Patent Publication Number: US-6219993-B1

Title: Zipper sealer machine

Description:
This application is a division of U.S. patent Application No. 09/164,611 filed Oct. 1, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,621 which issued Feb. 8, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Letters Pat. No. 6,012,264 which is based on U.S. patent Application No. 09/056,583 filed Apr. 7, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,264 which issued Jan. 11, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying a reclosable fastener strip to the continuous web of film on a form, fill and seal machine. There are two manufacturing methods for forming reclosable packages on form, fill and seal machines. In one method, the reclosable fastener strip extends parallel to the feed direction of the continuous web of film. In the second method, the reclosable fastener strip extends transverse to the feed direction of the continuous web of film. The present invention relates to the method in which the reclosable fastener strip extends transverse to the feed direction of the continuous web of film. It is important in forming rcclosablc packages using this method that the timing of the cross sealing-jaws be coordinated with the position at which the reclosable fastener strip was bonded to the continuous web of film. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,862 discloses a mechanism for cutting, locating and securing a flexible plastic reclosable fastener strip across the longitudinal axis of the continuous web of film that is being used to create a package having a reclosable top. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,017 discloses a machine for making bags that have a reclosable fastener on a form, fill and seal machine. The bag forming process disclosed in this patent includes the step of securing a reclosable fastener strip to the film such that it extends transverse to the direction of film feed. In both U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,862 and 4,909,017, a continuous web of film is fed to the form, fill and seal machine from a film roll. Prior to reaching the form, fill and seal machine, a reclosable fastener strip is attached to the surface of the continuous web of film. The reclosable fastener strips are cut from a continuous ribbon of reclosable fastener material that is provided from a supply roll. The strip is guided to the lateral edge of the continuous web of film and then into a channel member that overlays the film. The use of a conventional cutting clement as suggested in these patents has the disadvantage that the knife blades dull quickly when used on machines that produce upward of a hundred packages per minute. Also, conventional cutting knives get contaminated and dull as a result of the cutting action. The use of conventional cutting knives produce a service problem for machines of this type. A reclosable fastener strip is cut from the continuous ribbon which is then positioned by the channel on the upper surface of the continuous web of film. The lower surface of the reclosable fastener strip is secured to the upper surface of the continuous web of film. These patents disclose systems that require a separate apparatus outside of the form, fill and seal machine for securing the reclosable fastener strip to the film. As a result, there is a long span of film extending from the location outside the form, fill and seal machine where the reclosable fastener strip was bonded to the film to the point where the continuous web of film encounters the forming shoulder. 
     The continuous web of film from which packages are manufactured is very thin and is difficult to control. For this reason, it is desirable to mount the separate device for bonding the reclosable fastener strip to the continuous web of film close to the form, fill and seal machine that they serve. In fact, they are mounted so close that they may interfere with the normal servicing of the form, fill and seal machine. The long span of continuous film utilized by these machines must be processed and coordinated to assure that the reclosable fastener strip is properly located with respect to where the cross seal of the bag is formed and to assure that it is not damaged as it is moved from the point where it is secured to the continuous web of film to the point where it encounters the forming shoulder. 
     In addition, these prior art machines must complete the feeding, severing to length and bonding of the segment of reclosable fastener strip to the film before this sequence for the next segment can begin. Thus, the speed of the form, fill and seal machine that has been retrofitted with the prior art machines disclosed in these prior art patents is very limited. Also, in the prior art machines, the two halves of the reclosable fastener strip are not positively interconnected and, thus, could separate from each other or shift relative to each other during the subsequent package forming procedure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Applicant has provided a mechanism that advances a length of reclosable fastener material from a continuous supply to a rotor that is mounted adjacent to the film to which a reclosable fastener strip is to be bonded. The advanced length of reclosable fastener material is held on the rotor and then the cutter fuser mechanism is activated to cut a strip from the continuous supply. Before the cutter-fuser jaws begin opening, a flange of the strip of reclosable fastener material is clamped by a brake mechanism to prevent the strip from being pulled away by the opening jaws. The rotor is then rotated 180° to bring the reclosable fastener strip to the location at which it will be bonded to the film. A flange of the reclosable fastener strip is grasped and the rotor is rotated an additional small amount which serves to release the reclosable fastener strip from the rotor. The rotor is then rotated in the reverse direction to thus properly locate its edge to receive the next length of reclosable fastener material. 
     It is important, for two reasons, that the reclosable fastener material be cut and fused the instant that it is in its final position on the rotor. First, the cutting and fusing jaws are at a temperature that, if the reclosable fastener material is stationary between the open jaws for even a short period, the two halves of the reclosable fastener material could be distorted and stick to the die and create problems in targeting the rotor track for the next feed cycle. Second, if the reclosable fastener material stands stationary at the point at which it is positioned to be cut and fused, this stationary period is added to the cycle time for producing a package on the machine. Cycle time must be kept to a minimum to maximize machine production. Since the micro-processor activates the cutter-fuser, we know precisely when activation of the cutter-fuser occurs. However, after activation there is a time period required for the cutter-fuser jaws to become fully closed. It is important to determine what this time period is. Likewise, since the micro-processor activates the cutter-fuser mechanism to open the jaws, we know precisely when this activation occurs. If the rotor carrying the reclosable fastener strip is rotated before the cutter-fuser jaws begin to open, the just severed end of the reclosable fastener strip is still clamped between the closed jaws and proper rotation of the rotor could not occur. 
