KR100454351B1 - Method and apparatus for loading bottom-loading basket-style carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for loading a container into a basket opening with a bottom open, wherein the apparatus (10) comprises a container transfer mechanism, a transport transport feeder (30), a means for removing the transport from the transport transport feeder (60 or 260) for receiving a delivery port (3) from a delivery transport feeder and commencing transport of the transport in a simultaneous parallel operation on the container, a transport opening , An inclined belt assembly (90) for receiving a bottom panel extending transversely of the carrier to form a passage for transporting the carrier downwardly over a group of containers, a seat belt assembly A seating arrangement 120 in which the uppermost bottom seating block engages the respective upper portions of the handle grips, And a floor panel sealing mechanism (130, 140, 182) for positioning the floor panel in a locked relationship.

Description

[0001] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOADING BOTTOM-LOADING BASKET-STYLE CARRIER [0002]

Prior methods and apparatus for loading bottles from the bottom to the bottom of a basket-like transport are described in U.S. Patent No. 2,276,129 to Wesselman, U.S. Patent No. 2,603,924 to Currie et al, US Pat. Nos. 3,627,193 to Helms, US Pat. No. 3,698,151 to Arneson, US Pat. No. 3,751,872 to Helms, US Pat. No. 3,747,294 to Calvert et al. U.S. Patent No. 3,805,484 to Rossi, U.S. Patent No. 3,842,571 to Focke et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,848,519 to Ganz, U.S. Patent No. 3,924,385 to Walter, U.S. Patent No. 3,940,907 to Gans, U.S. Patent No. 4,915,218 to Crouch et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,919,261 to Lashyro et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,234,103 to Schuste, and U.S. Reissue Patent No. 27,624 to Schuste .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for continuous opening and loading of a basket-like bottom loading carrier.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for loading a container into a basket-like bottom loading carriage comprises a first container conveying conveyor, a devider adjacent to the first container conveying conveyor for separating the containers into columns, A container meter for weighing each column of containers in a number of containers, a second container conveyor having a member for engaging the last container in each group of containers, a container gripper for holding the container group a carrier feeder for removing the carrier from the carrier infeed supplier, a transport gripper for transporting the carrier in parallel with the container on the container, , A bottom panel of the carrier to a center line of the delivery line A gripper assembly for gripping and pulling outwardly for pulling out the carrier for receiving the bottom panel of the transversely extending carrier and forming a passageway for transporting the carrier downward over a group of containers, An oblique belt assembly having a pair of downwardly sloped belts each configured as a pair of belts, a plurality of members having a groove for engaging an upper portion of the handle grip, the member having a bottom member A seating assembly rotatably disposed relative to a port positioned over a group of containers to engage respective top portions of the handle grips and two portion lug assemblies for positioning the floor panels in a locking relationship relative to each other, Lt; / RTI >

Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention and the accompanying drawings and claims.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bottom-loading basket-type transportation port for loading articles such as beverage bottles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a carrier loaded by an apparatus for loading a bottom stacking basket according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank for forming the carrier of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a view showing a folded state of the carrier of Fig. 1; Fig.

Figure 4 is a view of the container for the transport of Figure 1 in the collapsed state of Figure 3;

Fig. 4A is a view showing a container for the transport of Fig. 1 in the collapsed state of Fig. 3, showing a configuration for use in loading an automatic transport of a hopper of the device of Fig. 5;

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for loading a bottom stacked basket-like transport according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is an isometric view showing the hopper of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the hopper of Figure 6 loaded with at least one carrier;

Figure 8 is an isometric view showing the carton feeder of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a plan view showing the nip belt assembly portion of the apparatus of Figure 5 abutting the carrier;

Figure 10 is an isometric view of the grip hole insertion assembly of the timing-receiving portion for use in the device of Figure 5;

11 is an isometric view showing a grip hole insertion portion for the assembly of FIG. 10;

Figure 12 shows a modified handle portion of the carrier of Figure 1;

Figure 13 is a side view of the pharyngole insertion assembly of Figure 10 with the device-guide rails of the device for facilitating insertion into the carrier and inserts placed within the phalanx of the carrier;

FIG. 14 is a partial front view of the gripping hole insertion assembly shown in FIG. 13; FIG.

Figures 15 and 16 are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the panel-gripper assembly of the apparatus of Figure 5 in operation;

17 is a front view of the nip belt assembly and the panel-gripper assembly of the apparatus of FIG.

Figure 18 is a top plan view of the panel-gripper assembly of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a panel-gripper engaged with the cam track of the device of Figure 5;

FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 show the combination between the open roller and the open lamp member of the panel-gripper assembly of the apparatus of FIG. 5;

Figure 23 is an isometric view showing a bottle transport conveyor of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Fig. 24 is a rear view showing the bottle gripper of the bottle-apparatus of Fig. 5; Fig.

Figure 25 is a plan view showing a bottle-gripper conveyor of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Figure 26 is a side view of the tilting and seating assembly of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Figures 27 and 28 are cross-sectional views of the oblique belt portion of the apparatus of Figure 5;

Fig. 29 is an isometric view showing another example of the inclined block of Fig. 5; Fig.

Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view of the planetary gear of the carrier seating assembly of Figure 5;

31 is an isometric view showing a folder-binder assembly of the device of Fig. 5;

32 is a plan view showing a folding block of the folder-binder assembly of FIG. 31;

Figure 33 is a side view showing the folding block of the folder-binder assembly of Figure 31;

34 is a side view showing a folding block of the folder-binder assembly of FIG. 31;

Figure 35 is a side view showing the folding block and the sealing block of the folder-binder assembly of Figure 31;

36 is a plan view of the lower-panel alignment assembly;

Figure 37 is an isometric view of the bottle ballast assembly of the apparatus of Figure 5;

38 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle stabilizer assembly of FIG. 37 engaged with a carrier package;

Fig. 39 is an isometric view showing a second embodiment of the timing and transport separation of the apparatus of Fig. 5; Fig.

Port

The method and apparatus 10 described as a preferred embodiment of the present invention is particularly suitable for loading a transport such as the bottom stacking basket-like transport 3 shown in FIG. Although the use of the method and apparatus 10 according to the object of the present invention is not limited to the carrier 3 described below, the features of the present invention are explicitly described by the processing and loading of the illustrated carrier 3. The blank 906 forming the carrier 3 is shown in Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the folded state of the carrier 3 in Fig.

