CZ86196A3 - Device for folding packaging cartoons - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for use in a machine for packaging bottles in a wraparound carton which comprises folders (12) having pivotal fingers (13, 14) for engaging and folding a pair of bottle heel retention flaps (f1, f2) and to fold such flaps inwardly of the carton. The pivotal folder is adapted to execute a folding movement thereby progressively to enter an aperture in the blank to fold the flaps and to retract therefrom during feed movement of the blank. The pivotal folder includes a follower (30) to execute the folding movement and the retracting movement. The pivotal fingers pivot upon radial movement of the folder.

Description

(57)

The apparatus for use in a machine for packaging bottles in full-container cartons comprises folders (12) having pivotable fingers (13, 14) coming into direct contact and folding flaps (f1, f2) to hold the bottom portions of the bottles when these flaps are folded inside the carton. The swinging bore (13, 14) is provided with a cam follower (30) that controls the folding and backward movement of the swinging finger (13, 14).

861-96 A3

Technical field

The present invention relates to a carton folding mechanism for use in a machine for packaging articles in a package, such as a full-package carton of the package type. The carton is typically formed from a paperboard blank in which the side wall panel is flexibly connected to the base panel along a fold line. Product openings, such as bottle bottom openings and which include folded retaining flaps, are disposed on both sides of the fold line between the carton panels. The machine into which the mechanism of the present invention can be incorporated includes a conveyor for advancing the blank and the articles to be wrapped along a predetermined feed path. The mechanism folds such retaining flaps into appropriately desired positions inwardly of the carton. The present invention is directed to folding inward pairs of such retaining flaps, which is made possible by associating said retaining flaps with all of the product holding openings. The flaps are gripped in pairs and folded inwardly while adjacent parts of the blank are protected by suitable guiding means against any substantial lateral movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

EP-0-200 445 discloses features for maintaining articles such as bottle bottom openings in the base and side walls of full-size cartons in which the bottom portions of products, such as bottle bottoms, are inserted and subsequently wrapped with cardboard. Such bottom holding features are referred to as means that are punched out of the side panels of the walls and base panels of the all-cardboard carton and which comprise flaps. which are foldably connected to the carton panel. On the flat blank, these flaps are located near the openings which will serve as openings of the carton for holding the bottom of the bottles. In the case of using the blank in the packaging of a product group, it is known to open the flaps by the action of a simple finger mechanism so. in order to subsequently allow the lower parts of the product to be driven into the formed openings

The mechanism for accomplishing such an operation is described in EP-0-200 445 and comprises a device for gripping and folding a pair of flaps holding the bottom of the bottle such that the flaps are folded inwardly of the carton. The folding mechanism has a pivoting deflector comprising a pair of pivoting fingers that are actuated by the cam so. to perform a folding movement in the sense of continued entry into the holding hole in the blank to achieve folding of the flaps, and to reciprocate. These folding and reciprocating movements take place together during the direct sliding movement of the cardboard blank and the pivoting folder. The pivoting folders operate sequentially to open a series of such flaps on one carton blank to hold the bottom of the bottles, and move in the folding block of the machine in synchronization with the blank. In order to actuate the swiveling fingers, each swiveling bender comes into contact with a fixed cam track formed in the cam block and is displaced along the working track and the return track by a chain wheel and chain assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus for use in a machine for packaging articles in a full-size carrier of the type which is made of a paper blank having a pair of walls joined together on a fold line and having a pair of flaps disposed on both sides of said folding said apparatus comprising folding means for gripping and folding said pair of flaps inwardly of said carrier, said folding means comprising a folding means adapted to perform a folding stay to provide folding of the flaps by continuously entering the bore in the blank and reciprocating during the sliding movement of the blank wherein said folder comprises a portion for direct contact with the blank and means controlled by control means folding the treated portion of the blank. wherein said folding movement and said reciprocating movement are characterized in that said folder is movable in a radial direction relative to the axis of the device and said portion for direct contact with the workpiece comprises a pair of pivotable pivoting fingers which are adapted to rotate during radial movement of the deflector relative to said axis.

