Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
lOS7700
This invention relates to a package and to a method and
apparatus for producing same.
From a broad standpoint, a package according to the
invention includes two sheets of material between which is located
an object, with the two sheets affixed together at the sides and
at the ends of the packaged object~ Packages of this nature are
known in the art, but constitute two flat sheets having little
shape and giving the appearance of being nothing more than a
thick envelope. On the other hand, packages presenting a neater,
square or box-like appearance are considerably more expensive to
produce, requiring more expensive materials and considerably more
time in effect~ng the packaging operation. The new package
provides the speed of packaging heretofore obtained with two flat
sheets of packaging material having the object between them, and
yet achieves a neat, box-like appearance of a conventional box or
container.
In accordance with the invention, two webs of single-
faced corrugated material are positioned with the corrugated
faces, which are coated with cohesive material, facing one another.
The lower web is then formed with side walls bent upwardly near
edge portions thereof and with upper edges of the side walls bent
outwardly to form horizontally-extending flanges. The object to
be packaged is then placed on the central portion of this web between
the side walls, and the upper web brought down in a manner to
bridge the object and to have outer portions thereof adjacent the
flanges. The edges of the upper web and the flanges of the lower
web are then pressed together to complete the side sealing operation.
The trailing end of one package and the leading end of another
package are then pressed together and severed along a central,
transverse line. When the ends are pressed together, the ends of
the side wallg of the lower web are bent outwardly along the
center thereof with the side wall portions above and below the
~057700
center then adhered to one another. At the same time, the ends
of the two webs beyond the packaged object are adhered to one
another across the complete width thereof, with the bent,
doubled side walls lying adjacent the ends of the webs. The
entire package is thereby completed in little, if any, more time
than that required to package an object between two flat sheets
of material.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention
to provide an improved package formed of two sheets of material
which presents a neat, box-like appearance.
Another object of the invention is to provide a package
of the type described with minimum time and cost.
A further object of the invention is to provide a
method and apparatus for rapidly producing packages of the type
described.
Many other objects and advantages of the invention will
be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a package in
accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the package of Fig.
l when turned over;
Figs. 3-9 are somewhat schematic end views of the
package in various stages of fabrication;
Fig. 10 is a schematic side view in elevation of
apparatus for effecting the operations on the package as depicted
in Figs. 3-9;
Fig. 11 is a side view in elevation of actual apparatus
for producing the package;
Fig. 12 is a fragmentary top view of a portion of the
apparatus of Fig. ll;
1057700
Fig. 13 is a detail view taken along the line 13-13
of Fig. 12;
Fig. 14 is a detail view taken along the line 14-14
of Fig. 12;
Fig. 15 is a view in perspective of a portion of the
apparatus of Figs. 11 and 12 for bending or folding a lower web
of sheet material for the package;
Fig. 16 is a detail view in vertical section taken along
the line 16-16 of Fig. 15;
Fig. 17 is a view in vertical section taken along the
line 17-17 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 18 is a view in vertical section taken along the
line 18-18 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 19 is a view in section, with parts broken away,
taken along the line 19-19 of Fig. 18; and
Fig. 20 is a view in transverse cross section taken
along the line 20-20 of Fig. 18, but with the components closer
together.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a package according to the
invention is indicated at 30 and is made up of a lower sheet 32
and an upper sheet 34. Each of the sheets is preferably made of
single-faced corrugated material with the corrugated layers facing
one another and with the smooth layers facing outwardly. The
corrugated surfaces can be treated with a cohesive coating which
causes the corrugated faces to adhere to one another but not to
other materials. Such single-faced corrugated material is
commercially available. Rather than the cohesive coatings, the
sheets 32 and 34 can be affixed to one another by adhesive or
even by mechanical fasteners such as staples. Also, of course,
other sheet material can be employed in place of the single-faced
corrugated materials.
