US1969453A - Packaging method - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1934.

R. L. CHURCHILL PACKAGING METHOD Filed Jan. 16, 1933 gwuzntoz:

' Patented Aug. 7, 1934 PACKAGING METHOD Robert L. Churchill, Kingsport, Term., assigner te Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 16, 1933, vSerial No. 652,017

8Claims.

'I'his invention relates to the art of packaging and more particularly to a meth'od whereby various types of wrappings produced from cellulose organic esters ,may be shrunk upon the article to 5 beprotected in such a manner as to produce a neat, tight wrap free from wrinkles.

When wrapping various articles of commerce 15 sheeting, it is practically impossible te draw the Imaterial suillciently tightly around the object to produce a smooth wrap without breaking. It has been proposed to obviate these diillculties by employing a type of sheeting which possesses 0 self-shrinking properties. In 'such'a case the sheet is merely 'wrapped around the article, sealed if desired, and permitted te shrink tightly thereover. One such type. of sheeting is composed of cellulose acetate containing a substantial pro- 5 portion, say 2li-40% of a4 plasticizer such as diethyl phthalate, having a low boiling point and higlrvapor pressure, as compared'to other plasticizers, which gives the sheeting markedly shrinking qualities.

It is the principal object of the present invention to improve upon the packaging art, especially with reference to the wrapping of various 1 articles in thin cellulose organic estersheeting. Another object is to provide a simple and effective method whereby a tight wrap free from wrinkles vmay be obtained. A specic object is to provide a method of tightening wrappers of cellulose acetate thin sheeting A after they are applied tov plished if the article, after wrapping, is sub-f jected to the action of a solvent or swelling agent for the cellulose organic ester material employed and then permitted to dry. I-have found that an even, uniform shrinkage takes place throughmanner, the edge portions in many cases being sealed by a suitable sealing agent or cement or simply by the application of heat and pressure. 'I'he wrapping material at this stage of the operation is relatively loose and has a tendency to wrinkle or lbuckle due to the uneven tension applied to the sheeting during application to the-article, or in some cases, due to the particular form of the article itself. The wrapped article is next subjected to the action of a' s'welling agent or a solvent for the material of sheeting. This may be accomplished by moistening or wetting the outer surfaces of the wrapper with the agent by brushing or dipping. In some cases it may be desirable to apply the swelling or solvent agent in vapor form by suspending the wrapped article in ay closed vessel containing the saturated vapor or by spraying the swelling or solvent agent thereon.

A typical example of the method according to the invention may be carried out as follows. An article, such as a cake of soap, a can of powder, a properlyl stoppered bottle of liquid or other article of commerce is suitably wrapped in a thin sheet of cellulose acetate, the edge portions of the wrapper being preferably sealed in any appropriate manner. A solution containing 67% denatured ethyl alcohol and 33% acetone is then prepared and the outer surface of the wrapper is moistened or wetted slightly by brushing the solution on with a soft brush. The wetted or moistened surface dries rapidly and most unexpectedly an almost immediate tightening or shrinking of the wrapper takes place, resulting in a smooth, neat package substantially free from wrinkles, buckled portions, or other unevenness.

'I'he composition of the shrinking agent may vary'widely.A .It must, however, be either a'solvent or a swelling agent for the particular cellulose ester material dealt with. As a general rule,

swelling agents are to be preferred due to their less drastic action on the sheeting. When using*- this latter type of agent less manipulative care is required in application than with an agent which has a pronounced solvent action. When4 working with 'relatively thick materials it may in` some cases be necessry,-ither to employ a solvent out the sheeting, which shrinkage has the enect alone, or a mixture of solvent and swelling agent.

of tightening the wrapper on the article and smoothing out wrinklesina manner impossible when working by hand or even with the most per. j feet mechanical packaging equipment.4

'The method is extremely' simple and may'be carried out in a number of diil'erent ways. The article to becovered is first wrapped'in cellulose 55 acetate thin sheeting, for examplain the desired It will be apparent that the optimum proportions of solvent and' swelling agent will necessarily be determined with reference to the type of material dealt with, its thickness, and other properties.

In no case, howevfenlwill the agent be sulciently drastic in its action to apprecably; eat into or through the surface 'of the sheeting.

