Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to
equipment and techniques for processing corrugated paper
board, and in particular to a new and useful apparatus and
method of forming a flap fold construction in triple wall
corrugated paper board.
Triple wall corrugated paper board is a
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' . - 2062~23
lam~n~elon of fou~ paper llnors and three corrugatQd
paper medlum~ e~ch of the med~ums belng lnterposed
bot.ween two llners ln each lnstancQ. The llners and
m~dlum~ are lntlmately and rlgidly secured to each other
by adhe~lv~ appllQd to ths rldges of the corrugatlons of
the medlums.
The corrugatlon8 of the medlums are p~rallel to
each other thr~ughout the board. Thr~e types of
corrugat~ons are typlc~lly used ln trlple wall
con~tructlon, namQly, type~ A, B ~nd C. "A" flutQ ls,
for cxample, approxlma~ly 3/16 of an lnch (4.7625mm)
high wlth, for examplQ, 33.~ flutes of corrugations per
llnear foot ~1.181 flutes of the corrugatlons per llne~r
cm). "8" flute ls, for example, ~pproxlmately 1/8 of an
inch (3.175 mm) hlgh wlth, for example, 50 flutes of the
corrugation~ per llnQar foot (1.6406) flutes of the
corrugatlons per llnear cm). "C" flute ls, for example,
about 5/32 of an lnch (3.9688 mm) hlgh wlth, for
example, 42 flutes of the corrugatlon~ per llnear foot
~1.378 flutes of the corrugatlons per llnear cm).
Varlous grade~ of paper bo~rd of dlfferent
welght and characteri~tics are u~ed for forming the
corrugated medium and liner. Consequently, triple wall
corrugated paper board i8 relstlvely thlck and rl-31d.
For example, triple wall corrugated paper board formed
oE A-A-A flutlng is about 5/8 of an lnch (15.875 mm)
thlck and, lf made of A-A-C flutlng, ls about 9/16 of an
lnch (14.288 mm) thick.
Triple wall corrugated paper board ha~ superb
rigldlty and strength, which compare~ favorably to wood
as a packaging material. Yet, it i~ lightweight,
2062~23
foldable and ~s cu~hlonlng qualltle~ that cannot be
approached by ~ood. The ~tr~ngth, rigldlty and
cushlonlng propertles of trlple wall corrugated papQr
bo~rd makes lt partlcularly useful ~nd ver~atlle in
packaglng a ~ariety of artlcle~ of lar~e ~olume~ th~t
~-~-- m~y be heavy or fraglle, or both. For example, cartons
made of trlple wall ~orrugated paper board ~re used for
cont~lnlng heavy materi~ls ~uch a~ lndu~trl~l machinery
or large appllances, smaller heavlQr material~ such a8
m~chine parts, materlals that are ~hlftable ln tran~lt
such as bulk flowable~, bulky ~grlcultural products 8uch
as large loads of melons, and fragile ltQms that may not
necesssrlly be heavy as well, such as electronlc
equlpment.
Trlple w~ll corrugated paper board h~s been
successfully manufsctured for many years ln accordance
with the general technlques descrlbed ln U.S. Patent~
2,759,523 and 3,290,205.
Foldable cartons composQd of triple wall
corrugated paper board are origlnally m~de from flat
blanks thst are scored and slotted to define the sidQ
panels and end flsps of the cartons. When such a carton
is assembled, the panels and end flaps are folded along
the scorQ llnes. Becau~e of the rigidity and thic~ness
of th~ triple wall corr~gated paper board, resistance is
often experienced in folding the flaps, espec~ally in
the ca~e of carton~ havlng narrow flsps. One expedient
employed to reduce thi~ difflculty has been the
formation of a broad ~core line to crush the flap in the
bending zone, and thereby, to minimize bending
resistance. This solution ls not entirely satisfactory,
2062423
however, bQcau~e the ~endlng line 1~ not cle~rly deflned
~nd thQ flap m~y tend to bend unevenly ~nd
unpredlctably.
Anot~er ~olutlon proposed for mlnlmlzlng the
S resl~tance to blnding of the flap, de~crlbed ln U S.
Patent 3,122,976, 1~ the provi~lon of a bl~nk wlth a
cru~h-rellevQd zone contlguous to the ~core llne~ for
the ~lap~. Nsvertheles~, whQn such a bend iB made ln
trlple wall corrugatQd paper b~rd, ~ ~ub~ tlal amount
o~ p~per i~ compre~ed lnto the corn~r of the bend.
