Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi – Container or tube erecting – opening – or collapsing – By direct application of vacuum or fluid pressure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-26
2003-12-30
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi
Container or tube erecting, opening, or collapsing
By direct application of vacuum or fluid pressure
C493S309000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a box or case forming machine, and more particularly relates to a case forming machine for use where limited floor space is available.
Case forming machines are commonly used for assembling erected cases from flat blanks. Generally, flat blanks are stacked within a stacking apparatus, or hopper, which in turn feeds the blanks to an assembling deck. An assembling apparatus opens the blank to form an open quadrilateral tube, and subsequently closes and seals the bottom flaps. The erected case is then ejected from the machine, ready for use, such as filling with manufactured products. These cases are central to the packaging, shipping and storing needs of commercial enterprises. However, conventional case forming machines are relatively large; and their footprints can consequently consume large areas of valuable floor space in plants, factories, store rooms, and/or other areas in businesses which utilize these machines.
Another disadvantage of conventional case forming machines is that they are frequently powered by electrical motors and, as a consequence, are disruptively loud. Often, these larger case formers are not cost efficient because they are expensively built for high volume output which exceeds the needs of smaller businesses.
Smaller case forming machines are known in the art, wherein the hopper or stacking apparatus is positioned either adjacent to the deck and assembly apparatus, or is vertically displaced from the deck and assembly apparatus. However, while these machines are smaller in size compared to conventional case forming machines, neither orientation provides a minimal footprint. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,291 (Wingerter) represents a typical case forming machine. The hopper is positioned adjacent to a case forming deck. Gravity fed, vertically oriented blanks are opened directly from the hopper by a case puller arm that raises out of the assembly deck, grips the blank, and retracts back into the deck, opening the blanks. The hopper is mounted above the ground, but because the hopper feeds the blank onto the deck in the same direction in which the finished product is ejected, the machine still consumes an undue amount of space.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,678 (Morita) discloses a case forming machine having a similar problem. Morita teaches a hopper positioned adjacent to and above the deck and assembly apparatus, which is further inclined in the direction of the deck and assembly apparatus so that the blanks are gravity fed. This still causes undue consumption of overhead space.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved case forming machine having low output volume, which also minimizes consumption of floor and overhead space.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved case forming machine that is quiet and operates simply at slow speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present case forming machine, featuring a stacking apparatus configured to orient blanks in a first direction and an opening and forming apparatus configured to eject formed cases in a second direction. The present case forming machine contains a stacking apparatus biased in the first direction by a vertical blank guide mounted to a chain assembly. Blanks are transported vertically to the opening and forming apparatus by a vertical blank mover. The opening and forming apparatus is coupled to a pneumatic cable cylinder and includes a vacuum arm for opening the blanks and a case advancement mechanism to advance cases in the second direction. The stacking apparatus and opening and forming apparatus and vertically displaced from one another and generally parallel to one another, so that the overall configuration of the machine is a generally sideways U-shape.
More specifically, the present invention provides a case forming machine including a stacking apparatus configured for receiving a supply of blanks, and an opening and forming apparatus for erecting the blanks and ejecting erected cases. The machine is constructed and arranged so that the stacking apparatus is configured for biasing the supply of blanks in a first direction and the opening and forming apparatus is configured so that the blanks are ejected in a second direction.
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Bierenacki Wojciech
Menta William
Breh Donald J.
Croll Mark W.
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Kim Eugene
Soltis Lisa M.
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