US2371806A - Strapping or banding machine - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1945. l J. T. COOPER 2,371,806

STRAPPING OR.BANDING MACHINE Filed oct. 4, 1945' 2 sheets-sheet 1 Ill INVENTOR- IgQSeZ h? jf@oper l f2 Trae/Vey.

-:Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE srnArnNG on nANnmdMAcma Joseph T. Cooper, Alhambra, Calif. Application october 4, 194s, som1.No.`5o4,ss1

(c1. 10o-a1) 11 Claims.

My invention relates to a strapping or banding machine and has for an object to provide means for automatically arranging a strap or band around a box, article, or group of boxes or group of articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a strapping or banding machine that will utilize the weight of the box or articlebeing strapped or banded, to aid in applying the strap or band around same.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic means for placing the strap or banl in position around a box or article, with the ends arranged to be fastened together by a clip or other suitable means.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such a machine that is positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several'views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a machine embodying the foregoing objects.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said machine.

Fig. 3 is another elevational view of the machine, but in a different operative position, and with the legs broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged face view of an operative element, partly in longitudinal section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5. l

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, looking in the direction of arrow A of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a still further enlarged fragment of the portion at the right end of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken on the line 9-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing a modied construction therefor.

Fig. 10 is a broken section taken on the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 3.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference number I2 designates legs for supporting operative mechanism of the present machine. Braces I3 are applied to steady the legs.

Frame members Il and I5 are bolted together at I9. It will be noted that the members' I4 and 'l5 have laterally aligned series of openings I1, selected ones of which the bolts I9 pass througn. It is believed clear that the bolts I9 may be removed and the legs I2A moved farther apart and the bolts I8 fastened in newly aligned openings in the arms I4 and I5, in order to enlarge the frame. Similar pairs of lower arms I8 and I9 are adjustable in the same'manner. The arms Il, I5, I8 and I9 are bolted to the-legs I2, as shown at 20. The legs I2 have vertical series of openings 2I in order to raise and lower the arms I4 and I5.

Brackets 22 extend from the legs I2 to support motors 23. The motors have V-shaped drive pulleys 24 keyed to their shafts. It is also to be understood thatany other suitable means may be employed to drive the arms 3|, including leverage, cam means, foot pressure means, etc.

Mounted upon the sides of the frame and spanning the space between the legs I2 are shafts 25 at opposite ends of the machine. Tubular sleeves 25 journal the shafts 25. The sleeves are bolted to the legs I2, as indicated at 21.

Mounted upon each sleeve 25 is a brack'et 29 for a headed pin 29, and a coil spring 39 that abuts against the head of the pin 29 and against the Support 28, urging the pin 29 headwise against the side of the strap or band carrying arms 3l.

The arms 3I are beveled on their sides, which sldesconverge toward the bottom in the position shown in Fig. 2, and converge toward the top in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Each of the arms 3l is hollow, as shown in Fig. 4,' to house a spring 33. Oneend of the spring 33 abuts against a. bushing 34 on the shaft 25, and the other end of the spring abuts against the head of an adjusting bolt 35. A bolted side plate 36 is removable for access to the spring 33 and Aits adjusting means 35.

The arms 3l have suitable strap or band gripping means. Two different forms of 'gripping means are shown in the drawings. In the -form shown in Figs. 6 to 8, a toothed wheel 35 A plate 4o is spaced opposite the toothed A spring-urged wheel 38, to provide a space therebetween for a lstrap or band 45. A ilange 4| on the plate 48 is'screwed to the side of the arm 3|.

In the form shown in Fig'. 9, a block 42 having a serrated face 43 is eccentrically mounted andurged by a spring 44 into engagement with the strap 45 on the plate 40. It is to be understood that the word strap" in this speciilcation and in the hereunto appended claims shall be taken to include both strapping and banding` material.

In the operation of my present machine, the arms 3| are arranged at the beginning of the operation with their narrower sides downward.

