Abstract: The invention relates to a device for placing sleeves on traveling articles, said sleeves being cut from a continuous sheath passing over a sheath-opening shaper, first outer wheels serving to advance the sheath along the shaper, and second outer wheels being provided downstream from cutter means for the purpose of ejecting the cut-off sheath segment, said wheels being driven in rotation by associated electric motors controlled synchronously by a virtual-shaft common electronic programmer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of packaging one or more articles, the method comprising the steps consisting in: a) putting a first sleeve of heat-shrink material into place on the article(s) to be packaged; b) using a thermal process to shrink the first sleeve onto said article(s); c) putting a second sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material on the article(s) covered in said shrunk-on first sleeve; and d) using a thermal process to heat the wall of the shrunk-on first sleeve in order to obtain thermal equilibrium with the wall of the second sleeve as put into place, and then shrinking said second sleeve onto said first sleeve. The invention also provides a wrapper for packaging one or more articles, the wrapper comprising two superposed sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material.

Abstract: A wrapper for packaging one or more articles, is constituted by a sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material for shrinking onto the article(s) for packaging, said sleeve being made from a film that is folded in half and whose corresponding end zones are united. The wall of the sleeve is embossed at least in part with a predetermined pattern so that said pattern appears in relief on the outside face and/or the inside face of the sleeve and remains after said sleeve has been shrunk onto the article(s) to be packaged.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cover for wrapping at least one article, the cover being of the type constituted by a sleeve of heat-shrinkable plastics material suitable for closely surrounding at least a portion of the article or a group of articles. In accordance with the invention, the sleeve is constituted by superposing at least two walls secured to each another by detachable adhesive means, said walls having shrinkage characteristics that are essentially identical, and the outermost wall of the sleeve also presenting, through its entire thickness, at least one cut defining a detachable circumferential strip, said circumferential strip being printed so as to present respective patterns of printing that appear on each of its sides, the other wall(s) also presenting a pattern of printing behind the detachable circumferential strip that appears after said circumferential strip has been detached.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of packaging one or more articles, the method comprising the steps consisting in: a) putting a first sleeve of heat-shrink material into place on the article(s) to be packaged; b) using a thermal process to shrink the first sleeve onto said article(s); c) putting a second sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material on the article(s) covered in said shrunk-on first sleeve; and d) using a thermal process to heat the wall of the shrunk-on first sleeve in order to obtain thermal equilibrium with the wall of the second sleeve as put into place, and then shrinking said second sleeve onto said first sleeve. The invention also provides a wrapper for packaging one or more articles, the wrapper comprising two superposed sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a wrapper for packaging one or more articles, the wrapper being constituted by a sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material for shrinking onto the article(s) for packaging, said sleeve being obtained from a film folded in half and looped by uniting the two end zones concerned. According to the invention, the two end zones concerned are essentially touching facing free edges, and they are united by an overlap strip adhering to said zones on one of the faces of the sleeve on either side of the two facing free edges, the other face of said sleeve then being essentially smooth. This makes it possible to provide a heat-shrink sleeve that can be printed on the inside, that is recyclable, and that presents very satisfactory appearance for its smooth face on the inside or the outside.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and to a machine for heat-shrinking sleeves made from a film of heat-shrink plastics material and engaged individually on articles such as bottles. In accordance with the invention, the machine comprises a fixed structure, an article support arranged to move along a vertical central axis between a low position in which articles can be put into place or removed, and a high position in which an article is fully received in a pre-heater chamber surmounting a shrinkage chamber, together with a controller governing parameters of temperature, support travel speed, and time, during the operating sequences of the method. This enables ordinary consumers themselves to cause sleeves to be shrunk onto bottles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and to a machine for heat-shrinking sleeves made from a film of heat-shrink plastics material and engaged individually on articles such as bottles. In accordance with the invention, the machine comprises a fixed structure, an article support arranged to move along a vertical central axis between a low position in which articles can be put into place or removed, and a high position in which an article is fully received in a pre-heater chamber surmounting a shrinkage chamber, together with a controller governing parameters of temperature, support travel speed, and time, during the operating sequences of the method. This enables ordinary consumers themselves to cause sleeves to be shrunk onto bottles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a packaging element with printed marking, and in which the wall of the element is made out of plastics material. According to the invention, for a wall that is essentially transparent, the packaging element (10) comprises on one of its faces (11) marking (15) which is printed with sympathetic ink, and said marking (15) is sandwiched between a primary dispersing screen (14) deposited on said face and on which said marking is printed, and a dispersing screen (16) overprinted thereon so as to cover the marking (15) and at least the zone (17) of said face surrounding said marking so as to make the marking undetectable. Such a packaging element can be made in particular in the form of a film, specifically for making heat-shrink packaging sleeves, or in the form of a container, in particular a bottle, a blister, or a box.

