Method of forming a trapezoidally shaped sleeve having a printed lower portion

Abstract
A method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves having a uniform design or pattern and printed circumferentially about a lower end thereof without requiring the waste of significant portions of sheet material is provided. The method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of web portions along lines defined by coextensive first side edges and coextensive second side edges of printed portions. In another aspect, the method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of overlapping web portions provided with a plurality of printed portions along a plurality of lines which traverse the printed portions and each of the corresponding unprinted portions to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve.
Description




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT




Not applicable.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates generally to manufacturing floral sleeves, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method of manufacturing a plurality of floral sleeves with an ornamental design printed on only a portion of each floral sleeve.




2. Brief Description of the Related Art




Sleeves used for wrapping floral groupings and potted plants are well known in the art. Such sleeves are generally fabricated of a flexible sheet material and have an open upper end and an open or closed bottom end. The flexibility of the material permits the sleeves to be expanded into a frusto-conically shaped tube and to be flattened into a trapezoidally shaped configuration. Sleeves can be formed from a pair of webs, a single folded web, or a tubular web. Regardless of the form of the material used, overlapping portions are transversely sealed together to form a pair of sealed edges extending from the upper end of the sleeve to the bottom of the sleeve. To reduce waste, sleeves are formed so as to be inverted relative to the adjacent sleeves and so that adjacent sleeves share a common edge. The web is then cut along the sealed edges to form the sleeves.




In the manufacturing of sleeves, it is often desirable that the sleeve be provided with decorative designs or patterns on a lower portion of the sleeve while leaving the upper portion of the sleeve relatively unobstructed for viewing of the floral grouping through the sleeve. Problems have been encountered in the manufacture of sleeves with printed lower portions, however, in that the printed design is not printed uniformly about the entire lower portion of the sleeve. That is, an unprinted section or strip remains adjacent the sealed edge. Alternatively, the printed design on the lower portion overlaps onto the upper portion of the adjacent sleeve.




In an effort to overcome the above mentioned problems, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,252, issued to Scott Robert Gilbert, discloses a method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves that do not have unprinted edges and which do not have printing overlap in the upper portion thereof. However, this method requires that a significant amount of material be wasted in that an amount of material for forming more than one half a sleeve every other sleeve formed is discarded.




To this end, a need exists for a method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves having a uniform design or pattern imprinted circumferentially thereabout without requiring the waste of significant portions of sheet material. It is to such a method that the present invention is directed.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is directed to a method of forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion, with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve, the method comprising providing a first web portion having a plurality of successive printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions. Each printed portion of the first web portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The first and second side edges of each printed portion of the first web portion is angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge and the first side edge of each printed portion is coextensive with the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions. The second side edge of each printed portion is coextensive with the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion.




A second web portion is provided. The second web portion has a plurality of successive printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the second web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions. Each printed portion of the second web portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The first and second side edges of each printed portion is angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge. The first side edge of each printed portion is coextensive with the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions and the second side edge of each printed portion is coextensive with the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion.




The first web portion is positioned on the second web portion such that the printed portions of the first web portion are superimposed over the printed portions of the second web portion and such that the unprinted portions of the first web portion are superimposed over the unprinted portions of the second web portion.




Finally, the first and second web portions are sealed and severed along lines defined by the coextensive first sides edges and the coextensive second side edges of each of the printed portions thereby forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve.




In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of forming a plurality of sleeves by providing a pair of web portions. The first web portion has a plurality of successive printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions Each printed portion of the first web portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge The first and second side edges of each printed portion is angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge and the first side edge of each printed portion is substantially aligned with the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions and the second side edge of each printed portion being substantially aligned with the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion.




A second web portion is provided having a plurality of successive printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the second web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions is provided. Each printed portion of the second web portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The first and second side edges of each printed portion are angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge. The first side edge of each printed portion is substantially aligned with the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions and the second side edge of each printed portion is substantially aligned with the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion.




The first web portion is positioned on the second web portion such that each of the printed portions of the first web portion are substantially superimposed over a corresponding printed portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of printed portions and such that each of the unprinted portions of the first web portion are substantially superimposed over a corresponding unprinted portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of unprinted portions.




