Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INTEGRATED SECONDARY AND TERTIARY PACKAGING MACHINE
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to packaging machines of a type for packaging
articles
such as beverage containers into paperboard or similar cartons.
It is known to package liquid products including as beverages such as soft
drinks,
juices, beer, and liquid yogurts and other dairy drinks into liquid containers
such as
bottles, cans, or pouches. Such containers are frequently referred to within
the
packaging industry as "primary packaging" in that they directly contain the
final
product. The primary packages may then in turn be packaged into multiple
packages
formed from paperboard or similar sheet material to form packages of, e.g.,
six, eight,
twelve, or some other multiples of products. These packages, often used as the
retail
package for consumers to purchase the product, are referred to as "secondary
packaging." Multiple secondary packages are then often further packaged into
cases or
trays formed from corrugated board or the like to facilitate shipment and
distribution of
the products. This further packaging is referred to as "tertiary packaging."
Machines for forming secondary packaging by gathering primary packages into a
group
of a desired number and then forming a secondary package around that group are
well
known. In typical secondary packaging machines, an infeed stream of primary
packages is directed into the machine, with an output of finished secondary
packages
resulting from the machine. If tertiary packaging is desired, the completed
secondary
packages are delivered to a tertiary packaging machine, which machines are
also well-
known. The secondary packages are gathered for delivery into the tertiary
machine.
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This may be accomplished by bulk delivery, e.g., using a pallet to support the
secondary packages, or by conveyor directly from the secondary packaging
machine.
However, because of differences in machine operating method and/or machine
speed, it
is necessary to provide for accumulation of secondary packages so that
properly spaced
feeding of the secondary packages into the tertiary packaging machine may be
accomplished.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for packaging articles,
which
apparatus comprises a first packaging mechanism for forming secondary
packages, in a
sequential manner, around successive groups of articles, transfer means to
convey each
of the formed secondary packages, each containing a group of articles, to a
second
packaging mechanism, and to manipulate selected ones of those secondary
packages, as
they are so conveyed, so as to form successive groups of secondary packages,
the
second packaging mechanism then forming tertiary packages around those groups
of
secondary packages.
Preferably, the first packaging mechanism forms the secondary packages about
the
groups of articles as those secondary packages are conveyed at a first speed,
and
wherein the transfer means alters the speed of those secondary packages to a
second
speed as those secondary packages are grouped.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that the transfer means comprises
means
to form the aforementioned formed secondary packages into at least two
conveyance
paths, which at least two conveyance paths comprise at least a first
conveyance path
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and a second conveyance path.
Preferably, the transfer means comprises a aligning mechanism, which aligning
mechanism alters the velocity of the secondary packages in at least one of the
first
conveyance path and the second conveyance path, thereby to alter the
positioning of
those secondary packages relative to the secondary packages in the or each
other
conveyance paths.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that the secondary packages
formed by the
first packaging mechanism are initially disposed in the first conveyance path,
and
wherein the transfer means comprises actuators to move selected secondary
packages
from the first conveyance path, into the second conveyance path.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that each of the aformenetioned
one or
more conveyance paths comprises an independent conveying means.
Preferably, the independent conveying means is a conveyor belt.
Preferably, the rate at which the second packaging mechanism completes the
formation
of tertiary packages about the grouped secondary packages is proportional to
the
number of secondary packages in the groups of secondary packages.
Preferably, the rate at which the second packaging mechanism completes the
formation
of tertiary packages about the grouped secondary packages is proportional also
to the
rate at which the first packaging mechanism completes the formation of
secondary
packages about the grouped articles.
A second aspect of the invention provides a method according packaging
articles,
which method comprises: forming secondary packages around groups of articles;
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conveying the formed secondary packages, each containing a group of articles,
whilst
simultaneously manipulating those secondary packages so as to form successive
groups
of secondary packages; and forming tertiary packages around the groups of
tertiary
packages.
Preferably, the secondary packages are conveyed at a first speed as they are
being
formed, and wherein the speed of those secondary packages is altered to a
second speed
as those secondary packages are grouped.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that the formed secondary
packages are
formed into at least two conveyance paths, which at least two conveyance paths
comprise at least a first conveyance path and a second conveyance path.
Preferably, the formed secondary packages are initially conveyed at a first
speed, and
wherein secondary packages in at least one of the first conveyance path and
the second
conveyance path are accelerated or retarded so as to be conveyed at a second
speed that
is not equal to the first speed, thereby to alter the positioning of those
secondary
packages relative to the secondary packages in the or each other conveyance
paths.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that the secondary packages are
initially
disposed in the first conveyance path when they are formed, and wherein
selected
secondary packages are moved from the first conveyance path into the second
conveyance path.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that each of the aforementioned
one or
more conveyance paths comprises an independent conveying means.
An optional aspect of the invention provides that the rate at which the
tertiary packages
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are formed about the grouped secondary packages is proportional to the number
of
secondary packages in the groups of secondary packages.
Preferably, the rate at which the tertiary packages are formed about the
grouped
secondary packages is proportional also to the rate at which the secondary
packages are
formed about the grouped articles.
