CA2393750C - Packaging machine and apparatus for wraparound cartons - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus to tighten opposed ends of a wraparound carton around an article in a stream of articles of variable size during continuous forward movement, the apparatus comprising one or more panel engaging elements (66, 67) to engage one end panel (8) of the carton, a guide assembly (60) to guide the engaged end panel into overlapping relationship with the opposed end panel (7) held by the apparatus, and tightening device (26) for tightening the carton panels around the article.

Description

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The invention relates to a packaging machine for producing wraparound packages and which is especially suitable for processing blanks which are folded filled and closed to S form completed packages. The machine is readily adjustable to accommodate various carton types and also to allow selected ones of the articles to pass through the machine without being packaged.
The majority of known packaging machines are dedicated machines that construct one type of canon and apply those cartons to articles of known size and shape.
However, when articles are not of fixed dimensions then it becomes difficult to automate the packaging process. One such example is foodstuff, for example poultry.
Known prior art relating to the formation of wrap-around packages is provided, for example, by the disclosures of US 3 543 473 A, US 3 815 320 A, US 4 338 760 A, 243 143 A and GB 1 114 685 A. All these patent specifications disclose apparatus for tightening wrap-around carton blanks around articles to be packaged and the US
patent specifications particularly relate to tightening means whereby overlapping panels of a carton blank are brought together and either mutually locked by locking tabs or glued together so that the wrap-around sleeve is a tight fit about the packaged articles. GB 1 114 685 A discloses a packaging machine in which several folding and forming means are utilized to form wrap-around cartons but does not include transfer means successively to transfer selected articles onto a carton blank while the blank is located between first and second folding stations. -One aspect of the invention provides a packaging machine for producing wraparound - packages of articles of varying size which machine comprises a carton blank feeding and forming conveyor and an article conveyor disposed alongside said blank conveyor, wherein the blank conveyor comprises first folding means to fold a carton blank to provide an article receiving portion and an article wrapping portion, second folding means to fold said article wrapping portion onto an article received on said receiving portion, tightening means to draw the article receiving portion and the article wrapping AMENDED SHEET

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~. , , portion together and securing means to secure the article receiving portion and the article wrapping portion together, when tightened, to form a wraparound carton and wherein the article conveyor comprises transfer means successively to transfer selected articles onto a carton blank while located between the first and second folding means.
According to a feature of this aspect of the invention, support means may be provided to support the folded blank intermediate its article receiving and its article wrapping portions as the blank is moved along the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor.
According to another feature of this aspect of the invention said transfer means may comprise an article conveyor to transfer articles along a convergent path relative to the article feeding and forming conveyor so that the selected article for transfer is gradually received by the article receiving portion of the appropriate carton blank.
According to yet another feature of this aspect of the invention tightening means may comprise guide and fold elements to engage the article wrapping portion of a carton blank which elements are movable transversely of the carton blank feed direction during movement together with said carton blank feeding and forming conveyor to draw the carton wrapping portion beneath the article present on the article receiving portion, towards said receiving portion and carton panel engaging means for tightening said article receiving and article wrapping portion which engaging means are mounted for movement relative to the guide and fold element transversely of the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor .
Preferably, resilient biasing means is provided to cause the engaging means to move from a deployed position to a retracted position when the desired tension of the article receiving and article wrapping portions is reached thereby to release the article wrapping . -portion when secured to the article receiving portion.
According to a still further feature of this aspect of the invention an intermediate conveyor may be disposed between and parallel to the article conveyor and the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor and wherein said article transfer means is disposed to transfer articles from the intermediate conveyor to the carton blank feeding and AMENDED SHEET

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forming conveyor and wherein drive means are provided to synchronise the movement of the intermediate and the carton blank feeding and forming conveyors.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of producing wraparound packages of articles of varying size which method comprises feeding successive carton blanks along a carton blank feeding and forming conveyor, causing the blank to be folded in order to form an article receiving portion and an article wrapping portion transferring selected articles, to be packaged, from an article conveyor disposed alongside the article feeding and fornung conveyor onto the article receiving portion of a blank, folding the article wrapping portion onto the article received on the article receiving portion and causing the article receiving portion and the article wrapping portion to be drawn together so as to tighten the blank about the article and thereafter securing together the article receiving and the article wrapping portions, when tightened, to complete the package.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one type of carton supplied in a flat collapsed condition suitable for use with a machine according to the invention;
FIGURE 2 is a perspecdva view of a machine according to one aspect of the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the simplified packaging process in the machine as shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 4 is perspective view of the carton supply infeed and set up stations of the machine shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the article supply of the machine shown in Figure 2;
-FIGURE 6 is a view of the outfeed end of the machine shown in Figure 2;

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate the tightening apparatus adapted for use with the carton shown in Figure 1;
The machine according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings is capable of securing different types and shapes of carton and loading one or more articles, for example foodstuff.
Referring to the drawings, and in particular Figure 1 thereof, there is shown one example of a blank 12 for forming an article carrier for receiving the or each article. The blank is made from suitable foldable sheet material, for example paperboard. In the illustrated example the blank 10 includes a plurality of panels 4, 5, 6 hingedly connected one to the next to form a wraparound package. The blank 10 further includes opposed securing flaps 7, 8 to be secured together. Glue flaps are provided to secure the opposed end walls together. Panels 3, 3a are provided for forming end structures that are ~~cup-like" to receive and retain an article within the carton.
Apertures 9 are provided to receive lugs from the machine during carton construction described below.
It is envisaged that the blanks can vary depending upon the shape and/or quantity of articles to be packaged and accordingly, a machine in accordance with the present invention is adjustable in numerous respects so that it can process a wide variety of such blanks.
Referring now to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a machine 10 for processing cartons from blanks, an example of which is outlined above. The packaging machine is capable of continuously setting up and loading cartons and comprises an article conveyor 18 for conveying articles A through the machine, carton feed apparatus 14 sequentially to deliver successive blanks 12 from a supply in flat collapsed condition to a carton set-up station 16 of the machine. One or more panel folding devices 36, 40 are used to fold the blank so as to be wrapped around the article, support means 54 adapted to be brought into contact with the carton during movement downstream so that the carton is maintained in a set up condition. An article loading station 22 is provided for loading at least one article into the part erected carton. Thereafter the ends of the carton are secured.
Turning to the construction of the machine of the present invention in more 5 detail; the upstream end of the machine is described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 which shows the carton feed apparatus 14 comprises a hopper that holds a multiplicity of cartons C in flat collapsed condition ready for processing. The cartons are removed from the hopper 14 sequentially by a feed mechanism 30, which in this embodiment is a rotary vacuum feeder 32, as is well known in the art.
Whilst the use of a rotary vacuum feeder 32 to supply cartons to the conveyor is preferred, it is envisaged that the present invention can be used with other types of known feeder mechanisms without departing from the scope of the invention.
Preferably, the hopper 14 is a "gravity feed" type whereby the carton blanks 12 are held in the hopper 14 at an incline to provide a positive downstream feed.
In use, the rotary feeder 32 continuously and sequentially feeds cartons from the hopper 14 to the infeed end of the machine and comprises a main shaft 33 mounted in a horizontal plane, that rotates pick up means 35 in the direction indicated by the arrow "A", shown in Figure 4. As the pick up means 35 rotates, suction cups (not shown) are moved into contact with a wall of blank 12. A vacuum is then applied to the set of suction cups by the vacuum supply, as is well known, and the blank 12 is withdrawn and then transferred onto an endless conveyor 34 to move the blank downstream in a continuous forward direction to a carton set up station 16 and onto the loading station 22, shown in Figure 3.
The carton set up station includes a plurality of panel folding devices 36, 38, 40 that are used for blanks that are required to be folded into a wraparound structure. The folding devices are used to perform successive folding actions on the blank. First the blank i2 is gripped by gripping means, for example conveyor belts 38, shown in Figure 4. The first folding device 36 folds the blank about the fold line between the panels 5 and 6 and into a substantially perpendicular relationship such that panel 4 is in a substantially vertical plane to be held in place by guide means 40.
Thereafter intermediate folding device 43 and 54 causes the end structures formed from panels 3 to be set up.
As shown in Figure 4, the folding device 36, in this embodiment, comprises a rotary blade 37 mounted to suitable drive means (not shown), for example a servo motor. The motor is controlled by suitable control means, which can cause the rotational velocity of the blade to be varied. The blade 37 is preferably a 'segment' of a disc and has a leading edge 39 that strikes the blank during rotation to commence the folding. Thereafter, the inner surface of the blade abuts the panel 4 to be folded and causes it to continue to be folded as described above. The panels 4 and 8 of the blank are held upright by a fixed guide 40.
Intermediate folding device comprises a carton support lug 54 which is preferably shaped to conform to the shape of the end structure of the carton. In this embodiment, the lug is cup shaped to cause the end panels 3, 3a to be formed and to support panels 5, 6 and 4. The carton support lug 54 is mounted to an endless conveyor 43, for example a side lug chain assembly. Thus, as the blank 12 engages the support lug the panels 3 and 3a are caused to be folded out of the plane of panel 5 and thereby come into contact with the cupped surfaces. The end structure is formed into a recessed portion to receive part of the article at the loading station 22.
In order to complete the construction of the carton into a set up condition the part erected carton and carton support lug 54 are moved downstream by the conveyor 43. The blank may be supported and moved forward by another suitable conveyor to maintain alignment between panels 5 and 4.
The side lug chain assembly is driven by a suitable drive means which is controlled by a controller. Fixed guides (not shown) may be provided to minimise upward movement of the carton.

