US2643500A - Wrapping machine - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1953 BROOK 2,643,500

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 21, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 30. 1953 L. BROOK WRAPPING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 21. 1952 i mm June 30, 1953 BROOK 2,643,500

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 21, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 #TTa V E/AY Patented June 30, 1 953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,643,500 WRAPPING MACHINE Leonard Brpdafiseam, Leeds, England, assignor to The"Forgi ove-Machinery compan Limited, Leeds, England, a company of Great Britain Applic tion April 21, 1952, Serial 1%. 283334 claims.

In bunch wrappin machines, articles to be wrapped are lifted in succession from a feed disc, by a lifting plunger, each article being carried, together with a wrapper fed into position above it, through an orifice (usually lined with an annular brush) and into grippers on a carrier head.

As the result of the passage of the article through the oriiice, the wrapper isdraped about it in the form of a downwardly open cup, and the depending portion of the wrapper at one side of the article is folded up against the base of the article, after it has been gripped "by the grippers and the lifting plunger has retired, by a moving first folder. The depending portion of the'wrapper at the other side of the article "is thereafter folded against the base of the article by a fixed folder over which the article is traversed by movement of the carrier head bn its way to "a sealing station at which the folded pleats of wrapper are pressed against the base of the article by a heater pad. 7 4

The carrier head revolvesaboutavertical axis and it is necessary to impart intermittent rotation to it and also to impart opening and closing movement at appropriate times to the grippers on the carrier head.

Recently a bunch wrappinginachine'has been developed having a suspended'carrier head, "the rotary movement being imparted to the carrier head and the opening andclosing movements-being imparted to the grippers fromra top-gear box beneath which the carrier head is suspended. This arrangement has the "a'dvantage of affording minimum obstruction at the sides of the carrier head and facilitates the disposition of the heater pad operating mechanism and-also of mechanism for actuating an ejector plunger-for dischargin the wrapped articles from the carrier head and a top plunger which coacts with the lifting plunger during the lifting of the -articles into the grippers on the carrier head.

The invention provides a wrapping machine organised for bunch or twistwrapping'and having a suspendedcarrier head, *a gear'box above the carrier head,{a tubular shaft depending "from the gear box and serving to impart "interrnittent rotation to the carrier head andaspind-le depending through the tubular "shaft and carrying the first folder, "the spindle 'coacting with a cam. in the gear boxto impart 'operatinghiovemerit to the first folder. The operation 'of the first folder iromthe top gear box gives further clearance for coaction of other parts with the carrier head.

One specific embodiment of confectionery In Great-Britain April18, 1951 wrapping machine according to the invention, which is interchangeable from bunch to twist wrapping as described in my copendi'ng U. S. Application, Seria1NOQ283j3'32, will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The first folder operates in the same way whichever mode of wrapping is selected. 'In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the "machine,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on-a'larger scale, through the top gear box, and

Fig. 3 is a plan Viewof the top gear box with the cover removed.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the "figures.

Considering first of all Fig. 1, a w'eb ID of wrapping material is periodically fed by a'picker (not shown) from a reel H over'rollers l2, l3 and along a, feed table to a pair of cutting knives. The knives (also 'not shown) are periodically operated, as fully described in U. '8. application, Serial No. 283,332 tosever a wrapper from the leading edge of the web. Afs'econd reel ill of wrapper is provided "for use whenthe reel [1 is exhausted.

The picker-actuating mechanism is fully 'described in U. S. application, Serial No. 283,332 and it wi-ll'be suili'cient't'o explain here that a'bll crank I6 is periodically oscillated "by'a cam to impart "forward and "return strokes "to the picker, while a link ll is'periodically ra'ise'd'and lowered by a cam-operated lever 18' to close and open the picker jaws. The lever I8 is coupled by 'a linkage i9 and a rod 20toa clamp 2l"whic'h is lowered to clamp the web "of wrappingmate'rial when the knives are operating and is moved to inoperative position when the picker jaws close to feed the wrapper'forward.

The tablets tobe wrapped-are fed by hand in succession "from a hopper '22 into recesses in'a horizontal feed disc '24, which is intermittently rotated, in an anticlockwise direction 'as seen from'a-bove, to bring 'thetablets in succession into position abo'vealifting"plunger 25. This is periodically lifted by a cam-operated linkage 26 to lift a tablet, andthe 'wrappenwhich has been fed by the picker "in'to' positionabove it, through an annular brushil, Fig."2,"contained in a member-2'! and in'toa pair o'fgrippers 28ona carrier head '29, a cam-operated "top plunger '30 having previously descended through the brush to press the wrapper against the tablet during its transit'through'the brush. The carrier head 29" is intermittently rotated "and the-wrapping of the tablets is completed on the carrier head as 3 described in U. S. application, Serial No. 283,332.

