US2090399A - Apparatus for closing boxes - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 17, 1937. H KONDOLF 2,090,399

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING BOXES Filed July 9, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Yv N- m Q l Q \g &

' INVENTOR ATTORN EY Aug. 17, 1937. H. KONDOLF APPARATUS'FOR CLOSING BOXES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1934 Lxfi ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 Le it-399 PATENT QFFEQ APPARATUS FOR CLOSING BOXES Henry Kondolf, New York, N. Y., assignor to Southern Kraft Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1934, Serial No. 734,288

7 Claims.

My present invention relates to a method and apparatus for packing and closing boxes of the bottom loading type, such, for instance, as disclosed in my Patents No. 2,019,538, issued Nov. 5,

1935, and No. 2,031,111, issued Feb. 18, 1936, re-

spectively. Other spectific boxes of the same general type may be packed and closed by my machine, but the aforementioned patent discloses one specific box for which the machine is particularly adapted.

An object of my invention is to devise a machine in which the operator may be entirely free to arrange the contents of the box in a suitable and pleasing manner-by reason of the closing mechanism being entirely automatic in its operation. This object is advantageous in connection with the packing of this type of box inasmuch as the primary purpose, novelty and utility of the box is in presenting a more uniform and 0 pleasing arrangement of fruit, berries, vegetables and other commodities. This particular box, as well as others of a similar nature, is formed from a unitary blank by a tray-folding operation; that is the center panel of a blank is provided with side and end flaps which are folded up into a tray, one of the sidewalls being provided with an attached bottom lid adapted to form a complete enclosure. The sides of the tray are preferably inclined toward each other so that the 0 center panel is slightly larger than the open end of the tray. The center panel may be provided with an easily detachable portion which may be removed in order that the contents of the box may be viewed by the purchaser. This removable portion is smaller than the center panel so that the edges of the panel will retain the contents in place, particularly in instances where large fruit and vegetables are being packed. When smaller fruits and vegetables are being packed the removable portion may be underlaid by a sheet of transparent material adhered to the rim of the center panel. Other details, objects and advantages of the box will be apparent from an inspection of the aforementioned patent. This box is designed to be loaded from the bottom and an object of my invention is to enable such loading to take place in a continuous process.

A further object of my invention is to devise O a machine wherein bottom-loading boxes are automatically closed and the closing panel uniformly fastened in closed position. 7

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following speci fication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan View of a machine embodying the foregoing principles;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken along line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a box of the type adapted to be closed by the specific mechanism set forth herein, looking at the bottom of the box; V

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken along line 4- 1 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken along line 55 of Fig. 1 and showing the box in opened position as it appears during the plac-:'.-: ing of. the contents within the box;

Fig. 6 is a similar vertical transverse section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing the beginning of the closing operation; and

Fig. 7 is a similar vertical transverse section taken along line 1-1 of Fig. 1 and showing the box in final closed position just prior to the presentation thereof to a fastening mechanism, such as set forth in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1. and 2 the numeral It represents a suitable conveyor upon which commodities to be packed are brought before an operator positioned adjacent the conveyor. The conveyor is preferably at one side of and slightly above the box conveyor H upon which the boxes are placed in inverted position. A number of boxes 52 are shown in position on the conveyor and being fed forward by cleats 13 between guides 14. The boxes are supplied to the box conveyor l i by a supply conveyor I5 from which they are removed by the cleats i3 on conveyor 8 i. The supply conveyor 55 may be operated at a greater speed than the conveyor H so as to make certain that a continuous supply of boxes will be brought into position to be removed by. the cleats i3 and, being a smooth belt conveyor, it will merely slide under the boxes if too many are brought to the loading table il The conveyor I i is passed about a free roll it atone end of the loading table I? and a driving roll I8, at the opposite end of the loading table. The table I lis supported on suitable legs within pairs of which may be mounted the bearings for rolls 16 and i8.

