U.S. patent number 3,879,920 [Application Number 05/434,043] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-29 for machine for forming wrap-around shipper packages.
This patent grant is currently assigned to H. J. Langen & Sons Ltd.. Invention is credited to Marinus J. M. Langen.
United States Patent |
3,879,920 |
Langen |
April 29, 1975 |
MACHINE FOR FORMING WRAP-AROUND SHIPPER PACKAGES
Abstract
A packaging machine in which the shipper package is formed from
a carton blank which is wrapped around the article to be shipped.
The packaging machine includes a loading station having a loading
mechanism for loading an aritcle into each compartment as the
compartments move continuously through the loading station. The
loading mechanism includes a loading platform disposed above the
path of travel of the article receiving compartments and wiper
blades mounted for movement along the loading platform in the
direction of travel of the compartment to remove an article
deposited on the loading platform and to deposit it in a
compartment as the compartment moves out from under the loading
platform. A wrapping station is provided wherein the article
receiving compartments are moved longitudinally through the
wrapping station on a conveyor and are moved laterally of the
conveyor so as to project over an edge of the conveyor when passing
through the wrapping station. A carton blank locating mechanisms
also provide for stripping a carton blank from a stack of knocked
down blanks, partially folding the blank and locating the blank in
the partial folded condition in the path of travel of the article
receiving compartment. Detectors are provided for detecting the
presence or absence of an article in the article receiving
compartments after the loading station and for detecting the
presence or absence of a wrapper after the wrapping station so as
to prevent the formation of a carton without any contents located
therein and to prevent the discharge of the contents from the
article receiving compartment into the same receiver which receives
the correctly wrapped packages.
Inventors: |
Langen; Marinus J. M. (Rexdale,
Ontario, CA) |
Assignee: |
H. J. Langen & Sons Ltd.
(Rexdale, Ontario, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23722582 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/434,043 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/506; 53/55;
53/207; 53/252; 53/377.2; 53/575 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B
43/185 (20130101); B65B 49/12 (20130101); B65B
57/06 (20130101); B65B 35/205 (20130101); B65B
11/10 (20130101); B65B 11/004 (20130101); B65B
49/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65B
11/10 (20060101); B65B 43/00 (20060101); B65B
11/06 (20060101); B65B 35/20 (20060101); B65B
35/00 (20060101); B65B 57/06 (20060101); B65B
57/02 (20060101); B65B 43/18 (20060101); B65B
49/02 (20060101); B65B 49/12 (20060101); B65B
49/00 (20060101); B65B 11/00 (20060101); B65b
057/06 (); B65b 057/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;53/63,207,55,195,230,252,374,209 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGehee; Travis S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fetherstonhaugh & Co.
Claims
What I claim as my Invention is:
1. A packaging machine comprising
a. a carton wrapping station having an input and an output end,
b. a first conveyor means having a longitudinally extending
marginal edge spaced laterally from said wrapping station,
c. a plurality of article receiving compartment forming members
mounted on said first conveyor means for movement therewith in the
longitudinal direction of travel of said first conveyor,
d. means for moving said compartment forming members laterally of
said first conveyor means into and out of said wrapping station as
said compartment forming members move in the longitudinal direction
of travel of said conveyor,
e. means for locating a carton blank in said wrapping station in
advance of each compartment forming member,
f. means for wrapping said carton blanks about each compartment
forming member as it moves through said wrapping station to form a
wrapper sleeve,
g. discharge means for discharging an article and its wrapper from
said compartment forming members at the output end of said wrapper
station.
2. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 including means for
detecting the presence of a wrapper sleeve located in an operative
position about a compartment forming member, said discharge means
being operable in response to a signal from said means for
detecting the presence of a wrapper sleeve indicating the presence
of a wrapper sleeve and inoperable in response to a signal
indicating the absence of a wrapper sleeve whereby an article in
said article receiving compartment is not discharged at said
wrapping station unless it is located within a wrapper sleeve.
3. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 including first guide
track means extending longitudinally of said first conveyor means
for controlling the lateral position of said article receiving
compartment means with respect to said first conveyor means, second
guide track means extending longitudinally of said first conveyor
means for controlling the lateral position of said discharge means
with respect to said article receiving compartment means, said
first and second guide track means extending in a spaced parallel
relationship over a major position of the length thereof whereby
said article receiving compartment means and discharge means move
without relative movement therebetween laterally of the conveyor
into and through said wrapping station, said second guide track
means having a first section at the outlet end of said wrapping
station which extends away from said first guide track means
whereby relative lateral movement occurs between said discharge
means and said article receiving means to cause said discharge
means to discharge said wrapping article from said article
receiving compartment means.
4. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second
guide track means includes a second section at said output end of
said wrapping station extending parallel to said first guide track
means for preventing relative lateral movement between said
discharge means and said article receiving compartment means,
wrapper detector means disposed in advance of said first and second
sections of said track means for detecting the presence of a
wrapper in an operative position about an article receiving
compartment, track switch means operative in response to a signal
from said wrapper detector means indicating the presence of a
wrapper to guide said discharge means along said first section of
said second track means to discharge a wrapped article from said
article receiving compartment means, said track switch means being
operative in response to a signal from said wrapper detector means
indicating the absence of a wrapper to guide said discharge means
along said second section of said second track means to retain an
unwrapped article in said article receiving compartment.
5. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said second
guide track means has a short portion in advance of and adjacent to
said first section thereof which is spaced from said first guide
track means a distance greater than the spacing of the first and
second guide track means over the major portion thereof so as to
cause relative movement between said discharge means and said
article receiving compartment means to push the article inwardly to
said sleeve wrapper so that the article does not interfere with
subsequent closing of the adjacent end of the sleeve.
6. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 including carton
retainer means in said wrapper station for engaging a carton prior
to withdrawal of its article receiving compartment forming member
to prevent withdrawal of said carton from said wrapping station
when said article receiving compartment means is laterally
withdrawn from said wrapping station.
7. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 including a platform
having an input end and an output end, said input end of said
platform being disposed in said wrapping station to receive a
partially wrapped article and its associated compartment forming
means, and second conveyor means extending from a position located
rearwardly from and adjacent said input end of said platform, said
second conveyor including means for engaging and driving a wrapped
article along said platform after said wrapped article is
discharged from its associated article compartment forming
means.
8. A packaging machine for use in forming a shipper package from a
paperboard blank which has a front and back panel connected to one
another at one edge thereof by a side panel and side flaps
connected at the other edges of said front and back panels,
said side flaps being connectable to one another to form an
open-ended sleeve and end flaps at opposite ends of said sleeve for
closing said sleeve,
as claimed in claim 6 including,
guide rail means disposed above said platform and extending
longitudinally thereof in a spaced parallel relationship at a
height above said platform sufficient to receive a sleeve wrapped
around said article receiving compartment forming means for
movement therebetween in a closed fitting sliding relationship.
9. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 8 including means
disposed inwardly from said input end of said platform for guiding
said second conveyor through an arcuate path to reverse its
direction of motion,
said second conveyor means moving towards said platform means when
travelling along said arcuate path, said means for engaging and
driving a wrapped article along said platform comprising blade
means mounted on and projecting from said second conveyor means,
the movement of said blade means being synchronized with respect to
the movement of said article compartment forming means to engage a
lower side flap of a wrapper and to fold said flap towards said
article compartment forming means to form the required sleeve
configuration as said blade travels with said second conveyor means
around said arcuate path.
10. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 9 including rotary
blade means disposed above said platform means for folding said
upper side wall flap to a position extending normal to said top
wall panel for engagement with said lower side wall flap to form
said sleeve.
11. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said
article receiving compartment forming means comprises a U-shaped
trough extending transversely of said conveyor means and opening
upwardly therefrom, said trough having a height and a width in the
direction of travel of said conveyor substantially equal to the
internal width and thickness of the wrapper to be formed
thereabout.
12. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein said first
conveyor comprises a pair of spaced parallel endless chains
connected to one another by means of a plurality of transversely
extending shafts, said U-shaped trough member and its associated
discharge means being mounted for movement along at least one of
said shaft members.
13. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein said
U-shaped trough has a length substantially equal to the distance
between said spaced parallel chains.
14. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein each of said
U-shaped trough members has a first end which is movable from a
position at said longitudinally extending marginal edge of said
conveyor and a second end at the other edge of said conveyor and
first mounting bracket means adjacent said second end and second
mounting bracket means disposed substantially centrally of the
length of said U-shaped trough member for slidably mounting said
U-shaped trough member on its transversely extending shaft member
or members.
15. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein said
discharge means includes dispenser means, comprising an end wall
forming plate adjustably mounted within said U-shaped trough for
movement towards and away from the edge of said trough which is
disposed adjacent said first marginal edge of said conveyor to
provide a variable capacity article receiving chamber for an
article to be wrapped.
16. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 14 wherein said
dispenser means includes a mounting bracket slidably mounted on
said trnsversely extending shaft means for supporting said end wall
forming plate for transverse movement independently of said
U-shaped trough member.
17. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 16 wherein the bottom
wall of said U-shaped trough member has a longitudinally extending
passage opening therethrough, said mounting bracket of said
dispenser means projecting into said U-shaped trough member through
said longitudinal extending passage means, an end wall forming
plate disposed within said U-shaped trough member and adjustably
mounted on said mounting bracket means of said dispenser, said
longitudinally extending passage means having a sufficient length
to permit sufficient relative movement between said end wall
forming plate and said U-shaped trough member to permit said end
wall forming plate to eject an article from said article receiving
chamber.
18. A packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
discharge means includes a transverse wall means mounted in said
U-shaped trough member, and means for moving said transverse wall
means longitudinally of said trough member to discharge an article
therefrom.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to packaging machines. In particular, this
invention relates to a packaging machine for packing articles in
cartons formed from wrap-around carton blanks.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The application is directed to an apparatus for forming a
wrap-around carton and is related to co-pending application No.
376,556 filed July 5, 1973.
PRIOR ART
It is common practice to pre-form carton blanks into the form of a
partially assembled container which is opened by the packaging
machinery to receive the article to be packaged therein. In this
process, the carton is partially assembled by the carton
manufacturer and shipped to the user in the partially assembled
condition. Cartons in the knocked down partially assembled form are
considerably more bulky than carton blanks in a fully knocked down
configuration. It follows that the storage space required for the
partially assembled containers is substantial. In addition, a large
dispenser mechanism must be provided for the partially assembled
knocked down cartons in the packaging machine.
A further difficulty which is experienced with machines for use in
loading partially assembled cartons is that a complex mechanism is
required to effect the opening of the carton from its knocked down
configuration to receive the article which is to be packaged
therein. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in attempting
to provide a mechanism of this type which will reliably operate to
open cartons from their knocked down configuration.
Difficulty is also experienced in attempting to insert the product
into the open partially assembled cartons.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the difficulties of the prior art
described above by providing a packaging machine in which the
shipper package is formed from a carton blank which the machine of
the present invention wraps around the article which is to be
shipped.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the packinging
machine consists of a carton wrapping station, a first conveyor
having a longitudinally extending marginal edge spaced laterally
from the wrapping station, a plurality of article receiving
compartments forming means mounted on the first conveyor for
movement therewith in the longitudinal direction of travel of the
first conveyor. Means is also provided for moving the compartment
forming means laterally of the first conveyor means into and out of
the wrapping station as the compartment forming means moves in the
longitudinal direction of travel of the conveyor. The machine also
includes means for locating a carton blank in the wrapping station
in advance of each compartment forming member and means for
wrapping the carton forming blanks about each compartment forming
member and the article located therein as it moves through the
wrapping station to form a wrapped sleeve. The machine also
includes discharge means for discharging an article and its wrapper
from the compartment forming members at the output end of the
wrapping station.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the
packaging machine includes a loading station having a loading
mechanism for loading an article into each compartment as the
compartments move continuously through the loading station. The
mechanism includes a loading platform disposed above the path of
travel of the article receiving compartments. The platform has a
length in the direction of travel of the compartments which is
greater than the length of a compartment in the direction of travel
of the compartment. Dispenser means is provided for dispensing an
article one at a time onto said platform. Wiper blade means is
disposed above and mounted for movement along said loading platform
in the direction of travel of said compartments. The movement of
the wiper blade means is synchronized with respect to the movement
of the compartment to remove an article deposited on the loading
platform and to deposit the article in the compartment as the
compartment moves out from under the loading platform.
According to a still further embodiment of the present invention,
the wrapping mechanism which is disposed in the wrapping station
includes a stripper mechanism for removing a knocked down blank
from a carton blank storage station and delivering a blank in a
partially folded configuration into the wrapping path of the
article receiving compartment forming members and folding means for
folding the partially folded blank in to a sleeve configuration
about the carton folding receiving compartment forming members as
the article receiving compartment forming members move through the
wrapping station.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will be more clearly understood with reference to the
following detailed specification read in conjunction with the
drawings wherein
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a packaging machine according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the output end of wrapping
station illustrating a different condition to that illustrated in
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a switching mechanism which is located at
the output end of the wrapping station for selectively guiding the
discharge mechanism;
FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 showing the switching
mechanism in a second position;
FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned pictorial view illustrating the
article loading station;
FIG. 5a is a detailed view of the loading platform of FIG. 5 which
is partially obscured in the illustration of FIG. 5;
FIG. 6 is an end view illustrating the first stage in the location
of the article on the loading platform;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a further stage in the
location of the article in the loading platform;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the positioning of the
article within the article receiving compartment;
FIG. 9 is a partially sectioned pictorial view of the stripper
mechanism for stripping carton blanks from a dispenser;
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing the stripper mechanism
in a second position;
FIG. 11 is a partial pictorial view illustrating the location of
the partially folded blank in the wrapping path of the article
receiving compartments;
FIG. 12 shows a further stage in the wrapping operation;
FIG. 13 shows a still further stage in the wrapping operation;
FIG. 14 is a pictorial view illustrating the manner in which the
end flaps of a carton are secured for removal from the article
receiving compartment; and
FIG. 15 is pictorial view illustrating the mechanism for closing
the end flaps at one end of the carton.