     A jaw position sensor has been provided to sense when the cutter-fuser jaws are fully closed and when they begin to open. The sensing device is directed at the edge of a link for one of the jaws. As the jaws are closing and the sensor recognizes the edge of the link, a signal is sent to the central processor indicating that the jaws are fully closed and the strip has been severed after a set duration time. Likewise, when the jaws start to open, the sensor that is directed to the edge of the link does not see the edge anymore and sends a signal indicating that the jaws are opening. Thus, a single sensing device is used to determine when the cutter-fuser jaws begin to open and when they are fully closed. This jaw position sensor provides the information necessary to sever and fuse the reclosable fastener material as soon as it has reached its final position on the rotor and to rotate the rotor as soon as the severed strip of reclosable fastener material has been released. 
     Immediately following the closing of the cutter-fuser jaws to sever the reclosable fastener material, the jaws are opened. Since the cutter-fuser jaws are heated, it is possible that some sticking of the reclosable fastener strip to the jaws could occur. An air cylinder brake mechanism is provided to prevent the severed strip of reclosable fastener material that may stick to the jaws from being pulled away from the rotor as the jaws open. The air cylinder brake mechanism clamps the exposed flange of the reclosable fastener strip. The air cylinder brake holds the severed strip of reclosable fastener material in place while the jaws are opening and continues to hold it as the rotor begins to rotate. As the rotation of the rotor progresses, the clamped flange of the reclosable fastener strip is pulled from the air cylinder brake. It has been found that a firm and positive brake mechanism is necessary to perform this function. For this reason, an air cylinder carried by a top block having a rod that extends into the bore of a plunger is utilized. The plunger slides in a bore formed in the top block. The plunger has a flat bottom surface that protrudes from the bore and engages the upper surface of an exposed flange and locks it against a flat surface of a bottom block. 
     Applicant, in accordance with this invention, advances the continuous supply of reclosable fastener material a small amount at a relatively slow pace during the period in the cycle when the rotor is rotating a small amount to release the reclosable fastener strip from the rotor and then reversing the small amount of rotation. This pre-feeding of the severed end of the continuous supply that moves to the receiving edge of the rotor while the rotor is maneuvered into position to receive the reclosable fastener material locates the severed end of the continuous supply at a point where it lightly engages the receiving edge of the rotor. When the maneuvering of the rotor is completed, the reclosable fastener material is fed to its final position on the rotor at a faster pace. This reduces the time that it will take to complete the process of feeding of the reclosable fastener material to its final position on the rotor. The second phase of this feeding process is accomplished at a pace that is considerably faster than the relatively slow pre-feeding pace. This feature of applicants invention is another step in minimizing the cycle time for producing a package and assuring proper targeting of the zipper with the rotor track. 
     Still another advantage of applicant&#39;s device is that the severing and fusing of the reclosable fastener strip is done by upper and lower cutting and fusing jaws that have smooth engaging surfaces that do not become dull and require replacement as do cutting knifes or blades. It is also important that the two halves of the reclosable fastener material be fused along the cut edges to prevent a shift of the halves of the zipper and limit leakage from the filled package. However, the fusing should be limited to the immediate area of the severed end and not extend longitudinally beyond the immediate area since that would shorten the effective length of the zipper. This is accomplished in the embodiment of the cutting and fusing jaws disclosed herein by the provision of a cutting tip that has an arcuate cross section and by the provision of relief areas adjacent the severing and fusing surfaces of the cutting and fusing jaws to minimize exposure to heat particularly in the flange areas of the reclosable fastener material. All surfaces of the jaw are provided with a coating to minimize sticking of the fastener to the jaws. 
     During the operation of a form, fill and seal machine, there are occasions when it is necessary to stop the machine operation for short periods, for example to make minor adjustments to the operating conditions. The cutting and fusing jaws take some time to cool and when the machine is stopped, the heat from the jaws could cause the short section of reclosable fastener material that is positioned within the cutter-fuser mechanism to be distorted and stick to the die. To avoid this, a stand-by mode has been developed that automatically retracts this short section of reclosable fastener material into the horizontal track from which it protrudes. The horizontal track shields the reclosable fastener material and prevents it from soaking up heat from the cutter-fuser jaws which could cause the material to be distorted and stick. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a form, fill and seal machine having the zipper sealer device of this invention mounted thereon. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of reclosable fastener mechanism feeder assembly. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cutter-fuser mechanism. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the cutter-fuser mechanism. 
     FIG. 4A is an end view of the lower cutting and fusing jaw. 
     FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the lower cutting and fusing jaw. 
     FIG. 4C is an end view of the upper cutting and fusing jaw. 
     FIG. 4D is a perspective view of the upper cutting and fusing jaw. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the horizontally oriented track taken along lines  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rotor and rotor carriage mechanism. 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of the rotor carriage mechanism. 
     FIG. 8 is an end view of the zipper apparatus. 
     FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of the flat plate of the rotor showing the reclosable fastener strip held by the spring-biased device. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rotor motor drive from the outside of the rotor carviage. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the rotor motor drive from the inside of the rotor carriage. 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of the rotor motor drive from the inside of the rotor carriage. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view, from the upper front, of the reclosable fastener mechanism placement assembly. 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view, from the upper rear, of the reclosable fastener mechanism placement assembly and zipper sealer assembly. 
     FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the placement and the zipper sealer machine. 
     FIG. 15 is a front view of the zipper sealer machine. 
     FIG. 16 is a timing diagram for the zipper scaler machine components. 
     FIG. 17 is an isolated front view of the air cylinder brake. 
     FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the air cylinder brake plunger. 
     FIG. 19 is a cross section view of the air cylinder brake plunger taken along lines  19 — 19  of FIG.  18 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention could be used with any commercially available form, fill and seal machine, such as the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,656, that issued on Feb. 10, 1998. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,656 is hereby, by reference, made a part of this disclosure. There is shown in FIG. 1 a form, fill and seal machine  10  of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,656. In FIG. 1, portions of the conventional form, fill and seal machine  10  have not been shown in order to better illustrate the invention of this application. The form, fill and seal machine has a frame including four posts  12  and horizontal members  13 . The film for forming packages on machine  10  is carried by a film roll  14 . The film that is dispensed from the film roll  14 , as is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,656, follows a circuitous route over a film guide mechanism that includes a series of rollers. After winding through the film guide mechanism the film is fed to the forming shoulder  16  which causes the film to be wrapped around the forming tube  18 . The forming tube  18  shapes the film into a continuous longitudinal tube that is sealed by a longitudinally extending device. A central processing unit  300  for the form, fill and seal machine is shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The form, fill and seal machine includes cross sealing jaws (not shown) that produce a cross seal that will be the bottom seal for the next package to be produced and a top seal for the package just completed. Between this bottom and top seal there is a knife that separates the package just completed from the next package to be produced. The cross scaling jaws also produce a line of perforations that extend across the top of the package below the top seal. Below this line of perforations the cross scaling jaws seal the remaining two flanges of the reclosable fastener strip material to the inside surface of the package. The consumer can then remove the top seal along the line of perforations and then use the reclosable fastener strip to reclose the package. The cross scaling jaws used in this invention are not conventional but form no part of this invention. 
     The interlocked reclosable fastener material  22  is supplied as a continuous strip or ribbon from a roll  31  shown in FIG.  1 . The reclosable fastener material preferably consists of two halves that are interlocked before being placed on the roll  31 . As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper half of the interlocked reclosable fastener strip has a mounting flange  24  extending from both sides and the bottom half has a single or dual mounting flange  26  extending from one or both sides. 
     The reclosable fastener material travels from the roll  31  to a reclosable fastener feeding mechanism generally designated  30 , as shown in FIG.  2 . The components of the reclosable fastener feeding mechanism are mounted on a mounting plate  100 . The reclosable fastener material  22  enters the feeding mechanism  30  through an eyelet  32 , from which it extends upward to the primary feeder  34 . From eyelet  32  reclosable fastener material  22  extends around spool  36  and over the top of the driven roll  38 , in the primary feeder  34 . The driven rolls  38  and  54  are driven by stepper motors  35 , see FIG. 8, carried on a stepper motor mounting plate  101  that is secured to the back surface of mounting plate  100 . Spring-biased pressure rollers  39  bias the reclosable fastener material into engagement with drive roll  38 . 
     The reclosable fastener material  22  extends from the primary feeder  34  down into the dancer  40  where it wraps around a roll carried by a slide member  42 . The dancer  40  is a vertically extending trough like device that is supported on the mounting plate  100  through a dancer support plate  44 . The slide member  42  and the roll carried thereby is free to reciprocate in the trough-like structure of the dancer  40 . The slide member  42  function to retain the dancer roller in proper orientation in the trough-like structure. When the sliding dancer roller moves down, as a result of reclosable fastener material being fed to it by the primary feeder  34 , a reserve of reclosable fastener material  22  is stored in the dancer  40  which enables the secondary feeder  50  to quickly draw up the reserve of reclosable fastener material from the dancer  40 . 
     A proximity-type electric eye  46  is carried by the dancer  40  which recognizes the dancer roller when it reaches the bottom of the dancer  40 . When the presence of the dancer roller is recognized by electric eye  46 , power to the stepper motor that drives the primary feeder  34  is turned off. When the secondary feeder  50  draws off the reserve of reclosable fastener material stored in the dancer  40 , the dancer roller moves up and contact with electric eye  46  is broken. When this contact is broken a signal is sent to the stepper motor driving the primary feeder  34  which causes more reclosable fastener material to be drawn from the supply roll  31  and fed to the dancer  40 . 
     The secondary feeder  50  includes two guide roll  52  and a driven roll  54 . Spring biased pressure rollers  56  bias the reclosable fastener material into engagement with drive roll  54 . The reclosable fastener material  22  is measured and fed by the secondary feeder  50  into a horizontally oriented track  58 . The track  58  feeds the reclosable fastener material  22  to a reclosable fastener cutter-fuser mechanism generally designated  60 , in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     It should be noted at this point that the apertures  102  formed in mounting plate  100  as shown in FIG. 2 will receive machine screws that are threaded into threaded holes  104  best seen in FIGS. 7,  11  and  13 . Through this connection the rotor carriage  120  and the mounting plate  100  are combined to form the zipper sealer machine chassis that carries all components of the zipper sealer machine. The zipper sealer machine chassis can move laterally as a unit. 
     The reclosable fastener cutter-fuser  60  is best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The horizontally oriented track  58  extends through the center of the reclosable fastener cutter-fuser  60 . The reclosable fastener material exits the horizontally oriented track  58  through its end  59 . The end  59  is located at the juncture of the upper  62  and lower  64  cutter-fuser jaws. As the reclosable fastener material  22  is fed out the end  59  of the track  58  the reclosable fastener jaws are open so that appropriate length of reclosable fastener material  22  can be metered through the opening formed by the engaging surfaces  600 ,  602  of jaws  62 ,  64 . The jaws  62 ,  64  include electric heating elements  63 ,  65  respectively that when energized cause the engaged jaws to both sever and fuse the cut ends of the fastener strip  22 . 
