Method and apparatus for erecting and bottom sealing cartons

Claim 2

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. means for feeding the partially folded carton from said folding station downstream to an erection station, g. vacuum means for grasping at least one of the bottom flaps oriented at a substantial angle to the plane of said side panels, and h. means for swinging said vacuum means about an axis coinciding with one of said primary fold lines to erect the carton.

Claim 3

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. upper carton folding means for folding said top flaps through a substantial angle and in the same direction so that the initially flat carton has an L-shaped configuration for its upper portion as well as for its lower portion at said folding station, g. means for retaining at least one of said top flaps in said L-shaped configuration, h. means for folding at least one other top flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said upper carton folding means, i. means for feeding the partially folded carton from said folding station downstream to an erection station, j. a deadplate at said erection station for holding said bottom flaps in their partially folded positions, k. top flap engaging means at said erection station for folding said top flaps downwardly against their associated side panels as said partially folded carton reaches said erection station.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. upper carton folding means for folding said top flaps through a substantial angle and in the same direction so that the initially flat carton has an L-shaped configuration for its upper portion as well as for its lower portion at said folding station, g. means for retaining at least one of said top flaps in said L-shaped configuration, h. means for folding at least one other top flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said upper carton folding means, i. means for feeding the partially folded carton from said folding station downstream to an erection station, j. a deadplate at said erection station for holding said bottom flaps in their partially folded positions, k. top flap engaging means at said erection station for folding said top flaps downwardly against their associated side panels as said partially folded carton reaches said erection station.

Claim 5

The combination recited in claim 2 further characterized by vacuum means for grasping at least one of the bottom flaps oriented at a substantial angle to the plane of said side panels, and means for swinging said vacuum means about an axis coinciding with one of said primary fold lines to erect the carton on said deadplate.

Claim 6

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. said lower carton folding means comprising lower plow means movable transversely across the plane of said side panels in one direction past the free edges of said bottom flaps to first fold all of said bottom flaps as aforesaid, and g. said lower plow means having a second plow portion which is not movable beyond at least one of said bottom flaps so as to hold said one bottom flap to said one side of said plane, and h. said plow means causing at least one of said bottom flaps to return in a direction opposite said one direction during return movement.

Claim 7

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. said lower carton folding means comprising lower plow means movable transversely across the plane of said side panels in one direction past the free edges of said bottom flaps to first fold all of said bottom flaps as aforesaid, and g. said lower plow means having a second plow portion which is not movable beyond at least one of said bottom flaps so as to hold said one bottom flap to said one side of said plane, and h. said plow means causing at least one of said bottom flaps to return in a direction opposite said one direction during return movement.

Claim 8

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. upper carton folding means for folding said top flaps through a substantial angle and in the same direction so that the initially flat carton has an L-shaped configuration for its upper portion as well as for its lower portion at said folding station, g. means for retaining at least one of said top flaps in said L-shaped configuration, h. means for folding at least one other top flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said upper carton folding means, i. said lower carton folding means comprises lower plow means movable transversely across the plane of said side panels in one direction past the free edges of said bottom flaps to first fold all of said bottom flaps as aforesaid, and j. said lower plow means having a second plow portion which is not movable beyond at least one of said bottom flaps so as to hold said one bottom flap to said one side of said plane, and k. said plow means causing at least one of said bottom flaps to return in a direction opposite said one direction during return movement.

Claim 9

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the initially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. upper carton folding means for folding said top flaps through a substantial angle and in the same direction so that the initially flat carton has an L-shaped configuration for its upper portion as well as for its lower portion at said folding station, g. means for retaining at least one of said top flaps in said L-shaped configuration, h. means for folding at least one other top flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said upper carton folding means, i. said lower carton folding means comprises lower plow means movable transversely across the plane of said side panels in one direction past the free edges of said bottom flaps to first fold all of said bottom flaps as aforesaid, and j. said lower plow means having a second plow portion which is not movable beyond at least one of said bottom flaps so as to hold said one bottom flap to said one side of said plane, and k. said plow means causing at least one of said bottom flaps to return in a direction opposite said one direction during return movement.

Claim 10

The combination recited in claim 5 wherein said upper carton folding means comprises upper plow means movable transversely across the plane of said side panels in one direction to first fold all of said top flaps as aforesaid, and said upper plow means being movable beyond the free edges of said top flaps so as to fold at least one of them back through said plane when said upper plow means returns in a direction opposite said one direction.

