US2739512A

US2739512A - Apparatus for making wrapper with tearing strip

Info

Publication number: US2739512A
Application number: US150644A
Authority: US
Inventors: John D Conti
Original assignee: American Viscose Corp
Current assignee: Akzo Nobel UK PLC
Priority date: 1950-03-20
Filing date: 1950-03-20
Publication date: 1956-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1973-03-27

Description

March 27, 1956 1a D, 0NT| 2,739,512

APPARATUS FOR MAKING WRAPPER WITH TEARING STRIP Filed March 20, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN D. C ONT/ Y Y Y Arraafy.

March 27, 1956 J. D. CONTI 2,739,512

APPARATUS FOR MAKING WRAPPER WITH TEARING STRIP Filed March 20, 1950 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENToR. dOH/V D. CONT/ BY l J. D. CONTI March 27, 1956 APPARATUS FOR MAKING WRAPPER WITH TEARING STRIP Filed March 20, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN 0. CONTI ATTORN y1 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR MAKING WRAPPER WITH TEARING STRIP John D. Conti, Philadelphia,.Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1950, Serial No. 150,644

13 Claims. (Cl. 93-1) The present invention relates to an apparatus :tor making a packageV wrapper blank. More particularly, the invention relates to a machine for making a wrapper which is adapted to wrapping packages of cigarettes and the like.

Transparent air and moistureproof wrappers, such as those formed of cellophane, cellulose acetate and the like, have long been used for all sorts of perishable goods such as cigarettes, chocolates, biscuits, cereals, cough drops, etc. However, such wrappers are usually sealed in place to render the package airtight and moistureproof hence the same is diicult and annoying to remove. To facilitate the removal of wrappers formed of nontibrous sheet material from packages, a tear strip of similar material is usually sealed to the inside of the wrapper whereby the same may be torn oit. The tear strip is also employed to overcome the tendency of nonfibrous materials to tear in an unrestricted manner and to permit the removal of one end or a predetermined portion of the wrapper without destroying the entire wrapper.

When the entire wrapper is to be removed the introduction of the tearing strip is generally not diHicult since its location is not critical. However, in certain cases, it is desired to remove only a small fraction of the wrapper to permit access to the contents, and to have the remainder of the Wrapper in place as a protection to the package. In this case, the location of the tearing strip does become critical.

ln cigarette packages, for example, it is the general practice to position the tear strip under the wrapper around the package and adjacent the top, end, or face thereoi` such that when the tear strip is removed only the portion of the wrapper covering the top, end, or face of the package is removed. However, when the entire end, top, or face is removed the bag remaining frequently slips ofi. Again, most consumers do not remove the entire top of the package, hence it is desirable to provide an air tight and moistureproof wrapper having an integral tearing strip which when the latter is pulled only that portion of the wrapper wiil be removed which corresponds to the portion of the inner wrapper which will be removed by the consumer or purchaser,

lt is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making an airtight moistureproof wrapper for packages having a tearing strip integral therewith which when removed tears away only a predetermined portion of the wrapper.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for making an airtight moistureproof wrapper for packages having a tearing strip integral therewith which when removed tears away only a portion of the top thus leaving a portion thereon to hold the bag in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for making the aforesaid wrapper which may be used as is or attached to a standard cigarette package wrapping machine.

rice

Other-objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the description thereof hereinafter.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished by passing a sheetor film of regenerated cellulose (cellophane) from a roll of the same, cut to a predetermined width, through avpath and attaching to the surface thereof, at predetermined intervals, a narrow strip of regenerated cellulose of predetermined length. The narrow strip or tear strip is attached to the wrapping sheet by any convenient means such as by adhesive, heat, and the like. The tearing strip is attached or sealed to the wrapping sheet except one end thereof.

The wrapping sheet is passed further along the path while at the same time avslit or a line of weakness, extending along the length of the wrapping sheet for av distance of approximately 14 to 34 inch, is placed in the same at regular and predetermined intervals parallel and adjacent to the attached tearing strip. Another slit or a line of weakness is made in the iilm at regular and predetermined intervals along one edge of the iilm and extending inwardly and transverse of the sheet for a distance of approximately 1/16 to 1A inch.

The length of lm or sheet wrapping material is then cut into sheetsthe length of which is` just suitable for wrapping one article. Each sheet is cut so that it has a tearing strip integral therewith and the unsealed end of the tear strip extends beyond one edge of the sheet.

While the present invention is described with particular reference to a wrapping sheet of regenerated cellulose it should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited in its application to regenerated cellulose, but may be used when the wrapper or the tear strip or both are formed of paper, waxed or otherwise, waterproof paper, other non-fibrous materials such as cellulosic compositions of the type of cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate and the like, or non-cellulosic materials such as casein, gelatin, rubber derivatives or substitutes, synthetic resinous materias and, in general, any suitable type of wrapper-forming material.

While the wrapper formed by the apparatus of the present invention is shown and described as one suitable for wrapping a package of cigarettes, this is merely intended to be illustrative since wrappers may be produced in accordance with the invention which are suitable for wrapping any type of material.

For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in combination with the accomp'anying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrows I-I of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a front elevation showing the driving connections of the apparatus.

Figure 4 is a View of the` cuttingapparatus for cutting the film into sheets and nicking the side of the same,

Figure 5 is a plan view of a single wrapper, and

Figures 6 through 8 show generally the successive steps in applying the wrapper to a package of cigarettes.

In the following description of the apparatus, reference should be had to Figures l, 2 and 3 of the drawing. A roll 3 carries a continuous sheet of wrapping material and is supported by the brackets 4 which in turn are attached to the machine frame 5. The sheet 2 from roll 3 proceeds around roller 6, roller 7, and roller 8 of the -tensioning device 9 which is attached to the machine frame 10 by means of the bracket 11; The roller 7 is slidably mounted in the slot 12 and attached to the frame 10 by the tension spring 13. The tensioning device 9 keeps an even `tension on the sheet at all times by taking up any slack and relieving excess tension. The film then passes the hat surface guide 14, around the positively driven roll 15, where the tear strip is placed on the film, which mechanism is described hereinafter, then drawn under the guide roller 16, between the positively driven

feed rolls

17 and 18, and under the knife blade 19. The individually cut sheets pass between the feed rolls 2t) and 21 and drop into the boxlike stacker 22.

The apparatus as shown operates independent of any wrapping machine. However, the apparatus is easily attachable to any such machine and particularly a cigarette package wrapping machine. 1n this case the individual sheets would be fed by

rollers

20 and 21 into position to receive the article to be wrapped. The driving mechanism, which is described hereinafter, ycould be connected yto the main drive shaft of the wrapping machine. Of course, it should be understood that slight alterations might have to be made, for example with respect to the relative position of the various parts, in attaching the present invention to a particular wrapping machine, but

such changes would be obvious to one skilled in the art.

Extending upwardly from the upper portions of the side panels 10 and 10a attached tothe machine frame are arms 23 and 23a, the upper ends of which are connected by shaft 24. Shaft 24 carries the roll 25 of tear strip material. The tear strip material 26 proceeds downward around the grooved guide roll or pulley 2'7 and between the positively driven

feed rolls

28 and 29. The tear strip material then passes over the hat support 30, which has a cut out portion 0r slot or guide 30a (Fig. 2) through which the tear strip material passes. The guide serves to hold the tear strip material in place as the same is cut and also to direct the material under the sealing unit. Plate 30 is adjustably mounted on the knife block 30b by screws 36C passing through elongated slots 30d in the plate. The knife block 30b is adjustably mounted on the Itransverse support 31a between side panels `1t) and 19a by means of screws 311; passing through elongated slots 31C. The tear strip material then passes under the knife blade 31, and comes in contact with the wrapper sheet on the roll 15 under ythe pivotally mounted and reciprocating sealing unit 32.

