US3018701A

US3018701A - Method of sealing sandwich type carton ends

Info

Publication number: US3018701A
Application number: US726899A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford D Keely
Original assignee: GEN CORRUGATED MACHINERY COMPA
Current assignee: GEN CORRUGATED MACHINERY COMPA; GENERAL CORRUGATED MACHINERY Co
Priority date: 1958-04-07
Filing date: 1958-04-07
Publication date: 1962-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1979-01-30

Description

Jan. 30, 1962' c. D. Kx-:ELY

METHOD OF SEALING SANDWICH TYPE CARTON ENDS 2 sheets-shea?. 1

Filed April '7. 1958 Jan. 30, 1962 c. D. KEELY METHOD oF sEALING SANDWICH TYPE CARTON ENDs Filed April '7. 1958 2 Sheeu: 2

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States ire 3,018,7 01 METHOD OF SEALING SANDWICH TYPE CARTON ENDS vClifford D. Keely, West Englewood, NJ., assigner to This invention relates to a method of folding and sealing boxes of a somewhat unusual kind, and particularly boxes in which flaps are adapted to be adhered to form three sandwich layers, each substantially coextensive in `area with the box end itself. In such a box one pair of opposed flaps, herein arbitrarily called the end flaps, are adapted to be folded down and in toward one another, into a common plane. These iiaps may be equal or unequal in area. The two flaps do not overlap. They have a combined area substantially equal to the area of the box end. This pair of flaps constitutes one of the sandwich layers. Each flap of the other opposed pair constitutes a further sandwich layer. Each of these latter flaps, arbitrarily called the side liaps, is substantially equal in area with the end of the box.

In the box chosen for illustrating the invention, each of the ends, both upper and lower, is as described above. The upper end, moreover, has handle elements defined by cutting and scoring in superposed areas of one of the end flaps and one of the side flaps. It is required that the handle elements be adhered to one another and that they lie normally flush with the flaps of which they form parts, but that the composite handle formed by the adhered handle elements be free to be folded upward laway from the box top.

The folding and sealing of the top and the bottom both present more exacting problems than the ordinary slotted container, the top presenting greater difficulty than the bottom. Preferably, the blank is first mounted right side up on a dummy and the top flaps are folded in onto the top of the dummy and sealed. The box is then inverted, is filled through the bottom and, still in an inverted condition, has the bottom flaps folded in and sealed. This sequence may be reversed, the bottom being sealed first `with the blank inverted, the box being then turned upright, filled through the top and having the top sealed. Because of the liftable handle, however, the box is better adapted to the first sequence. The first sequence is therefore illustratively shown and described herein.

One phase of the invention has to do with the folding and sealing of the box bottom. It is a feature that the end flaps, forming one sandwich layer, are first folded in and down to horizontal relation, and that the box with the flaps so folded is fed past a gluing station while glue stripes are deposited on the infolded flaps one after the other. One of the side flaps, which is to form a second sandwich layer, is then folded down onto the end flaps and the box is continued past a second gluing station while glue stripes are deposited on the down-folded side flap. The remaining side flap, which is to form the third sandwich layer, is then folded down onto the second layer,

and the box is continued under pressure for a sufficient time to assure the proper setting of the glue.

In the folding and sealing of the box top, it is a feature that one of the large full overlap side flaps which is to form a first sandwich layer, is folded down and in (backwardly from the direction of box travel) to extend across the box end, and that the other side flap, which is to constitute a second sandwich laye-r, is folded down and out into the same plane and into position to trail the first. The box with the side flaps so folded is fed past a first gluing station while long glue stripes are deposited along marginal areas of the downturned flaps one after the other. The

box is then continued past a second gluing station where additional glue stripes are deposited in the area between the first sets of stripes. The stripes deposited at the second station could have been deposited concurrently with the first stripes, but for the fact that the stripes deposited on the infolded flap at the second station must be shorter in order to leave. the area which the handle is to overlie free of glue. The shorter stripes require a different timing of the glue depositing means. As the box is further advanced, the two end flaps are folded in (across the line of travel) to overlie the infolded side flap.

