Method and apparatus for forming individual heat sealed articles

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tubes or bags during and after their separation from said strip are held against said support members at said other side of said zig-zag configuration until they are removed therefrom in a folded form.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the heat applied to weld the layers of the strip together is sufficient to separate the formed tubes or bags from the strip when welding is compete.

Claim 5

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said strip in zig-zag configuration is fed along an arcuate path and is welded on the radially inner side of said zig-zag configuration and the formed tubes or bags are removed from the radially outer side of said zig-zag configuration.

Claim 6

Apparatus for forming individual heat sealed articles, e.g. tubes or bags, from a continuous strip of two superimposed layers of heat sealable material or of a material which is coated or impregnated with a heat sealable material, which apparatus comprises: a movable series of support member means engageable with opposite sides of said strip and at spaced transverse locations along said strip for carrying said strip in a zig-zag configuration with the support member means supporting said strip along the transverse crests of both sides of said zig-zag configuration; means to weld together the two layers of said strip along the transverse crests at one side of said zig-zag configuration and for separating the thus welded strip along the cresTs at said one side of said zig-zag configuration to form individual tubes or bags; and positioned at a stationary removal position, means for gripping the thus separated bags successively intermediate their width along the portions of the bags supported by the support member means at the transverse crests on the other side of said zig-zag configuration and for removing the thus gripped bags in a folded form from the said support member means on said other side of said zig-zag configuration with adjacent bags overlapping one another.

Claim 7

Apparatus for forming individual heat sealed articles, e.g. tubes or bags, from a continuous strip of two superimposed layers of heat sealable material or of a material which is coated or impregnated with a heat sealable material, which apparatus comprises: a movable series of support member means engageable with opposite sides of said strip and at spaced transverse locations along said strip for carrying said strip in a zig-zag configuration with the support member means supporting said strip along the transverse crests of both sides of said zig-zag configuration; means to weld together the two layers of said strip along the transverse crests at one side of said zig-zag configuration and for separating the thus welded strip along the cresTs at said one side of said zig-zag configuration to form individual tubes or bags; and positioned at a stationary removal position, means for gripping the thus separated bags successively intermediate their width along the portions of the bags supported by the support member means at the transverse crests on the other side of said zig-zag configuration and for removing the thus gripped bags in a folded form from the said support member means on said other side of said zig-zag configuration with adjacent bags overlapping one another.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said removal means comprise a rotatable cylinder having suction ports in its periphery which are located to cooperate with a respective support member means on the opposite side of said zig-zag configuration to remove a bag held against that support member means while the bag is in a folded form.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said support member means are arranged in two series, and further comprising means to engage said support member means in the two series with said strip along the transverse crests at opposite sides of said zig-zag configuration, respectively, and a holding device being provided to hold each formed tube or bag against a respective support member means in the series thereof which support the strip at said opposite side of said zig-zag configuration, until they are removed by said removal means.

Claim 10

Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said support member means in the two series are movable around respective closed paths that intersect one another with each member means in each series passing between a part of adjacent member means in the other series, and further comprising guiding means being provided to guide the strip between said member means of the respective series at a point of intersection of the closed paths.

Claim 11

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the paths around which the support member means move are adjustable to vary the depth of said zig-zag configuration in which the strip is held, thereby to alter the width of the formed tube or bag.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the welding means comprises a single welding device, said support member means being movable to bring the transverse crest of the strip on said one side of the zig-zag configuration into contact with the welding device.

Claim 13

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each support member means at said one side of the zig-zag configuration is resiliently mounted to press the strip against the welding device.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the welding device is movable towards and away from the co-operating resiliently mounted support member means.

Claim 15

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the welding device comprises a cylindrical surface of heat transmitting material which is mounted for rotation when engaged by the moving strip.