It will be seen from Figure 5 that the part erected carton C is pushed forward towards the 30 loading station 22 to be loaded with one or more articles. In this embodiment, the machine is adapted to load poultry into the blank.
The articles are supplied to the loading station on a second conveyor 18 which runs parallel to and may be synchronised in the same direction X
with the first conveyor 24. In some embodiments, the articles are separated by known metering means. The present invention is also capable of switching between an operative condition, whereby articles A are selected from the conveyor 18 to be transferred to the loading station, and an inoperative condition, whereby the articles pass through the machine on the conveyor 18, without being packaged by an outer carton C.
In an operative condition, an article transfer mechanism 20 is provided to push the selected articles towards the carton in direction Y, shown in Figure 3. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 and 5, the mechanism 20 comprises a plurality of guide elements 45 mounted to an endless chain 46 to impart lateral movement to the article thereby to remove it from the second conveyor 18. The endless chain 46 is driven by suitable drive means to be synchronised with the article conveyor 42 and an intermediate conveyor 48.
The intermediate conveyor 48 may be provided where, for example, the first and second conveyors 24, 18 are not synchronised. The article is conveyed downstream to the transfer device 20. In this embodiment, the transfer device is an overhead chain assembly 50 with a plurality of lugs 52. However other known types of conveyor can be used without departing from the scope of invention. The lugs 52 engage the article and transfer the article in continuous forward movement to the loading station 22. The lugs 52 are preferably synchronised with the movement of the carton C and are angled with respect to the forward movement to cause the article and carton to gradually engage as shown in Figure 5.
Thereafter, the carton C and article continue downstream by the lug 54 and conveyor 43 and the carton formation is continued, whereby second folding means comprising guides 44 and 56 engage the upright panel 4 to fold it about the article A to be wrapped around it as shown in Figure 2. The end panels 7, 8 of the carton are secured together to complete the packaging process.
As the articles processed by the machine of the present invention are likely to vary in size, it is difficult to produce a standard carton for the article that will keep it securely packaged. Therefore it is desirable to incorporate another aspect of the invention which is a carton tightening device, designated as 26 in Figure 3. In broad terms, the device 26 engages one end of the carton and pulls it towards the opposing end of the carton, until the carton reaches the desired level of tension. The end panels 7, 8 of the blank are in an overlapping arrangement so that they can be secured together by glue or other suitable means known in the art. Therefore, if the article is small, the end panels 7 and 8 of the blank are caused to overlap by a greater distance than if the article is larger. Figure 1 illustrates two possible positions B and D of the position of end panel 8 on panel 7:
position B is when the article is large and position D is when the article is smaller.
The preferred configuration of the carton tightening device 26 is illustrated in Figure 6, 7 and 8. The device comprises a plurality of guide assemblies 60 mounted on an endless conveyor 58. The endless conveyor is parallel to conveyor 16 so that the guide assemblies are moved in the same direction X as the article and carton. Suitable drive means drives the conveyor 58 and a controller is provided to control the position and velocity of the guide assemblies so as to be synchronised with the carton C and lug 54.
The guide assemblies 60 are moveable in a lateral plane by a cam track 78 and cam follower 74 mounted to the guide assemblies. One preferred embodiment of the guide assembly is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. The assembly 60 comprises one or more elements 66, 67 mounted in a corresponding track 68 to allow the elements to move in a planar direction Z (Figure 8). Each element is mounted to a support member 70 which in turn is mounted to a shaft. The support member 70 is biased by spring biasing means 72 to be in an extended position designated as position K in Figure 7. Biasing means may comprise a compression spring or other known suitable resilient biasing member. The body 76 of the guide assembly is mounted on a guide rail 79 to allow lateral movement as the cam follower follows the cam track 78.
In use, the elements 66, 67 are brought into alignment with the apertures 9 of the carton, by folding panel 8 out of alignment with panel 4. The guide assembly is moved laterally by the path of the cam to cause the elements to engage the apertures 9 as shown in Figure 8. Glue is applied to the panel 8 by a glue gun 65 and as the carton moves downstream, the guide assembly continues to move laterally towards the article A. This movement causes panels 4 and 8 to wrap around the article A and into overlapping relationship with panel 7. The guide assemblies continue to move laterally so the carton panels become tensioned. The degree of tensioning is determined by the resilient means 72, so that once the pack has reach the desired level of tension the springs 72 will compress which will cause the body 70 and elements 66, 67 to move in the opposite direction to the guide assembly 60. This action makes the upper planar face 88 of the guide assembly slide underneath panel 8 and towards panel 7. Thereafter, panel 8 is brought into abutment with panel 7 to be secured therewith at position L on Figure 7. Pressure is applied to the end flaps because the article is seated on face 88 with the panels 7, 8 placed therebetween.
The cam track causes the lateral movement of the guide assembly 60 to be reversed to facilitate the separation of the elements 66,67 from the carton and the biasing means causes the elements to return to the rest position.
As the package moves along to the outfeed end of the machine the overlapping panels may be placed on a plate 80 (Figure 6) to aid the gluing process. Suitable guide means engages the package P, shown in Figure 6 and transfers it back to the article conveyor 42 to the outfeed end. In this embodiment the guide means comprises an overhead chain assembly 82 and lug 84 and a fixed guide 86.

