Title of Invention

A DEVICE FOR FOLDING ENDS OF A PACKAGED PRODUCT

Abstract

A DEVICE FOR FOLDING ENDS OF A PACKAGED PRODUCT A device for folding the ends of a packaged product, said device comprising: a conveyor means (1) for receiving and transferring a packaged product (2), whose ends are to be folded, to a pre-end folding means (3), wherein said pre-end folding means folds the ends of the packaged product; a rotating means (4) placed between the conveyor means and the pre-end folding means for rotating the packaged product by an angle of about 90°, and a heating means (5) for heating the pre-end folded packaged product to produce end folded packaged product.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (Se section 10, rule 13) A DEVICE FOR FOLDING ENDS OF A PACKAGED PRODUCT Multi Pack Systems Pvt. Ltd., of 9th Floor, Neptune Towers. Alkapuri B.P.C. Road, Vadodara-390005, Gujarat, India. The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. GRANTED 2 9-0 1-2 0 0 8 29 JAN 2008 Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a device for folding the ends of a packaged product. The packaged products flowing out of the flow wrap machine are transferred in such a way that the ends of the packaged product gets pre-folded during the transfer and by applying heat, the ends are set in the folded position. Background and Prior Art Description: During the process of packaging a product, the packets flowing through a wrapping machine will have its sealed ends perpendicular to the surface of the product. Figure 1 (a) shows the packaged packet flowing out of the wrapping machine having perpendicular sealed ends. The sealed ends of the packet are folded or iron downed so that they lie flat along the sides. Figure 1 (b) shows the packet having its sealed ends folded such that they lie flat along the sides. The main purpose of folding the ends of a packet are as follows: 1. End folding will facilitate easy and convenient placement of packets in cartons and at retainer shelves. 2. End folding imparts better look and increases product appeal. 3. End folding makes the side panel of the packs available for display purpose. 4. End folding restricts the movement of the product in the packet thereby improving the protection against damage during transportation. Till date the sealed ends of packaged products have been folded by a laborious manual process which is time consuming. In order to overcome the disadvantages faced during the manual process, the applicants have now devised a novel device for folding the ends of a packaged product. Objects of the Invention: The main object of the present invention is to provide a device for folding the ends of a packaged product. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which pre-folds the packaged product during transfer and the ends are permanently set in the folded position by applying heat, Statement of the Invention: A device for folding the ends of a packaged product, said device comprising a conveyor means (1) for receiving and transferring a packaged product(2), whose ends are to be folded, characterised in that the packaged product being transferred to a prc-end folding means(3), wherein said pre-end folding means folds the ends of the packaged product, rotating means(4) placed between the conveyor means(l) and the pre-end folding means(3) for rotating the packaged product by an angle of about 90o, and a heating means(5) for heating the pre-end folded packaged product to produce end folded packaged product. Detailed Description of the Present Invention: Accordingly, the present invention provides a device for folding the ends of a packaged product, said device comprising: a conveyor means (1) for receiving and transferring a packaged product (2), whose end are to be folded, to a pre-end folding means (3), wherein said pre-end folding means folds the ends of the packaged product; a rotating means (4) placed between the conveyor means and the pre-end folding means for rotating the packaged product by an angle of about 90°, and a heating means (5) for heating the pre-end folded packaged product to produce end folded packaged product. In an embodiment of the present invention, said device is used for folding a first and a second end flaps (6 and 7) of the packaged product. In another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the conveyor means (I) receives the packaged product such that the first and the second end flaps arc parallel to the direction of motion of the conveyor means. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor means (1) comprises of a belt conveyor (12) and a product transfer chain with carry lugs (13). In still another embodiment of the present invention, the pre-end folding means comprise of a top and a bottom guide (8 and 9). In a further embodiment of the present invention, the rotating means rotate the packaged product such that the first end flap (6) is in contact with the bottom guide (8) and the second end flap (7) is in contact with the top guide (9) or vise versa. In one more embodiment of the present invention, the heating means comprises of a top heating unit (10) and a bottom heating unit (11). In one another embodiment of the present invention, the top heating unit comprises a top heating plate being energized by one or more heating coils. In an embodiment of the present invention, the bottom heating unit comprises a bottom heating plate being energized by one or more heating coils. Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawing: In the drawings accompanying the specification, Figure 1 (a) represent the packaged product its ends are folded. Figure 1 (b) represent the packaged product after its ends are folded. Figure 2 represent represents the schematic diagram of the device of the present invention. The invention is further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration and hence, should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. Referring to figure 2, the end folding device of the present invention is mainly categorized in to two units viz. (a) End Folding Unit and (b) Heating Unit. The End folding unit comprises of a conveyor means (1) rotating means (4) and a pre-end folding means (3). The conveyor means further comprises of a conveyor belt (12) and a product transfer chain with carry lugs (13). The packaged product coming out of the wrap machine are first taken on the conveyor means. The carry lugs of the product chain carry the packs from the conveyor belt and transfer them to the rotating means. The rotating means is designed such that the packs are received horizontally from the conveyor belt and are turned by an angle of 90° such that the packets are oriented vertically and the first and second end flaps (6 and 7) are at the top and bottom of the packs or vise versa. The packaged product is then transferred to the pre-end folding means which comprises of a top and a bottom guide (8 and 9). The top and the bottom guides pre-fold the first and the second end flaps such that they lie flat along the top and the bottom surface of the product. The packets are then transferred to the heating unit where they are heated so that the end flaps remain in the folded position. The heating unit comprises of a top heating unit (10) and a bottom heating unit (11) which further comprise of a top heating plate and one or more heating coils. Advantages of the Present Invention: The advantages of the present invention are as follows: 1. The end flaps of the product are folded without any manual intervention. 2. The device of the present invention works in a nut-shell. We Claim: 1. A device for folding the ends of a packaged product, said device comprising: a conveyor means (1) for receiving and transferring a packaged product (2), whose ends are to be folded , characterised in that the packaged product being transferred to a pre-end folding means (3), wherein said pre-end folding means folds the ends of the packaged product, a rotating means (4) placed between the conveyor means (1) and the pre-end folding means(3) for rotating the packaged product by an angle of about 90°, and a heating means (5) for heating the pit-end folded packaged product to produce end folded packaged product. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is used for folding a first and a second end flaps (6 and 7) of the packaged product. 3. A device as claimed in claims 1 & 2, wherein the conveyor means (1) receives the packaged product such that the first and the second end flaps are parallel to the direction of motion of the conveyor means. 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor means (1) comprises of a belt conveyor (12) and a product transfer chain with carry lugs (13). 5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-end folding means comprise of a top and a bottom guide (8 and 9). 6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rotating means rotate the packaged product such that the first end flap (6) is in contact with the bottom guide (8) and the second end flap (7) is in contact with the top guide (9) or vise versa. 7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises of a top heating unit (10) and a bottom heating unit (11). 8. A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top heating unit (10) comprises a top heating plate being energized by one or more heating coils. 9. A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bottom heating unit (11) comprises bottom heating plate being energized by one or more heating coils. 10. A device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying

Documents:

799-mum-2002-abstract(29-01-2008).doc

799-mum-2002-abstract(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-cancelled pages(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(29-01-2008).doc

799-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-correspondence 1(19-10-2005).pdf

799-mum-2002-correspondence 2(10-07-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(29-07-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-drawing(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 1(04-09-2002).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 1(20-07-2004).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 1(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 13(10-07-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 13(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 18(09-08-2006).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(29-01-2008).doc

799-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 26(06-02-2005).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 26(10-07-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 26(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 3(04-09-2002).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 3(29-01-2008).pdf

799-mum-2002-form 5(29-01-2008).pdf

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