The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 17, 1977
Filed:
Jun. 04, 1976
Charles J Simmons, East Longmeadow, MA (US);
Package Machinery Company, East Longmeadow, MA (US);
Abstract
A package making machine of the vertical form, fill and seal variety has an electrical control system allowing the length of the package or bag made during each machine cycle to be controlled easily by manual adjustment of a control knob. In particular, the folded web tube from which packages are made is moved through the machine by a tube feeder driven during only a portion of each bag making cycle, the length of time during which the tube feeder is operated during each such cycle being varied to vary the package length. In addition to this control of package length via control of the tube feed time per bag making cycle, the electrical control circuitry may also include circuitry for controlling the package length in response to photoelectric detection of registration marks printed at regularly spaced points along the length of the web from which the tube is made. When the photoelectric package length control is used, the circuitry for controlling package length via control of tube feed time per bag making cycle may be used as a redundant or backup means for limiting the package length. That is, the latter circuitry may be set to produce a package only slightly longer than that produced by the photoelectric bag length control, with the result that if a given bag is not terminated by detection of a registration mark by the photoelectric circuit, it will subsequently be terminated, without the resulting package having excessive overlength, by the tube feed time per bag making cycle control circuit. The control system also includes a means for introducing, if desired, in each machine cycle a delay of readily adjustable duration between the deenergization of the sealers and the start of tube feed to assure the sealers are released from the tube when tube feed is initiated. In any event, the sealing function is initiated immediately upon the completion of the tube feeding function so that the remaining portion of the bag making cycle is devoted to the sealing function, and the tube feeding and sealing functions are so interlocked that changes may be made in machine speed and length of tube feed per bag making cycle without disturbing the proper sequencing of the tube feeding and sealing functions.