Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This application is a division from Canadian Patent
Application No. 236,933, filed October 2, 1975.
This invention relates to packaging machines, and
more particularly to a method and an apparatus for expanding
collapsed cartons. Prior art machines utilize a single pivoted
suction device which removes the lowermost carton of a stack of
collapsed cartons and deposits the carton in the bucket of a
conveyor by either stradling the conveyor or passing between a
split conveyor. Means are employed between the stack and the con-
10 veyor to expand the carton. The speed of this type of machine is
limited in that the suction device cannot be brought back to the
,, stack of collapsed cartons until the carton moves out of the way.
t Attempts to solve this problem include the use of two or more
elements to transfer the carton in different stages which greatly
,f complicates the machine. One of the simplest of these mechanisms
comprises a pair of spaced transfer wheels provided with cutouts.
'f A pivoted suction device is used to extract the` carton from the
~, magazine and to deposit it within the cutouts of the transfer
wheels. The carton is then transferred from the wheels to a con-
~ 20 veyor bucket. Some variations in carton size can be accommodated
3 ~ by offsetting the cutouts of one wheel to *he othe`r,,however, '
only a limited size range can be accommodated.
~ In addition to expanding-the carton,,the flaps at
1 one end of thè carton mus~ be'spread outwardly so that they do not ' ,
interfere with the insertion d a product into the expanded carton.
The'flaps of the carton typical~ly comprise tw~ equal side flaps
~ and a front flap which includes a tuck flap at the end the're,cf'f'and ,~
,~ whi'ch'extends beyond the side flaps. Since the front flap extends
; be'yon~ thé side- flaps it is reIative,Iy easy to employ a stationary
f 30 cam surface' for engaging the'front flap and spreading it back'as
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the expanded carton is advanced past the cam surface. However,
the side flaps present a problem since they are of equal length.
This problem is solved by employing a rotating or reciprocating
member which is timed to wipe against one of the side flaps and
spread it back as the expanded carton is being transferred from a
stack to a conveyor. With one side flap spread back, it is then
relatively easy to spread the other~ side flaps back by conveying
the opened carton by a stationary cam surface as long as the
carton is orientated so that the remaining side flap to be spread
' 10 is the trailing flap of the moving carton.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a -
~novel method of and means for expanding a carton during transfer
and spreading the flaps of at least one end of a carton during
transfer to enable a product ~ be easily inserted in the expanded
carton.
The present invention provides a packaging machine
', having a conveyor with'spaced buckets for carrying expanded car-
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j tons and a magazine having an opening therein for extracting -~
said cartons from said magazine,' each'of said collapsed cartons
20 having flaps at at least one end thereof which'lie'in the same '''
plane as the sides of the carton from which they extend and which
they extend and which comprise a irst side'flap, a second side
flap, and front flap including a-tuck flap, said front-flap ex- -
tending beyond said side flaps and lying in the same plane as
said first side flap, in which''the invention comprises mean~ for ' -
transferring and expanding collapsed cartons from a magazine to a ' "
carton conveyor and spreading the flaps thereof, said means com-
prising: means for engaging and extracting from said stack'a ''' '''
single carton through'the opening in said magazine'and carrying ''
said carton -along a path'to a co~ve~or bucket; a first stationary
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i cam surace for'engaging the longitudinal edge'and side of a col-
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lapsed carton from which said first side flap extends as said
carton is carried along said path for partially expanding
said carton; a second stationary cam surface for engaging and
partially closing the front flap of said partially expanded
carton as said carton is carried along said path so that it
spreads said second side flap outwardly, said second cam surface
being effective to disengage from said front flap as said carton `
is carried along said path; a third stationary cam surface for
engaging the inside of said second side flap before said front
flap is disengaged from said second stationary cam to engage the
' inside surfaces of said first and front flaps and spread them
outwardly as said carton is carried along said path and by said
conveyor bucket; and a fourth stationary cam surface for cooper-
ating with said conveyor buckets and being effective to fully -
^~ expand said carton within a conveyor bucket. ~
;-~ The present invention aiso provides a method of ex- . :
panding a collapsed carton and spreading the flaps of at least
one end of said carton, the flaps of said carton, when it is in
the collapsed state, lie in thè same:plane as the sides of the
. 20 carton from which they extend and while said carton is in the
collapsed s~te, said flaps comprise a first side flap, a second
side flap and a front flap including a.tuck flap, said front
j flap extending beyond said side.flaps and lying in the same plane
as said first side flap,.said method comprises: partiallys-~
expanding said carton; closing said front flap while said carton
is partially expanded and thereby spreading said sadond flap
outwardly; holding said second flap open while spreading said
first and front flaps outwardly b~ applying pressure from the:
inside.surfaces thereof; and fu~ly expanding said carton .while
holding said first, second and ~front flaps in their spread
position.