The first and second web portions are sealed and severed along a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion, with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve. Each first line traverses each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traverses each unprinted portion of a corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of one of the adjacent superimposed pairs of printed portions. Each second line traverses each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traverses each unprinted portion of the corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of one of the oppositely adjacent superimposed pair of printed portions.




The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING





FIG. 1

is a side elevational view of a prior art sleeve having a printed lower portion with a “racing stripe” on each side thereof and an unprinted upper portion.





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of a prior art sleeve having a printed lower portion and an upper portion with an overlapping printed portion.





FIG. 3

is a side elevational view of a prior art sleeve having a continuously printed lower portion and an unprinted upper portion.





FIG. 4

is a plan view of a portion of a web of material illustrating a prior art printing and sealing pattern for forming the sleeve of

FIG. 1







FIG. 5

is a plan view of a portion of a web of material illustrating a prior art printing and sealing pattern for forming the sleeve of FIG.


2


.





FIG. 6

is a plan view of a portion of a web of material illustrating a prior art printing and sealing pattern for forming the sleeve of FIG.


3


.





FIG. 7

is a plan view of a portion of a web of material illustrating a printing pattern constructed in accordance with the present invention for forming the sleeve of

FIG. 3

with no excess material.





FIG. 8

is a plan view of the web of material of

FIG. 7

illustrating the web of material folded in half and a cutting and sealing pattern for forming the sleeve of

FIG. 3

with no excess material.





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of a portion of a pair of webs of sheet material illustrating another embodiment of a printing pattern constructed in accordance with the present invention for forming the sleeve of

FIG. 3

with minimal excess material.





FIG. 10

is a plan view of the webs of material of

FIG. 9

illustrating a cutting and sealing pattern for forming the sleeve of

FIG. 3

with minimal excess material.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to

FIGS. 1-3

, shown therein and designated by the general reference numerals


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


, respectively, are three examples of flexible bags or sleeves of unitary construction. Each of the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


comprises a flexible flattened piece of material which is openable into the form of a tube or sleeve. Further, each of the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


is tapered outwardly from the lower end toward a larger diameter at its upper end. In its flattened state, each of the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


has an overall trapezoidal shape, and when opened, is generally substantially frusto-conical.




The sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


,


10




c


are constructed from any suitable material that is capable of being formed into a sleeve and wrapped about a pot and a floral grouping disposed therein. Preferably, the material comprises paper (untreated or treated in any manner), cellophane, metal foil, polymer film, non-polymer film, fabric (woven or nonwoven or synthetic or natural), cardboard, fiber, cloth, burlap, or laminations or combinations thereof.




The term “polymer film” means a man-made polymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. A polymer film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing (substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.




The material from which the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


are constructed preferably has a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 30 mils, although in some cases the sleeves may be much thicker, especially when the sleeves are constructed from multiple layers. Often, the thicknesses of the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


are in a range from about 0.5 mils to about 10 mils. Preferably, the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


have thickness in a range from about 1.0 mil to about 5 mils. More preferably, the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


are constructed from material which is flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or any combination thereof. The sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the material may be utilized as long as the material functions in accordance with the present invention as described herein. The layers of material comprising the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. Such materials used to construct sleeves are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637 entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping” issued to Weder et al., on May 12, 1992, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Any thickness of material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be formed as described herein, and as long as the formed sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may contain at least a portion of a pot or potted plant or a floral grouping, as described herein. Additionally, an insulating material such as bubble film, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilized in order to provide additional protection for the item, such as the floral grouping, contained therein.




In one embodiment, the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be constructed from two polypropylene films. The material comprising the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. In an alternative embodiment, the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may be constructed from only one of the polypropylene films.




The sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


may also be constructed, in whole or in part, from a cling material. “Cling Wrap or Material”, when used herein, means any material which is capable of connecting to the sheet of material and/or itself upon contacting engagement during the wrapping process and is wrappable about an item whereby portions of the cling material contactingly engage and connect to other portions of another material, or, alternatively, itself, for generally securing the material wrapped about at least a portion of a pot. This connecting engagement is preferably temporary in that the material may be easily removed, i.e., the cling material “clings” to the pot.




