US2203079A - Conveyer transfer and seal means - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1940.

A. S. CHANDLER CONVEYER T RANSFER AND SEAL MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 30, 19256 INVENTOR:

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I June 4, 1940- A. s. CHANDLER CONVEYER TRANSFER AND SEAL MEANS Original Filed Oct. 30, 19256 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 INVENTORI 5% E w k ATTO R N EY.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYJ June 1940- A. s. CHANDLER VCONVEYER TRANSFER AND SEAL MEANS Original Filed Oct. 30, 1936 141/67? J: C'Au/vaac /P,

w R mm R Q Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER TRANSFER AND SEAL MEANS Austin S. Chandler, Fitchburg, Mass, assignor to The Brown Bag Filling Machine Company, Fitchburg, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts 3 Claims.

This is a division of my oo-pending application, Serial No. 108,487, filed October 30, 1936, for Bag filling machine (Patent 2,173,409, issued September 19, 1939).

The invention relates to means-and arrangements for transferring bags from one conveyer to another, and for conveying the bags to a de- Livery point and at the same time sealing the ags.

It has for an object to effect a simplifying of construction and arrangement of mechanical parts for the purposes indicated and to so coordinate the delivery conveyer with a conveyer of ere-ct bags that a minimum of space and complication in movement of the product is involved in order to effect the desired function.

Another object is to present a novel construction in the delivery conveyer and in its operative means.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combinationof parts involved in the embodiment of the invention as will be understood from. the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the machine.

Figure 3 is a top View with the hopper and measure mechanism removed and partly in section. 1

Figure 4 is a top view of the operating means for the rotary conveyer.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail of one unit of the delivery conveyer on its track-way.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary section longitudinally of the path of the delivery conveyer at one sprocket.

Figure 8 is a detail of the ratchet operation for vthe delivery conveyer.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary bottom view of the delivery conveyer.

Figure 10 is a detail elevation of the deliveryconveyer.

Figure 11 is a detail section of the drive connections.

Figure 12 is a detail section of the drive connections at right angles to Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a detail of the bag.

There is illustrated a bag filling machine which comprises a stand or pedestal 40, having the foot casting 4|, and carrying a frame-work which includes a knee bracket 43 and a table 41 to which the-bracket is attached by the flange arms 46. The frame work also includes upstanding side posts 49 erected on the table, one at each side near the front of the machine and one at the rear, and carrying at their upper parts a platform 50, which serves as the mounting of a hopper I51 and measure mechanism not forming a novel part of the present invention, and therefore not described herein but reference is made to my co-pending application before mentioned for an understanding thereof. The bracket43, table and platform are arranged one above the other, as may be seen. Over the table there is erected a rotary conveyer 9! having a central vertical main shaft 80 concentric therewith and from which operative connections are made to operate the conveyer step-by-step at proper stages, as will be described.

Over the conveyer there is a circular top plate 5| serving as the means for mounting bag Working units and fenders. Around the path of the conveyer there is also mounted a retaining rail 205 by which the top portions of bags are held against excessive outward movement, as might be caused by wind or otherwise.

There is at the front or filling station A of the machine a bag presenting means I25 operative as will be explained, and a bag-opening means I38 cooperative therewith and with the 'conveyer. The latter includes a bag-engaging and carrying means 95, constructed to receive the filled bag, including a clamp arm to hold the bag. The measure device I85 is operative to introduce a charge of material through a chute 194 and through the bag opener I38 to the bag when the opener is in opening relation to the bag, the details of which are fully described in my said prior application and also in my later divisional application relating thereto, Ser. No. 253,021, filed January 26, 1939.

While this invention is applicable to other forms of bags, in the present instance and in the machine of my prior application the apparatus has been constructed to work with flat open ended bags 200, each of which consists of a front wall 2M and a back Wall 202, which is joined to the front wall at the lateral edges and bottom of the bag, the upper or outer edge of the back wall stopping a distance inwardly of the boundary of the front wall and so forming a throat 204, While the material of the front wall is continued therebeyond a distance without creasing and shaped to form the tongue 203 by which the bag is ultimately closed. The bags are arranged in the device l25 with their throats 204 all presented toward the conveyer, their tongues 2593 upstanding and at such level that when the opener I38 is elevated it still laps the tongues, but clears the throats 2M, and the pressure of the suceeding bags causes the throat of the first bag to be sprung away from the tongue and respective front wall. Consequently, when the opener is lowered it enters between the front and back walls and opens the bag.

There is mounted at the left on the under side of the knee bracket a motor 54 which, through belt 55 from its pulley 53 to a pulley 5! on a horizontal shaft 58 at the right hand side beneath the knee bracket, operates the latter shaft but releasably through a clutch. The clutch includes a friction disc 52 fixed on the shaft 58, and the pulley 5? longitudinally slidable on the shaft and. pressed against the disc by a lever II, oper ated by cam 73 and hand lever 67. By one-toone worm gearing 7il5 a horizontal countershaft I6 is operated over the shaft 58, this shaft being extended from adjacent the shaft 88 toward the right. Bevel gears Til-l8 transmit motion synchronously from the countershaft to the main shaft before mentioned. On the right hand end of the countershaft I6 a cam disc M7 is mounted having a groove M8 therein receiving the wiper M9 of a lever M5 fulcrumed on an arm I46 attached to and depending from the knee bracket 3. The forward end of this lever is connected to a plunger MI extending vertically through the table 48 and a guide sleeve M2 mounted on the table, having on its upper end a vertically adjustable arm Mil carrying the opener I38 before mentioned, the lever M5 thus constituting the operating means for the opener.

The shaft 88 has a horizontal disc cam tilt (Figs. 4-5) mounted thereon under the table M, formed with the cam groove iii! in its upper side, and at the left of the machine there is pivoted for horizontal motion closely disposed over the disc, a lever I09 carrying the wiper HQ intermediately of the length of the lever and engaged in the groove.

The conveyer frame member has a series of pins 88 dependent from its under side and the table ll has a channel 39 concentric with the shaft Si), in which these pins 88 move freely. In a suitable channel on the under side of the table 41 a bar II 2 is mounted reciprocably, this bar having-a depending pin I I3 engaged in a slot l I i extending longitudinally in the end of the lever I09, so that oscillation of the lever will reciprocate the bar. The bar is provided with a spring pressed latch bar H4 normally tending to swing into the path of the pins 88, but stopped with its end in the path. Consequently, on movement of the bar I I2 forwardly, the end of the latch bar I I 4 will press against one pin 88 and rotate the conveyer until the movement of the bar ceases, and on return movement of the bar the latch bar will be engaged by the next following pin 88 and will yield thereto until its end clears, when it will again move into the path of the pins ready to repeat the step operation of the conveyer on the next movement of the bar.

At the same time that the conveyer is operated, the bar also operates the bag presenting device, being extended beyond the pin H3 and provided with strike blocks I36-E3l on its under side arranged to engage a strike pin 935 on a lever I3 5 of the first order pivoted on the under side of the table and connected by a link I33 to the pivot pin I32 on the under side of the bag presenting device I25, so as to operate the latter. The open bags 200 are thus moved inward toposition for opening of the first bag as the movement of the conveyer terminates on each step, and after an tion A, all according to the movement of the conveyer on eachstage or step. These have suitable operative means operated from the shaft 89 to work the bags for various respective purposes during the intermission of motion of the conveyer, all of which are particularly described in my prior application.

Finally, at a corresponding distance beyond the station E, a transfer and sealing and delivery conveyer 300 is located at a delivery station F, which is the sixth station shown, although the conveyer has seven steps of movement in each revolution. Some of the bag working stations or devices may be omitted if desired, if their functions are found non-essential, or other working devices substituted. The work at the last station preceding the delivery station results in the closing of the bag with the tongue gummed and turned downwardly against the back wall on a sharp crease formed at the base of the tongue and constituting the top edge of the closed bag, and it is held in the carrier of the conveyer with this thin upper edge portion of the bag set out from the adjacent parts of the conveyer as shown and. described in my prior application. Consequently, in the rotation of the conveyer, the filled and closed bag is in erect position, with its upper end set outward and clear from all parts of the conveyor and other apparatus of the machine.

In line with the station F and extending radially, there is a special type of conveyer 300, having a novel arrangement in relation to the conveyer 9| and its carriers and serving, the

double function of removing the bags from the conveyer 9|, sealing the bags, moving them to a distance and discharging them. The bag as it leaves the closing station E has its tongue gummed and laid against the back wall of the bag as mentioned, but to remove any possibility that it will spring open before the gum has hardened, as well as to give the bag a good appearance, further pressure of the tongue for a suitable period of time is generally considered essential,

and the conveyer 3520 is designed to effect this treatment.

For the mounting of the conveyer 300, a standbracket 295 is secured to. the side of the table 41, at the upper end of which there is a bearing 298 in which the main shaft 299 of the transfer conveyer is journalled. A bracket 29? is secured to the post 39 at the same side of the machine,

this post being near the front of the machine,

and on the standard the frame bars 302 of the conveyer 380 are mounted. Owing to the fact that the radius of station F is inclined rearwardly, the bracket 29? is extended outwardly a distance from the machine in order to lie in a line with the standard 296 at right angles to the conveyer frame 302. conveyer is fixed on the shaft 299, and end sprockets 30! at a lower level are revolubly mounted at the outer ends of the frame bars 302. These bars are longitudinally adjustable on the standard, so that the conveyer may be kept taut, and so A drive sprocket 303 of the that the gap in the conveyer at its inner end may be adjusted relatively to the conveyer 9| and the path of bags thereon, as will be understood hereinafter. Side rails 3| 4 are mounted on the standard and bracket 29! at each side of the lower reach of the conveyer 300, upon which this part of this conveyer is supported throughout its length.

The conveyer comprises a link chain 304 comprising blocks 305 and links 306 all of which may be stamped from sheet metal, as shown. The blocks comprise two identical parts L-shaped in section transverse to the chain and consisting of an inner plate 30'! forming one-half of a block, to which a similar plate is laid in registry to form the other half of. the block. Each plate 301 is apertured at each end to receive link pins 300, and has an outer mounting flange 309 extending at right angles to the plate in a plane parallel to a line from center to center of the apertures in the plate. The flanges thus extend oppositely from each other and are riveted or welded to clamping members to be described. The links comprise a pair of similar plates and flanges but instead of the plate portions being close together, they are spaced to receive the block portions therebetween. The flanges of the link members are also riveted or welded to clamping members coacting with those carried by the blocks, as will be described. The teeth of the sprockets fit between the pins 308 and plates 301 of the blocks.

