FIELD OF THE INVENTION [00021 The invention relates to adsorbent containing packages having improved ultrasonically welded seam components with intermittent sealed portions and relief portions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [00031 Typically a large area of material is ultrasonically welded to seal the desiccant package closed and provide a means to attach the package to the inside of an automotive air conditioning accumulator, condenser or receiver/dryer. Once welded, this large sealed area restricts the flow of oil and refrigerant thus reducing the oil circulation efficiency of the ac system. To make a weld, an ultrasonic horn and a smooth faced steel anvil are used to compress the bag materials therebetween.

Energy is then applied to the ultrasonic horn thus welding the bag material.

Typically a smooth faced horn is used to provide for a continuous smooth weld that is very dense and fluid impermeable. This invention provides for a texture to be applied to the face of the anvil. This texture produces a pattern weld in the bag material including hard sealed areas where the weld is extremely dense and fluid impermeable and relief areas where the bag material is not welded and is very permeable.

[0004] Care must be taken to ensure that the seam area comprises the proper proportion of the hard sealed portions and relief portions so that the weld area will be properly sealed while allowing for desired permeability. An additional advantage is that the textured weld reduces the energy required to produce a weld and thus reduces the cycle time of the machine to manufacture the bag.

[00051 The adsorbent material package of the present invention comprises an elongated pouch or the like adapted for filling with desiccant or other adsorbent medium therein. Preferably, the package is made of a porous, non-woven, material such as a spun bonded nylon material, spun bounded polyester material, or polyester felt. An aperture is provided in one end of the package and is surrounded by an ultrasonically sealed mounting zone. The package aperture is force or snap fit over a flange or the like associated with the bleed filter that is in turn connected to the bight portion of the suction tube of the accumulator or similar a/c piping structure. In typical accumulator structures, the bight portion is oriented transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing and connects upwardly extending legs of the fluid flow tube.

[00061 A longitudinally disposed seam member is formed along the length of the top or bottom side of the adsorbent pouch. This seam includes a double fabric layer area and may be formed via conventional means such as heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or other electronic sealing or fusing means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [00071 Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an adsorbent material package in accordance with the invention; [00081 Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the package shown in Fig. 1 ; [00091 Fig. 3 is a magnified view of a section of the mounting zone of the package shown by the broken line circle in Fig. 1; [00101 Fig. 4 is a schematic view of an ultrasonic welding apparatus that is used to ultrasonically form the mounting zone in accordance with the invention; and [00111 Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the top surface of the anvil portion of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0012] Turning now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown an adsorbent package 20 in accordance with the invention. The top side or surface 42 of the package or packet is shown in Fig. 1. Here, the elongated packet material comprises pouch end seams 48,54 sealing the respective longitudinal ends of the package. A longitudinally extending seam 44 (Fig. 2) extends longitudinally along the length of the back of the elongated packet and is slightly laterally offset from a longitudinally extending bisector line extending through the package. This seam 44 provides a double thickness of the felt like material used to form the packet 20 and therefore can be referred to as a reinforcement area.

[0013] The pouch end seams 48, 54 and the longitudinally extending reinforcement seam 44 define a pouch 50 therebetween adapted to contain adsorbent material (not shown) therein.

[0014] The end seam 54 serves as a mounting zone by which the packet will be attached to the bight tube filter or the like in an accumulator, receiving dryer or condenser. As shown, a centrally located aperture 62 is adapted for snap fitting over the bleed filter positioned on the bight tube.

[0015] The mounting zone surrounds the aperture and extends between transverse borders 102,104 of the packet.

[0016] As shown herein, both the mounting zone and the end seam 48 are ultrasonically welded to include a multiplicity of spaced, hard sealed areas 106, existing in a sea or matrix of relief areas 108. More specifically, as shown, the areas 106 and 108 alternate along vectors that are parallel to the longitudinal axis 110 of the packet and along vectors parallel to a direction perpendicular to the axis 110.

The hard sealed areas 106 are highly compressed and relative to the generally planar relief areas 108, comprise generally oblong shaped areas of depression. These areas 106 are generally indented or depressed at a distance of about. 030" relative to the plane of the surfaces 108.

