Automatic cartoning machine and method for packaging articles such as fruit

Claim 2

A machine for automatically forming a completed carton containing articles of varying sizes such as fruit in cells of protective expanded honeycomb comprising: a work station having first, second and third input sections, an output section and means to receive and position a carton blank, means for holding a stack of carton blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said first input section, means for holding a stack of honeycomb blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said second input section, means for feeding articles to be cartoned to said work station via said third input section, means for expanding a honeycomb blank into expanded cell-containing honeycomb at said work station directly above a carton blank positioned in said work station, means for depositing individual said articles in cells of said expanded honeycomb resting on the top surface of said carton blank to provide an article filled expanded honeycomb (AFEH) on said carton blank, means for providing a multilateral mandrel defining substantially the entire periphery of said carton, means to move said mandrel first into and later out of position directly above said carton blank and surrounding said AFEH, means for folding said carton blank about said mandrel into a base portion supporting said AFEH and into side portions and end portions that will closely embrace the sides and ends of said AFEH to create said completed carton, and means to remove said completed carton from said machine via said output section.

Claim 3

The machine of claim 1 wherein said means for folding is part of said output section and said output section includes means to apply glue to portions of said carton blank while it travels in said output section.

Claim 4

A machine for automatically forming a completed carton containing articles of varying sizes such as fruit in cells of protective expanded honeycomb comprising: a work station having first, second and third input sections, an output section and means to receive and position a carton blank, said output section including a package forming position and glue application means upstream of said position, means for holding a stack of carton blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said first input section, means for holding a stack of honeycomb blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said second input section, means for feeding articles to be cartoned to said work station via said third input section including: a downwardly inclined conveyor and a downwardly opening chute for receiving articles from said conveyor, means for expanding a honeycomb blank into expanded honeycomb containing rows of cells at said work station directly above a carton blank positioned in said work station, means for depositing individual articles at said work station in said cells of said expanded honeycomb resting on the top surface of said carton blank to provide an article filled expanded honeycomb (AFEH) on said carton blank including: spotter means for receiving said articles from said chute and locating them in rows corresponding to said rows of said cells plus means for traversing said cells with said spotter means sequentially to fill said rows of cells with said articles, means for providing at said work station a multilateral mandrel defining substantially the entire periphery of said carton, means to move said mandrel first into and later out of position directly above said carton blank and surrounding said AFEH, means at said package forming position for folding said carton blank about said mandrel into a base portion supporting said AFEH and into side portions and end portions that will closely embrace the sides and ends of said AFEH to create said completed carton, and means to remove said completed carton from said machine via said output section.

Claim 5

A machine for automatically forming a completed carton containing articles of varying sizes such as fruit in cells of protective expanded honeycomb comprising: a work station having first, second and third input sections, an output section and means to receive and position a carton blank, said output section including a package forming position and glue application means upstream of said position, means for holding a stack of carton blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said first input section, means for holding a stack of honeycomb blanks and feeding them one at a time to said work station via said second input section, means for feeding articles to be cartoned to said work station via said third input section including: a downwardly inclined conveyor and a downwardly opening chute for receiving articles from said conveyor, means for expanding a honeycomb blank into expanded honeycomb containing rows of cells at said work station directly above a carton blank positioned in said work station, means for depositing individual articles at said work station in said cells of said expanded honeycomb resting on the top surface of said carton blank to provide an article filled expanded honeycomb (AFEH) on said carton blank including: spotter means for receiving said articles from said chute and locating them in rows corresponding to said rows of said cells plus means for traversing said cells with said spotter means sequentially to fill said rows of cells with said articles, means for providing at said work station a multilateral mandrel defining substantially the entire periphery of said carton, means to move said mandrel first into and later out of position directly above said carton blank and surrounding said AFEH, means at said package forming position for folding said carton blank about said mandrel into a base portion supporting said AFEH and into side portions and end portions that will closely embrace the sides and ends of said AFEH to create said completed carton, and means to remove said completed carton from said machine via said output section.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4 wherein said positioning step includes: providing an article spotter tray containing individual spotter cups, providing a support tray beneath said spotter tray, disposing separate articles into said spotter cups, and withdrawing said support tray from beneath said spotter tray to permit said articles to drop from said cups into said cells.