Claim 11

The combination recited in claim 4 wherein said means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps at said folding station comprises a movable shelf with an attached ledge for supporting the initially flat carton blank as said blank enters the folding station, said shelf including a guide surface to support the folded bottom flap as the carton leaves the folding station, and a housing with a lower wall which can be selectively evacuated to retain at least one bottom flap during the folding of said bottom flaps.

Claim 12

The combination recited in claim 6 wherein said means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps at said folding station comprises a fixed lower housing having a lower wall which can be selectively evacuated to retain at least one bottom flap, said means for retaining at least one of said top flaps at said folding station comprising a fixed upper housing located generally above said lower housing, said upper housing having an upper wall which is selectively evacuated to retain said one top flap at said folding station.

Claim 13

The combination recited in claim 8 further characterized by vacuum means at said erection station for grasping said one front side panel bottom flap which is folded just below said rear side panel bottom flap, and means for swinging said vacuum means about an axis coinciding with one of said primary fold lines to erect the carton on said deadplate.

Claim 14

The Combination recited in claim 9 further characterized by bottom flap tucking means located downstream of said erection station, and means for moving the erected carton from said erection station through a glue station downstream thereof, said tucking means serving to close the bottom flap opposite said one front side panel bottom flap as the erected carton moves from said erection station to said gluing station.

Claim 15

The combination recited in claim 10 wherein said glue station comprises segmented glue rolls arranged in spaced sets to apply strips of glue to the underside of the remaining two projecting bottom flaps as the erected carton is moved continuously through said glue station, and fixed plow means downstream of the glue station to fold said remaining two projecting bottom flaps and to form a bottom for the erected carton.

Claim 16

The combination recited in claim 8 wherein said second portion of said lower carton folding means moves with said bottom flap folding plow in said one direction but trails said plow, and wherein said second portion remains stationary at least momentarily to support said one bottom flap as aforesaid even as said plow returns in said opposite direction to refold said at least one bottom flap as aforesaid.

Claim 21

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the intially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. means for feeding the partially folded carton from said folding station downstream to an erection station, g. means for holding one of said rear panels and its associated bottom flap at said erection station, and h. means for swinging one of said front panels and its associated bottom flap on an axis coincident with one of said primary fold lines to erect the carton.

Claim 22

In an apparatus for erecting prefolded and prescored cartons from the flat, said cartons having front and rear pairs of side panels connected to one another on common primary fold lines and each side panel having a top and a bottom flap also connected thereto on secondary fold lines, all of these panels and flaps being arranged in a common plane when said carton is in its flat configuration, the improvement comprising: a. means for storing a stack of such flat cartons, b. means for withdrawing the endmost carton from the stack and feeding it to a folding station, c. lower carton folding means at said folding station for folding said bottom flaps in the same direction and through a substantial angle so that the intially flat carton assumes a generally L-shaped configuration, d. means for retaining at least one of said bottom flaps in said L-shaped configuration, e. means for folding at least one other bottom flap back through the plane defined by said side panels and through a substantial angle in a direction opposite to that of said lower carton folding means, f. means for feeding the partially folded carton from said folding station downstream to an erection station, g. means for holding one of said rear panels and its associated bottom flap at said erection station, and h. means for swinging one of said front panels and its associated bottom flap on an axis coincident with one of said primary fold lines to erect the carton.

Claim 23

The combination recited in claim 15 further characterized by a deadplate at said erection station for holding said bottom flaps in their partially folded positions during said swinging motion of said front panel and its associated bottom flap.

Claim 24

The combination recited in claim 16 further characterized by bottom flap tucking means located downstream of said erection station, and means for moving the erected carton from said erection station through a glue station downstream thereof, said tucking means serving to close the bottom flap opposite said one front side panel bottom flap as the erected carton moves from said erection station to said gluing station.

Claim 25

The combination recited in claim 17 wherein said glue station comprises segmented glue rolls arranged in spaced sets to apply strips of glue to the underside of the remaining two projecting bottom flaps as the erected carton is moved continuously through said glue station, and fixed plow means downstream of the glue station to fold said remaining two projecting bottom flaps and to form a bottom for the erected carton.