     After closing the jaws  62 ,  64  the severed ends of the reclosable fastener material are located in the gaps between the engaging surfaces  602 ,  600  and the two halves of the zipper have been both severed and the ends have been positively fused together. Fusing the ends of the strip of reclosable fastener material insures that the two halves of the reelosable fastener strip will remain interlocked during the package forming process and will not shift relative to each other. Furthermore, in the filled package the fused ends of the reclosable fastener strip prevents leakage from the package that could occur between the two halves of the zipper if they are not fused together at the ends. 
     The upper jaw  62  is fixed to a pair of links  66 , the lower ends of which are pivoted at  68  to a bar  70 . The upper ends of links  66  are pivotally connected at  84  to the rod end of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder  86 . The head end of the double-acting pneumatic cylinder  86  is pivoted to a clevis  90  carried by an end of bar  74 . 
     When cylinder  86  extends it causes upper jaw  62  to move to the point of contact of jaws  62  and  64  at which it severs the reclosable fastener material and fuses the severed ends of the two halves of the reclosable fastener strip to each other. When cylinder  86  retracts it causes upper jaw  62  to move up and back away from the point of contact of jaws  62  and  64 . 
     The lower jaw  64  is fixed to one pair of the free ends of a pair of L-shaped levers  72 . The other free ends of L-shaped levers  72  are pivoted to a bar  74 . The juncture of L-shaped levers  72  is pivotally connected at  76  to the rod end of a double acting pneumatic cylinder  78  which is pivoted at  80  to a clevis  82  carried by bar  70 . 
     When cylinder  78  extends, which is at the same time that cylinder  86  extends, it causes lower jaw  62  to move to the point of contact of jaws  62  and  64  at which it severs the reclosable fastener material and fuses the severed ends of the two halves of the reclosable fastener strip to each other. When cylinder  78  retracts, which is at the same time that cylinder  86  retracts, it causes lower jaw  64  to move down and back away from the point of contact of jaws  62  and  64 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 4, a vertically extending bar  92  that is secured to bars  70  and  74  as well as the horizontally oriented track  58  functions to fix these elements to mounting plate  100  at locations spaced therefrom. 
     The reason for this elaborate design for opening and closing jaw  62  and  64  is twofold. When pneumatic cylinder  86  is contracted, the upper jaw  62  is moved in an arc shaped path up and back toward the cylinder  86 . Also, when the pneumatic cylinder  78  is contracted, the lower jaw  64  moves in an arc shaped path down and back toward the cylinder  78 . These movement paths accomplish two things. First, it is a more effective way of separating the jaws  62  and  64  from the reclosable fastener strip material  22  than if they moved vertically up and down since the arc paths peel the jaws  62 ,  64  off of the fused reclosable fastener strip material. Second, it moves the jaws  62  and  64  away from the severed end of the reclosable fastener strip material to permit the severed piece of reclosable fastener strip material to be rotated. As shall be discussed further below, it is necessary that the jaws  62 ,  64  open to a position at which they will not interfere with the end of the section of reclosable fastener strip material that has just been severed and fused because the reclosable fastener strip will be rotated 180 degrees. 
     It is important that the reclosable fastener material  22  be cut and fused the instant that feeding it into position is completed for two reasons. First, the cutting and fusing jaws are at an elevated temperature such that if the reclosable fastener material is stationary between the open jaws for even a short period, the flanges of the reclosable fastener material could be distorted and stick to the jaw and, thus, cause problems in targeting the rotor. Second, if the reclosable fastener material remains stationary at the point at which it is positioned to be cut and fused, this stationary period is added to the cycle time for producing a package on the machine. Since the micro processor activates the cutter-fuser we know precisely when activation occurs, however there is a time period after activation until the cutter-fuser jaws are actually closed. It is important to determine what that time period is. Likewise, since the micro processor  300  activates the cutter-fuser mechanism  60  to open the jaws we know when this activation occurs. However, it is important to know precisely when the jaws actually begin opening. If the rotor  112  carrying the reclosable fastener strip  22  is rotated before the cutter-fuser jaws  62 ,  64  have began to open, the just severed end of the reclosable fastener strip would still be clamped between the closed jaws and it would not be free to rotate with the rotor. For this reason the rotor  94  cannot be rotated until the cutter-fuser jaws have actually began to open. A sensing device  700  has been provided to sense when the cutter-fuser jaws are fully closed and when they begin to open. The sensing device  700  is directed at the edge of a link, that functions to open and close one of the jaws. Thus, a single sensing device  700  is used to determine when the cutter-fuser jaws arc both fully closed and when they begin to open. 
     The sensor  700  is needed so that we know when the cutting and fusing jaws  62 ,  64  jaws are fully closed and begin to open so that other mechanisms of the machine can be actuated at precisely the right momentum. The sensor  700  functions to tell us when the cutter-fuser jaws become fully closed and when they begin to open, which makes it possible to calculate the time period required for the jaws  62 ,  64  to actually begin opening and to be fully closed from the time that the activating signals are sent. Since we know how much time is needed for the feeder to feed the zipper and we can now calculate how much time is needed for the cutter-fuser to begin opening from the time that it is activated, it can now be calculated when the cutter-fuser mechanism must be activated to insure that the reclosable fastener material is severed and fused at the precise instant that it reaches it final destination on the rotor  94 . Likewise we also have the necessary data to determine precisely when the rotor  94  can be activated knowing that the cutter-fuser jaws have begun opening and thus the severed strip of reclosable fastener material has been released and is free to rotate with the rotor. The sensor  700  enables us to determine the precise time that the jaws  62 ,  64  begin to open and are fully closed. 