. 40. In such case, a sumcient amount of the strap should be arranged to hang in a loop downward between the adjacent ends of the arms 3|, as

they are shown in Fig. 2, whereby the strap from one plate 40 to the other is almost the perimeter of the box.

It is of course to be understood that the frame forward and to tighten the strap around the box.

The modiied construction in Fig. 9 operates similarly, since it grips the strapat the end that is being fed forward.

Each of the strap-gripping means permits easy manual release of the strap after the arms 3| have passed beyond the motors '23.

As implied, when the arms 3| are moved to their said broken line positions, in Fig. 3, the springs 33 are compressed. Thus, when the arms are disengaged from the strap 45 and the strapped box 41 is removed from the machine and the arms 3| manually disengaged from the motor driven pulleys, the springs 33 move the arms 3| to positions in which the greatest weight of the arms is on the ends 48. This greater weight causes the ends 48 to swing down from the 'motors in the directions of the arrows B of Fig. 3.

members I4 and I5 are raised or lowered, yso that the top of the box or article to be strapped will be a little below the horizontal position of the arms 3|, when the box or article is resting on the members I4 and I5. Moreover, the legs I2 are adjusted closer together or farther apart when the box or article has a shorter or longer length. The adjusting is of course done by varying the overlap of the members I4 and I5 and I8 and I9. The legs are preferably only slightly further apart, endwise, than the dimension of the box or article therebetween, as shown in Fig; 3.

The spring-urged pins 29 bear against the sides of the arms 3|, to frictionally hold same f in the starting position shown in Fig. 2. The box or article, suggested by the broken lines 41 in Figs.1and 2, is placed upon the strap 45, causing the arms 3| to swing around their shafts 25`in the directions of the arrows in Fig. 2.

The momentum of the arms 3| is suilicient to carry them around to the positions shown in Fig. 3, in which positions the arms are held by the spring-urged pins 29 engaging the sides of the arms. During this swinging movement of they arms, the ends of the strap are carried over on top of the box or article.

In order to automatically tighten the strap around the box or article 41, the motors 23 drive the arms 3| toward each other, from their full line positions to their broken line positions in Fig. 3. This movement is effected by the now upwardly converging wedge shape of the arms engaging the V-shape of the driving pulleys 24.

This movement of the arms 3| moves the ends of the strap 45 to positions in which the ends may be fastened together in binding relation, by a clip 49 or by other suitable means.

It will be observed that the toothed wheels 36 rmly engage the strap 45 so as substantially to prevent movement of the strap except by rotation of the wheels. When the arms 3| are being moved from their said full line positions to their said broken line positions of Fig. 3, the pawls 39 maintain the wheels 36 against retrograde movement (retrograde movement would be clockwise progressively tightening band, thus drawing the strap-gripping ends of the arms down toward the box, since the strap 45 is a little below the arms 3l, thus tipping up the arm ends 48. Thus the greatest friction occurs between the pulleys 24 and the arms 3| at a time when the greatest power is needed, which tends to prevent slippage between the pulleys and arms.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiments of my invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modiiications without departing'from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing towards and away from each other about substantially parallel axes, means on the arms to grip strapping material, the arms being arranged for the Weight of the article being strapped to swing'the arms about their axes, and mechanism arranged to move the arms longitudinally towards each other, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other, for binding same together.

2. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing towards and away from each other about substantially parallel axes, the arms being constructed for a strap to be placed thereon in the starting positions of the arms, means on the arms to grip strapping material, the arms being arranged for the article to be strapped to be yplaced on the strap on the arms, and the arms being arranged for the weight of the article to swing the arms and the therewith gripped strapping material around the article, and motor means arranged to move the arms longitudinally towards each other, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other, for binding same together.

3. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing towards and away from asvnsoe strapping material around an article being` each other about substantially parallel axes, the arms being constructed for astrap to be placed thereon in the starting positions of the arms,

means on the arms to grip strapping material,

the arms being arranged for the article to be strapped to be placed on the strap on the arms,

and the arms being arranged for the weight of the article to swing the arms and the therewith gripped strapping material around the article, motor means for driving the arms, and spring means tending to move the arms longitudinally towards the motor means when the strap is arranged generally around the article, and the motor means being arranged to drive the arms longitudinally, against theA action of the spring means, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other, for binding same together, the spring means returning the arms to their original balance with respect to their axes.

4. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing towards and away from each other about substantially parallel axes, pivoted means on the arms arranged to grip strapping material, and the arms being arranged for the weight of the article to swing the arms and the therewith gripped strapping material around `each other about substantially parallel axes,

plates and therewith spaced,- rotary, toothed wheels arranged on the arms to engage strapping material, releasable ratchet and pawl means connected to prevent rotation of the wheels in one direction and permit rotation thereof in the op'-v posite direction, and the arms being arranged for the weight of the article to swing the arms and the therewith gripped strapping material around the article, and mechanism connected to move the arms longitudinally towards each other, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other, for binding same together.

6. In a strapping machine, opposed arms plv-ly otally mounted to swing towards and away from each other about substantially parallel axes, resilient means tending to maintain the arms in a given position, the arms being constructedfor a strap to be placed thereon in said given posi tion, means on the' arms to grip strapping material, the arms being arranged for the article to be strapped tovbe placed on the strap onl the arms, and the arms being arranged for the weight of the article to swing the arms and the therewith gripped strapping material around the artif4 cle. against the action of the resilient means, and mechanism arranged to move the arms towards A each other, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other. for binding the same to- 7. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing about substantially parallel axes andmovable towards each other, means on the arms to grip strapping material, the'arms being mounted to pivotally carry the gripped arms towards each other, carrying gripped portions of the* band towards each other, for binding same together.

8. In arstrapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mountedto swing about'substantially parallel axes and movable towards each other, means on the arms to grip 'strapping material, the arms being mounted to pivotally carry the gripped strapping material around an article being strapped, the arms being wedge shaped, and driven, V-shaped pulleys mounted to frictionally'engage the wedge shape of the arms and to drive the arms towards each other, carrying gripped portions of the band towards each other.

9. In a strapping machine, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing about substantially parallel axes and slidable towards each other, means on the arms arranged to grip strapping material when the arms are slid in given directions and arranged to release the material when the arms are slid in the opposite directions, the arms being mounted to pivotally carry the gripped strapping material around an article being strapped. and mechanism arranged to slide the arms towards each other, the 1atter movement of the arms being in the directions in which the gripping means grips the material and carries gripped portions of the band towards each other, the arms being slid in the opposite directions for the release of the gripping means.

10. In a strapping machine, a. framework, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing on the framework about substantially parallel axes and movable lengthwise towards each other, the framework being constructed to support the arms at a short distance from a side of an article to be strapped, means onthearms to grip strapping material, the arms being mounted to pivotally carry the gripped strapping material around an article being strapped, and mechanism arranged to move the 'arms lengthwise towards each other in a plane a short distance away from said side of the article, the strapping material pivotally drawing the arms closer to the article as the strap tightens around the article, said mechanism being arranged to increase its power to`drive the arms as the arms are drawn closer to the article.

11. In a strapping machine, a framework, opposed arms pivotally mounted to swing on the framework iabout substantially parallel axes and movable lengthwise towards each other, the

framework being constructed to support the arms at a sh rt distance l,from a side of an article to be str pped, means on theA arms to grip strapping material, the arms being mounted to pivotally carry the gripped strapping material around an article being strapped, the arms being wedge shaped, and driven, V-shaped pulleys mounted to Irictionally engage the wedge shape of the arms and to drive the arms lengthwise towards each other in av plane a short distance away from the side of the article, the strapping material pivotally drawing the armsV closer to the article as the strap tightens around the article, thereby moving the arms pivotally closer to the pulley, progressively increasing the friction between the arms and the pulleys asthe arms are drawn closer to the article.

JOSEPH T. COOPER.

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