AU683922B2 - Method and apparatus for producing multiunit packages - Google Patents

Description

1 Method and Apparatus for Producing Multiunit Packages The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing multiunit packages comprising a plurality of individual packets or the like, which are disposed juxtaposed and for keeping together with the aid of a packaging blank coacting in common with the outsides of the packets.

It is preferably an advantage of the present invention to provide a multiunit package that can be easily carried by a consumer, using a comfortable grip on a handle disposed uppermost on the package, while great stability may be obtained in the finished package by the possibility, made available by the invention, of positional orientation of the packets.

15 In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, 9 there is provided a method of producing multiunit packages see from filled and sealed individual packets fed onto a *e0o conveyor, said packets being successively fed out in line from a filling station and in sets of preferably 2-6 packets S 20 being pressed one against the other as they ride on the conveyor before a packaging blank wholly or partially envelops the set for forming a single multiunit package, characterized in that the packets are transported mainly Slinear by one and the same conveyor, said packets having .o 25 opposing sides which extend parallel to the direction of travel, glue being applied to said opposing sides immediately before, or during, compressing the packets together in a set, said compression taking place with the aid of flights mounted on a separately provided conveyor means adjacent the conveyor, of said flights tho trailing one urging a set of packets towards the leading one simultaneously as the trailing flight feeds a packaging blank taken from a magazine forwards from its waiting position above the set of packets and into position In a blank wrapping station, which includes guides on either side !/SR4 q of the packets for steering, during pushing of the trailing S:20785D:MHK:IHA/26.8.97 la flight against said blank forwards in the direction of travel, the blank downwards over the set of packets, there being flaps on the blank, which are folded into engagement -against the glued outsides of the set, and in that said set of packets kept together by the blank is then discharged from this station and is conveyed to a pressure application station, where the flaps or side walls of a blank covering a set receive a further application of pressure from means before the finished multiunit package is conveyed to a collection point outside the conveyor.

Preferably, the method is characterised in that the individual, filled packets are turned through 900 before the application of glue, a sector feed wheel being used for the turning movement.

15 In one preferred embodiment, a rate of travel for the conveyor is somewhat greater than that of the flights, in order to achieve better compression of the packets included in the multiunit package.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing S"multiunit packages from individual filled packets kept 0 OV, ".'"together in sees of preferably 2-6 packets, said apparatus including a conveyor for conveying the packets from a filling machine, a magazine arranged above said conveyor for 25 storing packaging blanks, as well as gripping means for plucking the blanks from the magazine and placing them in a position above the packets before the blanks are positionally fixed over them, characterized in that said conveyor for conveying the packets is extended mainly linearly from the filling machine, glue applicators being disposed one on either side of the conveyor for applying glue to two opposing sides of the packets at, or slightly before, a blank wrapping station, which includes guides, one on either side of the conveyor, for steering side flaps of said blanks over the set of packets, said glue being ,intended for fastening said side flaps after they have been 5:2O785D:M{K:IHA/26.8.97 Ib folded against the glued outsides of the set of packets by the guides, in that flights are arranged on a separate conveyor belt adjacent the conveyor, a leading and a trailing flight being adapted to compress a set of packets while a blank is urged from a waiting position above the packets and forwards down into the wrapping station with the aid of said trailing flight, and in that there is a pressure application station situated directly after the wrapping station, said station including means for pressing against the flaps and the packet sides.

In one preferred embodiment, before the glue applicators there is an engageable and disengageable sector feed wheel, which functions as a stop for the packets as :i well as functioning to turn them through 90°, said wheel being mounted for rotation about an axis and in spaced relationship to the line of packets on the conveyor and above said conveyor such as to enable catching, turning and relinquishing packets moving forwards on the conveyor.

S:20785D:MHK:IHA/26.8.97 WO 95/05314 PCT/SE94/00755 2 Fig. 3 is an end view from the right in Figs. 1 and 2.