The delivery port 3 is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 326,987. This application is based on the applicant of the present invention. To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the transport 3 and the blank 906 for forming the transport 3 will be described. First, see FIGS. 1 and 2. The illustrated conveying port 3 is generally designed so that the bottle is accommodated in two rows. The embodiment of the carrier described herein describes the use of the invention with two 3-bottle and two 4-bottle containers, i.e. 6-pack and 8-pack carriers 3. However, the present invention may be practiced to accommodate other rows of bottles. Both sides of the transport are the same. Therefore, the features shown in the side view in Fig. 1 apply equally to the invisible side. The sidewalls 920,930 have a cutout defining the lower sidewall bands 921,931 and the upper sidewall bands 923,933. It is the respective corner tabs 922, 932, 924, 934 that foldably connect the lower sidewall bands 921, 931 and the upper sidewall bands 923, 933 to the respective end walls 940, 942, 950, 952. Corner tabs 922,932, 924 and 934 define beveled corners at the intersection of side walls 920 and 930 and end walls 940, 942, 950 and 952, respectively. The incision region also defines a central portion 928, 938 that is not cut into the sidewalls 920, 930. The central cell is formed on each side of the carrier by the cell bands 925, 935 and the corner tabs 926, 936 foldably connected to the cell band and the central cell portions 927, 937 integrally formed in the side walls 920, 930. Upstanding panels 960,962, 970 and 972 extend between the bottom of the delivery port 3 and the handle structure formed by the panels 980,982,990,992. The grip flap 984 can also be seen in the figures. The folding between the central cell portion of the side walls 920, 930 and each of the knob structural panels 980, 982, 999, 922 ends at each of the curved section improvements 986, 988, 996, The cut-out between the upper sidewall bands 923, 933 of each side wall 920, 930 and the corresponding center cell portion ends at each of the curved section enhancements 987, 989, 997, 999. In the collapsed condition (as shown in Fig. 3), the delivery port 3 is provided with a nick member (Fig. 3), which occupies an important position on the incision between the side wall and the center cell in the beveled corner tabs 929,939). This shape is not obvious in a completely erected carrier, but can be seen in the folded state shown in Fig. 3 and the blank 906 in Fig. The blank 906 is substantially symmetrical about a perforated fold line that divides the handle panels 980,982,990,992 and divides the carrier 3 in half. One of the two bottom wall panels 910,912 has a greater width than the other and is shown here as a larger bottom wall 912 for convenience. The other floor wall panels are designed with a smaller floor wall panel 910. Each sidewall 920,930 has a cut-out region or cut-away region to form upper sidewall bands 923,933 with corner tabs 924,934 adjacent to lower sidewall bands 921,931 with adjacent corner taps 922,932. The components for forming the center cell are the central cell bands 925 and 935, the center cell corner tabs 926 and 936, and the central portions 927 and 937 of the center cell integral with the respective side wall panels 920 and 930. The rigid notch members 929,939 connect the top sidewall bands 923,933 to the respective center cell corner tabs 926,936. The end walls 940, 942, 950, 952 are connected to respective adjacent side walls 920, 930 by respective side wall corner tabs 922, 932, 924, The upstanding panels are connected to the respective end walls 940, 942, 950, 952 along the perforated fold lines. Support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 for attaching to the bottom wall panels 910, 912 are foldably connected to the lower edges of the respective upright panels 960, 962, 970, In addition, a suitable carrier for loading by the present invention may have support tabs connected to the lower edges of the respective end walls 940, 942, 950, 952 along fold lines, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The central cell bands 925, 935 are connected along a perforated fold line in the lower region of each handle panel 980, 982, 990, Finger holes 981, 983, 991, 993 are formed in the respective handle panels 980, 982, 990, The cutting lines separating the central cell bands 925, 935 and the central cell corner tabs 926, 936 associated therewith from each grip panel end at the curved section enhancement 986, 988, 996, 998. A cutaway that separates the upper sidewall bands 923 and 933 and the associated corner taps 924 and 934 from the central cell bands 925 and 935 and the cell corner taps 926 and 936 associated therewith is accomplished in a curved incline 987,989,997,999 within each side wall 920,930 It ends. The grip flaps 984 and 994 are connected to respective grip panels 980 and 990 along the perforated fold lines in the grip holes 981 and 991, respectively. The curved section improvement (986, 987, 988, 989, 996, 997, 998, 999) serves to help prevent stress from acting on the critical end point of the incline improvement at the exit 3.

As described above, the methods and apparatus described herein are particularly suitable for loading a carrier having the general characteristics of the above form. The components of the delivery port 3 are formed and loaded in a folded state and loaded into the apparatus described herein so that they can then be granular so that the bottle can be loaded therein. The present invention is particularly useful for loading so-called " contoured PET " bottles into the illustrated port 3, although some types of bottles may be suitable for being handled and loaded by the present invention .

The delivery port is received by the apparatus of the present invention in a folded state in which the bottom wall panels 910 and 912 are brought into surface contact with the side walls of the delivery port 3 as shown in Fig. In this state, the transportation port 3 is easily loaded into the apparatus of the present invention, and then the bottle is loaded upright by the apparatus. However, the support tabs 961, 963, 971, and 973 may be exposed and damaged when the carrier is transported in this state. The present invention includes suitable means for preparing the carrier (3) for loading into the apparatus. As means for preventing damage to the support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 of the carrier 3 during loading into the loading position and for facilitating the loading of the carrier 3 into the apparatus (described below) Such as the box shown in Fig. In this state, the knob is positioned downward and the lower edge is directed upward. The end wall 2 and the side wall 4 of the container 5 for the delivery port 3 extend over the exposed and projecting support tabs 961,963,971,973 so that the support tabs 961,963,971,973 are damaged during loading into the loading position ≪ / RTI >

The vessel 5 can be positioned near the hopper 30 of the apparatus and inverted to position the vessel 3 downwardly into the chute of the hopper. Figure 4A is another form of container 205 for folded delivery 3 wherein end wall 202 and sidewall 204 likewise extend over the projecting tabs of the delivery port but each end wall 202 has an upwardly projecting And a slot 208 extending between the tabs. The container 205 having slots is useful with respect to the self-loading shape of the hopper described below. The container 205 of FIG. 4A has a hole 203 in each end wall, and each hole is aligned with one another. The hole 203 is used as a means for inspecting the carrier container so that the port is constructed so that the opening in the suitably configured port is not obstructed by the path of travel or the hole 203 between the holes 203 aligned above the opening of the port. For example, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that there is a portion of the carrier between the opposing sets of bands 921 and 923, 931 and 933 that open when the transport is properly configured. Also, the carrier and blank can be designed so that when the folded transport is properly formed, the other part is not covered. Thus, if the hole 203 is aligned with these uncovered openings, the probe or sensor is not blocked, so that the folded transport is preferably formed and the container of the port is suitable for use Lt; / RTI >

Apparatus and method

Referring to Fig. 5, which schematically illustrates an apparatus 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus 10 is configured on an extended frame. In the embodiment, the movement direction of the bottle 1 and the delivery port 3 moves from left to right. Briefly, the bottles move through the device 10 in two rows along a linear path. When the bottles move along their path, the transport (folded up flat against the side of the folded bottom wall panel) is moved to the point of contact with the feeder feeder 50 along the hopper 30. The carrier feeder 50 moves each of the carriers 3 from the hopper 30 to the timing portion 60. The timing-transport section measures the transport at a fixed time interval and at a predetermined rate. In one embodiment, the timing-carrying portion is comprised of two consecutive assemblies. The first of the two portions is a timing portion (3) which is removed from the suction cup (54) of the carrier feeder (50) and delivered to a downstream component of the device (10) 60). The path referred to as the so-called transport section of the timing-transport section is defined between a pair of vertically oriented belts. In particular, this portion is referred to as a nip belt assembly. The vertical nip belt 70 is a pair of opposed endless belts that picks up or fills the handle area of each transport (nip) and moves the transport in a linear path defined below the device 10. In another embodiment of the timing-transport section, the timing and transport functions are less clear. In the second embodiment, the transportation port 3 is engaged and transported through the handle hole in the handle. Timing and transport is accomplished by reciprocating movement of a grip hole insert mounted on a cam-engaging rod. The rods are in turn slidably engaged with the infinite chain. When the delivery port 3 is in the hopper 30, the delivery port is in a folded state in which the bottom wall panels 910 and 912 are turned upside down and laid flat on the side of the delivery port 3. Once removed from the hopper 30, the bottom wall panels 910, 912 of the carrier 30 fall off a flat position relative to the side of the carrier 3. When the carrier 3 moves through the timing area, the bottom wall panels 910, 912 are pulled outward to engage to open the carrier 3 for loading. When the delivery port 3 is pulled open along the delivery path of the device 10, the bottle is moved along the path directly below the delivery port. In the lower path (bottle path), the star wheel 105 on both sides of the device 10 meters the heat of the bottle into individual groups for loading. For example, it is a group with three or four bottles in each column. The infinite chain with lugs is one of the means of transporting bottles after weighing the bottles with the star wheel 105. The bottle gripper 113 (moved on a conveyor such as an infinite chain) immediately follows the star wheel 105 and maintains the spacing and alignment of each bottle group. As the bottle 1 is further moved along the longitudinal direction of the device 10, the bottle gripper 113 ensures the gap between the bottle 1 and the bottle group. At the same time, the delivery port 3 moves to a position where each bottom wall panel 910,912 is received by a pair of downwardly sloped inclined belts 92,94 and 93,95. An upper conveyor mechanism, such as an endless overhead chain assembly 100, is aligned in a line on the handle located in the center of the delivery port 3 in alignment with the tilt belt assembly 90. The block member 102 mounted on the upper chain faces the upper part of the handle portion of the delivery port 3. [ The oblique belt assembly 90 and the upper chain assembly 100 advance and lower the delivery port 3 over a group of two rows of bottles. The lowering operation of the tilting belt assembly 90 and the upper chain assembly 100 is completed by a pusher wheel assembly 120. The pusher wheel assembly 120 is fitted with a block member to push down the top of the handle 3 of the delivery port 3 so that the delivery port completely falls on each group of bottles. When the carrier 3 is moved out of the pusher wheel assembly 120, a package conveyor 130, such as the side lugs 134 mounted on each opposed endless chain 132, Engage the trailing end panel of the device 10 and push them further along the device 10. As the carrier 3 is moved along the package conveyor 130, the bottom panel locking portion 140 attaches the support tabs 961, 963, 971, and 973 to the bottom wall panels 910 and 912 to position the bottom of the carrier 3 Folds the carrier support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 and the bottom wall panels 910, 912. The bottom panels 910, 912 are pulled together and held in place for proper alignment while the closing process of the bottom of the carrier is completed by a rotating punch lock mechanism. After the bottles are loaded, a completely enclosed port is ejected from the apparatus 10. [

