Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed... – By actuating item-holder relative to holder-carrying conveyor
Patent
1998-02-17
2000-07-04
Ellis, Christopher P.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed...
By actuating item-holder relative to holder-carrying conveyor
198379, 198411, 198432, 198374, B65G 4724
Patent
active
060825235
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a device for supplying groups of articles to a packaging machine. The articles concerned are of the kind that must be grouped together oriented in a particular direction, for example because they are rectangular in plan, perhaps with printed graphics that must be presented in a display case in a particular orientation. Typical of such articles are aseptic primary packs for milk or fruit juice, although many other articles present the same problems. The retail trade is becoming ever more insistent upon receiving product in a variety of primary pack designs, each intended to be supplied to the customer in a particular orientation within secondary packaging.
Often, an end-of-line packaging machine will be capable of receiving article groups in one orientation only. The whole production line will therefore be dedicated to that style of article alone. Where it is possible to adjust the packaging machine to accommodate different article styles and orientations, setting up for a new production run will usually be time-consuming. There is thus a need for packaging machinery capable of readily packaging groups of articles in a variety of different orientations and configurations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,742 (Thomas) concerns a system for stacking building blocks or bricks wherein the blocks are carried by an infeed conveyor in abutting rows and columns. At the end of the infeed conveyor a group of blocks again consisting of abutted rows and columns is separated from the remainder on the infeed conveyor and transferred to three abutting re-orientation tables rotatable about vertical axes. The outer tables are also shiftable laterally to provide clearance for such rotation. The mechanical drive arrangements for transferring the blocks to and from the tables and for laterally shifting and rotating the tables, are relatively complex. Moreover the apparatus is not readily adaptable to suit different block sizes and desired packing configurations.
DE-A-2427818 discloses a case emptying machine having features as specified in the preamble of claim 1. Specifically the infeed conveyor comprises several divergent conveyors each carrying a lane of articles. The group collator comprises a further conveyor running transversely of the discharge ends of the infeed conveyors, and which also serves as means for transferring article groups out of the machine. The re-orienting means comprise turning fingers positioned above the further conveyor.
The present invention provides an infeed device for a packaging machine comprising: collator with the articles in a predetermined orientation; rows transverse to the infeed conveyor's direction of travel; group to a specified orientation for such transfer, each article sub-group being turned about a respective axis normal to the plane of the infeed conveyor, and at least one adjacent pair of the lanes of articles being spaced from one another on the infeed conveyor to allow turning of the sub-groups, characterised in that the lanes are parallel and the article transfer means comprises a pusher arranged to push the group of articles transversely off the infeed conveyor and into the packaging machine.
Each article sub-group may contain only one article, only one row of articles, or multiple rows and columns of articles, for example 2.times.2 articles. Preferably the articles in the group are arranged in two rows and six columns, each sub-group containing 2.times.2 articles. Alternatively the same article group may be divided into two sub-groups side-by-side, each containing 2.times.3 articles. The number of rows and columns in the group can be varied as desired, e.g. 1.times.6, divided into three sub-groups of 1.times.2 articles each, or 3.times.6, divided into two sub-groups of 3.times.3 articles each.
The re-orienting means may be selectively operable to turn the articles through 90.degree. or allow them to pass from the transfer means in their original orientation. It may comprise turning heads engageable with the articles in each subgroup and rotatable about vertical a
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Assidoman Holdings UK Limited
Dillon, Jr. Joe
Ellis Christopher P.
Russell Dean W.
Turton Michael J.
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