With the original orientation the box is then moved at right angles to the first line of advance and then in the return direction. As an incident of the last movement the out-folded side flap is folded over and in, into adhering relation with the end flaps.

As a result of these procedures the box is folded and sealed as required in a simple, rapid and economical manner.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the blank which is to be formed into the illustrative carton or box, FIGURE 1 being on a smaller scale than FIGURES 2, 3 and 4;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation of the finished box with the handle folded upward in carrying position;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the succession of steps performed in closing and sealing the bottom of the box, the box being shown at 3A, however, with the aps turned abnormally outward for illustrating in their full dimensions the flaps to be operated upon; and

FIGURE 4 is a View similar to FIGURE 3 illustrating the succession of steps performed in closing and sealing the top of the box, the box being shown at 4A, however, with the fiaps turned abnormally outward for illustrating in their full dimensions the flaps to be operated upon.

The box 10 of FIGURE 2 is formed from the blank illustrated in FIGURE 1. The blank desirably consists chiefly of corrugated cardboard, the outer face, however, being composed of a printed sheet. The printing may include a description of the contents of the box and directions for use. Because of the ornamental, advertising and instructive value of the printing, the box is not adapted for tape sealing, without sacrice of overall design, `and a glue sealing procedure has accordingly been worked out as preferable for such reasons.

The body portion of the box is divided into

panels

12, 14, 16 and l8vand a tab 20 by parallel, vertically extending score lines. The panels are all of equal height but the

panels

12 and 16 in the illustrated box are narrower than the

panels

14 and 18. The

panels

12 and 16 have

end fiaps

22 and 24 at the lower end, each divided from its panel by a transverse score line, each extending the full width of the associated panel, and each of a height desirably somewhat less than half the width of the

body panels

14, 18. The

panels

14 and 18 carry

bottom end flaps

26 and 28, the fiaps extending the full width of the

panels

14, 18, being divided from the panels by a transverse score line 25, and each being of a height substantially equal .to the width of the

panels

12, 16.

The panels 14 and 13 carry

upper end flaps

30 and 32 each extending the full width of the associated panel and each of a height substantially equal to the width of the panels 12', 16. The end flap 30 is a plain rectangular member, but the end flap 32 is made of a construction to provide it with a handle 33 which may be folded up away from the box top for carrying purposes. The body panel 16 is provided with a short upper end flap 34 while the panel 12 is provided with a long upper end iiap 36.

The combined heights of the

flaps

34 and 36 are equal to, or slightly less than, the width of the

panels

14, 18. The end fiap 36 is made to provide a handle member 38 which may be adhered to the handle member 33 and may be folded up with it away from the box top to the position shown in FIGURE 2 when the box is to be carried. The handle member 33 is divided from the end anel 32 by slits 40 and by ya transverse score line 42. The handle member 33 also includes a foldable flap 44 which is divided from the main body of the handle by a score line 46 and by slits 48. The ap portion 44 is also divided from the main flap 32 by `a slit 50. The handle member 38 is divided from the flap 36 by score line S2 and is formed with a cut-out 54 of the same configuration as the handle flap 44. The

end fiaps

30, 32, 34 and 36 are divided from the body panels by a score line 55.

In converting the blank of FIGURE 1 into the box of FIGURE 2, the blank is first folded about the score lines `56 and 58 and the tab 20 is adhesively united to the inner face of the panel 12. This step is purely conventional and is not illustrated.

The box is then `opened to tubular form and placed on a dummy, right side up, for folding and gluing of the upper end flaps. For this purpose a machine of the U return type is employed, which is generally similar to the machine illustrated in Serial #557,22'7. v

