US3478491A

US3478491A - Apparatus for loading articles in upwardly open nonpartitioned packing cases

Info

Publication number: US3478491A
Application number: US671631A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horst G Lattke
Original assignee: Newfrey LLC
Current assignee: Newfrey LLC; New Standard Knapp Inc
Priority date: 1967-09-29
Filing date: 1967-09-29
Publication date: 1969-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1969l H. G, LATTKE 3,478,491

FOR LOADING ARTICLES IN UPWARDLY OPEN NONPARTITIONED PACKING CASES APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 29, 1967 Nov. 18, 1969 H. G. l-.A'rrKe 3,478,491

APPARATUS FOR LOADING TICLES IN UPWARDLY OPEN NONPARTITION PACKING CASES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 AR ED Filed Sept. 29, 1967 Nov. 1s, 1969 LG. mme 3,478,491

APPARATUS R LO NG ARTICLES UPWARDLY OPEN y NPARTITIONED PACKIN ASES 4 Sheets-Shea?l 5 Filed sept. 29, 1967 H. G. LATT'KE 3,478,491 FOR LOADING ARTICLES IN UPWARDLY OPEN NON IONED PACKING CASE Nov. 18, 1969 APPARATUS Filed Sept. 29, 1967 PABTIT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O APPARATUS FOR LOADING ARTICLES IN UP- VSIILY OPEN NONPARTITIONED PACKING Horst G. Lattke, Middletown, Conn., assignor to Emhart Corporation, Bloomfield, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 29, 1967, Ser. No. 671,631 Int. Cl. B65b 5/08, 5/12 U.S. Cl. 53-248 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Upwardly open packing cases, without individual partitions, are fed to a loading zoneiby a rst ight bar conveyor and a second ilight bar conveyor carries successive slugs of cans to the edge of a deadplate above the case to be packed. The second conveyor advances the cans as they are dropped off the deadplate onto guide rails and thence into the case. The guide rails are arranged so that they engage the upper chimed edges of the cans being dropped to retard the rate of descent of said cans. Two such pairs of guide rails successively engage the dropping vcans as they are being advanced by the second conveyor.

Once the rst lateral row of cans enters the case, this second conveyor advances the case as well.

Summary of invention This invention relates to apparatus'for loading articles in upwardly open non-partitioned packing cases, and deals more particularly with an apparatus for dropping a group of articles downwardly into a case which is advancing at the same speed as that of the articles.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the foregoing character 'wherein the cans are dropped in increments at relatively slow vertical speed, through a distance at least equal to one can height, without causing toppling of the cans.

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. l is a side elevational view of-an apparatus con- FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a`view of the apparatus shown in FIG. l looking in the upstream direction.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a group of articles arranged on a deadplate above a packing case to be loaded.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 at a slightly later instant of time wherein the irst lateral row of articles is dropped slightly.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 at a still later instant of time wherein the rst two rows are dropped onto guide rails of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 at a still later instant of time wherein the iirst three rows are dropped, the first row being in place in the case.

ice

Detailed description Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. l shows an apparatus incorporating the present invention wherein an infeed conveyor 10 is provided for advancing upwardly open packing cases C, C through a loading zone and across deadplate means 12 at said loading zone. The packing cases C, C are of the non-partitioned variety, that is they do not have individual compartments for accommodating each of the articles to be loaded therein. A second conveyor means 14 is adapted to feed groups of articles, as for example the cans A, A to the loading zone and onto a second deadplate means 16. Preferably, both the infeed conveyor 10 and the can conveyor 14 are of the ght bar conveyor type, and operate in timed relationship with one another so that as each segregated group of cans arrives at the loading zone, the packing case is positioned to receive the cans as they are cascaded oif the downstream edge of the deadplate 16.

