Packaging machine using two-blank carton system

Claim 2

A machine for forming a sealed package containing lading from a generally rectangular body blank of paperboard material and a generally rectangular cover blank of paperboard material, the body blank including a center panel, alternate, hingedly connected side panels and flanges hingedly connected along the longitudinal edges of the center and side panels and along the ends of the side panels, and the cover blank including a center panel and alternate hingedly connected side panels, said machine including first means for positioning the body blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent the outlet of a lading moving station from which a quantity of lading is moved horizontally in one direction, conveying means positioned for horizontal movement in a direction laterally of said one direction, said conveying means including a receiving station adjacent said lading moving station and a discharge station spaced downstream from said receiving station, second means at said receiving station for folding the body blank into a generally U-shaped formation partially surrounding a quantity of lading with the center panel forming an end wall and the side panels forming two side walls of the formation as the quantity of lading is moved from the lading moving station, engages the body blank and moves onto said conveying means, third means at said receiving station for folding the flanges along each longitudinal edge of the body blank to positions generally perpendicular to the associated side walls and end wall during movement of the lading against the body blank and onto said conveying means, fourth means for folding the end flanges to a position generally perpendicular to the associated side walls, said conveying means being operative to move the folded body blank and lading to said discharge station, fifth means for positioning the cover blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent said discharge station, sixth means at said discharge station for moving the folded body blank and lading laterally off of said conveying means and against the cover blank, seventh means at said discharge station for folding the cover blank into a U-shapEd formation partially surrounding the lading with the margin of the cover blank positioned overlying the flanges of the folded body blank as the folded body blank formation is moved off of said conveying means and eighth means adjacent said discharge station for securing the flanges of the body blank to the adjacent facing margin of the cover blank.

Claim 3

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said first means for positioning the body blank include a vacuum cup assembly comprising at least two vacuum cups, means for moving said vacuum cups in a given direction to and from a position adjacent the outlet end of a magazine for body blanks whereby, when said vacuum cups are disposed adjacent the outlet end of the magazine, vacuum can be applied to said cups for pulling a body blank from the magazine and holding the same in a vertical plane and means for moving said vacuum cup assembly with the body blank held thereto in a direction transversely of said given direction thereby to move the body blank to a position adjacent the outlet of the lading moving station.

Claim 4

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said first means for positioning the body blank include a blank gripping assembly comprising at least two pads having inclined teeth arranged thereon, an elongate shoulder formation fixed to said assembly and spaced from said pads and means for moving said assembly toward and away from the lading moving station and past the outlet of a magazine containing a supply of body blanks, said pads being arranged to engage a body blank at the magazine outlet adjacent one edge of the blank and said shoulder formation being arranged to engage the opposite edge of the body blank when said moving means is operated to move said assembly toward the lading moving station, said teeth on said pad being inclined toward the lading moving station so as to dig into one face of the body blank up movement toward the lading moving station and to disengage and brush across the one face of the body blank upon movement away from the lading moving station.

Claim 5

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said second means for folding the panels of the body blank include a pair of generally upright rollers each positioned on one side of said receiving station and operable to engage and fold over the side panels of the body blank as the lading engages the center panel of the body blank and pushes the body blank onto said conveying means.

Claim 6

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said third means for folding the flanges along the longitudinal edges of the body blank include two elongate horizontally extending members positioned respectfully at the top and bottom of said receiving station, each member having a curved baffle-forming surface facing toward the lading moving station, and said baffle-forming surfaces being arranged to engage and fold over the flanges connected to the side edges of the center and side panels as the lading engages the body blank and moves the body blank onto said conveying means.

Claim 7

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said conveying means include upper elongate plate means extending horizontally between said receiving station and said discharging station and arranged to engage the folded flanges on the upwardly facing side of the folded body blank formation and to maintain the flanges folded during the conveying of the formation to said discharge station.

Claim 8

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said conveying means include an endless conveyor assembly having an upper run for supporting and transporting the body blank formation and means for moving said conveyor assembly laterally of the direction of movement of said upper run thereby to move said receiving station toward and away from the lading moving station.

Claim 9

The machine according to claim 7 including an intermediate station located adjacent said conveying means intermediate said receiving station and said discharge station, said fourth means being located at said intermediate station and including a paIr of spring biased vertically extending horizontally deflectible plates, each plate being positioned to engage one of the end flanges after the folded body blank formation has been indexed by said conveyor assembly to said intermediate station and said conveyor assembly is moved by said moving means laterally of the direction of movement of said upper run to move said receiving station toward the lading moving station for receiving another body blank and lading and simultaneously to move the first folded body blank formation toward said deflectible plates which engage and fold over the end flanges.

