PACKAGING METHOD AND APPARATUS

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for packaging of trimmer line comprises means to feed a length of trimmer line (2) from a supply source (4) into a closed container or package (10) through a hole or aperture (10A) in said container or package, and means (30) to sever the trimmer line (2) when a predetermined length thereof has been fed into said closed container or package. The apparatus includes a conveyor (12) to feed said closed container or package to a filling station for filling with trimmer line and to remove the filled container or package from said filling station, and the apparatus further includes guide means in the form of pinch wheels (24) to guide the trimmer line into said closed container or package.

Description: PACKAGING METHOD AND APPARATUS This invention relates to a packaging method and apparatus and in particular to a method and apparatus for packaging trimmer line such as is used in trimmer apparatus, generally known as 'shimmers'. Presently, trimmer line is packaged by firstly coiling the line - either manually or with the aid of suitable machinery or apparatus - into a generally circular form. The generally circular form of trimmer line is then secured and maintained in its circular form either by means of adhesive tape or by other suitable means, whereafter the coiled line is placed in a pack for display and sale purposes. Whilst the above-described packaging system adequately maintains the trimmer line within the pack, such that it is suitable for display and sale, it has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, such a system is very labour-intensive and time-consuming, and therefore very costly, and secondly and perhaps of greater importance to the end-user of the trimmer line, it is very often very difficult to remove the trimmer line from the pack without the trimmer line suddenly releasing itself from the pack and ending up as a tangled mess, resulting in time having to be spent in sorting out the tangle so that the line can be used, or in the extreme discarding the tangled line altogether. The present invention therefore seeks to provide a method of and apparatus for packaging trimmer line which will obviate the above and other disadvantages. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the packaging of trimmer line comprising feeding a length of trimmer line from a supply source into a closed container or package through a hole or aperture in a surface of said container or package. Preferably, a portion of the trimmer line will remain outside the container or package in order to facilitate withdrawal of the trimmer line from said container or package. The method will include the further step of severing the line at a position outside said container or package and attaching the severed end to said container or package. The method may include the additional step of feeding said closed container or package to a position beneath said supply source, and the still fiither step of removing the filled container or package from its position beneath the said supply source along a conveyor or other means. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for the packaging of trimmer line comprising means to feed a length of trimmer line from a supply source into guide means and thence into a closed container or package through a hole or aperture in said container or package, means being provided to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length has been fed into said container or package. Preferably, said means for feeding said length of trimmer line will comprise a pair of pinch wheels, at least one of which will be positively driven. Preferably, the other of said pinch wheels will be spring-loaded so that it is biassed towards the driven pinch roll. The guide means will preferably comprise feed pipes or needles located one above and one below said pinch wheels, the trimmer line being sequentially fed into the upper pipe or needle and then into the lower pipe or needle from which it is fed into the closed container or package. The lower of said piper or needles will preferably be movable axially so as to enable the distance of the end of said pipe or needle to be varied relative to the container or package, and the lower pipe or needle or a portion thereof may be rotatable about its axis relative to said container or package. The lower extremity of said lower pipe or needle may be flared. Located in close proximity to the lower end of the lower of said pipes or needles there will preferably be cutting means to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length thereof has been fed into said container or package, said cutting means preferably being pneumatically operated. The closed container or package will preferably be mounted on a conveyor which is movable relative to said pipes or needls so as to move said container or package to and from a position beneath said pipes or needles. Said apparatus will preferably include a control or programme unit to control, inter alia, the length of trimmer line fed to said closed container or package, the speed of feed of said trimmer line to said closed container or package, and the number of containers or packages completed. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front elevation of apparatus for packaging trimmer line in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation on Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. Referring to the drawings, the trimmer line 2 mounted on a drum 4 is located on a drum table 6 which is rotated by a geared motor 8 so as to feed the trimmer line from the drum to a closed container or package 10 - having a hole or aperture 10A therein - located on a conveyor 12. Located above the drum 12 is a guide bearing 14 through which the trimmer line 2 is fed and line guide rollers 16, 18, and 20 are provided as indicated. Adjacent the guide roller 20 is an upper feed pipe or needle 22 whose lower end is in close proximity to a pair of pinch rollers 24 and 26. A lower feed pipe or needle 28 whose upper end is located in close proximity to the pinch rollers 24 and 26 is provided to deliver the trimmer line to the container or package 10. A pneumatically operated cutting means is located between the lower end of the feed pipe or needle 28 and the conveyor 12 so as to enable the trimmer line to be severed when a predetermined length of trimmer line has been inserted into the conatiner or package 10. The pinch roller 24 is positively driven by being mounted on the output shaft of a motor 34 - which may be of the variable speed type or an induction motor having pulleys and a belt in order to vary its speed - and the pinch roller 26 is pivotable about a pivot pin 36 and is spring- loaded by means of a spring 38 so that it is biassed towards the pinch roller 24. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the output shaft 32 of the motor 34 carries a pulley wheel 40 which, through the intermediary of an endless belt 42, is in engagement with and causes rotation of a pulley wheel 44 to which is mounted a disc 46 carrying a reflector 48. A counter sensor 50 acts in conjunction with the reflector 48 as will be explained hereinafter. The apparatus will incorporate a control panel including a suitable programme unit 52, the unit 52 including start and stop buttons 54 and 56 respectively, a length counter 58, a speed control 60, a delay unit 62, and a tally counter 64, the appropriate electronic components and circuitry (not shown) being located within the unit 52. Although not shown in the drawings, the apparatus wil preferably include a series of safety and/or warning lights in order to indicate any malfunctioning of the apparatus, and in order to indicate to an operator of the apparatus when, for example, the line drum needs to be replaced. The apparatus described will be mounted within a suitable casing 66. The container or package 10 to be filled with the trimmer line 2 has, as will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the hole or aperture 10A therein, and it is through this hole or aperture 10A that the trimmer line 2 is fed in to the otherwise completely closed container or package 10. Such container or package 10 may be any suitable form of cavity pack, examples being a box, a blister card, a clam shell, or the like. The sequence of operations of the apparatus described above is: ( i) position container or package 10 beneath the pipes or needles 22 and 28; ( ii) lower the pipe or needle 28 to the required position relative to the container or package 10; (iii) feed the required length of trimmer line 2 from the drum 4 through the pipes or needles 22 and 28 into the closed container or package 10 through the hole or aperture 10A therein; ( iv) retract the pipe or needle 28; ( v) sever the trimmer line 2 by means of the cutting means 30 leaving a portion of the trimmer line projecting from the container or package 10; and ( vi) move the conveyor so as to move the filled container or package away from the filling station and so as to position the next container or package beneath the pipes or needles 22 and 28 in readiness to be filled with trimmer line. Describing the operation of the apparatus in more detail, the trimmer line 2 is fed from the line drum 4 by actuating the motor 8 - it being understood that the drum will need to be driven at varying speeds (depending on the thickness of the trimmer line) in order to compensate for the take-off of the line - whereafter the line 2 passes through the guide bearing 14, over the line guides 16, 18, and 20, and thence into the upper pipe or needle 22. When the line 2 issues from the pipe or needle 22, it passes to the pinch rollers 24 and 26 which feed the line into the lower pipe or needle 28 from which the line enters the closed container or package through the hole or aperture 10A therein. When the predermined length of trimmer line has been fed into the container or package 10, the cutting means 30 is actuated so as to sever the line 2, leaving a portion of line projecting from the container or package through the hole or aperture 10 A. The conveyor 12 is then operated so as to move the filled container or package 10 away from the filling station and to simultaneously position the next container or package on the conveyor at the filling station. In some instances, depending on the thickness of the line, size of drum etc., it may be unnecessary to drive the table 6. When the filled container or package is moved away from the filling station and subsequently removed from the conveyor, the portion of line projecting from the container or package is secured in place on the outside of the container or package 10 either manually or by suitable mechanical or electrical/electronic means, not shown. During the operation of the apparatus, the disc 46 is rotating, due to its interconnection with the motor 34, so that the reflector 48 carried by the disc 46 is also rotating, the rotation of the reflector 48 being sensed by the sensor 50 so as to count the number of revolutions of the disc and hence control the length of trimmer line fed from the drum 4 to the container or package 10. In order to ensure coπect filling of the container or package, it is critically important that the size of the container or package used is correct for the diameter of the line being packaged. In addition, the distance of the lower end of of the lower pipe or needle 28 from the hole or aperture 10A in the container or package 10 is also critical, as is the diameter of the pipe or needle 28. If considered necessary or if it is desirable, the lower end of the lower pipe or needle 28, or indeed the whole pipe or needle 28, may rotate relative to the container or package being filled in order to aid the coiling of the trimmer line within the container or package 10. In addition, the lower end of the lower pipe or needle 28 may be provided with a flared end in order to better feed the line into the container or package being filled. The apparatus described above may be incorporated into a complete forming and packaging line, wherein the required container or package is formed in situ, fed to the filling station and filled with trimmer line, and security tagged either manually or otherwise, the completed containers or packages then being placed in outer containers for onward transmission to storage or to a point of sale. Thus the invention provides a method of and apparatus for packaging of trimmer line which obviates the known disadvantages of presently used packagings. The apparatus according to the invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate, and trimmer line packaged in accordance with the invention can readily be removed from the container or package easily and quickly with no resultant tangle. Finally, it will be appreciated that modifications to the above-described apparatus will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art, and it is intended that such modifications be included within the scope of the appended claims. One such modification is the use of a magnetic field counter instead of the mechanical counter refeπed to above. A further modification is that instead of mounting the drum of trimmer line vertically on a drum table, the drum may be mounted horizontally, the line merely being drawn from the drum for feeding to the packaging position. In such a case, the drum would be provided with a magnetic brake to arrest movement of the drum at the appropriate time.

