US2334736A - Strapping machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 23, 1943. T. w. J. WILLCOX STRAPPING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l Attorney Nov. 23, 1943.

STRAPPING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1940 3 Shets-Sheet 2 Nov. 23, 1943. T. w. J. WILLCOX STRAPPING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Attorney ent invention provides 3, siifiiioi'tifig 'lievi' A i prising two portionswhich move in ttlr'ii tjfi'efr'fiit Patented Nov. 23', 1943,

Willi a a i rh o rmr ln u es, nkv

h smieatwii june 3}1940;ia lN6;338;590 l In"Great-Brltain August 24, 1939 l or the like ofthe strapping nianizi': ipr'es: geese:

turn tothe package-suiiporting iositio'n' V The invention aIsepMvids" stoo devisfb'if locating packages relativeiy ts 'essofa'tti strapping mecha"'sh'ipath of the pckage,-whe' pon maid? the level of the from of the arrested package."

.A stop in aceqruancewitii martian conveniently applied to apparetils package supporting device as described-abs ing carried by one ofthe supporting iiiembe'i: the movement of which from the-v sl'lpl ftinig 15b: sition: provides the automatic remove-1 t-hestofi from the path of: thepackage This sea-mi e 6t the invention is,: however', capa:blle of oth''r a p plications ,-the movement of the stop bi'rfg ie: vided for in any suitable way;

When it is desired to determine automatically the correct successive positionsof a'pa'ckager'el tivel-y to strapping mechanismfor the; su'cce's applications of a plurality ofrstra'ppin'gs, a responding; number of stops maybe if Moreover, the force of impactbevvn page age and" a stop" maybe rn-filoye'd fto control the operation of associatedniecfianisrh.

The aecempanymg drawings; ustrate at tyiiif cal forrfi of the nventieeept ieu than ailitdfii t c wire tyih'g machine in which wi e irofrff'ei'co SV fed tdwire-tr'aining'meaw fr weerian 6f machine, that is" to say isreatothe ma'c'hir'ie at toinatie stops; I l

'p'rovetl structure; arm will lowin description;

- the 'iiirection the i'verse tit-that .in wiiith tii packages; are discharged after straia'iiing. In triesdrawihsr V v Fig. ms" a front elevation, a

Figsz is a side'eievation, and r is l 1Figs i3 shes arluetans m alargergscaiez Figure fizis'fia perspective view showingtne an:

.The'pies'ent improvements are directedto the type of machine illustratedpaiticuiafly lriBri tisH; PatentNo. 523 786; issuedto'H'; Harves Jaifliiafy 3,-: 1939, and many of the'v'det'ails of thatpater'lt areefnbodied irrthe nresent showing as 60mm:

tional parts to ShOWi the. applicationhfi the" nix;

As'will be clear from the v.il's shown, there: is a steel angleiraiiie work r whichzis attached: at a-mitmbr of'fo'oints Z ta the V mam frame of any suitable automatic strapialfig machine; a .platfornirof which isirrdicatel at"; i/The shaft 3 is mounted. om hearings or tl'f framework and at one ndacarriesai gear? wheel I which receivesits motiomfroimaiainioni ofltl'f main machine; This pinion may, a's showh, Be that which drives the deviceby which theihigh't of thewiref is carriedarou'nci successive package's? 'I hefirive is trainsmitted from this shaft '3' by means of a-chain" and'sprockets indicated at" fi'amf enclosed in chain case 60! to: anothershaft mpm' which is mounted theci anl arm-.8; Immediate ly aborve' the shaft This a spindzle l9 m'ouhte'd pm: i allel to the sh'agfta below: Two steel structure spindle 9' and carryaaseries of conveyor rollers; Hf V Ha at the top: 1 The. frarr'ieworks" I'll andi War are each-arrangedto pivotindenentlntly. irr an ands M; anagram and: Ma; :The respectiveiiairs or links f3 angl Mand l-3u-and- Maare clearlvishbwn e u e 2. f-t -draw es as se er i k-p rts,

endfie e eme frQm j l re th sq i gpart .inorder to pc Meet the desired operation are pi'v-E British patent referre'li to; the wire-is carried about the packae hy ring r MU, Figure 2; to which the wire is fed from a source of supply, the'jtletails of the wire tying;

are attached chain links Island the chainsl'land llaare carried round sprockets l8 1 and Mia and are attached to the links M and Ma as shown at l9. The ratio of the gears and chain sprockets are the same as that between pinion and the device carrying'the wire round a box or other package, so that shaft i makes one complete revolution g'simultaneously' with each such j :H ll .1

