Packing machine for folding blanks around article groups fed continuously therethrough

Claim 2

In an apparatus for forming a carton blank around a continuously advancing group of articles, wherein the blank has bottom, front, top and rear panels each of which carries left and right-hand associated side flaps, and said carton blank further including a trailing bottom flap carried by said bottom panel, said apparatus having means for folding the blank into a U-shaped configuration enclosing the bottom front and top of said group of articles, and said apparatus including a pocket chain conveyor for advancing the U-shaped carton together with an associated group of articles in a downstream direction, the improvement comprising a front stop in said pocket chain conveyor for receiving the front panel of said U-shaped carton, a first gate on said pocket chain conveyor for folding said trailing bottom flap against the rear row of articles in said group, a rear panel folding flight bar mounted above the path of movement of said Ushaped blank in said pocket chain conveyor, said flight bar being movable forwardly and downwardly behind the U-shaped blank to fold the rear panel against the rear row of articles in said group, left and right-hand laterally spaced side flap tucking elements carried by said flight bar and projecting forwardly therefrom for engaging the left and right-hand side flaps respectively on said rear panel to fold these forwardly against the sides of the group of articles and said flap tucking elements engaging said side flaps in downwardly spaced relationship to the horizontal laterally extending fold line associated with said rear panel to fold said panel prior to folding said side flaps.

Claim 3

The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said flight bar moves downwardly and forwardly to fold said rear panel, and wherein said flight bar moves upwardly once said rear panel is so folded, said side flap tucking elements being mounted to said flight bar so that they project downwardly from it during downward movement thereof and are rOtated through a slightly longer arcuate path as said flight bar moves toward its upward direction to fold said side flaps inwardly as a result of the momentary increase in tangential speed of said flight bar mounted elements.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for folding a carton blank around a group of articles being continuously fed in one direction the improvement comprising means for folding a trailing rear panel of the carton blank and then folding its laterally opposed side flaps as the partially folded carton is being so fed, said means including an overhead flight bar which moves downwardly and forwardly behind the partially folded carton at a speed slightly greater than that of said carton, side flap tucking elements carried by said flight bar in depending relationship thereto for engaging the side flaps on said rear panel adjacent their associated prescored fold lines and said flap tucking elements engaging said side flaps in downwardly spaced relationship to the horizontal laterally extending fold line associated with said rear panel to fold said panel prior to folding said side flaps.

Claim 5

In an apparatus for folding a carton blank around a group of articles being continuously fed in one direction the improvement comprising means for folding a trailing rear panel of the carton blank and then folding its laterally opposed side flaps as the partially folded carton is being so fed, said means including an overhead flight bar which moves downwardly and forwardly behind the partially folded carton at a speed slightly greater than that of said carton, side flap tucking elements carried by said flight bar in depending relationship thereto for engaging the side flaps on said rear panel adjacent their associated prescored fold lines and said flap tucking elements engaging said side flaps in downwardly spaced relationship to the horizontal laterally extending fold line associated with said rear panel to fold said panel prior to folding said side flaps.

Claim 6

The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said flap tucking elements are rigidly secured to said flight bar, and wherein said flight bar moves upwardly following the folding of said rear panel causing said tucking elements to move forwardly and upwardly at a tangential speed greater than that of said flight bar to fold said side flaps inwardly against the sides of the partially folded carton.

Claim 7

In an apparatus for forming a carton blank around a continuously advancing group of articles, wherein the blank has bottom, front, top and rear panels each of which carries left and right-hand associated side flaps, and said carton blank further including a trailing bottom flap carried by said bottom panel, said apparatus having means for folding the blank into a U-shaped configuration enclosing the bottom front and top of said group of articles, and said apparatus including a pocket chain conveyor for advancing the U-shaped carton together with an associated group of articles in a downstream direction, the improvement comprising a front stop on said pocket chain conveyor for receiving the front panel of said U-shaped carton, a first gate on said pocket chain conveyor for folding said trailing bottom flap against the rear row of articles in said group, a rear panel folding flight bar mounted above the path of movement of said U-shaped blank in said pocket chain conveyor, said flight bar being movable forwardly and downwardly behind the U-shaped blank to fold the rear panel against the rear row of articles in said group, left and right-hand laterally spaced side flap tucking elements carried by said flight bar and projecting forwardly therefrom for engaging the left and right-hand side flaps respectively on said rear panel to fold these forwardly against the sides of the group of articles, said flight bar moves upwardly once said rear panel is so folded, said side flap tucking elements being mounted to said flight bar so that they project downwardly from it during downward movement thereof and are rotated through a slightly longer arcuate path as said flight bar moves toward its upward direction to fold said side flaps inwardly as a result of the momentary increase in tangential speed of said flight bar mounted elements.

Claim 8

In an apparatus for forming a carton blank around a continuously advancing group of articles, wherein the blank has bottom, front, top and rear panels each of which carries left and right-hand associated side flaps, and said carton blank further including a trailing bottom flap carried by said bottom panel, said apparatus having means for folding the blank into a U-shaped configuration enclosing the bottom front and top of said group of articles, and said apparatus including a pocket chain conveyor for advancing the U-shaped carton together with an associated group of articles in a downstream direction, the improvement comprising a front stop on said pocket chain conveyor for receiving the front panel of said U-shaped carton, a first gate on said pocket chain conveyor for folding said trailing bottom flap against the rear row of articles in said group, a rear panel folding flight bar mounted above the path of movement of said U-shaped blank in said pocket chain conveyor, said flight bar being movable forwardly and downwardly behind the U-shaped blank to fold the rear panel against the rear row of articles in said group, left and right-hand laterally spaced side flap tucking elements carried by said flight bar and projecting forwardly therefrom for engaging the left and right-hand side flaps respectively on said rear panel to fold these forwardly against the sides of the group of articles, said flight bar moves upwardly once said rear panel is so folded, said side flap tucking elements being mounted to said flight bar so that they project downwardly from it during downward movement thereof and are rotated through a slightly longer arcuate path as said flight bar moves toward its upward direction to fold said side flaps inwardly as a result of the momentary increase in tangential speed of said flight bar mounted elements.