Riverwood International Corporation

Allen L Olson

Kelly W Ziegler

James W Emerson

Jeffrey A Lashyro

Colin P Ford

Larry A Rasmussen

John E Cragun

Curt W Lovold

Gerald J Geisenhof

Gerald Geisenhof

A loader arm assembly for use in a packaging system, comprising an arm, a housing, and a load jam detector. The housing is operably connected to at least one motive mechanism, and is adapted for moving the arm to load product into a package. The arm has both a latched state and a released state with respect to the housing. The arm normally is in the latched state to load product into the package, and enters the released state to relieve pressure upon detecting the load jam condition. The arm includes a base plate and a loading head. The housing is formed with a guide passage that is adapted for receiving the base plate. The load jam detector preferably includes at least one detent adapted for holding the base plate with respect to the housing in the latched state. The detent preferably is formed by a tip of at least one plug extending through the housing to the guide passage. The tip is adapted for applying a holding force against the base plate. A first end of the base plate has at least one depression adapted for receiving the tip of the at least one plug in the latched state and for releasing the tip to slide on a surface of the base plate upon the application of a predetermined load pressure attributable to the load condition. The loader arm assembly is described and shown within a barrel cam loading mechanism that is incorporated into a continuous motion packaging mechanism, but may be used in other packaging systems such as a vertical cartoner or a sleever.

Barrel cam loader arm assembly

A rotary transfer apparatus, comprising: a frame structure; a rotatable main shaft supported by the frame structure; a primary body connected to the main shaft; at least one first planetary shaft rotatably connected to the primary body and rotating in relation to the main shaft; a secondary body connected to each first planetary shaft; a second planetary shaft rotatably connected to each secondary body and rotating in relation to the first planetary shaft; an article transfer mechanism connected to each second planetary shaft; and an in-line cam mechanism. The article transfer mechanism is adapted for picking and placing articles, and has at least one stem connected to the second planetary shaft. Each stem has a distal end whose motion defines a product path about the main shaft. The product path has at least one apex at which point the distal end of the stem moves in an in-line motion. The in-line cam mechanism is adapted for extending the in-line motion at the apex(es) of the product path.

Rotary transfer apparatus with an in-line cam mechanism

A tensioning system for an endless chain comprising a snail cam mounted on a second shaft parallel to a sprocket shaft which supports a sprocket and chain, a follower running against the snail cam and mounted on a mechanism supporting the sprocket shaft, a ratchet device which selectively limits the rotational direction of the second shaft so that the radius of the snail cam at the follower increases with rotation, a means of applying a controlled rotational force to the second shaft to advance the ratchet device if chain tension is below a predetermined level, but not advance it if chain tension is above a predetermined level.

Chain tensioning apparatus for a packaging machine

An apparatus and method of forming stacked article groups by supplying at least two streams of articles; forming a stream of first article groups having at least one article; placing a support base on a top surface of each first article group; and forming a second article group, having at least one article, on top of the support base of each first article group, whereby stacked article groups are formed. The stacked article groups are subsequently packaged.

Article packaging apparatus

An apparatus for constructing multi-piece cartons, comprising a tray member supply hopper, a tray conveyor, a glue station, a web placement and compression station including a reciprocating placer, a preform conveyor, a forming station having at least three vertically aligned mandrels and a carton output conveyor. The apparatus process paperboard cartons for fresh produce and the like. The apparatus is operable in a cartoning mode and a preform mode wherein flat unerected carton preforms are output.

Apparatus for constructing multi-piece cartons

A packaging machine places cartons on an carton conveyor in an inverted-T configuration with the panels of the carton being generally horizontal and the walls of the carton collapsed together in a generally vertical orientation. An overhead assembly has carrier assemblies for picking up the cartons, opening the cartons, and lowering the cartons onto article groups. Each carrier assembly has a pair of opening members with protruding fingers for insertion within cut-outs formed in the cartons. After a carrier assembly has engaged a carton in an inverted-T configuration, one of the opening members in the carrier assembly is moved away from the other opening member, thereby opening the carton. Each carrier assembly has cam followers which travel within three cam plates, one for controlling an orientation of the carrier assembly, one for supporting the carrier assembly, and one for opening and closing the opening members. The overhead assembly is substantially located on only one side of the articles and cartons and thus provides easy access for repairs, maintenance, or removal of article or cartons jams. The packaging machine can package articles of various sizes and configurations into various types of cartons. In general, the packaging machine can package articles into any type of carton having panels opposite each other which may be engaged and lowered onto an article group. The packaging machine can also operate at fairly high speeds since cartons are positively and quickly opened by the movement of the opening members.