     The preferred embodiment of the severing and fusing surfaces for jaws  62  and  64  is illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4D which are enlarged views. In FIG. 4A and 4B lower jaw  64  has an engaging surface  602  that includes a flat severing and fusing surface  61  and in FIGS. 4C and 4D the upper jaw  62  has an engaging surface  600  that includes a severing and fusing surface  67  including a raised ridge  69  having a smooth edge having an arcuate cross section shape. Raised ridges  69  define the cutting line along which the reclosable fastener material is severed. The longitudinal extent of the engaging surfaces  600  and  602  are oriented such that they are transverse to the longitudinal extent of the reclosable fastener strip material. The flat severing and fusing surfaces  61  of the lower jaw  64  is spaced about 0.0020 of an inch from the lowest point on the raised ridge  69  of the upper jaw  64  when the jaws  62 ,  64  are fully closed and severing occurs. Thus, the severing and fusing surfaces  61  and  67  do not actually engage when the jaws  62  and  64  are fully closed. As a result of the severing and fusing surfaces not making contact these surfaces have a long service life and require little service attention. The raised ridge  69  approaches the lower flat severing and fusing surface  61  when the jaws  62  and  64  close and function to sever the reclosable fastener material  22  and fuses the both severed ends of the reclosable fastener material  22 . 
     Relief areas  604 ,  606 ,  608  and  610  are formed in the engaging surface  602  of lower jaw  64 . Corresponding relief areas  614 ,  616 ,  618  and  620  are formed in the engaging surface  600  of upper jaw  62 . The corresponding relief areas formed in engaging surface  602  and  600  results in providing a considerable gap between the corresponding relief surfaces in engaging surface  600  and  602  when jaws  64 ,  62  are fully closed. The relief areas are located such that they correspond with the flange portions of the reclosable fastener material  22 . The flanges are very thin and thus could be fused by less heat than would be required to fuse the thicker zipper area of the reclosable fastener material  22 . The portions of the engaging surfaces  602  and  600  that do not have relief areas are aligned with the zipper portion of the reclosable fastener material  22 . In FIGS. 4B and 4D the relief areas  604 ,  606 ,  608  and  610  are longer than relief areas  608 ,  610 ,  618  and  620 . This difference in length is provided to accommodate the specific reclosable fastener material  22  that is currently being used with applicants machine. The specific reclosable fastener material currently being used on applicants machine, see FIG. 5, has long engaging flanges  24 ,  26  extending from both halves of the zipper material and a single short flange  24  extending from one of the halves. The longer relief areas  604 ,  606 ,  614  and  616  are aligned with the longer double flanges  24 ,  26  and the shorter relief areas  608 ,  610 ,  618  and  620  are aligned with the shorter single flange  24 . It should be understood that according to applicant&#39;s invention the relief areas need not be as illustrated herein but rather would be made to accommodate the specific reclosable fastener material being used. 
     A non-stick coating material, such as TEFLON is applied to the surfaces to prevent the flanges of the reclosable fastener material from sticking to these area and to assure a clean separation of the jaws  62 ,  64  from the reclosable fastener material  22  after severing and fusing. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a rotor  94  is located relative to the cutter-fuser mechanism  60  such that it receives the major portion of the reclosable fastener material  22  that is metered through the end  59  of the horizontally oriented track  58 . The metered section of reclosable fastener material  22  is then held on the rotor  94  while the cutter-fuser mechanism  60  is actuated. Since the cutter-fuser jaws  62 ,  64  are located a short distance from the edge of rotor  94 , the reclosable fastener strip has a tail, equal in length to this short distance, that extends beyond the edge of rotor  94 . The rotor  94  includes a pair of end plates  96  and  98  connected by a reinforcing rod  99 . A rotor shaft  110  is fixed to end plates  96  and  98  and extends outwardly therefrom. The two halves of the rotor  94  are substantially symmetrical about its rotor axis which is defined by shaft  110 . Referring to the left half as seen in FIG. 6, a flat plate  112 , having an outer edge  113 , is secured at its ends to end plates  96 ,  98 . As shown in FIG. 7, a resilient holding mechanism  114  that can be spring biased has a track  116  formed along its edge that engages flat plate  112 . The resilient holding mechanism  114  is pivotally mounted at  118  to the end plates  96 ,  98 . In FIG. 7 the resilient holding mechanism  114  is spring biased into engagement with the bottom surface of flat plate  112 . The outer edge  113  of flat plate  112 , in FIG. 7, is spaced away from the film course, since this is the location where the reclosable fastener material  22  is received by the rotor. 
     The end of reclosable fastener material is fed from the end  59  of horizontally oriented track  58  into the track  116  formed in resilient holding mechanism  114  and biased into engagement with the bottom surface of flat plate  112 . The track  116  extends the entire length of the resilient holding mechanism  114 . The interlocked portion of the reclosable fastener material  22  lies in the track  116  and the flanges  24  and  26  of the reclosable fastener material  22  extend under the portions of the spring biased hold down device that bears against flat plate  112 . The side of the reclosable fastener material  22  having only flange  24  (see FIG. 5) is located along the outer edge  113  of flat plate  112  and extends beyond the outer edge  113 . 
