U.S. patent application number 15/880292 was filed with the patent office on 2019-07-25 for sleeving machine hopper.
The applicant listed for this patent is Keymac USA LLC. Invention is credited to Michael BRADLEY.
Application Number | 20190225358 15/880292 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67299705 |
Filed Date | 2019-07-25 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190225358 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BRADLEY; Michael |
July 25, 2019 |
SLEEVING MACHINE HOPPER
Abstract
A packaging machine hopper is provided for holding a stack of
packaging articles with each article in a generally horizontal
orientation. The hopper comprises a support for holding at least
part of the stack at an angle to vertical.
Inventors: |
BRADLEY; Michael; (Bristol,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Keymac USA LLC |
Charlotte |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
67299705 |
Appl. No.: |
15/880292 |
Filed: |
January 25, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 35/16 20130101;
B65H 1/22 20130101; B65H 2801/81 20130101; B65B 19/105 20130101;
B65H 1/06 20130101; B65H 2405/311 20130101; B65B 43/145 20130101;
B65H 1/04 20130101; B65H 2405/15 20130101; B65H 2701/1764 20130101;
B65H 1/225 20130101; B65H 2405/1142 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65B 35/16 20060101
B65B035/16; B65H 1/22 20060101 B65H001/22; B65H 1/04 20060101
B65H001/04; B65B 19/10 20060101 B65B019/10 |
Claims
1. A packaging machine hopper for holding a stack of packaging
articles, the hopper comprising a support for holding at least part
of the stack at an angle to vertical.
2. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which each article is held in
a generally horizontal orientation in use.
3. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the hopper support
holds at least part of the stack at an angle in the range 40
degrees to 50 degrees.
4. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the hopper support
holds at least part of the stack at approximately 45 degrees.
5. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the hopper support
includes an inclined section and generally vertical terminal
section.
6. A hopper as claimed in claim 5, in which the vertical terminal
section is provided by spacer elements.
7. A hopper as claimed in claim 5, in which the vertical terminal
section is provided by a cranked support section.
8. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the support comprises a
plurality of hopper rods defining a channel for receiving
sleeves.
9. A hopper as claimed in claim 8, in which the rods are generally
straight.
10. A hopper as claimed in claim 8, in which the hopper rods
include an inclined portion and terminal cranked portion.
11. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the hopper comprises a
removable support plate and the support is carried on or by the
plate.
12. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, in which the support includes a
guide bar.
13. A hopper as claimed in claim 1, comprising a low level
alert.
14. A packaging machine having a hopper as claimed in claim 1.
15. A machine as claimed in claim 14, in which the hopper is filled
with a plurality of cartons or sleeves.
16. A machine as claimed in claim 14, in which the cartons or
sleeves are oriented so as to be generally horizontal and generally
flat in the hopper.
17. A sleeving machine hopper arrangement, the arrangement being
formed as a change part which is securable and removable from a
sleeving machine, the arrangement comprising a support plate, a
plurality of hopper rods are carried on or by said support plate,
each of said hopper rods including a major rod portion which is
inclined with respect to said plate, each of said rods further
comprising a terminal crank portion, said terminal crank portions
extending generally orthogonally to said plate.
18. A hopper arrangement as claimed in claim 17, in which the
support plate includes a main plate portion which is securable to a
sleeving machine, and a minor plate portion, said minor plate
portion being sunken with respect to the major plate portion, said
hopper rods being carried on or by said minor plate portion.
19. An arrangement as claimed in claim 17, further comprising one
or more guide bars, said bar being secured to a hopper rod and
extending generally parallel to the major rod portion.
20. A hopper rod having a major rod portion and a terminal crank
portion, said major rod portion being an elongate rod, said crank
portion extending from one end of said major rod portion, said
crank portion being angled with respect to said major rod portion.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a machine for
automatically placing a packaging article, such as a sleeve or
carton, around a pack.
[0002] There are many circumstances in which a final product is
placed in a sleeve; for example food packs such as trays, cartons
and the like. Machines for automating the process of placing the
product in the sleeve (or the sleeve around the product) are
known.
[0003] An aspect of the present invention provides a packaging
machine hopper for holding a stack of packaging articles (for
example with each article in a generally horizontal orientation),
the hopper comprising a support for holding at least part of the
stack at an angle to vertical.
[0004] The hopper support may hold at least part of the stack at an
angle in the range 40 degrees to 50 degrees; for example the hopper
support may holds at least part of the stack at approximately 45
degrees.
[0005] In some embodiments the hopper support includes an inclined
section and generally vertical terminal section.
[0006] The support may comprise a plurality of hopper rods, bars or
the like defining a channel for receiving sleeves.
[0007] The hopper rods may include an inclined portion and terminal
cranked portion.
[0008] The hopper may comprise a removable support plate, with the
support carried on or by the plate.
[0009] A low-level alert function may be provided.
[0010] The present invention also provides a packaging machine
having a hopper as described herein. The hopper may be filled with
a plurality of cartons or sleeves.
[0011] The present invention also provides a sleeving machine
having a hopper as described herein.
[0012] Some aspects and embodiments of the invention are configured
for use with a 4, 5 or 6 panel packaging sleeve. In some
embodiments the sleeves are generally flat or planar.
[0013] The present invention also provides a machine as described
herein, in which the hopper is filled with a plurality of cartons
or sleeves.
[0014] The cartons or sleeves may be oriented so as to be generally
horizontal and generally flat in the hopper.
[0015] The present invention also provides a sleeving machine
hopper arrangement, the arrangement being formed as a change part
which is securable and removable from a sleeving machine, the
arrangement comprising a support plate, a plurality of hopper rods
are carried on or by said support plate, each of said hopper rods
including a major rod portion which is inclined with respect to
said plate, each of said rods further comprising a terminal crank
portion, said terminal crank portions extending generally
orthogonally to said plate.
