a 
purely translational motion which always keeps them perfectly parallel to 
themselves. 
Each jaw comprises an enbloc support 77 in which within circular seats two 
cylindrical pins 78 are sliding. The pins 78 of the jaw 71 carry a sealing 
pressure, cutting and shaping member 79, whereas the pins 78 of the jaw 72 
carry a sealing and shaping member 80. Within the member 79 a 
guillotine-shaped cutting blade 81 is housed and retained by elastic means 
not shown, said blade being provided with two little pins or rollers 82 
which may be engaged by two corresponding fixed cam sections 83. 
Within the support 77 and the pin 78 a little piston 84 is housed, which is 
spring engaged with the pin 78 through cup springs 85 and carries at its 
outer end a sliding roller 86, which may engage a fixed cam section 87. 
The member 80 is in turn provided with two thermosealing elements 88 and 
with an interposed seat 89 apt to receive the cutting blade 81. 
Each jaw 71 and 72 moreover carries on a pin 90 a fixed upright metering 
and shaping plate 91 (fastened to the jaw by means of a bracket 92), as 
well as a metering and shaping square 93, presenting one lower arm and two 
upper arms between which the plate 91 is inserted. The square 93 may 
rotate together with the pin 90 and is constrained to the jaw through two 
torsion springs 94. 
The plates 91 and the squares 93 of each pair of mutually engaged jaws 71 
and 72 define a well determined volume for metering the feed of product to 
be packaged within the container and for shaping the container; by merely 
changing the shape and/or the mounting position of said plates and 
squares, said volume will be easily adjustable and adaptable to every 
operating requirement. 
To each pin 90 a tongue 25 is fastened which may be engaged by a cam 96 
carried by the apparatus casing. 
The operation of this embodiment of the apparatus according to the 
invention is now the following. 
A packaging material hose 97, produced in other packaging cycle steps, is 
continuously fed to this apparatus as schematically shown in FIG. 11. As 
soon as two corresponding jaws 71 and 72 come in contact with the hose, 
they begin to deform it and at the position A' the operation of 
transversal thermosealing of the flattened hose 98 starts, this sealing 
operating ending at an intermediate position between point A' and point 
B'; at this last position the engagement of the two jaws is ended. 
As above mentioned, all the jaws constantly move with a purely 
translational motion and with a perfect mutual opposition, and 
particularly in all the contact length A'-B' (by sliding between the 
members 77 and 78) they are in vertical rectilinear motion while a perfect 
mutual opposition is always kept. The packaging material hose is fed with 
an average speed higher than that of the jaws engaging the hose, hence 
there is an accumulation of packaging material over each pair of jaws in 
an operative condition. During the run A'-B', also the feeding of product 
to be packaged within the container is carried out. 
Just before the two engaged jaws begin to move away (at the point B'), the 
following upper jaw pair comes to engagement (at the point A'). 
When two jaws come to mutual contact at the initial point A', engagement of 
the members 86 and 87 compels the pistons 84 to compress the cup springs 
85, producing the required pressure for sealing the packaging material 
hose. This pressure is kept constant during all the contact A'-B', and 
that improves the sealing result. It is clear that, by changing the 
vertical position of the cam sections 87, it is possible to shift the end 
contact points A' and B'. 
The cutting of the transversal sealing bead is performed at a position near 
to the end contact point B' through cooperation of said members 82 and 83. 
At the moment in which the two upper jaws join, metering of product to be 
packaged is defined and the container is shaped as shown in FIG. 11 with 
the continuous line 99; at the bottom and the sides the container is lying 
on said lower and upper arms of the squares 93, respectively. At the 
moment in which the two lower jaws begin to move away one from the other, 
engagement of said members 95 and 96 causes the squares 93 to rotate 
according to the arrows shown in FIG. 11, said squares coming to the 
position shown in dashed line in FIG. 11. Therefore, while the two lower 
jaws progressively move away one from the other, the container is in 
practice pushed from below against the pair of upper engaged jaws; the 
effect of this upward push and the simultaneous relative approaching of 
the two jaw pairs (naturally caused by the illustrated kinematic motion) 
before the moving away of the two lower jaws becomes equal to the minimum 
bottom size of the container, cause a packaging container to be actually 
formed with its ultimate dimensions and with its four triangular end 
flaps, disposed perpendicularly to the drawing plane of FIG. 11. This is 
naturally allowed by the above-mentioned accumulation of packaging 
material (determined by the difference between said two speeds) and is 
aided by pre-existent scoring lines on the hose. 
Therefore the packaging container in this shaping stage passes through the 
shape indicated by the chain outline 100, so being supported at the bottom 
and the sides by said lower arms of the squares 93 and said fixed plates 
91 respectively. 
In conclusion, the cooperation of said members 79, 80, 91 and 93 of two 
pairs of operative jaws causes a finished, nearly parallelepipedal 
container to be formed, having its lower surface perfectly squared up by 
the lower arms of the squares 93 of the two lower jaws and its upper 
surface nearly squared up by pressing against the members 79 and 80 of the 
upper jaw pair. 
Therefore it was shown that the motion of the jaws of the apparatus 
according to the invention is continuous as well as purely translational 
and each of them presents all the members needed for carrying out the full 
transformation cycle of a hose into single nearly parallelepipedal 
containers. So the invention makes it possible in an automatic and 
continuous way, with the highest operative speed, in a combined manner at 
one station and with the best and most protective engagement of the 
packaging material hose, to carry out sealing, metering, shaping and 
severing of single containers. 
It is obvious that many variants and modifications may be applied by the 
skilled in the art to the above illustrated exemplificative forms of 
embodiment of the present invention, without departing from its spirit; it 
is understood that all these variants and modifications fall within the 
scope of the present invention.