GB2386367A

GB2386367A - Apparatus for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks

Info

Publication number: GB2386367A
Application number: GB0304911A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Willi Krieger; Thomas Gatzka
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2002-03-14
Filing date: 2003-03-04
Publication date: 2003-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-04
Also published as: GB0304911D0; ES2242489B1; GB2386367B; ES2242489A1; DE10211120A1; ITMI20030459A1

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for storing and supplying collapsed blanks (8) comprises a machine frame (11), on which two continuously revolving conveyor belts (14, 15) are disposed. The two conveyor belts (14, 15) carry on their outer sides partitions (19, 20), which are used to store the blanks (8) in the form of, in each case, one blank stack. The apparatus may have a base plate (12) and the belts (14,15) may be of differing heights.

Description

10 Apparatus for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks Prior art

15 The invention relates to an apparatus for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks. For producing bag packs, which are filled e.g. with foodstuffs, two different methods are customary: in the one method, it is only at the packaging installation itself that the pack to be filled is 20 produced from a packaging material blank, which is withdrawn from a roll of packaging material and cut off.

Such machines, which are disposed upstream of the actual filling and sealing machine, are known as so-called tubular bag-forming machines or mandrel wheel machines, depending 25 on the type of pack and/or the type of packaging material.

In the second method, on the other hand, bag packs which have already been prefabricated in advance by a packaging manufacturer are supplied to the packaging installation.

Such bag packs, of the type used e.g. to package salt, 30 sugar, flour, semolina or the like, are usually made of paper as a basic packaging material and have a folded and glued bottom closure in the form of a socalled block base, which enables a free-standing, cuboidal bag pack.

The present invention relates to bag packs, which have been produced in advance using the latter technique outside of the packaging installation and are supplied to the latter 5 in the form of collapsed pack blanks. A characteristic of such collapsed blanks of the bag packs is that, because the bottom closure has been previously creased and folded over against the plane of a side wall, the blank is approximately twice as thick in the region of the bottom 10 closure than in the region of the bag opening, through which the bag pack is filled (Figure 1).

Filling a storage magazine, which is associated with the packaging installation, with such collapsed bag blanks is 15 problematical in so far as the stack of bag packs owing to the described characteristic is approximately twice as thick in the bottom region of the blanks as in the top region of the blanks. In order to cope with this situation, it is known to use bag magazines of an arc 20 shaped construction, wherein the bottom closures are disposed on the outer radius of the magazine.

Because of the arc-shaped construction of the previously known bag magazine the storage volume of such bag magazines 25 is limited. This is due to the fact that, for handling reasons, the arc may have only a specific angular range and/or arc range. A further drawback of the known bag magazines is that each bag magazine has to be adapted to the respective size of the bag packs so that the bag pack 30 in the magazine may be guided in a defined manner between the walls of the bag magazine.

Advantages of the invention In contrast, the apparatus according to the invention for 5 storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks having the features of claim 1 has the advantage that it may be designed, in terms of its storage capacity, in any desired dimensions and that a size adaptation for pack blanks of differing height is not necessary. This is achieved 10 according to the invention substantially by means of the revolving conveying means, which by means of partitions form storage spaces, between which in each case one stack of collapsed pack blanks is insertable. Thus, the storage capacity of the apparatus is dependent only upon the length 15 of the conveying means which, given a suitable amount of available space, may be of any desired dimension. As the blanks are disposed with their side walls parallel to the partitions of the conveying means, an adaptation of the conveying means for different pack heights is not 20 necessary.

Advantageous developments of the apparatus according to the invention for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks are indicated in the subclaims.

It is advantageous for the partitions of mutually opposing conveying means to be spaced apart from one another in such a way that in the output region of the apparatus the leading conveyed blank is grippable at its pack wall, e.g. 30 by a transfer sucker.

It has moreover proved particularly advantageous for the two conveying means to be of differing height. By said means the stack of blanks may be fed particularly easily into the apparatus in that the stack is first disposed 5 above the lower conveying means and then introduced between two partitions of the higher conveying means, whereupon the stack is then lowered down between the corresponding partitions of the lower conveying means. In said case, the partitions of the higher conveying means serve as a guide 10 during lowering of the stack.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention a size adaptation with regard to blanks of differing width is possible by adjusting the distance between the two 15 conveying means.

Drawings 20 An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and described in detail below. The drawings show in: Figure 1 a side view of the blank of a collapsed bag pack, Figure 2 a plan view of the apparatus according to the 25 invention, Figure 3 a front view of the apparatus according to Figure 2 and Figure 4 a perspective view of the arrangement of the two revolving conveying mechanisms of the apparatus according 30 to Figures 2 and 3.

Description of the embodiment

In Figure 1 the collapsed blank 1 of a bag pack is illustrated. Between the two side walls 2, 3 of the 5 blank 1, which have been laid against one another, a gusset 4 drawn inwards into a V-shape is visible. The base 5 of the bag pack is designed as a so-called block base and is folded over towards the one side wall 2 in such a way that the base 5 is disposed with a portion 6 almost 10 parallel to the side wall 2. Such a blank 1 of a bag pack has, in its top region 7 through which the bag pack is filled, a thickness d which is approximately half as great as the thickness D in the region of the base 5 of the blank 1. When a plurality of blanks 1 are then laid on top 15 of one another in the form of a stack 8, it is then obvious that said stack 8 has a far greater thickness in the region of the bases 5 of the blanks 1 than in the region of the top regions 7.

20 The apparatus 10 according to the invention, which is illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, comprises a machine frame 11. The machine frame 11 on its top side carries a base 12 made of sheet metal, which serves as a guide for the blanks 1. Provided above the base 12 are two 25 continuously revolving conveyor belts 14, 15, which are drivable in synchronism. The conveyor belts 14, 15 extend in each case along a longitudinal side of the base 12, wherein their axes of rotation extend at right angles to the conveying direction 16.

The apparatus 10 comprises an inward transfer region 17 and an outward transfer region 18, wherein the blanks 1 may be

removed from the outward transfer region 18 of the apparatus 10 by nonillustrated means, in particular by means of a withdrawal mechanism having suckers, before being supplied to a downstream filling and sealing station.

The two conveyor belts 14, 15 extend parallel and at a distance from one another. The conveying sides of the conveyor belts 14, 15 at their outer sides have partitions 19, 20, which are disposed in each case parallel to one 10 another and formed integrally on the conveyor belts 14, 15.

The partitions 19, 20 are disposed parallel to the axes of rotation of the conveyor belts 14, 15, i.e. at right angles to the conveying direction 16, and are at the same uniform distances from one another on both conveyor belts 14, 15.

15 Furthermore, the partitions 19 of the one conveyor belt 14 are aligned with the partitions 20 of the second conveyor belt 15 at right angles to the conveying direction 16. The distance A between the two mutually opposing conveying sides of the conveyor belts 14, 15 may be varied by non 20 illustrated means by way of a size adaptation with regard to the width of the blanks 1, for which purpose a suitable adjusting mechanism having an adjusting wheel 21 is disposed on the machine frame 11.

25 The two conveyor belts 14, 15 are designed so as to differ in height in such a way that e.g. the first conveyor belt 14 is approximately twice as high as the second conveyor belt 15. The two conveyor belts 14, 15 are covered at the top by a guard plate 22, 23 to protect 30 operating personnel against contact and/or injury. The distance between the partitions 19, 20 is designed in each case in such a way that between each two successive

partitions 19, 20 astack of e.g. twenty to fifty blanks 1 may be disposed. In accordance with the view in Figure 3 such a stack of blanks 1 is introduced between the partitions 19, 20 of the conveyor belts 14, 15 in that the 5 operator pushes the stack from the direction of the lower conveyor belt 15 in between two partitions 19, 20 of the higher conveyor belt 14 (arrow 25), wherein the bases 5 of the blanks 1 are preferably directed towards the base 12 of the apparatus lo. The stack of blanks 1 is then lowered 10 vertically downwards (arrow 26), wherein as a result of being guided by the partitions 19 of the first conveyor belt 14 it may be introduced without difficulty between the partitions 20 of the second conveyor belt 15.

15 Because the blanks 1 are introduced from above between the two conveyor belts 14, 15, the apparatus 10 in the event of a change in the height of the blanks 1 requires no conversion work whatsoever. Also, it is possible for the blanks 1 to have a height exceeding the height of the 20 higher conveyor belt 14. It is merely necessary to guarantee reliable guidance of the blanks 1 between the partitions 19, 20.

The apparatus 10 according to the invention may be modified 25 in a variety of ways without departing from the idea of the invention, which consists of storing the blanks 1 between the partitions 19, 20 of the two conveyor belts 14, 15.

Claims

l v - a 10 Claims

1. Apparatus (10) for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks (1), wherein the pack blanks (1) have a bottom closure (5), in particular a block base, which 15 is folded in each case into the plane of the side walls (2, 3), which have been laid flat against one another, of a pack blank (1) so that the bottom closure (5) is disposed partially adjacent to one of the side walls (2, 3), comprising two synchronously 20 drivable, continuously revolving conveying means (14, 15), which are disposed parallel and at a distance from one another, and comprising partitions (19, 20), which are disposed on the conveying means (14, 15) and extend at right angles to the conveying 25 direction (16) of the conveying means (14, 15), so that a stack of collapsed pack blanks (1) is insertable between the mutually aligned and opposing partitions (19, 20) of the conveying means (14, 15).

30

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the partitions (19, 20) of the mutually opposing conveying means (14, 15) are spaced apart from one

another.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that disposed between the mutually opposing partitions 5 (19, 20) is a base plate (12), along which the bag pack blanks (1) slide during conveying of the latter.

4. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two conveying means (14, 15) 10 are of differing height.

5. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the distance (A) between the two conveying means (14, 15) is designed so as to be 15 variable.

6. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the conveying means take the form of belt bands (14, 15), on which the partitions 20 (19, 20) are integrally formed.

7. An apparatus for storing and supplying collapsed pack blanks substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.