With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the
apparatus of the present invention incorporates a loading station A
in which the articles which are to be wrapped are loaded into
compartments, a wrapping station B in which a blank is wrapped
around the article which is to be packaged, and a combination
stripper and transfer station C in which a blank is stripped from a
stack of knocked down blanks and transferred to the wrapping
station.
With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10
refers generally to a first conveyor mechanism which as shown in
FIG. 5 of the drawings includes a pair of spaced parallel endless
chain members 12 supported by spaced parallel rails 14 which are
carried by a suitable frame structure (not shown). The endless
chains 12 extend around sprockets (not shown) carried by shafts 16
at opposite ends of the conveyor and a suitable drive mechanism
(not shown) is provided for driving one or other of the drive
shafts 16 so as to move the chains 12 longitudinally of the rails
14 in the direction of the arrow D. The conveyor assembly includes
a plurality of sets of transverse shafts 18 which are secured at
opposite ends to the chains 12. Transverse frame support members 20
support guide rails 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, (FIG. 3, 4, 5) which define
guide tracks 28, 30 and 32. A plurality of article receiving
compartments forming members 34, each of which consists of a
substantially U-shaped sheet metal trough, are slidably mounted on
shafts 18 by means of mounting brackets 36 which are arranged one
substantially centrally of the length of the trough and the other
adjacent the rear end of the trough. A transverse bracing plate 38
is secured substantially centrally of the length of the trough.
This U-shaped trough construction which is of substantial length
has been found to provide a member which, while light in weight, is
sufficiently strong and rigid when one end is extended over the
edge of the conveyor to act as a wrapping former. The U-shaped
trough structure derives a substantial portion of its structural
strength from the fact that it is of a length which is
substantially greater than the length actually required in order to
accommodate the article which is to be packaged, and by reason of
the mounting of the trough on the two spaced transverse support
shafts 18, the entire article receiving compartment forming member
34 is capable of withstanding repeated encounters with a blank in
the wrapping operation without damage to the compartment forming
members and the mechanism which provides the lateral movement
thereof.
A bracket 40 is slidably mounted on each pair of transverse shafts
18 and has a leg portion 42 which projects through a longitudinal
slot 44 formed in the bottom wall of the U-shaped trough member.
The bracket 40 is slidable with respect to the shafts 18
independently of the brackets 36. A shaft 46 has one end adjustably
clamped in the upstanding leg 42 and has a plate 48 located at the
other end thereof. The location of the plate 48 with respect to the
upstanding leg 42 is adjustable so as to vary the size of the
article receiving compartment 50 formed within each U-shaped trough
when the end plate 48 is in the retracted position shown in FIG. 5.
The substantially centrally located support bracket 36 which
supports the U-shaped trough member 35 is provided with a track
follower roller 52 which extends into and runs along the track 28.
A guide track follower roller 54 is secured to and disposed below
the bracket 40 which supports the dispenser mechanism. The roller
54 is movable along the guide track 31 or selectively along guide
tracks 30 and 32 are required. The mechanism for guiding the
follower rollers 54 selectively along guide tracks 30 or 32 is a
diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings and
includes a switch plate 56 which is pivotally mounted at one end on
the guide rail 24. The switch plate 56 is connected to the arm of a
hydraulic cylinder 58 by means of an arm 60. The hydraulic cylinder
58 is adapted to move the switch plate between the position shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings as required in use to guide the
roller follower 54 along tracks 30 or 32 as required.
As shown in FIG. 2 and as will be described in more detail
hereinafter, an electric eye sensing unit 62 is located towards the
discharge end of the wrapping station. The sensing device 62, which
is preferably in the form of an electric eye unit detects whether
or not a carton has been properly located prior to the discharge of
the article from the article receiving compartment 50. If the
sensing device detects the presence of a wrapper, the hydraulic
cylinder 58 is operated to position the switch plate such that the
roller 54 is guided along the track 32. As shown in FIG. 1 of the
drawings, this has the effect of causing relative movement between
the ejection mechanism and the U-shaped trough. In following the
path of the guide track 28, the U-shaped trough member is withdrawn
from the wrapping station while the end plate 48 remains in the
advanced position to retain the article in the wrapping station
until the U-shaped trough member has been completely withdrawn from
the package which is formed in the wrapping station. If the
detection unit 62 detects the absence of a wrapper during the
passage of the trough member through the detection point, the
hydraulic cylinder 58 will be activated to move the switch plate 56
to the position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings which will
substantially prevent relative movement between the ejection
mechanism and the U-shaped trough with the result that the article
which is located within the U-shaped trough is withdrawn from the
wrapping station with the U-shaped trough so that it is not
discharged along with the correctly packaged articles. The article
which is withdrawn for lack of a wrapper may be deposited in a
suitable receptacle underlying the end of the conveyor 10 simply by
permitting the article to drop freely out of the article receiving
compartment when the compartment is inverted at the end of the
conveyor. This structure eliminates the need to provide for the
manual sorting of the packaged and unpackaged products discharged
from the packaging machine. Previously it has been necessary to
provide an operator at the output end of a high speed machine of
this type to ensure that packages which are not properly loaded
into containers are not loaded into larger containers for shipping
along with properly packaged articles.
It is also important to ensure that cartons are not loaded for
shipping which do not contain the article which is to be packaged.
It will be understood that a high speed machine for packaging
relatively light-weight articles such as snack foods, it may be
quite difficult to tell whether a sealed package contains the
required product or not. This difficulty is overcome in the present
invention by providing a detection unit 64 which may be in the form
of an electric eye unit similar to the unit employed for detecting
the presence of a wrapper. By reason of the fact that the U-shaped
trough members 35 are open at the end which is disposed towards the
marginal edge 66 of the conveyor, it is possible to locate the
detection device so that it operates in a plane which extends
through a portion of the space which is normally occupied by the
article which is to be wrapped. The sensing device 64 controls the
operation of the stripper and transfer mechanism, as will be
described hereinafter, so that if an empty article receiving
compartment is detected, the stripper device does not operate so
that the empty trough member is permitted to pass through the
wrapping station without having a blank wrapped thereabout.
In the loading station A, articles such as packages 70 are loaded
into the article receiving compartments 50 of each trough member.
In order to permit the apparatus of the present invention to
operate at high speed, a plurality of loading chutes 72 are
provided in the loading station A. Each of the loading chutes 72
may be fed from an escalator device which elevates the packages 70
so that the packages 70 slide down the chutes 72 under the
influence of gravity. A loading platform 74 (FIG. 5a) is carried by
a frame member 76 in a position supported above the level of the
upper edges of the U-shaped trough members. A stop wall 78 is
mounted on the ends of support shafts 80 which are slidably mounted
in the frame member 76. Locking screws 82 are adapted to secure the
stop wall 78 in any required position with respect to the platform
74.
A loading conveyor assembly 84 is located above the loading
platform 74 and supported by means of frame members 86. A pair of
sprockets 88 are mounted for rotation in bearings 90 which are
carried by frame members 92 which are supported by the frame member
86. Endless chains 94 extend around the sprockets 88 and a
plurality of sets of wiper blades 96 and 98 are mounted at spaced
intervals along the chains 94. The wiper blades 98 are permanently
located in a fixed position projecting normal to the chain. The
wiper blades 96 are pivotably mounted on brackets 100 which extend
outwardly from the chains 94. A lever arm 102 is secured to each of
the wiper blades 96 and projects outwardly therefrom. A cam track
follower roller 104 is mounted at the outer end of the lever arm
102. A cam track 106 extends through the loading station and
upwardly around the end of the path of the loading conveyor. In the
immediate area in which the wiper blades engages the packaged
article, the cam track 106 has a raised portion 108. A secondary
cam track portion 110 extends in an underlying spaced relationship
to the raised portion 108 over a major portion of its length (FIG.
6, 7, 8). In use, the cam track 108 normally serves to retain the
leading wiper blade 96 in the raised position shown in FIG. 6 of
the drawings. When the leading wiper blade 96 is in this position,
it is free to pass over the article 70 which is located on the
platform 74 when driven in the direction of the arrow E by means of
chains 94. After the leading wiper blade 96 has cleared the package
70, the roller 104 is guided along the guide track 112 formed
between guide rails 108 and 110. This causes the leading wiper
blade 96 to pivot downwardly into the position shown in FIG. 7 of
the drawings. It will be noted that a short lug 114 is formed at
the lower edge of the leading wiper blade 96 and that this lug
serves to support the forward edge of the package as it is moved
over the forward edge of the support platform 74 so that it does
not immediately drop off of the forward edge of the platform 74. It
will be noted that by the time the leading wiper blade 96 has been
pivoted downwardly to a position shown in FIG. 7, the trailing
wiper blade 98 has engaged the article 70 and moved it a
substantial distance in the direction of the arrow E across the
platform 74. Further movement of the wiper blades in the direction
of the arrow causes the leading wiper blade 96 to be moved away
from the article 70, thereby releasing the article 70 so that it
falls into the article receiving compartment 50.
