Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ZERO CYCLE INTERRUPT WICKET STACKER
In the manufacture of articles, for instance
plastic bags or web segments that are further
processed to produce bags it is known to use a wicket
stacking article accumulator that allows the articles
to be uniformly stacked.
Such a wicket stacking apparatus is shown in U.S.
Patent No. 4,573,955 to Mory, et al. The typical
wicket stackiny apparatus uses radially extending
circumferentially spaced arms for transporting the
articles from the forming machine to the stacking
station which includes upwardly projecting pins or
posts connected to the supporting plate. Supporting
plates are attached to a take away mechanism such as
a chain conveyor that takes away a full stack of
articles and positions an empty supporting plate,
with empty upstanding wickets, in position under the
spared arms to collect a stack of articles on the
newly placed supporting plate.
The normal wicket stacking machine is well known
and would be the basic environment for the
improvement provided by the apparatus of this
invention.
One difficulty with conventional wicket stackers
is that it is difficult to maximize production of the
bag making machine due to the time constraint placed
on the bag machine while the stacking apparatus
serves an empty wicket containing stacking plate to
the output of the bag making machine. In the past it
has been necessary to interrupt the output of the
machine for at least several cycles while an empty
stacking plate is positioned. Another method of
accomodating the dwell time necessary to position an
empty stacking plate has been to run the bag or
article making machine at less than maximum bag
making capacity thus accomodating the stacking
station capability. Neither of these two solutions
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are effective machine utilizations.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a
zero cycle interrupt means, moveable in a vertical plane,
for receiving articles having an aperture therein from an
article serving means for serving said articles to an
indexed, moveable production wicket stand having an
upwardly extending wicket directed toward the vertical
plane of the zero cycle interrupt means, said zero cycle
interrupt means comprises:
an interrupt stacking plate having a wicket portion
and a cross arm portion, said interrupt stacking plate
mounted for reciprocal motion in said vertical plane from
a position below said wicket stand to a position above
said wicket stand;
an interrupt support mounted for reciprocal movement
in cooperation with said interrupt stacking plate below
said wicket stand to a position above said wicket stand;
said interrupt stacking plate and said interrupt
support receiving said articles from said article server
only when said wicket stand is being moved from a first
indexed position;
said wicket portion of said interrupt stacking plate
having a pair of upwardly extending elements spaced apart
from each other a distance greater than the width of said
upwardly extending wicket of said wicket stand;
whereby said interrupt stacking plate and said
interrupt support can be moved vertically upward to
accept articles on said wickets of said interrupt
stacking plate and on said interrupt support from said
article serving means and can be moved vertically
downward past said wicket of said production wicket stand
whereby said article carried on said wickets of said
interrupt stacking plate will be engaged by said wicket
of said production wicXet stand.
Preferred embodiments are described herein with
reference to the drawings wherein:
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2a
Figure 1 is a conventional bag making machine and
wicketed stacking plates on an endless conveyor;
Figure 2 is a schematic depiction of a production
wicket stand having bags being stacked thereon;
Figure 3 is a schematic depiction of a temporary
accumulator in operating position;
Figure 4 is a schematic depiction of a full
temporary accumulator.
Figure 1 is presented to show the general embodiment
of the invention. That is generally a bag making machine
representatively shown as 10 having a sealing and cutting
head 12 and a take away apparatus 14 which will serve the
articles being made, for instance bags, to a transfer
means, generally 16, having radially extending
circumferentially spaced apart arms such as 18 which will
be vacuum arms that will hold both ends of the bag or
article to the arms after the article is picked up from
the take away apparatus 14. The articles will be held by
the arms until the articles are impinged on the wickets
such as 20 in a conventional manner. The wickets are
carried by stands such as 22 on an endless conveyor 24.
Articles are off loaded from the wicket stands at some
point between the arms 18 and the wicket stand drive
generally 26.
The zero cycle interrupt means generally 28 is
installed at the loading station of the first production
stand 30 location and will be operative to
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accumulate articles being delivered to the first
production stand location 30. The cycle interrupt
means 28 can be driven by well known conventional
means including gears and belts to be indexed into
position after a given number of articles have been
delivered to the first production stand by the
transfer means 16.
Figure 2 through 4 best show the concept of the
zero cycle interrupt means generally 28. These
figures are schematic representations of apparatus
that could be of diverse design such as a cam drive,
timing belt drive, gear drive or other conventional
drive means.
The zero cycle interrupt means generally 28 is
positioned at the first production stand location 30
where the wicket stand 22A is being loaded with
articles being delivered from the transfer means
general 16 and specifically the arms 18. The article
32 is, for instance, a bag that has been provided
with an aperture or a set of apertures at one end
thereof, the left end in Figures 2-4. The bag is
held to the arms 18 by vacuum as the arms deliver the
bag to the wickets 20 on the wicket stands such as
22A. In Figure 2 a plurality of bags 32 have
accumulated on the wicket stand 22A and when a
predetermined number of bags have accumulated thereon
the zero cycle interrupt generally 28 will be indexed
into position to accumulate bags while the full
wicket stand 22A is moved by the continuous conveyor
to a non production location downstream of the
production stacking station.
In Figure 3 the zero cycle interrupt has been
moved into position to accept the next bag 32 being
delivered by the arms 18. The interrupt stacking
plate 34 is provided with a wicket portion 36 and
across arm portion 38. The wicket portion 36 acts
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like the wicket 20 on the production stand 22 and
will be indexed through the aperture of the bag 32
when the interrupt stacking plate 34 is raised by its
linkage into position above the wicket 20 of the
prcduction stacking plate. The cross arm portion 38
of the interrupt stacking plate 34 supports the
portions of the bag 32 outboard of the aperture or
handle of the bag when the bags are impaled on the
wicket 36.
An interrupt support 40 which may be a tubular
element, is moved simultaneously with the interrupt
stacking plate 34 into position inboard of the
proximate arm 18 but outboard of the stand 22.
The bag 32 is then supported by the interrupt
stacking plate and the interrupt support 40 for
several passes of the arms 18 and the stacking of a
given number of bags 32 on the interrupt stacking
plate 34 and the interrupt support 40. During this
interruption of production the full stand 22A can be
moved out of the production position and an empty
wicket stand such as 22B will be moved into a
production position.
In Figure 1 the dotted line position shows the
interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support
40 in position to receive the first bag 32 in Figure
3.
Figure 4 shows the interrupt stacking plate 34
and the interrupt support 40 fully ladened with bags
32 and the stand 22B ready to start receiving bags.
At this point the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the
interrupt support 40 will be quickly lowered so that
the bags 32 are impaled on the wicket 20 and rest on
the stand 22B. The zero cycle interrupt means
generally 28 will now be unutilized until a given
preset number of bags are accumulated on the
production wicket stand 22B, whence the cycle will be
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repeated.
The interrupt stacking plate 34 may be operated
simultaneously through a linked connection with the
interrupt support 40 by means of an air operated
cylinder 42 (Figure 1, left out of Figure 2-4 for
clarity) or other mechanical expedient as is well
known in the art to urge an element from one location
to a displaced location.
The dotted line presentation in Figure 1 shows
the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt
support in the upwardly extended position where it
receives bags as per Figure 3. The normal pasition
for the zero cycle interrupt means, generally 28,
would be the solid line position as shown.
An alternative embodiment of the interrupt
stacking plate would have a single upstanding wicket
similar to the wickets 20 on the stands 22. As long
as the aperture in the bag could accommodate the
wicket on the production stacking plate and the
wicket on the interrupt stacking plate almost any
shape of wicket could be used. The dual upstanding
prongs shown in Figure 1 are just one possible
embodiment.
A further alternative embodiment would utilize a
modified interrupt support wherein a plurality of
apertures would be provided in the upper surface and
possibly the outboard surface of the interrupt
support and a vacuum source applied to the apertured
interrupt support to assist in holding the first bag
on the interrupt support when the zero cycle
interrupt means is first urged into a collection
position.
Although the best mode contemplated for carrying
out the present invention has been herein shown and
described, it will be apparent that modification and
variation may be made without departing from what is
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regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.
What is claimed is:
