GB931918A - Improvements in or relating to the stacking and packing of articles - Google Patents

Abstract

931,918. Stacking articles. CHISWICK PRODUCTS Ltd. April 21, 1961 [Jan. 22, 1960], No. 2454/60. Class 94(1). An apparatus for stacking articles, e.g. tins of shoe polish, comprises a conveyer 1 feeding a stream of articles 19, 20 to a stacking position 5, lifting cams 17, 18 serving to raise a first article 19 vertically at said position and means for withdrawing said support means 17, 18 while a second article 20 is fed beneath the first to take over support thereof and thus to form a stack. A number of stacking stations may be arranged side by side to stack a row of articles. While the first tin 19, fed in by the conveyer 1, is raised by the cams 17, 18 which rotate continuously in an anticlockwise direction at the same speed, the movement of tins into the stacking column 5 is interrupted by cut-off fingers 11 operated by a cam 14. On further rotation of the cams 17, 18, Fig. 7, the cut-off fingers are withdrawn to allow a second tin 20 to be fed into the column 5 beneath the first. As the cams 17, 18 withdraw, Fig. 8, the second tin 20 takes over support of the first thus forming a stack. The stack of tins is fed directly into the open bottom of a suitable carton placed over the top of the column 5. Where the tins are fitted with opening levers &c. an article orientating device such as is disclosed in Specification 844,798 [Group XXX] may be arranged on the conveyer in advance of the stacking station. Furthermore a spiral lever positioning guide 21 may be provided to urge the lever towards a corner of the column 5. Feeler means are provided to stop the machine in the absence of a supply of tins.