Molins Plc

Thomas J. Lipton Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.

Lipton, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Lipton, Inc.

Thomas J. Lipton Co.,

Michael J Cahill

Geoffrey W Vernon

John Dawson

David Robert Seaward

Kevin R Fincham

Alan M Aindow

Thomas William Bailey

James Goodwin

Robert Howard Taylor

James R Stembridge

Peter Ernest Willett

Brian H Warner

William M Buckley

Jeffrey J Patchett

Roderick Leslie Mitchell

Adrian Mark Hinkley

Michael D Simcoe

Brian Francis Blundell

Paul Franklin

Dennis Hinchcliffe

David C Carter

Stanley V Starkey

Simon Charles Martin

Philip Gordon Haddow

Paul R Wiese

Norman L Sharp

Colin Stutt

Graham L Shirley

Alan Michael Aindow

Mark Geoffrey Somers

David Robert Seward

John D Stanton

Peter White

Andre Brink

Juilian W Gardner

Alan A Thierry

David Santon

Julian W Gardner

Kenvin R Fincham

Scalloped cigarette packet

A rotary mechanism for cutting and/or sealing a web has a pair of counter-rotating rotors mounted on parallel axes and having radially projecting arms between which the web is momentarily gripped for cutting and/or sealing. Sealing is performed by heated pressure outer faces on the rotor arms. Cutting is performed by cutter and anvil bars on the opposed arms engaging the web. Bearer faces on the arms beyond the pressure faces set a gap between the pressure faces and a rectangular-section tongue and groove in mating contact faces one side of the pressure faces locate the pressure faces laterally. The cutting means are adjusted by a wedge bar bearing on the inner face of the cutter bar or anvil. The wedge bar is movable in the direction of rotation and has an outer face inclined in the same direction. Means accessible from the leading and/or trailing faces of the rotor arms are provided for adjusting the wedge bar and clamping the cutter and anvil bars.

Rotary cutting and/or sealing mechanisms

A method is disclosed of forming a bag having a bottom seal from a web of sealable sheet material which is formed into a tube ( ) by sealing opposite longitudinal edge portions of the sheet material one to another. The method comprises feeding the tube ( ) in flattened form further along a feed path to a severing station ( ), severing the flattened tube ( ) in passage through the severing station ( ) into individual flattened bag lengths ( ) by passage between a rotary knife ( ) and a counter blade ( &prime;), feeding the individual flattened bag lengths ( ) longitudinally along the feed path to a sealing station ( ), and applying pressure, and possibly also heat, to opposite faces of an end portion of each flattened bag length ( ) as it passes through the sealing station ( ) by means of blocks ( ) for a predetermined time which is longer than the period between severing that bag length ( ) from the flattened tube ( ) and severing the next bag length ( ) from the flattened tube ( ) while continuing to feed the flattened bag length ( ) longitudinally along the feed path thereby to form a bottom seal ( ) for the bag. Preferably the flattened tube ( ) is formed with gussets ( ). The blocks ( ) can be heated if the web is made of a heat sealable material. The heater bars ( ) for the gussets ( ) can be mounted on a different, more lightly spring loaded, mounting block from that for the heater bar ( ) which forms the transverse bottom seal ( ). By using rollers ( ) and making blocks ( ) move slightly faster than the speed of the flattened tube ( ) prior to severance of the bag length ( ) it can be ensured that the bag lengths ( ) are positively severed from the flattened tube ( ) despite possible wear of, or damage to, the cutter blades ( &prime;). Registration of the printing on the web ( ) so that the blocks ( ) contact the web ( ) in appropriate position to form the bottom seal ( ) can be achieved, when the desired registration is disturbed, by temporarily varying the feed speed of the web ( ) with respect to the speed of rotation of the rotary knife ( ) so as to vary temporarily the lengths of the bag lengths ( ) severed from the tube ( ) until the desired registration is re-established.

Method and apparatus for obtaining individual web sections from a web of sheet material

An apparatus and method for evacuating and sealing a bag made of a sealable material and containing a comminuted product. The bag is positioned with its open upper end around a sleeve through which a hollow probe can be extended. A pair of upper jaw members close to form an outer temporary seal above an intermediate region of the bag above the level of the surface of the charge in the bag where a permanent seal is to be formed. A pair of lower jaws members close to form an inner temporary seal about a lower region of the bag above the surface of the charge. With the probe extended through the sleeve into the bag, the bag is evacuated through the probe. After evacuation is completed and after withdrawal of the hollow probe, a pair of sealing members close against the intermediate region of the bag in order to form a permanent seal for the bag.

