Method for manufacturing a tea bag folding structure

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a tea bag folding structure, the method comprising a folding step and a pressing step. The folding step is to fold a sheet having a folding line into a folded state with two opposite side edges being joined together. The pressing step is to open the sheet into a hollow cylindrical shape and to press the sheet along the folding line into a cylindrical folding structure with two open ends. The method for manufacturing a tea bag is to close one of the open ends of the tea bag folding structure after forming the tea bag folding structure, to fill tea leaves into the tea bag folding structure, and then to close the other open end of the tea bag folding structure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application provides a manufacturing method of a folding structure, in particular, a manufacturing method of a tea bag folding structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] A general tea bag is filled with tea leaves in a bag structure for placing in water for brewing. A "brewing material covering structure" disclosed in a utility model patent publication No. CN203111819U has a complex folding structure of the brewing material, which is not easy to manufacture. Therefore, a manufacturing process capable of being produced in an automatic or semi-automatic manner is needed. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide a manufacturing method of a tea bag folding structure.

[0004] The manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure of the present application is performed by using a sheet material having a plurality of folding lines. The manufacturing method comprises a folding step of folding the sheet material having the folding lines into a folded state and connecting two opposite edges; and a pressing step of pressing the sheet material into a hollow cylindrical shape and folding the sheet material into a cylindrical folding structure along the plurality of folding lines and having two open ends.

[0005] In an embodiment of the present application, the manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure further comprises a pressing step performed before the folding step. In the pressing step, a plurality of rows of concave-convex structures are formed on the sheet material, and a folding line is formed between every two rows of concave-convex structures.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, in the folding step, the sheet material is connected by folding one head end and one tail end of the sheet material, and the plurality of folding lines and the plurality of concave-convex structures form a ring shape along the connection of the head end and the tail end.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, in the folding step, two sheet materials are folded and cut to a predetermined length, and the positions of the plurality of sheet materials cut are connected.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, in the pressing step, the connected sheet material is expanded into a hollow cylindrical shape, and is folded into a folding structure along the plurality of folding lines radially inward.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, in the pressing step, the sheet material is folded into a folding structure along the plurality of folding lines one by one.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, in the step of folding, the sheet is set in a jig, the sheet is expanded into a hollow cylindrical shape by the jig, and the jig includes a plurality of support members that are driven to support the inside of the sheet, thereby expanding the sheet into a hollow ring shape and forming an internal support when folded from the outside.

[0011] The tea bag and the manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure are completed by the above steps. The manufacturing process is completed in an automatic or semi-automatic manner by cooperating with mechanical equipment, thereby having a beneficial effect on the production of tea bags with a more complex folding structure. In addition, the concave-convex structure of the sheet and the formation of the folding line also make it easy for the sheet to be folded into a lantern folding structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Other features and effects of the present application will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a step flow chart of an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the tea bag folding structure of the present application being made into a tea bag;

[0015] Figure 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a sheet of the embodiment;

[0016] Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating a folding step of the embodiment;

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another variation state of the folding step;

[0018] Figures 6A to 6C is a schematic diagram illustrating a folding step of the embodiment;

[0019] Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating a jig and a folding tool of the embodiment;

[0020] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the sheet is expanded by the support members in the embodiment; and

[0021] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a step of closing an open end of the tea bag folding structure by a bottom cover and a step of filling tea leaves in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2An embodiment of the manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure of the present application is for manufacturing a tea bag 1 having a folding structure like a lantern folding structure that can be stretched or compressed, and the manufacturing method comprises the following steps:

[0023] Step 11: Forming a hollow cylindrical tea bag folding structure 10 having two open ends (see Figure 2 ), in this step, comprising the following sub-steps:

[0024] Embossing step 111: Forming a plurality of embossing on a sheet 1. This embossing step 111 can be performed by an embossing device. As shown in Figure 3 , in this embodiment, the embossing comprises a plurality of folding lines 21 and a plurality of rows of concave-convex structures 22, the plurality of rows of concave-convex structures 22 are arranged along the width direction W, and each row of concave-convex structures 22 is arranged along the length direction L by alternating concave structures 221 and convex structures 222, and between every two rows of concave-convex structures 22 along the width direction W, a folding line 21 extending along a length direction L is defined, and the plurality of folding lines 21 are arranged along the width direction W. Among them, the folding line 21 is used to form a sawtooth-shaped folding structure, and the concave-convex structure 22 is used to assist the flat sheet 1 to be smoothly formed into a folding structure along the folding line 21, which will be described later. This embossing step 111 can also be directly replaced by obtaining a sheet 1 having a plurality of folding lines 21.