After the grippers 28 have closed on a tablet l5, lifted into them by the lifting plunger at the loading station, a first folder |4 (Figs. 2 and 3) is moved, as later described, across the base of the tablet to fold part of the depending wrapper against it. The carrier head, which is intermittently rotated about a vertical axis by a Geneva mechanism, also as later described, then carries the tablet on to a heating station, the tablet moving over a fixed folder plate 23 which folds the remaining dependent portion of the wrapper against its base.

As described in U. S. application, Serial No. 284,996, at the heating station a heater is pressed against the base of the tablet to produce a heat seal between the pleats of wrapper folded against the base, and a top padder presses against the top of the tablet. At the next station to which the tablet is moved by the carrier head, a cooling pad is pressed against the base of the tablet and a top padder against its top. At the next station a cooling pad is pressed against the base of the tablet. At the next and last station, the gripper jaws are opened by their cam and an ejector 3| (Fig. 1) ejects the wrapped and heat sealed tablet down a chute 32.

The machine has a bottom gear box 33, disposed beneath the feed disc 24 and containing cams for operating the wrapper feed mechanism, I6, H, the lifting plunger 25, the top plunger 30 and ejector 3|, a bar 34 for actuating the knives, and the heater mechanism. A vertical shaft 35 driven from the bottom gear box extends upwardly into a top gear box 36, supported by a pillar 31 and fitted with a removable cover 38. The vertical shaft 35 carries a crank pin 39 which periodically engages a Geneva wheel 40, rotatably mounted on a shaft 4| and bolted to a gear wheel 42 also mounted to turn .on the shaft 4|.

The gear wheel 42 meshes with a gear wheel 13, the hub 44 of which is keyed, by a key 45, to a tubular shaft 46, to the lower end of which is fixed the carrier head 29. Intermittent rotation is therefore imparted to the carrier head 29 to bring the six pairs of grippers 28 carried thereby successively into position above the lifting plunger 25 (Fig. l).

The vertical shaft 35 carries a cam 41, coacting with a follower 48 on an arm 49 integral with the lower end of a sleeve |50 mounted to turn on a fixed pin 59. Integral with the upper end of the sleeve |50 is an arm pivotally connected, at its end 52, to a rod 53. The rod 53 passes through a hole in an arm 54 fixed to the upper end of a shaft 55 nested within and projecting downwardly from the tubular shaft 46. At its lower end, the shaft 55 carries an arm 56 to which is fixed the first folder I4. A spring 51 is mounted in compression between a collar 58 on the rod 53 and the end of the arm 54. The first folder i4 is therefore driven on its forward stroke, to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, through the spring 51, which can yield in the event of obstruction to movement of the folder. An abutment 53 on the rod 53 coacts with the arm 54 to impart a positive return stroke to the folder M. This, as above stated, moves across beneath the tablet 5 held in the grippers 28 after the lifting plunger 25 has descended sufficiently to permit of movement across its path of the first folder, and thereafter retires to its initial position prior to the next downward stroke of the top plunger 30.

The cam 41 has gear teeth on its outer periphery meshing with a pinion 60 (Fig. 3) on the lower end of a shaft which can be turned by a hand wheel 6| for the purpose of actuating the machine manually.

Also mounted on the vertical shaft 35, immediately below the top gear box 36, is a cam 62, coacting with a follower 63 on an arm 64, mounted on a pin 65 pivoted to a member 66 of the machine framework. The end of the arm 64 is connected by a ball joint 61 to a rod 68. A ball joint 69 connects the other end of the rod 68 to a gripper-actuating cam 10 which is in screwthreaded engagement with a sleeve mounted to rotate on a sleeve 12 which forms a bearing for the lower end of the tubular shaft 46. The sleeve 1| is integral with a worm wheel 13, meshing with a worm 14 on a spindle 15 supported in brackets on the cam 10. By rotating the spindle 15 the cam 10 can be given a vertical adjustment in relation to the sleeve Each pair of grippers 28 is urged by a spring H to the closed position. The left hand gripper 28, as seen in Fig. 2, is supported on an arm 18, pivoted at 19 to the carrier head 29 and carrying a follower coacting with the cam 10. The right hand gripper 28 is supported on an arm 8|, pivoted at 82 to the carrier head 29 and carrying a pin 83 engaging a slot 84 in an arm 85 fixed to the arm 18.