Thl~ may C~U9Q the flap ad~acent to the bend to bow
sllqhtly and prevent the flap from restlng on a plane
surface. The resultlng carton, therefore, m~y rock. In
additlon, large forces may be requlred to bend the fl~p.
One solutlon, p~rtlcularly for extra-long folds
such ~s thos~ needed for foldlng the panQl~ ln long-
tubular containers, has been to c~t a V-shaped qroove
lnto the board only through two of the corrugated
medlum~ and two liners leavlng the third "wall" compo~ed
of a corru~atQd medium and two llner~, unaltered 80 that
~ufficient material remains to preserve the lntegrlty of
the bo~rd. On the other hand, sufflcient materi~
removed by the cutter 80 that the remalnlng paper, when
com~re~sed into the scorQ doe~ not C4USQ the flap to bow
~nd the flap rem4ins fiat. The force required to bend
th~ board 1~ cons~derAtely reduce~. Gre~t c~re mu~t be
exerci~ed, however, in order to preci~ely remove the
adhesively - bonded liner~ and fluting without dam~ge to
the remaining material.
An alternative solution ha~ been the formatlon
of _riple wall corrugated p~per board ~heet h~ving
~ 2062423
single wall flaps. In this construction, two single face webs
of the triple wall lamination have a shorter width than the
third single face web and fourth liner. The small band along
the edge of the shorter intermediate single face web is not
glued to the underlying longer liner of the single face web
bonded to the fourth liner. The edge is scored, slit and
trimmed. A single wall flap is thereby formed. The single
wall flap is easily foldable. A number of difficulties,
however, have been experienced. In the formation process, in
the heating section of the corrugated paper board machine, it
is difficult to secure proper adhesion along the single wall
flap due to the differences in the thickness relative to the
remainder of the board. In addition, the resulting board is
difficult to fabricate into boxes, the board stacks unevenly
and is more difficult to print and the single wall flaps are
not as sturdy as triple wall flaps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present application discloses an apparatus and
method which is capable of quick and accurate adjustment to
produce a unique flap fold construction in a variety of
configurations and positions. The depth of cutting or
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2062423
~corlng, a8 well as the tran~rsQ posltlon of the cut~
or ~core~ can be precl~ely located by a ~lnglQ opQrator
working on one J lde of the apparatu~. The apparatu~ o f
the lnve~tlon al~o lncludes a cro~walk whlch extends
5 o~er the top of a trlple wall product belng proce~ed to
provlde an operator wlth e~y acce~s to knlYe~, score
whe~ls ~nd ploughs whlc~ are used to form ono o~ more
fnld con~tructlon~ ln the product.
The apparatu~ and metho~ ~f the prQsent
inventlon ha~e several advantage~. 'ihe~e include a
reduction in waste product, reduced down-tlme for the
app~ratu~, ~ reduction ln tlme lo~t by the operator ln
ad~ustlng the app~ratus, an lncrea~e ln overall
production c~p~c~ty by reducing the need for re-slittlng
of ~tored non-~t~nd~rd product to 81ZQ, a reductlon in
~et-up time needed for an operator to set locatlons for
glue applic~tlon and ploughs, a reductlon ln tlme and
co~t for repair~ ~nd m~intenance, and an l~pro~ed
monitoring and planning capabillties for the operator.
20The operator' 8 ~ob i~ more complex th~n merely
s~tting knives, scorers and plough posltion~ u~lng
-- ~pproprlate wrenche~ and a tape measure. The operator
mu8t al80 fore~ee the ad~ustment~ whlch will be needed
for ~everal production orders wh~ch mu~t ~e filled ln
~equence on the appar~tu~. The op~rator ~U8t try and
~vold compllcatlons that may ari~e in coordlnatlng the
v~riou~ operations such a~ slitting, ~coring, cutting,
glulng, w~xing and println~ on tha product. Although
waxing of the product using liquid wax to render the
product molsture and/or water re~istant, and printing on
the product using ink-print wheels, goe~ b~yond the
- 2062423
~cope of thls di~closure, thQ~e addltlon~l ~teps m~st be
con~dered by thQ opQrator utll~z~ng the app~ratu~ and
method of t~e pre~Qnt lnventlon.
