Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-03
2001-12-04
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S474000, C053S389100, C053S254000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of automated packaging, and more specifically, to a method of inserting a title sheet or an apparatus for inserting same into a plastic case for an optical disk such as CD (i.e. Compact Disk), DVD (i.e. Digital Video Disk) or the like.
A title sheet is a flexible sheet on which a title of the optical disk and other visual information are printed. A case for an optical disk generally has an openable case body. An optical disk is loaded into one side of the case body and a description sheet is inserted into the other side of the case body. On the front face of the case body is provided a transparent cover for inserting a title sheet.
Conventionally, as there were no automated packaging machines to load an optical disk and insert a title sheet into a case, these loading and inserting operations were performed by hand, which was very troublesome.
The solution to this problem is identified in Onishi, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-217277 and corresponding Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication 2001-48118. As shown in Onishi, an automated optical disk loading machine is provided, whereby loading of an optical disk and insertion of a title sheet can be automatically conducted.
In operation, as a case conveyor conveys a plurality of cases, an optical disk loading device loads an optical disk into a case, a title sheet inserting device inserts a title sheet into the transparent cover of the case, and a description sheet inserting device inserts a description sheet into a claw portion of the case.
In inserting a title sheet into the case, as a suction pad holding an open case moves downward, the case body is bent into a flat, reversed V-shape. Thus, the transparent cover is deformed into a general V-shape by its own weight, which causes a title sheet insertion space to be formed in the case.
Then, a cope proceeds into the title sheet insertion space of the case with a corrugated title sheet held on the corrugated contact face of the cope. When the title sheet is separated from the cope in the title sheet insertion space, the title sheet is placed in the title sheet insertion space. Thereafter, the cope retreats from the title sheet insertion space.
In the process of title sheet insertion of the above-mentioned machine, after a cope holding the title sheet proceeds into the title sheet insertion space of the case, the cope must once retreat from the title sheet insertion space. Otherwise, the case cannot proceed to the next process. As a result, in the above-mentioned machine, it is impossible to further reduce the cycle time of the machine.
The main object of the present invention is to reduce the cycle time of the title sheet inserting machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method of inserting a title sheet and an apparatus for inserting same into an optical disk case, which is formed of an openable or foldable case body and a transparent cover.
The method of inserting a title sheet includes the steps comprising:
(i) sandwiching the title sheet between a cope and drag, each of which has a corresponding corrugated contact face, and deforming the title sheet into a corrugated form at a first station of a rotatable turret,
(ii) holding the corrugation-formed title sheet by the cope,
(iii) moving the cope along with the title sheet to a second station by rotating the turret,
(iv) forming a title sheet insertion space between the case body and transparent cover by bending the case body on the lateral side of the second station,
(v) transferring the case formed with the title sheet insertion space toward the cope placed at the second station, and inserting the cope and the title sheet held thereby into the title sheet insertion space,
(vi) moving the cope and title sheet along with the case to a third station by rotating the turret; and
(vii) separating the title sheet from the cope and placing the title sheet in the title sheet insertion space at the third station, and retreating the case having a title sheet therein from the cope.
Preferably, the title sheet insertion space is formed by bending the case body into a flat, reversed V-shape to deform the transparent cover into a general V-shape.
The apparatus for inserting a title sheet includes a rotatable turret having a plurality of copes spaced equally and a drag provided approachably and retreatably relative to the cope at a first station of the turret. The apparatus also includes a space forming device to form a title sheet insertion space in the case and a case transferring device for transferring the case toward the cope at a second station of a turret to insert the cope along with the title sheet into the title sheet insertion space of the case. The apparatus further includes a title sheet separating device for separating the title sheet from the cope to place it in the title sheet insertion space, and a case retreating device to retreat the case from the cope at a third station of a turret.
Preferably, the space forming device bends the case body into a flat, reversed V-shape to deflect the transparent cover into a general V-shape.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4685277 (1987-08-01), Ilsemann
patent: 4881356 (1989-11-01), Beezer et al.
patent: 5207050 (1993-05-01), Fulkerson et al.
patent: 5285620 (1994-02-01), Kaye et al.
patent: 5664405 (1997-09-01), Perego
patent: 5694743 (1997-12-01), Beighle
patent: 5788114 (1998-08-01), Perego
patent: 5816028 (1998-10-01), Zaniboni
patent: 5943845 (1999-08-01), Ilsemann
patent: 5950401 (1999-09-01), Blohm et al.
patent: 6115998 (2000-09-01), Reh et al.
patent: 6233909 (2001-05-01), Onishi
patent: 0552025 (1993-07-01), None
patent: 11-217277 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 2001-48118 (2001-02-01), None
Fasse W. F.
Fasse W. G.
Kyoto Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
Tawfik Sam
Vo Peter
LandOfFree
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