1057700
The lower sheet 32 includes a central flat portion 36
with side walls 38 extending substantially perpendicularly thereto
with outwardly-extending flanges 40 at the outer edges of the side
walls 38 and extending substantially horizontally outwardly
therefrom and perpendicularly thereto. The upper sheet 34 has a
flat portion 42 which bridges over an object in thé package,
located on the flat portion 36 between the side walls 38, and has
side edge portions affixed to the flanges 40 to transversely
peripherally enclose the object~
The ends of the sheets beyond the object are pressed
together over the entire width. This forms angular portions 44
and central end tabs 46 on the lower sheet 32, along with outer
tabs 48. Angular portions 50 and end tabs 52 are similarly
formed on the upper sheet 34 with each of the end tabs 52 adhered
to one of the central tabs 46 and the adjacent outer tabs 48 for
the sheet 32. The ends of the side walls 38 are bent outwardly
around central lines to form halves 54 which are adhered to one
another and lie adjacent to the outer end tabs 48. The length of
each of the central end tabs 46 is equal to the width of the
central flat portion 36 while each of the outer end tabs 48 is
of a length equal to the width of the flanges 40. The length of
the end tab 52 equals the width of the flat portion 42 as well as
the width of the sheet 32 less the height of the side walls 38.
For a deeper package, the upper sheet 34 can be formed
in the same manner as the lower shee~ 32 so as to double the
height of the side walls 38.
The fabrication of the package 30 is depicted in Figs.
3-9. Referring to Fig. 3, the lower sheet 32 has two upper,
inner score lines 56 formed therealong at the location where the
central portion 36 meets the side walls 38. Two lower, outer
--4--
1057'700;
score lines 58 are also formed along the sheet 32, being parallel
to the score liens 56 and located at the place where the side
walls 38 meet the outwardly-extending flanges 40.
The sheet 32 is bent along the score lines 56 and 58
in the manner shown in Fig. 4 until the resulting side walls 38
and the flanges 40 are formed, as shown in Fig. 5. An object O
is then placed on the central portion 36 of the package with the
object O in this instance substantially extending from one of the
side walls 38 to the other. The upper sheet 34 is then brought
to a position adjacent the lower sheet 32 with the upper sheet
bridging over the object O and positioned adjacent the flanges 40.
As shown in Fig. 6, the outer edges of the flat
portion 42 of the sheet 34 are then pressed against the flanges
40 to cause the facing cohesive surfaces to adhere to one another.
At this point, the entire object o is encompassed peripherally in
a transverse direction by the sheets 32 and 34.
Referring to Figs. 7-9, the ends of the sheets 32 and
34 extending beyond the ends of the object O are then pressed
together to complete the package. As the pressing progresses,
and the ends of the sheets are brought together, the side walls
begin to bulge outwardly, as shown in Fig. 7, with the bulges
becoming creases or folds, as shown in Fig. 8. The outward
movement of the side walls is aided by the fact that the two
sheets are of single-faced corrugated material which provides
greater resistance to inward movement than to outward movement.
With the pressing completed, as shown in Fig. 9, the end tabs 46
and 48 are adhered to the upper end tab 52 and the resulting two
halves 54 of the side walls are adhered to one another and lie
contiguous to the tabs 48. This completes the package 30.
Apparatus for producing the package 30 is schematically
shown in Fig. 10. Accordingly, a lower web 60 of single-faced
corrugated material from which the sheets 32 are formed is fed
:105~00
between a first pair of upper scoring rolls 62 and a back-up roll
64 which form the upper, inner score lines 56 on the web 60~ The
web then passes between a pair of lower scoring rolls 66 and an
upper back~up roll 68 which form the lower outer score lines 58
on the web 60. The web 60 is then directed through a folding
rail assembly 70 which forms the side walls 38 and the flanges 40
on the web 60. The object O is then placed on the flat central
portion 36 of the web. An upper web 72 is brought around guide
rolls 74 and 76 to a position adjacent the web 60, with the web
72 bridging the object O and being adjacent the newly-formed
flanges 40 on the web 60. The outer edges of the web 72 and the
flanges of the web 60 are then directed between two pair of
pressure or squeeze rolls 78 which press together the outer edges
of the web 72 and the flanges of the web 60 to complete the
peripheral enclosure of the object O, The objects and webs are
then fed through a pressing and shear assembly indicated at 80.
