IL21896A - Wire loop bending apparatus - Google Patents

Description

FILE ζ-7332 This invention relates to wirebound container making machines .

It is among the advantages of apparatus described herein as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention that it is adapted to be used as an attachment for wirebound box making machinery having a vertically moving driver member. For example, wireloop bending apparatus embodying the present invention may be used to advantage with machines employed to form loop fasteners on wire-bound box and crate blanks of the general type customarily formed in stapling machines. In such stapling machines, properly assembled side material or slats and reinforcing cleats are conveyed by continuously moving conveyor bands beneath stapling units which drive staples astride longitudinally extending binding wires, through the side material or slats and into the cleats to form a continuous succession of wirebound box blanks each comprising several, usually four, box sections or sides foldably secured together by the binding wires. This continuous succession of box blanks is then fed into a loop fastener machine of the type referred to above. In the loop fastener machine, the binding wires are severed in the interval between adjacent box blanks, and the binding wires are bent to form prongs in the resulting end por are again bent to form loops in the binding wires and to place the prongs over the adjacent edge portions of the side material of the box blanks. The loops are then secured by driving the prongs through the side material and clinching them over against the undersurface thereof. When the box blank is folded around to set up the box, the two loop fasteners at opposite ends of each of the binding wires come into opposition at the closing corner of the box and one of these loops, being somewhat narrower than the other, is inserted through the latter and bent down against the outer surface of the box to secure the box closed.

In many applications for wirebound boxes such as for larger or longer boxes and those designed for heavy loads it is desirable to include one or more intermediately positioned wire binders for reinforcing the assembled box. However, there have been difficulties in terminating these intermediate wire binders. In many instances these intermediate wire binders were terminated as straight ends adjacent to an outer surface of the box, but these straight ends often became bent in shipping or usage so that they projected and could snag upon other objects and upon the clothing and hands of persons moving or using such a box.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide wire loop bending apparatus capable of operating as an attachment for existing machinery having a vertically moving drive member for providing a loop at the end of an intermediately positioned wire binder. which is simple and economical in construction, which is reliable in operation, and which may be readily incorporated in loop fastener machines of conventional type without reconstruction thereof. Additional objects will be apparent hereinafter.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box blank of a type which can be produced using apparatus embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary i elevational sectional view through a loop fastener machine in which has been included wire loop bending apparatus embodying the present invention. This embodiment of the invention is shown at the left in Figure 2; Figure 3 is an elevational view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking toward the right; Figure 1+ is an elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 3 as seen lookin at Figure 3 from the left; Figure is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure I., and showing the apparatus at a later stage of operation. In Figure 3 and Figure 5 the apparatus is seen from the same side; Figures 6, 7, and 8 are detail views of the wire-bending spindle and pins and guide means at successive stages of their operation; these Figures 6, 7» and 8 correspond generally with a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 5· Figure 1 shows a wirebound container blank B of a type illustrative of the box components which can embodying the present invention. This container blank B is adapted for forming a crate, and it includes four sections 1, 2, 3» and 1+ foldably secured together by binding wires 5> 6, and 7» respectively, which are fastened to the blank by staples 8 driven astride of the binding wires. The sections 2 and l form sides of the crate, when it is assembled, and the section 3 forms the bottom. In the top section 1 are included a pair of end portions 9 and 10 which are folded down within the assembled crate to provide closed ends, thus leaving the top open for loading and subsequent closure by appropriate means.

The binding wires and 7 extend along longitudinal edges of the blank in alignment with cleats 11, and the intermediate binding wire 6 is secured to the side material 12, which is here shown as a series of side slats. In the fabrication of this blank B, as mentioned above, a loop fastener machine II ., shown generally in Figure 2, provides loops 16 at the leading edge of the blank and provides narrower loops 17 at the trailing edge of the blank. Prior to the present invention the end l8 of the intermediate wire binding 6 was terminated as a straight end adjacent to the outside surface of the side material 12.

To provide a more convenient and safer assembled crate, the wire end l8 is bent into a loop 19 which extends beyond the top edge of the side section 2. Attached to the loop fastener machine 11+ is wire loop bending apparatus 20 which advantageously cooperates with this machine IJ . in forming the loop 19. This apparatus 20 is adapted any reconstruction thereof and operates in a manner utilizing the existing driving motion of a part of the machine lk to accomplish the wire loop bending operation as explained in detail further below.