Claims: CLA S: 1. A method for the packaging of trimmer line comprising feeding a length of trimmer line from a supply source into a closed container or package through a hole or aperture in a surface of said container or package. 2. A method according to Claim 1 , wherein a portion of said trimmer line is left outside of said container or package to facilitate withdrawal of the trimmer line from said container or package. 3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, including the further step of severing the trimmer line at a position outside said container or package and attaching the severed end to said container or package. 4. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 3, including the further step of feeding said closed container or package to a position beneath said supply source along a conveyor. 5. A method according to Claim 4, including the additional step of removing the filled container or package from its position beneath said supply source along said conveyor. 6. Apparatus for the packaging of trimmer line comprising means to feed a length of trimmer line from a supply source into guide means and thence into a closed container or package through a hole or aperture in said container or package, means being provided to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length has been fed into said container or package. 7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein said means for feeding said length of trimmer line comprises a pair of pinch wheels, at least one of which is positively driven. 8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein the other of said pinch wheels is spring-loaded so that it is biassed towards said driven pinch wheel. 9. Apparatus according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein said guide means comprises feed pipes or needles located one above and one below said pinch wheels, the trimmer line being sequentially fed into the upper pipe or needle and then into the lower pipe or needle from which it is fed into the closed container or package. 10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein the lower of said pipes or needles is movable axially so as to enable the distance of the lower end of said pipe or needle to be varied relative to the container or package. 11. Apparatus according to Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the lower pipe or needle or a portion thereof is rotatable about its axis relative to said container or package. 12. Apparatus according to any of Claims 9 to 11 , wherein the lower pipe or needle is provided with a flared lower end to better feed the trimmer line into said container or package. 13. Apparatus according to any of Claims 9 to 12, wherein cutting means are located in close proximity to the lower end of the lower pipe or needle to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length thereof has been fed into said container or package. 14. Apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein said cutting means are pneumatically operated. 15. Apparatus according to any of Claims 9 to 14, wherein said closed container or package is mounted on a conveyor which is movable relative to said pipes or needles so as to enable the container or package to be moved to and from a position beneath said pipes or needles. 16. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 15, including a control or programme unit to control, inter alia, the length of trimmer line fed to said closed container or package, the speed of feed of said trimmer line to said closed container or package, and the number of containers or packages filled with trimmer line. AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 18 January 1999 (18.01.99); original claims 1-16 replaced by new claims 1-10 (4 pages)] 1. Apparatus for the packaging of trimmer line comprising means to feed a length of trimmer line from a supply source into guide means and thence into a closed container or package through a hole or aperture in said container or package, means being provided to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length has been fed into said container or package, characterised in that said guide means comprises feed pipes or needles located one above and one below said feed means, the trimmer line being sequentially fed into the upper pipe or needle and then into the lower pipe or needle from which it is fed into the closed container or package, the lower of said pipes or needles being movable axially so as to enable the distance between a lower end of said pipe or needle and said container or package to be varied. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that said means for feeding said length of trimmer line comprises a pair of pinch wheels, at least one of which is positively driven. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that the other of said pinch wheels is spring-loaded so that it is biassed towards said driven pinch wheel. 4. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the lower pipe or needle or a portion thereof is rotatable about its axis relative to said container or package. 5. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the lower pipe or needle is provided with a flared lower end to better feed the trimmer line into said container or package. 6. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that cutting means are located in close proxήnity to the lower end of of the lower pipe or needle to sever the trimmer line when a predetermined length thereof has been fed into said container or package. 7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterised in that said cutting means are pneumatically operated. 8. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said closed container or package is mounted on a conveyor which is movable relative to said pipes or needles so as to enable the container or package to be moved to and from a position beneath said pipes or needles. 9. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 8, including a control or programme unit to control, inter alia, the length of trimmer line fed to said closed container or package, the speed of feed of said trimmer line to said closed container or package, and the number of containers or packages filled with trimmer line. 10. A method for the packaging of trimmer line including the steps of positioning a closed container or package beneath a line filling station, lowering a lower feed pipe or needle to the required position relative to said container or package, feeding a required length of line through an upper feed pipe or needle and thence through said lower feed pipe or needle into said closed container or package tlirough a hole or aperture therein, retracting said lower feed pipe or needle, severing the trimmer line so as to leave a portion of said trimmer line projecting from said container or package, and thereafter moving the filled container or package away from said filling station and simultaneously positioning a further closed container or package beneath said filling station.

Inventors: ADCOCK THERESA ANN, ADCOCK, THERESA, ANN
Applicants: ADCOCK PAUL RICHARD, ADCOCK THERESA ANN, ADCOCK, PAUL, RICHARD, ADCOCK, THERESA, ANN
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65H54
IPC codes: B65H54, B65H61