Packaging machine having overhead assembly for opening and lowering

An article clip packaging machine for applying carton members to the article rims of preselected article groups. The machine has a conveyor with an infeed end for receiving preselected article groups. At least two carton member feeding structures are synchronized with the conveyor for placing carton base and carton top members, respectively, on the preselected article groups. A securing assembly attaches the carton base and top members to the rims of the article groups to provide article group carriers.

Clip-type article carrier packaging mechanism

An apparatus for forming stacked article groups in a packaging process, comprising a linear conveyance mechanism having an upstream end and a downstream end; and at least one article input and combining station, the article input and combining station including high and low article input lines and a combining wheel, the combining wheel being disposed tangentially with respect to the conveyance mechanism and further being arranged to receive a high single level article group from the high input line and to transport the high single level article group to a point of intersection with the conveyance mechanism, the low article input line intersecting the conveyance mechanism at a position which is located upstream with respect to the intersection point and depositing a low single level article group on the conveyance mechanism, and wherein the combining wheel merges the high and low single level article groups to form the stacked article group at the intersection point.

Horizontal loading apparatus

An apparatus and method for forming stacked article groups utilizing clip-type article group carriers. The overall apparatus is aligned in a generally linear, continuous orientation. The apparatus longitudinally moves infeed cans from an infeed end to an output end. The apparatus generally comprises (a) an article grouping and clip-type carrier application assembly having at least one input and first and second output lines; (b) a first conveyor disposed to receive and transport first article groups having clip-type carriers attached thereto from and first output line, the first article groups being transported at a first vertical level; (c) a second conveyor disposed to receive and transport second article groups having clip-type carriers attached thereto from the second output line, the second article groups being transported at a second vertical level which is above the first vertical level; and (d) means to merge the second article groups over the top surface of the first article groups.

Apparatus for forming stacked article groups utilizing clip-type carriers

A method to package stacked article groups utilizing packaging sleeves having a divider or base member mounted therein. At least one open end of each packaging sleeve is exposed during travel on a conveyor whereby a stream of articles within reach of the moving packaging sleeves are directed below and above the divider members of the open ended sleeves before closure.

Multilevel carton packaging process

A method to form stacked article groups utilizing packaged carton structures. The method utilizes first and second streams of packaged article groups, each packaged article group having predetermined graphic arrangements. The first and second streams are directed onto each other whereby the united packages form stacked article carriers having a unitary packaging graphic display.

Stacked article carrier packaging

A method to form and package stacked article groups utilizing cardboard trays. The method provides first and second streams of article groups which are initially formed in first and second cardboard tray structures and subsequently stacked and united into packaged stacked units.

Tray packaging of stacked articles

A package transport mechanism having a plurality of phase adjustable lug-type flights. The mechanism is incorporated in a continuous motion packaging assembly for loading article groups into cartons or other carriers which comprises an article infeed mechanism supplying at least one stream of articles; an article group selection and transport mechanism intersecting the article infeed mechanism to form and transport a longitudinal stream of article groups of a predetermined pattern; a package supply mechanism synchronized and moving parallel with the article group selecting mechanism to provide packages with open ends facing the moving article groups; and an article group transfer mechanism which is constructed and arranged to move the article groups into the open ends of the packages.

Conveyor flight longitudinal phase adjustment assembly

A cartoner assembly loading article groups into open carton sleeves. The cartoner assembly comprises an article infeed mechanism supplying at least one stream of articles, an article selecting mechanism intersecting the article infeed mechanism to form and move a stream of article groups of a predetermined pattern, a carton supply mechanism synchronized and moving parallel with said article selecting mechanism to provide cartons with open ends facing the moving article groups, and an article group transfer mechanism constructed and arranged to move article groups into the open ends of the carton sleeves.

Growing community of inventors

Crosby, MN, United States of America

Allen L Olson