Patent US3590434A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3590434A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Package forming machine
Assignee: AMPAK Inc A CORP OF DE
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Filing: 1966-01-13
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Granted: 1971-07-06
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Expires: 1986-01-13
Abstract
Abstract Pockets are formed in cards with plastic windows by feeding the cards from a magazine to a conveyor, heating the plastic window while the card is conveyed, transferring the cards to forming dies on a rotatable drum and vacuum forming the pocket. The cards are fed to the conveyor by vacuum cups oscillated toward and away from the card magazine and rotated toward the conveyor. Cards are then supported by rails and moved in timed relationship with the rotatable drum and are transferred to the forming dies. Rotation of the drum sequentially controls vacuum forming of the pockets and ejection of the finished cards.
Inventors
- 👤 Ridley Watts Jr
- 👤 John F Berry
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 13:31
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B47/00; B65B47/08; B65B47/10; B65B11/00; B65B11/50; B65B11/52
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
207 words
Apparatus for forming pockets in plastic window portions of card-type packages, comprising: a. a magazine for holding a stack of cards having window portions to be formed to a predetermined contour, b. means to move cards in the magazine toward one end of the magazine, c. feed means adjacent said one end of the magazine to engage and remove cards singly from the magazine and transport them to a conveyor, d. conveying means adjacent the feed means for receiving cards removed from the magazine and for transporting cards along a processing path, e. forming means movable in a path partially along said processing path and in part coincident with the path along which the cards are moved by the conveyor, f. means to operate said conveyor means and to move said forming means in timed relationship to position a card moved by said conveyor on the moving forming means, g. means to operate said forming means while said conveyor and forming means are moving to form the plastic window portion of a positioned card to a predetermined shape, and h. means to heat the plastic window portion along the processing path in advance of a location at which the cards are positioned on the moving forming means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
207 words
Apparatus for forming pockets in plastic window portions of card-type packages, comprising: a. a magazine for holding a stack of cards having window portions to be formed to a predetermined contour, b. means to move cards in the magazine toward one end of the magazine, c. feed means adjacent said one end of the magazine to engage and remove cards singly from the magazine and transport them to a conveyor, d. conveying means adjacent the feed means for receiving cards removed from the magazine and for transporting cards along a processing path, e. forming means movable in a path partially along said processing path and in part coincident with the path along which the cards are moved by the conveyor, f. means to operate said conveyor means and to move said forming means in timed relationship to position a card moved by said conveyor on the moving forming means, g. means to operate said forming means while said conveyor and forming means are moving to form the plastic window portion of a positioned card to a predetermined shape, and h. means to heat the plastic window portion along the processing path in advance of a location at which the cards are positioned on the moving forming means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
79 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means to move cards in the magazine includes a pusher plate carried by an endless chain, a ratchet and pawl drive connected with the chain to advance the endless chain and pusher plate toward the said one end of the magazine, rotating cam and lever to actuate the pawl, and means to selectively disengage the pawl from the ratched to stop advancement of the endless chain while the cam continues to rotate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 2 including means to sense cards at the said one end of the magazine and to cause the pawl to be disengaged in response to the presence of the cards at a predetermined location at the said one end of the magazine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
68 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the feed means includes a vacuum cup adapted to engage a card in the magazine, said cup being supported for rotation about a first axis and for arcuate movement about a second axis parallel to the first axis, means to rotate the vacuum cup about the first axis and means to oscillate the vacuum cup and first axis about the second axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the means to rotate the vacuum cup about the first axis rotates the vacuum cup intermittently.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means to oscillate the vacuum cup and first axis includes cam means for oscillating the vacuum cup and first axis while the vacuum cup is stationary relative to the first axis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 4 including means to connect and disconnect the vacuum cup to a vacuum source in response to rotation of the vacuum cup about the first axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the conveyor includes fixed support and guide means for receiving, supporting and guiding a card deposited by the feed means, and driven movable means to engage and move a card along the support and guide means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the support and guide means includes two spaced rails having inwardly directed grooves extending in a common plane along a predetermined path and adapted to receive opposite edges of a card.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
72 words
The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the driven movable means includes an endless loop having an upper reach adjacent the plane of the tracks, a card-engaging element moved by the upper reach of the endless loop and extending through the plane of the tracks adapted to engage a trailing edge of a card supported by the rails, and means to move the upper reach of the endless loop relative to the tracks.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including means associated with the card engaging eLement to maintain the element in a predetermined relationship with the plane of the card.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means to heat the plastic windows includes a heating unit extending beneath the conveyor in advance of the forming means relative to the movement of the cards.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the heating unit includes gas burner tubes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the forming means includes a plurality of forming dies, a rotatable support for the forming dies, and means mounting the support for rotation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the forming means includes means for exhausting gas from a cavity in a forming die to vacuum form a plastic window to the shape of the cavity, means for cooling the forming die and means for introducing gas under pressure to the cavity in the forming die.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 15 including means to connect the cavity to a vacuum source and to a source of gas under pressure in response to rotation of the rotatable support for the forming die.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the means for cooling the forming die includes an enclosure formed by the rotatable support for the forming dies and means to circulate cooling water to and from the enclosure.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
