Patent Grant
8038827
The claimed invention relates generally to equipment for applying tear tape to a packaging substrate, such as ream wrap, paper or film products, or any packaging materials. The claimed invention generally relates to equipment that interfaces and cooperates with rewinding, wrapping, or packaging equipment.
Packaging material for reams (i.e., 500 sheets) of cut paper is typically manufactured in large rolls, printed or not printed, and rewound and/or cut to specific sizes. The packaging material is then sold to paper manufacturers who package the reams of paper on wrapping lines. Reams of cut paper (e.g., 8½ inches×11 inches, etc.) for copy machines, computers, printers, and other home and office applications are most commonly packaged for shipping, storage, and retail sale in various packaging materials, including paper, paper/film combinations, and solid single- or multi-layer plastic films. As more people have acquired home computers and printers, the use of copier, printer, and computer papers by individual consumers has increased. Individual consumers typically purchase individually wrapped reams of paper at an office supply store, retail store, or through an office supply catalog.
Small business and home office users often need to use only part of a ream at a time and store the remainder of an open ream. A major disadvantage of traditional ream wrap packaging for the individual user is that the current method of opening the packaging destroys the integrity of the entire wrapped ream because such wrappers lack an easy-open ability. For instance, when the folded bottom or top end of the wrapped ream is torn open, the entire folded package tears and opens, destroying the integrity of the wrapped structure and exposing and scattering the loose sheets of paper remaining in the ream. For the individual user who uses only a portion of the ream at a time and needs to store the remaining sheets, the unbound papers pose an inconvenience and impediment to storage. Since the structural support of the original packaging is compromised, the result for individual users is often physical damage to the unbound sheets of paper being stored for future use.
The current marketplace demands a packaging material that may be opened easily so that a user does not tear or destroy the packaging integrity and may remove part of a ream and store the remaining sheets in a structure that prevents physical damage and scattering of loose papers. When torn, a tear tape or easy-open feature enables one end of the package to open, without tearing the remaining packaging, leaving the remaining structure of the ream wrap intact. The remaining package enables the individual user to both safely and easily store and dispense papers.
Such easy-open packaging is equally applicable to other consumer goods, such as, for example, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, etc., where a tear tape applied across a web either on the packaging line or during the manufacture of the packaging materials would be advantageous.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,609 provides an apparatus for cutting and applying a tearing strip to a packaging film. The apparatus uses a pressing device to which a transverse blade for cutting the tear strip and two (2) auxiliary blades for notching/cutting the edge of the packaging film are integrally fixed. When the tear strip is fed underneath the packaging film and the pressing device is actuated, the following three (3) actions occur simultaneously: (1) tear strip is cut; (2) notches are cut into the edge of the packaging film; and (3) tear strip is adhered to the packaging film. This apparatus requires the belt conveying the tear strip and the packaging film to be stopped or stationary while the tear strip is being applied to the packaging film.
In contrast to the prior art, in embodiments of the claimed invention, the packaging material/web is not stopped when applying the tear strip. In addition, the notching/cutting of the edge of the packaging material is performed before the tear strip is applied and also does not require the packaging material/web to be stopped or stationary. Moreover, embodiments of the invention provide an improved non-contact cutting mechanism, namely a laser, for cutting the tear tape, which improves the prior art. Embodiments of the invention further improve the prior art by resulting in faster application speeds and more accurate and reliable application of tear tapes.
The present invention relates to a system and method for applying tear tape to a packaging substrate. Features of the system include a tear tape applicator unit comprising a laser/tear tape unwind assembly and a tear tape applicator assembly and a winder comprising an unwind roll and a rewind roll. A packaging substrate is advanced from the unwind roll to the rewind roll. The tear tape applicator unit interfaces the winder such that at least one portion of a tear tape is cut by the laser/tear tape unwind assembly and applied to the web of packaging substrate by the tear tape applicator assembly. Features of the method include advancing a web of a packaging substrate along a web path from an unwind end to a rewind or wind-up end, cutting at least one portion of a tear tape, advancing said at least one portion of said tear tape toward said web path, and applying said at least one portion of said tear tape to said web.
The present invention relates to a packaging material that is opened easily and without tearing so that a user may remove part of a ream of paper and store the remaining sheets in a structure that prevents physical damage and scattering of loose parts. It is an object of the present invention for the ream wrap to be opened easily by at least one tear tape that surrounds the entire width of a wrapped ream, avoiding tearing of the packaging material and destruction of the packaging integrity.
It is an object of the present invention for certain embodiments of the tear tape applicator to interface and cooperate with winder, re-winder, and slitting devices commonly known and used, or later realized and implemented, in the printing and packaging arts.
