Package making – Multiple bottle or can carrier type package – Of stretchable material
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-10
2001-01-09
Johnson, Linda (Department: 3721)
Package making
Multiple bottle or can carrier type package
Of stretchable material
C053S556000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170225
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention refers to container packaging machines and more particularly to low speed container packaging machines which apply plastic wrapping to containers, making packages easily carried.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Plastic wrappings or holders are widely known and used due to their low cost. These wrappings can be applied by hand on sundry containers (cans, tins, containers, or the like.,) for a great number of products and materials but due to the high cost of production in the bottling industries for soft drinks, beers, drinking waters, or the like., it is not economically feasible to apply the wrappings by hand and therefore a package forming machine is required for the marketing of such products.
In the state of the art there are some container wrapping machines operating at high speed (at least 900 containers/minute), but it should be noted that currently in the market no low speed machine (500 containers/minute or less) having the features of the present invention. The following briefly describes operation of machines which work in a similar way to that described in the present invention.
The machine subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,944 applies the wrapping by means of a rotary drum on which there are located a series of sliding jaws running on tracks. Their movement is controlled by means of a pair of cams, one each located on each side of the drum, and when the drum spins, the jaws slide, opening the carrier to be located on the cans.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,682 describes a machine also consisting of a rotary drum with jaws, although differing from the above in that the jaws only on one side slide while the opposite side jaws remain stationary. As in the prior machine the jaws open while the drum spins, thus opening the carrier to locate it on the tin.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,823 is there described another machine for applying a carrier wherein a series of pins catch the carrier, and are separated to open it and locate it on the tins.
One further machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,361 consist of two plates with double jaws provided in the periphery for taking the carrier band from a tray and by spinning the plates the carrier opens as said plates spin on an axis offset a certain angle with reference to the horizontal plane of the machine. In contrast to the present invention, this machine merely presents an incline, in the vertical plane, of the movement axis of the plates, while in the present invention there is an incline in the vertical plane, and one in the horizontal plane, which prevents the jaws from striking the containers during operation.
These machines have the disadvantages of being noisy, high production costs, relatively large sizes, complex maintenance and construction, very high operation speeds for some applications, difficult mechanical adjustments for different packages, as well as more working time for different size and diameter dimensions of the containers. The present invention describes a machine that judged by the inventors avoids these and other drawbacks.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Thus it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a low speed simple machine to package with plastic carriers different types of containers such as cans, tins and bottles of several capacities and types of materials forming thus totally automated packages of 2, 4, 6, 8 or more containers.
The containers subject to packaging by this machine include, but are not limited to soft drinks, beer cans, bottles, juices and preserves. Further, the materials of these containers can include without limitation, aluminum, plastic or steel.
Another object is to provide a low speed packaging machine having a simpler and more economic operation and maintenance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine attending the current need for a low production speed machine (typically 450 containers/minute) with a low cost of manufacture and maintenance.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a low speed packaging machine having a relatively simple and silent transmission system as compared to those machines of the state of the art currently existing.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a transmission system which is safe, secure and with a low noise index.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a machine with a totally automated and flexible system for cutting the plastic carrier, and which can be programmed to act upon a certain amount of containers per package without substantial production interruption.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a plastic carrier packaging machine (
3
) for a plurality of containers located sideways to form packages of 2, 4, 6, 8 or more containers, which totally and continuously automated. The machine comprises a reel carrier, a feed trough, two plates with jaws, a motor driven conveyor, a removable device, a transmission system, a cutting system and an electric and electronic control device.
The motor driven conveyor carries the aligned containers, two by two, one exactly in front of the other, up to two non-metallic, preferably nylon, star wheels, spinning synchronized with the jaws. For this operation two non-metallic, preferably nylon, guides are used, which will release the pressure on the container line and guide said containers toward said star wheels whereby the containers are located at the exact position to receive the carrier band.
The plates are two solid circular pieces in which the jaws are mounted, taking and stretching transversely the carrier as the plates spin. The jaws are held by means of two screws to the plate peripheries and are located equally spaced therein. Each plate is mounted on a shaft and the longitudinal axes, are non-collinear and forming between them an angle &agr; in the vertical plane from 155° to 175°, preferably 165° and an angle &bgr; between the same shafts in the horizontal plane from 160° to 180°, preferably 171°. The magnitude of the above referred angles may vary depending mainly on the amount it is desired to open the carrier and the dimensions of the containers, that is, height and diameter, however these angles will always be less than or equal to 180°. As can be seen from the description of the state of the art machines, this double incline in the plates is not provided in any of them. The angle of the plate driving shafts with respect to each other in the vertical plane, enables the plates through the jaws, to open the plastic carrier enough to set this carrier on the containers, while the angle between these shafts in the horizontal plane prevents the containers from colliding with the jaws when moving to the plastic carrier applying position. This angle combination allows the jaws plates upon spinning, to transversely open the carrier to reach the necessary size and thereafter start the closure to be correctly located on the containers passing below these plates on the conveyor and held by the cogwheels or stars.
It was found that the use of this second angle in combination with the transportation and arrangement system of the containers to the carrier application zone, that is to say the plates and nylon stars wheels, provides great advantages especially for preventing abuse or even explosion of the containers as consequence of the pressure in the contain line before and in the carrier application zone. This pressure is originated due to the required production speed, typically 450 containers per minute. It is estimated that a production less than 100 containers per minute would not require this type of system; however, due to the fact that the minimal production rate is greater, this combination is necessary. The second angle avoids engagement of the jaws with the containers as well as with the non-metallic material rails. Said otherwise, this second angle prevent engagement of the jaws of the disks with the containers and the non-metallic material guides as consequence of using this system to release the pressure in the container line.
Another
Cervantes Francisco
Diaz Luis Miguel
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Johnson Linda
Schwartz & Weinrieb
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