The apparatus of the present invention may be operated continuously but in the embodiment shown the same is operated intermittently. That is to say, the sheet is carried or fed through the apparatus continuously in intermittent steps at regular and predetermined intervals. The amount of the sheet which is advanced through the apparatus with each step comprises the amount necessary to make one comple-te wrapper. Each time the apparatus is stopped several operations take place simultaneously at various points. Adhesive is applied to the wrapper lm at stage A, the tear strip is sealed to the film and cut olf in the proper length at the same time at stage B, and the wrapper 33 is cut off from the continuous wrapper sheet or film at stage C, with a tear strip 34 attached to one end thereof and extending beyond the edge of the wrapper as shown in Figure 5 which depicts an individual wrapper as produced by the apparatus shown in the drawing. The individual wrapper also may be provided with a nick or cut 35 extending inwardly of the wrapper along the trailing edge of the same and adjacent and parallel to the tear strip. A corresponding slit or cut 35a may extend inwardly of the wrapper on the leading edge in the same relative position as slit 35. Another slit 36 may extend inwardly of the wrapper transverse of the same along one edge thereof close to the leading edge of the wrapper. While the wrapper may be made without the

slits

35, 35a, and 36, the same have been found to greatly enhance the tearing action when the tear strip is removed.

All of the aforementioned operations are controlled or governed by the main vertical shaft or lever 37 which is pivotally mounted at its lower end on one end of the transverse shaft 38, the other end of shaft 38 being attached to `the lever 39. At its upper end lever 37 is pivotally connected to link 40 which in turn is keyed to shaft 41 (Fig. 2) extending between the side panels 10 and 10a. Lever 39 is pivotally mounted at one end on the machine frame at 42, with the other end of the lever being pivotally connected to the vertical link 43 at 44. The other end of link 43 is pivotally connected at 45 to the horizontal shaft or rocking lever 46 which pivots on the shaft 47 mounted on the machine frame.

Rigidly attached to and extending out from lever 37 is a horizontal lever 48 attached to the other end of which is a vertical lever or shaft 49 which in turn is attached to the pivotal knife blade 19 at 50. When the lever 37 is pushed upward it carries lever 49 in the same direction thus causing the knife blade 19 to rotate about axis 51 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4. The knife blade is lowered against the cutting edge 52 thus cutting the wrapper film therebetween. Attached to the knife blade 19 is a blade holder 53 carrying a suitable blade 54, such as a razor blade. When blade 19 is lowered so is blade 54, the latter being so positioned that it nicks one edge of the next succeeding individual wrapper close to the leading edge thereof. This is the slit or nick 36 shown in Figure 5.

As lever 37 is pushed upward shaft 41 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction by means of link 40 which is keyed to it. The rotation of shaft 41 causes the sealing shoe 32a of unit 32 to descend against roll 15 thus sealing the leading edge of tear strip 34 to the wrapper sheet material.

The sealing unit 32 is carried on a bracket 66 (Fig. 2) pivotally mounted on shaft 41. Spring 64, which encircles the shaft 41 and is secured at one end to collar 65 keyed to shaft 41 and at the other end to the bracket 66, normally urges the sealing unit counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure l into operative sealing position. A pin 64a, secured to a collar 66a which is keyed to the shaft 41, extends into a short arcuate slit 65a in the bracket 66 and controls the movement of the sealing unit 32 under the influence of the spring 64. The normal position of rest of the sealing unit 32 is the retracted position shown in Figure l. When the rotation of shaft 41 causes counter-clockwise movement of pin 64a, the spring 64 causes the sealing unit to follow the pin until sealing position is attained. At this point, further movement of pin 64a is permitted by slot 65a and the pressure exerted by the sealing unit 32 is a resilient pressure controlled by the spring 64.

The trailing edge of the tear strip 34 is cut by means of the knife blade 31 which is held in the blade holder 55 and which in turn is pivotally mounted on shaft 56 and held in place by the lock nut 57 and compression spring 58. The blade 31 cuts the tear strip by contacting the knife-like edge of the knife block 30h.y Blade 31 is rotated by the link 59 which is keyed to shaft 41. As the latter is rotated link 59 presses down against the blade holder 55 rotating the same about its axis 56 and against the action of the tension spring 60 fastened between the end of the blade holder 55 and the machine frame. The purpose of spring 60 is to return the knife blade 31 to its non-cutting position when the link 59 is raised away from the blade holder.

