US2043018A - Method and apparatus for manufacture of drinking cups - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1 936. F. P. SWALLOW 2,043,018

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF DRINKING CUPS Filed Feb. 12, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l //V VE N 70/? franc/Is P 5Wa//0n June 2, 1936.

F. P. SWALLOW METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF DRINKING CUP-S Filed Feb. 12, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Fran/r P Swal/om By M 204:

ATTORNEYS Jfine 2, 1936. p, sw ow 2,043,018

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF DRINKING CUPS Fil'ed Feb. 12,- 19.54 5 Sheets--Sheet 3 INVENTOR franc/s fiswm/aw BY @ta m/i w A TTORNEYS June 2, 1936. 2,043,018

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF DRINKING curs F. P. SWALLOW Filed Feb. 12, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 4 m m m M mw m V5 in MP .A 5 M m Y B m METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF DRINKING CUPS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 12, 1934 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 2, 1936 PATENT OFF-ICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TUBE OF DRINKING CUP NnNUFAC- Francis P. Swallow, Worcester, Mass, assignor to United States Envelope Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation or Maine Application February 12, 1934, Serial No. 710,944

15 Claims This invention relates to the manufacture of sanitary drinking cups and is in the nature of an improvement upon the invention disclosed in the pending application of Abraham Novlck, Serial 420,127, filed January 11, 1930, for Paper drinking cups and processes and apparatus for manufacturing same.

In common with said application it is the object of the invention to produce a cup having a substantially linear lower edge and a substantially circular mouth, and having its sides uncreased. In accordance with the disclosure of said application a sector-like blank is placed adjacent a rounded, wedge-shaped male former and the blank is wrapped around the former and cross folded. The blank is subsequently stripped longitudinally from the former.

It is an object of the present invention to form a cup without the utilization of a male former and thereby to obviate the necessity for the stripping of the formed cup from the former. To this end provision is desirably made of a concave former adapted to receive the blank and having a flattened reentrant portion which engages a longitudinal central zone of the blank. Provision is further made of a plunger for depressing the blank into the former and of fingers adapted to be swung in through the larger end of the former to press opposite portions of the blank outward against the former and grip them so that the blank may be retained in continuous contact with the former after the plunger is retracted. Provision is further made of folding plates arranged to swing in from the opposite sides of the blank after the plunger has been retracted to press the side flap portions in overlapping relation against the fiat reentrant portion of the former and thus to form the side seam. The lower end of the blank is then folded over sharply about an edge or" one of the iolding plates, being caused to form an acute angle with the adjacent side of the cup body. The folding instrumentalities are then retracted and the cup is freed from the former, preferably by lowering the former while preventing movement of the cup.

The cup then springs to an open condition and is blown by a jet of air into acurved chute. The cup drops through the chute into the uppermost cup of the stack of nested cups.

An oscillatory thrust member, operated in timed relation to the delivery of the blank, engages the upper edge of each cup and presses it down firmly into the stack. The stacked cups are disposed in a narrow portion of the chute against which they depressing of the stack. The folded tab is pressed snugly against the adjacent side of the cup when the cup is thrust into the stack and is held in contact with the side of the cup so long as the cup remains in the stack. This causes a good adhesive union to be formed between the folded tab and the side of the cup.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specification and disclosing an illustrative embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating the concave former and the instrumentalities associated therewith for operating upon the blank;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of substantially the same parts illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the blank depressed into the former by the plunger; I Fig. 4 is a view similar toFigs. 2 and 3 but showing the plunger withdrawn and illustrating the action of the side folding plates on the blank;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view illustrating particularly the folding of the bottom tab;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the former depressed and the blank dislodged from the former and about to be blown away;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the finished cup;

and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view in elevation,

partly broken away showing the means for operating the various parts.

As in the mnding application of l-ibraham Noviok, herein before referred to, the apparatus disclosed is designed to act upon a sector-like blank l of paper or other suitable sheet material to form the same into a drinking cup having a substantially circular mouth and a linear base. The blank comprises the body portion 2 anda bottom tab portion 3. Preliminary to the folding of the blank adhesive 4 is applied to the bottom tab and adhesive 5 is applied along one margin of the body portion. The blank, with the adhesive applied, is located above a concave former 6 with thelower end edges in engagement with locating abutments l and with the side edges in engagement with locating abutments 8.

The former 6 remains stationary during the folding of the blank. A plunger 9, located above the middle of the former, carries a presser plate In at the lower end thereof which is adapted to be thrust into the former and to press the central body portion of the blank into continuous engagement with the bottom of the former. The bottom of the former has a reentrant portion H which is provided with a broad fiat upper surface l2. Former surfaces l3 incline downward from opposite sides of the surface l2 and merge into arcuate surfaces I4.

The centers of the surfaces l4 are desirably located in the plane of the surface l2 and the surfaces are of sumcient angular extent to continue substantially above such plane so that at their upper ends they incline inward to overhang and detain the depressed blank. The mouth of the former, however, is made wide enough to accommodate the plunger plate In.

When the plunger plate It] has been depressed to the position illustrated in Fig. 3 holding fingers l5, which are segmental in form to fit the surfaces l4, swing inward through the open larger end of the former to press opposite portions of the blank outward against the surfaces l4 and to grip such portions of the blank securely to said surfaces. The fingers l5 are fixed on rocker arms l6 which are oscillated by connecting rods l1 in properly timed relation to the other parts. After the fingers I5 have gripped the blank the plunger plate I0 is withdrawn. In this withdrawing movement it pushes aside the side flap portlons l6 and I1 of the blank, but these flap portions immediately spring in substantially to the same positions illustrated in Fig. 3 as soon as the plunger plate has moved clear of them.

Folding plates I8 and I9 are next operated to fold in the flap portions I6 and I1, respectively. Arms 23, fast on the folding plate l8, are fixed upon 2 rock shaft 2| journalled in ears 22 which, in the illustrated form, project from one side from the former 6. Arms 23, fast on the plate l9, are fixed to a rock shaft 24 journalled in ears 25 which project from the opposite side of the former 6. Provision is made for operating the rock shafts 2| and 24 in timed relation to the other instrumentalities, the former shaft a little in advance of the latter so that the gummed margin of the flap l1 will be superposed upon the margin of the .fiap I6. The folding plate I8 when folded in extends over a portion of the surface I2 and presses the fiap l6 fiat against said surface. The

plate I3 when folded in extends over the overlapping portions of the flaps l6 and I1 and presses them firmly together against the abutment formed. by the surface I2 so that a good adhesive union is formed.

The plate l8 does not extend to the lower boundary of the body portion of the blank but is terminated short thereof so that the plate l9 may have a widened portion 26 which extends completely across the blank. This widened portion 26 of the plate I9 provides a continuous edge portion about which the bottom tab is folded.

' With the plates still in place the bottom tab folder 21 is moved upward from beneath the tab through the successive positions illustrated at 21a and 21b to lift the tab, turn it over, and

'crease it sharply against the end edge 28 on the .portion 26 of plate IS. The edge 28 is beveled and the folding lip 29 of the folder 21 extends at an angle corresponding to the bevel of the edge 28. The tab is therefore sharply creased but it is not folded down far enough to cause the adhesive to come into engagement with the plate 19. Folder 21 is then retracted through substantially the same path through which it advanced so that the folded tab is freed. The folding plates I8 and I9 are then returned to their original outspread condition to leave the blank free.

The former 6 is pivotally mounted by arms 30 upon a shaft 3i in a fixed bracket 3 la. Throughout the operations thus far described the former 6 is held stationary by a supporting rod 32 but after the plates l8 and I9 have been returned to their outspread condition the rod 32 is drawn downward to depress the former 8. A stationary abutment rod 33 extends upward into the passage 34 of the former and prevents the folded blank from moving downward with the former. The stationary rod 33 thus serves as a blank ejecter for freeing the blank from the former. As soon as the middle portion of the blank is displaced a short distance from the surface 12, the blank springs free of the former and the mouth of the blank springs open as illustrated in Fig. 6.

