Patent Publication Number: US-2011067539-A1

Title: Film positioner

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to packaging machines. More specifically, the subject invention relates to conveyance of film wrapping material for packaging machines. 
     Packaging machines typically convey a product or group of products along a pathway, for example, a conveyor. A piece of wrapping material is typically located on the pathway underneath the product. The film material typically is fed to the packaging machine via a series of rollers. It is often desired to cut the wrapping material sheet into strips and convey the strips to different locations, for example, parallel packaging machines separated by some distance. Separating the strips and achieving the desired distance between them, while maintaining parallel flow of the strips often results in wrinkled and/or torn wrapping material. The art would well receive an apparatus which separates parallel discrete strips of film wrapping material a desired distance apart, while reducing the occurrence of wrinkling, tearing and/or other handling problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed herein is a film positioner. The film positioner includes at least one film guide having a plurality of parallel guide bars. The guide bars are operably receptive to at least one film material strip and extend at least partially across the film positioner with axes nonparallel to a lateral extent of the film positioner. 
     Further disclosed is a method of changing a lateral position of at least one film material strip including urging the at least one film material strip disposed in a first lateral position into a film positioner in a flow direction toward at least one film guide. The at least one film guide includes a plurality of guide bars disposed in parallel. The at least one film material strip is wrapped around a first guide bar of the plurality of guide bars having axes different than the flow direction, thereby turning the at least one material strip to a guide angle from the flow direction. The at least one material strip is wrapped around a second guide bar of the plurality of guide bars, thereby turning the at least one material strip from the turn angle back to the flow direction at a second lateral position different from the first lateral position. 
     Further disclosed is a film positioner including at least one film guide. The at least one film guide has a plurality of parallel guide bars with axes different than a flow direction of at least one film material strip through the film spreader. The wrapping of the at least one material strip around each of a first guide bar and second guide bar changes a lateral position of the at least one film material strip. 
     These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a film positioner; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of an embodiment of a film positioner; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of a film positioner; and 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a film positioner. 
     
    
    
     The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Shown in  FIG. 1  is an embodiment of a film positioner  10  for, for example, a packaging machine. The film positioner  10  conveys one or more strips  12  of, for example, film material in the packaging machine. The film positioner  10 , in one embodiment, includes a roller  14  located at an infeed end  16  and/or outfeed end  18  of the film positioner  10  to roughly guide the strips  12  through the film positioner  10 . The roller  14  is, in one embodiment, disposed across the film positioner  10  substantially perpendicular to a flow direction  20  of the strips  12  entering the film positioner  10 . 
     It is often desired to shift a position of the strips  12  laterally while maintaining an overall flow direction  20 . To accomplish this, at least one film guide  22  is located at the film positioner  10  and includes at least two guide bars  24  disposed across the flow direction  20  at a guide angle  26  to the flow direction  20 . The embodiment of  FIG. 1  includes two strips  12  and film guides  22 , but it is to be appreciated that other numbers of film guides  22  to accommodate other numbers of strips  12 , for example, three or four film guides  22 , may be utilized. In some embodiments, the at least two guide bars  24  are fixed parallel to each other. Each film guide  22  is secured to a frame of the film positioner  10 , and may be configured so that the guide angle  26  is adjustable. For example, a pivot end  28  of each film guide  22  may be secured at a guide pivot  30 . The film guide  22  is pivotable about the guide pivot  30  to change the guide angle  26 . A locking end  32  of each film guide  22  is, in embodiments so equipped, engageable at an adjustment rail  34  of the film positioner  10  which, in some embodiments, extends along the flow direction  20 . The locking end  32  is positionable along a length of the adjustment rail  34  and is securable at positions along the adjustment rail  34  via, for example, a clamp mechanism  36  or a pin-and-hole arrangement. Other securing means, however, are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, in some embodiments, the position of the adjustment rail  34  may be changed. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the adjustment rail  34  is positioned approximately at a center of the film positioner  10 . When desired, for example, to accommodate strips  12  of different widths, the adjustment rail  34  may be moved from side to side in the film positioner  10  along a lateral rail  38 . The adjustment rail  34  may be secured in a desired position along the lateral rail  38  via the clamp mechanism  36  or other means. 
     To increase the usable width of the film positioner  10  and increase adjustability of the film guides  22 , the two film guides  22  are each secured to a different adjustment rail  34 . A first adjustment rail  34  is secured to an upper portion of the film positioner  10 , and a second adjustment rail  34  is secured to a lower portion of the film positioner  10 . This allows for adjustment of the film guides  22  independently of one another and prevents interference between the positions of the film guides  22 . In some embodiments, a cutter  40  is located at an infeed end  16  of the film positioner  10 . In such embodiments, a single film strip  12  entering the film positioner  10  is cut into two film strips  12  by the cutter  40 . While one cutter  40  is shown in  FIG. 1 , it is to be appreciated that other quantities of cutters  40  may be utilized. Further, the position of the cutter  40  may be adjustable along a cutter bar  42  to produce strips  12  of various desired width. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , two film strips  12  enter the film positioner  10  at the infeed end  16 . The film strips  12  flow parallel to each other along the flow direction  20 , at a first lateral position  44  in the film positioner  10 . The film strip  12  flows over a first guide bar  24  of the two guide bars  24 . Since the guide bar  24  is at a guide angle  26  to the flow direction  20 , the film strip  12  turns to a turn angle  46 , which in some embodiments is substantially complementary to the guide angle  26 , where a sum of the turn angle  46  and the guide angle equal ninety degrees. The larger the guide angle  26 , the smaller the turn angle  46 . The direction of turning the film strip  12  in this embodiment is generally away from a centerline  48  of the film positioner  10 . The film strip  12  then flows under a second guide bar  24  of the two guide bars  24 . In the embodiment shown, the first guide bar  24  is positioned above the second guide bar  24 , but a reversal of this, with the second guide bar  24  above the first guide bar  24 , as well as other relative positioning of the guide bars  24  is contemplated within the present scope. Flowing under the second guide bar  24 , since it is parallel to the first guide bar  24  of the film guide  22 , turns the film strip  12  again so that the film strip  12  flows in the flow direction  20  after passing under the second guide bar  24 . The film strip  12  is now at a second lateral position  50 , different from the first lateral position  44  but flowing along the flow direction  20 . In embodiments where two or more film strips  12  flow over two or more film guides  22 , the film guides  22  may be positioned to increase or decrease a lateral distance between the two or more film strips  12 . For example, in embodiments where the film strips  12  are turned away from the centerline  48  by the first guide bar  24 , a distance  52  between the film strips  12  is increased relative to the distance  52  between the film strips  12  at the infeed end  16 . Alternatively, the film guides  22  may be positioned to turn the film strips toward the centerline  48  thus decreasing the distance  52  between the film strips. Further, in some embodiments, the film guides may be configured to turn one film strip  12  toward the centerline  48  and another film strip away from the centerline  48  to laterally shift the film strips  12  while maintaining the distance  52  as constant. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the film positioner  10  may be configured such that the film strip  12  flows under the first guide bar  24  which turns the film strip  12  the desired turn angle  46 . The film strip  12  then flows over the second guide bar  24  to return to the flow direction  20 . Further, in some embodiments, if additional lateral movement of the film strips  12  is desired, the film strips  12  may be flowed under and over additional guide bars  24  installed at each film guide  22 . 
     While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.