High speed tray former and loader

Claim 2

In apparatus for erecting tray blanks and filling trays with articles and wherein groups of articles spaced longitudinally from each other are moved longitudinally on a fixed course, a tray erecting form means, means for longitudinally moving the tray erecting form means means positioning said tray erecting form means below a group of articles, a tray blank being positioned on said tray erecting form means, article depressing means for moving longitudinally with the group of articles, and driven pusher means carried by said article depressing means and being movable vertically downwardly of the apparatus, such pusher means being adapted to engage the articles and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into said tray erecting form means.

Claim 3

Apparatus for erecting tray blanks and filling trays with articles and wherein groups of articles spaced longitudinally from each other are moved as groups longitudinally of the apparatus on a fixed course, and characterized by tray erecting form means, an endless conveyor positioning said tray erecting form means thereon and driven at the speed of movement of the articles, means for feeding a tray blank onto the tray blank forming conveyor for each group of articles, said conveyor being positioned below the path of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of the apparatus and the articles being deposited onto a tray blank, article depressing means for moving longitudinally with the groups of articles, and driven pusher means carried by said article depressing means and being movable vertically downwardly of the apparatus, such pusher means being adapted to engage and force such articles and their supporting tray blank downwardly into said tray erecting form means on said conveyor.

Claim 4

Apparatus for erecting tray blanks and filling trays with articles and wherein groups of articles spaced longitudinally from each other are moved as groups longitudinally of the apparatus on a fixed course, and characterized by tray erecting form means, an endless conveyor positioning said tray erecting form means thereon and driven at the speed of movement of the articles, means for feeding a tray blank onto the tray blank forming conveyor for each group of articles, said conveyor being positioned below the path of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of the apparatus and the articles being deposited onto a tray blank, article depressing means for moving longitudinally with the groups of articles, and driven pusher means carried by said article depressing means and being movable vertically downwardly of the apparatus, such pusher means being adapted to engage and force such articles and their supporting tray blank downwardly into said tray erecting form means on said conveyor.

Claim 5

Apparatus for erecting tray blanks and filling trays with articles and wherein a plurality of streams of abutted articles are fed into the apparatus, which comprises a frame, means for moving streams of the abutted articles longitudinally of the frame, means for collecting articles moving along the frame into groups of articles spaced longitudinally from each other, means on the frame to move the articles as a group longitudinally thereof on a fixed course, and characterized by an endless conveyor having tray erecting form means thereon, means for feeding a tray blank into the longitudinal course of movement of the collected articles and for depositing tray blanks in timed relationship to the movement of groups of articles longitudinally of the frame onto the tray erecting form means on said tray blank forming conveyor, said conveyor being positioned below the path of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of said frame, article depressing means for moving longitudinally of the frame with the groups of articles at a tray erecting area, driven pusher means carried by said article depressing means and being movable vertIcally downwardly of the apparatus, such pusher means being adapted to engage the tops of articles at the tray erecting area and force such articles and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said tray erecting form means on said conveyor; said tray blank being brought into engagement with said tray blank erecting conveyor means prior to passage to the tray erecting area; drive means for said article depressing means for moving the same longitudinally of the apparatus at the speed of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of the frame whereby said pusher means will force the tray blank into engagement with said means on the tray blank erecting conveyor to erect the tray and deposit groups of articles therein substantially simultaneously, and means for discharging the erected trays with articles therein from the apparatus.

Claim 6

Apparatus for erecting tray blanks and filling trays with articles and wherein a plurality of streams of abutted articles are fed into the apparatus, which comprises a frame, means for moving streams of the abutted articles longitudinally of the frame, means for collecting articles moving along the frame into groups of articles spaced longitudinally from each other, means on the frame to move the articles as a group longitudinally thereof on a fixed course, and characterized by an endless conveyor having tray erecting form means thereon, means for feeding a tray blank into the longitudinal course of movement of the collected articles and for depositing tray blanks in timed relationship to the movement of groups of articles longitudinally of the frame onto the tray erecting form means on said tray blank forming conveyor, said conveyor being positioned below the path of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of said frame, article depressing means for moving longitudinally of the frame with the groups of articles at a tray erecting area, driven pusher means carried by said article depressing means and being movable vertIcally downwardly of the apparatus, such pusher means being adapted to engage the tops of articles at the tray erecting area and force such articles and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said tray erecting form means on said conveyor; said tray blank being brought into engagement with said tray blank erecting conveyor means prior to passage to the tray erecting area; drive means for said article depressing means for moving the same longitudinally of the apparatus at the speed of movement of the groups of articles longitudinally of the frame whereby said pusher means will force the tray blank into engagement with said means on the tray blank erecting conveyor to erect the tray and deposit groups of articles therein substantially simultaneously, and means for discharging the erected trays with articles therein from the apparatus.

