Casing machine

Claim 2

In a case loading apparatus including separator means for retaining one tier of containers for subsequent transfer into a case, and tiering fingers rotatable about a tiering shaft for transferring one tier per cycle, said cycle initiating with said tiering fingers at a tier pickup position adjacent said separator means and terminating at a tier discharge position in a tiering chamber where groups of tiers are assembled into a case load; the improvement comprising a constant speed power input shaft, a power transmission driven by said input shaft and having a cyclically variable output speed, and a power train interconnecting said transmission and said tiering shaft, said tiering shaft rotating at inconstant speed during one tiering cycle, between said tier pickup and said tier discharge positions, such that the tiering fingers accelerAte after picking up the tier of containers and decelerate before discharging the containers to minimize shock damage to the containers and the product therein.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said transmission comprises a differential including an input gear and an output gear on a common axis, a hub mounted for oscillatory translation about the axis of said gears, a spider gear carried by said hub in meshed relation with said input and output gears, and power means interconnecting said hub and said power input shaft for oscillating said hub, translation of the hub in one direction adding to the rotational speed of the output gear and translation in the other direction subtracting from said rotational speed so that the input speed for said power train varies and said tiering shaft accelerates and decelerates.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said hub angularly oscillates said spider gear at a varying rate in one tiering cycle such that subtractive rotation of said output gear progressively decreases from initiation of said tiering cycle to accelerate said output gear until it attains the speed of said input gear, said hub then reversing its direction of translation so that additive rotation of said output gear progressively increases until said output gear attains twice the speed of said input gear at midpoint of the tiering cycle, said translatory movements then repeating for the other half of the tiering cycle so that said output gear decelerates in approaching the termination of said tiering cycle.

Claim 5

Apparatus for loading cases, the containers of the type having a multi-lane feed conveyor with lane dividers that supply the containers in a predetermined number of lanes to a tier former, the tier former having separator partitions aligned with said lane dividers; a drive including a rotatable shaft for raising tiering fingers up between said separator partitions for lifting a tier of cans out of the separator; a shifter between said lane dividers and said separator partitions and having a plurality of shifter partitions of the same spacing as that of said separator partitions and said lane dividers; and means for laterally shifting said shifter back and forth over a predetermined stroke sufficient to cause said shifter partitions to block the further passage of containers from the supply lane dividers into the lanes between said separator partitions; the improvement wherein said tiering finger drive has means for initially slowly turning said shaft for gently raising the tiering fingers from a stationary position just below the bottoms of containers in said separator to a position against the containers for allowing time for said shifter to block the feed before the tiering fingers pick up the containers as well as for causing the tiering fingers to pick up the containers gently, said tiering finger drive comprising means for thereafter accelerating said shaft and hence the tiering fingers to complete the tier raising operation.

Claim 6

Apparatus for loading cases, the containers of the type having a multi-lane feed conveyor with lane dividers that supply the containers in a predetermined number of lanes to a tier former, the tier former having separator partitions aligned with said lane dividers; a drive including a rotatable shaft for raising tiering fingers up between said separator partitions for lifting a tier of cans out of the separator; a shifter between said lane dividers and said separator partitions and having a plurality of shifter partitions of the same spacing as that of said separator partitions and said lane dividers; and means for laterally shifting said shifter back and forth over a predetermined stroke sufficient to cause said shifter partitions to block the further passage of containers from the supply lane dividers into the lanes between said separator partitions; the improvement wherein said tiering finger drive has means for initially slowly turning said shaft for gently raising the tiering fingers from a stationary position just below the bottoms of containers in said separator to a position against the containers for allowing time for said shifter to block the feed before the tiering fingers pick up the containers as well as for causing the tiering fingers to pick up the containers gently, said tiering finger drive comprising means for thereafter accelerating said shaft and hence the tiering fingers to complete the tier raising operation.