Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US4341054?dq=5708422
Timestamp: 2014-07-30 08:23:58
Document Index: 488855301

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 8', 'art 8', 'art 9', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 8']

Patent US4341054 - Apparatus for filling and heat sealing a bag - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA process and apparatus are described for closing, by means of a line of heat-welding, the opening in a flexible plastic bag filled with a product; a slack is provided in the part of the bag below the line of heat-welding immediately before the heat-welding is carried out....http://www.google.com/patents/US4341054?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4341054 - Apparatus for filling and heat sealing a bagAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS4341054 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 06/145,358Publication dateJul 27, 1982Filing dateApr 30, 1980Priority dateJun 13, 1979Also published asDE3021779A1Publication number06145358, 145358, US 4341054 A, US 4341054A, US-A-4341054, US4341054 A, US4341054AInventorsMichel P. G. CourtheouxOriginal AssigneeEtablissements CourtheouxExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (10), Referenced by (14), Classifications (11), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetApparatus for filling and heat sealing a bagUS 4341054 AAbstract A process and apparatus are described for closing, by means of a line of heat-welding, the opening in a flexible plastic bag filled with a product; a slack is provided in the part of the bag below the line of heat-welding immediately before the heat-welding is carried out.
What I claim is: 1. An apparatus for manufacturing a closed flexible plastic bag filled with a liquid product and having a bottom, a top with an opening and two edges, comprising a basket into which said bag is placed; means for closing the top of the bag by heat welding; means for holding the top of the bag at a constant level, said holding means including edge moving means for bringing the two edges of the opening in contact with each other, said edge moving means comprising two vertical fingers engaged at the centre of the opening and moved away from each other by a mechanism to opposite zones in said opening as far as possible from each other; means for raising the basket for raising the bottom of the bag; means for filling the bag with a liquid product through the opening; and means for operating simultaneously the means for raising the basket for raising the bottom of the filled bag and the means for holding the top of the filled bag at a constant level.
2. An apparatus for manufacturing a closed flexible plastic bag filled with a liquid product and having a bottom, a top with an opening and two edges, comprising means for closing the top of the bag by heat welding; means for holding the top of the bag at a constant level; means for raising the bottom of the bag; means for filling the bag with a liquid product through the opening, said filling means including supply line means communicating with said bag through the opening; means for operating simultaneously the means for raising the bottom of the filled bag and the means for holding the top of the filled bag at a constant level; an electrical circuit for controlling liquid flow through the supply line means; suckers arranged asymmetrically with respect to and applied to the outer surfaces of the bag; and, electrical contacts pushed away by the surfaces when the suckers come into action, whereby the electrical circuit is closed which controls the opening of the supply line means for supplying liquid flow to the bag.
The present invention relates to the manufacture by machine of closed bags, cushions and milk containers, made of a flexible plastic material and containing a product, more particularly a liquid product. It relates more particularly to the manufacture of relatively heavy packaged products of this kind.
The various known processes for machine-manufacturing polyethylene bags cannot be used if the weight of the product exceeds one kilogram. In order to obtain a package for a heavy liquid product, a bag made of a flexible plastic material was filled and the opening closed with a line of heat-welding. Carrying out this operation with a machine raises a number of problems, the most serious of which are improper sealing of the line of heat-welding and numerous failures in the feed.
The process according to the invention involves providing some slack in the part of the bag below the line of heat-welding, immediately before the heat-welding operation.
In this way, the pull produced by the weight of the product is absorbed by the part of the bag which is not under tension, below the welding zone, instead of by the zone itself. Experience has shown that this eliminates sealing defects.
The invention is also concerned with an apparatus for carrying out the process, the apparatus comprising means for maintaining the top of the bag at a constant level and means for lifting the bottom of the bag.
The bag is filled by opening it with suckers applied to the outer lateral surfaces, and inserting a liquid-supply line into the opening thus produced. The suckers are then placed in contact with the supply-line, with the bag therebetween, whereupon the liquid is poured through the line into the bag.
This prevents the bag from crumpling up, as it is being filled, into the bottom of the basket which supports it, as a result of the weight of the liquid.
The apparatus used to filled the bag comprises suckers which are applied to the outer lateral surfaces of the bag, and electrical contacts which are actuated by these surfaces when the suckers come into action, thus closing an electrical circuit controlling the supply-line which feeds the liquid into the bag.
This ensures that there is no feed until the bag is properly open. Other arrangements which do not use direct contact with the bag, and sensors, have not been found reliable.
Attached hereto, solely by way of example, are drawings wherein:
FIGS. 1 to 6 are side elevations illustrating six stages in the process of filling a bag, while
FIGS. 7 to 11 are front elevations illustrating five stages in the process of closing a bag.
A prismatic basket 1, carrying a polyethylene bag 2 designed to accommodate 2500 g of a liquid syrup, moves to the first station of a turntable, not shown, the basket being supported by means not shown.
Two pairs of suckers 3 are arranged on each side of the bag asymmetrically, in such a manner that no two suckers are face to face. Mounted on each side of the bag, and at a distance therefrom when the edges of the opening are close together, are two pairs of electrical contacts 4 in the form of thin rods. The contacts are connected to a time-delay device 5 controlling the supply from a line 6 mounted in such a manner that it can be moved from a position above the opening in the bag to a position in which it is inserted thereinto.
In FIG. 1, bag 2 has just reached the station. In FIG. 2, suckers 3 have moved towards each other and are applied to the outer lateral surfaces of the bag. In FIG. 3, the suckers move apart, carrying with them the surfaces of the bag. The bag opens. The lateral faces of the bag push contacts 4 away.
