GB2128577A - Apparatus for packaging objects - Google Patents

Abstract

A group of objects e.g. biscuits, G1 to be packaged are moved to a position in front of a wrapping foil 3 and are pushed through folding elements 6, 7 by means of a conveyor slide 9 into a chamber 12, 13 which is transversely displaceable from the receiving station B into a station C at which a longitudinal seam is formed. For the purpose of holding the biscuits standing on their edges, support plates 20, 21 at opposite ends of the chamber are moved laterally inwards towards each other and folding plates 11c, 24 are moved between the support plates 20, 21 to fold the wrapping foil at opposite ends of the biscuit group. When a next biscuit group G1 is displaced, the folding plates 11c, 24 are pushed forward by the slide 9 between the support plates 20, 21. In this way packages having a neat block or cylindrical shape can be produced with no "ears" projecting at the end-faces. The end-faces can be tightly sealed and a neat appearance can be imparted to them without the use of labels attached to the ends of the packages. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Equipment for packaging objects The present invention concerns equipment for packaging elongate objects, such as biscuits arranged upright in a row to lie against each other.

Equipment of this kind is known from, for example, DE-A 29 13 203. According to that specification, block-like objects, in particular groups of biscuits, together with a portion of wrapping material cut to size, are passed by a feed member from an input station through a first folding member and then on ta an intermediate station. In the intermediate station the objects are laid in a U-shaped sheet of material. By means of a chamber comprising clamping springs, these partially packaged objects are handled in the direction transverse of the conveying direction from the first station to the intermediate station where, in particular, the longitudinal seam is formed, for example.After the chamber has been rotated in the reverse direction, the end faces are folded by means of lateral folding members, and finally fold tabs, that may be projecting laterally, have to be folded in and sealed.

It is known that when the folds formed by means of lateral fixed folding members are incomplete, a precise block form is not obtained and that in the case of cylindrical objects, unsightly end-faces may result, these end-faces often having to be gummed together and covered with labels or the like.

The object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide improved equipment whereby the block or cylindrical shape can be formed without projecting "ears" at the periphery of the end-faces and whereby the end-faces can be tightly closed off.

According to the invention there is provided equipment for packaging elongate objects, comprising a plurality of stations for manipulating a wrapping material, the first said station comprising a first feed member for introducing each object into a manipulating line and a second feed member for conveying the object, together with a portion of a wrapping material through a first folding member to a second station that includes a chamber movable transversely of the direction of feed, has a retaining means for the partly packaged object and passes the object to a third station for further manipulation of the portion of wrapping material, wherein the second station incorporates, at both sides of the chamber, support means movable towards each other, and pinching and folding means co-operating with the support means so as to fold the wrapping material inwardly at both end-faces of the object.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the equipment, part of which is illustrated in longitudinal section, Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the equipment at another work stage, Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of part of the equipment, together with a first object, in a first work stage and with the preceding objects as in Figure 1, in later stages, Figure 4 is a plan view of the equipment as shown in Figure 3, Figure 5 shows a diagrammatic view of part of the equipment as in Figure 3, but showing the two objects following a later manipulating stage, Figure 6 is a plan view of the equipment as shown in Figure 5, Figure 7 is a section along lines VIl-VIl of Figure 1, and Figure 8 is a plan view along the line Vill-VIll of Figure 1.

By means of the equipment illustrated in the drawings, elongate objects, such as groups of biscuits standing on edge and bearing against each other, can be packaged.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, such an object G1 has been lifted by a vertical pusher 1 into an input station A and is now located directly in front of a portion 3 of wrapping material, for example a foil of thermoplastic synthetic material, which is parted off, by means of a blade 4, from a web of material 5 which is moved vertically downwards.

To the rear of the portion 3 are located folding elements 6, 7 of fixed location and of a known kind which serve to lay the portion of wrapping material around the object G1 in a U-shaped arrangement when the object is pushed, by means of a feed slide 9, 9a moving along a guide path 8, on to a support 7a to the rear of the folding elements 6, 7, said object thereby passing into a station B.

In the station B and as illustrated in Figure 5 in connection with the object G 1', the object, having been pushed in from the station A, passes into a chamber having a bottom 12 and a top carrier 13 comprising leaf springs 1 3a for effecting a clamping action. The chamber 12, 13 is secured to a swivel lever 1 4 which is mounted to rotate by means of a bearing pin 1 5. As soon as an object G2 is in the chamber 12, 13, the latter is swung into a station C after support plates 20, 21, 22, 23 have been moved in as far as the object from both sides (Figures 3 and 7).

As shown in Figure 2, the flaps 3b on the object G2' are folded in by means of tongues 1 6 and are sealed in this station C. For this purpose use is made, in the known manner, of a sealing jaw 1 7 which comprises a heating rod 1 7a and which is mounted in a rotary bearing 1 7c on a swivel lever 1 7b and can be swung between a work position and a rest position as indicated by the doubleheaded arrow P.

This station C is shown as a sealing station simply by way of example. Other operations known in the packaging industry could, of course, be carried out there, and several stations, through which the objects pass in a stepwise manner, could be provided, and in this case the swivel arm 14 could be part of a wheel having several swivel arms.

However, in the illustrated arrangement, the single swivel arm 14 is swung back into station B.

The support plates 20-23 then remain in the pushed-in position so as to hold the object in the upright position.

In front of the object G2 (Figure 1) in the direction of travel are lacated a pair of folding plates 24 on either side of the conveying path. A further pair of similar folding plates 11 c are located on a feed member 11 to the rear of a cushioning beam 11 b and a conveying beam 11 a.

If the conveyor slide 9, 9a is now moved in the direction indicated by the arrow M in Figure 1 , the portion 3 becomes folded by the folding elements 6, 7 and the feed member 11 is pushed to the right, as seen in Figure 1, on the guide path 10.

The pair of folding plates 11 c push the lateral edge portion 3b (Figure 3) between the support plates 20, 21 and 22, 23 and when the conveyor beam 11 a strikes the object G2, the latter is pushed against the front folding plates 25.

Thus, as clearly shown in Figure 5 in the case of the object G3, the lateral edge portions 3b are folded in at both sides.

As shown in Figure 1, the object G2 is pushed forward up to the position G2", and at the same time the pair of folding plates 24 are also pushed on further until the position of the object G3 in Figure 5 is reached. The object G3 is thus brought on to a conveyor belt 19 and, as soon as the support plates 20-23 and the front folding plates 24 are moved out laterally, the object G3 can be carried away to the right as indicated by the arrow N in Figure 1. The folded-in lateral edge portions 3b are folded together by means of folding members 18 and are pressed on to the biscuits.

These end-face edge portions 3b of the wrapping of this last object G4 of the illustrated row G I '-G4 then have to be finally folded and sealed.

When the three objects G 1,, G3 and G4 have reached the positions illustrated in Figure 5, the object G 1 ' can be swung into the station C and thus a path can be cleared to enable the feed member 11 to return to the initial position shown in Figure 1.

All of the moving parts such as the pusher 1, the feed slide 9, 9a, the feed member 11 the swivel arm 14, the support plates 20-23, the front folding plates 24 and the swivel arm 1 7b are driven in a per se known manner by means of cams and feeler rollers.

Claims (7)

1. Equipment for packaging elongate objects, comprising a plurality of stations for manipulating a wrapping material, the first said station comprising a first feed member for introducing each object into a manipulating line and a second feed member for conveying the object, together with a portion of a wrapping material through a first folding member to a second station that includes a chamber movable transversely of the direction of feed, has a retaining means for the partly packaged object and passes the object to a third station for further manipulation of the portion of wrapping material, wherein the second station incorporates, at both sides of the chamber, support means movable towards each other, and pinching and folding means co-operating with the support means so as to fold the wrapping material inwardly at both end-faces of the object.

2. Equipment according to Claim 1 , wherein the support means comprise two pairs of parallel support plates, and the pinching and folding means comprise pairs of folding plates which are movable towards each other and are arranged between the support plates.

3. Equipment according to Claim 2, wherein the support plates are arranged horizontally in the second station.

4. Equipment according to Claim 3, wherein a first pair of the folding plates is attached to the second feed member, and the second pair of folding plates is driven to be movable towards the first pair of folding plates and to be movable laterally out of engagement between the pair of support plates concerned.

5. Equipment according to Claim 1 , wherein the chamber is arranged to swing backwards and forwards between the second station, which comes first in the direction of feed, and a transversely located said third station.

6. Equipment according to Claim 1, wherein the chamber is formed as part of a chambered wheel so arranged as to pass the objects in a stepwise manner to further manipulating positions.

7. Equipment for packaging elongate objects, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.