Method and tool for applying a closure lid to a flexible foil container shell

Abstract

A tool for closing and sealing a lid on a flexible walled peripheral flange bearing a container by bending and crimping the container's vertical peripheral flange over the periphery of the lid supported on the container's marginal shelf. The tool has an anvil portion, star-shaped portion, a hub portion interposed between the anvil and star-shaped portions, means for maintaining said portions concentrically aligned and means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container. The anvil portion and star-shaped portions have the same outer diameter and inwardly tapering surfaces mirroring each other, while the hub portion has a width sufficient to allow the ben flange/shelf/lid combination to slip between the anvil and star-shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces, and a diameter sufficient to prevent the bent flange/shelf/lid combination from slipping beyond the base of the arms of the star-shaped portion thereby allowing the arms of the star-shaped portion to remain in continuous contact with the flange/shelf/lid combination during the closure and sealing of the lid on the container.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A tool for closing and sealing a lid on a flexible walled peripheral flange bearing container by bending and crimping the container's vertical peripheral flange over the periphery of the lid supported on the container's marginal shelf, said tool comprising 
 an anvil portion, a star shaped portion, a hub portion interposed between said anvil and star-shaped portions, means for maintaining said portions concentrically aligned and means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container;    said anvil portion and said star shaped portion having the same outer diameter and inwardly tapering surfaces mirroring each other; and    said hub portion having a width sufficient to allow the bent flange/shelf/lid combination to slip between the anvil and star shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces, and a diameter sufficient to prevent the bent flange/shelf/lid combination from slipping beyond the base of the arms of the star shaped portion thereby allowing the arms of the star-shaped portion to remain in continuous contact with the flange/shelf/lid combination during the closure and sealing of the lid on the container.    
     
     
         2 . The tool according to  claim 1  wherein said means for maintaining said anvil portion, said star-shaped portion and said hub portion concentrically aligned comprises said hub portion itself, thereby converting the tool into a single, unitary, integral composite flange-bending wheel.  
     
     
         3 . The tool according to  claim 2  wherein said means for pressing and rolling said flange-bending wheel around the container is a handle having a front end.  
     
     
         4 . The tool according to  claim 3 , wherein said flange bending wheel is freely rotatable about a pivot pin, supported by washers and retainers , within a clevis integrally formed at the front end of said handle.  
     
