US3638391A

US3638391A - Method and device for inserting biscuits into boxes

Info

Publication number: US3638391A
Application number: US67083A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rene Fluck
Original assignee: Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
Current assignee: Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
Priority date: 1969-09-01
Filing date: 1970-08-26
Publication date: 1972-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-01
Also published as: GB1296728A; DE2035769A1; CH513745A

Abstract

A longitudinal rectangular open box having a bottom wall and upright walls of which the end walls are vertically slit in their center is folded downwardly about the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall, while moved lengthwise along a horizontal guide bed so that the downwardly folded one-half of the box will have its bottom half disposed vertically and its longitudinal sidewall horizontally. Now vertical stacks of biscuits are slidably inserted, either by hand or by feeding devices placed along the guide bed, into the upper half of the box and into the lower half of the box. Then the filled lower half of the box is folded upwardly again so that both bottom wall halves are disposed in the same horizontal plane and the box is closed by a cover, by a sleevelike wrapper, or by merely attaching an adhesive strip over the slit in the end walls.

Description

United States Patent Fluck 1 Feb. 1, 1972 54] METHOD AND DEVICE FOR 3,411,264 11/1968 Farquhar ..53/183 x INSERTING BISCUITS INTO BOXES 3,531,912 10/1970 Griner etal ..53/252 x Rene Fluck, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland lnventor:

Schweizerische lndustrie-Gesellschatt, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland Filed: Aug. 26, 1970 Appl. No.: 67,083

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 1, 1969 Switzerland ..13,241/69 U.S.Cl ..53/35, 53/154, 53/159, 53/240, 53/244, 53/252, 53/381 Int. Cl. ..B65b 5/10, B65b 23/14, B65b 23/16 Field of Search ..53/26, 35,154, 159, 161,173, 53/183, 185, 235, 237, 240, 244, 252, 381; 93/36 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Murray ..53/26 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spruill Attorney-Singer, Stern & Carlberg [5 7] ABSTRACT A longitudinal rectangular open box having a bottom wall and upright walls of which the end walls are vertically slit in their center is folded downwardly about the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall, while moved lengthwise along a horizontal guide bed so that the downwardly folded one-half of the box will have its bottom half disposed vertically and its longitudinal sidewall horizontally.

Now vertical stacks of biscuits are slidably inserted, either by hand or by feeding devices placed along the guide bed, into the upper half of the box and into the lower half of the box. Then the filled lower half of the box is folded upwardly again so that both bottom wall halves are disposed in the same horizontal plane and the box is closed by a cover, by a sleevelike wrapper, or by merely attaching an adhesive strip over the slit in the end walls.

11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INSERTING BISCUITS INTO BOXES The invention relates to a method and a device for inserting biscuits into boxes. At present the insertion of biscuits into boxes takes place mostly entirely by hand because it is difficult to obtain an insertion by mechanical means without damaging the individual biscuits.

It is an object of the invention to accelerate the insertion operation, for which purpose the method of the invention employs an open box whose rectangular bottom wall is foldable along its longitudinal centerline, while at the circumference of this bottom wall there are provided upright side walls of which the ones at the end of the folding line are vertically in their centers in line with the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall slit. This open box is slidably moved by mechanical means along a horizontal guide bed and during this movement the boxis so folded out about said centerline that in one of the halves of the box, namely, in the upper half the associated one-half of the bottom wall is disposed horizontally, while in the other half of the box, namely the lower half, the sidewall pertainingthereto is disposed horizontally. After this is done, a vertical stack of biscuits is inserted in each one of the two halves of the box and by means of a further mechanical longitudinal slidable movement of the box along the guide bed,

the outwardly folded half of the box is again folded back into its original position, so that the biscuit stacks inserted in the lower half of the box will now be positioned with their axes horizontally in the box.

In the performance of this method, the length tolerance of the biscuit stacks in their axial direction is practically of no significance.

The insertion of the biscuit stacks into the two halves of the box may be performed manually, but preferably is performed automatically. For this purpose, the invention provides a device for inserting these biscuit stacks. This device is provided with two feed devices disposed along the horizontal guide bed for inserting the vertical stacks of biscuits automatically into the two halves of the outwardly folded box.