According to one feature of the present invention, said cooperating means may comprise a cam follower that follows an endless cam track, the shaping of which causes said folding movement and said reciprocating movement.

According to a further feature of the present invention, said folding means may utilize a rotatable disc assembly comprising said folder and said endless cam track.

In embodiments in which a plate assembly is applied, the plate assembly may comprise. in an axial sequence, the cam plate, the middle plate with said folders and the top plate, wherein both the middle plate and the top plate can rotate relative to the cam plate. These plates have a preferred disc shape.

According to another feature of the present invention, said folder may comprise a body which is structurally designed for radial movement in said intermediate plate, the body supporting said cam follower. The body may be terminated in a head comprising a pair of pivoting fingers that form part of said folder entering into direct contact with the carton blank. The pivoting fingers are preferably brought into rotation simultaneously and cooperate with the components of said middle plate, thereby influencing their pivoting movement.

According to the following feature of the present invention, said body can be slidably moved in a radial path formed on the intermediate disk.

According to yet another feature of the present invention, said plate assembly may comprise a plurality of folders arranged in separate groups. each separate group of folders being intended for direct working contact with each successive carton blank.

Description of the drawings

Now, one embodiment of the invention will be explained by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG

Giant. 1 to 10 show the sequence of phases of operation of the mechanism according to the invention;

Giant. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of a mechanism according to the invention with a partial section.

Giant. 12 is a perspective view of part of the mechanism shown in FIG. 11;

Giant. 13 is a plan view of a pivot finger forming part of a folding device according to the present invention;

Giant. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the finger shown in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

If we focus on the drawings, we find out. 1 to 10 are schematic representations of the operation of the inventive cardboard flap opening mechanism 10. This mechanism comprises a number of sets of rotatably mounted folders. which in turn cooperate with a carton blank that is prepared to provide two openings on each side to hold the bottom of the article. Giant. 1 to 10 show successive steps during rotation of the rotatable plate assembly

36. 38. on which a pair of such folders 12 is provided to open the apertures A to maintain the bottom portions of the article such that displacement of the pairs of flaps f1 is always performed. £ 2 of the cardboard blank C by folding them. In this case, the blank is a carton of the full packaging type. Subsequently, the lower portions of the pair of bottles Bi are inserted into the respective holding openings A. B2 FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a rotatable disc plate mechanism 10 comprising an upper disc 38, an intermediate disc 36, and a lower stationary cam plate

34. The discs of the legs may be driven, for example, by a shaft mounted to each disc and guided rotatably through the center of the stationary cam plate. The shaft may be. of course, be driven in any suitable manner by mechanical engagement with the motor so as to achieve the correct rotation speed of the disk assembly in synchronization with the movement of the carton blank C during the packaging process. In this embodiment, the opening mechanism 10 comprises three groups of four close together and regularly spaced folders. The number and spacing of the benders 12 from each other is determined by the pad of the type of carton used to package the articles. In this specific exemplary embodiment, the cartons are adapted to package products in a 4x2 configuration. so that a row of four products will be placed along each side wall of the carton. Since the disk assembly employs three groups of four folders, the flaps will be opened flaps during one rotation of the disk assembly to maintain the bottom portions of the articles in three consecutive carton blanks. The carton C comprises a side wall in which openings A are formed for the inlet of the lower parts of the articles B, and from this side wall the flaps f are punched which need to be folded open from the flat plane of the side wall towards the inside of the carton.

At the inlet end of the packaging machine, a pair of preform folding mechanisms 10 are installed. Two such mechanisms are installed side by side so that a path passes therebetween for both the supply of carton blanks and the supply of products to be packaged. the mechanism of this pair, because the second mechanism is similar in all its features. The carton comprises groups of apertures A for maintaining the bottom portions of the articles, the centers of the apertures being at a given line. These openings for holding the bottom portions of the articles are intended to accommodate, for example, the lower portions of the bottles, thereby improving the stability of the bottles in the assembled carton. All of the openings for holding the bottom portions of the articles are in part delimited by folding, reinforcing flaps f, which by folding these openings creates these openings and overlap with adjacent portions of the side wall and the base panel of the treated carton.

