Cryovac, Inc.

W. R. Grace Co.-conn.

Furukawa Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Other

Sealed Air Corporation (us)

Sealed Air Corporation

Gregory E McDonald

Andrew W Moehlenbrock

Charles C Zende

Glenn W Killinger

Gregory H Grossman

Joseph E Owensby

Joel Caillier

Jeffrey Linyard Walker

Timothy S Dennison

Jason G Verrett

Peter Schmalz

Shuichi Nakamoto

Julian L Pruitt

Silvio Rohrer

Rod Hodgson

John L King, Jr

Joe A Price

Yoshitaka Nii

Drew V Speer

Csaba Frank Kiss

Paul D Spence

John D Foster

John P Carson

George Dean Wofford

Richard Keith Watson

Stefan Landolt

Cuong M Ta

James Mize

Andrew W VanPutte

Frederick A Dobbins

Howard D Conner

Kalpit Shailesh Mehta

Max C Painter

Peter Thürig

Thomas H Bagwell

Jay B Wilson

Jeff Walker

Siddarth Sreeram

David Wayne Grams

Jeffrey R Iocco

Kyle B Bullock

H Dean Conner

Robert D All

Howard D Connor

Shawn D Harris

F Ted Oakhill

William Z Snow

J Danny Foster

Alexandre J Frost

An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing a package includes a plurality of platens and vacuum chambers, each chamber adapted to mate with a dedicated one of the platens; a conveying system for conveying the platens and chambers along a generally angular path having a single axis of rotation; an automated loading assembly having a linear component and configured to load a package onto each of the platens; an automated unloading assembly having a linear portion and configured to unload a vacuumized, sealed package from each loaded platen onto an outfeed conveyor; and a vacuumizing/sealing system configured to cause relative movement of each chamber/platen pair, along a portion of the angular path, to form therebetween an air-tight enclosure accommodating the package and effect vacuumization and sealing of the package.

Apparatus and method for vacuumizing and sealing a package

An apparatus for heat shrinking packages includes a mover having an active surface configured for receiving one or more packages and for displacing the one or more packages along a predetermined operating path, a heating fluid circuit configured to circulate a heating fluid, a control unit operative on the heating fluid circuit, the control unit being configured to control circulation of the heating fluid in the heating fluid circuit, a chamber having an opening and being configured for receiving the one or more packages positioned on the active surface and for heat shrinking the one or more packages based on circulation of the heating fluid in the heating fluid circuit, and means for forming a liquid curtain arranged at the opening and configured to define a liquid curtain along the opening, the liquid curtain separating an inner volume of the chamber from an ambient atmosphere external to the chamber.

Apparatus for heat shrinking a package and method for heat shrinking a package

Vacuum seal packages can be classified based on image data. Training image data is received that includes image data about first vacuum seal packages. Labels associated with the first vacuum seal packages are received, where each of the labels includes a state of one of the first vacuum seal packages. A trained classification model is developed based on the training image data and the received labels. Image data representative of a second vacuum seal package is received. The image data is inputted into the trained classification model, where the trained classification model is configured to classify a state of the second vacuum seal package based on the image data. The state of the second vacuum seal package is received from the trained classification model.

Image-data-based classification of vacuum seal packages

A method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, includes detecting a trailing edge of a product in the bag, detecting a trailing edge of a patch adhered to the bag, controlling advancement of the bag, and closing the bag. A bag positioning apparatus includes an infrared sensing apparatus, a fluorescence sensing apparatus, and a controller. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes adhering a first patch to film stock, detecting a position of the first patch, aligning a second patch with the first patch, and adhering the second patch to the film stock. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes detecting an edge of a patch adhered to film stock, forming a seal across the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch, and severing the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch.

Method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, bag positioning apparatus, and method of manufacturing a patch bag

An apparatus () for vacuumizing and sealing a package () includes a plurality of platens () and vacuum chambers (), each chamber () adapted to mate with a dedicated one of the platens (); a conveying system () for conveying the platens () and chambers () along a generally angular path having a single axis of rotation (); an automated loading assembly () having a linear component () and configured to load a package () onto each of the platens (); an automated unloading assembly () having a linear portion and configured to unload a vacuumized, sealed package () from each loaded platen () onto an outfeed conveyor (); and a vacuumizing/sealing system configured to cause relative movement of each chamber ()/platen () pair, along a portion of the angular path, to form therebetween an air-tight enclosure accommodating the package () and effect vacuumization and sealing of the package ().