In the loop fastener machine lk a continuous succession:: of container forming blanks B moves through the machine with the blanks being supported upon a table 22. When the blanks reach the relative position as shown in Figure 2 at which the binding wires 5 and 7 n the . interval extending between successive blanks are properly positioned with respect to. the wire-cutting and prong forming assembly 2k, the movement of the blanks is momentarily stopped and the : table 22 is lowered slightly to a position for operation with the cutting and prong forming assembly 2k. A center movable cross bar 26, which carries the assembly 2k, is then driven down along ways 27 by means of a powerful vertical drive mechanism 28 so that the assembly 2k severs the binding wires 5 and 7 and bends them to form prongs on each of the resulting cut wire ends. These pronged wire ends are bent around to form the respective loops 16 and 17· Then a pair of outer, movable cross bars 29 and 30 are driven down along their ways, 31 and 32 by respective vertical drive mechanisms 33 and 3k for causing the prong driving assemblies 35 and 36 to drive the prongs into position in the blanks B and to clinch ,them in place for completing the loops l6 and 17. At the completion of this operation the assemblies 2k, 35» and 3 are raised, the table 22 is raised slightly back to its initial position, and the 31+ are geared together as indicated so that they operate in predetermined cyclic relationship.

In order to mount the wire loop bending apparatus 20 in the machine ll+, a rigid bracket 38 is releasably attached to one of the outer, vertically driven cross bars 29 or 30, and this bracket carries a support arm 1+0. In this illustrative example the bracket 38 and arm 1+0 are seen as being attached to the cross bar 29 so that the machine 11+ and apparatus 20 are set up for fabricating the type container blank B as shown in Figure 1. However, it will be appreciated from the following description that the apparatus 20 may conveniently be used in a wide variety of different installations and setups for forming different types of wirebound box components.

As the cross bar 29 is driven up and down during the operation of the machine ll+, the support arm 1+0 has a corresponding vertical motion, and advantageously the wire loop bending apparatus 20 converts this vertical motion into the rotary motion of a spindle 1+2 (Figure $) which forms the loop 19 (Figures 1 and 8) . The spindle 1+2 is journaled in a sleeve bearing 1+1+ in a spindle housing 1+6 containing a miter gear 1+8 secured to the spindle 1+2 and driven by another miter gear 50 which is secured to the shaft $2 of a spur gear 51+· The spur gear 5+ acts as a pinion, as shown in Figure 1+, and is operated by a gear rack $6 which is adjustably mounted on the frame member 58 .

In order to adjust the position of the rack 56 , an adjusting screw 60 is mounted on the frame 58 and en a es the to end of a rack-su ortin element 62 so as to set the location of the rack $6 with respect to the frame 8 , and the screw 60 is locked in place by a lock-nut 6l ..

As shown in Figures 3 &nd l±, the frame member 58 is connected to a pair of generally U-shaped side plates 66 which stradle the main mounting arm ij.0 . These side plate 66 are adjustably clamped to the arm lj.0 by me ans of a clamp spacer block 68 and a releasable clamp 70 held by studs 72 which are thre aded into an upper mounting block 73 and into a lower mounting bl ock 7^ - secured to the side plates 66 , as shown in Figure 3 , by machine screws 75 · In Figures 3 and J the operating parts are shown in their initial neutral position wherein a latch 76 engages beneath the lip of a latch-engaging head element 78 which is fastened by adjus ting means 80 to the top of a control bar 82 for controlling the vertical movement of the spindle housing I4.6 . The lower end of this control bar 82 is connected to the spindle housing lj.6 as indicated in Figure 5 > and the control bar 82 can slide up and down through a passage 8l\. in the frame member 58 .

For purposes of pre-positioning the spindle I4.2 for subsequent loop bending as shown by the movement arrow 85 ( Figure 6 ) , the following sequence of steps takes place . When the main support arm 1 0 is rai sed from the initial neutral pos ition to i ts maximum height I4.O 1 , as seen in Figure 2, a latch-tripping leg 86 of the latch 76 strike s against a latch re lease bar 88 (Figure ) , thus releasing the control bar 82 so that the spindle housing ij.6 is driven down by a compression spring 90 * straint by the engaged latch 76. The spring is guided by a rod 92 and is seated up into a recess <¾ in the frame member 8. The rod 9 can slide up and down along a passage 96 , and at the lower end of this rod is a seat 97 for the end of the spring, thus the spring thrusts down on the spindle housing I .6 for moving it down when the latch 76 is released.