The cling material is constructed and treated if necessary, from polyethylene such as Cling Wrap made by GLAD®, First Brands Corporation, Danbury, Conn. The thickness of the cling material will, in part, depend upon the size of sleeve


10




a


,


10




b


or


10




c


, and the size of the pot in the sleeve


10




a


,


10




b


or


10




c


, i.e., generally, a larger pot may require a thicker and therefore stronger cling material. The cling material will range in thickness from less than about 0.1 mils to about 10 mils, and preferably less than about 0.5 mils to about 2.5 mils and most preferably from less than about 0.6 mils to about 2 mils. However, any thickness of cling material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention which permits the cling material to function as described herein.




It will generally be desired to use the sleeve


10




a


,


10




b


or


10




c


as a covering for a potted plant such as is well known in the art. The term “pot” as used herein refers to any type of container used for holding a floral grouping or plant. Examples of pots, used in accordance with the present invention include, but not by way of limitation, clay pots, wooden pots, plastic pots, pots made from natural mud/or synthetic fibers, or any combination thereof. The pot is adapted to receive a floral grouping in the retaining space. The floral grouping may be disposed within the pot along with a suitable growing medium described in further detail below, or other retaining medium, such as a floral foam. It will also be understood that the floral grouping, and any appropriate growing medium or other retaining medium, may be disposed in the sleeve


10


without a pot.




The term “floral grouping” as used herein means cut fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/or artificial plants or other floral materials and may include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materials which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. The floral grouping comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stem portion. Further, the floral grouping may comprise a growing potted plant having a root portion (not shown) as well. However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist of only a single bloom or only foliage, or a botanical item (not shown), or a propagule (not shown). the term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeably herein with both the terms “floral arrangement” and “potted plant”. The term “floral grouping” may also be used interchangeably herein with the terms “botanical item” and/or “propagule.”




The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid, solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivation of propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil, humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients, fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plants or propagules for growth.




The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term “botanical item” also means any portion or portions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.




The term “propagule” when used herein means any structure capable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.




Referring now more specifically to

FIG. 1

, the sleeve


10




a


has an open upper end


12




a


, a lower end


14




a


, a sealed first edge


18




a


, a sealed second edge


20




a


, a first side


22




a


and a second side


24




a


. Preferably the lower end


14




a


is closed and provided with a gusset


26




a


, but it may be sealed along an edge. When the lower end


14




a


of the sleeve


10




a


has a closed bottom, the gusset


26




a


may take the form of any known gusset, such as an inwardly folded portion or an outwardly folded portion, as illustrated in FIG.


1


. It should be appreciated that the gusset


26




a


permits a circular bottom of an object such as a potted plant to be disposed into the inner retaining space of the lower end


14




a


of the sleeve


10




a.






The sleeve


10




a


is characterized as having an upper portion


28




a


and a lower portion


30




a


. The lower portion


30




a


is generally defined as being that portion of the sleeve


10




a


sized to extend about the exterior surface of a pot (not shown) when the pot is disposed in the sleeve


10




a


in a manner well known in the art. The upper portion


28




a


of the sleeve


10




a


is sized to substantially surround and encompass a floral grouping (not shown) extending from the pot.




The upper portion


28




a


and the lower portion


30




a


may be demarcated by a detaching element (not shown) for enabling the upper portion


28




a


to be selectively removed from the lower portion


30




a


. The term “detaching element” as used herein, generally means any element or combination of elements or features, such as but not limited to, perforations, tear strips, tear starts, zippers, and any other devices or elements of this nature known in the art, or any combination thereof, which enable or facilitate the tearing away or detachment of one object from another. Therefore, while perforations are shown and described herein, it will be understood that tear strips, zippers, or any other “detaching elements” known in the art, or any combinations thereof, could be substituted therefor.




It should be noted that the sleeves


10




b


and


10




c


shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

are substantially identical in construction to the sleeve


10




a


described above. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the sleeves


10




b


and


10




c


will not be described in detail, but like numerals are used to represent like components with the exception that components of the sleeves


10




b


and


10




c


are denoted with the letters “b” and “c”, respectively.