The first llight bar conveyor 10 comprises a pair of side-by-side endless chains, which chains are entrained over sprockets, only one of which is shown in FIGS. 4 through 7. Each of the flight bars 13, 13 for engaging successive cases C, C is pivotally mounted at either end to the endless chains, and a fixedl guide 15 under the upper run of each chain holds the bar 13 in an active position when a case C is to be fed thereby. As shown in FIG. 5, the bar 13 drops downwardly off the end of the guide 15 when the first row of cans is in position for feeding the case further. As best shown in FIG. 2 the ight bar conveyor 14 associated with the cans comprises a pair of side-by-side endless chains each of which is entrained over sprockets provided for this purpose at either side of the path of movement of the cans. Flight bars are provided at predetermined intervals between the conveyor chains as indicated generally at 20, 20. Each of the

flight bars

20, 20 comprises an elongated bar connected at each end to one of the conveyor chains, and a plurality of can engaging pushers carried by the flight bar as best shown in FIG. 3. These Hight bar conveyors 10` and 14 associated with the cases C, C and cans A, A respectively are driven in timed relationship with one another by conventional drive means (not shown).

Still with reference to FIG. 2, means is provided for carrying away the loaded packing cases from the loading zone, and as shown, said means comprises a plurality of cylindrical rollers 22, 22 the respective axes of which are inclined slightly so that the loaded case rolls downwardly by gravity onto a take-away conveyor (not shown).

The fixed framework of the apparatus comprises longitudinally extending

side members

24, 24 which are supported at either end by uprights 30, 30 of channel shaped cross section. A pair of channel plates 26, 26 extend up wardly from the

frame members

24, 24 in the area of the loading zone, and a series of cross braces 28, 28 extend across the path of movement of the cans for adjustably supporting a series of lane separator plates 56, 56 to be described.

The longitudinally extending

frame members

24, 24 have inwardly turned upper edge portions, best shown in FIG. 3, which carry depending arms 34, 34 respectively, which arms carry longitudinally extending guide rails 36, 36 for supporting the outwardly folded top aps of the packing case C in the position shown. These longitudinally extending members 24, also support

brackets

40, 40 which carry channels 42, 42 in which the lower run of the conveyor chains are slidably received. A lower cross brace 44 is provided between the

frame members

24, 24 for supporting a pair of angle brackets 46, 46 in which the rollers 22, 22 are rotatably supported. A pair of lixed guide rails 48, 48 are also supported on these angle brackets 46, 46 for guiding the cases C, C as they leave the loading zone.

In accordance with the present invention, means is provided at the loading zone for dropping the cans into the case at a relatively slow vertical speed, through a distance slightly greater than the height of the cans to be handled. AS best shown schematically in FIG. 4, said means comprises several pairs of guide rail segments 50 and 52 each of which pairs is so arranged that said segments are engageable with diametrically opposed portions of the upper annular flange or chimed edge on each of the cans as said cans move off the downstream edge of the deadplate means 16. Each lane of cans in the group -being advanced by the can conveyor 14 is fed between similar pairs of guide rail segments 50 and 52. All of these guide rail segments 50 and 52 are mounted in staggered relation on vertically disposed lane separator plates 56, 56, which plates are disposed in laterally spaced relation in the loading zone for preserving the separate lanes of cans in each group of cans during loading. The plates 56, 56 are supported adjacent their upper marginal edge on blocks 58, 58 respectively, which blocks are in turn slidably received for lateral movement on the cross braces 28, 28 as best shown in FIG. 2. As so constructed and arranged the pairs of guide rail segments 50 and 52 cause the cans to cascade downwardly into the awaiting case as a result of forward movement of the can conveyor 14.

More specifically, the first, or upstream pair of guide rail segments 50, 50 have their upstream ends slightly below the chimed upper edges of the lateral row of cans on the deadplate 16, and their downstream ends are located slightly more than one can diameter downstream of the edge of the deadplate. The second pair of guide rail segments 52, 52 are parallel to the first and spaced vertically downwardly and horizontally downstream of said first pair. More specifically, the upstream ends of said second, or downstream pair of guide rail segments, are spaced below the downstream ends of said first pair by a distance no greater than one half a can height. The second pair of segments 52, 52 are substantially equal in length to said first pair 50, 50 so that a single lateral row of cans in each group is suspended thereon during loading. Finally, the second pair 52, 52 is spaced above the deadplate 12 by a distance approximately equal to one and a half a can height so that each can drops through a distance of approximately one half a can height as it is dropped into an associated case.

The two outside lanes of cans may have side curtains 60, 60 associated therewith for precluding interference between the cans being dropped in the two outside lanes and the upper side edge of the case itself. These curtains 60, 60 are suspended from the lower ends of

hangers

62, 62, which hangers are attached at their upper ends to the blocks 58, 58 on the cross brace 28. The curtains 60, 60 are exible so as to be capable of being deformed slightly as a case is fed therepast, and the arcuate edge which faces the oncoming case serves to guide the lowermost portion into each case to assure that the chimed edges of the cans in the outside lanes do not strike the upper side edge of the case as they are dropped off the guide rails.

While the operation of the apparatus shown has been mentioned in conjunction with the foregoing description, it should be noted that the case C is only fed up to the loading zone by the rst flight bar conveyor 10, and that the can conveyor 14 serves to advance both the group of cans and the case once the rst lateral row of cans drop ot the deadplate 16 so that said cans engage the inside of the front panel of the case. Thus, the can conveyor 14, and more particularly the ight bar 20 associated therewith, by advancing the group of cans off the deadplate 16, and by cascading them down the guide rail segments 50 and 52, serves to advance the case through the loading zone.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for loading slugs of upright cans into upwardly open packing cases, said apparatus comprising iufeed conveyor means for advancing cases into a loading zone, deadplate means above said infeed conveyor 4and having a `downstream edge which defines an upstream boundary of said loading zone, Hight -bar conveyor means for advancing slugs of cans along said deadplate means toward said loading zone in timed relationship with the arrival of an associated case, means engageable with diametrically opposed portions of the upper chimed edge of each of said cans as said cans move off the downstream edge of said deadplate means for reducing the vertical speed of descent of said cans as they are deposited in the case at said loading zone.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for reducing the speed of said descending cans comprises at least one pair of guide rail segments arranged on either side ef each lane of said slug in said loading zone.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means for reducing the speed of said descending cans further comprises vertically disposed lane separator plates arranged in laterally spaced relation in said loading zone for preserving the separate lanes of cans in said slug of cans during loading.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein a plurality of pairs of guide rail segments are mounted on said plates in staggered relationship to one another for lowering said cans in vertical increments as they are advanced by said flight bar conveyor through said loading zone.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said plurality of pairs of guide rail segments comprise a first pair having upstream ends which are located slightly below the upper chimed edge of the furthest downstream can in each lane on said deadplate means, and said first pair of guide rail segments having downstream ends which are located slightly more than one can diameter downstream of said downstream edge of said deadplate means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of pairs of guide rail segments further comprises a second pair having upstream ends which are spaced vertically downwardly below the downstream ends respectively of said first pair of guide rail segments.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said second pair of guide rail seg-ments is parallel to said first pair and substantially equal in length thereto.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said lirst and second pairs of guide rail segments are substantially horizontal and are vertically spaced from one another by less than one half of one can height.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said downstream ends of said first pair of guide rail segments are vertically spaced from said upstream ends of said second pair of guide rail segments by less than one half of one can height.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 and further characterized by side curtains associated with the outside lanes of articles in said loading zone for guiding the articles in said outside lanes as they drop into the case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,699,278 1/1955 Wysocki 53-160 3,053,025 9/ 1962 Nigrelli et al. 53-251 X 3,377,774 4/ 1968 Nigrelli et al. 53-250 TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner R. L. SPRUlLL, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 53-160, 250