[0016] The support plate may include a main plate portion which is
securable to a sleeving machine, and a minor plate portion, said
minor plate portion being sunken with respect to the major plate
portion, said hopper rods being carried on or by said minor plate
portion.
[0017] The arrangement may further comprise one or more guide bars,
said bar being secured to a hopper rod and extending generally
parallel to the major rod portion.
[0018] The present invention also provides a hopper rod having a
major rod portion and a terminal crank portion, said major rod
portion being an elongate rod, said crank portion extending from
one end of said major rod portion, said crank portion being angled
with respect to said major rod portion.
[0019] Different aspects and embodiments of the invention may be
used separately or together.
[0020] Further particular and preferred aspects of the present
invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent
claims. Features of the dependent claims may be combined with the
features of the independent claims as appropriate, and in
combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims.
[0021] The present invention will now be more particularly
described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a known hopper arrangement;
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a principle of a hopper formed according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a hopper formed according to a further
embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a rear side perspective view of a hopper
arrangement formed according to a further embodiment of the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a front side perspective view of the hopper
arrangement of FIG. 4;
[0027] FIG. 6 shows a further rear side perspective view of the
hopper arrangement of FIG. 4;
[0028] FIG. 7 shows part of a sleeving machine fitted with the
hopper arrangement of FIG. 4;
[0029] FIG. 8 shows a sleeving machine fitted with a hopper
arrangement formed in accordance with a further embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 9 shows a further view of the hopper arrangement of
FIG. 8; and
[0031] FIG. 10 is a magnified view of the hopper arrangement of
FIG. 8.
[0032] The example embodiments are described in sufficient detail
to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to embody and
implement the systems and processes herein described. It is
important to understand that embodiments can be provided in many
alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to the
examples set forth herein.
[0033] Accordingly, while embodiment can be modified in various
ways and take on various alternative forms, specific embodiments
thereof are shown in the drawings and described in detail below as
examples. There is no intent to limit to the particular forms
disclosed. On the contrary, all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims should
be included. Elements of the example embodiments are consistently
denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings and
detailed description where appropriate.
[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein are to be interpreted as is customary
in the art. It will be further understood that terms in common
usage should also be interpreted as is customary in the relevant
art and not in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0035] In the following description, all orientational terms, such
as upper, lower, radially and axially, are used in relation to the
drawings and should not be interpreted as limiting on the
invention.
[0036] Vertical hoppers 5 (see FIG. 1) are known for holding a
stack 10 of sleeves 12. These hoppers are prone to allowing
sleeves/cartons to fall through because of the weight and high
pressure on the front sleeve or carton 15 and the direction in
which gravity works.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, the principle of the hopper 25 of the
present invention eliminates that pressure by offsetting the stack
20 (e.g. leaning it "backwards") on a 45-degree angle. Because the
weight on the front sleeve 27 is reduced (because the load is taken
by the hopper) there is a reduced chance of a double feed. In
addition, the sleeves are "shingled" i.e. they are laterally offset
from each other, which helps to separate them and ensure that only
one sleeve is fed at a time from the terminal end of the hopper.
Leaning the support backwards has also been found to improve access
in use.
[0038] In FIG. 3 the hopper 125 includes an inclined section 130
and a vertical terminal section 135. This means that the majority
of the stack 120 leans (providing the pressure elimination and
separating benefits) but the final few (for example 10 mm) of the
stack is vertical, making it easier for the final sleeve 127 to be
picked.
[0039] In use a stack of sleeves (for example flat, pre-glued
sleeves) is loaded into the hopper from the "top". An associated
packaging machine can then take sleeves from the "bottom" of the
stack i.e. the first sleeve in the stack.
[0040] In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 7 the hopper 225 includes a
hopper support comprising a series of inclined straight rods: a
single, central rear rod 228a; a pair of side rods 228b, 228c, and
a pair of front rods 228d, 228e. A guide bar 229 is also connected
to the rod 228d.
[0041] The hopper 225 includes a plate 224a which carries the rods.
The plate 224a is removably secured to the machine by a nut 224b,
and is removable from the rest of the machine so that the hopper
can be removed and easily replaced with a different hopper (e.g.
for different types of sleeves).
[0042] In this embodiment a short section of sleeves at the bottom
of the stack 220 are substantially vertical. This is achieved by
providing a spacer block 260 at the base of each bar, which
effectively provide a cranked lower/terminal portion (although in
this embodiment the spacer block is formed as a separate
component). This is a key feature to keeping the front sleeve 227
in registration and stops sideways movement when feeding.
[0043] The orientation of the carton/sleeve hopper 225 also allows
better access from the side of the machine for sleeve loading.
[0044] The hopper 225 also keeps the sleeve in the same orientation
through the entire sleeving operation without needing to rotate it
through angles as it would be with a rotary feeder.
[0045] FIGS. 8 to 10 show a hopper 325 formed according to a
further embodiment. The hopper 325 comprises five supports rods
328a-e arranged and configured to form a channel for receiving a
stack of sleeves, cartons or the like for feeding into a packaging
machine 301. As shown best in FIG. 10, each of the bars includes an
inclined section 340 and a terminal, vertical section 345 with a
cranked section giving an elbow like terminal portion. In other
words, in this embodiment the rod is a single piece, with the
cranked terminal portion formed integrally with the inclined
section.
[0046] Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been
disclosed in detail herein, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the
precise embodiments shown and that various changes and
modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art
without departing from the scope of the invention.
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