CA1127956A - Method and apparatus for assembling display tray - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for assembling display trayInfo
- Publication number
- CA1127956A CA1127956A CA326,124A CA326124A CA1127956A CA 1127956 A CA1127956 A CA 1127956A CA 326124 A CA326124 A CA 326124A CA 1127956 A CA1127956 A CA 1127956A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- tray
- packets
- modules
- module
- array
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
- B65B5/02—Machines characterised by incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles
- B65B5/024—Machines characterised by incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles for making containers from preformed blanks
- B65B5/026—Machines characterised by incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles for making containers from preformed blanks for making trays
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
- B65B5/06—Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles
- B65B5/068—Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles in trays
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A method and apparatus as described for selecting a group of individual modular units and forming a display tray with a predetermined number of such units. The method and apparatus includes advancing one piece blanks to a modular unit forming station whereby the side walls and end walls are formed about the bottom wall, simultaneously advancing packets of material in a line and forming a vertical stack of such packets in predetermined numbers, ramming the vertical stacks into the individual modular units, gluing at least one of the sides of the modular units at a gluing station and arranging the modular units in an array side by side and pressing the units together to have the side walls adhere to each other to form a display tray of a plurality of units, and advancing the display tray into a formed shipping sleeve and bundling the shipping sleeve with a strap.
Description
~,lZ7956 The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for setting up and filling a container, and more particularly, to the setting up of modular display units and setting up the units in arrays to form a display tray.
In Canadian Patent 1,058,114, issued July 10, 1979, entitled "Container" by Joseph G. Geraedts et al and assigned to General Foods, Limited, there is described a container comprising a plurality of modular display units joined side by side wherein each unit includes at least a bottom wall and side walls and the units are joined along their side walls in an array while the packets being contained are arranged in the units with the packets stacked normal to the bottom wall. A
sleeve is also wrapped about the array of modular units form-ing the container, and the sleeve is co-extensive with the array. The sleeve and the modular display units are made of corrugated cardboard with the corrugations running in the direction parallel to a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the array of units such that when the combined tray and sleeve is stored, the corrugated cardboard construction of the units in the sleeve provide a suitable stacking force. A
bundling strap extends across the open end of the sleeve and about a pair of opposed longitudinal walls of the sleeve.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an automated method of filling packets in the modular units and adhering these units to each other side by side and providing the shipping sleeve about the units for shipping.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an apparatus for carrying out the method.
A method in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of selecting a mass of shipping sleeves, selecting a mass of blanks for forming tray modules, select-ing a mass of packets to be filled into the display tray' 3' ~
~lZ7956 selecting a number of successive packets from the mass and stacking them vertically in an array at a filling station, selecting tray module blanks and assembling them into tray modules, and one by one on demand retaining them at the filling station, their open sides facing the array of stacked packets, filling the stacked packets into the tray module at the filling station; as the tray modules are filled, placing them down and conveyir,g them in succession past an adhesive applicator station, and then conveying them in a transverse direction to a shipping container loading station and separat-ing them into arrays of several tray modules and juxtaposing tray modules of each array and loading them into a shipping sleeve, and at the adhesive applicator station, applying adhesive to the side of the tray modules except for the lead tray module of the arrays to be formed, so that when the tray modules of each array are juxtaposed, the glued side of one tray module adheres to the adjacent side of the preceding module.
An apparatus for conducting the method of the present invention includes means for selecting a mass of shipping sleeves; means for forming tray modules from a mass of blanks, means for stacking a successive number of packets selected from a mass of packets, means for stacking the packets vertical-ly in an array; means for presenting the tray modules at the filling station, means for filling the stacked packets into the tray module, means for conveying the filled tray modules in succession' means for applying adhesive to the side surfaces of the tray modules, means for separating the tray modules into arrays of several tray modules, means for juxtaposing the tray modules of each array and loading them into a shipping sleeve and means for pressing the modules together as they are being entered in the sleeve such that the side surfaces of each module ~Z7956 will adhere to the adjacent side surfaces of an adjacent moduleO
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the advancing blank on a conveyor, the forming thereof, filling the display unit and collating the filled display units in a selected array and for loading the arrays into a shipping sleeve;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the line from Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the formed package.