A plurality of knocked down carton blanks 120 are mounted in a face
to face upright stacked configuration in a blank magazine device
122 which is located in the storage station C. Each of the blanks
120 includes a top wall panel 124 and a bottom panel 126 which are
connected to one another by means of a side wall panel 128. A side
wall flap 130 is connected to the other edge of the bottom wall
panel 126 and a side wall panel 132 is connected to the top wall
panel 124. End closure flaps 134, 136, 138, 140 project outwardly
from the ends of panels 124, 126 respectively. End flaps 142, 144
project outwardly from opposite ends of the side wall flap 130. The
magazine has a retainer blade 146 at the lower edge thereof
together with additional retainer blades (not shown) which serve to
prevent the leading carton being discharged without control from
the carton magazine. An initial bending former 150 is mounted on a
support block 152 which is in turn mounted on a frame member 154 so
that the former 150 is held in a position spaced forwardly from and
aligned with the side wall panel 128 of the leading blank. The
initial bending former 150 has short side walls which project
outwardly from the base wall of the former. The side walls diverge
in the direction of the plane into which the top and bottom panels
124, 126 are initially bent. The bending mechanism consists of a
pair of stationary shafts 156 which are mounted on frame member 194
and the support block 152. Rocker arms 160 are pivotably and
slidably mounted on the shafts 156. Rocker arms 162 are pivotably
mounted on the shafts 156. The rocker arms 162 are secured against
lateral movement along the shafts 156. The rocker arms 162 are
secured to their adjacent rocker arms 160 by means of shafts 164
which are slidably mounted with respect to the rocker arms 162 and
rigidly mounted with respect to rocker arms 160. A small cam roller
166 is located at the outer end of the outer rocker arms 160 of
each set of rocker arms. The outer ends of the rocker arms 162 are
secured by means of shafts 168 to opposite ends of a support plate
170. The support plate 170 is carried by support block 172 which
has a verticle slot 174 formed therein. A drive wheel 176 is
mounted on a shaft 178 which is rotatably driven in the direction
of the arrow F. An eccentrically mounted drive pin 180 projects
from the drive wheel 176 into the slot 174 in the block 172 so that
as the drive wheel 176 rotates in the direction of the arrow F, the
block 172 is reciprocally driven (arrow G) with respect to guide
shafts 182 which are supported by a further frame member 184. Blade
members 186 are secured to the ends of the rocker arms 160 and
projects laterally therefrom into a position overlying the outer
end of the leading carton of the magazine. Suction cups 188 are
mounted on the ends of the blades 186. The suction cups 188 are
connected to a suitable vacuum source by means of conduits 190. The
reciprocal movement of the block 172 in response to rotation of the
drive wheel 176 causes the blades 186 to move to and fro between
the forward position illustrated in FIG. 9 of the drawings and the
folded position illustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings. When the
suction cups 188 are located in the position shown in FIG. 9 of the
drawings, a vacuum is applied to the suction cups so that they
engage the leading blank and retain their engagement with the
leading blank during movement from the position shown in FIG. 9 of
the position shown in FIG. 10 to effect an initial bending of the
blank about the former 150. The guide tracks 192 guide the rollers
166 in a path which extends laterally of the direction of rotation
of the rocker arms 160 such that after the carton blank has been
engaged and the panels 124 and 126 are initially drawn away from
the blank magazine, the carton is thereafter moved laterally of the
initial folding former 150 by means of the lateral movement of the
rocker arms 160 in response to the movement of the roller 166 along
the cam track 192. This lateral movement causes the blank 120 to
move laterally of the former 150 so that a portion of the blank
overlies the opening 196 formed in the outer end of the former
150.
A lateral drive mechanism 200 (FIG. 11) is positioned so as to
drive the partially folded blank laterally from the initial lateral
provided by the initial folding mechanism into the wrapping
station. The lateral drive mechanism 200 includes two sets of drive
rollers 202 which are mounted on drive shafts 204 which are
rotatably driven in the direction of the arrow H. The rollers 202
are located rearwardly of the passage 196 formed in the initial
bending former 150. A second set of rollers 206 are mounted in the
end of a shaft 208 which is reciprocally driven by means of a
solenoid 210. The rollers 206 cooperate with the rollers 202 to
drivingly engage a blank when the rollers 206 are in the forward
position. The rollers 206 are withdrawn by means of the solenoid
210 to provide for the free movement of the blank into the position
disposed between the rollers during the initial lateral movement of
the blank by means of the initial bending mechanism.
