MACHINE FOR AUTOMATIC PLACEMENT OF SLIDERS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

Abstract

The invention concerns a machine (1) for automatic placement of sliders, including in particular: a first supplier (100) for supplying closure profiles (20), said closure profiles (20) being provided with complementary means (22) allowing the progression of the closure profiles (20) in said machine (1); a second supplier (200) for supplying sliders (10); a device (400) for placing sliders (10); and a separator guide (300), situated opposite the device (400) for placing sliders, said guide (300) comprising a guide channel (310a, 310b) in which the closure profiles (20) progress, the width of said channel (310a, 310b) being smaller than the thickness of the closure means (22), such that when the profiles (20) are brought by the supply means (100) into the separator guide (300), the closure means (22) do not penetrate the guide channel (310a, 310b) while the portion (23) underlying said closure means (22) is squeezed by the walls of the guide channel (310a, 310b), in order to separate the respective free ends (21) of the closure profiles (20).

Description

The present invention concerns the field of bags provided with complementary closure profiles actuated by a slider.

More particularly, the invention concerns a machine and method for placing a slider on complementary closure profiles, provided to be attached on a bag.

Many bags of this type have already been proposed.

Known in particular are bags formed from thermoplastic sheets, for example polyethylene and/or polypropylene.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the closure profiles 20 used on such bags generally comprise complementary closure means 22 situated respectively opposite on the two main sheets making up the bag to be respectively made to engage in order to close said bag and separated to allow its opening.

The sliders 10 equipping such bags can be the subject of many embodiments. Generally, such sliders 10 comprise a base 11 which includes two side flanks 12 and a central wall 13, the side flanks 12 and the central wall 13 defining together two non-parallel channels 14 which respectively receive free ends of profiles 20. In a direction of movement of the slider 10, the profiles 20 are stressed in separation to open the bag. In the opposite direction of movement, the profiles 20 are engaged to close said bag.

In order for the slider 10 not to be easily removed from the bag, in particular for safety reasons for children, it is usually provided with retaining means, for example of the flange type 15, arranged on the free end of the wall 13, complementary with protuberances 21 forming a stop and situated on the free end of the profiles 20, such that in case of attempt to tear the slider off of the bag, the flanges abut against the protuberances 21 and prohibit removal of the slider 10.

One of the problems posed, however, in the field of closure profiles equipped with sliders, in particular when they comprise this type of retaining means, is that of the engagement of the sliders on these profiles.

Means have therefore been proposed making it possible to elastically distance the flanks from the slider so that it can more easily be engaged on the complementary closure profiles, for example in French patent application FR 07 59545, filed Dec. 4, 2007 in the applicant's name.

This technique indeed makes it possible to facilitate placement of the slider. However, it was noted that the free end 21 of the profiles 20 could abut against the end 15 of the central wall 13 of the slider 10, especially when the latter part is provided with flanges, thereby preventing the insertion of the profiles 20 into the corresponding channels 14 of the slider 10. Such a scenario is illustrated in FIG. 1, for example.

The present invention therefore aims to overcome this gap, by proposing a machine for the automatic placement of sliders and a method for placing sliders, making it possible to facilitate the placement of a slider on closure profiles.

Thus, the present invention proposes a machine for automatic placement of sliders, including in particular:

• • a first supplier for supplying closure profiles, said closure profiles being provided with complementary closure means allowing the progression of closure profiles in said machine;
  • a second supplier for supplying sliders; and
  • a slider placement device;
    also comprising a separator guide, situated opposite the slider placement device, said guide comprising a guide channel in which the closure profiles progress, the width of said channel being smaller than the thickness of the closure means, such that when the profiles are brought by the supply means into the separator guide, the closure means do not penetrate the guide channel while the portion underlying said closure means is squeezed by the walls of the guide channel, in order to separate the respective free ends of the closure profiles.

Preferably but non-limiting aspects of the automatic placement machine according to the invention are the following:

• • the width of the channel is essentially equal to the thickness of the portion of the profiles that underlies the closure means,
  • the guide is a single piece, and the guide channel is a rabbet,
  • the guide is made up of two adjacent units, and their adjacent walls are entirely or partially separated by the guide channel,
  • the separator guide units can move in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the closure profiles in the machine,
  • the separator guide also includes a recess formed opposite the placement device, at the mouth of the guide channel,
  • the recess has a hemispherical, conical or dihedral shape, the concavity of which is oriented toward the placement device,
  • the materials making up the separator guide belong to the following group: plastic, metal, and
  • the machine also comprises means for manufacturing a bag equipped with closure profiles provided with a slider.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a method for placing a slider on closure profiles is proposed consisting of:

• • providing closure profiles, said closure profiles being provided with complementary closure means, and having them progress in an automatic slider placement machine;
  • providing sliders, said sliders comprising a base which includes two side flanks and a central wall, the side flanks and the central wall in combination defining two non-parallel channels which respectively receive free ends of the profiles; and
  • sequentially engaging a slider on the closure profiles; the method also including a step during which the respective ends of the closure profiles are positioned opposite the corresponding channels of the slider and separated by squeezing by a separator guide of the portions of the closure profiles that underlie the closure means, so as to facilitate the engagement of the slider on said profiles.

