Apparatus for article packaging

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEALING THE OVERLAPPED, ABUTTING MARGINAL PORTIONS OF A PAIR OF MEMBERS OF THERMOPLASTIC, HEAT-SHRINKABLE MATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN TO PRESENT A PACKAGE, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A FRAME; A HEATING ELEMENT ON SAID FRAME AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE MEMBERS; A PLATEN SHIFTABLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, DISPOSED TO RECEIVE THE PACKAGE IN SUPPORTING RELATIONSHIP THERETO AND NORMALLY SPACED FROM THE HEATING ELEMENT, THE LATTER BEING DISPOSED ACROSS THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS WHEN THE PACKAGE IS SUPPORTED ON THE PLATEN, SAID PLATEN BEING MOVABLE DOWNWARDLY FROM A FIRST LOCATION ABOVE THE HEATING ELEMENT TO A SECOND LOCATION PERMITTING SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE MEMBERS TO ENGAGE THE ELEMENT; AND A RAM SHIFTABLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME, ABOVE SAID PLATEN AND MOVABLE DOWNWARDLY FROM A POSITION SUFFICIENTLY SPACED FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION OF THE PLATEN TO PERMIT PLACEMENT OF THE PACKAGE THEREBETWEEN, TO A DISPOSITION ENGAGING THE PACKAGE AND SUBSEQUENTLY SHIFTING THE LATTER AND THEREBY THE PLATEN TO SAID SECOND LOCATION THEREOF WITH THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE MEMBER ENGAGING THE HEATING ELEMENT.