The disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/055,498, filed Aug. 6, 2018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/542,863, filed on Aug. 9, 2017, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/231,723, filed Jul. 14, 2015, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/179,172, filed Apr. 29, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/179,480, filed May 8, 2015, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/496,252, filed Sep. 25, 2014, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/142,103, filed Apr. 29, 2016, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/142,435, filed Apr. 29, 2016, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/209,013, filed Jul. 13, 2016, are hereby incorporated by reference as if presented herein in their entirety and are incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The present disclosure generally relates to reinforced packages for holding products and to methods of at least partially forming the packages. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to methods and systems for at least partially forming the packages including a bag or liner having a sealed bottom portion and sealed side portions, the bag or liner being attached to a carton or blank.
Bags or liners, such as paper or plastic bags, traditionally have been used for the packaging and transport of products from bulk materials such as rice or sand to larger items. Bags or liners generally are inexpensive and easy to manufacture and can be formed in different configurations and sizes, and can be used for storage and transport of a wide variety of products. In particular, in the food service industry, bags or liners are frequently used for packaging of prepared food items, such as sandwiches, French fries, cereal, etc. Currently, there is a growing demand for bags or liners or similar packages for use in packaging various products, including sandwiches, French fries, cereal, and other prepared food items, for presentation to consumers. However, it is equally important that the costs of such packages necessarily must be minimized as much as possible. While various packages designs including reinforcing or supporting materials have been developed, often, the manufacture of such specialty bags or liners having reinforcing layers or materials supplied thereto has required multiple stages or operations, which can significantly increase the cost of manufacture of such packages.
In general, one aspect of the disclosure is directed to a method of at least partially forming reinforced packages. The method comprises moving a construct in a machine direction on a construct conveyor. The construct conveyor can comprise a primary lug belt with a primary lug, the construct can be disposed on the primary lug belt, and the moving the construct can comprise moving the primary lug belt in the machine direction so that the primary lug pushes the construct in the machine direction. The method further can comprise positioning a liner on the construct conveyor so that at least a portion of the liner extends over at least a portion of the construct and moving the liner in the machine direction on a secondary lug belt of the construct conveyor. The secondary lug belt can comprise a secondary lug and the moving the liner can comprise moving the secondary lug belt in the machine direction so that the secondary lug pushes the liner in the machine direction.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a system for at least partially forming reinforced packages. The system can comprise a construct conveyor comprising a primary lug belt with a primary lug and a secondary lug belt with a secondary lug. The construct conveyor can move the primary lug belt and the secondary lug belt in a machine direction. A construct can be positioned on the construct conveyor, and the primary lug can push the construct in the machine direction. A liner can be positioned on the construct conveyor and can at least partially overlap the construct. The secondary lug can push the liner in the machine direction.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method of at least partially forming reinforced packages. The method comprises moving a web of material in a first machine direction through a liner forming section, forming at least a liner portion in the web of material during the moving the web of material through the liner forming section, forming a liner by separating the liner portion from the web of material, moving a construct in a second machine direction on a construct conveyor, transferring the liner to the construct conveyor while moving the liner in the second machine direction, and attaching the liner to the construct while moving the liner and the construct in the second machine direction.
In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a system for at least partially forming reinforced packages. The system can comprise a liner forming section receiving a web of material and at least partially forming at least a liner from the web of material. The liner forming portion can have a first machine direction. A construct conveyor moving a construct in a second machine direction. A transfer station can move the liner formed from the liner forming portion to the construct conveyor. The construct conveyor can move the construct and the liner in a second machine direction. The construct conveyor can comprises attachment features that at least partially attach the liner to the construct.
Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying figures.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the below-listed drawing figures. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the above-discussed aspects be provided both individually and in various combinations.
According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.
Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings.