The drawings illustrate diagrammatically, by way of example, one embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the first or starting portion of the device for inserting biscuits into boxes;

FIG. 2 illustrates in a perspective view a continuation of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates in a perspective view a continuation of the device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IVIV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line V-V of FIG. 2, but shows the details of the movable parts in a somewhat different position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line VIVI of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 illustrates diagrammatically the drive device for the inserting device.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that the inserting device is provided with a horizontally extending guide bed I for supporting thereon open cardboard boxes 2 which are to be filled with biscuits 3. The boxes 2 have a longitudinal rectangular bottom wall 4 which along its longitudinal centerline 5 is easily foldable, and the bottom wall 4 around its circumference is provided with four upright sidewalls 6. The two sidewalls 6 at the end of the folding line 5 are provided each with a vertical slit 7, so that the box 2 may be folded out along the mentioned longitudinal centerline 5 in such manner that one half 4, of the bottom will be disposed horizontally and the other half 4, of the bottom will be disposed vertically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The boxes 2 are moved by vertical tappets 8 in the direction of the arrow 9 along the upper face of the bed I. The tappets 8 are arranged on an endless chain 10 parallel to the bed I and above the same. FIG. 1 indicates solely the lower stretch of this endless chain 10 which extends along the entire length of the bed I. On one side of the bottom II of the guide bed I is arranged a guide wall I2. The upper portion of this wall 12 extends horizontally over a portion of the box 2.

The bottom face 11 of the guide bed I is horizontal at its beginning, as shown in FIG. I, but later on changes to a stepped down profile, in the FIGS. 4 to 6. At the beginning of the guide bed I opposite the guide wall 12 a folding bar 13 is arranged which is secured in position on the bed 1 by holders 14. This folding bar 13 has such a shape that during the longitudinal movement of the box 2 it will engage the one half of the box which is not engaged by the vertical guide wall 12 and urges this half downwardly, so that the bottom wall 4 of the box engages the stepped profile of the guide bed 1 and causes the box to be folded open in such manner as is illustrated to the FIGS. 4 to 6.

Now according to FIG. 5, the upper half of the box is supplied with vertical stacks of biscuits 15 which are horizontally slidably inserted and which will be deposited in the horizontal one half 4, of the box on the bottom 4, so that these stacks of biscuits will engage laterally the vertical sidewall 6,. Into the lower half of the box are slidably inserted, as shown in FIG. 6, likewise vertical stacks 16 of biscuits. These stacks come to lie on the horizontally disposed side wall 6 of the box and engage laterally the vertically disposed halves 4 of the bottom wall. The slidable insertion of the biscuit stacks l5 and 16 can be accomplished in a particular simple manner of the method of the invention by hand, but in the present device, the insertion of the biscuit stacks preferably takes place automatically, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

After the two halves 4,, 6, and 4 6 of the box have been filled with biscuits, the box 2 during its continuous slidable movement along the bed I is again folded upwardly into its normal position in which the bottom halves 4, and 4 of the bottom wall 4 are arranged in a single horizontal plane. This refolding is accomplished by the stepped bottom profile according to FIGS. 4 to 6 which gradually changes into a plane horizontal bottom face 11, as is shown in FIG. 3 at 17. The biscuit stacks 16 are now positioned with their axes horizontally in the box, while the biscuit stacks 15 are arranged with their axes, as formerly, in a vertical position.

In order to prevent at the end of the guide bed I a reopening of the box 2, the box is inserted in a manner not illustrated into a strong, preferably transparent paper sleeve or there is applied to the box a stiff cover with a downwardly extending flange. On the other hand, it would be sufficient if one would solely bridge the slits 7 with an adhesive strip.

In order to insert the biscuit stacks 15 and 16 automatically into the two halves of the box, the invention provides two feeding devices 18, and 18 which are arranged adjacent the guide bed I and parallel to the same. The two feeding devices 18, and 18 arewith the exception later explained detail alike in construction, but they are arranged at different levels, so that the first feeding device 18, lies higher in order to insert the biscuit stacks 15 into the upper half 4,, 6, of the box, while the second feeding device 18 is arranged at a lower level in order to insert the biscuit stacks 16 into the lower half 4-,, 6 of the box. Each feeding device 18 is provided with an endless band 19 on which are secured outwardly projecting transverse walls 20. The endless band 19 moves in the direction of the arrow 21, parallel to the guide bed I, as shown in FIG. 2, but can also be replaced by one or more parallel endless chains on the individual members of which are secured transverse walls 20. In order to insert the biscuits 3 into the compartments 22 formed between the transverse walls 20, there are provided two vertical tubular feed shafts 23 of which only one is illustrated in FIG. 2. Biscuits 3, of a first order are inserted in the upper portion of the shaft 23, for instance, directly from a biscuit oven. From the lower end of the shaft 23 two biscuits 3, are deposited each time upon a horizontal guide path 24 as is, for instance, illustrated in the Swiss Pat. No. 354,381 and from this guide path 24, the biscuits are transferred by a slide 25 into a compartment 22. The second vertical feed shaft,

which is not shown, receives biscuits 3 of a second order and cooperates with a guide path which lies the thickness of two biscuits higher than the path 24, so that finally in one compartment 22 two biscuits 3 and two biscuits 3 are inserted to form a biscuit stack 15.

Now four successive biscuit stacks 15 are grasped by a raketype transversely movable slide 26, the prongs of which enter into the compartments 22 and move from these compartments 22 the biscuit stacks 15 into the halves 4,, 6 or 4. 6 of the box. In the feeding device 18,, this takes place over the horizontal plate 28. The slide 26 is attached to one end of a horizontal plunger 29, the other end of which is connected with a vertical axis joint 30, as shown in FIG. 7, and this joint is connected with a connecting rod 31 which in turn at 32 is pivotally attached to the upper end of a lever 33 movable in a vertical plane.

The lower end of the lever 33 is pivotally secured to a horizontal shaft 34 to which also is attached the lower end of a short lever 35 carrying at its upper end a scanning roller 36. The scanning roller 36 is urged by a spring 37 attached to a lateral arm 38 of the lever 33 and to a stationary point 39 against the circumference of a cam 40 which is mounted on a horizontally driven shaft 41. Upon rotation of the shaft 41, the connecting rod 31 and therewith also the plunger 29, receives a movement which is indicated by the double arrow 42 and is transferred to the slide 26 and is directed transversely to the bed 1.

However, the slide 26 must not only be moved transversely with respect to the guide bed 1, but also has to follow the longitudinal movement of the box 2 and of the endless conveyor band 19 which moves with the same speed. It would be difficult to transmit to the slide 26 simultaneously a translatory longitudinal movement and a translatory transverse movement- In practice, the translatory longitudinal movement can, however, be replaced by a swinging movement, provided there is available sufficient play between the prongs 27 of the slide 26 and the vertical transverse walls 20 which between them form the compartments 22. The mentioned swinging movement is obtained by means of a lever 44 which is rotatable about a vertical axis 43 formed by a bearing pin attached to the machine frame part 45'. This lever 44 carries at one end a scanning roller 45 and carries at its other end on the feed device 18 a horizontal plate 28. The horizontally disposed lever 44 carries also between its ends a vertical post 47 at the upper end of which is arranged a horizontal tubular guide member 46 through which extends the horizontally movable plunger 29. The scanning roller 45 engages a closed annular control groove 48 which is arranged in the side of the peripheral portion of a cam disc 49 which is secured to the horizontal shaft 41. The control groove 48 is not arranged in a radial plane but in the side face of the cam disc 49 and has an axially directed component, so that the lever 44 during the rotation of the shaft 41 effects an oscillating swinging movement about the vertical axis 43. This is sufficient to cause the slide 26 and the plate 28 to perform during the workingv stroke of the slide such a movement that it follows the longitudinal movement of the conveyor band 19 and of the box 2 whereupon the slide 26 quickly returns to its starting position, namely, to a position next to the following four biscuit stacks 15. The plate 28 is preferably provided with two vertical sidewalls 50 of which only the rear one is illustrated in FIG. 7. In FIG. 2 the two sidewalls have been omitted. The two sidewalls 50 converge toward the direction of the box 2 in order to bring the biscuit stacks l closer to one another which when on the conveyor band 19 are still separated from each other by a distance equal to the thickness of the transverse walls 20,

The feeding device 18 does not employ the plate 28 because the respective conveyor band 19 is very close to the lower half 4 6, of the box 2 in which the biscuit stacks are to be inserted by a sliding movement.

The mechanism illustrated in FIG. 7 or a similar mechanism may also be employed to transit to the guide path 24 and the slide 25 associated therewith a swinging movement which compensates for the longitudinal movement of the conveyor band 19.

Principally, it is not absolutely necessary to transmit to the

slides

24 and 26 during their working strokes a movement component which compensates for the longitudinal movement of the conveyor band 19. This is not necessary in such a case when the conveyor band 19 and the boxes 2 and the endless chain 10 are not driven continuously but step by step and when each step corresponds to the length of a compartment 22 and when the working stroke of the

slides

24 and 26 in the rest intervals takes place between these steps. The capacity of the inserting device operating with a step-by-step feeding movement of the conveyor band 19 is, however, substantially less than that of an inserting device which as described operates with a continuously moving conveyor band.

After the discharge stroke, the slide 26 has to be withdrawn by the connecting rod 31 and the cam 40 from the compartments 22 before the control groove 48 performs a quick return movement of the lever 44 into its starting position and before the slide 26 can follow the longitudinal movement of the four next compartments 22.

In a nonillustrated modified construction, the slide 26 at the end of its working stroke may also be lifted from the compartments 22 in order that the return movement of the lever 44 may take place before the slide 26 has completed its idle stroke.

Even though the drawings illustrate solely circular biscuits, the device of the invention may also be employed to advantage for biscuits having another shape, for instance a square shape, as long as the circumference corresponds to the circumference of the circular biscuit.

When it is desired that during the slidable movement of the stacks 15 from the compartments 22 of the feeding device 18 and during the insertion of these stacks into the box 2 really troubleproof conditions are to prevail, then the lever 44 would have to be separated into two parts, namely into a two-

armed lever

43, 44 on the one hand and the post 47 including the guide 46 and the plate 28 on the other hand. In such case, the vertical post 47 would have to be freely rotatable at the end of the lever 44. In this manner, the slide 26 and the plate 28 could automatically correct themselves during the outward movement of the biscuits.

What I claim is:

1. Method for inserting biscuits into an open longitudinal box having a rectangular bottom wall and whose upright end walls are vertically slit, said method comprising the steps of folding said box outwardly about the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall while moving said box lengthwise along a horizontal guide bed in such manner that one half of the box to one side of said longitudinal centerline rests on a horizontal portion of a guide bed, while the other half of the box is disposed transversely below said first mentioned half of the box with its longitudinal side wall in a horizontal position, inserting vertical stacks of biscuits transversely into both halves of said box, and during the continued lengthwise movement of the box folding upwardly the outwardly folded half of the box so that both bottom walls of the box are in the. same horizontal plane and the axes of the biscuit stacks in the folded-up half of the box will be positioned horizontally.

2. Device for inserting biscuits into longitudinal boxes in which an open box having a rectangular bottom wall and whose end walls are vertically slit, is folded outwardly about the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall, said device comprising a longitudinal guide bed having a horizontal bed surface along which said open box is longitudinally moved and including a guide rail engaging the one-half of the box to be folded outwardly and causing the longitudinal side wall of said folded half of the box to be disposed horizontally in a plane below the plane in which the bottom wall of the other half of the box is moved lengthwise, feed means arranged along said horizontal bed surface of said guide bed for transversely inserting stacks of biscuits with their axes vertically disposed in both halves of said box, and a guide portion (17) in said guide bed for folding the downwardly folded half of the box, when filled with stacks of biscuits, upwardly, so that both halves of the bottom of the box are disposed in a common horizontal plane in said guide bed.