Abstract: The invention relates to an envelope (100) for packaging at least one article, the envelope being of the type constituted by a sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material having a main portion (101) suitable for encapsulating at least a portion of the article or a group of articles, said sleeve also having an additional flap (102) overlapping the outside of the sleeve and connected to the main portion (101) of the sleeve via two parallel lines of heat sealing (102, 105) at its lateral ends, said flap having a panel-forming portion (115) which is detachable by being torn off.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for placing sleeves on conveyed articles, said sleeves being cut-off from a continuous sheath (13) passing over a floating type sheath-opening shaper (20). According to the invention, the wheels (30, 31) for lowering the sheath and the wheels (32, 33) for ejecting the cut-off sheath segment (15) are rotated by associated electric motors (41; 42, 43) controlled synchronously by a common electronic programmer (50) arranged to determine a continuous profile of speed variation so as to control the lowering of each sheath segment, said programmer including at least one control card (55) which co-operates with an adjacent encoder (47) mounted at the end of a shaft (46) rotated by a central motor and gearbox unit (40, 45). The synchronization obtained makes it possible to envisage very high rates of throughput while using sleeves of a diameter that is hardly greater than the maximum diameter of the articles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for fitting sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material on objects, the sleeves being taken from a continuous sheath that is rolled flat. In the invention, a horizontal shaping mandrel (40) is provided that comprises two torpedoes (41, 42) in axial alignment and interconnected by a thread-like central element (43), the two torpedoes having facing ends (45, 46) each with a pair of smooth chamfers, and each torpedo resting freely on an associated V support (60). The sheath drive means comprises two adjacent pinch wheels (25, 26) disposed symmetrically on either side of the thread-like element (43) between the two V-supports (60) and passing in the vicinity of the pairs of smooth chamfers of the torpedoes (41, 42), each wheel (25, 26) having a peripheral groove (65, 66) that is complementary to the groove of the other wheel so as to form a horizontal axis passage for said thread-like element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for supporting at least one object that is to be suspended from a peg of a display unit. According to the invention, it consists in a sleeve (10) of heat-shrink plastics material having a non-shrunk top portion (10.1) which is flattened face against face and has a through hole (11) for suspending the device, and a bottom portion (10.2) which is shrunk on a top portion of the object(s) concerned so as to enable said object(s) to be suspended.

Abstract: The envelope (100) has an additional flap (103) extending externally by superposition, being connected to the main portion (101) via two parallel lines of heat sealing (102, 105). According to the invention, the additional flap (103) has a reinforcing strip (106) applied thereto and at least one cutout (110) is formed therein to define the outline of a pull tongue (114). The cutout (110) extends beyond the reinforcing strip (106) in the form of two slots (113) formed through the wall of the flap and forming tear starters. The flap also has a line of perforations (104) extending parallel to the direction of the reinforcing strip (106) and at a distance therefrom, so as to enable the panel which is obtained by tearing the corresponding portion of said flap to be detached.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for making an antitheft link between two objects, the device comprising an envelope (20) of heat-shrink plastics material whose walls are locally brought together along a common generator line (23) to form both a main compartment (24) which is open at both ends and which is designed to envelop one of the two objects to be connected together, and an auxiliary compartment in which an elongate pin is disposed. The device has a wall (31) provided on the other object (30) with a narrow longitudinal slot (32) formed therein that is open at one of its ends, said slot being dimensioned to enable the envelope to be inserted level with its common generator line (23) so that the elongate pin co-operates with the wall (31) to provide the link between said other object and the envelope which has been heat-shrunk on the first object, and to enable the inserted envelope (20) to be locked into place by means (36) closing the open end of the slot (32).

Abstract: The invention relates to a security envelope (20) for an article, the envelope being constituted by a sleeve (21) of heat-shrinkable plastics material that is fitted on its inside face with a holographic element (30) and with a tear strip (22) passing behind said holographic element (30). According to the invention, the holographic element (30) is organized to be transferable onto the facing wall (13) of the article and to adhere to said wall via zones situated on either side of the tear strip (22) so as to hold a portion of said tear strip captive, such that any fraudulent manipulation of the envelope heat-shrunk onto the article has the effect of displacing the tear strip (22) and consequently of automatically and visibly destroying the transferred holographic element (30).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of marking an article by transfer from a sleeve of heat-shrink plastics material which is shrunken on the article. According to the method, a transferable element (30) whose free face is coated in a layer (33) of reactivatable adhesive, together with an integrated circuit (40) on said layer, is placed on the inside surface (25) of the film constituting the sleeve (20), after which the sleeve (20) fitted in this way is engaged on the article (10) and is heated so as to shrink said sleeve and press said transferable element together with its integrated circuit onto the facing wall of the article (10), and the adhesive of the layer (33) of reactivatable adhesive is reactivated so that the transferable element (30) adheres to the article (10) and presses the associated integrated circuit (40) against the wall of said article.

Abstract: A method of controlling the temperature in a tunnel open at both ends and along which objects are displaced by conveyor means, the tunnel including heating or cooling means disposed along its two side walls between which the conveyed objects pass. According to the invention, the temperature is sensed in a particular zone of the tunnel in which a predetermined temperature is desired, and in organizing transverse displacement of the heating or cooling means (104) is organized in a direction essentially perpendicular to the direction in which the objects (103) are conveyed by means of a servo-control system causing the heating or cooling means to be displaced automatically mutually towards each other or away from each other whenever the sensed temperature differs from the predetermined temperature, thereby having the effect of permanently ensuring a constant temperature environment for the objects concerned in the above-mentioned zone of the tunnel.

Abstract: The invention relates to controlling the temperature in a tunnel (1) including heating or cooling means (4) disposed along its side walls and means (5) for blowing in a gaseous fluid at a given temperature along a direction essentially perpendicular to the direction which objects are conveyed along the tunnel. The temperature is detected in the zone of the tunnel into which the gaseous fluid is blown, and the blower means (5) are displaced in a direction essentially parallel to the direction in which the objects (3) are conveyed by means of a servo-control system for ensuring that the blower means move automatically when the sensed temperature differs from a predetermined temperature, thereby permanently providing a constant temperature environment for the, or each, object in said zone of the tunnel. The invention is particularly applicable to shrinking heat shrink sleeves onto flasks for decorative and/or protective purposes, and also to cooling down receptacles made of glass.

Abstract: The apparatus for placing decorative or protective sleeves of heat-shrinkable plastic over objects which do not easily stand upright. The machine comprises a device to place sleeves vertically over intermediate pins, of suitable diameter, fastened to an endless chain. The pins are brought into horizontal position during the returning of the chain around a wheel inclined at 45.degree., to circulate in alignment with objects received individually in housings provided on a second endless chain driven at the same linear speed as the first. A cam mechanism is then started to transfer the sleeves of the pins to the objects with which they are aligned.