Apparatus and method for formation of sealed packages

An apparatus and method for evacuating and sealing a bag ( ) made of a sealable material and containing a charge ( ) of a comminuted or other flowable product, such as roasted and ground coffee. The bag ( ) is positioned with its open upper end around a sleeve ( ) through which a hollow probe ( ) can be extended. A pair of upper jaw members (UJ) close to form an outer temporary seal about an upper region of the bag above an intermediate region of the bag which is also above the level of the surface of the charge ( ) in the bag ( ) where a permanent seal is to be formed. A pair of lower jaws members (LJ) close to form an inner temporary seal about a lower region of the bag below the upper and intermediate regions and above the surface of the charge ( ) in the bag ( ). With the probe ( ) extended through the sleeve ( ) into the bag ( ), the bag ( ) is evacuated through the probe ( ). After evacuation is completed and after withdrawal of the hollow probe ( ), a pair of sealing members (HJ) close against the intermediate region of the bag ( ) in order to form a permanent seal for the bag ( ). Provision may be made for bleed back into the bag ( ), after evacuation thereof, of a small amount of a desirable material such as an aroma fraction or an inert gas such as CO or N .

An apparatus for batching articles from a continuous stream of articles has a conduit comprising an entry duct (,) in which the articles are accelerated by suction. The suction air is drawn from the exit end of the duct, close to a pair of counter-rotating sealing rollers (,) which have resiliently yielding peripheral faces between which the articles pass. At the exit end of the conduit a pair of closure members (,) on opposite sides of the conduit are rotatable in 90&deg; steps in order to collect the articles in batches. The closure members counter-rotate so that in each step they move in the general direction of movement of the articles. In this way it is possible to batch relatively delicate articles at high rates of throughflow.

Article handling apparatus

In security printing apparatus for attaching a foil imprint of predetermined shape to stock (,) such as bank note sheets, a tape (,)) carrying foil to be printed and a layer of hot-melt adhesive is conveyed with the stock past a heated printing roll (,). In order to allow high printing speeds the adhesive is at least partially activated by pre-heating just prior to printing. The pre-heating means may comprise hot air, radiation or heated guide means for the foil carrier web. Details of pattern or shape may be etched on the foil, either before or after printing, by means of laser beam, the details being defined by a mask moving with the foil.

Printing method and apparatus

Packaging apparatus

A process and apparatus are described for producing drawstring packets. The packets are produced by forming thread loops (L) with tags (T) attached to their ends and placing the packet web material (W) onto the portions of a the loops further from the tags. After securing the loops in their shaped form temporarily to one face of the web, the tags and the remaining portions of thread are placed on the other face of the web to be attached there releasably. In subsequent processing the secured loop portions lie inside the packets and the tags outside. The process allows relatively precise location of the loops so that packets can be produced with the loops in a peripheral channel (P) sealed from the contents of the packets but able to move to contract the package when the ends of the loop are pulled.

Packets and their manufacture

Infusion packets have envelopes of heat-sealable material with a looped thread within the packets to wring moisture from the packet in use. A central part of the thread loop is held in a widened region of one edge seal while the ends of the loop project through the opposite edge seal in which they are movable when the loop is to be contracted. The packets are produced by forming a continuous series of thread loops on one elongate web and placing doses of infusion material on a second elongate web before bringing the webs together with the thread loops and infusion material between them. The two webs are then welded together and the individual packets are separated from the joined webs.

Infusion packet

A container, such as a cardboard carton, has a carrying handle secured by a fixing element at an attachment zone adjacent each end of the handle to opposite side walls of the container. The fixing elements each have a shaft portion transverse to the plane of respective attachment zones extending through the container wall, the shaft portion having a barb extending outwardly on the shaft and engaging with the container to retain the fixing element in position. The handle is attached to the container side wails by forcing the fixing elements through the side walls at the respective attachment zones.

Container with carrying handle

Packaging material, particularly for forming blanks for hinged lid packets, is delivered to a packaging machine in web form and at least one creasing or shaping operation is performed (44; 112) on the web (2) prior to severing individual blanks (50) from the web. Folding or wrapping of a blank around an article to be packed in the machine is monitored and the creasing or shaping operation varied to optimise machine performance: for example, an adjustable creasing tool can be adjusted to compensate for tool wear. Individual blanks are inspected for longitudinal curl, usually caused by the web having been wound on a reel, and where necessary a correction is applied during feeding of the web, e.g. by adjusting the angle of wrap of the web around a decurling roller (38; 108).

Packing method and apparatus

Method and apparatus for manufacturing corrugated board comprising two layers of corrugated medium joined together in tip-to-tip registration of the two mediums, without an intermediate liner, and with at least one outer liner. Adhesive is applied to the tips of the two mediums, and the tips are brought together and held in contact with each other while the adhesive sets at least partially during conveyance of the mediums along a linear path.

Corrugated board manufacture

Growing community of inventors

Coventry, United Kingdom

Michael J Cahill