Referring now to the drawings, a blank for making a display unit 10 is advanced on a conveyor 11 to a setting-up apparatus 18. Of course, any conventional tray forming machine could be used for setting up the display unit 10 which includes the folding up and the hot melt adhering of the flaps forming the end and side walls such that there is provided a bottom wall 16 and side walls 12 and 14. An example of such a machine could be of the type sold by General Nailing Machine under the trade mark "Tray-Matic".
The display unit 10 exits from the forming machine 18 on a conveyor either sitting flat on the conveyor 20 or in a position such that the bottom wall 16 is in a vertical plane~
The display unit 10 at this point is taken by an operator and positioned on a tripping mechanism 36 and placed so that the open top o~ the display unit 10 engages the open end of the funnel 32 at the filling station.
Simultaneously, a plurality of flattened pouches are placed in an outer transparent bag to form a packet 6.
This operation is conventional and is not sho~l in the present ~Z7~56 drawings. The packets 6 advance along the conveyor 22 onto the section 24 which is a vibrator type conveyor for vibrat-ing the flattened packets thereby to more equally distribute the contents of the pouches in the packets 6. The packets 6 then advance on the stacking conveyor 26, shown in Figure 2, which is adapted to feed a packet 6 to each shelf 28 select-ively.
Once a predetermined number of packets 6 are placed in the stacking shelves 28, a plurality of rams 30 are actuated simultaneously for pushing the packets 6 out of the shelves 28 to fall in a free standing stack of a pre-determined number of packets 6O Immediately, the ram 34 is actuated to push the free standing stack of packets 6 through the funnel 32 into the waiting display unit 10. The packets 6, including the pouches, are arranged therefore in the modular unit 10 such that the plane of the pouches is normal to the longitudinal axis of the modular unit 10. The modular unit 10, which is sitting on the tipping mechanism 36, is then tipped such that it lands on a conveyor 38.
The modular units 10 are moved past a cold glue applicator 40. The glue applicator 40 applies an adhesive to the side wall 12 of the display unit 10. In a given array including a predetermined number of modular units 10, the first modular unit 10 is not sprayed with the glue~ All of the succeeding modular units 10 receive glue on their side surfaces 12.
Once a predetermined number of modular units 10 are advanced on the collating table 42, the modular units 10 may then be pressed together by the ram 44 in order to have adjacent side surfaces 12 and 14 adhere together, and at the same time, a hot melt may be applied (not shown). The so-formed display tray may then be pushed by the ram 44 into ~iZ7956 the shipping sleeve 8 at the station 460 As shown in Figure 3, the sleeve 8 may be open at both ends. The completed package passes through the strapping station 48 where a strap 9 is applied to the formed package, and the strap 9 bisects the open ends of the sleeve.
The so-formed package is then ready for shipping.
It goes without saying that variations of the above apparatus and method may be made. For instance, the product-ion can be increased by having a double-headed stacking operation feeding the filled modular units 10 to the collating table 44.
A typical stacking apparatus could be that machine made by the Deines Baker Company known under the trade mark "Dyna-Pak". The strapping could be carried out, for instance, by the "Avistrap" machine, produced by F.M.C. Corporation.
Although in the above method an operator is used to place the display unit on the funnel 32, this could also be handled automatically, mechanicallyO
At the collating station, the display units 10 could be adhered together simultaneously as the display units are being pushed into the shipping sleeve ~. On the other hand, the display units 10 could be adhered one to each other to form a display tray, and then pushed on a blank whereby the blank would be wrapped around the tray forming the shipping sleeve and package. Finally, the shipping sleeve would have flaps at each end thereof to close as in conventional outer cartons.
In Canadian Patent 1,058,114, issued July 10, 1979, entitled "Container" by Joseph G. Geraedts et al and assigned to General Foods, Limited, there is described a container comprising a plurality of modular display units joined side by side wherein each unit includes at least a bottom wall and side walls and the units are joined along their side walls in an array while the packets being contained are arranged in the units with the packets stacked normal to the bottom wall. A
sleeve is also wrapped about the array of modular units form-ing the container, and the sleeve is co-extensive with the array. The sleeve and the modular display units are made of corrugated cardboard with the corrugations running in the direction parallel to a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the array of units such that when the combined tray and sleeve is stored, the corrugated cardboard construction of the units in the sleeve provide a suitable stacking force. A
bundling strap extends across the open end of the sleeve and about a pair of opposed longitudinal walls of the sleeve.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an automated method of filling packets in the modular units and adhering these units to each other side by side and providing the shipping sleeve about the units for shipping.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an apparatus for carrying out the method.
