Package making – Depositing articles and arranging material in preformed... – With movement of receptacle to or from filling station
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-21
2004-03-30
Sipos, John (Department: 3721)
Package making
Depositing articles and arranging material in preformed...
With movement of receptacle to or from filling station
C053S251000, C053S255000, C053S237000, C053S534000, C053S543000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06711878
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cartoners and more particularly to cartoners for loading groups of articles in single tier or stacked tier format into cartons.
Apparatus and methods for grouping articles and inserting them into cartons in one or more layers or tiers are well known. For example, articles are fed in feed lanes at an angle toward a bucket conveyor. A device segregates a select number of articles in each lane to form a row of articles to be combined with other, like-formed rows from other lanes into a group. This group is transported downstream in a bucket and then inserted transversely from the bucket into an adjacent carton also moving downstream. Generally, bucket conveyors transport the formed groups in buckets in parallel with an adjacent carton conveyor, and the groups are sequentially transferred from the bucket conveyor, sometimes across an intermediate transfer conveyor, into the cartons. This is typically accomplished in the prior art by a barrel loader, for example, or by direct loading. Examples of such systems can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,959 and 5,241,806.
When it is desirable to load a carton with two tiers or two stacked groups, one atop another, it is known that two of the single level devices, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,959 or 5,241,806 can be combined. Typically, a partition or slip sheet is inserted over the first lower group at a location between the formation of such a lower group and the formation of a second upper group. The upper group is then formed on top of the partition and the two, stacked groups and intermediate partition are loaded into a carton, tall enough to accept both groups, in a fashion similar to single level or single group loading. Such two-tier or dual-layer systems are shown in prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,666,789 and 5,692,361. Such systems use the same flight bars for forming and transporting rows of articles and groups thereof in both upper and lower levels of groups. That is, the same flight bars extend through and are operational in both upper and lower group forming stations.
These systems have at least two inherent design limitations of major operational significance.
First, there is a matter of changeover costs where different articles are to be handled. In such systems, the devices metering the articles and forming the rows are flight bars attached to and extending from the structure of the bucket conveyors. Wedges are formed on the end of the flight bars to handle articles of particular diameter or varying article counts. The width of the bars and/or spacing therebetween must be changed when articles of different diameter or different counts of articles are to be cartoned. This requires a changeover of the flight bars or “wedges” associated with each bucket of the bucket conveyor. Thus, the cost of changeover is, in part, a function of the number of buckets in the system and the down-time required to modify each one.
Accordingly, it has been one objective of the invention to reduce the number and cost of changeover parts, and the downtime necessary for any changeover in article size.
In another aspect of the inherent design of prior systems, and particularly in multiple layer systems, a partition or slip sheet is inserted by a sheet feeder into the moving line of grouped articles between the lower group forming apparatus located upstream, and the upper group forming apparatus located downstream. In that position, the sheet feeder and its attendant magazine are surrounded by the lower group forming apparatus, the adjacent infeed for the upper group, the upper group forming apparatus, and the bucket conveyor as well as perhaps the carton conveyor. This severely limits access to the sheet feeder and its associated magazine for resupply, maintenance and repair. Either access to the prior devices is limited, or the entire cartoner footprint must be unduly and expensively lengthened to provide an accessible area station for the feeder between major elements of lower and upper group forming operations.
Accordingly, it has been a further objective of this invention to provide an improved cartoner for multi-level groups of articles with a sheet feeder having improved access without requiring undue length extension of the cartoner's footprint.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To these ends, the invention contemplates, in a preferred embodiment, a cartoner having an intermediate transfer conveyor separate and independent of an adjacent, longer bucket conveyor and extending alongside the bucket conveyor for so much length as required to select, receive and transfer select count rows of articles from respective article infeed lanes to the buckets of the bucket conveyor. The phrase “separate and independent” means not attached to or part of the buckets of the bucket conveyor, but constituting a distinct conveyor. Article selecting or row defining wedges or transfer guides are carried on the intermediate transfer conveyor. These transfer guides extend into article feed lanes, intersect articles, select a count of articles in each lane to form a group row and transfer the row into the buckets. While the guides are indexed with the buckets, they are separate and independent, i.e. distinct therefrom. The guides are thus operational to define select count rows, but at the same time, only a relative few guides are required when compared to the number of buckets desired or used, since the transfer conveyor extends through only a short run adjacent the much longer bucket conveyor.
This is due to the fact that the intermediate transfer conveyor need only be so long as to present a transfer guide to select rows, and then move the rows along until transferred to a bucket. Thereafter, the guide can be returned for subsequent row selections and transfers. There are, in this invention, no article selecting or group or row forming devices or flight bars carried on the buckets themselves.
Accordingly, when it is desired to changeover the apparatus to handle articles of differing diameter or count, it is only necessary to change the few transfer guides and not a device on every bucket of the bucket conveyor. Since the transfer conveyor carrying the transfer guides is very short, it will be appreciated that each guide will select respective rows of articles for more than one bucket on the bucket conveyor for the layer in question. Thus, the number of changeover parts, costs and downtime is significantly reduced, as are the number of product engaging parts in the system.
And where a multiple layer or dual layer system is contemplated, it is appreciated that a further separate and independent second transfer conveyor, totally distinct, spaced and elevated from the bucket conveyor different than the first transfer conveyor for the other level, is used. Thus, each level of articles is acted on by a separate and distinct intermediate transfer conveyor. The intermediate transfer conveyor and transfer guides for one group level have no function with any articles of the other group level for the same carton. There are instead two separate intermediate conveyors and with separate sets of guides. While each guide may be changed when articles of different diameters or count are to be cartoned, the total number of changeover parts and downtime is still significantly less than if wedges or bars on each bucket of the longer bucket conveyor had to be changed.
Moreover, where dual tier cartoning is provided according to the invention, the use of two separate intermediate transfers provides a further unique advantage. In the past, since the group forming devices, herein called “flight bars”, extended laterally from the buckets, a dead plate was provided thereunder. The junction of the dead plate with the adjacent infeed conveyor typically presents a “stumbling point” as the articles move from the infeed conveyor to the dead plate. When final cans in the lane are presented at the noted junction, without pressure from any upstream articles, their feed over junction is not positive. The articles are frequently
Lukes Matthew R.
Paselsky John M.
Huynh Louis
R. A. Jones & Co. Inc.
Sipos John
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
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