[00171 Preliminary observations reveal that the positioning of the multiplicity of relief areas throughout the mounting zone aids in increased permeability of fluid including refrigerant, air, moisture and compressor lubricating oil through the zone.

At the same time, the multiplicity of hard sealed areas 106 ensure adequate sealing of the plies of the packet material together.

[0018] In order to make the packet 20, a tubular material is first provided. At present, it is preferred to provide a non woven spun bonded nylon material for the packet. Presently, this material is available under the designation"Cerex PBN-2" sold by Cerex, Advanced Fabrics, L. P., Cantonment, Florida. This product is described as a non-woven that is made by spinning and thermally bonding continuous filaments of nylon into a"drapable, conformable, textile-like fabric." Some have also referred to this material as a point bonded nylon.

[0019] The bottom of the material is then sealed via heat seal, or other electronic sealing system with the instant ultrasonic sealing method preferred, to form a pouch. Then, the desired desiccant is filled into the pouch. The top longitudinal edge of the packet comprising the above noted mounting zone is ultrasonically welded to provide alternating hard sealed and relief areas. At the same time, the bottom half of the next succeeding bag in the production run is sealed and the procedure repeated so that successive bags can be made. After each bag 20 is cut, the mounting aperture is cut in the middle of the mounting zone.

[0020] In accordance with the invention, ultrasonic welding of the mounting surface may be performed in conjunction with an apparatus of the type shown schematically in Fig. 4. Details pertaining to this apparatus may be gleaned by review of U. S. Patent 4,767,492, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 4, the ultrasonic welding apparatus comprises a horn member 204 and anvil 202 adjacent the horn. As shown, the anvil member 202 is retractable into a bag engaging and bag release position. In Fig. 4, the apparatus is shown in a position prior to ultrasonic fusion of the mounting surface 54.

[0022] During the fuse bonding process, the mounting surface 54 of the bag is clamped between the horn 204 and cooperating anvil 202. At the same time, the bottom edge 48 of the packet 20 is firmly grasped within holding member 206 that may be disposed on a conveyor 208 or the like.

[0023] In accordance with conventional ultrasonic welding methods, the surface 54 is fuse bonded by the frictional heat caused by ultrasonic vibration of the horn member 204. As is conventional in the art, the horn 204 is electrically connected to a suitable oscillator and vibrator (not shown). In the apparatus set forth in U. S. Patent 4,767,492, the horn operates at a vibration frequency of 20 KHz with a power output of 1.8 kW.

[0024] Turning now to Fig. 5, the face of the anvil member 202 is shown.

Face 210 is provided with a multiplicity of raised portions 212 and planar relief portions 214. In accordance with the ultrasonic welding method, the edges of the packet that ultimately form the mounting surface 54 are pressed between the horn and anvil 202 and the raised surfaces 212 of the anvil impart the specific heat sealed areas 106 that are formed in the mounting zone of the packet.

[0025] In one particular embodiment of the invention, (shown in Fig. 3) the hard sealed areas each comprise a generally oblong shape with length measured along the longitudinal axis of. 089" (dimension 301, 302) and a transverse dimension of. 012" (dimension 303, 304). l0026] Although only the anvil member is herein shown to include raised portions to provide the desired texture to the mounting zone 54 of the packet, the artisan will appreciate that the horn surface could also be provided with such a texture forming area or in some cases both the anvil and horn could be provided with complementary texturing surfaces.

[0027] As shown, the hard sealed areas are provided in a plurality of horizontally extending rows with the rows of raised portions separated by. 075" (dimension 305,306). As positioned along each row, a hard sealed area is spaced from its neighboring hard sealed area by. 200" (dimension 307,308) as measured from one end of a hard sealed area to the corresponding end of an adjacent hard sealed area in the row.

[0028] Although the embodiments shown above are directed to desiccant containing pouches or packets designed primarily for use in automotive structures and systems, the artisan will appreciate that the packets may also be used in conjunction with other desiccant containing packages adapted for a variety of industries.