It is a further object of the present invention for certain embodiments to interface with any winder, re-winder, or slitting device, currently known or later realized, at either the unwind end or the rewind end of a rewinding line.
These and other features and advantages will be more fully disclosed in, or rendered obvious by, the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which are to be considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts and further wherein:
This description of preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In the description, relative terms such as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing figure under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and normally are not intended to require a particular orientation. Terms including “inwardly” versus “outwardly,” “longitudinal” versus “lateral” and the like are to be interpreted relative to one another or relative to an axis of elongation, or an axis or center of rotation, as appropriate. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “joined,” “connected,” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.
Referring to
Referring to
Tear tape roll servo drive 212 is mounted to frame 201. Tear tape roll spindle 209 is pivotally connected to frame 201. Tear tape rider roller 210 is adjacent tear tape roll spindle 209. V-guide rollers 214 are rotatably connected to vacuum belt frame member 213. Vacuum belt 215 is disposed within vacuum belt frame member 213 and, in some embodiments, extends substantially co-extensively with frame member 213 from v-guide rollers 214 substantially horizontally in the direction of winder 120. Vacuum belt servo drive 220 is connected to frame member 213 and facilitates motion of vacuum belt 215 in the direction of winder 120. Frame 201 is positioned with respect to frame member 213 such that laser beam 204 issues from laser 202 over focal beam length 206 between laser 202 and frame member 213. In some embodiments, as illustrated in
Referring to
Unwind roll 140, idler/dancer rolls 60 and wind-up roll 130 are rotatably and/or otherwise operably connected to base 125 of winder 120. Idler rollers 324 and 326, cross-notching cylinders 330, encoder roll 332, and tamp roller 336 are rotatably and/or otherwise operably connected to frame 216 of tear tape applicator assembly 100. For example, tamp roller 336 may be capable of rotational motion (e.g., rotation about an axis) and/or other periodic motion (e.g., periodic motion of a rotational axis), that is, the tamp roller may, for example, rotate and move up and down. Web of packaging material 5 extends substantially continuously along a web path defined by an unwind end and a rewind end. In some embodiments, web 5 extends substantially continuously from unwind roll 140, at the unwind end of the web path, to idler roller 324, to idler roller 326, past registration eye 328, to and between cross-notching cylinders 330, to encoder roll 332, to tamp roller 336, to idler/dancer rolls 60, and to rewind roll 130, at the rewind end of the web path. The winder 120 pulls web 5 through the machine via a rewind motor.
In a preferred embodiment, web 5 is unwound from unwind roll 140 and wound on rewind roll 130, as described above, at a substantially continuous speed as measured approximately at unwind roll 140 or rewind roll 130, or at approximately where tear tape applicator unit 10 cooperates with winder 120, for example, at approximately where tear tape 207 is applied to web 5. In some such embodiments, web 5 moves at about 220 feet per minute (ft./min.). The advancement of web 5 from unwind roll 140 to rewind roll 130 is said to be in a machine direction, as opposed to, e.g., a cross direction, and tear tape 207 is applied across the web 5 of ream wrap or other packaging material, i.e., in a cross direction. In a preferred embodiment, web 5 is not momentarily stopped during the application of tear tape 207 and instead moves substantially continuously.
Web 5 may be any type of packaging substrate, including, by way of example and not of limitation, paper, coated paper, solid plastic film, shrink wrap film, and paper/film combinations. The packaging substrate may comprise, without limitation, thermoplastic synthetic polymers, including polyolefins such as low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polypropylene coated with a layer of polyethylene, high density polyethylene, metallocene, electron-beam cured solid films, copolymers of ethylene and propylene and combinations of these polymers, polyesters, polyamides, polyvinyl polymers, and copolymers, and polylactic acid (PLA) resins. Preferred resins are polyethylene, low density, high density, or linear low density, and combinations thereof, as well as polypropylene coated or laminated with a layer of polyethylene, and polyesters. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate of web 5 provides a surface for printing or reverse-printing graphics and/or product labeling.
Referring again to
In some embodiments, tear tape 207 comprises a paper material, a polymeric material or film, or a paper/polymer combination which is coated with an adhesive or similar bonding material on one side. Tear tape 207 may comprise, for example: a coated strip of paper or film; a coated strip of high strength polymer film, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, with adhesive on one side of the strip; an identical material from which web 5 wrap itself is made. Tear tape 207 may be treated with an adhesive and/or any similar substance. In some embodiments, tear tape 207 is between about one-eighth (⅛)) of an inch to about three-quarters (¾) of an inch in width, with preferred embodiments being about one-eighth (⅛) of an inch to about one-quarter (¼) of an inch.