Bottle transfer conveyor

Referring to Fig. 5, the bottle 1 is conveyed to the apparatus 10 by a conveying conveyor assembly 20. As conveying conveyors, those generally used in the beverage packaging industry are suitable. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the conveyor assembly 20 has a dividing portion 22 for separating and introducing the bottle in two rows. Conveyor means, such as endless belts or chains, move through the device 10 to load the bottles into the delivery port 3. In some pathways of the device different infinite belts or chains are used to move the port 3 and the bottle 1 along a separate path that moves the port 3 along the path of the bottle 1, A combination of different infinite belts or chains is used. At this time, the two paths are merged as the delivery port 3 descends and moves over the group of the bottles 1 as described below.

Hopper assembly

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a suitable means for making a delivery port useful for loading is provided by the hopper assembly 30. The hopper assembly 30 as a preferred embodiment is essentially a conveyor-driven chute. 6 and 7, the hopper assembly 30 is shown on the " loading " end side where the carrier is positioned to be transferred to the next assembly of the apparatus 10. [ In the hopper assembly, a pair of opposing side walls (31, 32) form a chute. A pair of opposing belts 37, 38 provide transport means for the transport 3. The belts 37, 38 may be moved by known means such as rollers mounted on roller rods 41, 42 or similar structures. The roller rods 41 and 42 are in turn mounted on trucks 43 and 44 or similar structures and likewise the side wall trucks 33 and 34 are permanently or movably mounted on the support rods in turn. The trucks 33, 34, 43, 44 are attached along the length of the side walls 31, 32 and the roller rods 41, 42. Referring to the sectional view of Figure 7 there is shown a method in which a folded bottle transport 3 suitable for operation by the apparatus 10 and the hopper assembly 30 is loaded in the hopper, 32 and the belts 37, 38. The hopper 30 can be adjusted to accommodate various sizes, e.g. six or eight, of the delivery port 3. The hopper 30 is adjusted by changing the position of the trucks 33, 34, 43, 44 along the support rods 36. The arrows " 45 " and " 47 " indicate the direction in which the truck is moved inward and outward depending on the size of the transportation port 3 to be accommodated. For example, six would be transports 3 smaller than eight. The sidewalls and belts associated with the truck are located in close proximity to eight of the transports and six of the transports. Although it is possible to move both the sides of the wall and the roller rod, one set of wall-belts is fixed and the other set of wall-belts is kept moving, for example, in the direction of the arrows " 45 & It is simpler. 7, the belt is positioned to engage with each of the projecting tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 of the delivery port 3. When the carrier 3 is loaded into the hopper 30, the conveyor belts 37 and 38 move the folded carriers upright along the hopper sidewalls 31 and 32 to the " outlet " end of the hopper 30.

Hopper action

The delivery port 3 is loaded with the bottom of the delivery port 3 facing down into the " loading " end of the hopper. As shown in Figure 4, as a method for easily loading multiple carriers 3 into the hopper 30 at the same time, the carrier 3 is loaded into the container 5 in a " top-down " And the container can be simply erected to dump the " first bottom " of the delivery port 3 into the hopper 30. [ Also, the collapsed carrier 3, which is overturned, is not damaged from the container 5 by the support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 during transport. In this way, if the transport is inverted, it can be conveniently dropped without damage to the support tabs and then easily loaded in the hopper 30.

The hopper chute is angularly aligned with respect to the main portion of the elongated device 10 to maintain the floor space occupied by the device while providing the largest hopper length.

Transport feeder

Referring to Figure 5, the arrangement of the device is such that in the device 10 the bottle and the carrier 3 are moved along a separate linear path on which the other path lies, and then the package of the loaded carrier Are designed to move along the remaining single path of the device 10. 5 and 8, the carrier feeder 50 removes the carrier 3 from the hopper 30 and delivers the carrier to the components in the linear carrier path disposed above the bottle path. The carrier feeder 50 is a rotatable assembly having three suction cup support stations 52 spaced apart at regular intervals. Each cup support station 52 supports a suction cup 54 which removes and closes the folded transport 3 from the outlet end of the hopper 30. Station 52 is rotated about axis 59 in the direction of arrow " 57 ". For example, the station 52 is made to be slidably rotatable about an axis 59 by a support tie rod 53. In a suitable arrangement, one end of each support tie rod 53 is attached to a member in the shaft 59 and the other end is attached to a respective support station 52. Rotation of station 52 may be accomplished by a known machine. Camshafts, curvilinear shallow and deep cam tracks and cam rollers as disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,625,575, 5,019,029, 5,102,385, and 5,104,369, Is used as the cam mechanism. These patents are incorporated by reference. The preferred embodiment includes three cup support stations 52, but three or more may be used. The three stations move the timing section 60 or 260 of the device 10 to the carrier 3 in the horizontal path. Suction cup 54 is not shown in Fig. 8 to further illustrate other components. However, the nozzle 55 on the cup 54 is shown. The suction cups 54 are spaced at regular intervals to engage the carriers 3 at important peripheral points for adjustment. Suction or vacuum for actuating the suction cup 54 is provided by a general atmospheric pressure component. The guide 56 for the timing characteristic is used to remove the carrier 3 from the suction cup support station 52 and will be described in more detail below.

Timing -

Another type of timing-transport section is described. The first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. As described above, the timing-transport section transports the transport 3 from the feeder 50 to the downstream components of the apparatus 10. [ The timing-transportation section arranges the transportation ports 3 staggered at predetermined intervals and transports the transportation port at a predetermined speed. This timing interval of the carrier 3 causes the carrier 3 and the carrier 3 to move at the same speed in alignment with each group of the bottle 1 when the bottle 3 and the bottle 1 move downstream.