The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method of forming reinforced packages for holding products such as food products or other articles. Packages according to the present disclosure can accommodate articles of any shape. The packages can comprise a bag, liner, or wrap material comprising a relatively flexible material attached to a reinforcing construct comprising a relatively rigid material (e.g., paperboard). The bags or liners can generally be made from a paper, plastic or other stock material and can be attached to the reinforcing construct. In one embodiment, the liners comprise polyethylene material or any other suitable heat-sealable material. The reinforcing construct can be of varying widths and can extend about or over the closed ends of the liners, in some embodiments enclosing such closed ends, and will provide support for the liners upon loading with a product or article or series of articles therein. In some embodiments, the reinforcing construct can be folded with their liners into a configuration supporting the liners in a freestanding, upright and opened condition for ease of loading and ease of use.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the first fold line 33 is segmented into two oblique fold line segments 34, 35 extending from a vertex 30a. The second fold line 37 is segmented into two oblique fold line segments 38, 39 extending from a vertex 30b. The third fold line 40 is segmented into two oblique fold line segments 41, 42 extending from a vertex 31a. The fourth fold line 43 is segmented into two oblique fold line segments 44, 45 extending from a vertex 31b. The fold lines 33, 37 can be spaced apart from lateral fold line 26 so that the vertices 30a, 30b are spaced apart from the lateral fold line 26 farther than the opposite ends of the oblique fold line segments 34, 35, 38, 39 (e.g., the panel portions 28a, 28b and the first side panel 28 are widest between or adjacent the vertices 30a, 30b). Similarly, the fold lines 40, 43 are spaced apart from lateral fold line 27 so that the vertices 31a, 31b are spaced apart from the lateral fold line 27 farther than the opposite ends of the oblique fold line segments 41, 42, 44, 48 (e.g., the panel portions 29a, 29b and the first side panel 29 are widest between or adjacent the vertices 31a, 31b). The fold lines 33, 37, 40, 43 could be omitted or could be otherwise arranged, shaped, positioned, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. For example, the fold lines could be arcuate fold lines rather than segmented fold lines as shown.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the carton blank 10 and carton 5 can comprise any material which is relatively rigid such as paperboard, clay-coated paperboard, solid bleached board (SBB) paperboard, solid bleached sulphate (SBS) paperboard, Kraft line paperboard, or any other suitable material without departing from the disclosure. In alternative embodiments, the carton blank 10 could be otherwise shaped and could have alternative panel, flap, fold line, and/or panel portion arrangements.
In alternative embodiments, the blank 10 can have alternative panel, fold line, and/or panel portion arrangements. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/826,937, filed Mar. 14, 2013, is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes, and illustrates various reinforced packages including various reinforcing constructs 5, blanks 10, and bags 3 that can be formed from the method and system of the present disclosure. Alternatively, any suitable construct, carton, blank, and/or liner could be formed by the method and system of the present disclosure.
Generally, the back panel 23 and the attachment flap 25 can be overlapped and glued and the blank 10 may be folded about fold lines 26, 27, 33, 37, 40, 43 to position the front panel 21, side panels 28, 29, and overlapped back panel 23 and attachment flap 25 to form the carton 5 (
The web 101 may be formed of generally non-permeable material or layers of material, such that a formed bag 3 may hold liquid. The web 101 can comprise any suitable material which is relatively flexible and relatively fluid impervious. The web 101 can comprise paper material laminated with plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or any other suitable material without departing from the disclosure. In one embodiment, the web 101 can include a heat seal layer (e.g., on an interior surface of the web). Alternatively, the web 101 could comprise a fluid pervious material or any other suitable material without departing from the disclosure.