130 words
In apparatus for conveying, heating and forming card-type packages having window areas of thermoplastic material: a conveyor, including longitudinally extending card support rails; an endless loop extending along the conveyor and drivingly connected with a rotatable forming means in line with the conveyor, said forming means having a plurality of forming dies; card engaging means carried by the loop for engaging and moving cards along the conveyor; and means to drive the loop and thereby move a card and rotate the forming means in synchronism therewith, said forming means being constructed and arranged to intersect the path of movement of cards moved by the endless loop as the forming means is rotated and to receive on a forming die a card moved from the rails by the card engaging means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
130 words
In apparatus for conveying, heating and forming card-type packages having window areas of thermoplastic material: a conveyor, including longitudinally extending card support rails; an endless loop extending along the conveyor and drivingly connected with a rotatable forming means in line with the conveyor, said forming means having a plurality of forming dies; card engaging means carried by the loop for engaging and moving cards along the conveyor; and means to drive the loop and thereby move a card and rotate the forming means in synchronism therewith, said forming means being constructed and arranged to intersect the path of movement of cards moved by the endless loop as the forming means is rotated and to receive on a forming die a card moved from the rails by the card engaging means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of claim 18 including means along the conveyor to heat the window areas of cards, means associated with the forming means and forming dies to vacuum form the heated window areas to a predetermined shape, and means to cool the formed window areas.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 18 including a plurality of endless belts mounted on a stationary support and constructed and arranged to cooperate with the rotating forming means to press a card being formed into close contact with a forming die.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
128 words
Apparatus for forming pockets in plastic window portions of card type packages, comprising: a. conveying means to move individual, spaced, cards along a predetermined path, b. means adjacent said conveying means for enlarging the plastic window portions of moving cards to provide a pocket, said means including pocket forming means movable along a path in part coincident with the path of said conveying means to receive cards moved by said conveying means and to carry said cards along a portion of said processing path while enlarging said window portions, and c. means to move the forming means in timed relationship with cards moved by said conveying means so that cards are received by said forming means where the paths of said forming means and conveying means are coincident.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
128 words
Apparatus for forming pockets in plastic window portions of card type packages, comprising: a. conveying means to move individual, spaced, cards along a predetermined path, b. means adjacent said conveying means for enlarging the plastic window portions of moving cards to provide a pocket, said means including pocket forming means movable along a path in part coincident with the path of said conveying means to receive cards moved by said conveying means and to carry said cards along a portion of said processing path while enlarging said window portions, and c. means to move the forming means in timed relationship with cards moved by said conveying means so that cards are received by said forming means where the paths of said forming means and conveying means are coincident.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 21 including means adjacent the conveying means to heat the plastic windows as the cards are moved to the forming means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
198 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said magazine for holding a stack of cards comprises spaced side guides and a bottom support adapted to hold a plurality of cards, means mounting the bottom support at an angle from the horizontal so that the cards form an inclined stack and the bottom support and the stack have a lower end and an upper end, a stop adjacent the lower end of the bottom support positioned to engage a lower portion of a card at the lower end of the stack to retain the cards in a magazine, and means to move cards on the bottom support toward the lower end of the bottom support; and wherein said feed means includes card engaging means adjacent said magazine, means supporting the card engaging means for movement in an arcuate path about a first axis of rotation, means supporting the card engaging means for movement about a second axis of rotation parallel to the said first axis of rotation, means to intermittently rotate the card engaging means about the first axis of rotation, and means to oscillate the card-engaging means about the second axis of rotation toward and away from said magazine.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
90 words
The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said forming means includes dies, a support for said dies rotatable about an axis transverse to the direction in which said conveying means moves cards, said dies being secured to said support and spaced peripherally, with outer surfaces adapted to receive cards moved by said conveying means, means interconnecting said conveying means and said support for concurrent interrelated movement, and means adjacent said support for retaining cards on the outer surface of each forming die during a part of the rotation of said support.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-07-05 | 1975-01-04 | 1975-07-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-07-05 | 1979-01-04 | 1979-07-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-07-05 | 1983-01-04 | 1983-07-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |