Riverwood International Corporation

Herman J Steinbuchel, Iv

Steven Brown

Frank N Moncrief

A packaging machine (5) for moving a spaced series of groups of containers along a path of travel in a packaging machine line is disclosed. The packaging machine includes a variable pitch lugged conveyor belt assembly (12) having a pair of conveyor chains (61, 62) equally spaced from a longitudinal axis extending along the path of travel, and a pair of generally parallel side guides (17) mounted one each on a pair of accessory rails (14) movably supported on the framework (7) of the packaging machine, and extending along opposite sides of the path of travel. The conveyor chains are constructed to be moved laterally toward and away from each other, and the side guides are constructed to be simultaneously moved laterally toward and away from the conveyors with the accessory rails, respectively, as the conveyor chains are moved. Each conveyor chain includes a spaced series of pop-up lug assemblies (63) in which a pop-up lug (92) of each assembly can be individually selected for reciprocal movement from a lowered position flush with respect to the surface of the conveyor chain into a raised position extended above and with respect to the surface of the conveyor chain for varying the pitch of the pop-up lugs along the length of the conveyor chains. Each conveyor chain also includes a plurality of modular table-top lugs (65) which are constructed to be yieldably urged into position on an endless chain (84).

Packaging machine

A conveyor tensioning assembly for an article conveyor is mounted to the frame of the article conveyor, and connected to a take-up sprocket. The conveyor tensioning assembly includes a movable rack that is engaged and moved by an advancing gear of an advancing and holding assembly in a first direction, causing the take-up sprocket of the article conveyor to be urged outwardly against the conveyor chain of the article conveyor so as to take-up any slack existing within the conveyor chain and place the conveyor chain under tension. Once the conveyor chain has been tensioned, the rack is engaged by a holding gear mounted on a one-way clutch, which prevents the holding gear from rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. The holding gear retards in any rearward movement of the rack so as to resist slippage and/or backlash of the rack to prevent the chain from losing tension and slack being formed therein to maintain the conveyor chain under a substantially constant tension.

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Marietta, GA, United States of America

Herman J Steinbuchel, Iv