The machine 10 includes a controller arranged to control the speed of the conveyors 16, 18, 48, 82 during use so. that packaging speeds of 40 to 60 pack per minute can be achieved. This controller may be a dedicated processor controlling the individual conveyors and the guide assembly or may be a control means for a packaging machine.
5 Alternatively, the controller may preferably be a known, programmable servo control system.
In some embodiments, the controller receives information from a sensor (not shown) arranged to detect the speed of the continuous conveyors ; which may detect the speed of 10 the belt and/ or position of the article or carton directly. In addition the apparatus may include means in the form of a sensor for receiving information regarding the speed of the cartons on the conveyor which is transmitted to the control means.
Alternatively, there may be manual input means through which the speed of the cartons on the feed path may be input into the control means.
By pre-programming the control system, the adjustments to the machine required to change from packaging one carton type to another carton type can be pre-set.
According to this invention, the speed of operation of the apparatus is improved as well as its efficiency and durability. An advantage of the present invention is the flexibility offered by the system.
The packaging machine is capable of switching from one carton type or size to another with a minimal down time.
It will be recognised that the invention is not limited to cartons for poultry. The invention may be used with machines for packaging cans, paperboard 'bricks', bottles and other containers into cartons, but it is particularly useful where the article size may vary.
Further, the various elements of the machine, for example carton manipulating apparatus, folding apparatus, set up station, loading station or carton tightening means can be manufactured separately as a module to be incorporated into new machines or supplied on a retrofit basis without departing from the scope of invention.
It will be understood that the carton erecting mechanism and tightening mechanism of the invention has been illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment and that numerous modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. The carton tightening mechanism is able to process cartons comprising numerous configurations or groups of articles covering a range of carton size and shape, without undue time being spent in adjusting the mechanism.

