Patent Publication Number: US-3878776-A

Title: Inflated bag printing device with adjustable type drive

Description:
D United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,878,776 Schneider Apr. 22, 1975 [5 1 INFLATED BAG PRINTING DEVICE WITH 2.700.932 2/1955 Bagshaw et a1. 101/301 DJU L TYPE DRIVE 3,418,924 12/1968 Kingsley 101/27 X 3,599,566 8/1971 Fish 101/333 Inventor: Walter M. Shneiden Chicago, 3,737,142 6/1973 Boswell et al..,, 74/107 x 1731 Assam Norm Marking and Equipment 23322332 1311333 3230331113131... &#34;&#34;i::1..2$?? Dwners 3,771,44s 11 1973 Thomson et a1.... 101/334 22 Filed; Oct 2 973 3,807,025 4/1974 Gudmestad 101/27 X [21] Appl&#39; (L095 Primary Examiner-Clifford D. Crowder Attorney, Agent, or Firm Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van [52] 0.8. CI. 101/41; 74/107; 101/27; anten, Steadman. Chiara &amp; Simpson 101/310; 101/336; 197/151 [51] Int. Cl 1341f 17/00 57 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 101/41-44,  
 101/333, 334 3 R 9A1, 2L 27&#39; 310 30! A devlce for 1mrmnt1ng bags after they have been inlm/94, 96 336; 93/34 73; 53/13]; flated by deflating a portion of the bag between a 74/107, 197/151 moving anvil arm and a printer head. The anvil arm 1s attached to a pivotable member which is pivoted by a [56] Reerences Cited cam connection to a vertically movable member. An UNITED STATES PATENTS imprinting tape feed is activated by the movement of the pivotable member. 1,258,944 3/1918 Putnam 101/27 2,035,957 3/1930 Gabrielsen 101 27 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 2 329,493 9/1943 Tilson 101/301 PATENTEDAPRZZIBIS SHEEI 2 [If 3 INFLATED BAG PRINTING DEVICE WITH ADJUSTABLE TYPE DRIVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to marking devices and more particularly to a device for applying indicia to bags.  
 2. The Prior Art Marking devices capable of imprinting product packaging are finding increased usage. Modern commercial organizations oftentimes find it necessary to put a final imprint on a package at the time of filling the package with the product. Such last-minute imprinting may include dating by day. month. or even by the hour. and/or pricing. Further. lot numbers often must be applied to packages at the time they are filled with the product.  
  A special problem occurs when the package is a bag such as a flexible plastic bag of the type in which bread is often packaged and sold. Because the bags do not have structural rigidity. it is difficult to imprint them prior to filling them with product and because the product itselfis crushable. it is difficult to imprint them after they have been filled with product.  
  Recently. a new device has been developed which first inflates a portion of the bag and then collapses a portion of the inflated bag between a moving anvil and an imprinter head. Such a device is shown and illustrated in the patent application of James L. Shenoha filed May ll). I973. Ser. No. 358.962. now US. Pat. No. 3.823.664. the teachings of which are herein incor porated by reference.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to an advanced inflated bag printer where the movement of the anvil arm is accurately controlled and where an imprint tape is moved across the imprint head in direct response to movement of the anvil arm. In this manner. it is assured that the tape will cease moving at the time the bag surface is pressed against the tape. Further. the connection which controls movement of the tape is fully adjustable to allow various advances in the tape to occur during each cycle of the anvil arm.  
  Additionally. the device utilizes a fixed frame with a vertically disposed power arm terminating in a power transfer roller which contacts a cam opening attached to a pivotable member. The pivotable member carries both the anvil arm and a linkage member connected to the tape advance drive mechanism. The imprinting head and the tape advance mechanism are also attached to the frame. The tape advance mechanism includes a rotatable drive roller which is acted upon by the tape advance mechanism and which moves the tape. The tape advance mechanism consists of a pair of geared together one-way clutch members which are commonly attached to a linkage to the pivotable member. Movement of the linkage in one direction will engage the clutch of one of the members to rotate the roller by a direct shaft connection. to rotate the first member and the shaft and attached drive roller in the same direction it was moved previously to continue to advance the tape. tape advance mechanism is attached by a linkage to the pivotable member and because the anvil arm is attached to the pivotable member. the action of the anvil arm in pressing the deflated portion of the bag against the tape and the imprint head will stop rotation of the pivotable member. This also stops movement of the linkage to the tape advance thereby assuring that the tape is not moving at the time of imprint.  