Referring to
For example, in some embodiments, registration eye 328 and the encoder roll 332 can be programmed, via software means or otherwise, to measure a predetermined length of web 5 as web 5 passes. Said predetermined length may be measured by registration of certain repeating features of web 5, such as printed or reverse-printed characters, graphics, or other features, or by calculation as a function of time and/or the measured speed at which web 5 passes. When said predetermined length of web 5 passes, registration eye 328 along with the encoder roll 332 signals the operation of cross-notching servo drive 224 to cause cross-notching cylinders 330 to cut a notch or tab on an edge of web 5. Said notch or tab may be positioned at a location on the predetermined length of web 5 where tear tape 207 will be applied to web 5 further downstream in the system 90. In a preferred embodiment, cross-notching cylinders 330 are actuated to make about 150 cuts per minute (cuts/min.) as web 5 moves substantially continuously through system 90.
Knife guard 333 encloses cross-notching cylinders 330 to prevent unintentional access to cutting means 331 and other sharp and/or moving components.
After a section of web 5 passes through and is penetrated, cut, or notched by cross-notching cylinders 330, encoder roll 332 guides web 5 toward tamp roller 336. Web 5 passes between tamp roller 336 (e.g., above) and vacuum belt 215 and vacuum belt frame member 213 (e.g., below). As web 5 passes under tamp roller 336, cut portions of tear tape 207 are intermittently advanced by vacuum belt 215 in a direction substantially normal to web 5, i.e., in a cross direction, rather than in a direction of the motion of web 5, i.e., a machine direction. In a preferred embodiment, a cut portion of tear tape 207 is advanced by vacuum belt 215 under web 5, and once the cut portion of tear tape 207 is disposed substantially under web 5 in a cross direction—e.g., such that the ends of the cut portion of tear tape 207 are substantially aligned with and/or centered with respect to the edges of web 5—tamp roller cylinder 222 actuates lever arm 338 to pivot about torque tube 334 such that tamp roller 336 moves web 5 toward tear tape 207.
As facilitated by the motion of tamp roller 336, a cut portion of tear tape 207 is applied, adhered, and/or attached to web 5 by any suitable means. For example, in some embodiments, tear tape 207 is pre-treated with adhesive material on one side and tear tape 207 is attached to web 5 when tamp roller 336 pushes web 5 into tear tape 207.
After a cut portion of tear tape 207 is attached to web 5, web 5 is advanced through idler/dancer rolls 60 and wound on rewind roll 130.
In some embodiments, there could be several tear tape applicator units 10 interfacing with one (1) winder or rewinder 120. In such an embodiment, more than one tear tape can be applied to the web or packaging substrate at the same time. This would result in an increased speed of the tear tape applicator system 90.
Once tear tape 207 is applied to web 5 as described above, web 5 with attached tear tape 207 can be used as ream wrap or other packaging material for paper or other consumer goods. The web with attached tear tape may be used, for example, to package goods wherein the tear tape is on top of the ream wrap or other packaging material and, when the tear tape is pulled in its longitudinal (i.e., lengthwise) direction, the tear tape opens the top of the ream wrap or other packaging material, but keeps the integrity of the ream wrap or packaging material. Some embodiments of the ream wrap or other packaging material comprise a tear tape that does not completely remove a section of the ream wrap or package. Further, some embodiments of the ream wrap or other packaging material comprise a tear tape applied across the web so that it surrounds the entire width of the wrapped ream or package. When pulled, the tear tape opens one portion of the top or bottom end of the package. Thus, when pulled, the tear tape opens and enables the removal of one of the sealed ends of the ream wrap or other packaging material while leaving the remaining structure intact for storage and dispensing partial reams.
It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited only to the particular constructions herein disclosed and shown in the drawings. The appended claims should be construed broadly to cover any variations or modifications within the scope or range of equivalents of the claims.
The present application is a Divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/022,467, filed Jan. 30, 2008, now U.S. Pat. 7,849,904; which is a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/691,158, filed Mar. 26, 2007, now abandoned; which is itself a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/077,683, filed Mar. 11, 2005, now abandoned; which is itself a Continuation-in-Part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/797,312, filed Mar. 10, 2004, now abandoned.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110036057 A1 | Feb 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12022467 | Jan 2008 | US |
| Child | 12915359 | US | |
| Parent | 11077683 | Mar 2005 | US |
| Child | 11691158 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11691158 | Mar 2007 | US |
| Child | 12022467 | US | |
| Parent | 10797312 | Mar 2004 | US |
| Child | 11077683 | US |