Brlefly ~tated, the lnventlon comprl~e~ an
~pp~ratuJ for formlng ~ fold con~tructlon ln a trlple
~all ~orrugatQd p~per board movlng ln a f~ed dlrection,
~hlch lncludQs a maln frame having ~t lQJst one support
~ha~t t~ereon extendlng ~n a trans~er~e dlrectlon to the
~eed dlrectlon, ~ ~h~ft carrler frame, llnear be~ring
m~n~ connected be~ween the ~haft carrler frame and the
~upport ~h~ft for slldlng movement of the ~h~ft frame on
thQ ~upport ~h~ft ln the tran~ver~e ~rectlon, a table
connected to the ~haft fra~e for ~upport~ng ~ paper
board as lt moves ln the feed dlrectlon, an upper fold
con~tructlon ~haft mounted for rot~tlon to the ~h~ft
frame above the table, a lower fold constructlon shaft
mounted for rotatlon to the shaft frame below the table
and ~d~acent the upper ~h~ft, ~nd drlve meanq connected
to the upper and lower ~haftJ for counter-rotatlon of
tho uppQr and lower shafts with respect to each other.
At lQast one fold for~lnq elQment 18 connected to th~
upper shaft for formlng a fold ~egment extendlnq ~n the
feed dlrection on a p~per bo~rd a~ lt moves in-~t~e feed
dlrection. This element ls po~itloned at a ~elected
tranBv~rsQ locAtion on the upper sh~ft. Tran~verse
posltionlng mean~ are al~o connected between the maln
frame and the shaft frame for ad~usting the tr~n~ver~e
lo~ation of the fold formlng elements by relative
movement betwe~n the main frame and the ~haft frame.
Vertlcal pos~tlonillg mean~ are connected between the
shaft frame and the upper shaft ~or a~usting the
2062~23
.,
vQrtlcal poslt~on of the fold formlng element connectQd
to th- upper ~haft.
Another feature of the lnventlon 18 the u~e of
a hold-down roll mounted for rotatlon to the shaft framQ
a~ovo th~ table for holdlng a p~per board movlng ln the
feed dlrectlon down on the table to prevent ~t~ bendlng
~ fold segment~ are formed ln the fold constructlon.
Accordlng to another fe~ture o~ the lnventlon, the ~haft
fram~ co~prl~e~ a palr of ~pa~ed apart ~haft carrler
plates, ~lth a plurallty of ~upport ~haft~ connected to
the maln frame for supportlng the ~haft plates. A
~pre~der tU~Q 1~ engagQd around each support ~haft
between the plate~ to malntaln a flxed ~p~clng between
the plates. The llnear be~rlng means are ln the form of
llnear bearlng~ engaged between the support ~hafts and
thelr resp~ctlve sprQader tube~. By uslng four support
Jhaft~, the llnear bearlngs of one Jhaft can be ea~lly
replaced whlle the shaft frame 18 supported on the other
three ~upport 8 haft~.
Ease and accurac~ ln ad~ustlng the vertlcal
locatlon of the upper fold con~tructlon ~haft ls also
achleved by provldlng vertlcal posltlonlng m~ans on both
~haft carrler plate~ which ~re linked to each other by
a torque transmlttlng shaft or other mechanlcal
2S connectlon. The transver~e po~ltloning me~ns ls also
placed on an operator slde of the apparatu3 so that most
requlred ad~ustments can be made at the oper~tor slde by
a 8 lngle op~r~tor.
According to another advantageous feature of the
lnvention, a cros~walk ls positioned ~cross the
app~ratus over the level of tho table so thst the
_
2062423
operator haJ acce~ to the ~rlou~ fold formlng element~
~hlch mu~t be po~ltloned and ~d~uJted on the ~haf~J.
Thl~ ~old- requlrlng an operator to lean ~cro~ the
paper board whlc~, ~n a preferred ver~lon of the
lnventlon, 1J ~6 lnc~ (218.~ cm) wlde ln t~e
tranJ~er~e dlrectlon.
The apparat~ o~ the pre~ent lnventlon ls
conte~plated for uJe wlth ~pparatuJ dl~clo~ed ln the
parent appllcatlon to thlJ contlnuatlon-ln-part
appllcatlon, fo~ connectlng the varlous layer~ together
to form trlple wall corrugated paper board. AJ one
eloment of the former ~pparatu~, ~ rubber ~crapQr l~
u~ed to remove adhe~lve from between two layQrJ of
materlal to faclllt~te the removal of a band of materlal
that has been cut to a certaln depth that 1~ les~ than
the full depth of the paper board, u~lng a plough.
Accordlng to the pre~ent lnventlon, the operator of he
pre~Qnt apparatus can u~e h~nd ~lgnals to indlcate the
locatlon where adhsslve 1~ to be removed and qulckly
ad~u~t the tran~verse locatlon for cuttlng blades and
the plough. The shaft carrl~,r frame of the pre~ent
lnventlon 1~ al~o provlded with arms whlch carry a
plough ~haft whlch, ln turn, ~upports the plough at a
downstream location wlth re~pect to the upper and lower
sh~fts. The cros~walk ls advantageou~ly located between
the plough shaft and the upper shaft to provlde the
operator with m~xlmum acce~ to All part~ of the
apparatus whlch must be ad~u~ted, m~intalned or
rapaired.
According to another feature of the inventlon,
sensors are provided on the table to sen~e the
2062423
-
10
transverse location of the edge of the paper board being
processed. The sensor indicates so-called "weaving" which is
a tendency of paper board to move sideways under the action
of the fold forming element whether it is a cutting knife or
a scoring member. The sensor may be connected to a display
or directly connected to an automatic actuator which is, in
turn, connected to the transverse positioning means for
automatically bringing the paper board back to its desired
transverse position.
The use of a transversely movable shaft carrier
frame which also carries the plough shaft, is particularly
advantageous because the operator can adjust the transverse
location of the fold forming elements, to a range of 6 inches
in a preferred form of the invention, and this adjustment is
made simultaneously for cutting knives, scoring elements and
the ploughs. Only when the knives or scoring elements are
moved on the upper and lower shafts, must the operator also
move the position of the ploughs along the plough shaft.
According to one broad aspect of the present
invention, there is provided an apparatus for forming a fold
construction in a multiwall corrugated paper board moving in
a feed direction, comprising a main frame having at least one
support shaft thereon extending in a transverse direction to
the feed direction; a shaft carrier frame; linear bearing
means connected between the shaft carrier frame and the
support shaft for sliding movement of the shaft frame on the
support shaft in the transverse direction; an upper fold line
construction shaft mounted for rotation to the shaft frame;
a lower fold line construction shaft mounted for rotation to
the shaft frame below and adjacent to the upper shaft; drive
means connected to the upper and lower shafts for rotation of
the upper and lower shafts with respect to each other; at
least one fold line forming element connected to the upper
shaft for forming a fold line segment extending in the feed
direction, on a paper board as it moves in the feed direction,
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2062423
lOa
at a selected transverse location along the transverse
direction; transverse positioning means connected between the
main frame and the shaft frame for adjusting the transverse
location of the fold line forming element by relative movement
between the main frame and the shaft frame; and vertical
positioning means connected between the shaft frame and the
upper shaft for adjusting the vertical position of the fold
line forming element connected to the upper shaft.
According to another broad aspect of the invention,
there is provided a method of forming a fold construction in
a triple wall corrugated paper board moving in a feed
direction, comprising mounting a rigid shaft carrier frame for
linear transverse movement which is transverse to the feed
direction, on a plurality of support shafts extending in a
transverse direction and carried on a main frame; rotatably
mounting upper and lower parallel shafts to the shaft carrier
frame, each of the upper and lower shafts extending in the
transverse direction and carrying at least one fold line
forming element for forming a fold line segment of the fold
line construction as a paper board moves between the upper and
lower shafts; holding the paper board down against a table
extending in the transverse direction and carried on a shaft
carrier frame, using a hold-down roller rotatably mounted to
the carrier frame and extending in the transverse direction
and at an offset location to the upper shaft with respect to
the feed direction; adjusting at least the vertical position
of the upper shaft for controlling a depth of the fold line
segments; and adjusting a transverse position of the shaft
carrier frame with respect to the main frame for adjusting the
transverse position of the fold line segment.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention
includes the provision of an apparatus and method which has
the foregoing advantages and benefits. Another object of the
present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming a
fold construction in a triple wall corrugated paper board
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2062~23
lOb
which is simple in design, rugged in construction and
economical to manufacture.
The various features of novelty which characterize
the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims
annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a
better understanding of
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- 2062~23
-
t ~
th~ lnventlon, It~ oper~lng Adv~nt~g~ an~ epeclflc
ob~oct- attalned by lt~ u~e~, referenc~ l~ ma~e to tho
cco~p~nylng dr~wlng~ and de~crlptl~e natter ln ~lch
the prefQrr~d Q~lodlment~ o~ th~ lnvent~on ~re
S lllu~trated
. . . . .
~ ~PIEF DESCRIP~ION OF THE D~AWtNCS
In t~e dra~lng~
Flg 1 1~ a top rear per~pectl~e vlew ta~en from th~
oper~tor Jlde o~ ~n apparJtu~ con~tructQd ln
accordanc~ w~th the pre~ent lnventlon, wlth
om~ ent~ removed to revQa1 underlyln~
tructu~e-t
Flg 2 1- a ~otto~ fron~ p~r~pectlve vlew of the
apparatu~ o~ Fl~ 1, alJo taken from tho
lS op~rator ~lde, a~d agaln wlth element~ removed
for clarlty;
F~g 3 l~ a partl~l eIevetlonal and ~ectlonal vlew of
the oper~tor ~lde of tI~e apparatu~ o~ Flg l;
and0 Flg ~ 1~ a ~lde e1evatlonal vlew ~howlng the drive
and ~ertl~al posltloning mechani~ms for t~
appar~tus of the present lnventlon
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
.
Referr~ng to the dr~wing~ in particular, the
' .
206~
12
lnventlon embodlQd ln ~lg~. 1 and 2 comprl~Q~ an
apparatus generally dQ~lgnated 10 for formlng a fold
con~tructlon gener~lly deslgnflted 12 ln a tr~ple or
multlwall corrugatQd paper board 14 whlch move~ in a
- 5 feed dlrectlon 16, through the ~pp~ratu~.
Apparatu~ 10 comprl~es ~ maln frame 20 whlch i8
~ounted on the floor and w~lch haJ four ~upport ~haft~
22 extendlng tran~ver~ely to the feed dlr~ction 16. A
J ~haft carrier frame qenerally d~lgnated 24 1~ mounted
lO for ~lldlng movement on elght llnear bearlng~ 26, two
mounted on each of the four ~upport shaft~ 22. Wlth two
bearings on each shaft, shaft frame 24 c~n move
tran~ver~ely approxlmately 3 lnches (7.62) ln either
dlrection, for a total ~troke of 6 lnches (15.24),
15 betweQn maln frame p ates 21 whlch form the fildQs of the
main frame 20.
The paper board 14 18 ~upported on a table
havlng a rear portion 28 an~ a front portion 29. Table
2~, 29 1~ fixed between support plate~ 25 which form the
20 ~ldes of shaft carrler frame 24. Four llnear bearlngs
26 are mounted by six removable screws each to each
shaft plate 25 at the four corners of a squarQ. To
maintain a precl~e spaclng between plates 25, four
spreader tubes 40 are positloned around the re~pective
25 shafts 22 and betw~en the pair of bearlng~ 26 and plates
25 on each support shaft. As ~hown ln Fig. 3, each
~preader tube 40 has a lubrication fitting 42 which 1~
u~ed to flll the ~pace between the ~haft 22 and the
spreader tube 40 with lubrication, to properly lubricate
30 the linear bearing~ 26. The ~ame fitting 42 can be used
~ to drain the lubrication when the bearlngs must be
- 2062423
repl~ced or repalred.
Each ~haft 22 1~ madQ of smooth, hardened ~teQl
to provlde a low frlctlon and low wear ~lldlng
eng~gemQnt w~th the bearlng8 26. The end~ of e~ch
S ~upport ~haft 22 i8 c~rrled ln a preclslon bushlng 44,
there be~ng four bushlngs ln Q~ch maln plate 21.
By provldlng four shafts 22 wlth thelr
~s~ociated bearlngs and spreader tubes, worn bearlngs
can be changed ln a qulck and relatlvely slmple
procedure.
Referrlng to Flg. 3, when the bearlngs of one
of the shaft~ 22 must bs changed, the f~tting 42 1~
utlllzed to draln lubrlcatlon from lnside the ~preader
tube 40. Bolt~ 46 connecting the opposite ends of shaft
15 22, to the repre~entatlve bushlng~ 44 are then loosened
to allow shaft 22 to be removed from the bearlngs 26 and
from the carrler frame 24. Scr~ws 27 connect~n~ the
bearlngs 26 to the opposite ends of the spr~ader tub~ 40
are then removed to disconnect the spreader tube. With
the removsl of shaft 22 and spreader tube 40, the
remaining--three ~upport shafts 22 with their respectlve
bearings and spreader tube~ ~upport the welght of the
carrler frame 24. The bearlngs of the removed support
shaft are then removed from the support pl~tes 25 and
are serv~ced or replaced along with the spreader tube
and shaft. Serviced or replaced bearlngs, ~preader tube
and support shaft are then reinstalled and fitting 42 is
used to fill the spreader tube with lubricating oil.
Upper and lower fold construction shafts 30 and
32 respectlvely, are rotatably mounted to bearings in
take-up blocks 48 slidably mounted on- vertically
2062423
Qxtendlng guldes 50 connected to support pl~tes 25 as
shown ln Flgs. 3 ~nd 4. Each block ~8 forms p~rt of a
vertlcal posltionlng mechanl~m 38 wh~ch include~ a
threaded shaft 52 havlng an outer end ~ournaled to ~lde
plates 25, and an ln~.er end whlch 1~ thread~d to an
lnternally threaded bore ~n bloc~ 48. By rot~tlng a
t~xeadnd 8haft 52 ln ~ block ~8, an end of the sh~ft 30
or 32 may be llfted or lowered. This sets the depth of
cut or ~corlng for fold formlng elements such as knlves
or scorlng members whlch cut or ~core the surface of the
paper board 14 to form fold segments of fold
constructlon 12.
To SQt the transverse locatlon of the fold
formlng elements on up~er and '.ower shafts 30 and 32,
horlzontal positlonlng means 36 are provided. Thls i8
ln the form of a threaded sha~t 54 whlch ls ~our~alled
at bearing 56 to the operator slde ~upport pl~te 21
shown ln Flg. 3. Threaded shaft 54 ls engaged lnto a
thread~ bore 58 provlded ln the operator slde support
plate 25. By rotatlng a handle 60, the operator can
move the support frame 24 to the left or to the rlght ln
Fig. 3 for maximum ~troke of approximately 6 lnche~ ln
a preferred embodiment of the inventlon. By rotat~ng
handle 60, the shafts, plough and other element~
connected to the support frame 24, as wlll be descrlbed
later, move together, in the tran~ver~e direction to the
feed direction 16.
Upper and lower shafts 30 and 32 are counter
rotated in opposite respective direction~ by drive mean~
generally de~ignated 34 which are mounted to the support
plate 25 on the machine slde of the apparatu~ a~ best
.
2062~23
~hown ln Flgs. 2 and 4. Drlve mQ~ns 34 comprlse a motor
62 whlch 1~ flxed to a gQar rQductlon box 64. Gear box
6~ 1~ mounted to the lowQr ~urface of a drive motor
support ba~ 66 flxQd betweQn plate~ 25. Bar 66 further
strQngthen~ frame 24. A drlve ch~ln 68 in engaged over
a sprockQt 70 flxed to the output shaft of gear box 64.
Chaln 68 t~en engage~ around the ~procket 72 of a chaln
tenslon~ng mech~nlsm 74 comprlslng a ~leeve 76 flxed to
~n lnnQr surfac~ of plate 25, a plston 78 slldably
mountQd lnto sleQve 76 and a sprlng 80 ~ngag~d between
~leev~ 76 and a fork c~rrylng the ~procket 72, to blas
the sprocket 72 outwardly or to t~Q rlght a~ ~hown ln
Flg. 4. Thls maintaln~ a con~tsnt tenslon on ch~in 68
and accommodates dlfference~ ln the effectlve length of
the drlve path taken by the chaln, a~ the upper and
lower ~hafts 30, 32 are ad~usted upwardly and downwardly
by thelr respectlve vertlcal po~ltlonlng mechanl~ms.
After engaglng ~procket 72, chain 68 engages an
ldler sprocket 82 which 1~ rotatably mounted to the
lnner ~urface of plate 25. The chain 1~ then wrapped ln
a counter clockwi~e directlon a~ viewed ln Fig. 4,
around a ~procket which i~ fixed to the drive end of
shaft 30. The chain mu~t then cro~ lts earlier path
and engage a sprocket fixed to the drive end of shaft
32. The chain then engages around a ~econd idler
sprocket ~4 whlch ls al~o rotatably mounted to the inner
surface of plate 25, and then complete~ it~ path at
~procket 70. Since chain 68 i5 flexible, it~ pat~. may
easily move out of the plane of ~procket 82 and into the
plane of ~procket 84 (which two sprocket~ are ~n
slightly different planes) to allow for the "figure 8"
2062~23
16
conflguratlon of the ch~n p~th at ~haftJ 30, 32. Thls
conflguratlon cau~e~ t~e shaft~ 30 and 32 to rotate ln
oppo~lte dlrectlon~ wlth re~pect to e~ch other ~g the
chaln move~ ln one directlon.
To form dlfferent fold constructlon segments,
~h~ft~ 30 and 32 are rotatQd elther ln one dlrectlon or
the other. Fo~ thl~ reason, motor 62 ~nd gear box 64
are reverslble.
- To form a trough ln the upper ~urface of p~per
board 1~, of~the type dl~closQd ln the p~rent to the
pre8ent appllcatlon, upper shaft 30 carrie~ a p~lr of
knlvQs 86 whlch arQ ~p~ced from each other a8 ~hown ln
Flg. 1. By rotatlng the thre~dQd shaft~ 52 of the
block~ 48 rotatably ~upportlng the upper ~h~ft 30, the
u~?er shaft i9 moved to a selected depth of cut for the
knive~ 86. This depth of cut can be ad~u~ted to a very
accurate extent whlch i8 withln the thlckne~s of one
p~per layer formlng the paper board product 14.
UpstrQam of the apparatus ln F~g. 1, glulng equlpment
(not ~hown) i8 provlded which lnclude~ a rubber scraper
whlch 1~ placed at the same transver~e locatlon a8
knives 86 to remove the glue from the area whlch wlll be
~ust under thQ section of ~aper board 14 to be removed.
With knive~ 86 mounted to the ~haft 30, shaft
30 i~ rotated in the direction of arrow 87. The knives
thus move in sn oppo~ite dlrection to the feed dlrection
16 to make a pa~r of spaced cuts 88. Down~tream of
~haft 30, a plough 90 i~ engaged between cuts 88. This
- - lifts a strip of material 92 from the upper surface cf
paper board 14. Strip 92 i~ wa~te and is drawn in a
suction tube 94 to a wa~te storage location.
` 2062~23
A knlfe 96 l~ al~o provlded ~nywhere along the
~haft 30. Thl~ knlf~ operate~ ln con~unc-tlon wlth
~nlfe 98 provlded on lo~er Jhaft 32 for maklnq a full
cut 99 t~rough the thlc~ness of paper bosrd 14, to trlm
the edge of the p~pQr bo~rd. The p~p~r bo~rd 1
normally trlmmed one half to one and one h~lf lnche~
from 1~8 outer ~dge.
Addltlon~l knlv~ may be prov~ded on the drlvQ
~lde of the apparatu~ and more than one fold con~truc-
tlon segment may be formed at one tlme by addlng foldformlng elements to the upper ~nd lower Jh~ft~.
The apparatu~ of the pre~ent lnventlon can al~o
be utlllzed to con~truct ~ score llne 97 ln the ~urface
of paper board 14, uslng a ~corlng member 95. Th1s
altQrnate embodlmQnt of the lnventlon 1~ be~t shown ln
~lg. 2 where scorlng member 95 on upper shaft 30 ls
~hown counter rot~tlng ln _ooperatlon wlth a scoring
member 93 on the lower ~haft 92. For ~corlng, the
shafts are rotat2d ln a dlrection oppo~ltQ to that of
arrow 87 in Flg. 1, ~o that the scorlng member~ move ln
the same directlon ~ the feed dlrectlon 16, to avold
rlpplng or damaglng the paper ~urface of the paper board
14.
- Knlves and scorlng member~ of the type u~ed
here sre dl~clo~ed ln U.S. Patent 3,199,763.
In order to malntaln an accurate horlzontal
position for the upper ~haft 30, the ver.lcal ad~ustlng
mechanl~m~ 38 at both end~ of the ~haft are llnked to
each other by a torque ~hsft 39. As be~t shown ln ~g.
3, the thresded ~haft 52 on the block 48 rotatably
support~ng the shaft 30, ha~ a bevel gear 41 flxed to
~;;t
2062423
lB
lt~ uppQr end whlch 1~ meshed wlth a bevQl ge~r ~3 flxQd
on ~haf t 39 . The threadQd ~haft~ 52 at both ~ndJ of
upper ~haft 30 can thu~ b~ rotated together by t~ ~ame
amountJ by engag'ng a wrench to a ~quare end 45 of the
S torque ~haft 39, for rotatlng the torque ~haft. Onc:
the deslred helght 1J reached, ~ lock bolt 47 18 ~crewed
down on to the top of ~haft S2 to malntaln lts po~ltlon.
The threaded ~haft~ S2 of the lower Jhaft 32 arQ
operated lndependently of each other. Alternately, a
torque transml~Jlon mechanl~m Jlmllar to that applled to
t~e upper ~haft 30 can be u~ed on the lower ~haft as
WQll .
Two addltlonal blocks 48 rotatably ~upport a
hold-down roller 35 whlch rolls acro~s the upper ~urface
of paper board 14 and bear~ down on front table portion
28. Roller 35 has been found to malntaln a fl~: un~ent
conflguratlon for paper board 14. Wlthout roller 35,
the paper bo~rd tends to curl up a9 it comes under the
lnfluence of ~nlves or Jcorlng member~ on ~h~ft~ 30 and
32. Blocks 48 rotatably carrying rnller 35 may al~o be
ad~u~ted to a deslred vertical helght by rot~tlng thelr
threading ~hafts 52. For thls purp~e, a plate 67 ~only
one of whlch 1~ shown in Fig. 1), i~ welded to the top
of each support plate 25. The threaded shaft 52 for
2S ad~ustlng the height of roller 35 ls ~ournaled to plate
67 ag is the shaft 52 carrying bevel qear 41. A simllar
plate 69 i8 welded to the inner surface of plate 25 a~
~hown in Fig. 4, for ~ournaling the lower end of the
threaded ~haft 52 whlch ad~ust the helght of lower shaft
32.
The oppo~ite edges of blocks 48 have a Y or
dovetail key configuration which engage wit~ vertically
extending and corresponding V or dovetail recesse~ in
- 2062423
vertical gulde~ S0. Thl~ conflnQ~ the mo~ement of the
~haft- 30 ~nd 32 and roller 35, to the vert~cal
componentJ only. Thi~, ln ~on~unct~on wlth the four
~upport shafts 22 ~nd the precl~lon llne~r bearlng~ 26,
mJlntaln~ an accurate and rQproduclble ~ertlcal,
horlzontal and tranJver~e posltlon for the fold
constructlon equlpment on ~upport frame 24.
To ~upport plough 90, arm~ 31 are flxed to
lnner ~u~facQs of plate~ 25, and extend ln the feed
dlrectl~n 16. A plough ~haft 33 18 flXQd betwQen thQ
down~tream ends of arm~ 31. Plough 90, knlvQ~ 86 or 96,
and ~coring memberJ 95, 93 are of known constrnctlon and
have bolt~ or ~crews wh~ch allow these Qlements to be
po~ltloned at any transver~e locatlon along thelr
re~pectlve ~haftJ. For thl~ purpo~e, a cro~sw~lk 18
~upported on four legs 19 ~pan~ the full wldth of the
apparatus and extend~ over the upper su_face of p~pQ-
board 14, between the upper shaft 30 and the plo-_?h
8h~ft 33. ~o satlsfy OSHA requlrements, the crosswAlk
18 is 18 inches (45.72 cm) wlde and ha~ a clo~e-1
diamond-checkered plate constructlon. Vert~cally
extending toeboard~ extend upwardly from opposite edge~
of the crosswalk 18 and a slngle hand rall ~3 18 also
fixed to the legs 19 on one s~de of the cro~walk.
Hinged sectlon~ (not ~hown) are provided in the hand
rall and cro~swal~ 18 at ~psced loc~tion-q to provide
better access to the machinery which must be ~d~u~ted on
the apparatus of the invention.
The use of cro~walk 18 perm~tq the operator to
easily access all parts of the apparatus without having
to lean over the paper board product which can be 86
- 2062~23
lnches wlde.
Cro~al~ 18 1J J1~O a convenlent Jtructure for
c~rrying mar~ing~, JcaleR and other lndlcator~ o~
tranJver~e locatlon to uJe ln con~unctlon w~th the
plough, knlve~ and Jcorlng member~.
A degree of automatlc opsratlon csn al~o be
~chleved by u~lng edg~ ~ensor~ 71 (Flg.-3) provlded for
example ln the upper ~urfac- of the rear table portlon
29, near the edge~ of the paper ~oard 14. SenJor~ 71
can be connectQd ~o auto~.atlc devlces or dlJplay~ (not
~hown) whlch m~y automatlc~lly lndlcate ~n unwanted
tranJver~e wanderlng of the paper board, or
automatlcally compen~ate for that wanderlng.
Whlle speclflc embodlment~ of the lnventlon
have been ~hown and de~crlbed ln detall to lllu~trate
the appllcatlon of the prlnclple~ of the lnvention, lt
wlll be under~tood that the lnvent~on may be embodled
other,wise wlthout departlng from such prlnclple~.