     
         5 . The tool according to claim I wherein said means for maintaining said anvil portion, said star-shaped portion and said hub portion concentrically aligned comprises an axle fixed to said anvil portion and allowed to project through said star-shaped portion, such that said star-shaped portion is freely rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         6 . The tool according to  claim 5  wherein said hub portion consists of a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said anvil portion, and wherein said axle is secured on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         7 . The tool according to  claim 5  wherein said hub portion consists of a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said star-shaped portion, and wherein said axle projects both through said star-shaped portion and through said cylindrical projection such that both said star-shaped portion and said star-shaped, fixed cylindrical projection are freely rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         8 . The tool according to  claim 5  wherein said hub portion consists of a washer and wherein said axle projects both through said star-shaped portion and through said washer, such that both said star-shaped portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         9 . The tool according to  claim 1  wherein said means for maintaining said anvil portion, said star-shaped portion and said hub portion concentrically aligned comprises an axle fixed to said star-shaped portion and allowed to project through said anvil portion, such that said anvil portion is freely rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         10 . The tool according to  claim 9  wherein said hub portion consists of a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said star-shaped portion, and wherein said axle is secured on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         11 . The tool according to  claim 9  wherein said hub portion consists of a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said anvil portion, and wherein said axle projects both through said anvil portion and through said cylindrical projection such that both said anvil portion and said anvil fixed cylindrical projection are freely rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         12 . The tool according to  claim 9  wherein said hub portion consists of a washer and wherein said axle projects both through said anvil portion and through said washer, such that both said anvil portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         13 . The tool according to  claim 5 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         14 . The tool according to  claim 6 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         15 . The tool according to  claim 7 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         16 . The tool according to  claim 8 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         17 . The tool according to  claim 9 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         18 . The tool according to  claim 10 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         19 . The tool according to  claim 11 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         20 . The tool according to  claim 12 , wherein said means for pressing and rolling the concentrically maintained portions around the container is a handle comprising two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; wherein said axle extends outwardly through each of said holes; and wherein said star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         21 . A method for the bending, crimping and sealing of a peripheral flange of a flexible walled container marginal shelf, over the outer periphery of a lid supported on the marginal shelf comprising the steps of: 
 respectively providing an anvil portion and a star-shaped portion with similar diameters and inwardly tapering mirroring surfaces;    aligning said anvil portion and said star-shaped portion together with a hub portion interposed there between in a concentric manner;    providing said hub portion with a diameter equivalent to the diameter defined by the base of the arms of said concentrically aligned star-shaped portion;    maintaining said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement;    using said hub portion to space said anvil portion and said star-shaped portion a distance sufficient to permit the flange bent over the lid supported on the shelf of the container to slip and fit in between said anvil and star-shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces;    placing said maintained, concentrically aligned hub, anvil and star-shaped portions against the container with said star-shaped portion facing upwardly, parallel to the plane of the shelf;    pressing inwardly to bend and fold the flange down onto the lid on the shelf until such time as the bent flange/lid/shelf combination slips between said inwardly tapering mirroring surfaces and the rim of the shelf of the container abuts and comes to a complete stop up against said hub portion, thereby insuring that the rim of the shelf does not extend beyond the base of the arms of said star-shaped portion;    rolling said maintained, concentrically arranged hub, anvil and star shaped portions around the periphery of the container to form a butterfly closure, by allowing excess flange material formed during the rolling to bend upward between said arms of said star-shaped portion;    flipping said maintained, concentrically arranged hub, anvil and star-shaped portions so that said anvil portion faces upward;    placing said maintained, concentrically arranged hub, anvil and star-shaped portions against the container, parallel to the plane of the shelf, and lightly pressing inwardly until the edge of the bent flange/shelf/lid butterfly closure slips between said inwardly tapering mirroring surfaces and abuts said hub portion;    thereafter rolling said maintained hub, star-shaped and anvil portions around the periphery of said butterfly closure until the flange is fully depressed to continuously form a bead about the periphery of the container.    
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , further comprising the steps of connecting said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions to form a single, unitary, integral composite flange-bending wheel and suspending said flange bending wheel on a pivot point supported by washers and retainers within a clevis formed at the front end of a handle.  
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil, and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing an axle onto said anvil portion and allowing said axle to project through said star-shaped portion such that said star-shaped portion is rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing said hub portion on said anvil portion to form a cylindrical projection on said anvil portion, and securing said axle on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing said hub portion on said star-shaped portion to form a cylindrical projection on said star-shaped portion, and allowing said axle to project through both said star-shaped portion and said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 23 , frtther comprising the step of providing a hub portion consisting of a washer and allowing said axle to project through both said star-shaped portion and said washer such that both said star-shaped portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil, and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing an axle onto said star-shaped portion and allowing said axle to project through said anvil portion such that said anvil portion is rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing said hub portion on said star-shaped portion to form a cylindrical projection on said star-shaped portion, and securing said axle on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the step of maintaining said hub, said anvil and said star-shaped portions in a concentrically aligned arrangement further comprises fixing said hub portion on said anvil portion to form a cylindrical projection on said anvil portion, and allowing said axle to project through both said anvil portion and said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 27 , further comprising the step of providing a hub portion consisting of a washer and allowing said axle to project through both said anvil portion and said washer such that both said anvil portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 23  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 24  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 25  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 26  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 27  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 28  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 29  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 30  further comprising the steps of providing a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other; suspending and supporting said axle between said arms by allowing said axle to extend outwardly through each of said holes; and holding said hub, anvil and star-shaped portions together by the resilient bias of said arms.  
     