The box is shown in plan at position 4A of FIGURE 4, the box being disposed upright with the

flaps

30, 32, 34 and 36 extending upward and outward. The operative thrusts the box onto a conveyor and beneath a deflector 60 so that the flap 3i) is folded backward and inward and the fiap 32 is folded backward and outward, both to horizontal positions as seen at 4B and 4C of FIGURE 4. A glue nozzle 62 controlled by the box itself is caused to project glue stripes 64 along end marginal portions of the flap 30 and glue stripes 66 along the end marginal portions of the flap 32. As the box continues to the position 4C of FIGURE 4 it passes beneath glue nozzle 68 which projects glue stripes 76 on a portion of the flap 30 and glue stripes 72 onto the ap 32. It should be particularly noted that the nozzle is timed to start the glue stripes 70 in the area of the flap 30 which is not to be covered by the handle member 38 so that the handle member 38 will not be glued down to the ap 30. As the box continues to the position 4D of FIGURE 4, plow members '74 fold in the

flaps

30 and 34 and press them down against the glued face of the flap 30. This completes the travel of the box in the first or outgoing course.

The box is thereupon fed through a transverse course over to the position 4E which represents the beginning of a return course. As the box starts its movement in the return course, the flap 32 is engaged by a deflector "i5 which folds down the flap 32 onto the

aps

34 and 36, pressing the glued face of the flap 32 against the

flaps

34 and 36 as illustrated at position 4F of FIGURE 4. The flap 32 is thus adhered to the

flaps

34 and 36 and the handle member 33 is superposed upon and adhered to the handle member 38. Although glue has been applied along some of the stripes 72 to the handle flap 44 that portion of the glue which is on the handle flap overlies the cutout 54 of the handle member 38. This particular glue, therefore, simply dries on the handle flap 44 without attaching the flap to anything. When the combined handle 33-38 is subsequently folded up as illustrated in FIGURE 2, the handle flap 44 is free to be pushed through the cutout 54 as shown in FIG- URE 2.

The box blank is then inverted, is lled through the bottom, and is brought to a second machine in an inverted position, that is to say, with the bottom flaps, 22, 24, 26 and 28 extending upward beyond the body as seen at 3A of FIGURE 3. The operator folds the flap 24 forward and inward by hand over Ithe end of the box,

and thrusts the filled box forward onto a continuously running conveyor. As an incident of this forward thrusting, the flap 22 is engaged and folded down by a deector and holddown 76. As the conveyor carries the box forward it is caused to pass beneath a glue nozzle 78 which discharges a series of glue stripes 80 onto the flap 22 and a series of glue stripes 82 onto the flap 24. The nozzle is controlled by the blank itself as illustrated and described in my pending application, Serial No. 557,227, filed Dec. 30, 1955 which has issued as Patent No. 2,898,- 820, dated Aug. ll, 1959, for Carton Flap Sealing Machine. As illustrated at 3B in FIGURE 3, as the box continues toward the position 3C of FIGURE 3, the flap 28 is engaged by the plow 84, which turnsA the ap down and folds it over onto the glued face of the

flaps

22 and 24, holding the flap 28 down as the box travels through the position designated 3C. At that time a glue nozzle S6 acts to discharge glue stripes 83 onto the upper face of the flap 28. As the box continues on to the position 3D of FIGURE 3, the flap 26 is engaged by a plow 9i) and is turned over and down against the glued face of the flap 28. The dummy with the box on it is continued along the conveyor with the ap 26 held firmly down for a sufficient length of time to assure that good adhesion will be attained between the flap 28 and the

flaps

22 and 24 on the one hand and between the

flaps

26 and 28 on the other. This completes the formation of the lower end of the box, providing the box with a good, strong face by virtue of complete overlap and union of the

fiaps

26 and 28 as well as the union of the flap 28 with the

liaps

22 and 24. As will be seen, the glue is projected onto 3 of the 4 flaps of the box at just two glue stations, and this while the box travels in a straight course.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. It is not, therefore, the intention to limit the patent to the specific construction illustrated, but to cover the invention broadly in whatever form its principles may be utilized.