In the case of cellulose acetate sheeting, for

looA

somewhat loosely.

may be by simply brushing it onto the surface .of

the wrapper and permitting it to evaporate at room temperature. In some cases the wrapped article may even be dipped momentarily in a body of the liquid and then permitted to dry, or the article may be suspended for a short time in a closed space containing the saturated vapors of the liquid.

The two gures of the drawing graphically illustrate the eilective tightening of a wrapper on an article of irregular shape, by means of my invention In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 indicates a properly stoppered bottle of liquid which has been relatively loosely wrapped in a thin, transparent sheet of cellulose acetate wrapping material (2) and sealed by means, of solvent sealing agents or merely by application of heat and pressure. It will be noted that .the material, even in spite of the most careful attention to wrapping, wrinkles andbuckles and accordinglyts around the bottle Fig. 2 illustrates the same package after the relatively loosely ttin'g wrapper has been treated by application of a agent such as described above. The wrapper (2) is now drawn tightly aroundthe bottleand the wrinkles are 'cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose completely smoothed out giving the package an extremely neat attractiveappearance.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to cellulose acetate sheeting, it is equally ,applicable to methods of packaging involving the use of other types of single or mixed cellulose organic ester material, such as cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose stearate, acetate butyrate and the like.

It will also be apparent that a wide latitude is permitted in the proportions of the various ingredients making up the shrinking bath or liquid. While I have described a bath containing approximately 67% of non-solvent (alcohol) to 33% of solvent (acetone), I may employ as much as non-solvent, or more, with a correspondingly less amount of solvent, or even no solvent, if desired.

The matter of proportions o f any given combination of ingredients will also begoverned largely by the particular type of sheeting dealt with.

The method of the presentV invention has many advantages' over known methods of securing tightly fitting wrappingson package goods. Even the most eicient mechanical means of wrapping goods does not permit the sure and effective tightening of the wrappermade possible by the hereindescribed method. No complicated machinery or involved manipulative procedure-is required, the method being particularly characterized by its extreme simplicity. l

As many apparently widely diiferent embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is tobeunderstoodthatIdo notlimitmyselftothe therefrom.

agent for the ester which upon evaporation tautens the wrapper.

\2. The method 'of packaging which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a non-self-shrinking sheetof cellulose organic ester material free from water soluble compounds without tautening and applying an organic -swelling agent for the ester to the outer surface of the wrapper which upon evaporation tautens the material, and permitting the agent to evaporate -3. The method of packing which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a non-self-shrinking sheet of cellulose organic ester material free from water soluble compounds Without tautening and applying to the outer surface of the wrapper, a solution comprising an organic swelling agent for the cellulose organic ester and a solvent for said ester therefor, and permitting the solution to evaporate, whereby the wrapper is uniformly shrunk and tautened around the article.

4.' The method of packaging which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising an organic sheet of cellulose acetate, applying to the outer surface of the wrapper an organic swelling agent for the cellulose acetate, and permitting the agent to evaporate therefrom, whereby the cellulose acetate is uniformly shrunk and tautened around the article.

5. The method of packaging which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a sheet of cellulose acetate without tautening, applying to the outer surface of the wrapper an agent comprising 67% alcohol and 33% acetone, and permitting the agent to evaporate therefrom, whereby the cellulose acetate is uniformly shrunk and tautened around the article.

6. The method of packaging which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a non-self-shrinking sheet of cellulose organic ester material free from water-soluble compounds, without tautening, and subjecting the-wrapper to the action of a liquid which consists of a mixture of an organic non-solvent swelling agent for the cellulose organic ester and a solvent therefor. y

'1. Themethod of packaging which comprisesenclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a non-self-shrinking sheet of cellulose acetate free from water-soluble compounds, without tautening, and subjecting the wrapper to the action of a liquid which consists of a mixture of an organic non-solvent swelling agent for cellulose acetate and a solvent therefor.

8. The method of packaging which comprises enclosing an article in a wrapper comprising a nonself-shrinking sheet of cellulose acetate free from watersoluble compounds, without tautening, 'and subjecting the wrapper to the action of a liquid which contains a major portion of fan organic non-solvent swelling agent for the cellu-z lose.acetate Vand a solvent therefor` ROBERT L. CHURCHILL.'

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