US3286438A - Mechanism in a packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper applied around a box or like article - Google Patents

Description

3,286,438 EN ENDS OF C. SOL

MECHANISM IN A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OF A WRAPPER APPLIED AROUND A BOX OR LIKE ARTICLE Filed May 21. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @mdd:

INVENTOR.

hmjm MM C. SOL

Nov. 22, 1966 3,286,438 EN ENDS OF A BOX 0R LIKE ARTICLE MECHANISM IN A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OF A WRAPPER APPLIED AROUND Filed May 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Mm, luau" United States Patent 3,286,438 MECHANISM IN A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF A WRAPPER AP- PLIED AROUND A BOX OR LIKE ARTICLE Cornelis Sol, Westzaan, Netherlands, assignor to N. V. Machinefabriek Verwachting, Wormer, Netherlands, a corporation of the Netherlands Filed May 21, 1963, Ser. No. 281,954 Claims priority, application Netherlands, May 23, 1962, 278,768 6 Claims. (Cl. 53-379) The present invention relates to a mechanism in a packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper applied around a box or like article, and has for its object to provide an improved construction of such a. mechanism, thereby to accelerate the closure of the wrapper ends and to increase the adaptability to the size of the articles to be packaged.

To this effect, the mechanism according to the invention, which is arranged upon the table of a packaging machine, comprises two pairs of folding legs which are disposed on both sides of the path of travel of the articles to be packaged, are adjustable relative to each other, and are active in opposed directions perpendicular to the surface of said table, said pairs of folding legs being each interposed between a folding member disposed at the supply end of said table and comprising two tuck-in tongues active in opposed directions parallel to the direction of travel of the articles to be packaged, and a pressure plate disposed at the delivery end of said table and active in conjunction with and in synchronism with said folding member parallel to the surface of the table and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the articles to be packaged. In addition, according to the invention, the said pressure plates may be provided with a heating element.

In illustration of the invention, an embodiment of the packaging machine will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line lIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line IVIV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show, in perspective view, four successive stages of the closing of the ends of a wrapper applied around an article to be packaged.

When the machine is in operation, the articles 2 provided with a wrapper 1 are one by one pushed over the table 4 by a pusher 3 to have the trailing open ends of the wrapper 1 extending transversely to the direction of travel. The table carries on both sides of its longitudinal axis two folding legs 5 and 6. Each pair of folding legs 5, 6 is mounted on a carrier 7, in such a fashion that the spacing between the pairs of folding legs 5, 6 can be adjusted to the size of the articles 2 to be packaged.

Before the supply end of the space between the folding legs 5, 6, there is disposed on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the table 4 a folding member 8 comprising two tuck-in tongues 9 and 10 and also mounted on the carrier 7 of the associated folding legs 5, 6. Each folding member is connected to one end of a strip 11, which is periodically reciprocated by driving means engaging a fork 12 carried by the strip. The other ends of the strips 11, which extend beyond the delivery end of the space between the folding legs 5, 6, are cut off diagonally and cooperate as cams with a pressure plate 13 movable transversely to the longitudinal axis of the table.

Whilst an article 2, which is on three sides enveloped by a wrapper 1 which is open at the ends (FIG. 5 is sup- "Ice plied over the table 4 to the left in FIG. 1 by the pusher 3, the wrapper flaps 15 are folded against the end faces of the article 2 as the article passes the tuck-in tongues 9. After the flaps 15 have been folded the article 2 is temporarily stopped while the tuck-in tongues 9 and 10 move to the right in FIG. 1 so that, during their subsequent movement to the left, the wrapper flaps 14 of the longitudinal edge portions of the wrapper 1, which have meanwhile been folded against the trailing side face of the article 2 (FIG. 6) are folded against the end faces of the article 2 by the tuck-in tongues 10 (FIG. 7). If then, by the periodical supply of subsequent articles by the pusher 3, the article, brought into the condition shown in FIG. 7, is stepwise passed along the folding legs 5 and 6, the wrapper flaps 16 and 17 are successively folded against the end faces of the article 2 (FIG. 8).

Finally each article 2, then provided with closed wrapper ends, comes between the pressure plates 13. As these pressure plates 13, controlled by the diagonal end of the strips 11, are alternately moved away from and towards each other, the article, and the whole series of subsequent articles, is temporarily clamped between the pressure plates 13 for compression of the folded wrapper ends or, in the case of a plastic film wrapper, for sealing the wrapper ends by means of the pressure plates 13, which in that case are provided with heating elements.

By virtue of the great adjustability and the simple drive of the moving parts, the machine according to the invention combines a high capacity and an easy adaptation to the size of the articles to be packaged.

I claim:

1. A packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper about an article comprising, in combination: a machine table means for receiving a partially wrapped article at a supply end thereof, the ends of the article being in the unwrapped condition and having flaps protruding therefrom; pushing means for moving said article longitudinally forwardly along said table means; folding means disposed at the supply end of said table and having fixedly carried therewith rearwardly directed tuck-in tongue means for tucking closed forward flap means in response to forward longitudinal movement of said forward flap extending from said article past said first tuckin tongue means; forwardly directed tuck-in tongue means fixedly carried by said folding means, said forwardly directed tuck-in tongue means providing means for tucking closed rearward flap means in response to rearward longitudinal movement of said folding means past said rearward flap means and subsequent forward movement of said folding means; slide means fixedly connected at one end of said folding means; said slide means being operatively related at an opposite end to pressure plate means for sealing closed the wrapper flaps against the article; means for moving said pressure plate means transverse of said table and said article in conjunction and synchronism with forward and rearward movement of said folding means longitudinally of said table.

2. A packaging machine for closing the open ends of a wrapper about an article comprising, in combination: a machine table means for receiving a partially wrapped article at a supply end thereof, the ends of the article being in the unwrapped condition and having flaps protruding therefrom; pushing means for moving said article longitudinally forward along said table means; folding means disposed at the supply end of said table and having fixedly carried therewith rearwardly directed tuck-in tongue means for tucking closed forward flap means in response to forward longitudinal movement of said forward flap extending from said article past said first tuck-in tongue means; forwardly directed tuck-in tongue means fixedly carried by said folding means, said forwardly directed tuck-in tongue means providing means for tucking closed rearward flap means in response to rearward longitudinal movement of said folding means past said rearward flap means and subsequent forward movement of said folding means; folding leg means for folding upper and lower flap means closed in response to further forward movement of said article along said table past said folding leg means; slide means fixedly connected at one end to said folding means; said slide means being operatively related at an opposite end to pressure plate means for sealing closed the wrapper flaps against the article; means for moving said pressure plate means transverse of said table and said article in conjunction and synchronism with forward and rearward movement of said folding means longitudinally of said table; said pressure plate means being positioned longitudinally forward of said folding leg means; said folding leg means being positioned longitudinally forward of said folding means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein means comprising a portion of said slide means are provided at said opposite end of said slide means to cam said pressure plate means transversely outwardly of said table.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein means comprising a portion of said slide means are provided at said opposite end of said slide means to cam said pressure plate means transversely outwarly of said table.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said pressure plate means include heating elements.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said pressure plate means include heating elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,497 10/1927 Sandberg 53-230 1,968,190 7/1934 Clark 53-33 2,745,234 5/1956 Schooler 53379 3,110,143 11/1963 Schooler 53-230 X TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF A WRAPPER ABOUT AN ARTICLE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A MACHINE TABLE MEANS FOR RECEIVING A PARTIALLY WRAPPED ARTICLE AT A SUPPLY END THEREOF, THE ENDS OF THE ARTICLE BEING IN THE UNWRAPPED CONDITION AND HAVING FLAPS PROTRUDING THEREFROM; PUSHING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ARTICLE LONGITUDINALLY FORWARDLY ALONG SAID TABLE MEANS; FOLDING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE SUPPLY END OF SAID TABLE AND HAVING FIXEDLY CARRIED THEREWITH REARWARDLY DIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS FOR TUCKING CLOSED FORWARD FLAP MEANS IN RESPONSE TO FORWARD LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FORWARD FLAP EXTENDING FROM SAID ARTICLE PAST SAID FIRST TUCKIN TONGUE MEANS; FORWARDLY DIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS FIXEDLY CARRIED BY SAID FOLDING MEANS, SAID FORWARDLY DIRECTED TUCK-IN TONGUE MEANS PROVIDING MEANS FOR TUCKING CLOSED REARWARD FLAP MEANS IN RESPONSE TO REARWARD LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANS PAST SAID REARWARD FLAP MEANS AND SUBSEQUENT FORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANS; SLIDE MEANS FIXEDLY CONNECTED AT ONE END OF SAID FOLDING MEANS; SAID SLIDE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY RELATED AT AN OPPOSITE END TO PRESSURE PLATE MEANS FOR SEALING CLOSED THE WRAPPER FLAPS AGAINST THE ARTICLE; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PRESSURE PLATE MEANS TRANSVERSE OF SAID TABLE AND SAID ARTICLE IN CONJUNCTION AND SYNCHRONISM WITH FORWARD AND REARWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TABLE.

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