A method in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of selecting a mass of shipping sleeves, selecting a mass of blanks for forming tray modules, select-ing a mass of packets to be filled into the display tray' 3' ~
~lZ7956 selecting a number of successive packets from the mass and stacking them vertically in an array at a filling station, selecting tray module blanks and assembling them into tray modules, and one by one on demand retaining them at the filling station, their open sides facing the array of stacked packets, filling the stacked packets into the tray module at the filling station; as the tray modules are filled, placing them down and conveyir,g them in succession past an adhesive applicator station, and then conveying them in a transverse direction to a shipping container loading station and separat-ing them into arrays of several tray modules and juxtaposing tray modules of each array and loading them into a shipping sleeve, and at the adhesive applicator station, applying adhesive to the side of the tray modules except for the lead tray module of the arrays to be formed, so that when the tray modules of each array are juxtaposed, the glued side of one tray module adheres to the adjacent side of the preceding module.
An apparatus for conducting the method of the present invention includes means for selecting a mass of shipping sleeves; means for forming tray modules from a mass of blanks, means for stacking a successive number of packets selected from a mass of packets, means for stacking the packets vertical-ly in an array; means for presenting the tray modules at the filling station, means for filling the stacked packets into the tray module, means for conveying the filled tray modules in succession' means for applying adhesive to the side surfaces of the tray modules, means for separating the tray modules into arrays of several tray modules, means for juxtaposing the tray modules of each array and loading them into a shipping sleeve and means for pressing the modules together as they are being entered in the sleeve such that the side surfaces of each module ~Z7956 will adhere to the adjacent side surfaces of an adjacent moduleO
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the advancing blank on a conveyor, the forming thereof, filling the display unit and collating the filled display units in a selected array and for loading the arrays into a shipping sleeve;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the line from Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the formed package.
Referring now to the drawings, a blank for making a display unit 10 is advanced on a conveyor 11 to a setting-up apparatus 18. Of course, any conventional tray forming machine could be used for setting up the display unit 10 which includes the folding up and the hot melt adhering of the flaps forming the end and side walls such that there is provided a bottom wall 16 and side walls 12 and 14. An example of such a machine could be of the type sold by General Nailing Machine under the trade mark "Tray-Matic".
The display unit 10 exits from the forming machine 18 on a conveyor either sitting flat on the conveyor 20 or in a position such that the bottom wall 16 is in a vertical plane~
The display unit 10 at this point is taken by an operator and positioned on a tripping mechanism 36 and placed so that the open top o~ the display unit 10 engages the open end of the funnel 32 at the filling station.
Simultaneously, a plurality of flattened pouches are placed in an outer transparent bag to form a packet 6.
This operation is conventional and is not sho~l in the present ~Z7~56 drawings. The packets 6 advance along the conveyor 22 onto the section 24 which is a vibrator type conveyor for vibrat-ing the flattened packets thereby to more equally distribute the contents of the pouches in the packets 6. The packets 6 then advance on the stacking conveyor 26, shown in Figure 2, which is adapted to feed a packet 6 to each shelf 28 select-ively.
Once a predetermined number of packets 6 are placed in the stacking shelves 28, a plurality of rams 30 are actuated simultaneously for pushing the packets 6 out of the shelves 28 to fall in a free standing stack of a pre-determined number of packets 6O Immediately, the ram 34 is actuated to push the free standing stack of packets 6 through the funnel 32 into the waiting display unit 10. The packets 6, including the pouches, are arranged therefore in the modular unit 10 such that the plane of the pouches is normal to the longitudinal axis of the modular unit 10. The modular unit 10, which is sitting on the tipping mechanism 36, is then tipped such that it lands on a conveyor 38.
The modular units 10 are moved past a cold glue applicator 40. The glue applicator 40 applies an adhesive to the side wall 12 of the display unit 10. In a given array including a predetermined number of modular units 10, the first modular unit 10 is not sprayed with the glue~ All of the succeeding modular units 10 receive glue on their side surfaces 12.
Once a predetermined number of modular units 10 are advanced on the collating table 42, the modular units 10 may then be pressed together by the ram 44 in order to have adjacent side surfaces 12 and 14 adhere together, and at the same time, a hot melt may be applied (not shown). The so-formed display tray may then be pushed by the ram 44 into ~iZ7956 the shipping sleeve 8 at the station 460 As shown in Figure 3, the sleeve 8 may be open at both ends. The completed package passes through the strapping station 48 where a strap 9 is applied to the formed package, and the strap 9 bisects the open ends of the sleeve.
The so-formed package is then ready for shipping.
It goes without saying that variations of the above apparatus and method may be made. For instance, the product-ion can be increased by having a double-headed stacking operation feeding the filled modular units 10 to the collating table 44.
A typical stacking apparatus could be that machine made by the Deines Baker Company known under the trade mark "Dyna-Pak". The strapping could be carried out, for instance, by the "Avistrap" machine, produced by F.M.C. Corporation.
Although in the above method an operator is used to place the display unit on the funnel 32, this could also be handled automatically, mechanicallyO
At the collating station, the display units 10 could be adhered together simultaneously as the display units are being pushed into the shipping sleeve ~. On the other hand, the display units 10 could be adhered one to each other to form a display tray, and then pushed on a blank whereby the blank would be wrapped around the tray forming the shipping sleeve and package. Finally, the shipping sleeve would have flaps at each end thereof to close as in conventional outer cartons.
Claims (6)
1. A method of assembling a shipping unit containing a display tray filled with merchandise, comprising the steps of selecting a plurality of blanks for forming tray modules, selecting a number of successive flattened packets and stack-ing them vertically in an array at a filling station; select-ing tray module blanks and assembling them into tray modules, and one by one on demand retaining them at the filling sta-tion, their open sides facing the array of stacked packets, filling the stacked packets into the tray module at the fill-ing station; as the tray modules are filled conveying them in succession past an adhesive applicator station, and then conveying them in a transverse direction to a shipping con-tainer loading station and separating them into arrays of several tray modules and juxtaposing tray modules of each array and loading them into a shipping sleeve, and at the adhesive applicator station, applying adhesive to the side of the tray modules except for the lead tray module of the arrays to be formed, so that when the tray modules of each array are juxtaposed, the glued side of one tray module adheres to the adjacent side of the preceding module.
2. An apparatus for assembling a shipping unit contain-ing a display tray filled with merchandise, comprising means for forming tray modules from a plurality of blanks, means for stacking a successive number of flattened packets, means for stacking the packets vertically in an array; means for presenting the tray modules at a filling station; means for filling the stacked packets into the tray module; means for conveying the filled tray modules in succession from the filling station past an adhesive applying station; means for applying adhesive to the side surfaces of the tray modules as the tray modules are conveyed; means for forming the tray modules into arrays of several tray modules; means for juxta-posing the tray modules of each array; and means for pressing the modules together such that the side surfaces of each module will adhere to the adjacent side surfaces of an adja-cent module.
3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein there are means for moving the so-formed display tray into the shipping sleeve.
4. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for forming the tray modules includes means for folding and adhering the side and end walls of the unit about a bottom wall, means for advancing the flattened packets wherein said packets are in the form of a pouch and include granular material, means for flattening the packets; the filling station including a plurality of vertically disposed shelves, conveyor means for advancing the packets selectively to each shelf, ramming means for simultaneously pushing all of the packets out of the shelves so that they fall in a vertical stack, second ramming means for advancing the stack into the open top of the tray module placed at the filling station, means for tipping the tray module from a vertical bottom wall position to a horizontal position, means for applying adhesive to the side walls of the tray module; said means for pressing the tray modules together in an array including a collating table perpen-dicular to the direction of the array advancing thereon, and ramming means for pressing the tray modules in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of each tray module.
5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for applying adhesive to the side surfaces of the tray modules includes a cold glue strip applying means and a hot melt applying means such that the side surfaces will be provided with cold glue portions and hot melt portions.
6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step for applying adhesive at the adhesive applicator station includes applying a first strip of cold glue on the side walls of the tray module and successively applying a hot melt adhesive in separate areas on the side walls.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA326,124A CA1127956A (en) | 1979-04-23 | 1979-04-23 | Method and apparatus for assembling display tray |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA326,124A CA1127956A (en) | 1979-04-23 | 1979-04-23 | Method and apparatus for assembling display tray |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1127956A true CA1127956A (en) | 1982-07-20 |
Family
ID=4114039
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA326,124A Expired CA1127956A (en) | 1979-04-23 | 1979-04-23 | Method and apparatus for assembling display tray |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1127956A (en) |
-
1979
- 1979-04-23 CA CA326,124A patent/CA1127956A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |