IE49546B1 - Packaging articles - Google Patents

Abstract

Flat articles, for example packets (10) of dehydrated soup to be packaged as a stack in a display carton for retail sale, are passed in shingled relation along a generally horizontal conveyor (13), and discharged in succession into an open-topped receptacle, e.g. a carton or a trough (11) associated with a stack removal pusher, located at or beyond the downstream end of the conveyor so as to form a stack of vertically superimposed articles. Because of the close spacing of the articles as they fall into the receptacle, any disorientation of an individual article sufficient to prevent it from adopting its required position and attitude on the stack is prevented by the articles succeeding and/or preceding it. Spaced batches are defined in the article stream by a restraining hook (31), by an accelerator conveyor raisable through the conveyor (13), or by relative movement of the conveyor (13) and an upstream conveyor (12).

Description

This invention relates to the packaging of articles in containers such as cardboard cartons.

The invention has particular application to the packaging of packets of dehydrated soup in display cartons for the retail trade, but may have wide application where generally flat articles having limited rigidity are required to be packaged in containers in stacks of two or more articles.

One method currently used for packaging soup packets in display cartons is to allow the packets to fall in succession from a horizontal feed conveyor on which the packets are placed so as to adopt vertical positions between the upstanding vanes of a vaned conveyor aligned with the feed conveyor. A reciprocating pusher comb mounted alongside the vaned· conveyor-then pushes the packets in successive groups from between the varies and onto' a lifting platform. Each stack of packets which is thereby formed on the lifting platform is, in its turn, compressed by a horizontally acting presser ram, raised by the lifting platform to an elevated position ' whilst still compressed by the presser ram, and then pushed si-deways off the lifting platform into a display carton which is suitably positioned to receive it.

The method briefly described in the preceding paragraph suffers from various drawbacks. In addition to the complexity and cost of the apparatus involved, the method suffers from an inherent technical weakness which is incurred by the requirement to manipulate the packets when in vertical positions, that it, with their generally plane faces vertical.

For packaging into the cartons the packets need to be substantially flat and of uniform thickness. To that end they may be passed through a flattening device before they are fed onto the feed conveyor as described above. However, during the whole time interval between their leaving the feed conveyor and their entering the display carton the packets are vertical and therefore subject to the settlement of their contents towards their bottom edges. The distortion of the packets caused by any such settlement may be reduced when the packets are compressed by the presser ram as described, but nevertheless may cause difficulty with the insertion of the packets in the display carton.

The present invention seeks to provide a packaging apparatus from which the disadvantages described above are wholly or substantially lacking, and accordingly provides apparatus for forming a stack of generally flat articles of limited rigidity in an open-topped receptacle, the apparatus comprising: a feed conveyor arranged to advance the articles serially in spaced relation at a first speed, and a shingling conveyor arranged for receiving the articles from the feed conveyor and for advancing the articles at a second speed which, in relation to the longitudinal dimension of the articles and their flow rate along the feed conveyor, is such that the articles are placed in shingled relation on the shingling conveyor, the apparatus further including a discharge conveyor arranged periodically to lift the shingled articles from the shingling conveyor and to advance them at a high speed substantially greater than said first and second speeds for discharge beyond the downstream end of the shingling conveyor into a said open-topped receptacle, the discharge conveyor thereby discharging the articles in successive, spaced groups each formed of a plurality of shingled articles.

The receptacle may be an open-topped trough along which the formed stack may be pushed for further manipulation and packaging. Alternatively, the receptacle may itself be a container into which it is required to package the articles.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which shows an apparatus in accordance with the invention in side elevation.

Referring now to the drawing, an apparatus is shown for forming a stack of vertically superimposed packets 10 of a powder or granulate material (e.g. dehydrated soup) in an open-topped receptacle in the form of an elongate trough 11 having a horizontal bottom 20 and front and back walls 21, 22.

The apparatus comprises an endless upstream feed conveyor 12 and an endless downstream shingling conveyor 13 each driven by means, not shown. The conveyors are aligned so that their horizontal upper runs move in series relation from right to left, as shown. The trough 11 extends transversely of the centre-line of the conveyors and is disposed for receiving packets 10 delivered from the shingling conveyor as is later to be described.

The feed conveyor is driven to circulate about rollers or shafts 14,15 at a constant first speed. The shingling conveyor is drivable about further rollers or shafts 16,17 at a second constant speed which is substantially lower than this first speed.

The shingling conveyor is formed of a plurality of spaced and parallel belts arranged to circulate about the rollers or shafts 16,17 for receiving the packets 10 from the feed conveyor. It will be seen that the forward roller or shaft 16 is located at a substantial spacing from the trough 11 upstream of the latter.

A continuously driven high speed conveyor 35 is formed of a plurality of spaced and parallel belts intermeshed with those of the shingling conveyor and arranged to circulate about three rollers or shafts 36, 37, 38. Of these, the roller or shaft 36 is located adjacent the trough 11 at a slightly higher level than the upper run of the shingling conveyor 13, the roller or shaft 37 is located below the roller or shaft 17 at the upstream end of the shingling conveyor, and the roller or shaft 38 is carried by a carriage (not shown) for movement between a retracted position in which it is located adjacent the downstream end of the feed conveyor (but forward of the roller or shaft 17 of the shingling conveyor) and an advanced position 38A in which it is located adjacent the roller or shaft 16 of the shingling conveyor slightly above the upper run of the latter. In addition, a lifting device (not shown) is provided on the carriage and operable to lift the roller or shaft 38, when in its retracted position, from a lowered position 38], to a raised position 38R.

In the lowered position 38^ of the roller or shaft 38, the upper run of the high speed conveyor 35 is located below the upper run of the shingling conveyor where they overlap, and the shingling conveyor is therefore able to receive packets 10 fed onto it from the feed conveyor 12.

In use of the apparatus, the packets 10, possibly after passing through a mangle-like device (not shown) to give them a substantially uniform thickness, are fed individually onto the upstream, right hand end of the feed conveyor 12, and pass along that conveyor as shown, with a longitudinal, generally regular spacing at an average flow rate of, typically, 120 packets per minute.

The speed of the shingling conveyor is so chosen in relation to the average flow rate and longitudinal dimension of the packets 10 on the feed conveyor that in falling onto the shingling conveyor the packets are given a shingled relationship. The shingling is such that the front or leading edge of each packet is overlapped with, and overlies, the back or trailing edge of the packet in front of it. The packets are typically overlapped by approximately 60% of their length, but the degree of overlapping may vary within wide limits, usually within the range 20% to 80%.

After packets 10 sufficient to form a group have been fed in their shingled relation onto the shingling conveyor, the roller or shaft 38 is lifted by the lifting device to its raised position 38R, so bringing the upper run of the high speed conveyor through and pass that of the shingling conveyor. The shingled packets of the group on the shingling conveyor are therefore made subject to the high speed conveyor, and are carried forward by that conveyor at a high speed for discharge into the trough 11. For clarity the packets 10 are not shown on the shingling conveyor or in the trough.

As soon as it reaches its raised position 38R_ the roller or shaft 38 is advanced by the carriage at the speed of the high speed conveyor towards its advanced position 38A. In so doing it correspondingly advances the trailing end of the upper run of the high speed conveyor (which accordingly moves forward just behind the last packet of the group moving into the trough 11), so that the shingling conveyor is vacated for receiving the packets of the next group to be formed. After completing its forward movement the roller or shaft 38 is returned directly to its lowered and retracted position 38J. in readiness for a repeat operation upon the next group of packets in the manner described above.

If desired, the apparatus may include an inhibit arrangement in the power supply for the shingling conveyor and arranged to stop that conveyor if a gap of greater than a predetermined spacing follows a packet on the feed conveyor. Normal operation of the shingling conveyor is resumed when the succeeding packet arrives.

The invention is not limited to the packing of packets of powder or granulate material as particularly described. It may have wide application where generally flat articles, particularly those of limited rigidity, require to be collated in stacks of two or more articles.

Claims (4)

1. Apparatus for forming a stack of generally flat articles of limited rigidity in an open-topped receptacle, the apparatus comprising: a feed conveyor arranged to advance the articles serially in spaced relation at a first speed, and a shingling conveyor arranged for receiving the articles from the feed conveyor and for advancing the articles at a second speed which, in relation to the longitudinal dimension of the articles and their flow rate along the feed conveyor, is such that the articles are placed in shingled relation on the shingling conveyor, the apparatus further including a discharge conveyor arranged periodically to lift the shingled articles from the shingling conveyor and to advance them at a high speed substantially greater than said first and second speeds for discharge beyond the downstream end of the shingling conveyor into a said open-topped receptacle, the discharge conveyor thereby discharging the articles in successive, spaced groups each formed of a plurality of shingled articles.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shingling conveyor and the discharge conveyor each comprise a plurality of spaced and parallel endless belts arranged to circulate about rollers or shafts, the belts of the two conveyors being intermeshed, and the upstream end of the operative run of the discharge conveyor being trained about rollers or shafts mounted on a carriage, to achieve the lifting of the shingled articles from the shingling conveyor and their subsequent discharge, the said carriage being raisable to bring the operative run of the discharge conveyor above that of the shingling conveyor and thereafter being advanceable, at said high speed and still in its raised position, towards and beyond the downstream end of the shingling conveyor, said high speed movement being accompanied by circulatory movement of the discharge conveyor at the same speed and in the same operative 5 direction.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, which includes a sprag clutch associated with said carriage-mounted rollers or shafts for causing the said movement of the belts of the discharge conveyor when the carriage is advanced. 10

4. Apparatus for forming a stack of generally flat articles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.