Claim 10

The machine according to claim 8 wherein said conveying means include elongate plate means extending horizontally between said intermediate station and said discharge station and position along one side of said conveyor assembly for engaging the folded end flanges to maintain the end flanges folded when said conveyor assembly is again indexed to move the folded body blank formation from said intermediate station to said discharge station.

Claim 11

The machine according to claim 1 wherein a discharge funnel is positioned at said discharge station adjacent one side of said conveying means, said sixth means being located at the opposite side of said conveying means and being operative to push said folded body blank formation into said discharge funnel and subsequently to push a second body blank formation against the body blank formation in the funnel thereby to push the first body blank formation against a cover blank which is positioned at the outlet end of said discharge funnel.

Claim 12

The machine according to claim 10 including secondary end flange folding members positioned at said outlet end of said discharge funnel, said secondary end flange folding members being movable to positions adjacent opposite sides of said funnel for engaging and refolding the end flanges which may have sprung outwardly due to the resiliency of the paperboard material before the folded body blank formation engages the cover blank.

Claim 13

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said fifth means for positioning the cover blank include a suction cup assembly comprising at least two suction cups, a mechanism for moving said cups in a given direction to and from a position adjacent the outlet end of a magazine containing a supply of cover blanks whereby, when said cups are positioned adjacent the outlet end of the magazine, the suction cups can be connected to a source of vacuum for pulling a cover blank from the magazine, and means for moving the suction cup assembly in a direction transversely of the given direction to move a cover blank to the position adjacents said discharge station.

Claim 14

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said fifth means for positioning a cover blank include gripper means operable to grip a cover blank adjacent one edge thereof and pull the cover blank from a source of cover blanks to the position adjacent the discharge station.

Claim 15

The machine according to claim 13 wherein said gripper means includes at least two grippers, each gripper including a pair of jaws and at least one of said jaws being pivotable to and from a blank-engaging position, said gripper means being operable when said blank has been moved to a position adjacent the discharge station to cause said movable jaw to move to a nongripping position thereby releasing the cover blank to allow the cover blank to be folded about the folded body blank formation as the formation is moved from said discharge station against the cover blank.

Claim 16

The machine according to claim 13 wherein said fifth means further include a blank edge pusher positioned adjacent one side of a magazine containing a supply of cover blanks said blank edge pusher including seating means for engaging a side edge of a cover blank when said blank edge pusher is operated to move a cover blank at least part way from the magazine and to a position where said gripper means can reach and grip the cover blank adjacent the opposite side edge Of the cover blank.

Claim 17

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said seventh means for folding the cover blank include a pair of horizontally extending folding rollers vertically spaced apart adjacent said discharge station and being operative to engage the side panels of the cover blank adjacent the respective connection of each side panel to the center panel of the cover blank when and as the folded body blank formation is moved from said discharge station against the cover blank.

Claim 18

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said eighth means for securing the cover blank to the body blank include vertically reciprocable means for applying adhesive to the longitudinal margin of the cover blank prior to the movement of the cover blank to the position adjacent said discharge station said means being operable on one stroke of movement to apply two strips of adhesive to the cover blank, each strip being along one longitudinal margin of the cover blank and subsequently on a reverse stroke of movement to apply adhesive to a subsequent cover blank in a similar manner.

Claim 19

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said eighth means for securing the cover blank to the body blank include means for applying adhesive to the margins of the cover blank adjacent the end edges of the cover blank as the cover blank is moved to the position adjacent said discharge station.

Claim 20

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said eighth means include a compression chamber located adjacent the outlet end of said discharge station, said compression chamber including means for applying pressure to the outer facing margin of the side panels of the cover blank to hold the same in engagement with the flanges of the body blank bearing against the inner facing margin of the side panels while an adhesive therebetween sets, and said means for applying pressure to the side panels of the cover blank being operative to retard movement of a package through the compression chamber so that the center panel of a cover blank of one package will engage and bear against the center panel of the body blank of a preceding package in said compression chamber thereby to urge the inner facing margin of the center panel of the cover blank of the subsequent package against the end flanges of the body blank of the subsequent package and hold the same in place while the adhesive therebetween sets.

Claim 21

The machine according to claim 1 including a magazine containing a supply of body blanks, said magazine being supported above the lading moving station and including means for urging the body blanks toward an outlet end of said magazine located above and generally in alignment with the outlet of the lading moving station and the entrance to said receiving station, each body blank having two V-shaped notches in each longitudinal side edge thereof, each notch separating the flange connected to a side panel from the flange connected to the center panel and said magazine including two elongate supporting members each having an inverted V-cross section whereby each support member receives therein one of the V-shaped notches on one side of each body blank and together said support members serve as a guide means for maintaining the body blanks in proper alignment as they are urged toward the outlet end of said magazine.

Claim 22

The machine according to claim 19 including a magazine containing a supply of cover blanks, said magazine being elongate and being disposed parallel to and alongside of said compression chamber, and said magazine including means for urging the cover blanks toward an outlet end of said magazine, said outlet end of said magazine being aligned with the outlet of said discharge station and the inlet to said compression chamber.

Claim 23

A machine for forming a sealed package contaiing lading from a generally rectangular body blank of paperboard material and a generally rectangular cover blank of paperboard material in combination with a semiautomatic case packer, the body blank including a centEr panel, alternate, hingedly connected side panels and flanges hingedly connected along the longitudinal edges of the center and side panels and along the ends of the side panels, and the cover blank including a center panel and alternate hingedly connected side panels, said case packer including an infeed conveyor, a lading ejecting station adjacent to and above said conveyor, a discharge funnel at said station and means for grouping lading on the conveyor, for raising the lading and for ejecting the lading through said discharge funnel, and said machine including means for positioning the body blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent the outlet of said discharge funnel from which a quantity of lading is ejected horizontally in one diection, conveying means positioned for horizontal movement in a direction laterally of said one direction, said conveying means including a receiving station adjacent said lading ejecting station and a discharge station spaced downstream from said receiving station, means at said receiving station for folding the body blank into a generally U-shaped formation partially surrounding a quantity of lading with the center panel forming an end wall and the side panels forming two side walls of the formation as the quantity of lading is ejected from the lading ejecting station, engages the body blank and moves onto said conveying means, means at said receiving station for folding the flanges along each longitudinal edge of the body blank to positions generally perpendicular to the associated side walls and end wall during movement of the lading against the body blank and onto said conveying means, means for folding the end flanges to a position generally perpendicular to the associated side walls, said conveying means being operative to move the folded body blank and lading to said discharge station, means for positioning the cover blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent said discharge station, means at said discharge station for moving the folded body blank and lading laterally off of said conveying means and against the cover blank, means at said discharge station for folding the cover blank into a U-shaped formation partially surrounding the lading with the margin of the cover blank positioned overlying the flanges of the folded body blank as the folded body blank formation is moved off of said conveying means and means adjacent said discharge station for securing the flanges of the body blank to the adjacent facing margin of the cover blank.

Claim 24

A machine for forming a sealed package contaiing lading from a generally rectangular body blank of paperboard material and a generally rectangular cover blank of paperboard material in combination with a semiautomatic case packer, the body blank including a centEr panel, alternate, hingedly connected side panels and flanges hingedly connected along the longitudinal edges of the center and side panels and along the ends of the side panels, and the cover blank including a center panel and alternate hingedly connected side panels, said case packer including an infeed conveyor, a lading ejecting station adjacent to and above said conveyor, a discharge funnel at said station and means for grouping lading on the conveyor, for raising the lading and for ejecting the lading through said discharge funnel, and said machine including means for positioning the body blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent the outlet of said discharge funnel from which a quantity of lading is ejected horizontally in one diection, conveying means positioned for horizontal movement in a direction laterally of said one direction, said conveying means including a receiving station adjacent said lading ejecting station and a discharge station spaced downstream from said receiving station, means at said receiving station for folding the body blank into a generally U-shaped formation partially surrounding a quantity of lading with the center panel forming an end wall and the side panels forming two side walls of the formation as the quantity of lading is ejected from the lading ejecting station, engages the body blank and moves onto said conveying means, means at said receiving station for folding the flanges along each longitudinal edge of the body blank to positions generally perpendicular to the associated side walls and end wall during movement of the lading against the body blank and onto said conveying means, means for folding the end flanges to a position generally perpendicular to the associated side walls, said conveying means being operative to move the folded body blank and lading to said discharge station, means for positioning the cover blank in a generally vertical plane adjacent said discharge station, means at said discharge station for moving the folded body blank and lading laterally off of said conveying means and against the cover blank, means at said discharge station for folding the cover blank into a U-shaped formation partially surrounding the lading with the margin of the cover blank positioned overlying the flanges of the folded body blank as the folded body blank formation is moved off of said conveying means and means adjacent said discharge station for securing the flanges of the body blank to the adjacent facing margin of the cover blank.