Apparatus for forming elongate plastic film into a tube around variable size articles

Abstract

An apparatus for forming elongate plastic film into a tube around variable size articles includes a conveyor and a forming collar positioned over the conveyor. The forming collar includes left and right sections pivotally supported on a common carrier and moveable relative to the conveyor. The carrier is also moveable relative to the conveyor. The plastic film tube is formed by directing the central film area onto the conveyor, the left film side onto the inside surface of the left collar section and the right film side onto the inside surface of the right collar section. Movement of the forming collar left and right sections about their pivotal supports and/or movement of the carrier cause the forming collar sections to move between retracted and expanded positions for thereby forming a variable size plastic tube corresponding to the article size being received therein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for forming elongate film into a tube around variable size articles, said apparatus comprising:
 a conveying surface adapted to carry the articles being wrapped;   a forming collar adapted to wrap film around the articles carried on said conveying surface, said forming collar including left and right sections, said left section located adjacent a left side of said conveying surface and said right section located adjacent a right side of said conveying surface;   wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include an inside surface, an outside surface and a leading edge;   wherein elongate film having a central area and left and right sides is formed into a tube by directing: the central film area onto said conveying surface; the left film side along said forming collar left section outside surface, around its leading edge and along its inside surface; and, the right film side along said forming collar right section outside surface, around its leading edge and along its inside surface; and,   wherein said left and right forming collar sections are selectively movable relative to said carrying surface thereby selectively varying the tube size, whereby variable sized articles placed on the film central area and carried by said conveying surface in a longitudinal direction between said forming collar sections may be received in the formed film tube.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said left and right forming collar sections are each independently pivotally supported on a frame and are effectively moveable perpendicular to said longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said left and right forming collar sections are each independently pivotally supported on a frame and are effectively moveable horizontally perpendicular to said longitudinal direction and vertically perpendicular to said longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a guide plate having a left angular edge and a right angular edge; 
 wherein the elongate film central area is directed over said left and right angular edges prior to being directed onto the conveying surface; and, 
 wherein said forming collar left section is movable in a direction parallel to said left angular edge and said forming collar right section is movable in a direction parallel to said right angular edge. 
 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said forming collar left section is pivotally supported on a frame and is thereby movable in a direction parallel to said left angular edge, and said forming collar right section is pivotally supported on the frame and is thereby movable in a direction parallel to said right angular edge. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a guide plate having a left angular edge and a right angular edge; 
 wherein the elongate film central area is directed over said left and right angular edges prior to being directed onto the conveying surface; and, 
 wherein said forming collar left section is movable in a direction parallel to both said left angular edge and said leading edge of said left forming collar section, and said forming collar right section is movable in a direction parallel to both said right angular edge and said leading edge of said right forming collar section. 
 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein said left and right forming collar sections are supported on a carrier and said carrier is movable in a direction parallel to said leading edges of said forming collar sections. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein said left and right forming collar sections are each independently pivotally supported on a carrier and said carrier is movable in a direction parallel to said leading edges of said forming collar sections. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein said forming collar left section is pivotally supported on a frame and is thereby movable in a direction approximately parallel to both said left angular edge and said leading edge of said left forming collar section, and said forming collar right section is pivotally supported on the frame and is thereby movable in a direction approximately parallel to both said right angular edge and said leading edge of said right forming collar section. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said left and right forming collar sections are each independently supported on a carrier and said carrier is movable in a direction parallel to said leading edges of said forming collar sections. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  further comprising:
 a guide plate having a left angular edge and a right angular edge; 
 wherein the elongate film central area is directed over said left and right angular edges prior to being directed onto the conveying surface; and, 
 wherein said forming collar left section is pivotally supported on said carrier and is thereby movable in a direction parallel to said left angular edge and said forming collar right section is pivotally supported on said carrier and is thereby movable in a direction parallel to said right angular edge. 
 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for forming elongate film into a tube around variable sized articles, said apparatus comprising:
 a conveying surface adapted to carry the articles being wrapped;   a forming collar adapted to wrap film around the articles carried on said conveying surface, said forming collar including left and right sections, said left section located adjacent a left side of said conveying surface and said right section located adjacent a right side of said conveying surface;   wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include an inside surface, an outside surface and a leading edge;   wherein elongate film having a central area and left and right sides is formed into a tube by directing: the central film area onto said conveying surface; the left film side along said forming collar left section outside surface, around its leading edge and along its inside surface; and, the right film side along said forming collar right section outside surface, around its leading edge and along its inside surface; and,   wherein said left and right forming collar sections are supported on a carrier and said carrier is movable relative to said carrying surface thereby selectively varying the tube size, whereby variable sized articles placed on the film central area and carried by said conveying surface in a longitudinal direction between said forming collar sections may be received in the formed film tube.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said carrier is movable in a direction parallel to said leading edges of said forming collar sections. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further comprising:
 a guide plate having a left angular edge and a right angular edge; 
 wherein the elongate film central area is directed over said left and right angular edges prior to being directed onto the conveying surface; and, 
 wherein said forming collar left section is movable in a direction parallel to said left angular edge and said forming collar right section is movable in a direction parallel to said right angular edge. 
 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said left and right forming collar sections each include a lead-in guide, said lead-in guides adapted to come in contact with the articles as they travel in said longitudinal direction and thereby cause said movement of its forming collar section. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further comprising a conveyor defining said carrying surface and adapted to carry the articles being wrapped.