As mentioned above, it is often desirable that the upper portion of the sleeve be substantially transparent or otherwise pervious to light to permit relatively unobstructed viewing of the floral grouping through the sleeve and that the lower portion be provided with a decorative designs or pattern.




With respect to the sleeve


10




a


, the lower portion


30




a


of the sleeve


10




a


is shown to have a printed area


32


which extends over the lower portion


30




a


of the sleeve


10




a


with the exception of an unprinted section or strip


34


adjacent the sealed edge


18




a


and an unprinted section or strip


36


adjacent the sealed edge


20




a.






With respect to the sleeve


10




b


, the lower portion


30




b


of the sleeve


10




b


is shown to have a printed area


38


which extends over the entire lower portion


30




b


of the sleeve


10




b


and further has a printed section


40


on the upper portion


28




b


adjacent the sealed edge


18




b


and a printed section or strip


42


adjacent the sealed edge


20




b.






Finally, with respect to the sleeve


10




c


, the lower portion


30




c


of the sleeve


10




c


is shown to have a printed area


44


which extends over the entire lower portion


30




c


of the sleeve


10




c


with no overlapping printed portion being present on the upper portion


28




c.






Of the three sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


, the sleeve


10




c


is generally regarded as providing the preferred aesthetic appearance, as the sleeve


10




c


is free from a “racing stripe” which breaks up the continuity of the printed image around the circumferential area of the lower portion of the sleeve, and is also free of the “overlap” which is an indication of poor quality and partially impedes the view of the contents within the upper portion of the sleeve.

FIGS. 4-6

illustrate prior art methods of forming the plurality of the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


, respectively, from a single folded web of material. It will be appreciated, however, that the sleeves


10




a


,


10




b


, and


10




c


are also commonly formed from pairs of overlapping webs or a tubular web.




Referring now to

FIG. 4

, shown is a portion of a single web of material


46


folded in half along line


48


and used for forming the sleeve


10




a


illustrated in FIG.


1


. The web of material


46


is printed along a longitudinal axis with successive printed portions


50


which are spaced apart from each other so that web of material


46


may be sealed and cut along lines


52


and


54


in an unprinted portion. By sealing and cutting the web of material


46


along the unprinted portion, the unprinted strips


34


and


36


are formed adjacent each side edge in the lower portion


30




a


of each sleeve


10




a


. However, no material is wasted and no “overlap” is formed on the upper portion


28




a


of the sleeve


10




a.






As shown in

FIG. 5

, the sleeves


10




b


are formed by providing a single web of material


56


having printed portions


58


which are diagonally opposed in mirror images except that each printed portion


58


extends longitudinally past the line along which an edge is to be formed. As a result, the printed portion


58


overlaps on to the upper portion


28




b


of the adjacent sleeve upon sealing and cutting the web of material


56


along lines


60


and


62


, thereby forming the printed sections


40


and


42


on the upper portion


28




b


of the sleeve


10




b


. Like the method illustrated in

FIG. 4

, no portion of the web of material


56


is wasted in the forming of the sleeves


10




b.






In forming of the sleeve


10




c


, illustrated in

FIG. 6

, a single web of material


64


is provided with a printed portion


65


along a lower portion of the web of material


64


while an upper portion of the web of material remains unprinted. The web of material


64


is sealed and cut along lines


66


and


68


to form a sleeve


10




c


and along lines


66




a


and


68




a


to form another sleeve


10




c


. An area


70


of the web of material


64


bounded by the lines


68


and


66




a


is discarded. As such, the sleeves


10




c


do not have unprinted edges or printing overlap in the upper portion thereof. However, this method requires that a significant amount of material be wasted in the process and an amount of material for forming more than one-half a sleeve every other sleeve formed is discarded. Because of the need for a method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves having a uniform design or pattern printed circumferentially thereabout without requiring the waste of significant portions of material, a need for an improved method of forming floral sleeves has been recognized.





FIGS. 7-10

illustrate improved methods of forming floral sleeves having continuous patterns imprinted circumferentially thereabout on a lower portion thereof. These methods overcome the before-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art methods, and thus represent advancements in the state of the art relating to floral sleeves.