Also keyed to shaft 41 is lever 61 which carries the steel wick holder 62. rl`he wick 63 extends upwardly through the wick holder, through the flexible tubing 64 and into the tank of adhesive, not shown. Thus as shaft 41 is rotated, lever 61 is rotated bringing the adhesive laden wick 63 into contact with the wrapper sheet 2 at a point above the at surfaced guide 14. Thel adhesive is applied at a point where it is desired to fasten the tear strip. The tear strip leading edge comes in contact with the adhesive and sticks t0 the wrapper film and then is carried under the shoe 32a of the sealing unit in position to be sealed to the wrapper film. Any suitable adhesive material may be employed such as methyl Cellosolve. While it is preferred to employ wrapper and tear strip material having a coating of thermoplastic material thereon such that. upon the application of heat and pressure one will seal to the other, any suitable adhesive material' may be applied by means of wick 63. In this case, only pressure need be applied by shoe 32a and heating of the same may be eliminated.

The positively driven roller 28, which feeds the tear strip material to the cutting and sealing means, is positioned on shaft 67 extending between 10 and 10a. Also positioned on shaft 67 is a link 68 (Fig. 2) which supports the grooved tear strip guide roll 27 by means of stub shaft 69 fastened to the end thereof. Link 68 is not keyed to shaft 67 but rotatable thereabout. To prevent the counter-clockwise rotation of link 68 about shaft 67 beyond a certain point due to the weight of roll 27 a stop bar 70 is provided extending upwardly from link 68 and resting against shaft 71. To prevent the excessive clockwise rotation of roll 27 and link 68 due to increased tension on the tear strip material 26 there is provided a spring 72 about shaft 67 and connected between link 68 and collar 73 which is keyed to shaft 67. Roll 27 is therefore movable with increased tension on the tear strip material and thus will prevent breakage of the same should the tension increase greatly and suddenly.

The bracket 74 supporting the positively driven feed roll 29 is rotatably mounted on shaft 71 and is connected to the keyed collar 75 on the shaft by means of the coiledv spring 76 wound about shaft 71. The keyed collar 77 serves to hold the bracket 74 in position. The keyed collar 78 serves to position the stop bar 70. Keyed collars 79 and S0 prevent the transverse movement of shaft 71.

On the outside of and adjacent the machine side panel is a link 81 which is keyed to shaft 71. The thumbscrew 82 extends throughV link 81 and is movable to and away from panel 10. By tightening the thumbscrew against panel 10 shaft 71 is prevented from rotating. By loosening the thum-bscrew and rotating link 81 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig; 1 the tension on spring 76 is decreased andthen bracket 74 is also rotated thus lifting roll 29 away from roll 28. This is necessary when it is desired to thread the tear strip material through the apparatus. Rotation of link 81 in the opposite direction serves to apply any desired tension to spring 76 and pressure of roll 29 against roll 28.

By means of the keyed collars on the variousy shafts the tear strip application mechanism is adjustable transversely of the Wrapper sheet and it is possible to place the tear strip on the wrapper sheet at any point across the same.

As lever 37 is pushed up so is the lever or rod S3 which is attached to the upward moving pivotal joint 44. This upward movement of

levers

37 and 83 is caused periodically by cam 84 which runs continuously. The cam roll 85 on lever 46 rides on the face or surface of cam 84. To facilitate the return of lever 46 to its normal position there is provided a compression spring 86 against which lever 46 pushes when moved by cam 84. The spring returns lever 46 to its starting position after the cam roll 85 has passed over the raised portion of the cam 84.