     
         39 . A tool for closing and sealing a lid on a flexible walled container by bending and crimping the container's vertical peripheral flange over the periphery of the lid supported on the container's marginal shelf, said tool comprising 
 a handle having a front end; and    a single, unitary, integral composite flange bending wheel freely rotatable at the front end of said handle, said flange-bending wheel having 
 an anvil portion, a star shaped portion, and a hub portion interposed there between,  
 said anvil and star shaped portions having the same outer diameter and inwardly tapering surfaces mirroring each other,  
 said anvil and star shaped portions being fixed on said hub portion,  
 said anvil, star-shaped, and hub portion being concentrically aligned; and  
 said hub portion having a width sufficient to allow the bent flange/shelf/lid combination to slip between the anvil and star shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces, and a diameter sufficient to prevent the bent flange/shelf/lid combination from slipping beyond the base of the arms of the star shaped portion thereby allowing the arms of the star-shaped portion to remain in continuous contact with the flange/shelf/lid combination during the closure and sealing of the lid on the container.  
   
     
     
         40 . The tool according to  claim 39 , wherein said freely rotatable flange bending wheel freely rotatable at said front end of said handle is rotated about a pivot pin, said pivot point being supported within a clevis by washers and retainers, said clevis being integrally formed at the front end of said handle.  
     
     
         41 . A tool for closing and sealing a lid on a flexible walled container by bending and crimping the container's vertical peripheral flange over the periphery of the lid supported on the container's marginal shelf, said tool comprising 
 a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other;    an anvil portion, a star-shaped portion, a hub portion interposed there between, and an axle;    said anvil portion and said star-shaped portion having the same outer diameter and inwardly tapering surfaces mirroring each other;    said hub portion having a width sufficient to allow the bent flange/shelf/lid combination to slip between said anvil and star-shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces, and a diameter sufficient to prevent the bent flange/shelf/lid combination from extending beyond the base of the arms of said star-shaped portion thereby allowing the arms of the star-shaped portion to remain in continuous contact with the flange/shelf/lid combination during the closure and sealing of the lid on the container; and    said axle being fixed on said anvil portion, allowed to project through said star-shaped portion, and extend outwardly through each of said holes of said arms of said handle, such that the star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms and said star-shaped portion is rotatable around said axle.    
     
     
         42 . The tool according to  claim 41 , wherein said hub portion further comprises a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said anvil portion and wherein said axle is secured on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         43 . The tool according to  claim 41 , wherein said hub portion further comprises a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said star-shaped portion, and wherein said axle projects both through said star-shaped portion and through said cylindrical projection such that both said star-shaped portion and said star-shaped fixed cylindrical projection are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         44 . The tool according to  claim 41 ,.wherein said hub portion further comprises of a washer and wherein said axle projects both through said star-shaped portion and through said washer, such that both said sta-shaped portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.  
     
     
         45 . A tool for closing and sealing a lid on a flexible walled container by bending and crimping the container's vertical peripheral flange over the periphery of the lid supported on the container's marginal shelf, said tool comprising 
 a handle having two arms connected at their back end to form a pair of tongs, each of the arms having a hole at its forward end and being resiliently biased towards the other;    an anvil portion, a star-shaped portion, a hub portion interposed there between, and an axle;    said anvil portion and said star-shaped portion having the same outer diameter and inwardly tapering surfaces mirroring each other;    said hub portion having a width sufficient to allow the bent flange/shelf/lid combination to slip between said anvil and star-shaped portions' inwardly tapered mirroring surfaces, and a diameter sufficient to prevent the bent flange/shelf/lid combination from extending beyond the base of the arms of said star-shaped portion thereby allowing the arms of the star-shaped portion to remain in continuous contact with the flange/shelf/lid combination during the closure and sealing of the lid on the container; and    said axle being fixed on said star-shaped portion, allowed to project through said anvil portion, and extend outwardly through each of said holes of said arms of said handle, such that the star-shaped, anvil, and hub portions are held together by the resilient bias of said arms and said anvil portion is rotatable around said axle.    
     
     
         46 . The tool according to  claim 45 , wherein said hub portion firrther comprises a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said star-shaped portion and wherein said axle is secured on said cylindrical projection.  
     
     
         47 . The tool according to  claim 45 , wherein said hub portion fturther comprises a cylindrical projection fixed on and telescoping from said anvil portion, and wherein said axle projects both through said anvil portion and through said cylindrical projection such that both said anvil portion and said anvil fixed cylindrical projection are rotatable about said axle.  
     
     
         48 . The tool according to  claim 45 , wherein said hub portion further comprises a washer and wherein said axle projects both through said anvil portion and through said washer, such that both said anvil portion and said washer are rotatable around said axle.