I claim:

1. The method of folding and sealing an end of a box which comprises a body, a first pair of opposed relatively large leading and trailing end flaps each of a size and shape adapted substantially to cover the entire end of the box and a second pair of relatively small opposed end flaps adapted to be folded into a common plane and having a combined area which is not greater than the area of the box end, which method comprises folding the flaps of the first pair down into a common plane, one into a position to extend across the box end and the other into position to extend rearwardly from the first, advancing the box with the second pair of flaps upstanding at the sides of the path of advance and with the first pair of end flaps positioned to travel beneath gluing instrumentalties, discharging wet glue onto the upper faces of the down-folded flaps one after another as an incident of the advance, then while continuing the advance, folding the second pair of flaps down and in onto the glued flap which extends across the end of the box, and finally folding the other glue moistened flap over and down onto the infolded flaps of the second pair, thereby to adhere the first and second fiaps of the first pair respectively to the inner faces and the outer faces of both aps of the second pair.

2. The method of folding and sealing an end of a box which comprises a body, a first pair of opposed relatively large leading and trailing end flaps each of a size and shape adapted substantially to cover the entire end of the box and a second pair of unequal, relatively small opposed end flaps adapted to be folded into a common plane and having a combined area which is not greater than the area of the box end, one flap of the first pair and the larger flap of the second pair having superposable cut and scored handle elements adapted to be adhered to one another and jointly to form a foldable handle: which method comprises folding the flaps of the first pair down into a common plane, one being infolded into position to extend across the box end, and the other which includes a handle element, being outfolded into position to trail rearwardly from the first, advancing the box with the second pair of flaps upstanding at the sides of the path of advance and with the first pair of aps positioned as described past a gluing station while discharging glue onto marginal portions of the upper faces of the downfolded flaps, continuing the box past a second gluing station while discharging glue on the downfolded flaps, between the previously applied glue areas, but with the second application on the infolded flap relatively short to leave free of glue the area of the infolded flap which the handle is to overlie, folding the second pair of flaps down and in onto the glued, infolded ap, and final-ly folding the other glued ap over and down onto the infolded aps of the second pair, thereby to adhere the first and second flaps of the first pair, respectively, to the inner faces and the outer faces of both aps of the second pair, and to adhere the handle elements to one another while leaving them free to be folded outward.

3. The method of folding and sealing an end of a box which comprises a body and three sandwich layers at one end of the box, one consisting of a pair of relatively small end flaps, and each of the others consisting of a single relatively large side ap of a size and shape adapted t cover the entire end of the box: which method comprises folding a first one of said sandwich layers in and down into position to extend across the box end, folding a second of said sandwich layers out and down into a common plane with the first and into position to extend rearwardly from the first, advancing the box with the small flaps of the third sandwich layer upstanding at the sides of the path of advance and with the folded sandwich layers positioned as described to carry the downf-olded aps successively past gluing instrumentalities while discharging glue onto the first and second sandwich layers, folding the third sandwich layer as an incident of further advance onto the first, and finally folding the second sandwich layer onto the third, thereby to adhere the first and second sandwich layers, respectively, to opposite sides of the third sandwich layer.

4. The method of folding and sealing an end of a box which comprises a body, a first pair of relatively small opposed end flaps adapted to be folded into a common plane, and a second pair of opposed relatively large end flaps each of a size and shape adapting it substantially to cover the entire end of the box, the end aps of said second pair being adapted to be folded into superposed relation: which method comprises folding the first pair of end flaps in and d-own into a common plane, feeding the box past a gluing station in a direction such that the infolded flaps have wet glue discharged onto them one after the other, and with the flaps of the second pair upstanding at the sides `of the path of advance, yfolding in one of the aps of the second pair as an incident of further advance of the box to overlie and bear against the glue carrying faces of the first pair of flaps, feeding the box past a second gluing station while discharging glue along the upper face of the infolded large flap, and finally folding the second ylarge ap in and onto the first as an incident of still further advance of the box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,167,814 Richard Aug. 1, 1939 2,370,757 Spurr Mar. 6, 1945 2,804,043 Netziley Aug. 27, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,018, 701 January 3o, 1962 Cliff-ord D., Keely It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 2 and l2, and in the heading to the printed specification, line 5, for "General Corrugated Machinery Company,", each occurrence., read `'General Corrugated Machinery Company, Inc.,

Signed and sealed this 8th day ofMay 1962.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SWTDER Attesting Officer DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents