Method and apparatus for injecting by positive action collapsible carton tubes into holders of a tube filling machine

Claim 2

For use with a machine of a type for filling with a dispensible material carton tubes carried by holders movably positioned in a predetermined relation, the combination comprising means for supplying in a sequential relation carton tubes one at a time to a selected location, a transfer assembly including gripping means, means periodically operable to render the gripping means effective in one sense to seize said one carton tube supplied to the selected location at said time, driving means to movably position said transfer assembly and thereby said gripping means so as to project the seized one carton tube selectively into one of said holders, said holders being movable in said predetermined relation so that the position of said transfer assembly and thereby the position of said gripping means may coincide with the relative position of a movable holder, said gripping means being rendered effective in another sense by said periodically operable means so as to release said seized carton tube upon the completion of the projection of said carton tube into said one of said holders, said transfer assembly including a spider having a plurality of radially projecting arms, said gripping means including carrier devices, each of the arms of the spider being drivingly connected to one of said carrier devices, each of said carrier devices including jaw means, end plates including means for rotatably supporting said spider, said periodically operable means including cam means carried by the end plates, control means for the jaw means carried by each of said carrier devices and arranged in cooperative relation with said cam means for selectively rendering the jaw means of each of said carrier devices effective in said one sense to seize said one carton tube and in said other sense to release said seized carton tube.

Claim 3

The combination defined by claim 1 in which the means for supplying the carton tubes includes a channel leading to an outlet, said channel having parallel extending opposite inner surfaces, a first series of angularly projecting flange portions arranged in spaced relation along one inner side surface of said channel, a second series of angularly projecting flange portions arranged in spaced relation along an opposite inner surface of said channel, the first and second series of angularly projecting flange portions having apices arranged in a spaced relation one to the other of a distance less than the diameter of said carton tubes so as to prevent passage of any of said carton tubes between the apices of the opposite angular flange portions in a plane parallel to the opposite inner surfaces of the channel, the first and second series of angularly projecting flange portions having opposite angular face surfaces arranged in a spaced relation one to the other of a distance greater than that of the diameter of the carton tubes so as to provide a series of relatively short angular paths for permitting successive passage of each of said carton tubes through said angular paths to the outlet of said Channel, a receiving platform at said selected location, said receiving platform being positioned in a substantially horizontal spaced relation to the outlet of said channel so that said carton tubes may be sequentially disposed one at a time on said receiving platform in a substantially horizontal relation, flexible extensions arranged at opposite sides of the outlet of said channel and in cooperative relation with the receiving platform so as to prevent the one carton tube disposed on said receiving platform from being laterally displaced therefrom, the gripping means of the transfer assembly being rendered effective by said periodically operable means in said one sense to seize said one carton tube disposed on said receiving platform at said time, and said extensions being arranged to flex so as to permit the gripping means to be movably positioned by the driving means so as to rectilinearly displace the seized one carton tube off said receiving platform.

Claim 4

The combination defined by claim 1 in which the gripping means includes a plurality of carrier devices, means drivingly connecting the transfer assembly to each of said carrier devices, said carrier devices being operably arranged in a predetermined spaced relation about said transfer assembly, each of said carrier devices including end plates, a base plate extending between the end plates and secured thereto, a slide bar slidably positioned relative to the base plate, the slide bar including control means projecting through the end plates in an adjustable relation thereto for controlling the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate; and the gripping means including jaw means, means for pivotally mounting the jaw means on the slide bar, cam means and cam follower means operatively connected between the base plate and the jaw means so as to control the operative position of the jaw means in relation to the base plate and the operative condition of the jaw means pivotally mounted on the slide bar by said pivotal mounting means dependent upon the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate effected by the aforesaid control means, supporting for the carrier devices, said suporting means including means for rotatably supporting the transfer assembly, a track carried by said supporting means, the periodically operable means including controlling cam means carried by the supporting means, the end plates of the carrier device including track follower means projecting from the end plates of the carrier device and arranged in cooperative relation with said track, the control means projecting through the end plates of the carrier device being arranged in cooperative relation with the controlling cam means, the track of said supporting means being so arranged as to cause the track follower means to angularly position the carrier device in relation to the supporting means upon the carrier device being movably positioned in relation thereto, and the controlling cam means of said supporting means being so arranged as to cause the control means projecting through the end plates of the carrier device to control the operative position and condition of the jaw means in predetermined relation to the angular position of the carrier device to said supporting means so as to selectively render the jaw means of each of said carrier devices effective in said one sense and in said other sense, and upon said jaw means of one of said carrier devices being rendered effective in said one sense the track of said supporting means causes said one carrier device to position the seized carton tube rectilinearly from said selected location and then to position the one carrier device so as to angularly position the tube so as to project the seized one carton tube into said one selected holder upon said one carrier device being movably positioned along said track by said driving means.

