Device and method for wrapping unit loads or packaged goods

Abstract

A foil hood is wrapped around a load by first positioning a respective tensioning finger immediately adjacent each corner of the load in an inner position with the fingers relatively close and then gathering the hood into vertically stacked folds and fitting the gathered hood over the fingers with an open end of the hood downward. Then the fingers are spread outward away from the load-into outer positions spaced from the load to transversely stretch the hood. The fingers are then downward until a closed end of the hood engages the top of the load, and the fingers are shifted toward each other into intermediate positions lying outward of the inner positions and inward of the inner positions so as to relieve some of the stretch in the hood, whereupon the fingers are further downward so that the hood is pulled upward fold-by-fold off the fingers.

1 . A method of wrapping a load having a top and a plurality of vertical sides, the method comprising the steps of sequentially; 
 positioning a plurality of tensioning fingers in respective inner positions generally above the load;    thereafter fitting a downwardly open hood gathered into a plurality of vertically stacked folds over the fingers in the inner positions of the fingers with an open end of the hood directed downward;    thereafter spreading the fingers outward away from the load into respective outer positions spaced horizontally outward from the sides of the load and thereby transversely stretching the hood;    thereafter moving the fingers downward until the closed end of the hood engages the top of the load; and    thereafter displacing the fingers toward each other into respective intermediate positions lying outward of the respective inner positions, inward of the respective outer positions, but still spaced horizontally outward from the sides of the load so as to relieve some of the stretch in the hood while moving the fingers further downward so that the hood is pulled upward fold-by-fold off the fingers.    
   
   
       2 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 1  wherein the fingers are moved downward to a predetermined position at which generally all of the folds have been pulled off the fingers, the method further comprising the steps of: 
 engaging a holding device against at least one of fingers to clamp the hood thereagainst when the predetermined position has been reached; and    thereafter moving the fingers further downward with the hood clamped between the holding device and the one finger to vertically stretch the hood.    
   
   
       3 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 1  wherein the fingers are moved inward from the respective outer positions in a single step into the respective intermediate positions.  
   
   
       4 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 1  wherein the fingers are moved inward from the respective outer positions in a plurality of steps into the respective intermediate positions.  
   
   
       5 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 1  wherein the fingers are moved inward from the respective outer positions in a continuous movement while being displaced downward into the respective intermediate positions.  
   
   
       6 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 5  wherein the continuous movement is effected at a generally constant speed.  
   
   
       7 . The load-wrapping method defined in  claim 5  wherein the continuous movement is effected at a varying speed.