Patent ID: 6860089

Claim:
A method for hermetically wrapping a bulk article on an apparatus comprising a rotary pocket wheel having a plurality of folding pocket boxes disposed along an outer periphery thereof, said rotary pocket wheel being supported for rotation about a center axis of said wheel, said method comprising the steps of: placing a strip of wrapping material about an article, such that ends of said strip extend parallel to one another from parallel edges of said article, one of said ends being longer than the other of said ends; wrapping each of said ends about said article such that a fin-like section containing each said end extends therefrom; heat sealing the fin-like section together; cooling the fin-like section; and sealing lateral ends of said strip about said article to complete the hermetic seal, said wrapping step including the additional steps of: feeding said article into a first rotary folding box of said rotary pocket wheel and into a strip of wrapping material supported thereupon, said strip of wrapping material being sized to be fitted about the periphery of the article and including a pair of ends of dissimilar length extending from respective sides of the article wherein each rotary folding box of said rotary pocket wheel includes a pressure block rearward of said folding box; rotating said pocket wheel so as to index said article to a second position wherein said rotating step folds each of the ends of the wrapping material strip rearwardly over an edge of the article and forms the fin-like section extending away from the article over said pressure block; sealing said fin-like section while positioned over said pressure block; and folding the fin-like section onto said article as said article is removed from said rotary pocket wheel.