[0025] Folding step 112: The sheet 1 with folding lines 21 is folded and the opposite edges are connected. This folding step 112 can be performed by a joint cutting device 6. As shown in Figure 4A , in this embodiment, the sheet 1 is cut from a continuous strip-shaped sheet in this step. When cutting, the head end 14 of the sheet 1 is folded reversely to make the sheet 1 fold, and the joint cutting device 6 such as hot cutting or ultrasonic wave is used for cutting, as shown in Figure 4B , the sheet 1 is cut into a folded shape, and the cut end forms a tail end 15, and the opposite head end 14 and tail end 15 are connected due to the high temperature or ultrasonic wave vibration during the cutting process, at this time, the cut sheet 1 is in a folded ring shape and the center can be opened to a hollow cylindrical structure, so that each row of concave-convex structures 22 and folding lines 21 are also in a ring shape.

[0026] Referring to Figure 5 , another embodiment of the folding step 112 can also be to directly fold two sheets 1', and then cut a predetermined length by the joint cutting device 6 such as hot cutting or ultrasonic wave, and the cut position is connected due to the high temperature or ultrasonic wave vibration, so that the opposite edges of the two cut sheets 1' are connected. When cutting, it can be cut into a strip shape in a way such as a conveyor belt feeding.

[0027] Folding step 113: After the folding step 112, the sheet 1 is opened into a hollow cylinder and folded into the tea bag folding structure 10 along the plurality of folding lines 21 and has two ends open 101, 102 (see Figure 9 ). This folding step 113 can be performed by a folding device. As shown in Figure 6A , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , in this step, the folded sheet 1 is sleeved around the support 3 at the hollow part, and the support 3 is used to open the sheet 1 into a hollow cylinder. The support 3 used in this embodiment includes a plurality of support members 31 arranged in a ring shape. The plurality of support members 31 are substantially long strip-shaped and can be inserted between the sheets 1, thereby opening the sheets 1 into a hollow cylinder. The plurality of support members 31, 32 can be driven to move adjacent to and away from each other in the radial direction, and the radial cross section of the support members 31, 32 is arc convex, and the outer surface has a sawtooth structure 311, 321 arranged in the axial direction. The folded sheet 1 is sleeved around the plurality of support members 31 to be opened, and the plurality of support members 31, 32 are driven to move away from each other in the radial direction, so that the outer side of the support members 31, 32 with the sawtooth structure 311, 321 contacts the inner surface of the sheet 1, thereby supporting the inner side of the sheet 1. When folding, the inner support is formed. The support members 31, 32 in this embodiment are two, but the number is not limited thereto. Each support member 31, 32 corresponds to an area of about 180 degrees of the circumference of the sheet 1. The sheet 1 is thereby opened into a hollow cylinder. In this embodiment, the folding members 4 are arranged on the two opposite sides of the support 3, so that the sheet 1 is located between the support 3 and the folding members 4, and the folding members 4 are concave towards the outer edge of the support 3.

[0028] When folding, as shown in Figure 6A , first, the sheet 1 is located at the central folding line 21 corresponding to the valley position of the lowest point of the sawtooth structure 311. Then, as shown in Figure 6B , the folding member 4 located at the center is driven to partially push the sheet 1 inward along the folding line 21, so that the sheet 1 at the folding line 21 is folded inward and tightly attached to the concave outer surface of the sawtooth structure 311. Then, as shown in Figure 6CAs shown, the two side pressing members 4 are then driven to displace inwardly, pushing the positions of the other two fold lines 21 inwardly, so that the area of the sheet 1 is pressed inwardly to conform to the concave outer surface of the sawtooth structure 311, and so on, so that the sheet 1 is pressed into a sawtooth folding structure one by one. The function of the concave-convex structure 22 is that, since the sheet 1 is a planar structure, when the pressing members 4 are pressed along the fold lines 21, it is not easy to make the sheet 1 deform uniformly inwardly without the concave-convex structure 22. Therefore, the concave-convex structure 22 helps the sheet 1 deform more smoothly when the pressing members 4 push the fold lines 21 of the sheet 1 inwardly to make the sheet 1 fold. Therefore, the concave-convex structure 22 is formed in advance, so that the sheet 1 can deform more smoothly when it is pressed along the fold lines 21, and it can also avoid irregular or uncontrollable folding deformation when it is pressed. Furthermore, referring to Figure 3 In the present embodiment, the concave structures 221 and the convex structures 222 are staggered in the two rows of concave-convex structures 22, so that the interval fold lines 21 are formed. This also helps the sheet 1 deform when it is pressed. After the pressing step 113 is completed, the two opposite support members 31 are driven to displace inwardly toward each other and away from the inner surface of the sheet 1, and then the other two opposite support members 32 are driven to displace inwardly toward each other and away from the inner surface of the sheet 1. In other variations, the pressing members 4 can be in the form of rollers to roll along the fold lines 21.

[0029] After the pressing is completed, a hollow cylindrical structure like a lantern is formed, and the tea bag folding structure 10 has two open ends 101, 102.