A nozzle 35 is located to point into the mouth of the blank in this position, and at the instant when the blank is freed the nozzle is caused to blow a jet of air into the blank to drive the blank into a curved chute 36.

The chute is of larger cross-sectional area at its receiving end than the fully expanded mouth of the blank so that it offers no obstruction to the passage of the blank. The chute inclines down ward sharply so that each blank descends by gravity, being assisted also in the descent by the jet of air.

Each blank comes to rest substantially in the dotted outline position indicated at l a in Fig. 8, being detained in such position by reason of the fact that the convergent chute becomes narrower than the mouth of the blank at this point. A finger 31, pivoted at 38, extends into the chute through a slot 39' in a wall thereof. The finger 31 normally stands outside the chute in the position indicated by full lines at 31 in Fig. 8 but at the appropriate time in the cycle of operations the finger is drawn downward by a. connecting rod 39, to the position shown in dot-and-dash lines at 31a, to press the blank located at la firmly into stack l b. The finger 31 is thereafter retracted before the arrival of another blank.

The lower vertical portion 40 of the chute is even narrower than the portion of the chute which arrested the blank in the position la, and since a multiplicity of the nested cups is held under stress in this narrow vertical portion the stack resists depression with sufficient force to cause the tab of the uppermost cup to be pressed firmly against the adjacent side of the cup so that a good adhesive union is formed. Each succeeding cup serves to support such wall of the preceding cup from within so that each tab is pressed between the adjacent walls of the cup of which it forms a part and of the cup which receives it and each of these walls in turn is supported and reinforced by a multiplicity of walls of preceding and succeeding cups.

The stacked cups discharged from the chute are ready for packing and each cup is formed as illustrated in Fig. 9.

Fig; 10 discloses operating mechanism for the various parts described. All of the parts shown are controlled'from a cam shaft C which is constantly driven. A cam 4| on the shaft acts upon a follower 42 carried by a bell crank 43. The bell crank 43 is journalled upon a shaft 44 mounted 75 a shaft 55 carried by the frame.

The contourof the cam is such that the folding plate I8 is. swung upward and inward at the appropriate time in the cycleand is permitted to be returned to open position by the spring 48 at the appropriate time in the cycle.

The folding plate It is operated by similar mechanism, including a bell crank 43a, which is actuated from a cam on the shaft C.

The cam shaft C also has fast upon it a cam 49 whereby the presser plate I0 is actuated. The cam 49 acts upon a follower 50 carried by a lever BI which is pivoted by a stud 52 on the machine frame. The lever 5i actuates the connecting rod 53 which is connected to an arm 54 journalled on The arm 5 has a pin and slot connection with the plunger 9 for actuating the plunger.

serves to urge the connecting rod 53 upward and to maintain the follower 58 in engagement with the cam as. The contour of the cam 49 is such that the presser plate H3 is lowered and raised at the appropriate times in the cycle for carrying out the operations which heretofore have been described.

The cam shaft C also carries a cam 57 and a cam Bid for operating the fingers It in the manner heretofore described. The cam El acts upon a follower 58 carried by a bell crank 5d. The bell crank 59 is pivoted by a stud 66 on a fixed portion of the frame at. The upper end of'the bell crank 59 is connected to one of the connecting rods II. The mechanism described may be duplicated for operating the other connecting rod H, a portion of a bell crank 59a being indicated and operable by the cam die. The contour of the cams 51 and tin are such that the fingers I 5 are advanced and retracted at the appropriate times in the cycle gar carrying out the previously described operaons.