The lever or arm 83 is held in an upright position by being slidably mounted in the projection or bracket 83a extending outwardly from machine frame 5. The arm 83 acts against compression spring S7 which encircles the arm and is positioned between the bracket 83a and the collar 8311 keyed to the arm 83. The compression spring 87 aids `the return of arm 83 to its normal position. Pivotally mounted on arm 83 is a lever or link 88 rigidly attached to the other end of which is a cam 89 positioned between the

brake shoes

90 and 91 which are positioned over the brake drum 92 around the shaft 93 which carries the feed roll 18. The cam 89 holds the brake shoes apart when the arm 83 is in normal or rest position, as shown in Figure 1. When arm 83 is raised cam 89 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction and the tension spring 94, fastened between the brake shoes v and 91, draws the shoestogether thus applying the brake to shaft 93 and stopping the` feeding of the wrapper materiall since all the feeding rolls, for bothl the wrapper material and the tear strip material, are connected to shaft 93, as described hereinafter. As shaft 93 is stopped the tear strip applying mechanism is actuated by virtue of the upward movement of` lever 37, as hereinbefore described. At the same time an individual wrapper, with a tear strip applied is cut off the wrapper sheet strip by virtue of the

linkage

48, 49 connecting lever 37 with the knife blade 19 and the edge of the next succeeding wrapper is nicked or slit. Thus periodically at predetermined time intervals, depending on the size of cam 84, the feeding of the wrapper sheet material through the machine is stopped momentarily in order that various hereinbefore described operations may take place, then the feeding is continued, then stopped, and so on continuously in intermittent steps.

The

slits

35 and 35a in the individual Wrapper, shown in Figure 5, are made as one continuous slit adjacent the tear stripr 34 by' means of the knife blade 95 extending outward from the surface 0f feed roll 18. The diameter of roll 18 is so chosen that the slit will be made alongside each tear strip as it passes over roll 18. The knife 95 isy adjustable transversely along the surface of roll 18. The surface of roll 17 with which the blade 95 comes in contact as it slits the wrapper material, is covered with resilient material such as rubber in order not to damage the` cutting edge of the blade 9S. In addition the frame 5a, on which roll 17 is mounted, is pivotally mounted on frame 5" the` same being fastenedv to 5 by means of the hinge 17b as shown in Figure 3. Roll 17 is held tightly but resilieutly against roll 18 by means of the tension spring'96 fastened between the projection 97 extending out from frame 5 and the hook 98 placed over the projection 99 extending out from frame 5a. The hook 98 is provided' with a handle 100 forming an integral part thereof so that the same may be removed from the projection 99 when desired such as when clearing the machine or threading the wrapper material through the same.

When the individual wrapper is cut by the knife blade 19 the same bisects the slit put in the film by the knife 95 thus forming two slits or

nicks

35 and 35a. In order to do this however the loose end of the tear strip must be lifted up or pushed back in order to prevent cutting the same. The tear strip is pulled back by means of the hook 101 just before the knife blade 19 descends. The hook is operated in the following manner. The hook is fastened to the horizontal arm 102, pivotally mounted on each end of which are the upwardly extending

arms

103 and 104. The other end of arm 103 is rigidly attached to the outer cylinder 105 on Med shaft 106. The other end of arm 104 is pivotally attached to the horizontal arm 107' which in turn is rigidly attached at 189 to the side of the inner cylinder 108 on shaft 106.

Extending outwardly from and rigidly attached to cylinder 105 is a projection 110 pivotally mounted on which is an arm or lever 111 the other end of which is pivotally attached to the arm 11i?l which is rigidly attached to cylinder 113 rotatably mounted on shaft 114. Shaft 114 is xed in the same plane as shaft 106. Rigidly attached to cylinder k108 and extending downwardly therefrom is an arm 115 which has a cam roll 116 attached to its lower end. The cam roll 116 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the continuously driven cam 121 on shaft 118. Rigidly attached to cylinder 113 and extending downwardly therefrom is au arm 119 which has a cam roll 120 attached to its lower end. The cam roll 128 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the continuously driven cam 117 on shaft 118. The cam rolls are held against the cams by means of the tension spring 122 fastened between arms and 119. To separate or spread apart the arms 115 and 119V there is provided a hand operated expanding or spreader lever 123 fastened to machine frame 124 and'provided with a handle 125 for rotating the lever. When the handle and lever are rotated in a clockwise direction the

arms

115 and 119 are spread apart removing the cam rolls from the cams. A stop 126 extending out from arm 119 prevents excessive rotation of the expanding or spreader lever 123.

The operation of pulling the loose end of the tear strip back in order to cut the individual wrapper is as follows: arm 115 rotates cylinder 108 in a clockwise direction thus raising the hook 101 through the

linkage

107, 104, and 1412. Arm 119 at the same time rotates cylinder 113 in a clockwise direction which rotates cylinder 105 in a clockwise direction by means of

linkage

112, 111, and 110. Cylinder 165 in turn causes the hook 101 to move to the left past the knife blade 19, as viewed in Figure l, by means of linkage 103 and 192. Arm 115 then causes cylinder 163 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction far enough to bring the hook 101 down against the wrapper lm material just beyond the trailing edge of the tear strip by means of linkage 107, 1% and 102. Immediately thereafter arm 119 causes cylinder 113 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction which in turn causes cylinder 105 to so rotate, as hereinbefore described, which causes the hook 101 to move to the right, as viewed in Figure l, by means of the linkage hereinbefore described. As the hook moves to the right it catches the loose end of the tear strip which slides along the inner curved surface of the hook and at the same time is turned back from under the knife blade 19. Then the lever 37 is actuated stopping the movement of the sheet through the machine and the knife blade 19 cuts the wrapper while the tear strip loose end is removed from under the same. The feeding is then continued and feed rollers 2t) and 21 which operate intermittently in cooperation with the rest of the machine, feed the cut wrapper into the stacker 22, or into the folding and package wrapping section if the apparatus is attached to or used in conjunction with a wrapping machine. The hook 161 is again raised and the cycle repeated on the next tear strip. All operations of the various parts of the apparatus are timed to take place at the proper moment and in cooperation with every other operation. The movements of

arms

115 and 119 are of course controlled by

cams

121 and 117 respectively and may be varied by changing the shape of the cams.

In the description of the driving connections employed in the apparatus as shown reference should be made to Figures l and 2 and in particular to Figure 3. Whereas Figure 3, generally speaking, is a front elevation of the apparatus showing the driving connections, various parts are not in their exact relative position. This has been done for the sake of clarity.

The entire apparatus receives its impetus from the main drive shaft 127 which is driven by the motor 128. At one end of shaft 127 is a sprocket 129 which is connected to the sprocket 130 by means of the chain 131. Sprocket 130 is keyed to the sleeve 132 of the friction plate 133 on shaft 93 which carries feed roll 18. Friction plate 134 is keyed to shaft 93. Plate 133 is held against plate 134 by means of the compression spring 135 on the end of shaft 93. Thus shaft 93 and roll 1S are chain driven and stopped periodically by means of the brake applied to the drum 92 on friction plate 134 which has been described hereinbefore. Shaft 93 in turn drives the feed rolls and 21 by means of a sprocket 136 on shaft 93 connected to the sprocket 137 on shaft 21a by the chain 138. On shaft 21a carrying roll 21 there is a gear 139 which is in mesh with gear 146i on shaft 20a carrying roll 26. On shaft 93 there is a gear 141 which is in mesh with gear 142 on shaft 17a, carrying roll 17 whereby the same is driven.

Shaft 127 also drives shaft 118, which carries the

cams

117 and 121, by means of a chain drive comprising a sprocket 143 on shaft 127 and a sprocket 144 on shaft 118, the same being connected by chain 145. Shaft 118 in turn drives shaft 8de, which carries cam 84, by means of a chain drive comprising a sprocket 146 on shaft 118 connected to the sprocket 147 on shaft 34a by means of chain 148.