As shown in
In one embodiment, and as described further below, the system and method of the present disclosure can include a liner forming section that generally can fold the web 101 and form heat sealed areas in the web to form the attached bag portions 2 (
In the illustrated embodiment, the bag portions 2 can be separated from the series 125 by cutting at locations indicated by lines 117, generally bifurcating the heat sealed areas 130, and can be glued to the front panels 21 of respective blanks 10 along glue strips G1, for example (
The package 152 can be formed by forming the carton 5 around the bag 3 from the combination of the bag 3 and the blank 10 shown in
As shown in
The web 101 moves through a heat sealer assembly 221 (
In one embodiment, the heating elements are heated so that the combination of pressure between the heating element and the roller 231 and the heat of the heating element on the web of material 101 can cause the layers of the folded web 101 to seal together (e.g., by at least partially softening and/or melting the heat seal layers on the inner surfaces of the four plies of material at the sides of the gusset 136 and of the two plies of material at the sides of the bag portion above the gusset so that the contacting heat seal layers at least partially fuse together). In one embodiment, the face (
As shown in
In one embodiment, a preheater 239 can generally warm the web 101 prior to moving the web through the heat sealer assembly 221 to help reduce the amount of dwell time needed for forming the heat sealed areas 130. The heat sealer assembly 221, including any or all of the heat seal roller 222, the roller 231, the heating elements, the guide rollers, and the preheater 239, could be omitted or could be otherwise arranged, shaped, positioned, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. For example, the heat sealer assembly could be similar to the rotary bag sealer assembly disclosed in the incorporated-by-reference '103 application and/or incorporated-by-reference the '435 application.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, the first bag conveyor 245 can be configured so that the vacuum generally is not applied to the belts 247 as they move over the rollers at the downstream end of the first bag conveyor 245. Accordingly, the bags 3 can be released from the belts 247 onto the transfer plate 256 as the belts 247 move over the end of the first bag conveyor 245. The second bag conveyor 255 can pick up the bags 3 from the transfer plate 256 and move the bags 3 in the second machine direction M2. In one embodiment, an actuator (not shown) (e.g., a puff of air or a pusher rod) can move the bag 3 on the transfer plate 256 to the second bag conveyor 255. Similarly to the first bag conveyor 245, the second bag conveyor 255 can be configured so that the vacuum generally is not applied to the belts 257 as they move over the rollers at the downstream end of the second bag conveyor 255. Accordingly, the bags 3 can be released from the second bag conveyor 255 onto a construct 10 moving along the construct conveyor 253 as described in more detail below.
In one embodiment, a construct feeder 251 (
As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, as the construct conveyor 253 moves the constructs 10 toward the second bag conveyor 255, the constructs 10 can pass through a gluer assembly (not shown). The gluer assembly can include glue applicators (not shown) that apply an adhesive to the constructs 10 for attaching the bags 3 thereto. For example, the gluer assembly can apply glue strips G1 to the front panel 21 as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the construct conveyor 253 moves the constructs 10 under the second bag conveyor 255 so that each construct 10 receives a respective bag 3 as the respective construct 10 moves past the downstream end of the second bag conveyor 255 (e.g., the bag 3 can be positioned on the construct conveyor 253 so that the bag 3 at least partially extends over the construct 10) (
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, the transverse direction of the construct attachment system 206 with respect to the direction of the bag forming portion 201 can facilitate attaching the bags 3 to the constructs 10 in the desired orientation (e.g.,
As shown in
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, after being received on the construct conveyor 253, the liners 3′ can move in the machine direction M2 (e.g., due to contact of the liners 3′ with the secondary lug belts 277 and/or the respective constructs 10′ and/or by engaging the lugs 279). As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, the spacing between the lugs 279 on the respective secondary lug belts 277 (e.g., the lug pockets of the respective secondary lug belts 277) can allow for some variation in timing between the movement of the liners 3′ in the liner feeder 493 and the constructs 10′ on the primary lug belts 267 (e.g., the liner 3′ can be placed ahead of the lugs 279 in the lug pocket so that the liner 3′ is ahead of the desired alignment with the construct 10′). The secondary guides 496 and the cantilever supports 496a can help hold the liner 3′ in the lug pocket above the construct 10′ so that friction with the construct 10′ and engagement with the adhesive on the construct 10′ has a smaller effect on the movement of the liner 3′. The brush 280 further can slow or stop the liner 3′ with respect to the construct 10′ until the lugs 279 of the secondary lug belts 277 engage the liner 3′ at which point the liner 3′ can be aligned for attachment to the construct 10′, which engages the lugs 269 of the primary lug belts 267. Subsequently, as the aligned liner 3′ and construct 10′ move downstream, the cantilever supports 496a end and the aligned liner 3′ and construct 10′ are nipped together between the nip rollers 283, 285. The system 400 could be otherwise arranged, shaped, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. Additionally, any of the features of the system 400 could be omitted or could be otherwise arranged, shaped, positioned, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.
Any of the features of the various embodiments of the disclosure can be combined with, replaced by, or otherwise configured with other features of other embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, the system 400 could be used with a liner forming system that is similar or identical to the bag forming system 201 of the first embodiment or could otherwise receive liners via a transfer station that is similar or identical to the transfer station 204 of the first embodiment. In another example, the secondary guides 496 and/or the cantilever supports 496a of the system 400 could be incorporated into the construct attachment system 206 of the first embodiment.
Generally, as described herein, liners can be formed from a paper stock material, although various plastic or other liner materials also can be used, and can be lined or coated with a desired material. The constructs, blanks, and/or reinforcing sleeves described herein can be made from a more rigid material such as a clay-coated natural kraft (“CCNK”). Other materials such as various card-stock, paper, plastic or other synthetic or natural materials also can be used to form the components of the packages described herein.
In general, the blanks of the present disclosure may be constructed from paperboard having a caliper so that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper. The blank can also be constructed of other materials, such as cardboard, or any other material having properties suitable for enabling the carton to function at least generally as described above. The blank can be coated with, for example, a clay coating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product, advertising, and other information or images. The blanks may then be coated with a varnish to protect information printed on the blanks. The blanks may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on either or both sides of the blanks. The blanks can also be laminated to or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selected panels or panel sections.
As an example, a tear line can include: a slit that extends partially into the material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series of spaced apart slits that extend partially into and/or completely through the material along the desired line of weakness, or various combinations of these features. As a more specific example, one type tear line is in the form of a series of spaced apart slits that extend completely through the material, with adjacent slits being spaced apart slightly so that a nick (e.g., a small somewhat bridging-like piece of the material) is defined between the adjacent slits for typically temporarily connecting the material across the tear line. The nicks are broken during tearing along the tear line. The nicks typically are a relatively small percentage of the tear line, and alternatively the nicks can be omitted from or torn in a tear line such that the tear line is a continuous cut line. That is, it is within the scope of the present disclosure for each of the tear lines to be replaced with a continuous slit, or the like. For example, a cut line can be a continuous slit or could be wider than a slit without departing from the present disclosure.
In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, a fold line can be any substantially linear, although not necessarily straight, form of weakening that facilitates folding there along. More specifically, but not for the purpose of narrowing the scope of the present disclosure, fold lines include: a score line, such as lines formed with a blunt scoring knife, or the like, which creates a crushed or depressed portion in the material along the desired line of weakness; a cut that extends partially into a material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series of cuts that extend partially into and/or completely through the material along the desired line of weakness; and various combinations of these features. In situations where cutting is used to create a fold line, typically the cutting will not be overly extensive in a manner that might cause a reasonable user to incorrectly consider the fold line to be a tear line.
The above embodiments may be described as having one or more panels adhered together by glue during erection of the carton embodiments. The term “glue” is intended to encompass all manner of adhesives commonly used to secure carton panels in place.
The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describes various embodiments. As various changes could be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure covers various modifications, combinations, alterations, etc., of the above-described embodiments. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments, but various other combinations, modifications, and environments are within the scope of the disclosure as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the disclosure.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/055,498, filed on Aug. 6, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/542,863, filed on Aug. 9, 2017.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16055498 | Aug 2018 | US |
Child | 17149881 | US |