Abstract: A counter rotating or reciprocating frame is pivotally connected at one end to a main frame and has a pair of sealing and cutting jaws counter-rotatably connected at the other end. A main drive transfers drive motion to a end seal drive on the reciprocating frame which rotates the upper and lower sealing jaws. The main drive transfer also provides drive motion for a linear drive which converts the drive motion into a linear drive motion. A linear drive transfer mechanism transfers the linear drive motion to the reciprocating frame. The motion of a reciprocating frame and the frequency of the upper and lower sealing jaws engaging are synchronized such that a longitudinal tube of flexible wrapping material engaged at specific locations to form end seals and end cuts in the longitudinal tube of flexible wrapping material which create individual flexible packages.

Abstract: An inverted horizontal wrapping machine is provided with an article infeed system which includes a horizontal feed trough with an open exit end positioned closely adjacent the inlet end of the wrapping material tube being continuously formed by the machine's forming box. Offset to one side of the trough is a looped drive chain structure which is rotated in an essentially horizontal plane. A spaced series of flag-type pusher members are pivotally secured to the chain structure for movement therewith, the flag portions of the pusher members along the inner side of the chain structure being swept through the trough to slide articles therein sequentially into the tube inlet. As each pusher flag reaches the exit end of the trough, a first cam element upwardly and rearwardly pivots the flag to disengage it from its associated article, and the pivoted flag is then moved horizontally away from the trough .

Abstract: An inverted horizontal wrapping machine is provided with an article infeed system which includes a horizontal feed trough with an open exit end positioned closely adjacent the inlet end of the wrapping material tube being continuously formed by the machine's forming box. Offset to one side of the trough is a looped drive chain structure which is rotated in an essentially horizontal plane. A spaced series of flag-type pusher members are pivotally secured to the chain structure for movement therewith, the flag portions of the pusher members along the inner side of the chain structure being swept through the trough to slide articles therein sequentially into the tube inlet. As each pusher flag reaches the exit end of the trough, a first cam element upwardly and rearwardly pivots the flag to disengage it from its associated article, and the pivoted flag is then moved horizontally away from the trough.

Abstract: An inverted horizontal wrapping machine is provided with an article infeed system which includes a horizontal feed trough with an open exit end positioned closely adjacent the inlet end of the wrapping material tube being continuously formed by the machine's forming box. Offset to one side of the trough is a looped drive chain structure which is rotated in an essentially horizontal plane. A spaced series of flag-type pusher members are pivotally secured to the chain structure for movement therewith, the flag portions of the pusher members along the inner side of the chain structure being swept through the trough to slide articles therein sequentially into the tube inlet. As each pusher flag reaches the exit end of the trough, a first cam element upwardly and rearwardly pivots the flag to disengage it from its associated article, and the pivoted flag is then moved horizontally away from the trough.

Abstract: The continuously formed wrapping material tube traversing a horizontal wrapping machine, and containing articles to be wrapped therein, is sequentially passed between a first pair of opposed, counter-rotating heat sealing bar sets, and then between a second pair of opposed, counter-rotating combination heat sealing and cutting bar sets, to heat seal and cut spaced apart longitudinal sections of the tube, each positioned between an adjacent pair of articles, to form individual, article-containing packages. As each of these longitudinal tube sections passes through the first bar set, corrugated outer ends of two bars therein mesh to compress and heat seal the tube section along a corrugated heat seal area whose ridges and valleys extend transversely to the tube length.