US3882655A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-01-19
•
Granted: 1975-05-13
•
Expires: 1993-01-19
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles where an article collecting area has individual tray blanks supplied thereto and means feed a group of articles onto a tray blank at the article collecting area. A plurality of endless means having vertical operative courses are provided to engage a tray blank and move edge and end flanges thereon upwardly, and driven pusher means engage the tops of articles at said article collecting area and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with the belt means. A second and lower plurality of endless belt means having vertical operative courses are present to engage corner tabs on the blank and move them up into operative positions when said first belt means are engaging said tray blank, and discharge means below the endless belt means receive trays as released by the endless belts.
Inventors
- 👤 Alfred C Monaghan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 21:13
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B5/00; B65B5/02; B65B5/024; B65B5/026
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles comprising: a frame having an article collecting area, means for feeding a tray blank to said article collecting area, means on said frame to slide or feed articles onto a tray blank at said article collecting area, a plurality of endless means having vertical operative courses to engage a tray blank and move edge and end flanges thereon upwardly, driven pusher means on said frame to engage the tops of articles at said article collecting area and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said belt means, a second plurality of endless belt means having vertical operative courses to engage corner tabs on said blank and move them up into operative positions when said first belt means are engaging said tray blank, and discharge means below said endless belt means to receive trays as released thereby.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
149 words
Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles comprising: a frame having an article collecting area, means for feeding a tray blank to said article collecting area, means on said frame to slide or feed articles onto a tray blank at said article collecting area, a plurality of endless means having vertical operative courses to engage a tray blank and move edge and end flanges thereon upwardly, driven pusher means on said frame to engage the tops of articles at said article collecting area and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said belt means, a second plurality of endless belt means having vertical operative courses to engage corner tabs on said blank and move them up into operative positions when said first belt means are engaging said tray blank, and discharge means below said endless belt means to receive trays as released thereby.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 and comprising retaining means positioned at the lower end of said belt courses to engage trays and release them one at a time for gravity deposit onto said discharge means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 and including means to apply an adhesive to flange portions of said tray blank prior to complete formation of the tray, said second endless belt means having flexible face members thereon wider than the body of the belt, and guide means engaging said face members to force them into engagement with the corner tabs of said tray blank to bring them into operative positions engaging adhesive coated flange portions of the tray.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 and wherein said tray blank feed means include a pair of rolls for engaging a blank to move it into guide means at said collecting area, and driven slide means to move one blank at a time to said rolls.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 where said discharge means comprise: a pair of endless driven conveyors positioned in tandem sad having horizontally positioned upper operative courses, a carrier table with front and back support legs thereon, and means pivotally securing said front legs to said front conveyor and said back legs to said second conveyor to move said table through an upper operative path to receive a tray as released by said retaining means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
Apparatus as in claim 5 where said discharge means further comprise: roller tray support means positioned above said front conveyor on each side thereof to engage an erected tray and strip it from said table as said table is moved downwardly by said conveyors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
72 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 and comprising: a plurality of vertically positioned axially extending partition plates forming a part of said article feed means, means positioning downstream ends of said partition plates for lateral movement to aid in stopping feed of said articles, and means to actuate said positioning means to move said partition plates and articles received between said plates laterally to bring the articles into engagement with a stop member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
133 words
Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles wherein a plurality of streams of abutted articles are fed into the apparatus, comprising: a frame having an article collecting area and tray blank positioning means, means for feeding a tray blank to said positioning means at said article collecting area, means on said frame to slide articles onto the tray blank at said article collecting area, a plurality of endless means having vertical operative courses positioned below and centered with relation to said area to engage a tray blank and move edge and end flanges thereon upwardly, and driven pusher means on said frame to engage the tops of articles at said article collecting area and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said belt means for tray formation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
133 words
Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles wherein a plurality of streams of abutted articles are fed into the apparatus, comprising: a frame having an article collecting area and tray blank positioning means, means for feeding a tray blank to said positioning means at said article collecting area, means on said frame to slide articles onto the tray blank at said article collecting area, a plurality of endless means having vertical operative courses positioned below and centered with relation to said area to engage a tray blank and move edge and end flanges thereon upwardly, and driven pusher means on said frame to engage the tops of articles at said article collecting area and force them and their supporting tray blank downwardly into engagement with said belt means for tray formation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
Apparatus for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles as in claim 8 and comprising a second plurality of endless belt means having vertical operative courses to engage corner tabs on said tray blank and move them up into operative positions when said first belt means are engaging said tray blank, and discharge means below said retaining means to receive trays as released by said belt means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
75 words
Apparatus as in claim 9 and including means to apply an adhesive to edge flange portions of said tray blank prior to complete erection thereof, said second endless belt means having flexible face members thereon wider than the body of the belt, and guide means engaging said face members to aid in bringing the corner tabs of said tray blank into full operative position engaging portions of the side and end flanges of the tray.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles comprising the steps of: feeding streams of abutted articles to an article collecting area, feeding a tray blank to said article collecting area prior to the feed of articles thereto and supporting the articles on a said tray blank, supporting said tray blank at only a pair of opposed margins thereof, forcing the articles at said article collecting area and their supporting tray blank downwardly, moving flange portions of the tray blank to upright operative positions as it with said articles thereon are moved downwardly including initially moving opposed side and end flanges of the blank upwardly, applying adhesive to portions of said side and end flanges, and moving corner flanges up to operative engagement with said side and end flanges, supporting a plurality of the trays with articles thereon in vertical alignment, and releasing and discharging the trays individually from the bottom of the stack of trays.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
158 words
A method for erecting and filling tray blanks with articles comprising the steps of: feeding streams of abutted articles to an article collecting area, feeding a tray blank to said article collecting area prior to the feed of articles thereto and supporting the articles on a said tray blank, supporting said tray blank at only a pair of opposed margins thereof, forcing the articles at said article collecting area and their supporting tray blank downwardly, moving flange portions of the tray blank to upright operative positions as it with said articles thereon are moved downwardly including initially moving opposed side and end flanges of the blank upwardly, applying adhesive to portions of said side and end flanges, and moving corner flanges up to operative engagement with said side and end flanges, supporting a plurality of the trays with articles thereon in vertical alignment, and releasing and discharging the trays individually from the bottom of the stack of trays.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3134309A
Cited
US3530640A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-05-12 | 1978-11-11 | 1979-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-05-12 | 1982-11-11 | 1983-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-05-12 | 1986-11-11 | 1987-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |