Other

Plymouth Packaging Inc.

Greg Magnell

David G Flessert

Jeffrey Willers

Feedstock is delivered perpendicular to the line of applied glue in an automated gluing machine, thereby simplifying operation and better accommodating other in-line factory or assembly processes. The machine comprises an input nip for receiving the head end and the tail end of a sheet stock in overlapping registration, with the tail end being longer than the head end. A clamp mechanism holds the overlapping sheet stock in position while a glue applicator applies glue to one side of the tail end. An output nip holds the glued side of the tail end against the head end, and apparatus is provided for ejecting the sheet stock once the tail end has been glued to the head end. The glued stock may be ejected back toward the operator or away from the operator and through the machine, enabling the machine to be placed in-line with other machines for a continuous directional or linear flow.

Apparatus for automatically gluing head and tail ends of stock material

A system and method for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape includes physical measurement apparatus having two or more mutually orthogonal surfaces, each surface including a plurality of computer-readable codes representing distances to one of the other surfaces. At least one object is placed or transferred into apparatus so as to contact as many of the surfaces as possible. The codes are read on each surface to determine the greatest physical extent of the object in multiple dimensions, and the dimensions are delivered to a carton making machine to construct a custom carton to accommodate the object in the multiple dimensions. The physical measurement apparatus preferably includes a primary horizontal surface and two upstanding vertical surfaces, and the computer-readable codes are scannable bar codes arranged as matrices on each surface.

System and method for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape

A system and method are used for measuring objects of random size or shape. An object to be measured is received on a horizontal deck with rollers. A first vertical surface at an angle to the deck creates a first inside corner. One or both of the deck and first vertical surfaces including a plurality of computer-readable codes, each code representing a distance from the first inside corner. A reader is provided for reading the computer-readable codes associated with the greatest physical extent of the object in one of two dimensions. The system may further include a second vertical surface, thereby creating a second inside corner to measure an object or group of objects in three dimensions. The second vertical surface folds down, thereby enabling an operator to move the object or objects off of the deck, past the second vertical surface, and onto another deck or platform.

System and method measuring objects of random size or shape

A system and accompanying method produces cartons for randomly sized and shaped objects or groups thereof by automatically measuring minimum bounding dimensions and transferring these dimensions to an automatic carton-making system. The system for determining the dimensions of an object to be packaged preferably includes a conveyor for moving the object, a vertically oriented light curtain to determine the height of the object, a horizontally oriented light curtain to determine the width of the object, and a tachometer synchronized to the conveyor enabling at least one of the light curtains to determine the length of the object. A computerized interface between the measurement apparatus and carton-making system may include an algorithm for virtually rotating the object to produce a carton just large enough to fit the object. The carton may be a corrugated carton or non-corrugated carton, and the carton-making system may be supplied with a continuous feed of 'fanfolded' raw material or it may be sheet-fed. The system for determining the dimensions of an object to be packaged is capable of determining the dimensions of a group of objects to be packaged.

Growing community of inventors

Vicksburg, MI, United States of America

Greg Magnell