Claims (7)

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CLAIMS:

1. ~A packaging machine for producing wraparound packages of articles of varying size which machine comprises a carton blank feeding and forming conveyor and an article conveyor disposed alongside said blank conveyor, wherein the blank conveyor comprises first folding means to fold a carton blank to provide an article receiving portion and an article wrapping portion, second folding means to fold said article wrapping portion onto an article received on said receiving portion, tightening means to draw the article receiving portion and the article wrapping portion together and securing means to secure the article receiving portion and the article wrapping portion together, when tightened, to form a wraparound carton and wherein the article conveyor comprises transfer means successively to transfer selected articles onto a carton blank while located between the first and second folding means.

2. ~A packaging machine according to claim 1 wherein support means is provided to support the folded blank intermediate its article receiving and its article wrapping portions as the blank is moved along the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor.

3. ~A packaging machine according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said transfer means comprises an article conveyor to transfer articles along a convergent path relative to the article feeding and forming conveyor so that the selected article for transfer is gradually received by the article receiving portion of the appropriate carton blank.

4. ~A packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the tightening means comprises guide and fold elements to engage the article wrapping portion of a carton blank which elements are moveable transversely of the carton blank feed direction during movement together with said carton blank feeding and forming conveyor to draw the carton wrapping portion beneath the article present on the article receiving portion towards said receiving portion and carton panel engaging means for tightening said article receiving and article wrapping portions which engaging means are mounted for movement relative to the guide and fold element transversely of the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor.

5. ~A packaging machine according to claim 4 further comprising resilient biasing means to cause the engaging means to move from a deployed position to a retracted position when the desired tension of the article receiving and article wrapping portions is reached thereby to release the article wrapping portion when secured to the article receiving portion.

6. ~A packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein an intermediate conveyor is disposed between and parallel to the article conveyor and the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor, and wherein said article transfer means is disposed to transfer articles from the intermediate conveyor to the carton blank feeding and forming conveyor and wherein drive means are provided to synchronise the movement of the intermediate and the carton blank feeding and forming conveyors.

7. ~A method of producing wraparound packages of articles of varying size which method comprises feeding successive carton blanks along a carton blank feeding and forming conveyor, causing the blank to be folded in order to form an article receiving portion and an article wrapping portion transferring selected articles, to be packaged, from an article conveyor disposed alongside the article feeding and forming conveyor onto the article receiving portion of a blank, folding the article wrapping portion onto the article received on the article receiving portion and causing the article receiving portion and the article wrapping portion to be drawn together so as to tighten the blank about the article and thereafter securing together the article receiving and the article wrapping portions, when tightened, to complete the package.