FIG. 7

shows a portion of a web of material


80


divided into a first web portion


84


and a second web portion


86


by dashed line


87


.




The first web portion


84


is printed with a plurality of successive printed portions


88


extending along the longitudinal axis of the first web portion


84


in a staggered, inverted relationship. The first web portion


84


further has a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions


90


. Each printed portion


88


of the first web portion


84


has a top edge


92


, a bottom edge


94


, a first side edge


96


, and a second side edge


98


. The first and second side edges


96


and


98


of each printed portion


88


of the first web portion


84


is angled outwardly from the bottom edge


94


to the top edge


92


such that each printed portion


88


has a generally trapezoidal shape. Further, each printed portion


88


is printed on the web of material


80


so that the first side edge


96


of each printed portion


88


is coextensive with the first side edge


96


of the adjacent printed portion


88


, and the second side edge


98


of each printed portion


88


is coextensive with the second side edge


98


of the opposite adjacent printed portion


88


.




Similarly, the second web portion


86


is printed with a plurality of successive printed portions


100


extending along the longitudinal axis of the second web portion


86


in a staggered, inverted relationship. The second web portion


86


further has a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions


102


. Each printed portion


100


of the second web portion


86


has a top edge


104


, a bottom edge


106


, a first side edge


108


, and a second side edge


110


. The first and second side edges


108


and


110


of each printed portion


100


of the second web portion


86


is angled outwardly from the bottom edge


106


to the top edge


104


such that each printed portion


100


has a generally trapezoidal shape. Further, the printed portions


100


are printed on the web of material


80


so that the first side edge


108


of each printed portion


100


is coextensive with the first side edge


108


of the adjacent printed portion


100


, and a second side edge


110


of each printed portion


100


is coextensive with the second side edge


112


of the oppositely adjacent printed portion


100


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 8

, the web of material


80


is folded along the line


87


to position the first web portion


84


on the second web portion


86


such that the printed portions


88


of the first web portion


84


are superimposed over the printed portions


100


of the second web portion


86


and the unprinted portions


90


of the first web portion are superimposed over the unprinted portions


102


of the second web portion


86


.




A series of sleeves is in turn formed by sealing and severing the first and second web portions


84


and


86


along lines


112


defined by the coextensive first side edges


96


and


108


, and the coextensive second side edges


98


and


110


of each of the printed portions


88


and


100


, thereby forming a plurality of sleeves, similar to the sleeve


10




c


illustrated in FIG.


3


. Each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve.




It will be appreciated that the method illustrated in

FIGS. 7 and 8

requires that the printed portions


88


of the first web portion


84


be superimposed on the printed portions


100


of the second web portion


86


with a high degree of precision and that the first and second web portions


84


and


86


must be sealed and severed precisely along the coextensive edges of the printed portions


88


and


100


to form a series of sleeves wherein each sleeve has a printed portion that extends continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve without resulting in the waste of any material.

FIGS. 9 and 10

illustrate another method of forming a series of sleeves which does not require the high degree of precision demanded in the method of

FIGS. 7 and 8

.





FIG. 9

shows a pair of webs of material or web portions


122


and


124


for use in forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve. The first web portion


122


is printed with a plurality of successive printed portions


126


extending along the longitudinal axis of the first web portion


122


in a staggered, inverted relationship. The first web portion


122


further has a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions


128


. Each printed portion


126


of the web portion


122


has a top edge


130


, a bottom edge


132


, a first side edge


134


, and a second side edge


136


. The first and second side edges


134


and


136


of each printed portion


126


are angled outwardly from the bottom edge


132


to the top edge


130


such that each of the printed portions


126


has a generally trapezoidal shape. Further, the first web portion


122


is printed with the printed portions


126


such that the first side edge


134


of each printed portion is generally aligned with the first side edge


134


of the adjacent printed portion


126


so as to be parallel or coextensive with the first side edge


134


of the adjacent printed portion


126


and such that the second side edge


136


of each printed portion


126


is generally aligned with the second side edge


136


of the oppositely adjacently printed portion


126


so as to be parallel or coextensive with the second side edge


136


of the oppositely adjacently printed portion


126


.




It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the method illustrated in

FIGS. 9 and 10

may be carried out to attain the advantages of forming sleeves with a printed portion extending continuously about the circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve without having to waste or discard a significant amount of material in the process even if the first and second edges of the printed portions are not coextensive with each other, as is illustrated in

FIGS. 9 and 10

. However, less material is likely to be wasted or discarded when the first and second side edges of the printed portions are coextensive with each other.




Like the first web portion


122


, the second web portion


124


has a plurality of successive printed portions


138


extending along the longitudinal axis of the second web portion


124


in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions


140


. Each printed portion


138


of the second web portion


124


has a top edge


142


, a bottom edge


144


, a first side edge


146


, and a second side edge


148


. The first and second side edges


146


and


148


of each printed portion


138


are angled outwardly from the bottom edge


144


to the top edge


142


such that each of the printed portions


138


has a generally trapezoidal shape. Further, the second web portion


124


is printed with the printed portions


138


such that the first side edge


146


of each printed portion


138


is generally aligned with the first side edge


146


of the adjacent printed portion


138


so as to parallel or coextensive with the first side edge


146


of the adjacent printed portion


138


, and the second side edge


148


of each printed portion


138


is generally aligned with the second side edge


148


of the oppositely adjacent printed portion


138


so as to be parallel or coextensive with the second side edge


148


of the oppositely adjacent printed portion


138


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 10

, the first web portion


122


is positioned on the second web portion


124


such that the printed portions


126


of the first web portion


122


are substantially superimposed over the printed portions


138


of the second web portion


124


to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of printed portions


150


. Further, the first web portion


122


is positioned on the second web portion


124


such that the unprinted portions


128


of the first web portion


122


are substantially superimposed over the unprinted portions


140


of the second web portion


124


to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of unprinted portions


152


. As mentioned above, the method illustrated in

FIGS. 9 and 10

does not require the printed portions


126


and the printed portions


138


to be superimposed with the precision of that required to carry out the method illustrated in

FIGS. 7 and 8

. To this end,

FIG. 10

further illustrates the instance when the printed portions


126


of the first web portion


122


are slightly offset from, or misaligned with, the printed portions


138


of the second web portion


124


, thereby obviating the method illustrated in

FIGS. 7 and 8

.




To overcome the fact that the printed portions


126


and


138


may not be exactly superimposed on each other, a series of sleeves is formed by sealing and severing the first and second web portions


122


and


124


along a plurality of first lines


154


and plurality of second lines


156


. Each of the first lines


154


traverses one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions


150


such that the first line


154


traverses each of the printed portions


126


and


138


near the first side edges


134


and


148


of the web portions


122


and


124


, respectively. Each of the first lines


154


further traverses each unprinted portion


128


and


140


of a corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions


152


proximate to the first side edges


134


and


146


of the printed portions


126


and


138


of the adjacent superimposed pair of printed portions


150


thereby forming a sealed first edge.




The second lines


156


traverse each of the printed portions


126


and


138


of the superimposed pairs of printed portions


150


proximate to the second side edges


136


and


148


of the printed portions


126


,


138


, respectively. Each of the second lines


156


further traverse each unprinted portion


128


and


140


of the corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions


152


proximate to the second side edges


136


and


148


of the printed portion


126


and


138


of the oppositely adjacent superimposed pair of printed portions


150


, thereby forming a sealed second edge.




As shown in

FIG. 10

, each first line


154


is spaced from an adjacent first line


154


to form a strip of material


158


therebetween, and each second line


156


is spaced from an adjacent second line


156


to form a strip of material


160


. Upon sealing and severing the first and second web portions


122


and


124


along the first lines


154


and the second lines


156


, and discarding the strips of material


158


and


160


, a plurality of sleeves


162


is formed. Because the first and second lines


154


and


156


traverse each of the printed portions


126


and


138


and traverse the corresponding unprinted portions


128


and


140


, each of the sleeves


162


has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve. Furthermore, while some material must be discarded, the amount of material discarded is significantly less than the amount of material discarded using the prior art method described above with reference to FIG.