Claim 7

In apparatus as in claim 1 where said tray erecting form means comprise a pair of opposed pocket means each including a bottom, side walls and one end wall, the pocket means being spaced from each other a short distance with the open ends thereof adjacent each other, and a pair of corner forming means pivotally carried by each of said pocket means between said side walls and end walls thereof.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 4 where said corner forming means include a control arm, a curved corner flange carried by said control arm, a roller means at an end of said control arm, and means resiliently and pivotally securing said control arm to said bottom to have a siad control arm extend into said pocket means at each corner thereof to have a tray blank engage said roller means when the blank is moved downwardly of said pocket means to bring said corner flanges into engagement with corner portions of said tray blank and move them to operative positions.

Claim 9

In apparatus as in claim 4 where said tray erecting form means further comprise roller means carried by said side and end walls and defining at their inner peripheries marginal portions of a tray bottom area, said rollers aiding in folding side and end flange portions of a tray blank upwardly.

Claim 10

A tray erecting and loading apparatus comprising a frame, a article depressing means slidably mounted on said frame, a pair of rotary cylindrical translators each having a control groove formed in and extending circumferentially therearound, a shaft carrying said translators journalled on said frame, drive means connecting to said shaft; and said article depressing means including a sub-frame, a pusher means carried on said sub-frame for only vertical sliding movement, a control arm engaging the control groove of one of said translators and engaging and controlling said pusher means to reciprocate it, a second control arm on said sub-frame engaging the control groove of the second of said translators to reciprocate said article depressing means on said frame whereby articles supported on a tray blank can be engaged by said pusher means to move said articles downwardly and likewise move parts of a tray blank downwardly for tray erection and loading action.

Claim 11

A tray erecting and loading apparatus comprising a frame, a article depressing means slidably mounted on said frame, a pair of rotary cylindrical translators each having a control groove formed in and extending circumferentially therearound, a shaft carrying said translators journalled on said frame, drive means connecting to said shaft; and said article depressing means including a sub-frame, a pusher means carried on said sub-frame for only vertical sliding movement, a control arm engaging the control groove of one of said translators and engaging and controlling said pusher means to reciprocate it, a second control arm on said sub-frame engaging the control groove of the second of said translators to reciprocate said article depressing means on said frame whereby articles supported on a tray blank can be engaged by said pusher means to move said articles downwardly and likewise move parts of a tray blank downwardly for tray erection and loading action.

Claim 12

In apparatus as in claim 1 and further comprising said article depressing means including a pair of rotary cylindrical translators each having a control groove formed in and extending circumferentially thereof, a shaft carrying said translators journalled on the frame of the apparatus, drive means connecting to said shaft; and said article depressing means including a sub-frame, a control arm on said sub-frame engaging the control groove of one of said translators and engaging and controlling said pusher means to reciprocate it, and a second control arm on said sub-frame engaging the control groove of the second of said translators to reciprocate said article depressing means on said frame.

Claim 13

In apparatus as in claim 1, where said article depressing means include drive means for moving said article depressing means longitudinally of the apparatus at the same speed as the groups of articles are moved longiTudinally of the frame whereby said pusher means will force the tray blank downwardly into engagement with said means on the tray blank erecting conveyor to erect the tray and deposit groups of articles therein substantially simultaneously, and means for discharging the erected trays with articles therein from the apparatus.

Claim 16

Amethod as in claim 10 and including applying adhesive to end portions of the tray flanges prior to the shaping of the tray blank, continuing the movement of the grouped articles in the formed tray longitudinally of the apparatus, and discharging the trays from the apparatus.