Timing-Transport Section: First Embodiment

The first form of the timing-transport section can obtain timing and transport in the timing section 60 and the transport section, referred to herein as the nip-belt assembly 70 for two parts, i. The timing assembly 60 has a conveyor drive carrier support finger for engaging and moving the carrier 3 at predetermined intervals and inserting the carrier into the nip belt at predetermined intervals. The timing-assembly 60 is a pair of top 61 and bottom 63 infinite timing chains. Each timing chain 61,63 comprises a respective set of lugs or fingers and engages a portion of the folded carrier 3 when the carrier 3 is released by the suction cup 54 of the feeder 50. The upper timing chain (61) has one of the upper engagement lugs (62) that engage the rear edge of the handle portion of the mating carrier (3). In the preferred embodiment, the upper engagement lug 62 fits the delivery port 3 at the intersection of the handle portion and the wall panel. Corner formed at the intersection provides a stable engagement point. The lower timing chain 63 is disposed in series with each upper engagement lug 62 of the upper chain 61 to engage the lower engagement lugs 64,65 , 66). Although it is effective to combine multiple lower engaging lugs in the set, in the preferred embodiment there are only three lower engaging lugs 64, 65, 66 in each set. All three lugs (64, 65, 66) support the transport underneath. The rear-to-lower engagement lug 66 effectively works to push the folded carrier 3 forward. The nip belt assembly 70 receives the feed 3 and the folded feed 3 from the feeder 50 and the timing assembly 60. When the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the carrier 3 are gripped and moved outward to open the bottom of the carrier 3 for loading, the nip belt assembly 70 is moved by the timing assembly 60, ). Referring to Figures 5 and 9, the nip belt assembly 70 has a pair of endless belts 72 mounted on the extended rods of each of the rollers 74. The belt 72 is compressed together into an elongated vertical plane and the direction 71 of movement relative to the mating carrier 3 is downstream of the device. The uppermost portion of the handle of the delivery port 3 is sandwiched between the belts 72 and is moved along the path between the moving belts 72. The upper belt guide 76 directs the upper portion of the handle 3 of the delivery port 3 into the path between the belts 72. The lower belt guide 78 extends along the length of the belt 72. The opening of the lower belt guide 78 allows the support tabs 961,971, 963 and 973 extending downwardly of the delivery port 3 to be directed into the guide 78. 17, support tabs 961,971, 963 and 973 are transported along the lower belt assembly guide 78 when the top of the handle 3 is fastened along the belt 72 and transported along the belt 72. As shown in FIG.

Timing - Carrier: Other Embodiments

Another embodiment has a number of other features than the timing transport assembly described above such that the carriers are timed transported at intervals. As described above, another embodiment fits the carrier into the collapsed state shown in Fig. Referring to FIG. 10, another embodiment utilizes a chain mounting and inserting member 260 assembly to transport a carrier at the same timing as the separation between the carriers 3 and the downstream components of the device. 11 and 12, one side (the other side of the same) of the holding hole insertion portion 264 and the holding hole 983 of the handle of the delivery port 3 are respectively shown. The gripping hole 983 is U-shaped with a U-shaped flap 984 extending so as to be foldable from the upper portion thereof. The insertion portion 264 has a tapered U-shaped protrusion corresponding to the shape of the holding hole 983 and the flap 984. [ In the upper corner portion of the hole 983, the gap between the gripping flap 984 and the side of the hole 983 can be slightly extended to provide a more stable point of engagement. The corresponding portion in the upper corner portion of the U-shaped projection of the insertion portion 262 has an equal size. The front protruding portion 266 of the inner lower surface of the insertion portion 262 is inclined to more easily accommodate the gripping flap 984. [ Referring to Fig. 10, the insert 262 is mounted on an infinite chain 276 moving in the direction indicated by the arrow " 277 ". The rod 270 on the insert 262 is in turn mounted in the roller 269 on the truck 268 moving in the closed circulation path of the endless chain 276. During the lower slide cycle of the endless chain 276 the rod 270 with the mounted insert 262 is transmitted outward (transversely) of the chain 276 towards the stop-guides 56,278. A suitable mechanism for causing the transverse switching of the rod 270 is to move the cam 270 on the rod 270 interacting with it to obtain movement at a predetermined point along the rail in a manner known as a camming bar or rail. (Shown in Fig. 13). The V-shaped roller 269 cooperates with a roller-engaging member having a corresponding V-shaped edge such that the rod 270 is reciprocally movable as indicated in the direction of arrow " 275 " 8, the insert 262 is engaged by a carrier feeder 50 and engaged with a carrier 3 that is rotated to face an insert 162 where the station 52 is first turned outwardly. A stop-guide 56 mounted on each station 52 of the feeder provides a support for the handle of the delivery port 3 when the insert 262 is attempted to position itself. The insertion portion 262 and the stopper-guide 56 of the feeder are inserted into the gripping hole of the delivery port so as to provide a steading counter force when the chain attachment insertion portion 262 transports the delivery port 3 downstream. It is combined to promote full acceptance of wealth. Figure 13 shows an insert 262 which engages the handle of the carrier 3 when the insert 262 is guided and the carrier 3 is pointed towards the insert 262 by the stop-guide rail 278 . The combination and interaction between the insert 262, the delivery port 3 and the stop-guide 56 of the feeder occur simultaneously. Referring again to Fig. 10, when the carrier 3 is engaged by the insert 262 in the feeder 50, the insert 262 moves downstream into the channel of the stop-guide rail. In order to more clearly understand the described features, protrusions or noses 264 in front of the insert 262 are shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.

Timing-Transport Section: Second Alternative Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 39, in a second alternative embodiment of the timing transport element, an intermediate stop-guide 280 is positioned between the support station 52 and the channel guide-stop 278. In a preferred embodiment, the intermediate stop-guide 280 is spaced at a constant distance between the support station 52 and the intermediate guide and between the support station 52 and the channel guide to form a channel that facilitates nesting It consists of two spaced bars. The intermediate stop-guide 280 includes a station stop-guide 56 and a channel guide-guide 262 that provide a resistance surface for the handle area of the carrier as the gripping portion of the carrier is engaged by the gripping hole insert 262, The function of the stopper 278 is combined. 39 shows a shape of the present invention applicable to all embodiments of the present invention. That is, when the port is transported downstream, the tab guide 282 receives and guides the support tabs 961, 963, 971, and 973. In either of the two sides of the tab guide 282, the device has a curved panel bending guide typically used in the transport sector to engage a panel or flap into a desired position. In the present invention, these guides fold the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the carrier downwardly from their upright position to their horizontal position, as shown in FIG. 3, and the guides are attached to the grippers of the panel gripper assembly 80, Lt; / RTI >

