Package making – With cover-adjunct application or formation – Adjunct comprising provision to allow access to contents,...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2004-06-22
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Package making
With cover-adjunct application or formation
Adjunct comprising provision to allow access to contents,...
C053S133100, C053S284000, C053S284700, C493S213000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06751928
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spout insertion apparatus which is a part of a spout-quipped bags manufacturing apparatus that attach spouts to the mouths of bags and more particularly to a spout insertion apparatus that is used to insert spouts into specified positions inside the bags in cases where such spouts are sealed or temporarily sealed to the mouths of the bags.
2. Prior Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H11-333950, for example, discloses a spout insertion means that inserts spouts into specified positions inside bags. In this prior art, spouts are inverted and supplied to holding sections that protrude downward from the circumferential edge of an intermittently rotating main rotor, bags are caused to face downward and are lowered from above, and the mouths of the bags are then opened and fitted over the spouts. In this apparatus, however, various devices with movable components such as a spout supply device, a bag supply device, an opening and lowering device, etc. are installed above the spouts held by the holding sections. As a result, there is a considerable chance that dirt, oil droplets, etc. dropping from such devices will adhere to the spouts and/or bags. Furthermore, since no means for accurately positioning the supplied bags at the centers of the spouts beforehand is provided, the positional deviation of the bags chucked by suction plates is large, and there is a danger that the ends of the bags will be caught on the deviation-preventing guide when the bags are lowered.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H11-77860 discloses an apparatus in which a bag holding device and an opening device are disposed on the outer circumferential edge of a continuously rotating rotor. Supplied bags are chucked by the opening device and the mouths of the bags are opened by the opening device; and a supply of spouts is received from a spout supply device installed around the rotating rotor. In this apparatus as well, the spout supply device that has movable components are positioned above the spouts and bags; accordingly, there is a considerable chance that falling dirt, oil droplets, etc. will adhere to the spouts and/or bags. Furthermore, no sufficient disclosure is made in this prior art regarding the vertical and left-right positioning of the bags with respect to the spouts.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Lid-Open (Kokai) No. H10-202768 discloses an apparatus in which a spout clamping device is disposed on the outer circumferential edge of a continuously rotating upper rotor, and a bag opening device is disposed on the outer circumferential edge of a lower rotor. Bags are supplied to the opening devices, the opening device opens the mouths of the bags, and the bags are raised and fitted over spouts held by the clamping devices. However, in this apparatus as well, a spout raising-and-lowering device is installed above the spouts held by the clamping devices; as a result, there is a considerable chance that dirt, oil droplets, etc. falling from the raising-and-lowering device will adhere to the spouts and/or bags. Furthermore, since no means for accurately positioning the supplied bags at the centers of the spouts beforehand is provided, the spouts might deviate from the centers of the bags. Moreover, though the opening device raises the bags, there is no means provided for directly restricting the raised ends of the bags. Accordingly, there is a danger of positional deviation of the sealing surfaces of the bags and spouts in the vertical direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a spout insertion apparatus in which movable components are installed as far as possible in lower positions so that the adhesion of falling dirt, oil droplets, etc. to spouts and bags is prevented and also to provide a spout insertion apparatus that performs an accurate positioning of the bags and spouts.
The above object is accomplished by a unique structure of the present invention for a spout insertion apparatus which inserts spouts into specified positions inside bags, and the unique structure for the spout insertion apparatus is comprised of:
a plurality of spout holding members disposed at equal intervals on a circumference of a continuously rotating rotor so as to hold supplied spouts vertically in specified positions;
a pair of holding members, a bag bottom receiving stand, and a chucking member which are respectively disposed beneath each of the spout holding members, the pair of holding members positioning and holding both side edges of supplied bags, the bag bottom receiving stand supporting lower ends of the bags, and the chucking member opening mouths of the bags by applying suction from both sides of the bags; and
a raising-and-lowering means which raises and lowers either one of the bag bottom receiving stand or the chucking member, or both of them, and wherein
the mouths of the bags with side edges of the bags being held by the holding members and lower ends of the bags being supported by the bag bottom receiving stand are opened from both sides by an application of suction by the chucking member, and
the bag bottom receiving stand and/or the chucking member are raised vertically with the mouths of the bags in an open state, so that the bags are raised to upper ends of sealing portion of spouts.
In the above spout insertion apparatus, either the bag bottom receiving stand which supports the lower ends of the bags or the chucking member which chucks both surfaces of the bags, or both of them, are raised in order to raise the bags to the upper ends of the sealing portions of the spouts. When the chucking member is raised, the bags can be raised in an open state by the chucking member. On the other hand, when only the bag bottom receiving stand is raised, the chucking member must be removed from the surfaces of the bags after the mouths of the bags are opened; therefore, it is desirable that a means for maintaining the open state of the bags effected by the chucking member while the bags are raised be separately installed, such a means for maintaining the open state of the bags being, for instance, an air nozzle which rotates together with a rotor and blows air into the bags form above.
Furthermore, in cases where the spouts are long so that the amount by which the bags must be raised is a considerable amount, it is desirable to arrange so that the holding members is also raised and lowered, and the holding members are raised as well when the bag bottom receiving stand and/or the chucking member are vertically raised with the bags in an open state.
In the above spout insertion apparatus, the following structures may be cited as desirable working configurations:
(1) A raising-and-lowering means which raises and lowers the bag bottom receiving stand is provided, so that the mouths of the bags are opened from both sides by the chucking member after the bag bottom receiving stand that supports the lower ends of the bags has been raised a specified distance and the mouths of the bags are raised to the position of the chucking member;
(2) Raising-and-lowering means which raise both the bag bottom receiving stand and the chucking member are provided for these components, a contact member which contacts the upper ends of the raised bags is disposed in the lower portions of the spout holding members, the bag bottom receiving stand elastically supports the bags, and the suction chucking of the chucking member is stopped immediately before the bags reach the upper end;
(3) When the chucking member opens the mouths of the bags by applying suction from both sides, the pair of holding members narrow the gap between the holding members by a specified distance;
(4) The holding members have a substantially V shape when viewed from above and have a specified length in the vertical direction. The holding members are attached to the tip ends of respective pivoting arms and are disposed so as to face each other. In addition, the holding members open a
Hiramoto Shinichi
Tsutsui Shoji
Koda & Androlia
Rada Rinaldi I.
Toyo Jidoki Co., Ltd.
Weeks Gloria R
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