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The invention further provides a method of expanding a
collapsed carton and spreading the flaps of at least one end of
said carton, the flaps of said carton, when it is in the collap-
sed state, lie in the same plane as the sides of the carton from
which they extend and while said carton is in the collapsed state,
said flaps comprise a first side flap, a second side flap and a
front flap including a tuck flap, said front flap extending
beyond said side flaps and lying in the same plane as said first
side flap, said method comprises: stacking collapsed cartons in
10 a magazine with the front and first flaps down; extracting a
carton from said stack by means of a suction device and transport-
ing said carton downwardly; partially expanding said carton dur~
i ing said ~ownward motion; closing said front flaps while said -~;
carton is partially expanded during said downward motion and
thereby spreading said second flap outwardly; partially rotating .
¦ said carton around its longitudinal axis during said downward
motion so that second flap extends below the remainder of said
~ carton; engaging the inside surface of said second flap with a ` :-
3 rigid member; and rotating said carton around its longitudinal
~¦ 20 axis during said downward motion while releasing said front flap .
¦ so that said first and front flaps will be spread outwardly from
the inside by said rigid member; and fully expanding said carton
while holding said first, second and front flaps in their open - -
position.
In the drawings:
F ~ re 1 i8 a view in side elevation showing apparatus
or transferring and expanding collapsed cartons and embodying
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the principles of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;
Figure 3 is a fragmentary exploded view of a valve for
controlling the vacuum to the second suction device; and
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary views illustrat-
ing the sequence of steps for expanding a carton and spreading
the flaps thereof as the carton is transferred from a magazine
stack to a bucket conveyor.
Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 the packaging
machine to which the invention is applied is generally indicated
by the reference numeral 10 and includes framework indicated at
12. A conveyor generally indicated by the reference numeral 14,
extends longitudinally of the machine and is provided with a
plurality of spaced pairs of lugs 16 which form pockets or buck-
ets 18 the~ebetween. Buckets 18 are adapted to receive expanded
cartons and carry them along the machine to be subsequently filled
with product by mechanism not shown but well known to the_ art.
The magazine for supporting the collapsed cartons is
identified by the reference numeral 20 and is mounted on the
framework 12. Magazine 20 comprises an upper wall 22 and lower
wall 24 which are adjustable towards each other for accommodating
different sizes of cartons. The collapsed cartons indicatedby
the reference numeral C are arranged in a stack within the maga-
zine. The mechanism for extracting cartons from the magazine and
transferring them to the conveyor 14 comprises a first suction
means generally indicated at 26 and a second suction means gener-
ally indicated by the reerence numeral 28.
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Suction means 26 includes a block 30 fixed to a pivoted
shaft 32 and a pair of hollow arms 34 adjustably mounted in
block 30. A pair of suction cups 36 are mounted near the end
of each arm 34 and are pneumatically connected to the hollow
interior of the arm. Tubes 38 connect the opposite ends of arms
34 to a source of air at sub-atmospheric pressure indicated at 40
to create suction in cups 36. Arms 34 are reciprocated by drive `
mechanism within the enclosed framework 12 between a carton
extruding position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 to and
10 slightly beyond a first point or position shown in full lines in
Figure 1. As arms 34 move away from the dotted line position, the
lowermost carton is extracted from the stack within magazine 20.
Escapement mechanism, not shown but well known in the art, allows
the cartons to be extracted one at a time.
Suction means 28 includes a block 42 fixed to a shaft 44
and three suction units 46 mounted at equid istant points on the
,~ block 42. Each unit 46 includes a bracket 48 which supports a
~ pair of tubes 50. There is a suction cup 52 mounted on the ends
:~ of each tube 50. Shaft 44 is rotated by drive mechanism within .:
~ 20 enclosed framework 12 in synchronism with the first suction means
26 so that shaft 44 makes one revolution for each three recipro~
~: cations of arms 34. The timing is such that the suction cups 52 ~ -
of one of the units 46 will engage a carton being transported by
suction cqps 36 when arms 34 reach the first position indicated
,s b~ full lines in Figure 1. The suction to cups 34 is cut off by a
valve 54 located intermediate lines 38 and source 40. A cam 56
driven in timed relation with the second suction means 28 closes ~-
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valve 54 to deactivate first suction means 26 when it is in the
full line position as shown in Figure 1. The carton is thereby
released from first suction means 26 just after it is engaged
and held by the suction cups 52 of second suction means 28.
Arms 34 have a small amount of overtravel after suction is cut
off to the cups 36 to allow the carton to be swung down by one
of the units 46 of second suction means 28 from the first point
o~ position represented by partially expanded carton Cl to a
second point or position within one of the conveyor buckets 18
just ahead of the position shown by fully-expanded carton C2.