     Immediately following the reclosable fastener material  22  being positioned in track  116  of the rotor  94  and being severed by the cutter-fuser mechanism  60 , an air cylinder brake  93 , see FIGS. 2,  17 ,  18  and  19 , is activated. Air cylinder brake  93  clamps the exposed flange  24  of the reclosable fastener strip  22  so that when the jaws  62  and  64  open there is no undesirable effect on the reclosable fastener strip, such as pulling it back. Jaws  62  and  64  are heated and it is thus possible that some sticking of the reclosable fastener strip to the jaws  62  and  64  could occur. Thus, while the jaws  62 ,  64  opening, the air cylinder brake  93  holds the severed strip of reclosable fastener material in place. It is not necessary to release the grasp by the air cylinder brake  93  on the flange  24  before rotor  94  begins its rotation. As the rotation of rotor  94  progresses the flange  24  is pulled from the grasp of the air cylinder brake. 
     An isolated view of air cylinder brake  93  is shown in FIG.  17 . The air cylinder  632  is mounted in a bore formed in the upper surface of the air cylinder top block  630 . The air cylinder rod  634  extends into a bore  638  formed in plunger  636 . Plunger  636  slides in bore  640  formed in air cylinder top block  630 . Plunger  636  is best seen in FIG.  18  and cross section view FIG.  19 . Plunger  636  has a flat bottom surface  644  that protrudes from bore  640  and engages the upper surface of flange  24  and secures it against the flat surface  646  of the air cylinder bottom block  648 . 
     After the section of reclosable fastener material that has been received by the rotor  94  has been severed, the rotor is rotated 180 degrees which results in the symmetrical sides reversing positions. The left side of the rotor  94 , seen in FIG. 7, is seen in FIG. 6, after rotation, with the resilient holding mechanism  114  biased into engagement with the upper surface of flat plate  112 . Although not shown in FIG. 6, flange  24  of the reclosable fastener strip protrudes beyond the outer edge  113  of flat plate  112 . In FIG. 6, the outer edge  113  is located at a position adjacent to the film course. The severed strip of reclosable fastener material is now at the location at which it will be bonded to the film. This relationship is shown in FIG. 8, in which the course of the film F is seen extending diagonally from roll  174  to roll  176 . The diagonal film course passes through the vertical center line extending through an upper bonding member  200  and a lower movable bonding member  202  which together form the bonding mechanism. Also, seen in this view is the rotor  94  that rotates about its rotor shaft  10 . The circle designated C, in FIG. 8, represents the path that the outer edges  113  of flat plate  112  defines as the rotor  94  rotates. After being rotated 180 degrees, to the position seen in FIG. 8, the reclosable fastener strip  22  (not shown) is now resting on the upper surface of a flat plate  112 , and would be urged downwardly by resilient holding mechanism  114 . FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of the flat plate  112  showing the reclosable fastener strip that is being held by the spring biased hold down device  114 . This view clearly shows the flange  24  extending beyond the outer edge  113  of the flat plate  112 . It should be noted that FIG. 8A is seen from the opposite direction than seen in FIG.  8 . At this time in the cycle, the lower bonding member is energized and moves upwardly toward the stationary upper bonding member  200 . The lower bonding member  202  encounters the bottom surface of film F as it moves up. As the upward movement continues, the flange  24  of the reclosable fastener strip  22  that is protruding from the outer edge  113  of the flat plate  112  is grasped and held stationary against the upper surface of the film F and the upper bonding member  200 . The lower bonding member  202  is biased upwardly resulting in the reclosable fastener strip being held stationary between the upper and lower bonding members  200 ,  202  of the bonding mechanism. When holding the flange  24  stationary the underlying film is also held. The rotor  94  is then rotated another 6 degrees which causes the reclosable fastener strip  22  to pop out from under the resilient holding mechanism  114 . After the reclosable fastener strip  22  has been released from the rotor  94  the rotor  94  is then rotated in the reverse direction to the 180° position to thus properly locate the opposite edge to receive a length of reclosable fastener material from the continuous supply. During the time period that the rotor  94  rotates a small amount to release the reclosable fastener strip and than reverse rotates to return to the original 180° position, the continuous supply of reclosable fastener material is pre-advanced toward the rotor a distance equal to the tail that overhangs the rotor. This reduces the distance that the continuous supply of reclosable fastener material must be advanced and positions the ends of the zipper closer to the track opening in the rotor. The bonding members  200  and  202  of the bonding mechanism then carry out their function to bond the flange  24  of the reclosable fastener strip  22  to the upper surface of the film F. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotor carriage  120  includes a pair of end plates  122  and  124  that are joined by a pair of spacer bars  126 . Each end plate  122  and  124  has an upper and a lower finger like projection  123  and a bushing  128  that receives the rotor shaft  110  of rotor  94 . Each end plate  122  and  124  has two apertures formed therein into which arc inserted anti friction slide devices  130 . As best seen in FIG. 7, tapped holes  104  are formed in the ends of each of the finger like projections  123 . The rotor carriage  120  is secured to mounting plate  100  by screws or the like, that extend through aligned holes  102  and  104  to combine these units into the zipper sealer machine chassis. 
     As seen in FIGS. 9-11 a servo motor  140  is secured to the outer surface of end plate  124  and is connected by a belt  142  or the like to the rotor shaft  110  of the rotor  94 . The belt drive  142  is covered by a housing  144 . Servo motor  140  is energized to rotate the rotor  94 , 180 degrees, for each cycle after receiving a strip of severed reclosable fastener strip  22  and then the additional 6 degree to strip the reclosable fastener strip  22  from the grasp of the resilient holding mechanism  114 . 
     As seen in FIG. 13 the rotor  94  is pivotally mounted on the rotor carriage  120  about rotor shaft  110 . The rotor carriage  120  is carried by a pair of slide bars  150  that extend through apertures formed in end plates  122  and  124  that have been provided with anti friction slide devices  130 . The slide bars  150  are secured at their ends to a pair of T-shaped end plates  152 . The T-shaped end plates  152 , as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 14, are carried by horizontal members  13  of the main machine frame. As a result of the slide bars  150  and the anti friction slide devices  130  the rotor carriage  120  is free to slide from between the T-shaped end plates  152 . As earlier discussed, the mounting plate  100  is secured to the rotor carriage  120  through the tapped holes  104  and thus the entire zipper sealer machine chassis slides with the rotor carriage  120  between T-shaped end plates  152 . This ability to slide laterally of the direction of film feed enables the reclosable fastener strip to be secured to the film at various laterally spaced positions on the film. Handle  154 , that is secured to the free end of rod  156  functions to adjust the lateral location of the rotor carriage  120  between the end plates  152 . The rod  156  has external threads formed thereon and extends through a knob  158  that is carried by end plate  152 . The knob  158  has internal threads that mesh with the external threads of rod  156 . The end of rod  156 , opposite handle  154 , is attached to the rotor carriage end plate  124  such that it can rotate relative thereto while transmitting lateral movement in either direction to the rotor carriage  120 . 
     The film used to produce packages on form, fill and seal machines often includes printed material. This printed material, called the printout, must be coordinated with the top and bottom edges and the longitudinal scam of the package. The printout typically includes a unique symbol that can be recognized by an electric eye directed at the film. When the electric eye recognizes the symbol a signal is sent to the central processing unit of the form, fill and seal machine. One of the rollers of the film guide mechanism has an attached encoder that functions to control the length of film that is fed for each package and thus insure, with good precision, the proper location of the reclosable fastener strip. The control system uses this signal to coordinate the position of the printout in respect to the cross sealing jaws, to insure proper alignment of the printout and zipper with the physical properties of the package. In FIG. 13, the slider  160 , which is carried by a cross shaft  162 , carries the electric eye that scans for the symbol contained in the printout. Electric eye  164  must be properly located along cross shaft  162  so that it will be scanning the longitudinal extending corridor of the film that contains the symbol. Recognition of this marking causes a signal to be sent to the central processing unit of the form, fill and seal machine and is used as the timing base point for positioning the printout. 
     The film positioning roll  170 , seen in FIG. 8,  12 ,  13  and  14 , is a components of the film guide mechanism. As best seen in FIG. 8 the film F extends downwardly from roll  170  to a roll  174  around which it wraps and then to a roll  176  around which it also wraps. Rolls  170 ,  174  and  176  are all components of the film guide mechanism. Roll  170  can be adjusted fore and aft however rolls  174  and  176  are not adjustable. The strip of reclosable fastener material  22  is secured to the strand of film that extends between rolls  174  and  176 . Roll  170  is movable fore and aft such that it functions to adjust the longitudinal position on the film to which the reclosable fastener strip is bonded. The portion of the film course extending between rolls  174  and  176  is not changed as a result of adjusting roll  170 . Rather, the film is moved up or down relative to the location on the film that the bonding mechanism, including upper member  200  and lower bonding member  202 , will engage the film when lower bonding member  202  is activated and moves upwardly. Thus, adjustment of roll  170  allows the machine operator to fine-tune the position at which the severed strip of reclosable fastener material will be bonded to the film relative to the printout. Most film that is used to produce packages has printed material on it and it is important that the top and bottom of the package is properly oriented with respect to this printout. If roll  170  is moved forward or backward along tracks  172 , the position at which the reclosable fastener strip will be secured, relative to the printout, is adjusted. As seen in FIG. 12, a scale  180  is provided on the outer face of T-shaped end plate  152 . The roll  170  has an arm  171 , see FIG. 13, to which a line or cord  182  is attached. The line  182  extends from arm  172  to a member  186 . The line or cord  182  can be seen in FIG. 12 coming out of member  186 , extending generally horizontally through member  188  and turning downwardly. The line then enters member  190  from which it turns up and extends into winder  192 . Members  186 ,  188  and  190  each include anti-friction devices such as rollers over which the line  182  extends so the line can change direction with minimum friction. Winder  192  is spring loaded and maintains the line  182  taut. The line or cord  182  has a pointer  184  secured thereto at a location such that the pointer moves over the scale  180  as roll  170  is adjusted within its range. The position of pointer  184  relative to the scale  180  indicates the exact location of film positioning roller  170 . The elements  180 - 192  thus function as a take up mechanism. 
     The film path from the point where the bonding mechanism, including members  200  and  202 , bond the reclosable fastener strip to the film to the point where the cross scaling jaws produce the cross seal must be of a length that when divided by the bag length equals an integer. The take up mechanism  180 - 192  permits length to be added to or subtracted from an existing film path length to attain the necessary zipper position with respect to the bag cutoff. This adjustment is made when the form, fill and seal machine is making bags from clear film and when bags having printing on the film are being produced. 
     When producing bags from film that has printing thereon, it is conventional to include in the printing indicia know in the industry as the “eye-spot.” An electric eye is aimed at the longitudinal line along the film where the eye-spot is located. When the electric eye recognizes an eye spot a signal is sent to the central processing unit  300  that controls the form, fill and seal machine. The central processing unit  300  uses this signal to determine when the film feed must be stopped to enable the cross seal jaws to be closed. As a result the cross seal of the bag is properly orientated with respect to the printing thereon. Thus, when running printed bags the location at which the cross seal is applied is considered the fixed position and adjustment is made through the take up mechanism  180 - 192  to bond the reclosable fastener strip at a location along the film path that is an integer times the bag length from this fixed position. The take up mechanism  180 - 192 , that causes the film to move between guide rollers  174  and  176 , is manipulated until the reclosable fastener strip is bonded at the desired location. In other words it is as though the cross seal jaws were closed on the film at the proper position relative to the printing on the film and adjustment is made through the take up mechanism  180 - 192 , causing the film to move between guide rollers  174  and  176 , until the exact film position under the zipper bonding member  200  is attained. 