A third aspect of the present invention provides an integrated secondary and
tertiary
packaging machine, comprising a secondary packaging machine portion for
receiving
an infeed of articles, forming the articles into article groups, and for
forming a carton
around each of the article groups, and for conveying the completed cartons at
a first
speed; a decelerating and grouping mechanism for slowing the completed cartons
to a
second speed, and for forming the cartons into groups of cartons; and a
tertiary
packaging machine portion for receiving the groups of cartons, and for forming
a case
around each of the carton groups, and for conveying the completed cases from
the
machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference
to the attached Figures, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a machine in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, perspective schematic view of a portion of the
machine of Fig.
1 illustrating a variation of the decelerator section of the machine.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to Fig. 1, a machine 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the
present
invention is shown. An infeed 14 supplies articles such as beverage containers
(not
shown) into the secondary packaging portion of the machine. This portion of
the
machine 10 is of conventional construction, and may be for example similar to
the
Evotech packaging machine offered by MeadWestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC.
Secondary packages in the form of cartons C are supplied to the machine 10
from a
carton hopper 16. The articles are grouped into the proper quantity for each
package
and a wraparound-style carton is applied to the articles in the portion of the
machine
generally designated at 18. Glue is applied and the carton C is sealed
generally at 20,
again in accordance with conventional packaging machine construction.
Referring now to Fig. 2, completed cartons C can be seen exiting the gluing
section of
the machine 20 along a first path, transported by a conveyor belt 21 at a
velocity V1.
Positioned adjacent the carton conveyor is a transfer belt 22 that carries a
series of
laterally-movable transfer arms 24. Belt 22 is driven in the same direction as
the carton
conveyor at a speed V2 that is slightly slower than V1, so that the cartons
are firmly
engaged by arms 24 and slowed to the speed V2. As can be seen from the
drawing,
every other arm 24 is laterally actuated to shift every other carton C
laterally onto a
second path parallel to the first path. The cartons on the second path are
supported by
a conveyor (not shown) that is driven at the speed V1 to match the conveyor
speed of
the first path.
A decelerator 26 is located adjacent the second path. Decelerator 26 includes
a lug 28
driven around decelerator 26 along a chain in the path indicated generally by
arrow 30.
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The chain is driven by a servo motor under the control of a programmable
control
system. Lug 28 is thereby caused to be moving at a speed V3 that is slightly
slower than
V2, thereby ensuring that the carton is firmly engaged by lug 28. Arm 24 is
then
withdrawn. Lug 28 is then slowed while in engagement with the carton to a
speed V4
that is slower still than V3, thereby slowing the carton to the desired speed
for entry
into the tertiary packaging section of the machine. While still in engagement
with lug
28, the carton is transferred from the end of the supporting conveyor onto
another
conveyor, which conveyor is driven at speed V4 to move the carton away from
the
decelerator 26.
Meanwhile, those cartons which were not shifted onto the second path are
carried in
engagement with the respective arms 24 to a second decelerator 32 that
operates in a
manner identical to decelerator 26. The decelerator slows the cartons in the
first path to
a speed V4, and the cartons are at the same time transferred onto a conveyor
moving at
speed V4.
Speeds V2, V3 and V4 are selected so that cartons in the first path are able
to "catch up"
to cartons in the second path in the region between decelerators 26 and 30,
and aligned
cartons moving in two rows at speed V4 are delivered into the tertiary
packaging
section 34 of the machine.
Tertiary section 34 may be of generally conventional construction. Case blanks
36 are
supplied to a hopper 38 located beneath the travel path of the cartons through
the
decelerator section. Case blanks are then transported along inclined conveyor
40 to a
position beneath divider 42. Divider 42 includes a series of divider bars 44
that are
moved along the carton path at a speed V5 slightly slower than the speed V4 of
the
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carton conveyor. By providing appropriate spacing between bars 44 for the
number of
cartons C desired for each case, the cartons are collected into groups for
tertiary
packaging. A case is then applied to each group of cartons using, for example,
conventional wrap-around type case forming equipment.
Referring back to Fig. 1, a variation of the machine 10 can be seen in which
cartons are
packed into cases in a single row of transversely-oriented cartons C rather
than the two
rows of longitudinally-oriented cartons shown in Fig. 2. In this version of
the machine
10, a rotator 46 is provided after the carton gluing section 20. Rotator 46
may operate in
a conventional manner, such as by applying a gripper to the top portion of
each carton
and rotating the gripper to turn the carton through 90 . After rotating, a
single
decelerator 48 of a construction and operation substantially identical to that
described
for decelerators 26 and 30 is used to slow the cartons C before they are
conveyed into
the divider 42 for arrangement into groups for tertiary packaging.
With either variation of the machine, completed cases emerge from the machine
output.
The machine of the present invention may be operated at high speeds typical of
continuous-motion secondary packaging machines. Because of the decelerator
section
of the machine, which decelerates cartons in a controlled and gradual manner,
the
cartons are not subjected to shocks that might be introduced through more
severe
decelerator, or through handling necessary to move cartons to a separate
tertiary
packaging machine. Thus the cartons face a lower risk of damage, or of falling
over.
Finally, the machine saves substantial floor space in the packaging facility,
since no
accumulator is required between the secondary and tertiary packaging
operations. This
will also save operating costs, as a single operator can operate both the
secondary and
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tertiary mechanisms of the machine, rather than requiring two individual
operators to
operate two separate machines.
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