Claim 5

The combination defined by claim 3 in which the end plates of each carrier device have a longitudinal slot therein and the control means Projecting through the end plates of the carrier device include a pair of axially aligned rollers mounted at each end of the slide bar, one of said pair of rollers being slidably mounted in the longitudinal slot in the end plate adjacent thereto and in adjustable relation therein, and the other of said pair of rollers being cooperatively arranged in relation to said controlling cam means of said supporting means to control the position of said slide bar in relation to the base plate, the base plate including cam slots, and the jaw means including a pair of spring fingers, a grip assembly for carrying each spring finger, a pivot pin mounting the grip assembly for each spring finger on the slide bar to provide the pivotal mounting means for the jaw means, and each grip assembly including a cam follower projecting therefrom, the cam follower projecting from each grip assembly being arranged in cooperative relation in one of the corresponding cam slots of said base plate to provide the means operatively connecting the base plate to the jaw means, and each grip assembly including means for releasing the spring finger carried thereby to prevent damage to the spring finger upon an obstruction to the projection of the seized carton into one of said holders.

Claim 6

The combination defined by claim 4 in which the means for supplying carton tubes may provide carton tubes of substantially uniform diameter, and each of said carton tubes having one end portion of a greater weight than an opposite end portion thereof; and said combination including a channel leading from said supply means to an outlet of said channel; a receiving platform at said selected location, said receiving platform being positioned in a substantially horizontal spaced relation to the outlet of said channel, said channel including a first series of projecting flange portions arranged in spaced relation along one inner surface of the channel, a second series of projecting flange portions arranged in spaced relation along an opposite inner surface of the channel, the flange portions of said first and second series projecting in opposite relation, each of said projecting flange portions of said first series being positioned in an intermediate spaced relation to oppositely projecting flange portions of said second series so as to provide a series of oppositely extending restricted angular paths defined by pairs of said oppositely projecting flange portions, said angular paths permitting restricted successive passage of said carton tubes one at a time between projecting flange portions respectively of said first and second series, the first and second series of projecting flange portions being so arranged that the one end portion of said one carton tube under force of gravity may initially pass through a restricted angular path defined by a first pair of said oppositely projecting flange portions while further passage of said one end portion of the one carton tube may be restricted by an immediately succeeding oppositely projecting flange portion until the opposite end portion of the carton tube moves along the first mentioned restricted angular path under force of gravity to a point at which the entire one carton tube passes through the path defined by the first mentioned pair of oppositely projecting flange portions, the one carton tube thereafter passing in a similar manner through other of the series of oppositely extending restricted angular paths until the one carton tube ultimately passes to and through the outlet of said channel in such a manner that said carton tube may be effectively disposed on said receiving platform in a substantially horizontal relation.

Claim 7

The combination comprising a transfer assembly, the transfer assembly including gripping means, means periodically operable to render the gripping means effective in one sense to seize an object disposed at a first predetermined location, driving means to movably position said transfer assembly and thereby said gripping means, means for guiding travel oF the gripping means about said transfer assembly and, upon said gripping means being rendered effective in said one sense, causing said gripping means to be positioned by said driving means so as to position the seized object rectilinearly from said first predetermined location and thereafter to project the seized object to another and second predetermined location, and said gripping means being rendered effective in another sense by said periodically operable means so as to release said seized object upon the completion of the projection of the object to said predetermined location, said transfer assembly including a spider having a plurality of radially projecting arms, the gripping means including carrier devices, each of the arms of the spider being drivingly connected to one of said carrier devices, each of said carrier devices including jaw means, end plates including means for rotatably supporting the spider, said periodically operable means including cam means carried by the end plates, control means for the jaw means carried by each of said carrier devices and arranged in cooperative relation with said cam means for selectively rendering the jaw means of each of said carrier devices effective in said one sense to seize said object an in said other sense to release said seized object.

Claim 8

The combination comprising a transfer assembly, the transfer assembly including gripping means, means periodically operable to render the gripping means effective in one sense to seize an object disposed at a first predetermined location, driving means to movably position said transfer assembly and thereby said gripping means, means for guiding travel oF the gripping means about said transfer assembly and, upon said gripping means being rendered effective in said one sense, causing said gripping means to be positioned by said driving means so as to position the seized object rectilinearly from said first predetermined location and thereafter to project the seized object to another and second predetermined location, and said gripping means being rendered effective in another sense by said periodically operable means so as to release said seized object upon the completion of the projection of the object to said predetermined location, said transfer assembly including a spider having a plurality of radially projecting arms, the gripping means including carrier devices, each of the arms of the spider being drivingly connected to one of said carrier devices, each of said carrier devices including jaw means, end plates including means for rotatably supporting the spider, said periodically operable means including cam means carried by the end plates, control means for the jaw means carried by each of said carrier devices and arranged in cooperative relation with said cam means for selectively rendering the jaw means of each of said carrier devices effective in said one sense to seize said object an in said other sense to release said seized object.

Claim 9

A movable carrier device for controlling the position and operative condition of a means for gripping an object; said carrier device comprising end plates, a base plate extending between the end plates and secured thereto, a bar slidably positioned relative to the base plate, the slide bar including control means projecting through the end plates in an adjustable relation thereto for controlling the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate; and the gripping means including jaw means, means for pivotally mounting the jaw means on the slide bar, cam means and other cam follower means operatively connected between the base plate and the jaw means so as to control the operative position of the jaw means in relation to the base plate, and the operative condition of the jaw means pivotally mounted on the slide bar by said pivotal mounting means being dependent upon the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate effected by the aforesaid control means.

Claim 10

A movable carrier device for controlling the position and operative condition of a means for gripping an object; said carrier device comprising end plates, a base plate extending between the end plates and secured thereto, a bar slidably positioned relative to the base plate, the slide bar including control means projecting through the end plates in an adjustable relation thereto for controlling the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate; and the gripping means including jaw means, means for pivotally mounting the jaw means on the slide bar, cam means and other cam follower means operatively connected between the base plate and the jaw means so as to control the operative position of the jaw means in relation to the base plate, and the operative condition of the jaw means pivotally mounted on the slide bar by said pivotal mounting means being dependent upon the position of the slide bar in relation to the base plate effected by the aforesaid control means.

Claim 11

The combination defined by claim 7 including supporting means for the carrier device, the supporting means including a track, the end plates of the carrier device including track follower means projecting from the end plates of the carrier device and arranged in cooperative relation with said track, and the supporting means including controlling cam means, the control means projecting through the end plates of the carrier device being arranged in cooperative relation with the controlling cam means, the track of said supporting means being so arranged as to cause the track follower means to angularly position the carrier device in relation to the supporting means upon the carrier device being movably positioned in relation thereto, and the controlling cam means of said supporting means being so arranged as to cause the control means projecting through the end plates of the carrier device to control the operative position and condition of the jaw means in predetermined relation to the angular position of the carrier device to said supporting means.

Claim 12

The combination defined by claim 8 in which the end plates of the carrier device each have a longitudinal slot therein, and the control means projecting through the end plates of the carrier device includes a pair of axially aligned rollers mounted at each end of the slide bar, one of said pair of rollers being slidably mounted in the longitudinal slot in the end plate adjacent thereto and in adjustable relation therein, and the other of said pair of rollers being cooperatively arranged in relation to said controlling cam means of said supporting means to control the position of said slide bar in relation to the base plate, the base plate including cam slots, and the jaw means including a pair of spring fingers, a grip assembly for carrying each spring finger, a pivot pin mounting the grip assembly for each spring finger on the slide bar to provide the pivotal mounting means for the jaw means, and each grip assembly including a cam follower projecting therefrom, the cam follower projecting from each grip assembly being arranged in cooperative relation in one of the cam slots of said base plate corresponding thereto so as to provide the means operatively connecting the base plate to the jaw means, and each grip assembly including means for releasing the spring finger carried thereby to prevent damage to the spring finger upon an obstruction to the operation of the gripping means.