GB1603537A - Package-forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

In the apparatus, the containers (2) are first collected to form a group (5) of predetermined number on a layer (7) of cardboard supplied from a magazine (8) and then, together with this layer, they are pushed sideways onto a lifting unit (11). Vertically above the lifting unit (11) there is an auxiliary platform (16) onto which is placed a second layer (22) of cardboard, supplied by a second magazine (23). The platform (16) can open up in order to allow the passage of the containers (2) when the lifting unit (11) rises up and can close up again to hold them when the lifting unit is lowered to pick up another group (5) of containers (2). Each group lifted up is stacked beneath the layer of cardboard (7) of the group lifted previously and is supported by the platform (16) which has in the meantime closed up again. Finally a pusher (25) transfers the stacked groups (5) of containers (2) towards a station where they are wrapped in a heat-shrinkable plastic film (27) wrapper. It is envisaged that the apparatus will be used to package containers of milk having a parallelepipedal shape. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO PACKAGE-FORMING APPARATUS (71) We, CONSTRUCTOR INTERNA TIONALE BAUUNTERNEHMUNGS-ANSTALT, a Corporation organized and existing under the laws of Liechtenstein, of Schaan- Liechtenstein, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to an apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups or containers.

Milk is currently packaged in containers of parallel-epipedal shape formed from a plastics coated sheet. Such containers do not exhibit sufficient mechanical strength, and pose considerable problems in the storage, handling and transporting thereof. To obviate these difficulties, it is known to introduce the containers into boxes, which absorb all the mechanical stresses involved in the above operations. In order to eliminate the drawback, of such boxes (excessive weight, bulk, and the need to arrange for their retrieval), a package of the disposable type has already been proposed, which comprises at least one pair of rectangular cardboard sheets between which an orderly group or set of containers is accommodated, and a wrapping made ofa film ofa heat shrinkable plastics which is wrapped around and holds the whole together.A requirement exists for an apparatus for forming this type of package.

According to the invention there is provided an apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups of containers, comprising a container feeding conveyor, a container build-up plane at said conveyor outlet for forming an orderly group of a predetermined number of containers, a pusher actuated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of advance of said conveyor and adapted to push an assembled group of containers onto the platform of an elevator, said elevator being movable vertically between a lowered position at which said platform can receive the assembled group of containers and a raised position, a sheet magazine, means for picking up individual sheets from said magazine and for transferring same to an auxiliary plane vertically aligned with and overlying said elevator, said auxiliary plane comprising a pair of flat portions controlled to move towards and away from each other such as to allow the elevator platform carrying a group of containers to pass therethrough when the elevator is moved towards its raised position and only the platform therethrough as the elevator is returned to its lowered position, thereby causing, during the upward stroke of the elevator, the sheet transferred onto the auxiliary plane to be laid over the container group, and during the downward stroke of the elevator, the deposition of the container group onto the auxiliary plane, means for supplying a sheet which lies beneath the container group, and pusher means for pushing the container group with the overlying sheet and underlying sheet to a wrapping station for applying a wrapping made of a heat shrinkable plastics sheet.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of packing forming apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal view of the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes an article conveyor, herein milk containers 2 of rectangular prism configuration. A horizontal plane or surface 3 is arranged at the outlet of the conveyor 1 for building up containers thereon, and is composed, for example, of idle rollers arranged transversely or cross-wise to the direction of advance of the conveyor 1. The arriving containers are stopped by a stationary detent 4 located at the end of the plane 3, such as to result in the formation of an orderly group which, for convenience of description, is generally indicated at 5.

Under the build-up plane, and at a short distance therefrom, there is a surface 6 for supporting a cardboard sheet 7 thereon, the perimeter of which is substantially coincident with that of the group 5. The sheet 7 is picked up from a first magazine 8 by means of members of conventional design (not shown). Such means could, for example, comprise a chain run below the magazine and adapted to pick up the bottom sheet contained therein by means of entraining members projecting upwardly and abutting an edge of the sheet. In a modification of the pick-up means, the bottom sheet is picked up with the aid of a sucker which swings in a vertical plane.

Upon completion of the group 5, and after the sheet 7 has been positioned thereunder, a pusher 9, actuated by a pneumatically operated jack 10, effects transfer of both onto a vertical elevator 11.

The pusher 9 is moved transversely to the direction of advance of the conveyor 16, as indicated by the arrowfl, and is provided, at its lower edge, with teeth 12 which extend downwards and are adapted to pass between the rollers 3 and act simultaneously against the containers and the side edge of the sheet 7. A rod 13, rigid with and perpendicular to the pusher 9, temporarily stops the inflow of containers 2 when the pusher is on the point of transferring the group of containers to the elevator 11.

The elevator 11 comprises a platform 14 fixedly mounted to the top end of the rod of a pneumatic jack 15. The platform 14 has a composite configuration including teeth of rectangular profile shape which project comb-like from the opposite edges, and are indicated at 14a.

Vertically in alignment with the platform 14, is an upper auxiliary plane 16 comprising two flat portions 17, 18 which can be moved towards and away from each other by means of respective pneumatic jacks 19, 20 carried by the main frame, not shown, of the apparatus. In the adjacent edges of the portions 17, 18, there are formed notches 21 of a shape matching that of the teeth 14a.

The arrangement is such that when the portions 17, 18 are in their mutually closest positions, a sufficiently wide opening is defined therebetween to allow the platform 14 therethrough.

On the auxiliary plane 16, there is located a second sheet 22 intended for enclosing the top of the container group 5 being transferred upwards by the elevator, as will be apparent hereinafter. The sheet 22 is picked up from a second magazine 23 with means similar to those mentioned above with reference to the picking up of the sheet 7 from the magazine 8.

It is possible to form on the auxiliary plane 16 a stack 24 comprising overlaid groups of containers which are divided from one another by sheets 7 picked up from the magazine 8 and covered by an upper sheet 22 picked up from the magazine 23. The stack 24, thus formed, is urged by a pusher 25, actuated by a pneumatic jack 26, against a sheet of a plastics material 27 stretched perpendicularly to the direction of advance of the pusher 25. The sheet 27, for example, is obtained by joining together, along a seam line 28. Two films of a heat shrinkable material, unwound from respective rolls 29, 30. Behind the sheet 27, there are arranged two horizontal idle rollers 31, 32 which are movable between close together and far apart positions, in the latter position the rollers being aligned respectively with the upper face and lower face of the stack.The rollers 31, 32, as the pusher 25 urges the stack 24 against the sheet 27, cause the sheet 27 to be wrapped around the vertical front wall of the stack, as well as on the upper or top and lower or bottom faces thereof. Upon the stack moving past the vertical plane including the rollers, the latter are again moved closer to each other such as to close the sheet 27 ring-like around the stack. Cutter and sealing members, not shown, and well known in the art, are operated to join together the abutted edges of the upper and lower films, and separate the resulting package, whilst the films remain united through a further sealing line.

The apparatus described hereinabove operates as follows. As mentioned above, the arriving containers are allowed to accumulate on the build-up plane 3 and form a group 5, while at the same time a sheet 7 is transferred to the underlying rest surface 6.

After the container group 5 and sheet 7 have been positioned one on top of the other, the jack 10 is actuated, such that the pusher 9 is operated to transfer the group 5 and sheet 7 to the platform 14 which has been lowered to the same level. Upon the pusher 9 completing its advance stroke, the jack 15 is actuated which raises the group 5 and underlying sheet 7 towards the overlying plane 16, the portions 17, 18 whereof are still close to each other to provide support for a sheet 22 which has been transferred thereto from the magazine 23. As the upper or top face of the container group 5 reaches a position adjacent the plane 16, the portions 17, 18 are moved away from each other, so that the sheet 22 reaches the container group 5 and covers it at the top. The upward stroke of the elevator terminates upon the lower or bottom sheet 7 arriving above the plane 16. At the end of the upward stroke, the portions 17, 18 are again brought nearer to each other and the elevator 11 is lowered, so that there is deposited on the auxiliary plane 16 a container group included between an upper sheet 22 and lower sheet 7.

It will be apparent that, on the plane 16, stacks may be formed which are composed of any number of overlaid container groups, because each container group being raised pushes upwards, all the other groups previously resting on the plane 16.

In each stack 24 thus obtained, therefore, the upper sheet is picked up from the magazine 23, whereas the middle and lower ones are picked up from the magazine 8.

The formed stack 24 is then pushed against the sheet 27, wrapped in the latter as described hereinabove, and delivered to an oven where the enclosure or wrapper of heat shrinkable material is caused to contract and hold firmly together the various groups, to result in a compact package wherein the presence of the sheets provides an adequate stiffening for withstanding the stress loads, which permits the packages to be stacked.

According to one possible modification of the invention, the bottom sheet may be supplied from a magazine provided downstream of the magazine 23, to supply a sheet onto which the stack can be transferred prior to its being wrapped in the heat shrinkable sheet. In this case the last group in the stack is caused to rest directly on the plane 16.