The gripper actuating cam 10 is periodically rocked by the cam 62 to bring a high portion opposite the follower 83 of the grippers at the charging station above the brush 9, thereby opening the grippers, and is thereafter rocked back again to allow the spring 11 to close the grippers after a tablet has been lifted through the brush and into position between the grippers.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wrapping machine, comprising a carrier head mounted to rotate intermittently on a vertical axis, a plurality of pairs of grippers on said carrier head, means at a loading station for lifting in succession into said grippers, as they dwell at the loading station, an article to be wrapped and a wrapper draped around and depending from said article, and a folder at said loading station for folding part of the wrapper against the base of the article held by the grip pers dwelling at said loading station, the combination with said carrier head and folder of a gear box disposed above the carrier head, a vertical tubular shaft depending from said gear box, said tubular shaft being connected to and constituting the sole support for the carrier head, mechanism in said gear box for imparting intermittent rotation to said tubular shaft, a spindle housed within said tubular shaft and connected at its lower end to said folder, and means in the gear box for periodically oscillating said spindle to move the folder to and fro in relation to the grippers dwelling at the loading station.

2. In a wrapping machine, comprising a carrier head mounted to rotate intermittently on a vertical axis, a plurality of pairs of grippers on said carrier head, means at a loading station for lifting in succession into said grippers, as they dwell at the loading station, an article to be wrapped and a wrapper draped around and depending from said article, and a folder at said loading station for folding part of the wrapper against the base of the article held by the grippers dwelling at said loading station, the combination with said carrier head and folder of a gear box disposed above the carrier head, a vertical tubular shaft depending from said gear box, said tubular shaft being connected to and constituting the sole support for the carrier head, a Geneva wheel in said gear box, gearing in the gear box connecting the Geneva wheel to the tubular shaft, a driving shaft in'said gear box, a crank pin on said driving shaft coacting with said Geneva wheel to impart intermittent rotation to said tubular shaft, a spindle housed within said tubular shaft and connected at its lower end to said folder, and means in the gear box for periodically oscillating said spindle to move the folder to and fro in relation to the grippers dwelling at the loading station.

3. In a wrapping machine, comprising a. carrier head mounted to rotate intermittently on a vertical axis, a plurality of pairs of grippers on said carrier head, means at a loading station for lifting in succession into said grippers, as they dwell at the loading station, an article to be wrapped and a wrapper draped around and de pending from said article, and a folder at said loading station for folding part of the wrapper against the base of the article held by the grippers dwelling at said loading station, the combination with said carrier head and folder of a gear box disposed above the carrier head, a vertical tubular shaft depending from said gear box, said tubular shaft being connected to and constituting the sole support for the carrier head, mechanism in said gear box for imparting intermittent rotation to said tubular shaft, a spindle housed within said tubular shaft and connected at its lower end to said folder, a cam in said gear box, a rod in said gear box operatively associated with said cam for reciprocation thereby, an arm on the upper end of said spindle, a spring coupling the rod to the arm and serving periodically to oscillate said spindle in the direction to move said folder into position beneath the grippers dwelling at the loading station and an abutment on the rod for imparting positive return movement to said spindle and folder.

4. In a wrapping machine, comprising a carrier head mounted to rotate intermittently on a vertical axis, a plurality of pairs of grippers on said carrier head, springs on said carrier head for urging each pair of grippers to the closed position, means at a loading station for lifting in succession into said grippers, as they dwell at the loading station, an article to be wrapped and a wrapper draped around and depending from said article, and a folder at said loading station for folding part of the wrapper against the base of the article held by the grippers dwelling at said loading station, the combination with said carrier head and folder of a gear box disposed above the carrier head, a vertical tubular shaft depending from said gear box, said tubular shaft being connected to and constituting the sole support for the carrier head, mechanism in said gear box for imparting intermittent rotation to said tubular shaft, a spindle housed within said tubular shaft and connected at its lower end to said folder, means in the gear box for periodically oscillating said spindle to move the folder to and fro in relation to the grippers dwelling at the loading station, a gripper actuating cam mounted for rotation on said tubular shaft between said gear box and said carrier head, followers coacting with the cam and connected to the pairs of grippers and mechanism for periodically rocking said cam to and fro to open and close the grippers at the loading station.

5. In a wrapping machine, a combination as claimed in claim 4, comprising a vertical driving shaft for driving said gear box, said vertical shaft being offset laterally from the carrier head, a crank pin on said driving shaft, 2, Geneva Wheel coacting with said crank pin and geared to said tubular shaft, a cam on said driving shaft, a linkage operated by said cam for imparting oscillating movement to said spindle, a further cam on said driving shaft, and a linkage operated by said further cam for imparting oscillating movement in relation to the tubular shaft to said gripper actuating cam.

LEONARD BROOK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,517,059 Groves Nov. 25, 1924 1,735,978 Rose Nov. 19, 1929 2,137,656 Rose Nov. 22, 1938 2,208,776 Sandberg July 23, 1940 2,283,097 Sandberg May 12, 1942 2,567,405 Sandberg Sept. 11, 1951

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