Packaging apparatus and method for cylindrical articles

Claim 1

A METHOD OF FORMING A PACKAGE FOR A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FEEDING SAID ARTICLES IN SPACED PAIRS TO A WRAPPING STATION, CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING A WEB OF FLEXIBLE, HEAT-SEALABLE WEB MATERIAL TO SAID WRAPPING STATION, CONTINUOUSLY ENCLOSING SAID PAIRS OF ARTICLES AT SAID WRAPPING STATION IN AN ELONGATED TUBE FORMED FROM SAID FLEXIBLE, HEAT-SEALABLE WEB MATERIAL SO THAT THE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID WEB MATERIAL ARE IN OVERLAPPING RELATION ALONG ONE LATERIAL SIDE OF THE ELONGATED TUBE, HEAT SEALING SAID OVERLAPPED SIDE EDGES, MOVING SAID ARTICLES AND SAID ELONGATED TUBE FORWARD AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT SPEED TO A TRANSVERSE HEAT SEALING STATION, MOVING SAID PAIRS OF ARTICLES FORWARD AT REDUCED SPEED AT SAID TRANSVERSE HEAT SEALING STATION, SAID SPEED DIFFERENTIAL CAUSING SLACK WEB MATERIAL TO FORM BETWEEN CONSECUTIVE PAIRS OF ARTICLES BEFORE SAID PAIRS OF ARTICLES ENTER SAID TRANSVERSE HEAT SEALING STATION, INFOLDING THE SLACK MATERIAL BY A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED FLUID PRESSURE JETS, THEREAFTER CLAMPING, SEALING AND SEVERING THE MATERIAL AT SAID HEAT SEALING STATION BETWEEN ADJOINING PAIRS OF ARTICLES SO THAT THE SLACK MATERIAL REMAINS INFOLDED AND IS SEALED BETWEEN THE ARCUATE SURFACE OF THE CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES AND THE END PORTIONS OF SAID WRAPPING MATERIAL JOINED BY SAID END SEAM.