Claims
- 1. A process of packaging with a bagging machine for sequentially delivering end ones of a chain of interconnected preopened bags to a loading and sealing station, the machine having a seal bar and a reciprocatably mounted seal pad assembly including a pad and a coacting housing, the pad being for pressing top portions of a loaded bag to be sealed against the bar, the method comprising:
- a) positioning a bag to be loaded at the station;
- b) opening the positioned bag and inserting contents to be packaged;
- c) moving the assembly along a path of travel toward the seal bar;
- d) sensing lost motion movement of at least a selected one of the pad and housing relative to other parts of the assembly;
- e) determining whether the sensed lost motion movement was during an early or a late portion of the assembly movement along the path and toward the seal bar;
- f) stopping the assembly movement toward the seal bar when it is determined that the sensed lost motion movement was during the early portion;
- g) allowing the assembly movement to continue toward the seal bar when it is determined the lost motion movement was in the late portion; and,
- h) continuing the assembly movement until said top portions are pressed together to effect a seal;
- i) separating the loaded bag from the chain by pulling the chain away from the load station as the loaded bag is being sealed; and,
- j) separating the assembly from the seal bar whereby to release the loaded and now sealed bag from the machine.
- 2. The process of claim 1 wherein step (f) further includes reversing the assembly movement when the movement toward the seal bar is stopped.
- 3. A packaging machine for loading bags including a bag sealing section, the sealing section comprising:
- a) a frame structure;
- b) heater bar and seal bar sub-assemblies each connected to the frame structure and located at a sealing station;
- c) a reciprocatable support movably connected to the frame structure, the support carrying a selected one of the sub-assemblies and forming at least a part of the connection of said selected sub-assembly and the frame structure, the support being adapted to bring the sub-assemblies together and thereby clamp a loaded bag against the heater bar sub-assembly;
- d) a prime mover operatively interposed between the frame structure and the support for causing reciprocation of the support relative to the frame;
- e) the selected one of the sub-assemblies including a lost motion mechanism;
- f) a sensor for sensing movement of the lost motion connection relative to the support and emitting signals in response to sensed movement; and,
- g) control means operatively connected to the prime mover and the sensor for:
- i) actuating the prime mover to cause support closing movement to relatively move the sub-assemblies from a storage position toward a closed sealing position;
- ii) reversing the prime mover to terminate the closing movement on receipt of a sensor emitted signal during an initial portion of the closing movement; and,
- i) permitting the prime mover to continue the closing movement on receipt of one such signal during a latter portion of the closing movement.
- 4. The machine of claim 3 wherein the control means will cause reversal of the prime mover during said latter portion of the closing movement when one such signal is not received during such latter portion.
- 5. A method of operation of a packaging machine during a sealing operation comprising:
- a) energizing a prime mover to cause a support to move seal pad and seal bar sub-assemblies relatively toward one another along a path toward engagement with portions of a package being formed and thereby compress the portions between the seal bar and the seal pad;
- b) detecting lost motion movement of a component of one of the sub-assemblies while the prime mover is energized and causing such relative sub-assembly movement;
- c) determining whether the detected lost motion movement is during an early or late portion of the relative movement of the sub-assemblies; and,
- d) reversing the direction of the prime mover caused relative sub-assembly movement toward one another when the detected motion was during the early portion of the sub-assembly relative movement while allowing the sub-assembly movement toward one another when the detected motion was during said late portion.
- 6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of determining if such lost motion movement occurs during said late portion and reversing the prime mover caused relative movement if such lost motion movement has not occurred during said late portion.
- 7. A package sealing mechanism comprising:
- a) housing and frame structure;
- b) relatively moveable heater bar and seal pad sub-assemblies connected to the structure, one of the sub-assemblies including a lost motion connection;
- c) a prime mover operably connected to the sub-assemblies selectively to cause relative sub-assembly motion from a spaced package receiving and discharge position to a package sealing position and return;
- d) a sensor for detecting movement of the lost motion connection; and,
- e) control means operably connected to the sensor and the prime mover and adapted to abort a sealing operation in response to signals from the sensor indicating an undesired condition while allowing the sealing operation to continue when the same sensor signal is indicative of a desired condition.
- 8. The mechanism of claim 7 wherein the undesired condition during an initial portion of the motion from the receiving to the sealing position is a sensor signal indicating lost motion movement and during a later portion of such motion the lack of such a lost motion movement indicating signal.
- 9. The mechanism of claim 7 wherein said one sub-assembly is the seal pad sub-assembly.
- 10. A process of packaging with a bagging machine for sequentially delivering end ones of a chain of interconnected preopened bags to a loading and sealing station, the machine having a seal bar and a reciprocatably mounted seal pad assembly including a pad and a coacting housing, the pad being for pressing top portions of a loaded bag to be sealed against the bar, the method comprising:
- a) positioning a bag to be loaded at the station;
- b) opening the positioned bag and inserting contents to be packaged;
- c) moving the assembly along a path of travel toward the seal bar;
- d) sensing lost motion movement of at least a selected one of the pad and housing relative to other parts of the assembly;
- e) determining whether the sensed lost motion movement was during an early or a late portion of the assembly movement along the path and toward the seal bar;
- f) stopping the assembly movement toward the seal bar when it is determined that the sensed lost motion movement was during the early portion;
- g) allowing the assembly movement to continue toward the seal bar when it is determined the lost motion movement was in the late portion; and,
- h) continuing the assembly movement until said top portions are pressed together to effect a seal.
- 11. The process of claim 10 wherein the loaded bag is separated from the chain by pulling the chain away from the load station as the loaded bag is being sealed.
- 12. The process of claim 10 wherein step (f) further includes reversing the assembly movement when the movement toward the seal bar is stopped.
- 13. The process of claim 10 wherein the sensed lost motion movement is movement of the housing.
- 14. In a bagging machine for packaging products in bags of a chain of preopened bags, a sealer assembly including a jam prevention mechanism comprising:
- a) an elongate heat sealer element;
- b) an elongate sealer pad element;
- c) reciprocatable structure interposed between and connected to the elements;
- d) the structure including a prime mover for relatively moving the elements between a spaced storage position and a substantially abutting sealing position;
- e) the structure also including a lost motion mechanism interposed between one of the elements and other pans of the structure;
- f) the machine further including a signal emitting sensor operatively connected to the lost motion mechanism for emitting a signal when the lost motion mechanism moves relative to said other pans; and,
- g) circuit means operatively connected to the sensor and the prime mover for:
- i) energizing the prime mover to cause relative element closing movement from the storage toward the sealing position;
- ii) reversing the prime mover to terminate the closing movement on receipt of a sensor emitted signal during an initial portion of the closing movement; and,
- h) permitting the prime mover to continue the closing movement on receipt of one such signal during a latter portion of the closing movement.
- 15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the circuit means will cause reversal of the prime mover during said latter portion of the closing movement when one such signal is not received during such latter portion.
REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/298,786, filed Aug. 31, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,485, issued Mar. 19, 1996, which in turn was a division of Ser. No. 07/954,378 filed on Sept. 30, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,676 issued on Mar. 7, 1995. Additional disclosure is incorporated from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/954,305, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,671 filed Mar. 1, 1994 which was concurrently filed with and incorporated by in its entirety in the grandparent application. Each of the patents is entitled Packaging Machine & Method.
US Referenced Citations (21)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 207838 |
Jun 1986 |
EPX |
| 0429416 |
May 1991 |
EPX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
| Entry |
| Search report--European patent application 93306802. |
Divisions (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
298786 |
Aug 1994 |
|
| Parent |
954378 |
Sep 1992 |
|
Patent Grant
5568718
