Patent GB-636502-A (GB)
Title: Methods of and machines for packaging adhesive strips
IPC: B65B15/04
Filed: 1947-10-13
Abstract: 636,502. Forming flat packets. SALFISBERG, L. L. Oct. 13, 1947, No. 27421. Convention date, Nov. 7, 1946. [Class 94(i)] A method of packaging adhesive pieces of material that have a normally tacky adhesive composition exposed on one side thereof, comprises longitudinally moving a web of packaging material past an applying station to which the pieces are supplied and at which they are caused to separably adhere in succession to one side of the web in spaced longitudinal relation, and securing another web of packaging material to the first web in overlying relation to the pieces of material. As applied to packaging adhesive bandages, a continuous length of bandage material B comprising a backing tape coated with adhesive and a central soft absorbent pad overlaid by two overlapping layers of coarse-mesh textile gauze, is formed in a known machine (not shown) embodied in the present machine. The material B is fed by rollers 6, 7, driven from a main drive-shaft 14, to severing blades 8, 17 carried by a guide frame 10 which is mounted by trunnions 11 on the main frame. The blade 17 is fixed relative to the guide frame 10, and the blade 8 is carried by a slide 9 vertically reciprocable relative to the guide frame 10, and connected to an eccentric 15 carried by the shaft 14. Rotation of the eccentric reciprocates the blade 8 on the slide 9 relative to the fixed blade 17 and imparts an oscillating movement to the guide frame 10 as a whole, about the trunnions 11. The arrangement is such, that the blades move forwardly on the upward cutting stroke of the blade 8 so that the severed bandage is fed between upper and lower spaced horizontal runs 26, 32 of packaging strip. The upper run 26 is formed by a strip 19 fed from an upper supply reel Fig. 1 (not shown), and passes over idle rollers 21, a spring-urged roller 115 and a roller 22 freely pivoted on a bracket 23 rigid with the fixed blade 17. The lower run 32 is formed by a strip 27 fed from a lower supply roll via idle rollers 29, 30 a spring- urged roller (not shown) and round a platen 31 carried by the slide 9. The platen moving upwardly with the blade 8 presses the severed bandage against the upper packaging strip passing over the roller 22 so that a transverse line of adhesive is forced through the gauze layers causing the bandage to adhere to the upper strip. The platen 31 is mounted resiliently on the slide 9 by means of a spring 84, one abutment of which is formed by an extension 83 of the slide 9 and the other abutment is formed by one end of a lever 81. The platen 31 is fulcrummed at 80 on the other end of the lever 81 and is pivotally mounted at 79 at the free end of a link 87 pivotally mounted at its other end to the extension 83. Rearward movement of the platen 31 is limited by a surface 90 which engages the blade 8 and the action of the spring 84 is limited by an adjustable stop 89. The platen 31 is formed with a central recess to accommodate the central pad of the bandage material B. The horizontal runs 26, 32 of the strips 19, 27 pass between upper and lower feed rollers 35, Fig. 15, which are driven in opposite direction by gearing (not shown) from the shaft. The lower roller 35 is journalled in fixed frame members G while the bearings of the upper roller 35 comprise blocks 37 which are mounted in rods 38 slidable in the frame members G. The lower ends of the rods are connected by a cross plate 49, Fig. 18, which is downwardly urged by a spring 46. The rollers 35 may be temporarily separated by the manual rotation of a shaft 51 which acts on pull rods 54 in abutment with the plate 49. The strips which as shown are of thermoplastic material then pass between rolls 40 which are electrically heated by elements 65 and which have recesses 62 to accommodate the respective bandages. The peripheral surface of each roll is serrated so that the strips are crimped and heat-sealed around the bandages. Alternatively the packaging strips 19, 27 may bear adhesive instead of being thermoplastic. The continuous package thus formed, is transversely slotted between each bandage by means of notched blades 68. The package is severed into units of twelve bandages by the action of a pair of blades (one on each roll) which each have a continuous cutting edge. In a modified construction of cutting mechanism for the strip B, Fig. 22, the upper and lower packaging strips 93, 92 pass around rollers 94, 104 respectively journalled in the main frame. A fixed lower blade 96 co-operates with an upper movable blade 95, mounted on a slide 98 which is vertically reciprocated by the action of a cam 102 on the shaft 14 and a connecting link 100. The strip B in this case is arranged with the adhesive facing downwardly and the severed bandage is forced against the strip 92 by the action of a platen 103 carried by the slide 98. The platen is pivoted to a link 109 which is itself pivoted at 112 to an extension 111 of the slide 98. A spring 113 acts between the platen 103 and the extension 111, and its action is limited by an adjustable stop 110. In an alternative arrangement, the feed of the strip B is intermittent and is equal in rate to the feed of the packaging strips.