Valve means generally indicated by the reference num-
~ eral 58 in Figure 3 operated in timed relation with first suction
`i1 means 28 to activate each unit 46 when it reaches the position of
engagement with a carton at the first point indicated by carton -:~ :
Cl and to deactivate the unit after it has placed the carton
within a bucket 18.
Block 42 has a port 59 for each unit 46. The tubes 50 -~
of each unit 46 are connected to their respective ports by
channels 60 within the block, see Figure 2. Valve 58 comprises
a first stationary disc 62 which contains a radial slot 64 and a
~econd disc 66 which is fixed to shaft 44 for rotation therewith.
Slot 64 is pneumatically connected to subatmospheric pressure
source 40 by an air line 68 so that a vacuum condition is always
present in slot 64. Disc 66 has three slots 70 which extend . :
along the face of disc 66 which abuts disc 62. Slots 70 are dis-
~ posed at equidistant pointæ along the face of disc 66 and
i pneumatically communicate with slot 64 during periods of alignment
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therewith as disc 66 rotates relative to disc 62. Air lines 72
connect slots 70 to corresponding ports S9 in block 42 so that
as each unit 46 moves from the first position to the second posi-
tion above the conveyor, its corresponding slot 70 will be
aligned with slot 64 and the unit will be activated. The unit
will be deactivated during the remainder of its travel as its
corresponding slot 70 will not be aligned with slot 64. Each
unit 46 will be activated in turn as it travels between the first
and second positions. Additional blocks 42 with units 46 could
be employed for large packages if desired. The air lines 72
could be split to accommodate additional units. By the same
token some of the suction cups 52 or 36 could be removed and the
openings sealed to accommodate smaller packages.
The means for expanding the cartons and spreading the
flaps thereof as the cartons are transferred, comprise several
stationary cams. The collapsed cartons in the magazine have
~ flaps which must be spread at at least one end thereof to enable
,~ product to be easily inserted within the expanded carton. These
` flaps comprise a first side flap 74, a second side flap 76 and a
, 20 front flap 78 with a tuck portion 80 which lie in the same planes
'~ as the sides of the cartons from which they extend. The first
. ~ide flap and front flap lie in the same plane when the carton is
in the collapsed state in the magazine.
. The steps of expanding a carton and spreading the flaps
are shown diagrammatically in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7. After arms
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34 have extracted a collapsed carton from the stack in the maga-
zine, the ~pper leading edge 82 and the surface 83 of the carton
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strike the lower surface of a first stationary cam 84 which
causes the carton to expand as shown in Figure 4. While the
carton is partially expanded, the f~ont flap 78 strikes the
inside surface of a second stationary cam 88. This forces front
1ap 78 inward ly toward the carton and since the carton is only
partially expanded, second side flap 76 is engaged by the front
flap and spread outwardly as shown in Figure 4. As the carton
continues to be moved downwardly, flap 76 which now extends
below the carton strikes the inside surface of a third cam 90.
10 Flap 76 is held in the spread position by cam 90 as the carton
continues to move down so that front flap 78 springs free of
cam 88 as shown in Figure 5. At this point, the carton is trans-
ferred from first suction means 26 to second suction means 28.
The carton is thereby carried downwardly and partially rotated : -
' around its longitudinal axis as it swings along an arc from the
center of shaft 44. This motion brings the first side flap 74
into contact with cam 90 and is spread outwardly as the carton
continues to be carried down as shown in Figure 6. -
Front flap 78 rides over cam 90 and continues to ride
20 over an extending portion 92 of cam 90 after the carton is brought
to the fecond position into a hucket 18. The suction to the unit
46 carrying the carton is cut off at the second point and the
carton is then transported horizontally by the trailing lug 16
which forms part of the bucket 18 into which the carton is depos-
ited. Extension 92 continues to maintain side flaps 74 and 76 in
the sprefad po~ition. The carton is nearly expanded as the lugs
as~ume a vertical position as shown in Figure 7. Full expansion
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to the point where the carton is completely squared or expanded
occurs when the carton engages the lower surfaces of a pair of
fourth cams 94 and is pushed down to the conveyor so that the
opening 96 of the opened carton is below extension 92 to receive
a product as shown in Figure 7. Walls 98 of a product conveyor
which travels in synchronism with conveyor 14 are aligned with
: the carton as it travels horizontally within a bucket 180 The
inside surface of extension 92 maintains the side flaps 74 and 76
in the spread position as the carton is fully expanded. When the
carton reaches its final lower position as indicated by carton C3
in Figure 7 the inside edge of walls 98 maintain side flaps 74 and ,-
76 in the spread position. Front flap 78 is spread outwardly by
~ the inside surface of extension 92 as the carton is forced down
j by cams 94 as illustrate~ by carton C3 in Figure 7. At this :.-
point all of the flaps are spread, the carton is fully expanded
and is ready for the insertion of a product. -.-.
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