APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES 0F ADHESIVE T0 BLANKS IN AUTOMATIC MACHINES Filed May 22, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1954 A G. JEFFERYS 3,16 ,546

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Dec. 22, 1964 A G. JEFFERYS 3,162,546

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES OF ADHESIVE T0 BLANK-S IN AUTOMATIC MACHINES Filed May 22, 1962 3 Shasta-Sheet 2 14 r r9 We Dec. 22, 1964 A. G. JEFFERYS APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES 0F ADHESIVE TO smuxs IN AUTOMATIC MACHINES 3 Sheets -Sheet 3 Filed May 22, 1962 DVENT'OL AZB5P7 62 JfFFERYS FIG .4.

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United States Patent 3,162,546 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PATCHES 0F ADHESIVE T0 BLANKS IN AUTOMATIC moms Albert George Jetferys, London, England, assignor to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed'May 22, 1962, Ser. No.196,673 Claims priority,.application Great Britain, June --1, 1961, 19,799/61 3 Claims. (El. 118-412) This invention concerns apparatus for applying patches of adhesive to blanks in automatic machines, for example, packing and wrapping machines and more particularly relates to apparatus for applying adhesive to both sides of a blank.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for applying patches of adhesive to both sides of a blank, comprising an adhesive container and a rotatable plate having an irregular periphery, at least one part of which is shaped to constitute an adhesive-applying sector, the remainder of the periphery being of less radius than any such sector, said plate being arranged to dip into adhesive in the container, a doctor movable to doctor the periphery of the plate as it rotates, excepting at least part of such adhesive-applying sector, means for moving the doctor, and means for moving the blank past the plate for adhesive application by the said adhesive-applying sector and a transfer device arranged to receive adhesive from part ofa sector and apply it to the reverse side of the blank, that is, the side remote from the rotatable plate. A transfer device may be a rotatable disc having a projection, such as an arcuate sector, or a pin, projecting outwards from its periphery, the projecting part being caused to contact with said adhesive-applying sector at times and with the blank at other times, whereby adhesive is transferred to the reverse side of the blank, that is, the side away from the rotatable plate.

Preferably the doctor also doctors the sides of the plate for a considerable distance inwards from the periphery. The doctor may be moved by a cam and spring to secure the desired contact with those parts of the plate periphery which are to be doctored.

Several rotatable plates and several transfer devices may be arranged for combined operation in a common adhesive container and some of said plates may operate solely in co-operation with transfer devices.

Apparatus according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the apparatus,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation, partly in section substantially on the line 22, FIGURE 1, the view being drawn to show only one rotatable adhesive applying plate and its associated devices,

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the apparatus partly in section on the line 3-3, FIGURE 1, this view showing two other rotatable plates which have somewhat similar contours, and their associated devices,

FIGURE 4 is a plan of a blank showing adhesive patches which are applied to it by the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings an adhesive container 1 has three rotatable plates of disc- like nature 2, 3 and 4 which are rotated as explained later and dip into adhesive within the container. The peripheries of the plates are irregular and comprise adhesive-applying sectors described later. A paper blank 5, shown in chain lines in FIGURE 1, from which a packet is to be made is moved along the plates by pushers 6 on chain conveyors 7.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 the blank is shown with an adhesive stripe marked S on its underneath side and an adhesive bar B also on that side. The underside is 3,162,546 Patented Dec. 22, 1954 the side which moves along under the action of the .pushers, to make contact with some of the adhesiveapplying sectors on said plates. On the reverse side of the blank, that is, the upperside, are two dots of adhesive marked D.

In order to support the blank, which is somewhat flimsy, while adhesive is being applied, it is carried over blank supports or rails 8 and two smaller ones marked 8A, it being understood that these rails will be so disposed as to avoid contact with any adhesive which is applied to the underneath side of the blanks.

The'three plates 2, 3 and 4 are fixed on a large shaft 9 and are doctored by doctors 10, 11 and 12 respectively, FIGURE 1. Above the shaft 9 is a small shaft 13 which carries rollers 14, 15 16 and '17 details of whose construction will be explained'later. The rollers 15 and 17 serve to hold the blank down against the pressure of the adhesive-applying sectors and the rollers 14 and 16, are