This closes the electrical circuit to control device 5, initially causing line 6 to descend into the bag (FIG. 4), then causing the suckers to contact line 6, with the surfaces of the bag in between, thus holding the bag, and then causing the opening of the supply valve in line 6. After some of the prescribed quantity of liquid has entered, the suckers release the bag to allow it to be weighed.
Bag 2 is closed by heat-welding at the next station on the turntable.
Two fingers 7 engage at the centre of the opening into the bag (FIG. 7). At this time, the bag full of liquid is still wide open. The fingers do not miss the opening and enter the interior of the bag safely;
By means of a jack mechanism, not shown, thin fingers 7 are drawn away (FIG. 8) in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 7, assuming positions in the opening of the bag as far as possible from each other. As a result of this, the lateral surfaces of an upper part 8 of the bag, adjacent the lower ends of the fingers, are brought together by the tension produced by the fingers. This tension is horizontal and maintains the top of the bag at a constant level. Heat-welding jaws 11 are now closed, but without effecting any welding, thus holding part 8 mechanically (FIG. 9) and preventing any creasing thereof.
In FIG. 10, the bottom of basket 1, containing bag 2, has been lifted by a jack 10, in order to provide some slack in part 9 of the bag adjacent part 8. In FIG. 11, the surfaces of the bag are welded together, along a line 12 running in part 8, by means of heat-welding jaws 11. Thanks to the slack provided in part 9, any pull due to the weight of the liquid in the bag is absorbed by elongation of part 9. This leaves intact part 8 where the heat-welding takes place, and which must be protected against any traction if the weld is to provide a proper seal.
References known by the Applicant are German Pat. No. 2,503,403 (Sieburg) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,220,161 (Lohse), 3,241,290 (Ingleson) and 3,889,449 (Membrino).
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS3220161 *Jan 18, 1963Nov 30, 1965Hesser Ag MaschfApparatus for closing bags of heat sealable packaging materialUS3241290 *May 2, 1963Mar 22, 1966Canadian IndBag top aligning deviceUS3306001 *Feb 5, 1964Feb 28, 1967Diamond Int CorpMethod for producing a hermetically sealed packageUS3469364 *May 15, 1967Sep 30, 1969Hoefliger & KargMethod and apparatus for filling bags or the likeUS3630665 *Aug 25, 1969Dec 28, 1971Andersen Prod H WMethod of sterilizationUS3750721 *Aug 18, 1971Aug 7, 1973Olinkraft IncExpanding fill spout for bag filling machineUS3774509 *Aug 21, 1972Nov 27, 1973Sig Schweiz IndustriegesDevice for making bagsUS3802153 *Mar 14, 1973Apr 9, 1974Dominici ADevice for shaping filled and sealed bags into prismatic cartonsUS3855907 *May 18, 1973Dec 24, 1974Rexham CorpMethod and machine for forming flat bottom bags having side gussetsUS3889449 *Sep 10, 1973Jun 17, 1975Membrino HerculesOpening, filling and sealing device for thermoplastic bags* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS4869458 *May 20, 1987Sep 26, 1989Baxter International Inc.Liquid distribution valveUS4887411 *Jun 24, 1988Dec 19, 1989Baxter International Inc.Apparatus for filling bags or pouches with a perfusion liquidUS5417039 *Apr 27, 1993May 23, 1995Icoma Packtechnik GmbhMethod and an apparatus for filling packaging, in particular paper sacks or paper bagsUS5513479 *Apr 21, 1995May 7, 1996Dennis Garberg & Associates, Inc.System for enclosing an object in a packaging structureUS5546732 *Jul 13, 1995Aug 20, 1996Dennis Garberg & Associates, Inc.Method and apparatus for making and filling bagsUS6374579 *Jun 3, 1999Apr 23, 2002Lance John MullerLiner bag for flexible bulk containerUS7980045 *Jun 13, 2007Jul 19, 2011International Packaging Solutions LlcSystems and methods for filling a collapsible containerUS8307616 *Jun 10, 2011Nov 13, 2012International Packaging Solutions LlcSystems and methods for filling a collapsible containerUS20110239594 *Jun 10, 2011Oct 6, 2011John NottinghamSystems and methods for filling a collapsible containerEP0834403A2 *Oct 7, 1997Apr 8, 1998Seiko Epson CorporationAn ink cartridgeEP1201440A2 *Oct 7, 1997May 2, 2002Seiko Epson CorporationAn ink cartridgeEP1364878A1 *Feb 15, 2003Nov 26, 2003Rovema Verpackungsmaschinen GmbHMethod and apparatus for conveying packagesWO1999064324A1Jun 3, 1999Dec 16, 1999Lance John MullerLiner bag for flexible bulk containerWO2011057320A1 *Nov 13, 2009May 19, 2011Johnson Hi-Tech (Australia) Pty LtdA method and apparatus for charging fluent material into tubes* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification53/268, 53/371.8, 53/469, 53/374.8, 53/284.7International ClassificationB65B7/02, B65B51/14Cooperative ClassificationB65B7/02, B65B51/146European ClassificationB65B51/14D, B65B7/02Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 5, 1980AS02Assignment of assignor's interestOwner name: COURTHEOUX MICHEL P. G.Owner name: ETABLISSEMENTS COURTHEOUX 76 AVENUE ANATOLE FRANCEEffective date: 19800725RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google