Continuous motion sealer

Abstract

A continuous motion sealer includes recirculating heat seal heads, a container conveyor with pairs of container supporting jaws, and a film transport for conveying a film with seal areas between said heads and containers for heat sealing film seal areas to the mouths of containers, all while continuously moving said containers in a machine direction. Heat seal heads move in a recirculating path through a heat seal path and are movable toward containers while the jaws engage spaced containers, hold them for sealing, and release them after sealing. Methods are disclosed.

1 . A continuous motion sealer comprising: 
 recirculating heat sealing heads mounted on a track for movement about a recirculating path including a sealing path portion;    a continuously moving container conveyor having a plurality of container supporting jaws for supporting respective containers and continuously moving respective containers through a container sealing path operationally registered with respective heat seal heads in said sealing path; and    a film transport for continuously conveying a film having discreet seal areas therein between respective ones of said heat seal heads and said jaws for application to containers;    said sealing heads operable to pressed seal discreet seal areas on said containers while said containers are conveyed in continuous motion.    
   
   
       2 . A sealer as in  claim 1  wherein respective ones of said heat seal heads are, independently of other heat seal heads, moved toward a respective container in said jaws as said heads and jaws are moved along their respective sealing paths for applying a film seal to the containers.  
   
   
       3 . A sealer as in  claim 1  wherein said jaws are arranged in pairs, at least one jaw of each pair moveable toward and away from the other jaw in its pair and said jaws of said pairs, when moved toward each other, forming a container receiving and conveying pocket.  
   
   
       4 . A sealer as in  claim 3  wherein said jaw pairs are each carried on a continuously movable jaw platform.  
   
   
       5 . A sealer as in  claim 4  wherein said jaws of each pair are driven toward and away from each other by a cam track.  
   
   
       6 . A sealer as in  claim 3  wherein said jaws of each pair have container supporting surfaces for supporting a container therebetween against deformation from pressure exerted by a heat seal head.  
   
   
       7 . A sealer as in  claim 1  wherein respective ones of said heat seal heads are reciprocal in a direction toward respective containers in a sealing path.  
   
   
       8 . A sealer as in  claim 7  further comprising a rotary electrical and pneumatic delivery turret for delivering electric energy compressed on to respective ones of said heat seal heads as they move in a recirculation path.  
   
   
       9 . A sealer as in  claim 1  wherein said film transport includes film tensioning apparatus and a waste film matrix removal path.  
   
   
       10 . A sealer as in  claim 1  further including a film unwind station and a rotary die cutter for defining discreet seal areas in said film.  
   
   
       20 . A method of continuously sealing containers with a film seal, said method comprising: 
 defining seal areas in a sealing film of indeterminate length;    continuously moving a plurality of heat seal heads through a sealing path;    continuously moving a plurality of containers to be sealed along said sealing path;    conveying said film through said sealing path between respective ones of said heat seal heads and respective containers registered with respective ones of said heat seal heads;    pressing respective seal areas against respective ones of said containers with respective ones of said heat seal heads; and    applying heat to said seal areas to seal them to respective ones of said containers;    all while continuously moving said heat seal heads and said containers.    
   
   
       21 . A method as in  claim 20  including supporting respective ones of said containers between respective jaws of a jaw pair; 
 moving said jaws of said pair together toward said container; and    supporting a perspective container with said jaws against deformation when a respective seal area is pressed onto said respective container.    
   
   
       22 . A method as in  claim 21  including removing a film matrix from said seal areas when said areas have been pressed onto respective containers.  
   
   
       23 . A method as in  claim 22  including moving jaws of a jaw pair apart to release a container from therebetween after a film seal area has been applied to said container.  
   
   
       24 . An article handling apparatus for use in handling articles through a path wherein multiple article engaging operations may be performed thereon, said apparatus including: 
 an article conveyor;    at least a first article operating station having apparatus for engaging and handling said article;    at least another article operation station having apparatus for engaging and handling said article;    said article conveyor extending through said stations, conveying articles and transferring articles from one of said stations to another and then downstream of said another station.    
   
   
       25 . Apparatus as in  claim 24  wherein said first article operating station is a metering station, operable to meter articles to said second station.  
   
   
       26 . Apparatus as in  claim 25  wherein said another article operating station is an article sealing station.  
   
   
       27 . Apparatus as in  claim 26  wherein said stations each comprise apparatus for engaging and moving an article and said conveyor extends through said stations and is operable to transfer an article between said stations.