The clamping members of the conveyer are alternate rigid elements 3l0 and elastic cushion elements 3. The rigid element consists of a simple rectilinear bar or tube 3|2 rectilinear in cross section arranged transversely of the chain with a planiform face 3l2' at the lower side to which are secured one pair of flanges 309 of the chain. The bars may be variously formed but as illustrated may comprise lengths of drawn tube stock. The cross sectional dimension is greater in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the flanges 309. Each cushion element comprises a top plate 3l3 of hard metal extending parallel to the bars 312, but of greater length so as to provject at each side of the conveyer over the parallel rectilinear rails 3, one rail being carried by the bracket 29! and the other by the standard 296. A back wall 3I5 which may be integral with the plate (3 is extended outwardly from one longitudinal edge of this plate at right angles, on which an outer retaining wall or flange 3l6 is formed at right angles, making a channel-like space between the plate M3 and flange M6, in which there is secured a block 311 of cushion rubber of the same length as the bar 3I2, and having a face abutting and compressed by one adjacent bar 3l2 when the chain is arranged in a rectilinear path. The area of this compressed face of the block may be the same or less than that of the abutting face of the bar, but sufficient to cover an area equal to that of the folded end part of the bag. The thickness of the rubber blocks and the bars is such that when the chain and clamping members are arranged in a rectilinear path the aggregate thickness of all, longitudinally of the conveyer, tends to be greater than the actual length within which they are disposed, so that the rubber is necessarily deformed by compression between the bars. The flange 3l6 may project from the wall 3l5 less than the width of the top of the bar 3l3 and the top of the bar 3|2 may be arranged below the plate 3l3. The sprockets 30l are a distance below the level of the drive sprockets 303, so that the drive sprocket may clear the lower reach of the'conveyer. The plates 3l3 and flanges 3l6 are narrower than the corresponding faces of the block 3|! so that there is no interference with compression of the rubber, and no other element prevents arrangement of the conveyer in a rectilinear path at its lower part with the blocks 3" properly compressed.

The conveyer members 3l0 and 3 become widely divergent when passing around the sprockets 30| at the ends of the frame, and the operating means for the conveyer moves it step by step so that a gap MI is formed between two divergent clamping members wherein the rubber face is exposed at one side, positioned over the carrier ring 93 conveniently to receive a bag top moving on the inner table. The means for operating the conveyer includes a link 322 connected to the opener lever M5, extended upwardly beside the standard 296 and connected to a ratchet lever 323 pivoted on the main shaft 299 of the conveyer. Fixed on the shaft 295 beside the lever 323 there is a ratchet wheel 324, the lever being projected beyond the ratchet wheel opposite the link 322 and provided with a springpressed dog 325, while on the side of the standard spaced from the full stroke position of the dog there is a spring-pressed pawl 326 to hold the ratchet against reverse movement. To simplify the construction, the ratchet is formed with the same number of teeth as the driving sprocket. In this way, one bar M2 and one block 3|! will be moved past the receiving position on each operation of the ratchet.

At the receiving side of the station F, the top guide rail 205 should stop short of the path of the bags in the conveyer. A guide plate 321 on the top plate 5| acts with the rail 205 to confine the advancing bag tops to the path necessary to enter the gap 32! in the open part of the conveyer freely.

The operation of the conveyer to move the two divergent clamp members forming the receiving gap 32! outward until they are pressed together may be coincident with the operation of the opener, and may begin shortly before the index movement of the index table stops, as the advancing bag will have already been entered partly in the gap and actual clamping or material friction will not occur in the early part of the movement of the conveyer. The motion may be otherwise timed, however, as found desirable.

In the operation of the conveyer, it will be noted that the sealed bags are held therein over a period which may be any multiple of the index periods according to the length of the conveyer, and with a comparatively short conveyer, as illustrated, each bag is held clampedtherein during two turns of the index carrier of the machine, or fourteen filling operations.

It is also an advantage of this machine that the packages are delivered in an orderly fashion so that they may readily be arranged in cartons or other shipping and sales containers and cases.

Each of the carriers includes a back plate 23!, and vertically adjustable rest pins 232 on which the bottom of a bagmay rest while pressed against the plate 23I, and a spring-pressed gripper lever 234 having an upwardly extending arm adapted to' and normally pressed inward and tending to clamp the lower part of a bar against the plate 23!. The arm has knobs 235 to engage the bag very close to the lower edge, so that the upper end of the bag is caused to set outward from the plate 23L The lever is also provided with a depending arm 236 by which it maybe operated to release and receive bags. The cam rail 238 is mounted over the table 47 in position and so shaped as to engage the arm 235 when the carrier enters the station F, and hold it open until it departs from station A.

Operation The operation, as will be understood, is as follows: Bags are presented and filled at station A, and each one progresses with the conveyer movement through the several stations and finally leaves the closing station to move into station F, with its tongue pressed down against the back wall of the bag.