     The sealer or bonding mechanism for applying the reclosable fastener strip to the surface of the film before that section of the film reaches the forming shoulder  16  must be timed with the cross jaws of the form, fill and seal machine  10  since both of these operations are performed while the film is at rest. A sealer detector proximity switch  210 , as shown in FIG. 15, is provided to recognize the sealer, or bonding mechanism, in its sealing position. The reclosable fastener strip is being sealed to the film surface when the sealer is at this position. Proximity switch  210  sends signals when the bonding procedure is initiated and when it is finished. When the signal from proximity switch  210  is received by the central processing unit  300 , the time for actuating the rotor is determined to assure release of the reclosable fastener strip from the rotor. 
     In some instances, a dry air, film and seal cooling device is provided that blast a stream of air on the film when the film is advancing toward the forming shoulder  16  with the reclosable fastener strip  22  bonded to it. The purpose of the dry air is to cool the reclosable fastener strip and film so that when it goes over the next roller the reclosable fastener strip will not be separated. 
     FIG. 16 is a timing diagram that illustrates the timing relationships of the various components that cooperate to prepare the strip of reclosable fastener material  22  and seal it to the inside surface of the film. The timing diagram illustrated in FIG. 16 is for a package forming system in which the film is being fed for about 60% of the cycle and is stationary, for about 40% of the cycle. While the film is stationary, the reclosable fastener strip  22  is sealed to the upper surface of the film before the film reaches the forming shoulder  16 . At the same time, the cross-sealing jaws are energized to close the top of a package that has just been completed and seal two flanges of the zipper to the film. In some embodiments, the cross-sealing operation also creates a perforation between the seals. This cross-sealing operation creates the bottom seal for the next package to be filled and sealed. 
     The first component in the timing chart is the film belts which pull the film down the forming tube  18 . The film belts are ON while the film is being fed and OFF when the film is at rest. The section of this timing line that is at the OFF level represents the approximately 40% of the package cycle during which the film is stationary. Assuming that the form, fill and seal machine is producing 60 packages per minute, the film would be at rest for approximately 400 milliseconds. 
     The next component shown in the timing chart is the reclosable fastener sealer. 
     The sealer is activated while the film is being fed but arrives slightly after the film comes to rest and is completed slightly before the film begins to feed again. In the timing diagram, both of these short time periods are indicated to be 50 milliseconds, however the period is exemplary only and they could vary from those indicated in this figure. 
     The next component in the timing chart is the sealer detector proximity switch. This device detects the presence of the zipper sealer in the area of the zipper sealing process. The sealer detector proximity switch is activated slightly after the film comes to rest and is deactivated slightly before the film begins to feed again. In the timing chart these short periods are shown as being 30 milliseconds, and the proximity switch is activated and deactivated while the film is at rest. The timing chart also shows that sealer detector proximity switch is activated just before the sealer is at its sealing position and remains activated for as long as the sealing process is maintained. 
     The next component is the dry-air seal cooling device. As illustrated by the time line, this device is not activated until the sealer is deactivated. 
     The next component is the rotor. The rotor is rotated 180 degrees while the film is being fed, and the rotation is shown to take about 150 milliseconds. At the same time that the sealer is detected, the rotor is rotated another 6 degrees. As previously discussed, this 6-degree rotation causes the section of reclosable fastener strip to be pulled out from under the resilient holding mechanism of the rotor. The rotor is then rotated 6 degrees in the reverse direction which prepares the other side of the rotor to be in position to receive the reclosable fastener material. During the time interval that the rotor is continuing its rotation to release the reclosable fastener strip from the rotor and then reversing its rotation to properly locate the rotor to receive the next length of material, the severed end of the continuous supply of reclosable fastener material is pre-advanced to a location adjacent the edge of the rotor. This reduces the time required to complete the advance of the reclosable fastener material to its proper location relative to the rotor and helps in targeting the zipper with respect to the rotor track. 
     The next component shown in the timing chart is the reclosable fastener feeder. As best seen by comparing the time lines for this component and the time line for the rotor, the pre-advancing of the material occurs at a relatively low speed while the rotor is advancing a small amount and then reversing this same small amount which is indicated in FIG. 16 as first low step. Feeding of the material at full speed does not start until the rotor has been rotated 6 degrees in the reverse direction. The time duration for this feeder to be ON depends upon how long or short the reclosable fastener section will be. 
     The next component shown in the timing chart is the reclosable fastener fuser. This component should begin its cutting-fusing process soon after the feeding of the reclosable fastener material has been completed. Since there will be a considerable time delay between when the pneumatic cylinders  78  and  86  are activated and when the jaws  62  and  64  engage the reclosable fastener material, the reclosable fastener fuser is activated while the feeder is still active. This cutter is timed to engage the reclosable fastener material immediately when it come to rest. 
     While the invention has heretofore been described in detail with particular reference to illustrated apparatus, it is to be understood that variations, modifications and the use of equivalent mechanisms can be effected without departing from the scope of this invention. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims. 
     It is intended that the accompanying drawings and foregoing detailed description is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention is intended to embrace any equivalents, alternatives, and /or modifications of elements that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.