The downward movement of the spindle housing I .6 causes the pinion to roll down along the rack 6, as seen in Figure 5* for this rack is temporarily held in its upper position by the raised support arm i+0. Consequently, the miter gears 50 and lj.8 are rotated for pre-positioning the spindle i2 by turning it through a suitable angle, which is shown in Figure 6 as being an angular movement of approximately 250 ° , The downward motion of the spindle housing 1+ is checked by stops 98 (Figure Ij.) which are engaged by stop-adjusting screws 99 on a cross head 100 secured to the latch-engaging head element 78.

The latch release bar 88 is mounted on the machine II . (Figure 2 ) for vertical adjustment by mounting screws 101 secured to a cantilever beam 102 attached by adjustable clamps 103 to a pair of fixed cross bars 10i|. and 105 held by brackets 106 and 107 on the machine. The clamps 103 can be adjusted along the cross bars 101+ and 105 for positioning the apparatus 20 at the desired lateral position, and the length of the latch release bar 88 accommodates longitudinal positioning of the clamp 70 along the main support arm I .0. It will be noted in Figure 2 that the support arm 1 0 can be adjusted laterally along the cross bar 29, for the bracket 38 is held onto 88 is indicated in dashed lines in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 5> the latch 76 has an adjustable stop 109 and is pivoted at 110, being urged toward engaged position by a spring 112.

After the spindle has been pre -positioned by the sequence of actions described above, the main support arm 10 moves downwardly, carrying the spindle housing I4.6 and the frame 58 down together in the spaced relation shown in Figure 5· A distance before the arm 2+0 reaches the bottom of its stroke, a pair of converging wire guide elements Ιΐΐμ (see also Figure .7) straddle the wire end l8 and guide it between a pair of wire loop bending pins IIS and 116 which project down from the spindle I.2. The pin 11 is axially located on the spindle 1|.2, and the other pin ll6 is eccentrically positioned a suitable distance from the binding wire 6. The guides III . are offset by a slotted support ll8 (Figure 1+) thus providing clearance 119 for the wire end l8 to be swung around as it is bent into a loop 19 (Figure 8) .

As the arm I.O continues down, a large stop screw 120 on the spindle housing ij.6 seats down upon the blank B which Is supported on a "re action plate associated with the table 22. Thus, the spindle housing 1+6 is prevented from further downward movement, while the arm I.O, frame 58 and rack 5 all continue moving down so as to move the rack 5 dt>wn with respect to the pinion 5^· Consequently, the. spindle I.2 is now rotated back to its initial position to form the loop as shown in Figure 8. This downward motion of the frame 8 with respect to the

Claims (2)

FILE 5-7332 Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. A wirebound container making machine having wire loop bending apparatus for forming a loop in the end portion of a binding wire attached to a container blank, said apparatus comprising a frame detachable connected to a vertically movable part of the machine, wire-loop bending means mounted on a rotatable member for engagement with a wire end portion, said rotatable member being carried by a support mounted on said frame and vertically movable with respect to said frame, said support being urged downwardly with respect to said frame, rotating drive means interconnecting said frame and support for converting relative motion therebetween into rotation of said rotatable member around a vertical axis thereof, and stop means on said support for arresting downward movement of said support when said wire-loop bending means have engaged a wire end portion and for causing said rotatable member to turn for forming the loop upon further downward movement of said frame .

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said wire-loop bending means includes a pair of downwardly projecting elements for engaging a region of the wire portion spaced inwardly from the end thereof, for bending the loop, and guide means adjacent to said wire-loop bending elements for guiding the wire portion between said elements, said guide means including a pair of converging members having a slot therebetween for engaging the wire portion nearer to the end than said elements, and an offset support for providing clearance for lateral movement of the wire end during the bending of the loop. 3· machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein control means are provided for releasing said support £Θ* downward movement of the support with respect to the frame for turning said rotatable member in an initial direction, thereby to pre -position said rotatable member, said rotatable member turning in the opposite direction upon downward movement of said frame with respect to said support when said support has been arrested b , stop means. 1+. machine according to claim 3, wherein latch means are provided for holding said support in an upper position with respect to said frame, said control means including release means for releasing said latch means when said frame is near the top of its movement, thereby-allowing said support to move down to a. lower position for pre-positioning said rotatable member in the initial direction, said latch means being re-engaged upon the arresting of the downward movement of said support and the turning of said rotatable member in the opposite direction. 5· A machine according to any one of claims 1 to I., wherein said rotating drive means includes a vertical gear rack on said frame and a pinion engaging said gear rack, said pinion being mounted on said support and connected to said rotatable member. wire loop bending apparatus for forming a loop in the end portion of a binding wire attached to a container blank, constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. BATED this }( jjL day of S. Horowitz & o. Agent for Applicants