The conveyor H is preferably driven-through intermittently operating mechanism of suitable construction, in this instance comprising a Geneva gearing driven by a motor l9 through a belt 20 and pulley 2!. The pulley 2! is fixed to a shaft 22 mounted in a suitable standard 23 and its free end carries a Geneva drive member 24 on the surface of which is mounted the usual driving pin 25. The shaft of drive roll l8. carries the usual Geneva star wheel 26 with which the pin 25 cooperates to step the conveyor forward intermittently a distance substantially equal to the distance between box centers at each step. The member 24 carries the usual locking flange 21 to lock the Geneva star wheel in place after each progressive movement thereof. Other suitable may be employed; the foregoing being merely a simple form having the desired characteristics.

At the end of the table II there is a suitable conveyor 28 adapted to carry away the closed boxes, being preferably driven at a greater speed in order to separate adjacent boxes. It will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings that the boxes are progressed in uniform steps through the operating stations and are continuously conveyed away from the machine as they emerge from the operating table. Each box is adjacent the commodity conveyor ID for a plurality of steps, the time elapsing being sufficient to enable an operator to completely and carefully fill each box. The number of steps elapsing from the time that a box first comes to' position adjacent the operator until the box moves into the closing mechanism hereafter described may be a variable number depending upon the type of commodity and the time re-' quired to completely and carefully pack thev box. In order to fully set forth the operation of the closing mechanisma brief description of the box shown in Fig. 3 is required. The box comprises a tray-folded box having a top 30 which, in the packing position, is lowermost or adjacent the conveyor The sides of the box are formed by flaps 3| which are folded upward about the top portion 30 and are fastened together to form a tray having a filling opening of slightly smaller dimensions than the top portion 30. The corners of the tray are cut away to form ventilation openings and also to make possible automatic closing as will appear hereafter. One side wall of the tray has a flap 32 affixed thereto along the score line 33 and is formed with score lines 34 and 35 parallel tothe score line 33. The flap 32 thus consists of a major portion of substantially the area of the bottom opening of the box and narrow portions at opposite sides of the major portion. By folding the narrow portions inwardly the bottom of the box is-thus raised with respect to its bottom edge thereby placing the contents under slight pressure for purposes fully set forth in the aforementioned patent. In Fig. 5 a box is seen in its open or filling position with the flap 32 extending up ward and the top portion 30 resting on the conveyor The guides M are shown as having a slight inclination toward each other to abut closely the sloping side walls 3| of the box and prevent tipping thereof during the fastening operation.

After a box is filled the bottom panel is positioned within the bottom opening to'close the same. For this purpose a lid closing cam 40 is fastened .on the upper edges of the guides l4 and preferably comprises a plate having a rolled forward, edge set atan acute angle to the direction of travel of the boxes, the foremost tip of the cam being adjacent the path of travel of the scoreline 33. The upstanding lid or bottom panel 32 is forced downwardly by the rolled edge of the cam 40 as the box is conveyed there intermittently operating mechanisms:

under by the conveyor I. Since the total length of the lid 32 is greater than the width of the bottom opening means are provided to bend the lid along the score lines 34 and 35 comprising a folding member 4| adjacent one guide l4 and a folding member 42 adjacent the opposite guide I4. The member 4| projects downward below the bottom edge of the panels 3| and forces the bottom lid to bend along score line 34, the corners of the side walls 3| being cut away to allow the member clearance. The member 4| is in advance of the member 42 so that the bottom panel is first bent inward along score line 34 thereby drawing the end edge of the bottom lid toward the side panel 3| adjacent thereto. During this time the bottom lid 32 is continually being folded inward by the lid closing cam 40,

as seen in Fig. 6. In Fig. '7 the lid 32 has been completely forced into position and the cam 40 has caused the bottom lid to bend along the score line 35, thereby positioning the narrow end portion of the lid 32 parallel to and adjacent the lower edge of the side wall 3|. Member 42 is preferably positioned at a slight angle to the guides l4 so that the cross-sectional area of the channel therebetween decreases as the box progresses therealong, and member 4| preferably is relieved away from its corresponding guide 14 as the box progresses therealong so that, as the box moves from the position of Fig. 7 to'the position of Fig. 4, the end of the bottom'lid 32 is brought into close fitting contact with the corresponding side wall 3|.

