Package making – Methods – Forming or partial forming a receptacle and subsequent filling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-12
2001-08-28
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Forming or partial forming a receptacle and subsequent filling
C053S048700, C053S048900, C053S491000, C493S080000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279301
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a method of packing a product.
The present invention may be used to advantage on bottle cartoning machines, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
On known machines for cartoning groups of bottles, such as the type described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,654, a group of bottles is fed along a packing path and eased onto a central portion of a flat cardboard blank, which is fed, parallel to the path, underneath and in time with the group. Once the group rests completely on the blank, the blank is folded against the group to define a package enclosing the group.
In addition to the central portion, the blank also comprises two first wings extending from the front and rear ends of the central portion; and two lateral portions adjacent to and on opposite sides of the central portion, and each having two second wings extending from the front and rear ends of the lateral portion. The blank is fed along the packing path with the central portion and the lateral portions aligned with one another before being folded crosswise to the packing path.
To fold the blank, two folding bodies are fed along the packing path in time with the assembly defined by the blank and the product and respectively in front of and behind the assembly in the traveling direction along the packing path.
Each folding body comprises a first and a second differently inclined folding edge, and is rotated about an axis crosswise to the packing path so that the first folding edge folds a respective first wing through a given angle of less than 90°, and the second folding edge folds respective second wings through 90°.
As the assembly is fed along the packing path, the two lateral portions are then engaged by fixed folding edges and folded 90° onto the product and with respect to the central portion; and, once the two lateral portions are folded, the fixed folding bodies release the assembly, which is then engaged by spring-activated retaining edges for keeping the first wings folded at said given angle with respect to the central portion of the blank. In this position, the first wings are gummed and then finish-folded to 90° against the product so that the respective assembly contacts the previous assembly and, later, the next assembly.
The spring-activated retaining edges are particularly complex and, therefore, expensive, and do not always ensure correct positioning of the first wings, particularly at the high traveling speeds of the assemblies on modern bottle cartoning machines capable of producing up to 100 packages a minute.
Moreover, when released by the folding bodies, the assembly is no longer effectively retained at the front and rear, so that, as a result of inevitable vibration induced as it travels at relatively high speed along the packing path, the group of bottles is subjected to severe mechanical stress.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to-provide a method of packing a product, designed to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and which, at the same time, is cheap and easy to implement.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of packing a product by means of a flat blank comprising a central portion having first lateral wings; and two opposite lateral portions, each having second lateral wings; the method comprising the steps of resting the product on said central portion to define an assembly defined by the product and the blank; feeding said assembly along a packing path with said central portion and said lateral portions aligned with one another in a direction crosswise to the packing path; feeding along said packing path, and in time with said assembly, at least one folding body having a first and a second folding edge differently inclined with respect to each other; effecting a first rotation of said folding body about an axis crosswise to said packing path so that the first folding edge folds a respective said first lateral wing to a given first angle of less than 90°, and the second folding edge simultaneously folds respective second lateral wings through 90°; folding said lateral portions through 90° onto the product; and completing 90° folding of said first lateral wing against the product and at least partly onto said second lateral wings; the method being characterized in that said step of completing 90° folding of the first lateral wing is performed by effecting a further second rotation of said folding body about said axis.
The present invention also relates to a machine for packing a product.
According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for packing a product by means of a flat blank comprising a central portion having first lateral wings; and two opposite lateral portions, each having second lateral wings; the machine comprising a forming unit for resting said product on said central portion to define an assembly defined by the product and the blank; a first conveyor for feeding said assembly along a packing path with said central portion and said lateral portions aligned with one another in a direction crosswise to the packing path; at least one second conveyor for feeding along said packing path, and in time with said assembly, at least one folding body having a first and a second folding edge differently inclined with respect to each other; folding means for folding said lateral portions through 90° onto the product; and control means for rotating said folding body about an axis crosswise to said packing path; the machine being characterized in that said control means are such as to successively effect a first and a second rotation of said folding body about said axis.
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patent: 5148654 (1992-09-01), Kisters
patent: 5359830 (1994-11-01), Olson et al.
patent: 5666789 (1997-09-01), Ziegler
patent: 5671587 (1997-09-01), Robinson
patent: 5677055 (1997-10-01), Ohkawachi et al.
patent: 5692361 (1997-12-01), Ziegler et al.
patent: 5727365 (1998-03-01), Lashyro et al.
patent: 5826408 (1998-10-01), Ford
patent: 5850725 (1998-12-01), Chalendar
patent: 6038831 (2000-03-01), Nava
patent: 4018140 (1991-09-01), None
Derwent Abstract of De 4018140 Dated Sep. 26, 1991.
Corniani Carlo
Maggi Attilio
Risi Roberto
Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine
Harmon Christopher
Ladas & Parry
Vo Peter
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