This rotates the crank arm 8 in ananti-cloclrlo wisel'direction and the crank arm roller 2Q engages with the left hand suspended arm w swinging it inan outward direction. This pulls the right hand'chain Ila which pulls on the ver-'-'- J underside of the box. When the box comes into contact with the first stop as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the stop and the rods uponwhich it is mounted are, by the'force of contactQpushed' u away to the right (Fig. 4), compressing the' springs 29 until the collar 39 is inabutment with thebearing3ll; r M V i ii-Th5 box: is; then stopped in this position and th ewire is at 'this stage carried around it for the tie to bemade; During this'operation the frame- 'work swings'away as previously described, and in tical link to which it is attached and caiises the it right hand frame work Ilia to swing outwardly,-

thus allowing awire carrying tube 2|, or other.

part of the main machine which carries the bight of the wire coming from the fixed tube 2 la round the box, to moveto the right without. ohstrucf 2o.

tionl -When the-crank arm 8 has mcve'dhalf way round itwil l have allowed the suspended arnil5, and consequently the frame work Illa toreturn to the normal position. lrThe platform r liilandthe three rollers Ii orcllavor'onecframework can al apparent that a pair of links; as li and i4,are

held against possibility of inward moveme nmob-i vious; from the centers of the connected frameworkwlfl'and'the-pivot I33 and the bottom pivot of link lhandlalsozthe restrain of chain 1?. Furthermore, the 'relation is such; that the-operated'frameworkl'tl can. only move outwardly on spindleiirinoperation and cannot 'afiect the re-' maining framework Illa, which is-inclependently pivoted and held by its link parts: i Sa-and Ma and thelchainflmf V 7 ways support a boxof normalproportions.-It is,

work returns the -s'top comes up underneath the When the tie is over the rollers H- and" Ha until-it reaches the secondstop 28;, whichpha's a -return spring 28a;

Herega; similar operation occursibut in this cas e theistop; is brought in contact-withthel side of 'thelboxfl andjnot-unclerneath it. When thesecond tieyis completed the boxis then free to slide forward onto-the conveyor 33 waiting to carry it away. V Iheside supports of the rollers II and :iIn continuing its revolution .however it; then I the left hand chain i1 and consequently the link l4 which swings the left hand framework [0 outwards allowing freedom of passage to'the wire carrying tube 21 @to its original position aftericomq pletingthe. encirclingof the box. Antextension to-the frameworks l9 and lilo is shownlin arms 7 2-2Iandl 22 a:which:carrycounterbalance weights 231and: Zita-which. retain the mechanism in equi librium, ;apart"from' the pull exerted by the springs l2. .As willlbe seen in the British patent. referred to', thelwireiisfed from a source of supply to'a clamp for delivery to-the ring MEL In: connection:with: the present:construction, and particularly the 'movable. frameworks 19, it is desirable thatthef-incomihgwire be prevented from being entangled'in the:.moving parts. For this purpose,

thelwireis'ledlhrough a tube 21a fixed to-the machine frame, and then through a tube -2l,-'securedto and carried by the ring Mil, and'delive'r ingthe wire to the appropriate relation to" such engages with [the right hand suspended arm [5o which isi swung in an outwardldirection pulhng 40" I la, are however piv otedfiat 34 which enables the rollersjtof tip ata slight angle immediately the centre-ofjgravity of -theibox has passedqthis point; thus accelerating the motion of the box in its enit from themachine; gAbutments 38 and a re-. 7

t rn S in -13 rol th -act ,Ifhe locking collar 35 attached-to the' heacl-jofthespringplunger. 3Qto which is attachedla Bowden 'cable; 31. The other, end ,of

, c ends of the ro ds 25 and 26 is arrangedtoxconliaot with j i-doing sqj the spring 29 exerts itself. and the stop r returns to its normal position. When the frame box instead of remaining at the end'of it, slight- "ly' extending the return spring 21a, the final re-' turnof thestop toits initial position taking place rwhen theibox moves past it. a Y 7 7 completed; the box is then free toislide forward a the" Bowden "cable operates a trip key, ;or-' other. 1

suitable device, which aotuates the mechanism of the tying machine and thuS eachtim'e th ebox' contacts with one. oi these stops, they and the rods upon which they are-carried; -move forward to pass on this motion to the Bowden cab1e;,thus.