Lower-panel gripper

Referring to Fig. 5, in the panel-gripper assembly 80, the panel-gripper opens the folded carrier 3 for loading. Panel gripper 82 is moved on the conveyor in a parallel path beneath the timing portion that captures the bottom panels 910 and 912 and they are moved in the direction of the conveyor 3). ≪ / RTI > Each carrier-panel gripper 82 is a clamp that catches each floor panel 910,912. 9 and 13, the carrier 3 is shown held by the gripper 82. As shown in Fig. Referring again to Fig. 5, the gripper 82 is mounted on two sets of conveyors (endless chains) 84, 86. Each set of chains 84, 86 is a pair of opposing endless chains, each located on each side of the folded carrier 3 moving through the timing portion. Referring to Figures 15 and 16, the opening operation of the components of the gripper assembly is schematically illustrated. The gripper 82 on both sets of gripper chains 84 and 86 moves outwardly of the centerline 901 of the delivery port 3 in the direction of arrow " 81 ". At the same time, each chain 84, 86 rotates in the downstream direction of the arrow " 83 ". The chain and gripper 82 of the first set chain 84 open the carrier 3 by pulling down the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the carrier. The first set chain 84 and the gripper 82 open the carrier 3 from the fully folded state of Figs. 9 and 13 to the open state. The chain in the first set chain 84 moves at a speed greater than the relative speed of the carrier 3 when it is moved by the nip belt 72 or the transport mechanism of the insert 262 (in turn, Moves the bottles 3 in a parallel path beneath the carrier in a predetermined sequence). As can be seen in FIG. 15, the folded carrier 3 is folded in a folded state in a manner similar to the accordion folds in which the front portion of the folded carrier protrudes outwards and the rear portion is folded inward. The large relative speed of the first set chain 84 makes it possible for the floor panels 910, 912 to be pulled forward faster than the truck moves forward. This movement enables the carrier to open in a rectangular shape and the bottom panels 910, 912 "catch up" to the center of the carrier 3. The panel gripper 82 of the second set of gripper chains 86 engages the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the delivery port 3 and the second gripper chain 86 of the second set grips the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the delivery port 3, And the carrier 3 is pulled up to open the maximum as shown in Fig. The second set of chains 86 of gripper assemblies also pass through the delivery port 3 toward the next delivery adjustment of the device 10, i.e., the drop port 90. The gripper 82 and chain 84 of the second gripper chain are simultaneously moved downstream (indicated by arrow " 83 ") with the nip belt 72 or insert 262, rather than moving at a greater relative speed than the carrier transport mechanism ). Gripper 82 continuously holds each floor panel 910,912 outwardly during movement. Figures 16 and 17 illustrate the opening of the end of the carrier 3 which is fully open and ready to be passed towards the tilting belt assembly 90. 17 shows the fully open carrier 3 engaged by the components of the nip belt assembly 70 and the panel gripper 82. Fig. Referring to FIG. 5, a pair of opposite conveyors in the endless chain 88 help to pass open carriers from the first set chain 84 to the second set chain 86. When the carrier 3 leaves the first set chain 84, the lugs 89 mounted on the chain 88 cause the bottom panels 910 and 912 to be retracted by the gripper 82 of the second set chain 86 And engage front and rear openings of the carrier to maintain their open position during the heel.

Plan views of the gripper 82, the chains 84, 86, 88 and the lug 89 are shown in Fig. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as the gripper 82 moves in the closed circulation path defined by the gripper chains 84, 86, the gripper is moved outwardly of the opposite set side of the gripper, (And thus moves out of the centerline 901 of the carrier) away from the opposing set of grippers through cam followers mounted on each gripper 82 moving into the gripper 292.

Fig. 19 details the structure of the panel gripper 82 suitable for use with the panel-gripper assembly described above. In the gripper 82, the upper arm 284 and the lower arm 286 meet each other at a clamping point and form a clamping jaw pivotally connected to one another and each arm 284, 286 is terminated within a respective pad 285, 287 . Each gripping pad 285, 287 is made of a material having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the smooth surface of the carrier. As the material, rubber is suitable. The pads 285,287 have a corrugated surface to enhance friction or other types of surfaces, including ribs or other protruding structures. The arms 284 and 286 are sealed against the gripper 82 and spring biased to the clamping position. The arms 284 and 286 are mounted on a truck 196 which is transported by a gripper chain 84 or 86 and is mounted in turn. The arms 284 and 286 are movable relative to the truck 296 through a combination of a V-shaped roller 294 mounted on the truck and a roller engagement member 298 attached to the lower gripper arm 286, Do. The cam follower 290 is attached to the lower arm 286 and rises into the cam groove (or track) 292 defining the switching movement of the arms 284,

The manner in which the upper arm 284 of the gripper 82 is pivoted open and closed relative to the lower arm 286 to clamp and release the bottom panels 910 and 912 of the delivery port 3 is shown in Figures 20, Respectively. Figs. 20, 21 and 22 show the movement of the gripper 82 when the gripper 82 is transported by the mounting chains 84, 86. Fig. This is seen from the rear side of the upper arm 284 to which the opening roller 300 is attached at the front end of the gripper 82. [ When the gripper is transported in the direction of the arrow " 301 ", the rear of the upper arm 284 is pushed downward for a predetermined period of time and returned to the uppermost position through the interaction of the open roller 300 and the open ramp member 302 . The open lamp member is another structure having a cross-sectional configuration that defines a flat plate, a bar, or a ramp 303 that is tilted downward and a ramp 305 that is tilted upward. The flat portion 304 may be inserted between the two lamps 303,305 to maintain the opening of the jaws (the arms 284,286) of the gripper 82 for a short period of time. 20 shows the relative positions of the open roller 300 and the open ramp member 302 prior to contact between the roller 300 and the end ramp 303. Fig. 21, when the gripper 82 is moved in the direction " 301 ", the roller 300 engages the lead lamp 303 and rotates to the arrow " 306 ". Thus, the upper arm 284 is pushed downward 307 to open the jaws of the clamp. If the ramp 302 includes the level portion 304, the jogging of the gripper 82 is maintained at the level portion during engagement of the roller 300. [ Movement of the roller 300 on the rear ramp 305 seals the jaws of the gripper 82.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 15, the carrier 3 may include a notch member 929,939 to facilitate opening of the folded carrier in a particular form. The notch members 929,939 are weak connecting members that extend between each central cell corner tab 926,936 and the top sidewall bands 923,933. The scoring members 929,939 separate upper sidewall bands 923,933 from the delayed center cell bands 925,935. This delay causes the angle between the central cell bands 925, 935 and each central cell corner tab 926, 936 to be more sharply defined within the upright transport.

Each gripper 82 of the first gripper set has a hook member for engaging the upper bands 923 and 933 on both sides of the folded carrier as the gripper engages each floor panel 910 and 912 to pull the carrier open It also has. The band hook 302 extends from the top of the gripper 82. The band hooks 302 also allow each top band 923,933 of the carrier to be positioned at the location indicated by the arrows " 310 ", " 312 " when the bottom panel is caught by the gripper, respectively, ). In the first gripper portion, the pair of grippers 82 and the opposing hooks 302 are offset (as shown in their engaged position) to avoid interference with each other.

Additional guide structures may be used in the gripper assembly to maintain the carrier in a squared-up condition and to maintain the floor panel in a horizontal position. Although not shown, a suitable guide is an L-shaped extension member extending forward with respect to the apparatus, and a right angle formed at the intersection of the vertical sidewall and the horizontal floor panel is adjacent to the right angle corner of the L-shaped guide. The guides are aligned in a straight line along each side of the carrier and the device. Each guide unfolds the center of the device more externally in the second set gripper, taking into account the additional width of the carrier that is created when the gripper is pulled out further to form the angled corners of the carrier as described above.

Bottle weighing and transportation

As described above, the star wheel 105 weighs bottles in a group that is loaded into a shipping container on a bottle transfer conveyor. After metering, the transportation of a group of bottles that are timed and spaced apart is accomplished by the use of a bottle-gripper conveyor 112 that mates with the side of the bottle with a conveyor 106 that moves down the bottle. 23, the bottle conveying conveyor 106 includes a pair of infinite chains 107 which are mounted on the bottle lugs 108 and are spaced at regular intervals on the sides by a pair of bottle support rails 109 I have. The rail 109 serves as a ledge for supporting the lower outer periphery of the bottle. The lugs 108 engage the last bottle in each column of the bottle group. Although one lug can be used to engage the last bottle in the column, a set of paired lugs 108 can be used because it is possible to stabilize the bottle by contacting two points rather than a single point on the bottle. A slot or space 110 extending longitudinally between the chain structures provides a path of travel for the tabs 961, 971, 963, 973 when the port is located on a group of bottles. This aspect will be described in more detail below.