An apparatus for dispensing a web from a plurality of rolls of serrated bags, includes first and second web printer/web feeders, each adapted to advance and print first and second webs from a first and second roll of serrated bags respectively, the first and second web printer/web feeders including a first and second printer, and a first and second set of nip rollers respectively; first and second accumulator guide plates located downstream of the first and second printers; a set of dispensing nip rollers located downstream of the first and second accumulator guide plates; a web accumulation area; a web sensor for sensing an end of the first or second web; a first and second seal sensing device; a dispensing guide plate located downstream of the web sensor; and a bag handling mechanism for advancing a leading bag to a bag loader.

Apparatus and method for printing and dispensing a web

The invention is a method, triggering unit, and system for activating an oxygen scavenging composition at high speeds. The triggering unit includes a plurality of UV lamps that can operate at increased temperatures and have high output intensites from about 10 to 35 mW/cm. The triggering unit can activate films at speeds from about 20 to 100 fps. Mercury amalgam lamps are useful in the practice of the invention. The invention also includes a UV dose management system and film tensioning system that facilitates triggering at high film speeds. The UV dose management system controls the amount of UV exposure that the film receives so that the oxygen scavenging rate of the activated composition can be controlled.

Method and apparatus for high speed activation of oxygen scavenging compositions

An apparatus for selectively dispensing a web from a plurality of rolls of serrated bags or layflat tubing comprises a web selector for selecting and advancing a web from the plurality of rolls; a bag driver for advancing the selected web and separating a bag from the web; and a bag transfer device for transporting the separated bag from the bag driver to a location for processing. A sealer/cutter is used to produce a bag from the layflat tubing. A method of selectively dispensing a web from a plurality of rolls of serrated bags or layflat tubing comprises selecting and advancing a web from the plurality of rolls of serrated bags; advancing the selected web and separating a bag from the web; and transporting the separated bag to a location for further processing. In the case of layflat tubing, the selected web is sealed and cut to make a bag.

Web dispenser

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, and system for loading, vacuumizing, and sealing bagged articles. The invention includes placing a bagged article onto a subplaten, and advancing the loaded subplaten through a synchronizing assembly which allows synchronized placement of the loaded subplaten onto the platen of a vacuum/seal apparatus. The invention provides improved automation of the entire loading/vacuumizing/sealing process for a wide variety of bagged articles, especially food articles such as meat, poultry, cheese, and the like.

Method for high speed loading, vacuumizing and sealing of a bagged article

A method of opening a bag mounted on a tape includes the steps of providing a bag including a first panel, a second panel, a first bag edge, second bag edge, a bag bottom, and a bag mouth; gripping the bag between a first means for vacuumizing and a second means for vacuumizing; and moving the first and second means for vacuumizing such that the bag disengages from the tape, and the bag mouth opens. The first and second means for vacuumizing are activated before or during the gripping step, or after these means have been moved, but before the bag mouth opens. An apparatus for transporting a bag, and loading a bag, are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for opening and transporting bags

In the packaging of a wide variety of products in flexible film bags, problems with edge tear and incomplete bag cut-off have been encountered. The edge tear and incomplete cut-off are worse for films containing low melting polymers, such as metallocene-catalyzed ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers. These problems can be solved using a clamp-cut-seal process, as opposed to a clamp-seal-cut process. By cutting before sealing, the film is still cool, and the strain on the film due to the cutting does not pull on the seal area enough to cause edge tearing (i.e., tearing at the seal). The higher resistance to elongation of the cool, clamped film also serves to reduce or prevent incomplete bag tail cutoff. Also, by providing a means for sealing which clamps the film before it is cut, defective seals from bag &ldquo;pull back&rdquo; can be avoided.

Method of cutting and sealing film

A bag includes a first panel with at least one access hole in it, and a second panel without a hole corresponding to the at least one hole of the first panel. Preferably, two holes are present, preferably near the bag mouth. The panels are substantially equal in length. The bag can be easily opened by described bag opening means, without the need for vacuum or air to open the bag. The bag can be used in conjuction with otherwise conventional taped bag systems. A metod of making the bag, a bag opening system, a method of opening the bag, and a packaging system are also disclosed.

Bag with an access hole in one panel

A method of opening a bag mounted on a tape includes the steps of providing a bag including a first panel, a second panel, a first bag edge, a second bag edge, a bag bottom, and a bag mouth; gripping the bag between a first means for vacuumizing and a second means for vacuumizing; and moving the first and second means for vacuumizing such that the bag disengages from the tape, and the bag mouth opens. The first and second means for vacuumizing are activated before or during the gripping step, or after these means have been moved, but before the bag mouth opens. An apparatus for transporting a bag, and loading a bag, are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Gregory E McDonald