automatically; operating the; tying machine. I QfIhe machine described above in considerable detail is a typical example of: the inventionland it isnotintended that the monopoly claimed should be limited to thef'specific constructions ang ex ept 51 t ,d.- vari us .modifica- 1 tions and,-, quiv l l may lo v ou y e. m loye without departing from the terms ;of the claims. It w ill be plain that"the wire is fed; from a coil through :the fixed tube 21a to-thetubefl which performs'the function of the operators armQ-in the. hand-encircled, gmachines,; and is-w-lcarried ring for thexoperation described in the British patent, and with which the. present invention is not particularlyiconcerned. Thetube 2| extendsfrom ithe ring I 4%! laterally thereof and between the frameworks H), as shown in Figure lpt o avoid wireientanglementc. Thecourse of the wirebeing fed ,lisillustratedin dotted lines in Figure- 2.

if On "the left-hand framework a carrier'24 is attached supporting two parallel horizontal rods Hand- 26 upon wh ich'aut'omatic stopsare mount ed. These areshown in detail in Figi 3, 4. and'5. The first Step2! "is mounted on the Iinnerrod '26 and iis free toj pivot against the actionof a return spr n '1 a. downward i eet bnto $1 7o round the circle indicated in front of the platform, with the-bight of the-wire; after .the'end l of the-wire has been gripped in the gripper of a conventionaltying mechanisin'located under the edge of the table ina' conventional manner; 3

' I claim:

1. In apparatus for strapping packages the combination; of means .;:to"t'rain La -1 bight :of

strapping material about an package with a plu-f 1 rality of package suppbrts and means to move 7 outof thewa'yvof the bightthe s p o s n t o e m i o s.

, for, the said device comprising movable supports and means to synchronise the movement of the supports to move successively away from and back into supporting position as a bight of the strapping material is trained about the package.

4. Apparatus for stopping boxes or other suitable packages in position on a strapping mapackcombination of means to train a bight of strapping material about a packag'efwith two supports forthat part'of the package project-.

ing beyondthe strapping position,means to guide the strapping material between the said supports, a member between the said supports driven synchronously with the training means,

t the said member causing one of the said supports to move aside temporarily to permit the material to pass away from the position between the supports to encircle the package-and the other of said supports to-move aside temporarily to allow the material to return to its initial position.

chine while the strapping material is trained aboutthem and secured, in which'a member carrying a stop is moved awayfrom the package by means synchronised to operate during the latter. part of the cycle and is returned with the stop in" such a position that it no longeroperates as a stop until released to return to the original position when; the package is moved away.

5. Apparatus for stopping boxes or other suit-,

able packages in position on a strapping machine while the strapping material is trained about them and secured, in which the front supporting means for the package carries several stops giving successive strapping positions and moved away to clear the package by means synchronised to operate during the latter part of the successive strapping cycles, all the stops being released to return to their original positions when the package is moved. away.

6. A supporting device for supporting that part of a package which projects beyond the strapping position in automatic strapping apparatus having means to train strapping material about a package and driving means therefor, the said device comprising alternative supports and means, driven in synchronism withthe said training means, for successively moving the said supports out of the path of the bight of the strapping material as the latter is trained about the package together with a stop in the path of the packages a means actuated by the impact of a package against the stop automatically to start the strapping mechanism. a

7. In apparatus for strapping packages the -8. In apparatus for strapping packages the combination of means to train a bight of strapping material about a package with a, plurality of package supports and means to move the supports in turn out of the way of the bight to permit it to pass the said supports including sets of rollers. on a pivoted mounting enabling them to tip slightly as soon as'the centre of gravity of the package has passed'the pivot andaccelerating its movement away from the machine.

9. In an automatic strapping machine, stop devices for locatingboxes or other suitable packages relatively to associated strapping mech-- anism wherein one or more stops are moved forward to a package arresting position upon contact by the front of a moving package and subsequently automatically moved from the path of thepackage and returned behind the position at which they serve to arrest the package.

10. In an automatic strapping machine, devices according to claim 9 in which the stop or stops are returned behind the position at which they serve to arrest the package but within the length ,of the package, lying against it until the package is discharged, when they return to the position which the front of a subsequent package will contact.

11. In an automatic strappingmachine having strapping mechanism, stop devices for locating packages relative to such strapping mechanism, 2, front support for the package carrying said 7 stop devices, and means synchronized with the

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