Referring to Figs. 5, 24 and 25, the bottle is maintained in a group and space metered with the star wheel 105 by a pair of bottle-gripper conveyors 112. Fig. The bottle-gripper conveyor 112 engages with the above-described lower engagement conveyor to carry bottles. Each bottle-gripper conveyor 112 has a bottle gripper 113 mounted on an endless chain 112. Each bottle gripper 113 is a block-like member having a series of adjacent C-shaped cavities for receiving the bottle 1. The number of C-shaped cavities corresponds to the number of bottles contained in each column of the carrier 3. For example, six bottles have three bottles per line, and eight bottles have four bottles per line. The present invention employs a single chain (111) to circulate the bottle gripper (113) while holding the gripper (113) in a predetermined direction facing the center of the device. 24, each gripper 113 from the rear end face of the gripper 113 is mounted on its upper surface at the end of the gripper 113 opposite the end pivotally attached to the bottle-gripper chain 116 And has a cam follower 114. Referring to Fig. 25, the lower portion of each gripper 113 is pivotally attached by the gripper chain 111. Fig. Each bottle-gripper cam follower 114 has a cam track (or groove) 114 that maintains the inwardly facing direction of the bottle-gripper 113 as the gripper 113 moves in a closed path defined by the gripper chain 111 ). The sprocket wheel 116 guides the cam follower 114 as the chain 111 rotates the gripper 113 about the chain wheel 117. The sprocket wheel 116 is pivotally connected to the pivot connection 118 of the cam follower 113 and to the chain 111 holding the direction of the gripper 113 as the gripper chain 111 moves the gripper around the chain wheel 117 Together cam follower 114 is pushed.

Downstream section

After opening, the port is lowered over a group of bottles (1) moving in a parallel path under the path of the delivery port (3). 5 and 26, the drop of the carrier is performed through a combination of the inclined belt assembly 90 and the upper inclined block assembly 100. When the upright transportation port 3 leaves the nip belt 70 and the gripper 80 assembly the carrier is erected with floor panels 910 and 912 extending outwardly of the centerline 901 of the carrier 3. When the upright transportation port 3 leaves the gripper 82 mounted on the nip belt assembly 70 and the second gripper chain 86 the carrier faces the tilt assembly and the extended bottom panels 910 and 912 are paired with a pair of left and right opposed 94 and 93, 95, respectively. Referring to Figures 5 and 26 and Figures 27 and 28, a pair of belts 92,94 and 93,95 of the tilting belt assembly 90 are spaced apart at regular intervals to allow the carriers 3 to pass between them have. The pair of upper and lower belts 92 and 94 are on the " right " side of the tilting belt and the opposed upper and lower belts 93 and 95 are on the " left " side. Each of the four belts 92, 93, 94, 95 is an endless belt. The space between the facing surfaces of each pair of belts is shown for illustrative purposes. The facing surfaces of each pair of belts 92,94 and 93,95 are positioned sufficiently close to each other so that the panels 910,912 of the carrier 3 engage between each pair of moving belts. Thus, the delivery port 3 is moved along the apparatus 10 by the moving belt.

Although only the general construction of the belt assembly 90 is shown, this is an infinite number of belt movements typically employed by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. For example, the use of a circular roller mechanism 91 (as shown in FIG. 9 with respect to the roller 74 in the nip belt assembly 90) disposed at the end of the belt allows the surface to surface contact, With the additional rollers disposed between the ends of the slide. Movement of the belts 92, 94 and 93, 95 occurs simultaneously with movement of the bottle-group transfer mechanism (i.e., bottle-gripper conveyor 112). Each transport 3 is transported by an inclined belt so that each transport is placed on the bottle group 5. 26, the optimal inclination angle of the horizontal plane of the bottle group 5 and the pair of belts 92, 94 (and 93, 95 parallel to the 92, 94 not shown in detail in Figure 26) Quot; A " Each orientation of the oblique belts 92, 94 and 93, 95 causes the carrier 3 to progressively descend on the bottle group 5. The descent of the delivery port 3 is facilitated by the upper inclination block 100 of the continuous knob-engagement block 102 mounted on an endless belt chain aligned and synchronized in series with the inclined belt. Referring to Fig. 27, each block 102 has a groove or slot 103 for receiving the handle of the carrier 3. The upper assembly is configured such that the carrier is moved by the tilting belts 92,94 and 93,95 and the top of the carrier 3, i.e. the top of the grip part, engages the groove / slot 103 and stabilizes the downward movement of the carrier 94 and 93, 95 so as to strengthen it. The blocks may be spaced at regular intervals for synchronization, but may be simple means having blocks 102 adjacent to one another to form continuous grooves or slots.

28, another form of the angled belt assembly 90 is used to secure the folding lines < RTI ID = 0.0 > 910 < / RTI & And guides 98, 99 positioned to mate with each other. The guides 98, 99 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the belts 92, 94 and 93, 95 and have the same width. Therefore, the guides 98 and 99 facilitate the descent of the delivery port 3 and increase the stability of the delivery port 3 when the delivery port is lowered.

In order to obtain optimal performance and reliability from the device 10 after it has been completely lowered over the bottle group 5, each of the outlets is moved away from the inclination belts 92, 94, and 93, And the handle portion from the upper inclined belt 102.

The complete lowering of each of the carriers 3 throughout the bottle group 5 is accomplished in the seating wheel assembly 120 along the tilting belt assembly 90 and the upper tilting block 100 assembly. The delivery port 3 and the bottle group 5 exits the inclined belt 90 and the upper inclined block 100 assembly as a unit denoted by reference numeral 6 in Fig. The carrier-bottle unit 6 is a completely erected carrier 3, but is not completely lowered into the bottle group 5. The delivery port 3 is angularly disposed relative to the bottle group 5 due to the angular displacement of the delivery port 3 throughout the bottle group 5 or the delivery port 3 is angled with respect to the bottle group 5, And can be arranged horizontally when escaping from the inclined portion due to the contact of the rearmost end of the arm. 30, the seating wheel assembly 120 is a ferris-wheel like structure, and the seating block 122 is oriented in a downward direction (i.e., the handle receiving slot is directed downward) And is attached to the swivel wheel or drum 124 in a manner that maintains it. The seating block 122 maintains the same orientation as it travels in the circular path of the wheel 124. Suitable means for maintaining the orientation of the seating block 122 when the wheel 124 rotates allow the seating block 122 to pivot freely against the wheel. This arrangement is schematically shown in Fig. The means for maintaining the alignment more precisely is shown in Fig. Figure 30 illustrates the use of a planetary gear system to maintain the downward orientation of the seating block. 30, the seating block 122 is mounted on a " planetary " gear 127 that pivots about a " sun " gear 126 disposed centrally in a known mechanical manner.

The seating block 122 has a handle receiving groove / slot 123 such as the handle receiving groove / slot 103 of the upper inclined block 102. Since the handle receiving portion 123 of the seating block 122 is not shown in Figure 5 and is not shown in Figure 26, the blocks 102 and 122 may be equally considered in this respect. The rotation of the wheel 124 is synchronized to the movement of the carrier-bottle unit 6 so that the successive seating block 122 engages the successive carrier handles of the unit 5. Movement of the wheel 124 and the carrier-bottle unit conveyor causes the grip of the carrier-bottle unit 6 to move along the angular path of the wheel 124 when the handle receiving portion 123 of the seating block 122 reaches the same point. Synchronized to be crossed. Thus, after the seating block 122 abuts the handle of the carrier, the rotation of the wheel moves the block 122 downward and forward. Thus, the placement of the carrier 3 on the bottle group is completed and the carrier is completely " seated " with respect to the bottle group 5. The unit of the bottle group 5 and the full-sheet transport 3 is indicated by "7" in FIG. The unit 7 is ready to be sealed.