The cam shaft 0 also carries two cams (not shown) for actuating the folding lip 2Q. One of the cams serves to draw downward upon a connecting rodtl which is urged upward by a spring 52. The connecting rod 65 is connected to a rocking lever 52 journalled on a shaft 63, which shaft is carried by the machine frame. The rocking lever 52 is connected to the lower end of the folder 2 and its primary function is to raise and lower the folder 2?. The other cam (not shown) .serves to pull downward a connecting rod 64 which is normally urged upward by a spring 65. The connecting rod 6% is connected to a bell crank i565 journalled on the shaft 63. The bell crank 68 is connected through a link 67 to the folder 211. The operating cams for the connecting rods 6i and E l-are of such contours that the folder 2? is first caused to swing upward and then inward to perform the folding operation.- When; the folding has been performed the folder 21 is caused to, swing first outward and then downward.

The cam shaft C also carries a cam 68 for operating the concave former 6 in the manner which has been described. The cam 68 acts upon a A spring 56 connected to the lever 55 and to the machine frameshaft 0. The supporting rod 32 is normally urged upward by a spring I2 but is pulled downward at the appropriate time in the cycle by the cam 69 to depressthe concave former 6. The air supplied .to the nozzle 35 is also convalve mechanism (not shown).

The cam shaft C also carries a cam I3 for operating the finger 31 which presses the blanks into the chute 36. The cam I3 acts upon a cam follower I4 carried by a rocking lever I5. The lever I5 is pivotally supported by a stud IS on a fixed part of the machine frame. The lever I5 is connected to the 'connectingrod 39 for actuating' the finger 31. A spring 11, connected to the lever I5, normally maintains the finger 31 in the position shown and the followerld in engagement with the cam I3. The contour of the cam.l3 is such that the finger is caused to be raised and lowered at the appropriate times in the cycle for carrying out the described operation.

Although the articles made by the machines and method of the present invention are referred to herein as drinking cups, it will be understood that the invention is not limited for use in the manufacture of such cups, but that the articles made by the present invention are capable of widely diversified uses, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. 7

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however. to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. ma machine for making sanitary drinking cups, in combination; a concave former having a flat central reentrant portion and curved side recesses, means for depressing a blank into conformity with the bottom of the former, means for clamping the blank in said recesses, and means for folding side portions of the blank into over- .lapping relation against the reentrant portion of the former to unite the same.

2. In a machine for making sanitary drinking cups, in combination, a concave former having a flat central reentrant portion and curved side recesses, means for depressing a blank into conformity with the bottom of the former, means r for clamping the blank in said recesses, and folding,plates operable to fold side portions of the blankv successively against the reentrant portion of the former to overlap and unite said portions.

3. In a machine for making sanitary drinking cups, in combination, a concave former having a smooth central reentrant portion and curved side recesses, means for depressing a blank into conformity with the bottom of the former, means for clamping the blank in said recesses, folding plates operable to fold side portions of the blank successively against the reentrant portion of the former to overlap and unite said portions, and means for creasing the lower end portion of the blank about one of said plates.

4. In a machine for making sanitary drinking cups, in combination, a concave former having a smooth central reentrant portion and curved side recesses, means for depressing a blank into conformity with the bottom of the formenmeans for clamping the blank in said recesses, folding plates, operable to fold sideportions of the blank successively against the reentrant portion of the former to overlap and unite said portions, means for creasing the lower end portion of the blank about one of said plates, a chute, and means for trolled from the cam shaft C through suitable delivering the formed blank into the chute to cause it to be added to a stack of nested cups.

5. Ina machinefor making sanitary drinking cups, in combination, a concave former having a smooth central reentrant portion and curved side recesses, means for depressing a blank into conformity with the bottom of the former, means for clamping the blank in said recesses, folding plates operable to fold side portions of the blank successively against the reentrant portion of the former to overlap and unite said portions, means for creasing the lower end portion of the blank about one of said plates, a, chute, means for delivering each formed blank into the chute to cause it to be added toa stack of nested cups, the chute being narrow enough to resist movement of the cup stack along it, and means for pressing each added cup into the stack and feeding the stack along the chute through the pressure exerted upon the added cup.