As will be seen from the figures, an apparatus for producing multiunit packages 6 includes a conveyor 1 for moving individual packets 2 placed successively on it in a row. The packets 2 (in this case milk cartons) have been previously filled and sealed in a filling machine. The upper closing flap 2' of each packet extends parallel to the conveying direction when fed to the first part of the conveyor. The individual packets 2 from a filling machine (unillustrated in the figures) are conveyed to a sector feed wheel 14, which can be enabled or disabled, and in the former state it is intended to turn each packet through 900 for giving the flap 2' a direction at right angles to that of travel.

An optional quantity, suitably between two and six packets, forms a set 3 of packets 2 for producing a package 6. The reason for turning the packets 900 is that stability in the finished package 6 will be greater, if the packets in a set are oriented with each flap 2' disposed at right angles to the direction of travel, i.e. at right angles to the long sides of the set 3. After being turned, the individual packets are conveyed to glue applicators 17, 18, one on either side of conveyor i, for applying glue to opposing sides 7, 8 of the packets. Each set is caught here between a leading flight 15 and trailing flight 16 of a plurality of such flights arranged on a conveyor belt 24 and moving continuously in the conveying direction of conveyor 1. When a set has been caught between the flights, the trailing flight during its forward movement urges the packets against the leading flight WO 95/05314 PCTISE94/00755 3 Above conveyor 1 there is a magazine 20 for packaging blanks 5 and, as will best be seen from Fig. 2, it contains a plurality of blanks standing on edge. Gripping means (unillustrk.ted) are adapted to pluck the blanks from the magazine and take them to a position above the set 3 of packets 2, now situated at a blank wrapping station 4. A blank is drawn down, with the aid of mutually opposing guides 25, 26 extending in the conveying direction, into an upside-down U shape over the set 3 in the station 4, simultaneously as the side flaps 9, 10 of the blank are urged into engagement with the outsides 7, 8 of the packets 2. The blank 5 is moved forwards between the stationary guides 25, 26 with the aid of the trailing flight 16. It will thus be understood that the trailing flight 16 urges both set 3 and blank 5 forwards, while the blank is wrapped round the set of packets. Coming after station 4 there is a station 11 equipped with pressure means 12, 13, which are intended to press against the blank flaps 9, 10 as soon as possible after glue has been applied to the sides 7, 8 of the set 3. The ready-assembled, glued and wrapped set 3, now in the form of a multiunit package 6, is subsequently conveyed further to a collection point beyond the conveyor 1. As will be seen from Fig.

1, the preferred embodiment example of the blank has a handle-like means 23 on the upper side of the package 6 to facilitate carrying it.

The sector feed wheel 14 not only functions for turning packets throuch 900 but also as a gate obstructing the passage of packets in certain circumstances, as will now be described. The wheel is mounted for rotation about an axis 19 and is situated above the conveyor 1 in spaced relationship with the string of packets 2 on the conveyor. As already mentioned, it is adapted to WO 95/05314 PCT/SE94100755 4 enable catching each packet and relinquishing it in its new orientation to the conveyor i. The other function of the wheel is to act as a gate or stop to ensure that glue can be applied to the sides 7, 8 of the set 3.

Before the individual packets arrive at the wrapping station 4 it is suitable that a blank 5 is delivered in good time from the magazine 20 to a waiting position above station 4 before a set 3 gets into place under it. This enables the operating speed of the machine to be increased, in turn giving a shorter waiting time after glue application until the set has had the flaps 9, 10 pressed against it and is ready for conveying out of the machine as a finished multiunit package 6.

Should it be desired to convey the packets individually to final packing handling, the inventive apparatus may function as a simple conveyor, with the sector feed wheel functions disabled, i.e. without the packets being arrested or turned through 900.

By placing magazine 20 above conveyor 1 the former may be filled from both sides of the machine without any special adaption. Bearing in mind thickness variations in the blanks, in order to orient them easily, the magazine may be equipped with lateral guides 21, 22, one on either side, implemented as assisting belts or chains provided with evenly distributed flights such as to maintain a suitably large sheaf of blanks in a controlled state. The advance of blanks in the magazine may be performed conventionally, with the aid of pivoting plucking means, which grip the blanks by vacuum and place them on horizontally disposed rails above the packets, before a trailing flight urges a blank towards the guides 25, 26 to produce the U shape of the blank draped over the packets, simultaneously as the flight rlrl q~r0 I WO 95/05314 PCT/SE94/00755 positions the blank over the set of packets. In a normal embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention machine capacity is calculated to be a minimum of 7000 packets per hour with a multiunit package of 4-packets, i.e. approximately 30 finished packages per minute.

Claims (6)

1. Method of producing multiunit packages from filled and sealed individual packets fed onto a conveyor, said packets being successively fed out in line from a filling station and in sets of preferably 2-6 packets hcing pressed one against the other as they ride on the conveyor before a packaging blank wholly or partially envelops the set for forming a single multiunit package, characterized in that the packets are transported mainly linear one and the same conveyor, said packets having op.7 nq sides which extend parallel to the direction of f. glue being applied to said opposing sides immediately before, or during, compressing the packets together in a set, said compression taking place with the aid of flights mounted on 15 a separately provided conveyor means adjacent the conveyor, of said flights the trailing one urging a set of packets towards the leading one simultaneously as the trailing flight feeds a packaging blank taken from a magazine forwards from its waiting position above the set of packets and into position in a blank wrapping station, which includes guides on either side of the packets for steering, during pushing of the trailing flight against said blank forwards in the direction of travel, the blank downwards over the set of packets, there being flaps on the blank, 25 which are folded into engagement against the glued outsides of the set, and in that said set of packets kept together by the blank is then discharged from this station and is conveyed to a pressure application station, where the flaps or side walls of a blank covering a set receive a further application of pressure from means before the finished multiunit package is conveyed to a collection point outside the conveyor.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the individual, filled packets are turned through 900 before the application of glue, a sector feed wheel being used for the turning movement. ~jI S:20785D:MHK:IHA/26. 8.97 7

3. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the rate of travel for the conveyor is somewhat greater than that of the flights, in order to achieve better compression of the packets included in the multiunit package.

4. Apparatus for producing multiunit packages from individual filled packets kept together in sets of preferably 2-6 packets, said apparatus including a conveyor for conveying the packets from a filling machine, a magazine arranged above said conveyor for storing packaging blanks, as well as gripping means for plucking the blanks from the magazine and placing them in a position above the packets before the blanks are positionally fixed over them, characterized in that said conveyor for conveying the 15 packets is extended mainly linearly from the filling machine, glue applicators being disposed one on either side of the conveyor for applying glue to two opposing sides of the packets at, or slightly before, a blank wrapping station, which includes guides, one on either side of the conveyor, for steering side flaps of said blanks over the set of packets, said glue being intended for fastening said side flaps after they have been folded against the glued outsides of the set of packets by the guides, in that flights are arranged on a separate conveyor belt adjacent a o• 25 the conveyor, a leading and a trailing flight being adapted S"to compress a set of packets while a blank is urged from a waiting position above the packets and forwards down into the wrapping station with the aid of said trailing flight, and in that there is a pressure application station situated directly after the wrapping station, said station including means for pressing against the flaps and the packet sides. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that before the glue applicators there is an engageable and disengageable sector feed wheel, which functions as a stop for the packets as well as functioning to turn them through S900, said wheel being mounted for rotation about an axis and S:20785D:MHK:IHA/26.8.97 I I 8 in spaced relationship to the line of packets on the conveyor and above said conveyor such as to enable catching, turning and relinquishing packets moving forwards on the conveyor.

5. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. An apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 26th day of August 1997 SPRINTER SYSTEM AB By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK e a •e o S:20785D:MHK:IHA/26.8.97 II le