The seating block 122 may be a spring-loaded type that causes a resistance to be generated that pushes the seating block rearward beyond the engagement point when the bottle engages a portion other than the handle of the portal. In this manner, if an unaligned bottle is engaged with the seating block 122, damage or failure is prevented.

In Fig. 26 and Fig. 27, six bottles (1) are included in a 2x3 array per group. However, as described above, the system of the present invention is capable of packaging various numbers of bottles. To enhance the advantage, the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes both six and eight configurations. For example, although the bottle gripper 114 shown in Fig. 5 is used in eight bottles, the bottle 3 and bottles group have six bottles. The main principle of the present invention is equally applicable to other arrangements as well as six and eight configurations.

29, another form of the upper inclined block 102a has a sloping bottom wall 101a connected to a slot or slot 103a for receiving a handle grip.

Folders and Adhesives

Referring again to FIG. 5, after leaving the seating portion 120 of the apparatus 10, each package 7 is engaged and transported by the package lug assembly 130. The package lug assembly 130 consists of a pair of opposed endless chains 132 with lugs 134 engaging each package 7. The sealing of the carrier 3 of each package 7 is completed in the folding and gluing area 140 of the device 10 as the package moves along the package lug 134. [

Referring to Figure 31, a folder-binder assembly 140 of an apparatus for loading a bottom loading basket 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. It will be appreciated that while the adhesive action will be described below, the adhesive is supplied to the inner side of the so-called larger bottom wall panel 912 of the carrier 3 (i.e., the side facing the inside of the upright transport 3) will be. Adhesive is applied to attach the upright panel support tabs 961,963, 971, 973 to the inner side of the larger bottom wall panel 912. In the form of a carrier without support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973, the folding and bonding of the support tabs at the carrier is not required. The components of the folder-binder assembly 140 are positioned so that the components of the carrier are successively folded. In addition to Figure 31, reference is also made to Figures 32, 33, 34 and 35 simultaneously, which include the additional aspects of the folder-and-binder configuration and the aforementioned features of panels 910, 912 and support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 can do. The folding component of the folder 140 is a static component that engages the flap with the applicable panel of the carrier 3 when the package 7 is moved by the package lug 134 in the direction of the arrow " 71 ". When the package approaches the folding portion, the bottom panel flaps 910,912 are generally more inclined horizontally than they are oriented vertically downward. In the folding section, the bottom panels 910, 912 are folded vertically downward first, and then the faces are locked to the carrier 3. The support tabs 961, 963, 971, and 973 are folded into a horizontal position. The support tab folding element includes the components referred to as tab folding block 141. In the aforementioned carrier orientation, the larger floor panel flap 912 is the first of the two floor panel flaps 910,912. The larger panel flaps 912 are engaged and folded vertically downwardly by the beveled edges of the first vertical panel folding wedge 162. The first vertical panel folding wedge 162 folds vertically downwardly to a larger panel 912 and is sandwiched between the wedge 162 and the folding block 141. The folding block 141 provides the edges and surfaces separating and folding the support tabs into position and space where they receive the tabs as they are being processed. Each pair of long and short support tabs 961 and 971, 963 and 973 is connected to a block 141 (at the opposite end of the carrier, at the end of the carrier with the support tab 961, 971). The right side surface of the block 141 from the point facing the front portion of the folding block 141 is configured to engage and receive the tabs 961 and 971 and the left side surface is configured to receive the tabs 963 and 973, As shown in Fig. Block 141 separates each elongate tab 961, 963 from the associated short support tab 971, 973. The horizontal surface 142 and the vertical surface 143 form a wedge-like cove 159 for the longer or main tabs 961, 963. The concave portion 154 of the auxiliary tab is formed by the inclined surface 152 and the vertical surface 153. The short upwardly sloping edge 155 at the intersection of the faces 143,152 engages the main support tabs 961,963. As the carrier advances, the main support tabs 961,963 diverge along the edge 155 away from the auxiliary support tabs 971,973. The leading edge tab folding edge 115 is intersected by the rear main tab folding edge 144 in succession. The rear main tab tab folding edge 144 is formed at the intersection of the main tab vertical surface 143 and the upwardly inclined main ramp 145. As the carrier 3 continues in its path, the support tabs 961 and 971 continue to follow the branch up along the rear main tab folding edge 144. The support tabs 961 and 971 are positioned and moved in a face-to-face relationship with the main tap lamp 145 because the main tab lamp 145 and the rear main tab folding edge 144 branch not only to the outer side but also to the upper side . When the movement of the carrier is continued, the support tabs 961 and 971 are in surface contact with the horizontal plane of the folding block. When the main support tabs 961, 963 are folded to the right side of the folding block 141 as described above, the auxiliary support tabs 971, 973 are folded to the left. The auxiliary tab recesses 154 of the block 141 provide space for the auxiliary tabs 971 and 973 of the carrier 3 separated from the main tabs 961 and 963. The auxiliary tabs 971, 973 are initially engaged by the leading edge sub-tab folding edge 160. The leading edge secondary tab folding edge 160 is formed at the plane intersection of the secondary tab vertical surface 147 and the primary tab ram 145 and intersects the rear primary tab folding edge 148. The rear main tab folding edge 148 is formed at the intersection of the auxiliary tab vertical surface 147 and the main tab lamp 149. The auxiliary tabs 971, 973 move outwardly and upwardly with respect to the delivery port 3 by the outer and upwardly diverging edges 148. Further, the downstream movement of the carrier 3 causes the auxiliary tabs 971, 973 to come into contact with the auxiliary tab lamp. When the delivery port 3 starts to move on the folding block 141, the bottle in the delivery port 3 is supported on the lower side of the support shelf 158. When the delivery package 7 reaches the horizontal surface 156 of the folding block, the main tabs 961, 963 and the auxiliary tabs 971, 973 are folded outward and the bottom surface of the bottle 1 of each package 7 is flat To the outside. When the conveyor transports the package 7 downstream, the adhesive is supplied by conventional means, such as an adhesive gun, to a larger bottom wall panel 912 extending downward as described above. The adhesive is supplied to the central portion of the panel 912 at an appropriate position with respect to the support tabs 961, 963, 971, 973 which are adhered thereto when the larger panel is folded flat against the bottom of the package 7. The adhesive is supplied at a convenient convenient location, such as the adhesive recess 157.

Referring to FIGS. 31 and 35, after the adhesive is supplied to the bottom panel 912, the bottom of the carrier is sealed and locked in a continuous step. A dead plate 161 following the folding block 14 provides a suitable fastening surface for the bottle 7 to slide during another transport, especially within the package. The second vertical panel folding wedge 164 engages and folds the smaller bottom wall panel 910 in such a way that the first vertical panel folding wedge 162 folds the larger panel 912 as described above. A larger floor panel 912 and a smaller floor panel 910 are sandwiched between the first panel folding wedge 162 and the second panel folding wedge 164 and the rear plate 161, respectively. The first horizontal panel folding wedge 166 and the second horizontal panel folding wedge 168 fold the respective bottom panels 910, 912 into a flat, closed position relative to each other. As clearly shown in FIG. 35, the first horizontal panel folding wedge 166 engages and folds the larger panel 912 with the adhesive before the longer and smaller floor panels are processed. Thus, the smaller floor panel 910 is the outermost of the two floor panels.

