GB2279638A

GB2279638A - Conveying stacks of tea bags

Info

Publication number: GB2279638A
Application number: GB9416495A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Roy Rimmer; Stephen John Barratt
Original assignee: Premier Brands UK Ltd
Current assignee: Premier Brands UK Ltd
Priority date: 1991-06-14
Filing date: 1992-05-29
Publication date: 1995-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2012-05-29
Also published as: GB9416495D0; GB2278822B; GB2279638B; GB9416496D0; GB2278822A

Abstract

A method of handling round tea bags 22 arranged in a stack or stacks 32 to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve 34 to form a package, wherein the stack or stacks 32 of tea bags is or are fed from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine 33, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by a suitable transfer means 30 which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls 44, 46 to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, is characterised in that a rear pusher 38 engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former 40 holds the front end of the stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place. The front former 40 and rear pusher 38 may be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags. Where there are two or more stacks, intermediate spacers may lie between adjacent stacks at the sides thereof. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements Relating to Infusion Packages This invention relates to infusion packages, and in particular concerns infusion packages in the form of tea bags. Although reference is made hereinafter to tea bags, it is to be understood that the invention can be applied to other infusion bags where the bags contain material other than tea. However, as tea bags are the most common form of infusion bag to which the present invention relates, reference will be made hereinafter only to tea bags in the interests of simplicity.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack or stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, wherein the stack or stacks of tea bags is or are fed from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by a suitable transfer means which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised in that a rear pusher engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former holds the front end of the stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

The said front former and rear pusher preferably extend across the width of the channel between the walls, and may desirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

Additionally, where the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, there may be side spacer members between respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition. It should be mentioned that it may be difficult to hold the tea bags in such arrangement in view of their shape.

It should also be mentioned that the expression "round" as applied to the tea bags should be construed as generally meaning curved, and not specifically circular, although circular tea bags it is believed will be the most popular form. The bags could however for example be elliptical or oval.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a round tea bag making machine, a transfer conveyor, and a flow wrapping machine; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the packages according to the embodiment of the invention, which results from the manufacturing process illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, tea bags 10 are produced by a machine, not shown in detail, whereby a first and lower web 12 and second and upper web 14 are brought together to form a laminated web 16, and between which webs are arranged portions 18 of tea each of a quantity for a single tea bag.

The laminated upper and lower webs 12, 14 pass through stations of the machine whereby the webs are sealed together around the tea portions 18 by sealing rollers 20, and then the individual round tea bags 22 are cut from the webs by cutting rollers 24.

The cut tea bags 22 pass to a magazine 26 into which the cut bags are pushed one by one by reciprocating displacers 2E, and form pairs of stacks in the magazine. When the stacks are of a certain height, typically 20 tea bags high, each pair of stacks is displaced from the magazine into a feed conveyor which transports the pair of stacks 32 to a wrapping machine 33 whereat the stacks are wrapped in wrapping material 34 which forms a sleeve around the pair of stacks, and the thus wrapped stacks are severed from the remainder of the wrapping material to form a package 36 as shown in Fig. 2.

The pairs of stacks which form groups, are displaced on the conveying means 30 in any suitable manner. Typically, the conveying means comprises a conveyor 30 on which the stacks are supported, and a rear pusher 38 which engages the rear of the rearmost stack, and supports the group. Additionally a front holder 40 holds the front end of the front stack 32 whereby the group is held in stable stacked condition. This is important in relation to the conveying of round tea bags in this manner. If desired there may be intermediate spacers (not shown) which lie between the two stacks of tea bags at the sides thereof in order to enhance the stability of the stacks.

In the arrangement shown, the pusher 38 and the front holder member 40 are carried by the conveyor, but the front holder member could be carried by a separate and overhead conveyor 42 simply to assist in the ejection of the groups from the manufacturing machine.

The conveyor as shown comprises a pair of side walls 44, 46 which form adjustable guides in that the bag edges are supported lightly against these walls as conveying takes place. The spacing between the walls can be finely adjusted.

At the flow wrapping machine 33, the wrapping material is sealed longitudinally (48 Fig. 2) around the groups of tea bags, and this is followed by transverse sealing 50 to the front and rear of the bags. As indicated in Fig. 2, the sealing bars for effecting the transverse seals may form seals 52 of curved configuration, so that the seal 52 around the tea bag at each end of the package may be such as to conform to the tea bag curvature, whereby the bags will be held firmly in stacks inside the package. In this connection, it is preferable that the sleeve be a neat fit around the tea bags to hold same in stable condition.

The sealing bars need not of course be curved, and may simply be straight, but in any event, the packages are severed transversely from the remainder of the wrapping material by means of a transverse cutting device.

The manufacture of the tea bags and the wrapping of same in the sleeve material takes place on a continuous basis.

This application is divided out of application No 9325095.9.

Claims

1. A method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack or stacks to be wrapped ina flexible sleeve to form a package, wherein the stack or stacks of tea bags is or are fed from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by a suitable transfer means which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised in that a rear pusher engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former holds the front end of th stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

2. A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls and may desirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

3. A method according to Claim 2, characterised in that the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, and there are side spacer members between the respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition during the transportation of same between the tea bag manufacturing machine and the wrapping machine.

4. Apparatus for manufacturing and handling round tea bags arranged in one or more stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, comprising a tea bag manufacturing machine, a wrapping machine, and means for feeding the stack or stacks of tea bags from the manufacturing machine to the wrapping machine, said means comprising a guide and transfer arrangement in the form of a conveying channel defined by side walls which keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised by a rear pusher which engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former which holds the front end of the stack or the front stack while conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 7, characterised in that the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls and may desirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 8, characterised in that the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, and there are side spacer members between respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition during the transportation of same between the tea bag manufacturing machine and the wrapping machine.

7. A method of handling round tea bags substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. Apparatus for manufacturing and handling round tea bags substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack or stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, wherein the stack or stacks of tea bags is or are fed from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by a suitable transfer means which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised in that a rear pusher engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former holds the front end of the stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterised in that the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls and may desirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterised in that the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, and there are side spacer members between respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition during the transportation of same between the tea bag manufacturing machine and the wrapping machine.