Shafts

127, 118, and 84a are driven continuously and the sleeve 132 on shaft 93 is driven continuously, but the shaft 93 is rotated intermittently due to the action of the brake. Y

On shaft 93 there is another sprocket 149 which is connected to sprocket 156 on shaft 15a by chain 151 thus driving shaft 15a and roll 15 thereon. Shaft 15a in turn drives the tear strip material feed rolls 23 and 29. On shaft 15a there is a gear 152 which is in mesh with gear 153 on the stub shaft 154.-. Gear 153 is in turn in mesh with gear 155 keyed to shaft 67 which also carries roll 28. Also keyed to shaft 67 is a gear 156 adjacent roll 28 and in mesh with gear 157 on shaft 29a and adjacent roll 29. Thus by means of

gears

152, 153, 155, 156, and 157 shaft 15a drives the tear strip material feed rolls 2d and 29.

The wrapper with an integral tear strip may be applied to the article to be wrapped by hand or by any known and suitable wrapping machine. Figures 6, 7 and 8 show the essential steps in the application of a wrapper of the present invention to a package of cigarettes. The package, such as one comprising approximately 20 cigarettes with a paper wrapper thereabout or a wrapper of paper with tinfoil laminated or sealed thereto, is placed on the sheet in an upright position and the sheet in turn folded up against the large sides of the package as shown in Figure 6. The side edges of the wrapper are then folded in against the small sides of the package and the wrapper is sealed to itself by means of heat when the same has a coating thereon of a thermoplastic resinous material. When adhesive is applied to the sheet then pressure alone is sufcient to accomplish the sealing. This wrapping step is shown in Figure 7. The wrapper is then folded down against the top of the package and sealed to itself as shown in Figure 8. it should be noted that the package has been so wrapped that the loose end of the tear strip extends out from the package where it is easily grasped with the fingers. Also the tear strip is under the top folded sheet with

slits

35 and 35a coinciding and the tear strip is positioned above one edge of the government stamp so that the same will be exposed when the outer wrapper is removed and thus is in position to be easily torn or destroyed. 'Slit 36 is positioned along the outer edge of the top of the package. Thus when the tear strip is lifted the sheet will start to tear along the slit 35 across the top of the package, around the top to the slit 36. This slit, being in the bottom sheet on the side of the package, directs the tearing of the same in the proper direction and facilitates the tearing action across the seal. The tearing action continues on around the package to slit 35a thus removing the top right hand corner of the wrapper as viewed in Figure 8.

By means of the wrapper formed by the apparatus of the present invention one is able to remove only4 that portion of the wrapper which is necessary to conveniently remove the contents from the package. The wrapper or bag formed by the wrapper material around the sides and bottom of the package will remain in place due to the support afforded by that portion of the wrapper still remaining over the top of the package. The wrapper is made at a considerable saving over that of the old wrappers since a much smaller tear strip is employed than heretofore.

The tear strip may be of the same or different colored material. lt is usually a different color however so that it may be readily identied. Various color combinations between wrapper and tear strip are possible thus enhancing the attractiveness of various packaged materials.

It should be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. An apparatus for forming a wrapper comprising means for feeding a continuous sheet of wrapper material 9 through a path, means in advance of said feeding means for directing a continuous tape of tear strip material endwise to the continuous sheet, means for pressing a portion of the tear strip adjacent its leading end against the sheet to effect adhesion between said portion and thc sheet, and means in advance of the pressing means for cutting olf the tear strip at a point spaced from the adhered portion to leave a trailing portion of the tear strip unadhered to the sheet, means beyond the feeding means for cutting the sheet transversely adjacent the juncture between the adhered and unadhered portions of the tear strip, and means adjacent the last-named cutting means for lifting the unadhered portion of the tear strip and moving it out of the way of the last-named cutting means.

2. Apparatus as dened in claim l in which the lifting means comprises a hook for engaging the tear strip, a pair of levers, a parallelogram linkage connecting the levers to the hook, and rotatable cams for operating the levers.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 comprising a slitting knife mounted on the periphery of a roll.

4. Apparatus as dened in claim 3 in which the firstmentioned feeding means comprises a pair of nip rolls and the slitter hereinbefore referred to is on one of said feed rolls.