6


.




The methods of

FIGS. 7-10

are carried out by intermittently advancing, in timed sequence aided with photoelectric eyes (not shown) a pair of webs of material, a single web of material folded upon itself, or even a tubular web of material to a sealing and severing station wherein a sealing bar (not shown) is activated to seal the overlapping web portions to form sleeves in accordance with the methods described above. Machines adaptable for producing sleeves in accordance with the methods of the present invention are well known in the art and available from Lemo Maschinenbau GmbH, Niderkassel-Mondorf, Germany, as well other manufacturers of bag-making machines.




From the above description it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A method of forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve, the method comprising:providing a first web portion having a plurality of printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions, each printed portion of the first web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first and second side edges of each printed portion angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge, the first side edge of each printed portion formed proximate the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions and the second side edge of each printed portion formed proximate the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion; providing a second web portion having a plurality of printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the second web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions, each printed portion of the second web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first and second side edges of each printed portion angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge, the first side edge of each printed portion formed proximate the first side edge of one of the adjacent printed portions and the second side edge of each printed portion formed proximate the second side edge of the oppositely adjacent printed portion; positioning the first web portion on the second web portion such that each of the printed portions of the first web portion is substantially superimposed over a corresponding printed portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of printed portions and such that each of the unprinted portions of the first web portion is substantially superimposed over a corresponding unprinted portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of unprinted portions; and sealing and severing the first and second web portions along a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve, each first line traversing each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traversing each unprinted portion of a corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of one of the adjacent superimposed pairs of printed portions, each second line traversing each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traversing each unprinted portion of the corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of one of the oppositely adjacent superimposed pair of printed portions.
  • 2. A method of forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve, the method comprising:providing a first web portion having a plurality of printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions, each printed portion of the first web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first and second side edges of each printed portion angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge; providing a second web portion having a plurality of printed portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the second web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship and a plurality of corresponding unprinted portions, each printed portion of the second web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first and second side edges of each printed portion angled outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge; positioning the first web portion on the second web portion such that each of the printed portions of the first web portion is substantially superimposed over a corresponding printed portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of printed portions and such that each of the unprinted portions of the first web portion is substantially superimposed over a corresponding unprinted portion of the second web portion to form a plurality of superimposed pairs of unprinted portions; and sealing and severing the first and second web portions along a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a printed portion extending continuously about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve, each first line traversing each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traversing each unprinted portion of a corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the first side edges of the printed portions of one of the adjacent superimposed pairs of printed portions, each second line traversing each of the printed portions of one of the superimposed pairs of printed portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of the superimposed pair of printed portions and traversing each unprinted portion of the corresponding superimposed pair of unprinted portions substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the printed portions of one of the oppositely adjacent superimposed pair of printed portions.
  • 3. The method of claim 2 wherein in the step of sealing and severing the first and second web portions, each first line is spaced from an adjacent first line to form a strip of material therebetween, and each second line is spaced from an adjacent second line to form a strip of material therebetween.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/738,655, filed Dec. 15, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,075 B2, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/288,345, filed Apr. 8, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,590 B1, issued Feb. 6, 2001, the contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
4297811 Weder Nov 1981 A
5228234 de Klerk et al. Jul 1993 A
5235782 Landau Aug 1993 A
5388695 Gilbert Feb 1995 A
5492588 Weder et al. Feb 1996 A
5493809 Weder et al. Feb 1996 A
5496251 Cheng Mar 1996 A
5496252 Gilbert Mar 1996 A
5647168 Gilbert Jul 1997 A
5687845 Weder Nov 1997 A
5716137 Meyer Feb 1998 A
6023885 Weder Feb 2000 A
6183590 Weder Feb 2001 B1
6521075 Weder Feb 2003 B2
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
JLEMO Jagenberg-Gruppe Brochure; INERMAT S-ST Single-Lane Production Line for Wicketed Bags (6 pages).
Continuations (2)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/738655 Dec 2000 US
Child 10/322140 US
Parent 09/288345 Apr 1999 US
Child 09/738655 US