Other features, aims and advantages will better appear upon reading the detailed description that follows, and in light of the appended drawings provided as non-limiting examples in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a slider and closure profiles during engagement of the slider on the profiles according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a machine for manufacturing bags capable of being equipped with the automatic slider placement machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a slider and closure profiles upon engagement of the slider on the profiles according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a separator guide according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of a separator guide illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a separator guide according to the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a separator guide according to the invention.

The present invention can be applied to all types of bags. For that reason, we will not describe all of the means for realizing the bag itself in detail hereinafter, or its component material(s).

The same is true for the closure profiles 20. They are not limited to the geometry illustrated in the appended figures. These profiles 20 can comprise closure means 22 of the male/female type, complementary Velcro/hook type, or any other equivalent structure. They can be made in any suitable material.

The closure profiles 20 can be integral with the walls of the bag, for example by extrusion, or attached and fixed on the walls of the bag using any suitable means.

Lastly, the sliders 10 implemented in the framework of this invention are of the type of the sliders we described in reference to FIG. 1 and will therefore not be described in further detail hereinafter.

The guide according to the invention is preferably implemented in the framework of the automatic placement of sliders 10 on closure profiles 20 to form thermoplastic bags. It is made in plastic or metal material, for example.

According to the invention, an automatic slider placement machine in particular includes means for supplying closure profiles, progression means of said profiles in the automatic machine, means for supplying sliders and a slider placement device. Of course, the slider placement machine can be part of a bag manufacturing, filling and closure machine, making it possible to manufacture bags equipped with closure profiles provided with sliders using said placement machine of the invention.

One example of such a machine is illustrated in FIG. 2. Such a machine 1 in particular comprises:

• • a first supplier 100 for supplying closure profiles 20;
  • a second supplier 200 for supplying sliders 10;
  • a device 400 for placing sliders 10, intended to sequentially perform the individual placement of each slider 10 on the profiles 20;
  • a third supplier 500 for supplying a thermoplastic film 30;
  • a shaping neck 600 associated with a filling chute 610, which configures the film 30 from a flat initial state into a tube;
  • means 700 ensuring the longitudinal welding of the adjacent longitudinal edges of the film 40 and the fastening of the closure profiles 20 equipped with sliders 10 on the film 30; and
  • transverse welding clamps 800 associated with cutting means 900 in order to individualize the bags.

According to the invention, the machine also includes a separator guide 300 arranged opposite the placement device 400, the role of which is, on one hand, to guide the closure profiles 20 during their progression in the machine such that they arrive in an optimal position in front of the placement device so that the sliders 10 can be correctly applied on the profiles 20, and on the other hand, to separate the profiles 20 in order to facilitate their engagement in the channels of the slider.

During the placement method of the sliders 10 on the closure profiles 20 in the automatic machine 1, the placement device forcibly applies, conventionally, a slider 10 on the free end 21 of the closure profiles.

Preferably, the placement device separates the side flanks 12 from the slider 10, for example by stressing lugs situated on the outer faces of the side flanks of the slider (not shown in the figures), so as to free enough space to allow the engagement of the profiles 20. Such a step is optional inasmuch as the invention can be applied to any method for placing a slider on closure profiles in which the slider is engaged on the free end of the profiles.

In parallel, closure profiles 20 are brought into the separating guide, such that the free end 21 of each profile 20 is opposite corresponding channels 14 of the slider 10.

Advantageously but not necessarily, the closure profiles 20 are closed when they are brought into the separator guide 300, or at least their respective closure means 22 are in contact with each other during their passage in the guide 300.

Separating the profiles 20 here means spacing the free ends 21 of the profiles 20 that are intended to be arranged in the corresponding channels 14 of the slider 10, such that said ends 21 move away from the plane defined by the closure profiles 20.

Indeed, it has been noted that when the ends 21 of the profiles 20 are not parallel to each other and form an angle as illustrated in FIG. 2, the engagement of the slider 10 onto the closure profiles 21 is improved due to the fact that said ends 21 avoid the obstacle formed by the central wall, and in particular get around the flange 15 of said wall, even if said ends 21 are provided with protuberances.

For this, the guide includes two essentially parallel stop walls forming a guide channel 310a, 310b of the profiles 20. The walls are arranged such that the width of the channel 310a, 310b is essentially equal to the thickness of the portion 23 of the closure profiles 20 underlying the closure means 22. Thus, the width of the guide channel 310a, 310b is smaller than the thickness of the closure means 22, which therefore do not penetrate inside said channel 310a, 310b.

By pinching the portion 23 of the profiles underlying the closure means 22, the stop walls cause the free end 21 of the profiles to move away by hinge effect, as indicated in FIG. 3. Indeed, given that the closure means 22 are in contact, and preferably closed, the pressure exerted on said underlying portion 23 drives the rotation of each free end 21 around the axis formed by the closure means 22 in a separation direction relative to the plane defined by the profiles 20. The ends 21 of the profiles 20 are then no longer parallel to each other and present an angle that facilitates their insertion into the corresponding channels of the sliders 10.

According to one preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the separator guide 300 is cast in one piece, and the guide channel 310a is a rabbet whereof the height is at least equal to the length of the portion 23 of the profiles extending under the closure means 22. The walls of said rabbet 310a then correspond to the stop walls of the guide 300.

Alternatively, when the closure profiles 20 are integral with the walls of the bag or have been attached to said walls prior to the insertion of the slider 10, the height of the rabbet 310a is at least equal to the length of the bag extending between its mouth and its bottom.

According to another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the guide 300 includes two adjacent units 300a, 300b and in contact over at least part of one of their walls, said walls forming said rabbet 310a between them.

Alternatively to this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the units 300a, 300b are adjacent but are not in contact, such that the guide channel is no longer a rabbet but a through channel 310b.

In the case where the separator guide 300 includes two adjacent units 300a, 300b, said units 300a, 300b can be fixed or mobile in a direction transverse to the direction of the progression of the profiles 20.

For example, in the case of a discontinuous manufacturing method, the automatic machine sequentially stops the progression of profiles 20. The units 300a, 300b then close on the profiles 20 (while forming the guide channel 310a, 310b) and squeeze them so as to separate their free ends 21, while the placement device 400, simultaneously or successively, engages the slider 10 on said separated ends 21. The units 300a, 300b then move transversely to free the profiles and the machine resumes the progression of profiles 20.

One can also consider implementing units 300a, 300b mobile in the framework of a continuous manufacturing method, during which the progression of profiles 20 is not interrupted. The units 300a, 300b are then sequentially closed on the profiles 20 during their progression, and the placement device 400 engages the slider 10 simultaneously or successively to the pinching of the profiles 20, without interrupting the progression of profiles 20.

Once the slider 10 is engaged on the profiles 20, it is sufficient to release the side flanks 12 of the slider 10, which elastically return to their initial position, thereby enclosing the ends 21 of the profiles 20.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5, the guide 300 also includes a recess 320 at the mouth of the rabbet 310a (or through channel 310b formed by the units 300a, 300b), for example hemispherical, conical or dihedral in shape, whereof the concavity is oriented toward the slider 10, in order to further accentuate the opening of the ends 21 under the pressure of the guide 300.

Claims

1. A machine for automatic placement of sliders, including in particular:

a first supplier for supplying closure profiles, said closure profiles being provided with complementary means allowing the progression of the closure profiles in said machine;

a second supplier for supplying sliders

a device for placing sliders; and

a separator guide, situated opposite the device for placing sliders, said guide comprising a guide channel in which the closure profiles progress, the width of said channel being smaller than the thickness of the closure means, such that when the profiles are brought by the supply means into the separator guide, the closure means do not penetrate the guide channel while the portion underlying said closure means is squeezed by the walls of the guide channel, in order to separate the respective free ends of the closure profiles.

2. The automatic placement machine according to claim 1, wherein the width of the channel is essentially equal to the thickness of the portion of the profiles underlying the closure means.

3. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, wherein the guide is a single piece, and the guide channel is a rabbet.

4. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, wherein the guide is formed by two adjacent units, and that their adjacent walls are separated in whole or in part by the guide channel.

5. The automatic placement machine of claim 4, wherein the units of the separator guide are mobile in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the closure profiles in the machine.

6. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, wherein the separator guide also includes a recess formed opposite the placement device, at the mouth of the guide channel.

7. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, wherein the recess has a hemispherical, conical or dihedral shape, the concavity of which is oriented toward the placement device.

8. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, wherein the component materials of the separator guide belong to the following group: plastic, metal.

9. The automatic placement machine of claim 1, further comprising means for manufacturing a bag equipped with closure profiles provided with a slider.

10. A method for placing a slider on closure profiles, comprising the steps of: the method further including a step wherein the respective ends of the closure profiles are positioned opposite the corresponding channels of the slider and separated by pinching by a separator guide from the portions of the closure profiles underlying the closure means, so as to facilitate the engagement of the slider on said profiles.

supplying closure profiles, said closure profiles being provided with complementary closure means, and making them progress in an automatic slider placement machine;

supplying sliders, said sliders comprising a base (11) that includes two side flanks and a central wall, the side flanks and the central wall defining, in combination, two non-parallel channels that respectively receive free ends of the profiles; and

sequentially engaging a slider on the closure profiles;