5. Apparatus as dened in claim 4 comprising a cutting element for cutting an edge of the wrapper sheet, said edge cutter being rigidly connected to the aforesaid means for cutting the sheet transversely.

6. An apparatus for forming a wrapper comprising means for feeding a continuous sheet of wrapper material along a path, means for applying a tear strip to the sheet with its length extending generally in the direction of length of the sheet, means for adhering a portion only of the tear strip to the sheet leaving an adjacent unadhered portion extending from the adhered portion, means beyond the feeding means for cutting the sheet transversely adjacent the juncture between the adhered and unadhered portions of the tear strip, and means adjacent the last-named cutting means for lifting the un adhered portion of the tear strip and moving it out of the way of the last-named cutting means.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 comprising means for interrupting the feeding means at intervals, and means for actuating the lifting means and cutting means while the operation of the feeding means is interrupted.

8. Apparatus as dened in claim 1 comprising means for interrupting the feeding means at intervals, the means for actuating the pressing and cutting means and the lifting means and sheet cutting means being all operatively connected to the interrupting means so that they operate while the feeding means is interrupted.

9. An apparatus for forming a wrapper comprising means for feeding a continuous sheet of wrapper ma- 10 terial through a path, means in advance of said feeding means for directing a continuous tape of tear strip material endwise to the continuous sheet, a roll on one side of the path for supporting the sheet, means comprising a heated shoe having an arcuate surface opposed to, and complementary to, the roll surface for pressing a portion of the tear strip adjacent its leading end against the sheet on the roll to eiect adhesion between said portion and the sheet, said pressing means comprising means for periodically reciprocating the shoe toward the roll to press and heat the tear strip therebetween, and means in ad- Vance of the pressing means for cutting off the tear strip at a point spaced from the adhered portion to leave a trailing portion of the tear strip unadhered to the sheet.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 in which the cutting means comprises a movable knife connected to the shoe for movement therewith whereby said cutting and pressing are effected at approximately the same time.

l1. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 comprising means for interrupting the feeding means at intervals, the means for actuating the pressing and cutting means being operatively connected to the interrupting means so that cutting and pressing are effected while the feeding means is interrupted.

12. Apparatus as dened in claim 11 comprising means for applying an adhesive to a portion of one of said materials in advance of the pressing means.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 comprising means for applying an adhesive to a portion of one of said materials in advance of the pressing means, said adhesiveapplying means being operatively connected to the pressing and cutting means for simultaneous actuation therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,148,736 Anderson Aug. 3, 1915 1,965,524 Melhorn July 3, 1934 2,006,040 Crane June 25, 1935 2,061,524 Storck Nov. 17, 1936 2,165,289 Milmoe July 11, 1939 2,237,327 Bell Apr. 8, 1941 2,268,474 Chalmers Dec. 30, 1941 2,276,745 Smith Mar. 17, 1942 2,279,724 Von Hofe Apr. 14, 1942 2,295,231 Milmoe et al. Sept. 8, 1942 2,307,667 Cornock Jan. 5, 1943 2,334,030 Ranney et al. Nov. 9, 1943 2,334,381 Bronander Nov. 16, 1943 2,350,244 Malhiot May 30, 1944 2,538,520 Holt et al. Jan. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 803,915 France July 20, 1936

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A WRAPPER COMPRISING MEANS FOR FEEDING A CONTINUOUS SHEET OF WRAPPER MATERIAL THROUGH A PATH, MEANS IN ADVANCE OF SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR DIRECTING A CONTINUOUS TAPE OF TEAR STRIP MATERIAL ENDWISE TO THE CONTINUOUS SHEET, MEANS FOR PRESSING A PORTION OF THE TEAR STRIP ADJACENT ITS LEADING END AGAINST THE SHEET TO EFFECT ADHESION BETWEEN SAID PORTION AND THE SHEET, AND MEANS IN ADVANCE OF THE PRESSING MEANS FOR CUTTING OFF THE TEAR STRIP AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE ADHERED