Here the conveyer 3M! stands with a gap 342 therein located over the path of the carrier 55, and by means of the top guide 205 the advancing corner of the bag is pressed inwardly so that it enters the gap properly, this guide rail being located below the anvil of the folder; and an opposed fender plate 343 may be provided on the top plate 5! by which the bag top is properly held outward from the carrier 95. The index operation then brings the bag with its trailing vertical corner well within the side boundary of the conveyer, and the next operation of the opener lever I moves the conveyer one step, closing thegap, pressing the cemented parts of the bag top firmly between the members 3 it! and 3| i and moving the bag radially from the carrier so as to clear thepath of the following bag. The bag is held compressed in the conveyer and suspended therefrom throughout a number of succeeding step movements of the index carrier and conveyer, and finally, when the part of the conveyer holding the bag reaches the outer sprocket 30 I, the clamping members open by assuming radial positions on the sprocket and release the bag. The bag then falls by gravity, and may be caught, collected, or ordered and packed or cased by any suitable means, not shown.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described capable of measuring stock, feeding empty bags to a filling station and filling them, and having means to advance them edgewise in erect position and C105- ing and delivering the completed packages, the combination of a first conveyer adapted to receive and hold loaded bags in erect position in a plane coincident with direction of movement of the bags and to advance the bags edgewise in erect position, means to operate the conveyer step-bystep, a delivery conveyer consisting of an endless member having clamp elements on its outer side constructed to abut continuously but separably at a distance from the endless member when the latter is moved in a straight path and to diverge when the endless member is moved in an arc of moderate radius, said delivery conveyer being mounted for circuitous movement with a straight departure path at its lower side extending from closely adjacent the path of the first conveyer and above the level of the bag tops on the latter,

and having curved path of short radius immediately over and adjacent the'first conveyer, said clamp elements movable with the delivery conveyer intermittently and alternately with the mo-, conveyer, and means to move the delivery conveyer intermit-ently and alternately with the motion of the first conveyer, the delivery conveyer and the means to move the same being constructed so that its clamp members next the first conveyer will be positioned divergently in said curved path with the opening between two alined with the path of the bags at each intermission of its movement, said delivery conveyer being mounted with an outer curved path also, whereby to cause release of gripped bags.

2. In a machine of the character described, the

combination, construction and arrangement of means to advance fiat bags step-by-step edgewise in erect position with a flap having adhesive thereunder at the top, an endless conveyer chain device arranged to move in a vertical orbit extending at right angles to and partly across the path of the advancing bags, and comprisingcomplementary clamping elements onrespective link elements of the chain, said conveyer having a rectilinear reach at its lower part positioned at a level with the tops of the advancing bags, andhaving a supporting wheel at the inner end of said reach adjacent the first named path of the bags and another at the end of said reach, whereby said complementary members will be held in a widely separated position immediately at the first named path, and means to operate the chain conveyer intermittently and during periods of rest of the bag advancing means, whereby opened complementary members will be stationary and'located at opposite sides of an edgewise advancing bag, and will be moved into the horizontal reach in clamping relation to an interposed bag during the succeeding period of rest of said bag advancing means, carrying the last engaged bag, and will release the same at the outer end of the reach.

3. In a conveyer of the character described, a primary conveyer movable in a fixed path, and constructed to move articles with a free portion projected in one direction, a second conveyer arranged to move in a path transverse to that of the first conveyer, and consisting of pivoted clamp members pivoted in 'a chain relation and having major parts outwardly of the pivotal connections s I in the direction of the first conveyer, guide means for the second conveyer adjacent the first conveyer to cause it to move in a curved path and to support the clamp members in divergent relation to their said projected parts while crossing the path of the first conveyenand means to move the two conveyers step by step alternately and to position the second conveyer with divergent clamp members spaced at opposite sides of the path of the said free portion of the articles on the first conveyer during intermission of movement of the latter.

AUSTIN S. CHANDLER.

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