The action of the foregoing mechanism is as follows: The bottom lid is first generally forced to bend along the line 33 and tends to assume a parallel relation with the top panel 30. Before complete parallelism is reached the bottom lid j is bent along line 34 to form a reentrant portion.

line 34 is allowed some freedom of movement and the narrow lip formed by score line 35 is brought into close proximity with the opposite side wall. It will be appreciated that the box is, during this time, filled with some commodity so that the bottom lid will not be forced beyond the proper closing position and will be under a slight pressure from within so that the end of the lid 32 tends to remain adjacent the lower edge of the side wall 3|.

A primary advantage of my method and appa ratus lies in obtaining uniformity of the package eventually resulting therefrom. Although the bottom lid 32 comprises a central panel of substantially the same size as the opening in the box and having opposed reentrant portions defined by the score lines 33, 34 and 35 which are substantially equal in width, nevertheless in the manual operation of positioning the lid it is impossible to obtain a uniform package because of the impossibility of impressing upon operators the necessity for careful folding of the lid along the defining score lines. Uniformity is essential because of various regulations imposed by governmental authorities upon the dimensions of small containers for vegetables, fruits and simi-' lar commodities. It will be appreciated that a slight variance in the folding may increase or decrease the dimensions beyond the variance allowed to standard containers. In my closing -mach ine the continuous, progressive operationof the members MI, 4! and 42 insure uniformity of folding and uniformity of final dimensions.

A further advantage relates to the utility and function of the bottom closing lid. The reentrant lid acts as a spacer to lift the contents above the bottom edge of the box. In commodities of large size which are packed by count rather than by weight or volume it will be appreciated that variations in size are encountered. The articles are intended to be held in close contact with the top panel 35 regardless of the position of the box. In order to accommodate slight variations the bend formed at the score line 63 is intended to be less than 180", so that a certain degree of rigid resiliency will be imparted to the bottom lid. In manual operation it has been found that the score line 33, and similarly the score line 34, are broken beyond the point where resiliency will be preserved. By the use of a member, such as M, an absolute degree of bend is imparted to this part of the lid and the desired advantages will be found to result.

A further feature of my invention whereby the peculiar advantages of the particular type of box is utilized, lies in means whereby the top panel of the box may be allowed or forced to bulge in order that the contents will be firmly yet resiliently retained between the top and bottom panels. It will be noted from an inspection of Figs. 4-7 inclusive, that the top panel normally lies in a single plane and that preferably it is caused to bulge slightly outwardly. The dimensions of the box are such that with the average sized large fruit or vegetable, or with a standard bulk of smaller commodities, such as one quart of berries, the distance between the normal position of the top panel and the normal position of the bottom panel will not be quite suficient. The conveyor is formed with longitudinal and transverse raised portions 52, forming central, rectangular depressions, each of which is designed to accommodate the central portion of the top panel of a box. These raised portions underlie the side walls of the box and prevent downward movement thereof. However, the downward forcing action of the members ll and 42 will cause the central portion of the panel to be displaced and to closely contact the depressed surface of the belt. In this way there is formed a bulged top panel resiliently held by the reentrant bottom panel pressing on the enclosed commodity.

