The Mead Corporation

Laminating Technologies, Inc.

Rodney K Calvert

Alton J Fishback

Dale K Scott

Charles Rabun Landrum

Prentice J Wood

George R Vanhorne

James R Oliff

Robert L Dover

George R Van Horne

The present invention provides an apparatus that can erect a tray from a generally flat, rectangular blank. The tray erector incorporates an inventory section, a transfer section, a construction section and an exit section. The inventory section has a hopper with flanges and tab stops, which hopper stores an inventory of stacked, flat blanks that will eventually become the trays. In the transfer section, a blank is transferred from the inventory section to the construction section of the present erector. The construction section includes a setup assembly and a locking assembly. The setup assembly folds the pre-cut and scored end and side panels of the tray blank up into approximately perpendicular planes in relation to the plane of the bottom panel of the blank. The end and side panels are folded up from the plane of the bottom panel of the blank in preparation for the locking of the corner webs. While the end and side panels are folded, the corner webs begin to extend out from the tray due to the actions of folding the end and side panels. The locking assembly of the construction section completes the remaining tray folding and locking steps, and an erected tray is produced. This includes folding the web corners against the end panels, and locking the web corners to form the finished tray. The erected tray then drops from the construction section to the exit section, where the tray is guided onto a conveying device, preferably a moving delivery conveyor belt.

Tray erector

A basket style carton is set up by a machine which imparts inward movement to one end wall so as to allow the adjacent locking tab to clear the associated end notch. A first pusher engages the bottom wall and allows the notch to receive the locking tab. Continued inward movement imparted to the one carton end wall causes the locking tab at the opposite end of the bottom wall to clear the associated notch. A second pusher then depresses the bottom wall and allows the associated locking tab to clear the associated notch.

Machine and method for erecting basket style cartons

A carton having upper and lower end flaps and which is movable along a path of movement is manipulated by a machine having upper and lower rotatable flap folders mountable in either a fixed primary or a movable secondary location. The secondary location being movable in an upstream fashion relative to the direction of carton flow. A driving element and a driving mechanism that moves the secondary folder and rotates it to retain a timed relation with the path of movement of the cartons.

Convertible flap folding mechanism

A carton having a collapsed bottom wall is erected by a machine which engages opposed side walls and draws these walls apart. Simultaneously the side walls are separated by movement in a transverse direction and the bottom wall panels are interlocked.

Machine for erecting cartons having collapsible bottoms

A carton loading machine is effective to load bottles packaged in basket style or in sleeve style cartons at high speed and with minimal attention by the operator due to the dual function of many of the machine parts.

Machine for loading open top style cartons at high speeds

A system of flight bars each flight bar having a leading component and a trailing component, a first pair of endless driving elements interconnected with each leading component and a second pair of spaced apart endless driving elements interconnected with each trailing component. Controlled relative movement is imparted to the first and second pair of endless driving elements so as to vary the distance between the trailing component of a flight bar and the leading component of an immediately succeeding flight bar thereby to render the system adaptable for use in conjunction with packages of different horizontal dimensions in the direction of movement of the flight bars.

Adjustable flight bars for packaging machine

A packaging machine having a working reach interconnected with a return reach over which flight bars are movable is provided with a ramp formed with a long radius for interconnecting the working reach with the return reach. This long radius ramp eliminates the tendency for flight bars to accelerate at an unacceptable velocity and can lead to damage to adjacent cartons. The long radius together with a sprocket of increased diameter avoids exposure to the risk of damage to and breakage of cartons. This increased radius also tends to provide a gap between the working reach and an outfeed conveyor which is longer than that normally employed with conventional structures. This gap is bridged by rotatable support wheels having cutaway radial areas which afford clearance for flight bars on their way from the working reach to the return reach.

Flight bar path having a large radius

A stack of collapsed sleeve type end loading cartons are disposed in a hopper and the lowermost carton is engaged and fed out of the hopper by a carton pick up device which rotates in one direction. An auxiliary device rotates in the opposite direction from the direction of rotation of the carton pick up device and engages a carton wall so as to move it out of collapsed condition thereby to initiate set up of the carton.

High speed erecting mechanism for sleeve type carton

A method for withdrawing from a hopper collapsed sleeve type end loading cartons having face contacting panels in one of which panels a pair of apertures are formed and for initiating set up of the carton into open ended condition, the method comprising sequentially engaging and withdrawing collapsed cartons from the hopper with pick up devices slidably mounted on a pair of support rods, arranged so that one end of each support rod extends through one aperture in one of the face contacting carton panels and into engagement with the other face contacting panel so as to initiate a set up condition of the carton.

Method for erecting sleeve type carton

A carton setup machine has a suction device for withdrawing collapsed sleeve type cartons from a magazine. The suction device moves inwardly and outwardly on a slidable rod as it orbits about a central rotating shaft. An oscillating gripper mounted outside the orbit of the suction device pulls outwardly on an outer panel of the collapsed carton to begin opening it.

Feeder mechanism for sleeve type cartons

Sleeve type carton

A machine for sequentially withdrawing collapsed sleeve type end loading cartons having face contacting panels in one of which panels an aperture is formed and for initiating set up of the carton into open ended condition, the machine comprising a carton pick up device for sequentially engaging and withdrawing collapsed cartons from the hopper, and an elongated support rod on which the carton pick up device is slidably mounted, the support rod being arranged so that one end thereof extends through the aperture in one of the carton panels and into engagement with the other face contacting panel so as to initiate a set up condition of the carton in coordination with sliding movement of the carton pick up device relative to the elongated support rod.

Machine for erecting sleeve type cartons

An end loaded carton for a plurality of cans includes foldably joined top, bottom and side walls forming a tubular structure and having end closure panels, one wall of the carton being of double ply construction having inner and outer panels, at least one thickening panel foldably joined to the inner ply and being folded into flat face contacting relation with the inner ply to form a three ply wall in engagement with the can ends.

End loaded carton having a triple ply wall

Collapsed sleeve type article containers are withdrawn in sequence from a hopper by suction cup means which then holds each carton at a loading station for an interval of time during which a plurality of articles are inserted through an open end of each container sleeve. Minor end closing flaps of the loaded container are moved into closed positions while the container is held stationary at the loading station. Thereafter the loaded container is moved out of the loading station and its major end flaps are closed and secured in closed position.

Packaging machine

A reuseable open top case having interconnected bottom, side and end walls is provided with a disposable overwrap which includes panels overlying the open top, side, end and bottom walls.

Growing community of inventors

Dunwoody, GA, United States of America

Rodney K Calvert