The bottom wall sealing plate 170 leads to the backing plate 161 and provides a surface 174 against which the larger bottom wall panels 912 including the support tabs 961,963,971,973 and the adhesive are compressed together to form the support tabs 961,963, And the larger floor panels 912 are bonded. The inclined lip 172 at the front of the sealing plate 170 helps the sealing plate 170 to easily enter the package 7. The inclined lip 172 of the sealing plate 170 is positioned lower than the back plate 161 and the horizontal folding wedges 166 and 168 to facilitate movement from the original plate 161 to the sealing plate 170, The plate 170 is positioned sufficiently close to the plate 161 to engage the sloped lip 172 without disturbing the bottom panels 910, 912. The sidewalls 176 of the sealing plate 170 allow the sidewalls of the delivery port 3 to be inwardly in position and help to properly align the packages 7 transported during transport. The front portion of each side wall 176 is angled inwardly to guide the package on the sealing plate 170 between the walls 176.

Sealing of the port

The sealing of the bottom of the delivery port 3 is accomplished by a number of means. For example, the floor panels 910 and 912 are bonded to each other with an adhesive. Another effective means for sealing is the use of a locking mechanism known in the field of packaging as a " punch lock ", wherein the outermost of the two floor panels is provided with a corresponding lower hole formed inside the bottom panel, Shaped locking member. When the carrier is sealed using a punch lock to effectively seal the bottom of the carrier 3, the two bottom panels 910, 912 can be pulled inward to align the two bottom panels 910, 912 in a series. This is particularly useful in matching the upper and lower locking members and is useful in ensuring that the carrier 3 is in an optimal rectangular state with the floor panels 910, 912 overlapping in a certain amount. Referring to Figure 36, the floor panels 910, 912 are aligned facing each other by a set of conveyor mounting lugs 182 in a floor panel alignment assembly. The lug set 182 engages alignment holes (pull holes or fastening holes) 914 (shown in Figure 3) in the bottom panels 910, 912 of the delivery port 3. Each lug set 182 has an outwardly biased moveable lug member 184 and a stationary lug member 186. The outward bias may be achieved by a spring 196 or other suitable biasing mechanism. A pair of opposing lug sets 182 are mounted on a pair of support rods 190. A pair of lug sets 182 are mounted on the same conveyor as the endless chain 188. Each set of movable lug members 184 is spring biased outward and moved inward along support rods 190 moving in contact with the cam rails 192. The moveable lug member 184 of the lug set 182 is in a retracted position prior to moving inwardly on the ramp 194. [ The alignment hole 914 of the delivery port 3 is initially engaged by the lug set 182 when the moveable lug member 184 is retracted (i.e., before it rises above the ramp 194). Each moveable lug member 184 is closely received by the apex of the alignment hole 914 on the triangle and has a correspondingly shaped angular-shaped protruding portion 185. Each fixed lug member 186 has a lip-like linear protruding portion 187 that is closely received and correspondingly supported by the base of the alignment hole 914 on the triangle. The floor panels 910 and 912 of the carrier 3 are partially overlapped and facing as the package 7 leaves the folding and adhesive area 140 of the device 10. As the moveable lug member 184 moves to the end ramp 194, the lug member pulls the bottom panels 910, 912 inwardly to a predetermined position. The securing lug member 186 prevents the bottom panels 910, 912 from being pulled too far inward. The end ramp 194 can be moved in a known manner to provide a two-layer ramp for the moveable lug 184 such that the leading and backward movable lug members can be moved to a position where the bottom panels 910, Quot; scissoring " effect. ≪ / RTI > In this arrangement, the cam follower of the movable tip lug member only fits the upper floor lamp. The upper lamp is more steep than the lower lamp. The lower ramp of the less urgent slope only contacts the cam follower of the movable rear lug member only. Due to the difference in pitch of the two lamps, the leading lug member is delayed inwardly until the rear lug member moves inward . After the floor panels 910, 912 are held in position by the lug set 9182 and tightened in a predetermined amount, the punch lock is engaged by a conventional rotating finger 200 that simultaneously projects upwardly through the alignment assembly 180. The movable lug member 184 is retracted to the outermost position by the ramp 195 at the rear (or exit) end of the cam rail 192. [ The fully enclosed package 7 exits the device by conventional means.

37 and 38, when the bottom panels 910, 912 of the carrier 3 are pulled together, the top of the bottle is engaged by the belt 402 of the bottle stabilization assembly 400. The belt 402 rotates at the same speed in the same direction as the direction of movement of the carrier. The bottle stabilization assembly 400 prevents sickness from rising to the top of the tray when the bottom panels 910,912 are pulled together as described above.

Other variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (18)

An apparatus for transporting a carrier having a gripping hole, And at least one insertion member having a front protrusion of a cross-section corresponding to the hole of the carrier, Wherein the at least one insertion member is mounted on a conveyor mechanism to reciprocate transversely with respect to the path of travel, Wherein said at least one insertion member is threaded through said aperture at a point laterally transversed and said at least one insertion member is withdrawn from said aperture after said port has moved a distance. The method according to claim 1, Wherein said hole is a gripping hole of a basket-like transportation port in a folded state. The method according to claim 1, Wherein said hole is a U-shaped hole having a U-shaped flap spaced apart from an end of said U-shaped hole. The method of claim 3, Wherein said forward projecting portion is tapered. The method according to claim 1, Wherein said forward projecting portion is tapered. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a guide member oppositely opposite to the insertion member and adapted to mate the delivery port along the movement path to maintain insertion of the insertion member in the grip hole of the delivery port. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the guide member comprises an elongated channel member. Providing a hole in the carrier; Supporting and positioning the carrier so that the carrier can be pierced through the aperture; Inserting an insertion member having a cross section corresponding to said hole through said hole; Moving the insertion member along a path at a constant speed; And And withdrawing the insertion member from the hole at a point at which the carrier has moved a certain distance. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein said hole is provided as a grip hole. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the hole is a U-shaped hole having a U-shaped finger cushion flap spaced apart from an end of the U-shaped hole. 11. The method of claim 10, Wherein the forward protrusion is tapered. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the forward protrusion is tapered. CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for loading a container into a lower open carrying carriage having a pair of opposed bottom panels and grip holes adjacent a side wall of a transport, A container conveyor assembly having a conveyor mechanism for moving a group of multiple containers in series into at least one column along a first path; A carrier feeder for bringing the carrier from the carrier transport carrier; A plurality of groups of said plurality of containers, wherein said plurality of containers are arranged on said plurality of container groups, wherein said plurality of container groups are arranged in said plurality of container groups, Commences transport of the vehicle to be moved in parallel, And at least one insertion member having a front protrusion of a cross section corresponding to the hole of the carrier, Wherein the at least one insertion member is mounted on a conveyor mechanism to reciprocate transversely with respect to the path of travel, Wherein the at least one insertion member is configured to interlock with the delivery feeder, the at least one insertion member being configured to interlock with the delivery feeder, wherein the at least one insertion member is threaded through the aperture at an outwardly transversed point, Timing-transport assembly; A gripper assembly for gripping the bottom panel of the carrier such that the bottom panel of the carrier is transversally positioned relative to the side wall of the carrier as the carrier moves and pulling outward relative to the centerline of the carrier; A pair of downwardly inclined endless belts opposing and extending opposite each other to form a passage therebetween for receiving the bottom panel of the transversely extending carriage and for transporting the carriage downwardly inclined linearly over the plurality of container groups, An inclined belt assembly comprising: And And a bottom panel sealing mechanism for fixing the bottom panels of the respective carriers together. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 13 > 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein said at least one insertion member comprises at least one U-shaped member. 15. The method of claim 14, Wherein the front projection is tapered. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the front projection is tapered. 14. The method of claim 13, Further comprising a guide member which is opposite to the insertion member and that engages the delivery port along the movement path so as to maintain the insertion of the insertion member in the grip hole of the delivery port. 18. The method of claim 17, Wherein the guide member comprises an elongated channel member.

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