At the next forward step of the conveyor I I the box is fastened in closed position by the following mechanism comprising one embodiment of means for fastening the box. The Geneva drive member 24 is formed with a groove 45 within Which is positioned a follower roll it fixed to a slide 41 suitably guided for vertical movement in an extension of standard 23. Mounted on the upper end of slide 4'! is a stapling head 48 having a plunger 49 and an anvil 59 on opposite sides of a work receiving throat 55. A suitable magazine 52 is positioned on the head Q8 and is provided with any standard form of staple feeding mechanism designed to feed staples into alignment with the plunger is and anvil 58. The anvil 55 is so positioned and designed as to closely contact the inner side of the end flap of the lid 32 and the plunger 33 is adapted to drive a staple through the wall 3i and lid 32 and clinch it against the anvil, thus fastening the bottom lid in place. The groove 45 is so designed and related to the pin 25 that the slide 41 and stapling head 38 will be raised to the dotted line position, of Fig. 4 during the movement of the conveyor l l and will be lowered, momentarily held stationary at operative position, and raised during the time that the conveyor is at rest. To operate the stapling plunger 49 during the period of time that the stapling head is at its lowermost position there is provided a cam wheel 55 fixed to shaft 22 and provided with a groove 56. Pivoted to standard 23 at 57 is a rocking lever 58 having a follower roll :39 positioned in groove 56 and having a hammer Ell at its free end. The hammer 6G is normally in inoperative position, shown in dotted line in Fig. 4, but during the time that the stapling head is momentarily held in operative lowermost position the lever 58 is rocked to force the hammer 60 against the plunger 49 to drive a staple. A spring 6i may be provided to return the plunger to its inoperative position. It will be appreciated that the foregoing is simply one form of stapling mechanism and that other forms may operate just as well provided that the foregoing sequence of operation is observed. Likewise, the stapling head %8 may be so designed as to have a plurality of plungers, anvils and magazines so that each box will have several closing staples.

It will be apparent that the stapling head is lowered into the depression formed by the raised bottom lid during the time that the conveyor is at rest, the stapling will take place, and the stapling head will immediately be raised to inoperative position before the conveyor begins to move.

The foregoing is a simple and preferred form of mechanism for carrying out the purposes of my invention but it will be appreciated that modifications and alterations may be devised which are within the scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited except by the following claims which are to be broadly construed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for closing a bottom-loading box of a type having a reentrant bottom lid, comprising a belt adapted to progress the box and means positioned adjacent thereto to fold said bottom lid into position, said belt having a central depression into which the top panel of the box may be forced by said folding means transmitting pressure through the enclosed contents.

2. In an apparatus for closing a box of the type adapted to have one panel bulged outwardly and resiliently retained in bulged position by the enclosed contents and the opposite panel, a belt having central depressions formed therein adapted to allow outward bulging of the panel adjacent thereto.

3. Closing apparatus for boxes and the like comprising spaced guides, a conveyor to carry a box between said guides, a closing bar extending diagonally across the conveyor, means forming an inverted U shaped channel located adjacent each of said guides and positioned to operate on said box after its passage past the closing bar, the working cross-sectional area of said channel constantly decreasing from the end adjacent said closing bar whereby to exert a constantly increasing pressure on said box to complete the closing operation.

4. Apparatus for closing boxes and the like comprising spaced guides, a conveyor positioned between said guides adapted to guide a box therethrough, folding means comprising a member positioned across said guides and substantially parallel to and spaced from the plane of said conveyor, said member being setat an acute angle to the direction of travel of said conveyor, and secondary closing means comprising a member cooperating with each of said guides and positioned at an angle thereto to provide a channel whose working cross-sectional area decreases from the entrance to the exit end of said channel.

5. Apparatus for closing a box comprising spaced guides, a conveyor for carrying a box between said guides, means toclose said box comprising folding member positioned acrotssi said guides and set at an angle to the direction of travel of said conveyor, secondary folding means positioned to operate on the closure of the box after the passage of the box past the first mentioned folding member comprising a strip secured to each of said guides and presenting therewith channels having constantly decreasing cross-sectional areas.

6. Closing apparatus for boxes and the like comprising spaced guides, a conveyor to carry a box between said guides, a closing bar extending at an angle across the conveyor, means forming plete the closing operation.

7. Closing apparatus for boxes and the like comprising spaced guides, a conveyor to carry a box between said guides, closure folding means for partially closing the closure of a box carried 'on said conveyor, means forming an inverted U shaped channel located adjacent at least one of said guides and positioned to operate on said box after its passage past the closure folding means, the working cross-sectional area of said channel constantly decreasing from the end adjacent said closure foldingmeans whereby to exert a constantly increasing pressure on said box to complete the closing operation.

' HENRY KONDOLF.

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