3. Device according to claim 2, in which said horizontal guide bed in the region in which the one-half of the box is folded outwardly is provided with a steplike profile to permit an outward folding of said one-half of the box, and said feed means are disposed along said steplike profile of said horizontal guide bed.

4. Device according to claim 2, including an upwardly extending wall on said guide bed adjacent the sidewall of said one-half of the box which remains on the horizontal bed surface when the other half of the box is folded outwardly, and an inwardly extending portion on said wall for engaging said box when the one-half of said box is being folded outwardly.

5. Device according to claim 2, in which each feed device includes an endless conveyor means (19) extending parallel to said guide bed, upright transverse walls (20) on said conveyor means forming compartments (22) for the reception of vertically stacked biscuits, and a transversely movable slide member (26) for transferring the biscuit stacks for said compartments into the upper and lower halves of said box which is moved along said guide bed.

6. Device according to claim 5, including guide means provided with slides (25) for inserting the stacks of biscuits into the compartments (22) formed by said transverse walls (20) on said conveyor means (19).

7. Device according to claim 2, including an endless conveyor arranged above said guide bed and provided with tappets (8) for engaging and moving said boxes along said guide bed in a predetermined relation to the feed mearis which 9. Device according to claim 8, in which said guide meanscomprises a rake-type slide (26) for slidably moving a plurality of biscuit stacks, a lever (44) oscillatable in a horizontal plane carrying a vertical post with a horizontal guide supporting a horizontal plunger (29) on one end of which said slide (26) is attached, the other end of said plunger being attached to a reciprocating connecting rod (3!) operated by a cam drive (33, 35, 36, 40).

10. Device according to claim 8, in which said guide means comprises a rake-type slide (26) for slidably moving a plurality of biscuit sacks, a lever (44) oscillatable in a horizontal plane carrying a vertical post with a horizontal guide supporting a horizontal plunger (29) on one end of which said slide (26) is attached, the other end of said plunger being attached to a reciprocating connecting rod (31) operated by a cam drive (33, 35, 36, 40), said oscillatable lever (44) has attached thereto a horizontal plate (28) for supporting the stacks of biscuits which are to be inserted into the upper one-half of said box.

11. Device according to claim 10, including two spaced upright walls on said horizontal plate which converge toward the upper half of said box.

Claims

1. Method for inserting biscuits into an open longitudinal box having a rectangular bottom wall and whose upright end walls are vertically slit, said method comprising the steps of folding said box outwardly about the longitudinal centerline of the bottom wall while moving said box lengthwise along a horizontal guide bed in such manner that one half of the box to one side of said longitudinal centerline rests on a horizontal portion of a guide bed, while the other half of the box is disposed transversely below said first mentioned half of the box with its longitudinal side wall in a horizontal position, inserting vertical stacks of biscuits transversely into both halves of said box, and during the continued lengthwise movement of the box folding upwardly the outwardly folded half of the box so that both bottom walls of the box are in the same horizontal plane and the axes of the biscuit stacks in the folded-up half of the box will be positioned horizontally.

7. Device according to claim 2, including an endless conveyor (10) arranged above said guide bed and provided with tappets (8) for engaging and moving said boxes along said guide bed in a predetermined relation to the feed means which insert said stacks of biscuits in said boxes.

8. Device according to claim 6, including guide means (44, 46) for said slides (25, 26), and means for said guide means which permit said slides to perform during their working stroke and insertion of the stacks of biscuits into said lengthwise-moving compartments also a transverse movement of said slides so as to follow the longitudinal movement of the box.

9. Device according to claim 8, in which said guide means comprises a rake-type slide (26) for slidably moving a plurality of biscuit stacks, a lever (44) oscillatable in a horizontal plane carrying a vertical post with a horizontal guide supporting a horizontal plunger (29) on one end of which said slide (26) is attached, the other end of said plunger being attached to a reciprocating connecting rod (31) operated by a cam drive (33, 35, 36, 40).