  It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved inflated bag printer.  
  It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an inflated bag printer which has a moving anvil arm which strikes a portion of an inflated bag to deflate it and press a surface of the bag against an imprint tape and imprinting head.  
  It is another more specific object of this invention to provide an inflated bag printer having a moving anvil arm acted upon by a vertically disposed power arm through a pivotable member and cam opening.  
  It is another and more important object ofthis invention to provide an inflated bag printer which has a pivotable member carrying an anvil arm. the anvil arm effective to deflate a portion of a bag and press it against a printing tape and an imprinting head. movement of the imprinting tape being controlled by a link age connection to the pivotable member whereby no movement of the tape occurs at the time ofimprinting.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects. features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof. taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure. and in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a side plan view with portions broken away to show underlying portions of the bag printer of my invention positioned adjacent a stack of inflatable bags.  
  FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the bag printer in imprint position.  
  FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the tape advance mechanism of this invention.  
  FIG. 4 is an end plan view with portions broken away to show underlying portions of the imprinter taken along the lines IVIV of FIG. 2.  
  FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the linkage connection between the pivotable member and the tape advance mechanism.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. I illustrates a bag printing device 10 positioned adjacent a stack 1! of deflated bags. The bags may be attached to a post 12 at their front ends 13. A pressured air source 14 is positioned to direct air at the open mouth of the top bag 13 to inflate the bag as illustrated at IS. The inflated bag printing device 10 is positioned adjacent the rear I6 of the bag and has an imprint station I7 which overlies a rear portion of a bag which has been inflated.  
  The bag printer consists ofa frame member 18 which is fixedly held by attachment means I9. Fastened to the frame 18 is a horizontal frame member 20 to which a vertically disposed hydraulic cylinder 21 is affixed. The cylinder 2] has a power arm 22 depending therefrom and the cylinder is effective to move the power arm vertically. Also attached to the frame 18 is an imprinting head 23 which includes a heater device and an imprinting block 24 which has raised indicia 25 depending therefrom. The raised indicia 25 constitute type face for imprinting. Tape supply 27 and takeup reels 28 are mounted for rotation on portions of the frame and the tape is threaded around guide rollers 29 to pass under the imprint head 23 below the type face 25. Thereafter the tape passes through a tape index device advance or drive mechanism 30 to the takeup reel 28. The tape is preferably of a plastic type wherein a portion of the tape is transferred to the surface to be imprinted as a result of contact with the heated type face.  
  In order to imprint the surface ofthe bag 15. it is necessary to bring that surface against the tape 31 and the tape against the heated type face 25. It is also necessary that during each cycling of the imprinter device that the tape 3l be moved so as to present an unmarked tape portion to the type face. Each time the bag surface is brought against the tape and the tape against the type face. the portion of the tape corresponding with the design of the type face will be transferred to the bag sur face. Therefore it is necessary that before another bag surface be brought against the tape that the tape be indexed. It is further desirable that the amount of index of the tape be variable to correspond with the size of the type face being used. In addition. it is absolutely necessary that the tape not be moving during the time of transfer of a portion of the tape to the to be imprinted surface. If the tape is moving. then the transfer will be smeared or incomplete In order to bring the bag surface against the tape. an anvil is provided attached to an anvil arm 41. The anvil arm in turn is attached to a pivotable member 42 which is pivotably attached to the frame 18 as at 43. The pivotable member is attached to a cam member 44 which has a cam slot 45 therein which receives a cam roller 46 attached to the end of the power arm 22. Thus. as the power arm 22 moves vertically a drive connection between the cam roller 46 and the cam surface is along the side walls of the cam opening 45. and the pivotable member 42 will rotate around the pivot point 43. This will cause the anvil arm 4] to move in an arc towards or away from the type face 25. Since the arm 41 is positioned initially as shown in FIG. I behind the rear surface [6 of the bag. its movement to the type face will collapse the bag to force a surface portion thereof against the tape and type face.  
  The attachment of the cam member 44 to the pivotable member 42 is made adjustable as at 50 so that the attachment point can be moved slightly. This will affect the rest position of the anvil arm and its final imprint position so that the anvil will be adjustable to assure proper contact between the bag surface and the tape and type face. A set or position control screw such as the screw 44a may be provided with the adjustable attachment to allow fine positioning of the adjustment to allow control of the imprint position of the anvil to assure the most desirable imprint.  
  Further. as best illustrated in FIG. 2, the cam opening 45 has a cam surface SI which will be parallel to the movement ofthe cam roller 46 at the time the anvil 40 is in the imprint position. This provides a lost motion connection between the cam roller and the cam member 44 so that even if the powder arm 22 continues in motion after the anvil has forced the bag surface against the tape and the tape against the type. no further movement ofthe pivotable member 42 will occur. This dwell period is both advantageous in assuring that proper imprint occurs by pressing the bag surface against the tape and maintaining it there and it func tions to assure that the tape will not be moving at the time of imprint. In order to maintain this arrangement, the cam roller 46 may be affixed to a yoke 60 which is attached to the end of the power arm 22 and slidably positioned between two guide rods 61 and 62. The yoke may contain sleeve bushings or linear motion antifriction bearings 63 to assure that the yoke is free to move vertically on the guide rods 6I. 62 but is prevented from moving horizontally. In this manner. there is no sloppiness in the connection and the imprint position of the anvil will not be subject to variation other than through the adjustable connection 50 between the cam member 44 and the pivotable member 42. By making the adjustment at that point. it can be assured that the anvil surface will be parallel with the type face surface at the imprint position.  
  In order to assure that the tape will not be moving at the moment of imprint. the movement of the tape is controlled by the pivoting of the pivotable member 42. This. of course. means that the tape moves in dependent response to the movement of the anvil arm.  
  As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the pivotable member 42 is partially U-shaped in cross section having parallel legs and 71 interconnected by a bight section 72. The bight section. as shown in FIG. 2. has a surface 74 at an angle to the projection of the legs 70. 71. The anvil arm 41 is attached to this surface 74 by fixed attachment means. for example bolts 75. The pivotable member is attached to the frame 18 through the bight portion of the pivotable member 42 which may be hollowed out to receive a boss 18a of the frame which in turn may receive an axle 78 which may be supported in antifriction bearings 79 for rotation with respect to the frame 18. End portions 80 of the axle 78 are then fixedly connected to the pivotable member so that the axle 78 becomes the pivot point of the pivotable memher. The cam member 44 is attached to one leg H of the pivotable member by the adjustable connection 50.  
  On the outside surface of the leg 70 a pair of spaced apart pins 86 are affixed to the pivot-able member and project therefrom. The pins are received in slots 87 in a feed lever 88. The feed lever 88 is arcuately shaped. The slots 87 are also arcuately shaped so that when the feed lever is positioned with the pins 86 projecting through the slots 87. the movement of the feed lever is restricted to a rotational movement only along a circle having a surface curved the same as the arc of the slots 87. This circle passes through the pivot point 43 of the pivotable member. Tightenable fastening means 89 are provided to enclump the feed lever 88 in position on the leg 70 of the pivotable member. These tightenable means may also be the equivalent of the pins which may be headed bolts having a thread connection with the pivotable member.  
  Adjacent one end 92 of the feed lever. is a pivotable connection 93 to a fixed length linkage member 94. The linkage member extends to the tape advance mechanism 30. It can therefore be seen that as the pivotable member moves back and forth. the fixed link 94 will move towards and away from the tape advance mechanisnn by an amount which is dependent upon the distance of the pivot connection 93 from the pivot point 43 of the pivotable member 42. Since this distance is adjustable by moving the feed lever 88. the amount of the movement of the fixed link lever 94 is adjustable. If the pivot connection 93 is positioned c0- axial with the pivot point 43. then there will be no movement of the linkage member 94. The further away from the pivot point 43 the pivotable connection 93 is positioned. the greater the movement of the linkage member 94.  
  The end of the link 94 remote from the pi\otable connection 93 is attached to the tape advance mechanism in such a manner that movement of the link 94 causes rotation of a roller 99. The tape 3i is positioned around the roller 99 and is held in place by a spring tensioned pressure roller 100. &#39;lherefore as the roller 99 revolves under the influence of mo\ement of the link 94. the tape will be moved By connecting a drive belt. which may be an endless coil spring it)! between the axle ofthe roller 99 and the axle of the takeup reel 28. it will be assured that the tape will be drawn from the supply reel 27 to the takeup reel across the head 24 in dependent response to the movement of the link 94 which is moved by the pivoting of the pivotable member 42 to which the anvil arm 4i is attached. Thus. the tape can only move when the anvil arm is moving and when the anvil arm stops moving at the imprint position at the instant the tape is forced against the type surfaces 25. the tape will cease movement Thus. the transfer from the tape to the bag surface wiil be clean and sharp.  
  In the preferred embodiment illustrated. the tape ad vance mechanism 30 includes a pair of one-way clutch members 110 and III which are attached to separate axles 112 and 113. Gear members 114 and 115 are also attached to the axles H2 and 113. The gear members intermesh with one another and may have equal numbers of teeth when it is desired to have equal movement of the tape both when the anvil arm is moving towards the imprint position and when the anvil arm is moving away from the imprint position Where it is desired to have an unequal tape movement the gears may have differing numbers of teeth. One of the clutch members llll will engage its axle when moving in one direction and will slip freely on the axle when moving in the other direction. The other clutch member lll operates the opposite way. Each ot&#39;the clutch members has a projec tion 118. 119 extending therefrom. One of the projections [[8 is connected to the link 94 through a pivotable connection [20 and the other projection 119 is attached to the projection 118 through an intermediate link 12] which is pivotably attached to both projections. In this manner. the projections will rotate about the axles 112. I13 in dependent response to the movement of the link 94. When the link moves in one direction for example upwardly in FIG. 5. one of the clutch members. for example. the clutch member [11. will engage its axle to rotate the axle thereby rotating the gear 115 which in turn rotates the gear [14 thereby rotating the axle H2 in a direction opposite the rotation of the axle ll3. During this movement. the clutch member 110 is slipping on the axle 112. During the reverse movement of the link 94, the clutch member 110 will engage the axle ll2 rotating it in the same direction which it was rotated previously. The clutch ill will slip freely on the axle I13 which will also rotate because of the gear intermesh. By attaching the roller 99 fixedly to a shaft which is common with either the shaft 112 or the shaft 113. it can be seen that the roller 99 will rotate both as the anvil arm is pivoted towards the imprint head and as it is pivoted away from the imprint head.  
  It can therefore be seen from the above that my invention provides a bag printing device having an arcuately movable anvil arm connected to a pivotable memher to pivot the arm towards and away from an imprint head. The pivotable member is actuated by a vertically disposed power member which may be a hydraulic cylinder or which may be a solenoid or the like. Means are provided to stop movement of the anvil arm at the imprint position by stopping further rotation ofthe pivotable member. A tape advance mechanism is attached to the pivotable member and operates in dependent response to pivoting of the pivotable member. The degree of advance of the tape with each cycle of the pivotable member is adjustable. Further. in a preferred embodiment. there has been shown a means of moving the tape during both movement ofthe anvil arm toward the imprint position and away from the imprint position.  
  Although the teachings of my invention have herein been discussed with reference to specific theories and embodiments. it is to be understood that these are by way of illustration only and that others may wish to utilize my invention in different designs or applications.  
 l claim as my invention:  
  l. A bag imprinting device for imprinting a portion of a surface of a bag inflated from a stack of bags comprising: a frame member having an imprinting means thereon. the imprinting means including imprinting indicia positioned at an imprinting station. an anvil at tached to a movable arm carried by a pivotable member pivotably attached to the frame. the anvil movable towards and away from the station in dependent response to movement of the pivotable member. the anvil effective to collapse a portion of a bag inflated from a stack of bags by an air jet and press a surface portion thereof against the indicia. tape supply and take up means on said frame. guide means guiding tape from said supply to said take up means past said station be tween the indicia and the bag. tape drive means for moving said tape from the supply to the take up means. power means carried by said frame including a movable power arm operatively attached to said pivotable member through a cam connection member. the pivotable member having two leg portions connected together by a bight portion. the cam member attached to one leg portion for movement therewith. the movable arm con nected to the bight portion for movement therewith. a linkage member having one end adjustably connected to the other of said leg portions. said linkage member having the other end thereof operatively connected to said tape drive to actuate the tape drive in dependent response to movement of the pivotable member. whereby movement of the power arm will simultaneously cause pivoting of the pivotable member with respect to portions of the frame thereby moving the anvil towards and away from the station while moving the tape from the supply to the take up means only when the anvil is in motion.  
  2. The device of claim I wherein the tape drive means includes a pair of one way clutch members innerconnected by an intermediate link. the linkage member having the said other end operatively connected to one of said one way clutch members. the said clutch members including driven portions geared to one another. one of said driven portions attached to a tape drive roller for rotation therewith. said tape drive roller caused to rotate in one direction by one of said clutch members when said linkage member moves in a first direction. the tape drive roller caused to rotate in said one direction by the other of said clutch members the linkage member allows zuljustment of the length of lll Ill  
 movement of the linkage member in the first and second directions during each complete cycle of the pivotable member.