A pair of guide rails 212 are supported by the frame (not shown) in
a position so as to be disposed laterally and outwardly from the
walls of the blank when the blank is in the initial folded
position. The rails 212 serve to retain the blank in the folded
position after the suction cups 188 are released. An adhesive
applicator gun 214 is positioned so as to apply adhesive to a
narrow band 216 on the side flap 130 as the blank is moved
laterally to the wrapping station.
When the partially folded blank is located within the wrapping
station B in the path of travel of the article receiving
compartment forming members 34, the side wall 128 of the blank is
engaged by the leading side wall of a member 34 and is carried
thereby into the mouth 220 (FIG. 12) formed between upper folding
plate 222 and lower folding rails 224. The plate 222 and rails 224
serve to wrap the blank about three sides of the member 34. An
opening 226 is formed in the upper plate 222 through which the
blades 228 of the upper flap closure device 230 pass in use. The
blades 228 are mounted on a support block 232 which is rotatably
mounted on shaft 234 which is carried by the frame (not shown) and
rotatably driven by a suitable drive mechanism such that the
rotation of the blades 228 is synchronized with respect to the
passage of the members 34 past the opening 226. As the member 34
passes through the opening 226, one of the blades 228 engages the
flap 132 and folds it around the trailing side wall of the member
34 as shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings. The end flap 130 is folded
upwardly into an outwardly overlying relationship with respect to
the flap 132 by means of blade members 240 which are mounted on
brackets 242 carried by endless chains 244. The endless chains 244
are driven by sprockets 246 which are in turn driven by a suitable
drive means (not shown) through a drive shaft 248. The movement of
the blade members 240 is synchronized with respect to the movement
of the members 34 so as to achieve the folding of the flap 130
after the folding of the flap 132. After the folding has been
completed, the plate 240 serves to hold the flaps 130 and 132 in
intimate engagement with one another for a period of time
sufficient to permit the adhesive to effectively secure the flaps
together. The plates 240 also serve the purpose of pushing the
cartons along the conveyor after the member 34 is withdrawn as will
be described hereinafter.
A pair of top guide rails 223 extend rearwardly from the plate 222
and serve the same purpose as the plate 222 in that they retain the
top panel 124 of the blank in intimate contact with the member 34.
As shown in FIG. 14 of the drawings, the end flaps 136, 140, 144
and 145 project outwardly from the sleeve configuration of the
blank formed in the wrapping operation. In order to ensure that the
wrapper is in fact located about the article receiving compartment,
the flap 145 is folded inwardly of the flaps 136, 140 by means of a
guide bar 250 and subsequently the flaps 136, 140 are folded
outwardly by means of guide rails 252, 254. The guide rails 252
folds the flap 136 outwardly into a position wherein it passes
along a slot 256 formed between the guide rail 252 and an adjacent
guide rail 223. The electric eye device 62 is aligned with a
passage 260 which opens through rails 252 and 223. If the carton
flap 136 is not sensed by the electric eye device as the member 34
moves through the wrapping station, the switch plate 56 will be
moved to a position to guide the roller 54 along the track 30 as
shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings so that the unwrapped article will
not be dispensed from the member 34. If, on the other hand, an end
flap 136 is detected by the electric eye device 62, the switch
plate 56 will be located in the position shown in FIG. 3 of the
drawings so that the roller 54 will follow the guide track 32 and
the discharge mechanism will operate to discharge the article from
the member 34 as the member 34 is withdrawn as shown in FIG. 1 of
the drawings.
As the partially formed carton moves along the rails 224, the open
outer end is located in an end closure station 262 (FIG. 15) which
is located at the gap in the end rail 250. As a result of the
resilience of the end flaps 144, the flaps will recover their
outwardly directed position after the carton moves the gap formed
in the rail 250 at the end closure station. A rotary blade 264 is
rotatably driven by a shaft 266. The blade 264 has opposed arms 268
which, on rotation of the shaft 266, engage the flaps 144 and fold
them inwardly. As the cartons are advanced along the rails 224 by
means of the blades 240, the flap 144 is held in the inwardly
folded position by the blade 264 for a sufficient period of time to
permit the flap to be located in an underlying relationship with
respect to the lip portion 270 of the end rail 250. The lip portion
270 of the end rail 250 serves to fold the end flap 145 inwardly of
the carton.
A pair of adhesive applicator guns 272 are located at the discharge
end of the guide rails 252, 254 and apply adhesive to the end flaps
136, 140 as a package is moved along the rails 224. The end flaps
140 and 136 are then folded to a closed position by means of curved
guide rails 274, 276. The guide rails 274, 276 fold the flaps 136,
140 upon one another and serve to hold the flaps in the folded
position for a time sufficient to permit the adhesive to firmly
secure the flaps in the closed position. The flaps 134, 138, 142 on
the other end of the carton are closed in a similar manner by a
similar rotary blade 265 (FIG. 1) and adhesive applicator guns 273
and suitable folding rails (not shown).
In use, the apparatus of the present invention provides for a high
speed loading of articles into the article receiving compartments,
the high speed wrapping of the article receiving compartments which
form substantially rigid forming mandrels, and an efficient
stripper mechanism for stripping a knocked down carton blank from a
carton storage station and delivering the blank into the wrapping
station.
In use, the article 70 is loaded by means of one or more loading
chutes 72 onto one or more loading platforms. The wiper blades 96,
98 move the article across the platform and deposit it into the
article receiving compartment 50 formed in the trough-shaped member
34. The members 34 are moved out of the loading station by means of
the conveyor on which they are supported. The trough device 34 and
its associated article discharge mechanism and the article 70 are
moved laterally of the first conveyor by means of the guide tracks
28 and 31. In order to ensure that the articles are properly seated
in the article receiving compartments, a sensor plate 280 (FIG. 11)
is located in the path of the trough members 34. The sensor plate
280 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 282 which is supported by frame
member 284. A microswitch 286 is mounted on the frame 284 so as to
be activated when the sensor 280 is elevated by an improperly
located article 70 to stop the movement of the first conveyor
before the improperly located package reaches the wrapping
position. If the microswitch 286 is not activated, the continuous
movement of the first conveyor is not interrupted and the trough
moves to the package detection station wherein the electric eye
device 64 serves to determine whether or not a package 70 is
located within the article receiving compartment 50 as previously
described. If the article receiving compartment is found to be
empty, the stripper mechanism is not activated and the trough
member 34 and its contents are permitted to pass through the
wrapping station without forming a carton about the trough member
34. If the presence of an article 70 is detected by the electric
eye device 64, the stripper mechanism is activated as perviously
described to discharge a partially folded blank into the path of
the trough member 34 as shown in FIGS. 1, 10 and 11 of the
drawings. The blank is then shaped to the form of a sleeve with the
side flaps 132, 130 folded upon one another (FIG. 12 and 13) and
adhesively secured to one another by the adhesive applied by the
adhesive applicator 214 and held securely by a plate 240 mounted on
the chains 244. As the first conveyor continues to advance through
the wrapping station, the end flap 136 is folded upwardly and
passes the second electric eye device 62. When the second electric
eye device 62 detects the presence of an upwardly turned end flap
136, it transmits a signal to the switching mechanism which
controls the operation of the switch plate 56 and the switch plate
56 is thereby located in a position to guide the roller 54 along
guide path 32 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings. If the
electric eye device 62 is not activated indicating the absence of
an end flap 136, the switch plate 156 is moved to the position
shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings which causes the roller 54 to
follow the guide path 30 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. When
the roller 54 is guided along guide path 32, the trough member 34
is moved laterally relative to the dispenser mechanism so that the
dispenser mechanism serves to retain the article within the
container until the trough member 34 is withdrawn from the
container and the article 70 rests on the bottom wall of the
container. Thereafter the dispenser mechanism moves laterally with
respect to the trough member 34 to return to its position inwardly
of the article receiving compartment in a position ready to receive
a further article when returned to the loading station. The carton
with the article located therein continues to the wrapping station
and the end flaps at both ends are closed.
In order to ensure that the article 70 is located inwardly of the
wrapper before the trough member is withdrawn, the guide path 32
includes an initial lateral jog portion 32a which provides a slight
relative movement between the dispenser mechanism and the trough
34.
If, as previously described, the sensing mechanism 62 indicates
that a wrapper has not been applied by reason of the action of the
first sensing device 64 or a failure in the dispenser mechanism,
the dispenser mechanism is withdrawn along with the U-shaped trough
member (FIG. 2) so that if an article is located in the U-shaped
trough, the article is not transferred onto the discharge conveyor
so as to be mixed with the wrapped articles which are discharged
from the discharge conveyor. The articles which are unwrapped are
discharged at the end of the first conveyor and may be returned to
the loading mechanism.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention
provides an apparatus which is capable of forming shipper packages
from knocked carton blanks at high speed. The mechanism is such
that it is rugged and does not employ any operating mechanisms
which require complex movements in order to load and form the
shipper carton. These and other advantages of the device of the
present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art
without departing from the scope of the invention.
* * * * *