used as transfer devices to make the dots D as explained below. A large diameter sleeve .18 supports the doctors 11 and 12 in the following manner. A block 19 is fixed to the sleeve and to its underside there is attached a doctor support .20. Similarlya shaft 21 rotatable within the sleeve 18 carries a support block 22 to which is fixed on itsunderside .a doctor support 23 on which the doctor 10 is fixed. The doctors are attached to the supports by screws as shown. The sleeve 18 has at one end a cam lever 24, FIGURES l and 3, and the shaft '21 also has a cam lever 25, FIGURES 1 and 2, fixed tofit. Springs 26 and 27 respectively pull the levers so that they co-operate with the cams, as will now be explained. A cam 28 is provided for the lever 24 .and a cam 29 for the lever 25. The cam followers consist of small pins 30 and 31 as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The shaft 13 is supported in bearings 32 and has a gear wheel 33 at one end which mates with a larger gear wheel 34 which is fixed to the shaft 9. A few teeth of each gear wheel are dotted in FIGURE 2. The plate 2 has two adhesive-applying sectors 35 on it which serve to apply the stripes S to the blanks, each sector operating on an alternate blank. The cam 29, as can be seen from'FIG- URE 2, is generally similar in shape to the rotatable plate 2 but it has depressions at 36 so that the adhesive coating on each sector 35 is interrupted. Adhesive is left on a small portion of each sector 35 by the doctoring operation at the position immediately beneath the shaft 13, in FIG- URE 2, after which there is a short break due to doctoring, caused by the depression 36 in the cam 29, and the remainder of the sector has the adhesive left on it. The roller 15 has a pin 37 projecting from its periphery and this, as shown, engages with that small portion of the adhesive-applying sector 35 which has adhesive on it as explained above, preceding the short portion which is doctored. In this way the pin 37 will have adhesive transferred thereto from said small portion of sector 35 and thereafter the sector 35 will apply the stripe S, after which the pin 37 will contact the upper face of the blank and apply the dot D which, as seen in FIGURE 4, is in the line with the stripe S. Since the cam-following pin 31 is small, it will be understood that as it contacts with the earn it causes the doctor 10 to move very accurately in following the cam shape and thus the portions of the periphery of the plate 2 which are of less radius than the sectors will be cleaned of adhesive and consequently only the major portions of the adhesive-applying sectors 35 and the small portions used for transferring adhesive to the pin 37 on roller 16 will carry adhesive. In this way a very clean operation is obtained and only those parts of the blanks marked S and D, at the bottom of FIGURE 4, will have adhesive applied to them.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the plate 3 is shown and tor movements from the same cam 28. The pin 30 follows the contour of the cam 28 and the doctor 11 doctors the plate 3 while the doctor 12 which is of the same shape as 11 and is thus not visible in FIGURE 3, doctors the plate'4, except for thetwo flats shown.

It will .be noticed that the plate 3 has four very short sectors, two marked 38A and two marked 3813. Only the sectors 38A are adhesive-applying sectors and these make the bars B on the blanks, operating on alternate blanks, like the sectors 35. Two adhesive-applying sectors, identical in shape with those'at 38B, are provided on the plate 4 which, as previously mentioned, has two flats on its periphery. These sectors are used to apply adhesive to a pin 39 which is fixed on the roller 14, which roller is cylindrical and similar in size to roller and is therefore indicated in FIGURE 3 by a dotted lead-line to the reference 14. The roller 15 has a small sector 40 on it which holds the blank down against the pressure due to the plate 3. Two rollers 15 are used as the plate 3 is fairly wide, see FIGURE 1.

As the plate 4 has two sectors like the sectors 38B of plate 3 on it and the sectors on plate 4 have to carry adhesive to be transferred to the pin 39, while the doctors 11 and 12 have the same movements, it will be understood that as these sectors on plate 4 are passing the doctoring position the doctors will move outwards from the periphery of plate 4 to leave adhesive on the two sectors. ,The plate 3 therefore has the two sectors 38B on it, which may be regarded as dummies, that is, they do not transfer the adhesive left on them in the doctoring operation, so that the periphery of 3 is doctored as much as possible. These sectors are not doctored, since the sectors behind them on plate 4 have to carry adhesive, but they areonly very small and the apparatus is also provided with a fixed doctor 42 which scrapes all sectors as they pass by, to avoid any build-up of adhesive.

The gear ratio between shafts 9 and 13 is 4:1 and in operation, a sector 35 suppliesadhesive to the pin 37 and then applies a stripe S and by the time the sector leaves the blank about A of a revolution of the plate 2 has taken place so the pin 37 is ready to press on the top of the blank and make the dot D which is in line with the stripe S. In

the same Afof a revolution the right-hand sector 38A, FIGURE 3 has moved to the blank-applying position and 4 p I makes the bar B while the blank is held down by sectors 40, on rollers 15, which has revolved once during this time.

Similarly, the pin 39 has had adhesive applied to it by one of the sectors on plate 4 while the parts are in the position shown in FIGURE 3, and has then revolved once to apply the dot D shown above the bar B in FIGURE 4.

It will be seen that the arrangements for operating plates 3 and 4 are economical in design as some parts function for both plates but of course this is not essential as each plate can have its own cam and lever provided the levers are connected to the doctors by suitable sleeves.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7

1. Apparatus for applying patches of adhesive to both sides of a blank, comprising an adhesive container and a rotatable plate having in irregular periphery, at least one part of which is shaped to constitute an adhesive-applying sector, the remainder of the periphery being of less radius than any such sector, said plate being arranged to dip into adhesive in the container, a doctor movable to doctor the periphery of the plate as it rotates, excepting at least part of such adhesive-applying sector, means for moving the doctor, and means for moving the blank past the plate for adhesive application by said adhesive-applying sector to one side of said blank, and a transfer device arranged to receive adhesive from part of the sector and apply it tothe reverse side of said blank.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means .formoving the doctor comprises a cam rotatable with the plate and a cam follower attached to the doctor and urged into contact'with the cam by a spring.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the transfer device comprises a rotatable roller having a projection adapted to contact with said adhesive-applying sector at times and with one side of said blank at other times, whereby adhesive'is transferred to the reverse side of said blank.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,223,176 4/17 Johnson 118250 1,277,939 9/18 Juengst 1l8-5 9 1,793,082 2/31 .Goss 118212 RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Primary Examiner.

I JOSEPH B. SPENCER, Examiner.