This squeezes together the transverse portions of the webs 60 and
72 between the objects O and centrally severs them to complete
the packages 30.
Actual apparatus for producing the package 30 is shown
in Figs. 11-20. Referring to Fig. ll, a machine 82 embodying the
invention includes a main frame or bed 84 mounted on suitable
legs 86. Referring also to Figs~ 13 and 14, the scoring rolls
62 and 66 are mounted on axles 88 which are received in slots 90
in side plates 92 which extend from the main frame 84. The axles
and the rolls are vertically adjustable toward and away from
their back-up rolls by adjusting screws 94. The rolls 62 and 66
can also be moved along the shafts 88, being provided with set-
screws (not shown) for this purpose, to change the transverse
positions of the score lines 56 and 58 on the web 60. The web 60
is supplied from a reel 96 mounted on arms 98.
--6--
1057700
After passing through the scoring rolls, the web 60 is
pulled along a platform 100 located above the main frame 84 and
vertically adjustable or movable by jackscrews 102 located at the
four corners of the platform 100 and turned in unison by a hand
wheel 104, the jackscrews being connected together by a chain 106
(Fig. 19). The vertical adjustment of the platform 100 enables
the height of the side walls 38 to be changed, as will be
discussed more fully subsequently.
Beyond the scoring rolls 62 and 66, the web passes
between a pair of adjustable guide rolls 108 (Fig. 12) mounted
on brackets 110 on the platform, the guide rolls being transversely
adjustable to accommodate webs of different widths. The web 60
is then pulled through the folding rail assembly 70 with the
portions of the web between the adjacent score lines 56 and 58
being bent upwardly around the score lines 56 so as to pass on
the inside of side wall folding bars 112 (Figs. 15 and 16). The
outer portions of the web 60 outside of the score lines 58 pass
above the bars 112 and below flange-forming strips or bars 114
to bend the web outwardly from the score lines 58 to form the
flanges 40, as shown in more detail in Fig. 16. The bars 112 and
the strips 114 are mounted on upright posts 116 having slots 117
for vertical adjustment relative to the platform 100, with the
strips 114 being vertically adjustable relative to the bars 112
by means of slots 118 to accommodate webs of different thick-
nesses. The upright posts 116 are supported by bars 120 extending
longitudinally of the machine, with the bars, in turn, supported
by transverse rods 122. The rods 122 are held by side posts 124
which are affixed to the edges of the platform 100 so that
vertical movemenc of the platform 100 changes the vertical posi-
tion of the folding bars 112 and th strips 114. The supporting
10577
bars 120 are transversely movable of the machine along the
supporting rods 122 so that the width of the package can be
changed.
In order to increase the height of the side walls 38,
the platform 100 is lowered by the jackscrews 102. The folding
bars 112 and the strips 114 are then readjusted to position the
horizontal flanges 40 of the package in alignment with the
pressure rolls 78 so that they will properly feed through the
rolls,
The object O to be packaged is deposited on the upper,
corrugated surface of the central portion 36 between the
supporting rods 122. This can be accomplished manually by an
operator or by automatic feeding apparatus which can be
coordinated with the movement of the web 60. After the object
is deposited, the upper web 72 is pulled down near the web 60,
with outer edges of the web 72 being adjacent the flanges 40 and
with the central portion bridging the object O. The web 72 is
fed around the two guide rolls 74 and 76 (Figs. 11, 17, and 19)
which are supported between upright side plates 126 and 128,
from a reel 130 rotatably supported on arms 132. The flanges 40
of the lower web 60 and the outer edge portions of the upper web
72 are then pulled between the two pair of the pressure rolls 78
which have rubber peripheral rings 134. Pressure from the rolls
78 causes the facing corrugated surfaces of the webs 60 and 72 to
be compressed somewhat and to adhere to one another by virtue of
the cohesive coatings thereon. Again, glue could be applied to
one or both surfaces, if desired, in place of the cohesive coatings,
or even mechanical fasteners such as staples could be used.