According to a further modification the sheets may be provided with means effective to facilitate the handling and transportation of the packages. Thus, for example, sheets equipped with a handle could be provided in the magazine 8 at regular intervals from the other sheets. The sheet with a handle will be of preference an intermediate one, and led through an opening formed in the heat shrinkable sheet.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups of containers, comprising a container feeding conveyor, a container build-up at said conveyor outlet for forming an orderly group of a predetermined number of containers, a pusher actuated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of advance of said conveyor and adapted to push an assembled group of containers onto the platform of an elevator, said elevator being movable vertically between a lowered position at which said platform can receive the assembled group of containers and a raised position, a sheet magazine, means for picking up individual sheets from said magazine and for transferring same to an auxiliary plane vertically aligned with and overlying said elevator, said auxiliary plane comprising a pair of flat portions controlled to move towards and away from each other such as to allow the elevator platform carrying a group of containers to pass therethrough when the elevator is moved towards its raised position and only the platform therethrough as the elevator is returned to its lowered position, thereby causing, during the upward stroke of the elevator, the sheet transferred onto the auxiliary plane to be laid over the container group, and during the downward stroke of the elevator, the deposition of the container group onto the auxiliary plane, means for supplying a sheet which lies beneath the container group, and pusher means for pushing the container group with the overlying sheet and underlying sheet to a wrapping station for applying a wrapping made of a heat shrinkable plastics sheet.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said platform has projecting teeth of rectangular shape, said teeth projecting comb-like from two opposite edges, and said flat portions of the auxiliary plane have, along the adjacent edges, notches of complementary shape to the shape of said platform teeth and such that, when the portions are close to each other, a sufficiently wide opening is defined to allow said platform therethrough.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said means for supplying a sheet which lies beneath the container group comprises a further sheet magazine and means for picking up individual sheets from said further magazine and for transferring each sheet to a rest surface located underneath said build-up plane, said pusher means being operative to push the assembled group of containers and underlying sheet onto the elevator platform.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said build-up plane comprises idle rollers arranged perpendicularly to said conveyor direction of advance, and said pusher is provided at a lower edge with teeth extending downwardly and adapted to pass between said idle rollers to concurrently act against the built-up containers and against the side edge of the sheet picked up from said further magazine.

5. Apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups of containers substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. upward stroke, the portions 17, 18 are again brought nearer to each other and the elevator 11 is lowered, so that there is deposited on the auxiliary plane 16 a container group included between an upper sheet 22 and lower sheet 7. It will be apparent that, on the plane 16, stacks may be formed which are composed of any number of overlaid container groups, because each container group being raised pushes upwards, all the other groups previously resting on the plane 16. In each stack 24 thus obtained, therefore, the upper sheet is picked up from the magazine 23, whereas the middle and lower ones are picked up from the magazine 8. The formed stack 24 is then pushed against the sheet 27, wrapped in the latter as described hereinabove, and delivered to an oven where the enclosure or wrapper of heat shrinkable material is caused to contract and hold firmly together the various groups, to result in a compact package wherein the presence of the sheets provides an adequate stiffening for withstanding the stress loads, which permits the packages to be stacked. According to one possible modification of the invention, the bottom sheet may be supplied from a magazine provided downstream of the magazine 23, to supply a sheet onto which the stack can be transferred prior to its being wrapped in the heat shrinkable sheet. In this case the last group in the stack is caused to rest directly on the plane 16. According to a further modification the sheets may be provided with means effective to facilitate the handling and transportation of the packages. Thus, for example, sheets equipped with a handle could be provided in the magazine 8 at regular intervals from the other sheets. The sheet with a handle will be of preference an intermediate one, and led through an opening formed in the heat shrinkable sheet. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups of containers, comprising a container feeding conveyor, a container build-up at said conveyor outlet for forming an orderly group of a predetermined number of containers, a pusher actuated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of advance of said conveyor and adapted to push an assembled group of containers onto the platform of an elevator, said elevator being movable vertically between a lowered position at which said platform can receive the assembled group of containers and a raised position, a sheet magazine, means for picking up individual sheets from said magazine and for transferring same to an auxiliary plane vertically aligned with and overlying said elevator, said auxiliary plane comprising a pair of flat portions controlled to move towards and away from each other such as to allow the elevator platform carrying a group of containers to pass therethrough when the elevator is moved towards its raised position and only the platform therethrough as the elevator is returned to its lowered position, thereby causing, during the upward stroke of the elevator, the sheet transferred onto the auxiliary plane to be laid over the container group, and during the downward stroke of the elevator, the deposition of the container group onto the auxiliary plane, means for supplying a sheet which lies beneath the container group, and pusher means for pushing the container group with the overlying sheet and underlying sheet to a wrapping station for applying a wrapping made of a heat shrinkable plastics sheet.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said platform has projecting teeth of rectangular shape, said teeth projecting comb-like from two opposite edges, and said flat portions of the auxiliary plane have, along the adjacent edges, notches of complementary shape to the shape of said platform teeth and such that, when the portions are close to each other, a sufficiently wide opening is defined to allow said platform therethrough.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said means for supplying a sheet which lies beneath the container group comprises a further sheet magazine and means for picking up individual sheets from said further magazine and for transferring each sheet to a rest surface located underneath said build-up plane, said pusher means being operative to push the assembled group of containers and underlying sheet onto the elevator platform.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said build-up plane comprises idle rollers arranged perpendicularly to said conveyor direction of advance, and said pusher is provided at a lower edge with teeth extending downwardly and adapted to pass between said idle rollers to concurrently act against the built-up containers and against the side edge of the sheet picked up from said further magazine.

5. Apparatus for forming packages of orderly groups of containers substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.