FIG. 11 shows one individual folder of the three groups. wherein, as shown, the second finger 16 in the fully open protrudes from the cutout 40 in the disc 36. Each rotating deflector includes an elongated rod 26 that enters a radial path 28 formed in the intermediate disc 36 to allow counter movement. The radially outer end of the rod 26 carries a face plate 24 in which an ovoid transverse aperture 22 is formed. The pivoting fingers 14 and 16 have respective upper guide pins 18 and 20 slidably received in the aperture 22, and both these pivoting fingers 14 and 16 also a small lower guide pin 52 which, in the case of both said pivoting fingers, is located in the holes 50 formed in the protruding portion of the disc 36. The components just shown are shown in Figure 20 and are displaced by positioning the center of the pin 52 to reach the opening movement of the fingers 14 and 16 during the radial movement of the rod 26. The angle A, preferably having 45 °, is defined by a line connecting the centers of the pins 20 and 52 and a line R parallel to the radial edge R of the finger 16 touching the finger 14.

The cam follower, which in this case is the roller assembly 30, is dependent on the lower face of the rod 26 between its ends and the rollers on the cam track 32 formed on the cam plate 34. The pivoting fingers 14 and 16 are moved by the operation of the return rod 26. moving radially forward and plan view, noticing that the center as the first finger position in which up to 14. At 13, compared to the backward radial path 28 of the cam follower 30 after the cam schematically shown in Fig. 1 only as a result of radial stay The cam track 32 is 10, and consequently the operation of the fingers 14 and 16 in relation to the cam track 32 is shown in succession, the representation of which is the same in all the figures. It will be appreciated that the pivoting fingers open to the maximum extent (as seen in FIG. 11), thus, when the return rod 26 is in its radially most extended position, with the cam follower 30 following the most eccentric section of the cam track 32.

however, it is only that protruding part

FIG. 2 clearly shows the surface of the lower edge formed by a radial schematic representation and is 13 of the upper disc 38 having a groove (not shown) for accommodating the faceplate 23, allowing radial movement of the faceplate 24.

Referring again to Figures 1 to 10, the disk assembly 36, 38 is rotated clockwise such that the first folder 12 contacts the carton blank and enters the aperture A thereby deflecting the flaps f1, f_2 from a common plane of the blank side panel. It can be seen in Fig. 1 that the folder 12, while rotating, touches the side of the carotone blank C, while in Fig. 2, continued rotation causes the folder 12 to enter the opening A to hold the bottom of the wrapped article.

In Fig. 3, the folder is in a position in which it has almost completely entered the opening A, thereby substantially opening the flaps f1, f2 apart. but not over 90 ° relative to the side panel of the blank. This is a condition that is followed by another sequence of operation, including that shown in FIG. 5. It should be emphasized that the pivoting fingers of the folder 12 remain closed even when it enters the blank.

In FIG. 6, the pivoting fingers 14 and 16 begin to swivel apart by pivoting, thereby increasingly folding the flaps f1, f2.

It can be seen in Fig. 7 that the flaps f 1, f.2 have been folded by more than 90 ° relative to the respective side wall of the carton and are beginning to be folded towards adjacent portions of the side wall of the carton. The second folder 12 ¹ at this stage already begins to enter the next aperture A ¹ having flaps f3. In FIG. 8, the cam follower 30 follows the radially furthest section of the cam track 34 and as a result the return rod 26 extends the front plate 24 to the radially furthest position. This achieves the maximum swinging opening of the swinging fingers 14, 16 as a result of the operation of the plate 24 on the guide pins 18 and 20 located in the groove 22.

In Fig. 9 it can be seen that the cam follower 30 has already passed over the radially furthest section of the cam track 32 and that the rod 26 is consequently starting to return, while simultaneously swinging fingers 14 and 16 begin to close.

In FIG. 10, the pivoting fingers 14 and 16 are already clamped enough to be pulled out of the opening A.

I.e. This means that the fingers are pivoted outward as far as possible outwardly and thereby deflect from the apertures of the flap to maintain the bottom portions of the coated articles, and that when the fingers return to the minimum radial position, they close together.

Turning to the schematic representation shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, it is evident that during the operation described, the pivoting fingers operate near the bottom portions of the bottles Bi, B2. These bottom portions of the bottles are then fixed in the respective openings therewith. as the side panels of the carton are moved inwards. This is due to the folding of the base panels of the carton into an overlapping relationship, which has the effect of totally tightening the carton around the group of bottles. In this specific example, all four successive openings are opened before the composition of the entire package containing the plurality of bottles is made.

It is apparent from the drawings that the pivoting fingers 14, 16 of the benders have a curved outer shape to make the entry into the opening ft more efficient and to allow the flap to be gradually opened by opening the flaps f.i, f 2

It will be appreciated that the opening mechanism 10 of the present invention can be easily adapted to operate in the manner described with cartons having a different shape than the examples described herein. Such changes to the carton design simply require the removal of the previously used disc assembly and its replacement with another suitable disc assembly whose diameter, design and number of swinging fingers and the peripheral speed of the assembly will be in accordance with the requirements for the type of carton having be processed in the packaging machine. This is in contrast to the considerably more laborious requirements for replacing previously known mechanisms in which the number and placement of the pivoting fingers often require individual adjustment directly on the orbiting chain system.

Claims (6)

PATENT CLAIMS From <*. / · '. 3 Ífi-Λί <az λ ' 1. A mechanism for use in a machine for packaging articles into a full-size carrier of this type. which is made of a paper blank to itself on a fold line of said fold line having a pair of walls joined and having a pair of flaps disposed on both sides to hold the article and strengthen the blank. wherein said mechanism comprises folding means for directly contacting and folding said pair of flaps towards the inside of the carrier, said folding means comprising a folder. which is adapted to perform a folding stay to provide the flaps with a continuous entrance to the opening in the blank and to reciprocate during the sliding movement of the cardboard blank, said folder comprising a portion for direct contact with the blank and means controlled by the control means wherein said folding movement and said reciprocating movement are characterized in that said folder is movable in a radial direction relative to the mechanism axis and said portion for direct contact with the carton blank comprises a pair of fingers apart. which are adapted for the movement of the deflector in relation to the pivoting pivoting pivoting along the radial said axis. 2 • a.rde.Kt 2. The mochenism of claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprises a cam follower that follows an endless cam track having a shape such as to cause said folding movement and said reciprocating movement. "/ 3. The swtts of claim 1 or 2, wherein said folding means comprises a rotatable plate assembly. wherein said folder and said endless cam track are disposed. 2sx? I € 2 Aa. 4. The mochan-tgmua according to claim 3, wherein said plate assembly comprises a cam plate, a center plate with said folders, and a top plate in successive direction along its axis, wherein both the center plate and the top plate rotate relative to each other. to the fixed bottom plate. Mechanism according to claim 4, v y brand at j í c team that to say deskami are wheels • 2 sA · z Mechan-tsmus according to claim 4, v y brand at j í c team that said folder contains body, placed in featured middle plate so. that radially move, whereas this body bears cam pulley. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that said body is terminated by a pair of pivoting fingers which are the bender which enters the straight blank. in a head comprising a portion of said contact with a cardboard 8. characterized by being swiveled open by being actuated by the components mentioned by swiveling them The mechanism of claim 6, wherein the pivoting fingers are substantially simultaneously and are intermediate plates so as to swing. 9. The mochaniomus of claim 7, wherein said body is slidably disposed in a radial path formed in the intermediate disk. Z <w '. - <. A mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims 3 to 9, wherein said plate assembly comprises a plurality of folders arranged in separate groups such that each group of folders continuously adjusts each individual carton.