After being compressed between the squeeze rolls 78,
which are the driving force for the webs 60 and 72 being pulled
from the reels 96 and 130, the package is in the form shown in
Fig. 6. It then moves through the pressing and shearing assembly
~57700
82 which is shown particularly in Figs. 18 and 20. The assembly
includes a heavy upper block 136 presenting two offset pressure
surfaces 138 and 140, preferably carrying resilient pressure
strips 142 and 144. Between the two pressure strips is a shear
blade 146. A heavy lower block 148 similarly has two stepped
pressure surfaces 150 and 152 having metal strips 154 and 156
thereon, the strip 154 also constituting a shear blade. When the
blocks 136 and 148 are moved together, they shear the end
portions of the webs 60 and 72 between the objects O and, at the
same time, apply pressure to the entire transverse width of the
webs to form the ends of the package. The trailing edge of one
of the packages 30 is squeezed between the metal strip 154 and
the resilient strip 142 while the forward edge of the next
package is squeezed between the metal strip 156 and the resilient
strip 144. As the blocks 136 and 138 move toward one another,
the ends of the packages assume the configurations progressively
shown from Figs. 7 to 9 so that when the blocks 136 and 148 move
apart again, one of the packages 30 is completed. At this time,
the webs 60 and 72 are sheared to leave the lower and upper
sheets 32 and 34. The finished package is then carried away on
a discharg~ belt conveyor 158.
All of the components of the machine 82 are driven by
a single motor 160 (Fig~ 19) which connects through a reducer
162 to a main drive chain 164. This drives a main shaft 166
which drives a sprocket 168 and a chain 170 for the pressure rolls
78. The rolls are driven through a sprocket 172 and an electro-
magnetic clutch 174 (Fig. 17) located on a lower shaft 176 for
the lower pre~sure rolls 78, this shaft also having an electro-
magnetic brake 177. An upper shaft 178 is driven through a pair
of spur gears 180 to drive the upper pressure rolls at equal
speeds, but in opposite directions, to the lower pressure rolls.
10577()0
A larger sprocket 182 on the shaft 166 drives a chain
184 which drives a sprocket 186 associated with an electro-
magnetic clutch 188 (Fig. 18) on a shaft 190, the clutch 188 also
being a one-revolution type which rotates through only one
revolution when energized. The shaft 190, through a pair of spur
gears 192, drives a lower shaft 194. The upper block 136 is
driven off the shaft 194 by end eccentrics 196 and links 198, the
blocks being mounted on guide posts 200 ~also Fig. 20). The
lower block 148 is driven in the opposite directions by eccentrics
202 and links 204. When the clutch 188 is energized for one
revolution, the blocks 136 and 148 move from the position of
Fig. 18 to a shearing position in which the shear blades 146 and
154 of Fig. 20 overlap and then back to the open position again.
The pressure rolls 78 are driven for as long as the
electromagnetic clutch 174 is energized with this time determining
the length of the final package 30. To control the package
lengths, a commercially-available counter 206 (Fig. 17) is driven
at a speed synchronous with the speed of the machine through a
chain 208. The counter 206, which is commercially available from
L. C. Gess, Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, actually includes a disc having
a multiplicity of equally spaced, radially-extending marks
thereon which are counted by a counter. When a predetermined
count has been reached, the counter deenergizes the clutch 174
and energizes the brake 177 to immediately stop the pressure
rolls 78. At the same time, the counter causes the one~revolution
electromagnetic clutch 188 to be energized to cut and form the
package ends. At the end of the one revolution, the electro-
magnetic clutch 174 is energized again to again advance the webs
60 and 72. The finished package is carried off on the discharge
conveyor 158 which has a tail pulley driven by the chain 184
along with a sprocket 210 and a chain 212 (Fig. 19).
--10--