[0030] It is particularly noted that in the pressing step 113, the pressing members 4 are used to press the sheet 1 from the center to the two sides along the fold lines 21. This is because, since the sheet 1 is pressed from a planar structure to a folding structure with concave-convex structures, pressing along the fold lines 21 one by one can avoid the sheet 1 being deformed uncontrollably due to multiple forces, or causing the sheet 1 to displace unexpectedly, or breaking due to multiple pressing and stretching. The order of pressing the sheet 1 is preferably from the center of the sheet 1 to the two ends, or from one end of the hollow cylindrical structure to the other end.

[0031] The processes of the foregoing steps 111 to 113 can also be connected in series as a production line to complete a series of processes such as embossing, laminating, cutting, and pressing.

[0032] Then, the following steps are performed to make the tea bag 1, step 12: a bottom cover 51 is used to close one end opening of the tea bag folding structure 10, and one end of a pull string 52 is connected to the bottom cover 51. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9 , the bottom cover 51, the pull string 52 and a top cover 53 are assembled and combined in such a way that one end of the pull string 52 is connected to the center of one surface of the bottom cover 51, and the other end of the pull string 52 is threaded through the center of the top cover 53 and connected to a stopper 54. In this step, the bottom cover 51 is heat-pressed to close the opening 101, at this time, the pull string 52 is threaded in the tea bag folding structure 10, and the top cover 53 is close to the other end opening 102.

[0033] Step 13: filling tea leaves 100. As shown in Figure 9 , in this step, the tea leaves 100 are filled into the tea bag folding structure 10 from the opening 102, at this time, since the bottom wall 51 has closed the opening 101, the tea leaves 100 will not fall out.

[0034] Step 14: after filling the tea leaves 100, the top cover 53 is combined with the tea bag folding structure 10 to heat-press and close the other end opening 102, at this time, the other end of the pull string 52 is threaded through the top cover 53 and connected to the stopper 54. That is, the tea bag 1 is made as shown in Figure 2 .

[0035] In summary, the present application completes the making of the tea bag folding structure 10 and the tea bag 1 by the above steps, and the above processes are completed in an automatic or semi-automatic way by cooperating with mechanical equipment, thus having a beneficial effect on the production of tea bags with a more complex folding structure, and achieving the purpose of the present application.

[0036] In addition, the present application mainly forms the folding line 21 and the concave-convex structure 22 of the sheet 1, and then uses the jig 3 and the pressing piece 4 to fold and press the sheet 5 along the folding line 21 into a cylindrical folding structure, and the above folding step is not limited to the way and manner of Figure 4A , 4B and Figure 5 .

[0037] [SYMBOL DESCRIPTION]

[0038] 1, 1' ················ tea bag

[0039] 10 ·················· tea bag folding structure

[0040] 100 ·················· tea leaves

[0041] 101, 102 ·············· opening

[0042] 11-13 step

[0043] 111-113 step

[0044] 14 head end

[0045] 15 tail end

[0046] 2 sheet

[0047] 21 fold line

[0048] 22 concavo-convex structure

[0049] 221 concave structure

[0050] 222 convex structure

[0051] 3 jig

[0052] 31, 32 support

[0053] 311, 321 sawtooth structure

[0054] 4 pressing member

[0055] 51 bottom cover

[0056] 52 pull cord

[0057] 53 top cover

[0058] 54 stop lever

[0059] 6 joining and cutting apparatus

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a folding structure for a tea bag, characterized in that, The manufacturing method utilizes a sheet material with multiple folds and includes: Overlapping step: The sheet with the folded lines is overlapped and the two opposite side edges are joined together; as well as Folding step: This step is performed after the stacking step. The sheet is spread out into a hollow cylindrical shape and folded along the multiple fold lines into a cylindrical folded structure with openings at both ends. It further includes an embossing step performed prior to the lamination step, wherein in the embossing step, multiple rows of convex and concave structures are formed on the sheet, and a fold line is formed between every two rows of convex and concave structures.

2. The manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In this lamination step, the opposite end of the sheet is joined to the tail end by folding, and the plurality of fold lines and the plurality of concave and convex structures form a ring shape as the head end and the tail end are joined.

3. The manufacturing method of the tea bag folding structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In this overlapping step, two sheets are overlapped and cut to a predetermined length, and the cut positions of the plurality of sheets are joined together.

4. The method for manufacturing the tea bag folding structure as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, In this folding step, the sheets to be joined are stretched open into a hollow cylindrical shape and then folded radially inward along the multiple fold lines to form a folded structure.

5. The method for manufacturing the tea bag folding structure as described in claim 4, characterized in that, In this folding step, the sheet is folded one by one along the multiple fold lines to form a folded structure.

6. The method for manufacturing the tea bag folding structure as described in claim 4, characterized in that, In this folding step, the sheet is fitted onto a fixture, which expands the sheet into a hollow cylindrical shape. The fixture includes multiple support members, which are driven to move away from each other and support the inside of the sheet, thereby expanding the sheet into a hollow cylindrical shape and forming internal support during external folding.

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