6. In a machine for making sanitary drinking cups from blanks of elastic sheet material, means for folding each blank while retaining the natural tendency thereof to spring outward, means for freeing the formed blank from the former to permit the mouth of the blank to spring open, and means for conveying the blank away from the former, said means comprising a blower for directing a jet of air into the open mouth of the blank.

7. In a machine for making sanitary drinking cups, in combination, a former having an open end'and an open side, plunger means movable through the open side of the former to insert a cup blank into the former, means movable through the open end of the former to grip the cup blank in the former when the plunger means is withdrawn, means for folding the blank into cup form in the former, and means for ejecting the formed blank through the open side of the former.

8. The method for making sanitary drinking cups which comprises providing a sector-like blank, forming elastic loops of the blank material at opposite sides of a longitudinal central zone of the blank, folding opposed marginal portions of the blank outside said loops into overlapping relation, supporting said marginal portions against the longitudinal central zone of the blank while pressing them together to unite them, and folding the end portion of the blank against the side wall of the folded blank to form a bottom closure.

' 9. The method of making sanitary drinking cups which comprises providing a sector-like blank, overlapping and uniting longitudinal marginal portions of the blank, creasing a gummed bottom end portion of the blank crosswise sufficiently to cause it to point toward the top of the blank but insufficiently to cause it to lie against the blank, and pressing the formed blank into a nested stack of previously formed cups, to cause said end portion to lie against and adhere to the side wall of the cup.

10. The method of making sanitary drinking cups which comprises providing a sector-like blank, overlapping and uniting longitudinal marginal portions of the blank, without creasing the blank lengthwise, creasing a gummed bottom end portion of the blank crosswise sufficiently to cause it to point toward the top of the blank but in- Imfliciently to cause it to lie against the blank,

and pressing the blank within a previously formed cup to press the folded end portion of the blank against the side portion of the blank and thereby cause said side and end portions to become adhesively united.

11. The method of making sanitary drinking cups which comprises providing a sector-like blank, bending the blank to form opposite loops while supporting an intermediate portion in a plane between the upper and lower limits of the formed loops, pressing opposite marginal portions of the blank into overlapping relation and against the supported intermediate portion to adhesively unite the marginal portions while maintaining the natural resiliency of the side material of the blank unimpaired, so that the formed blank tends to spring open when permitted to do so, causing the formed blank to spring open, and blowing air into the sprung open blank to blow the blank away from the point at which it is formed.

12. In an apparatus for making sanitary drinking cups, a concave former, the cavity of the former having a tapering or wedge-shaped mouth, curved side recesses for curling a blank and. turning said marginal portions thereof inward, and a raised central base portion against which the marginal portions may be pressed.

13. In an apparatus for making sanitary'drinking cups, a concave former, the cavity of the former being wedge-shaped, having curved side recesses for curling a blank and turning said marginal portionsthereof' inward, and having a raised central base portion against which the marginal portions may be pressed, and means for pressing the blank into said former.

14. The method of making containers of sheet material, which comprises providing a sector-like blank having a central portion and a pair of side portions having convergent edges, folding one side portion to provide an elastic loop of tapering cross section between such side portion and the central portion and to change the angular disposition of the outer edge of the side portion and lay said outer edge directly against the said cen: tral portion, folding the other side portion to provide an elastic loop of tapering cross-section between such side portion and the central portion and to change the angular disposition of the outer edge of the side portion and lay said outer edge over the outer edge of the other side portion, and pressing the said overlapping portions against said central portion to unite them.

15. The method of making containers of sheet material, which comprises providing a sector-like blank having a central portion and a pair of side portions having convergent edges, folding one side portion to provide an elastic loop of tapering cross section between such side portion and the central portion and to change the angular disposition of the outer edge of the side portion and lay said outer edge directly against the said central portion, folding the other side portion to provide an elastic loop of tapering cross section between such side portion and the central portion and to lay said outer edge over the outer edge of the other side portion, pressing the said overlapping portions against said central portion to unite them, and folding the narrower end portion of the blank transversely to form a bottom closure.

FRANCIS P. SWALLOW.

Images