Riverwood International Corporation

Urs Reuteler

A method is provided for selecting a predetermined number of articles from a plurality of articles and grouping the selected articles into an ordered group for delivery to an article packaging machine. The articles are moved at an infeed speed in series progressively along a path of travel and toward a pair of rotatable selector wheel assemblies located on opposite sides of the path. The articles are directed to the rotating selector wheel at a position where the velocity component of fingers attached to the wheel in the direction of the path of travel is equal to the infeed speed of the bottles. The fingers on the selector wheel engage selected ones of the bottles at this location and accelerate them smoothly and progressively to a machine speed that is greater than the infeed speed. The bottles are thus grouped together in separated groups and delivered to the packaging machine at the machine speed.

Article grouping assembly and method for a packaging machine

A carton feed opening wheel assembly for opening carton blanks into preformed cartons on a packaging machine is disclosed. The carton feed opening wheel assembly has a pair of spaced and generally parallel endless vacuum conveyor belts moving along a path of travel from a carton magazine assembly to a carton transport conveyor, and a carton opening wheel positioned on the packaging machine with respect to the vacuum conveyor belts for engaging the top portion of an unopened carton blank being moved on the vacuum conveyor belts toward the carton transport conveyor. The carton opening wheel has at least one suction cup supported thereon for engaging the top portion of the carton blank at a speed and direction substantially the same as the speed and direction of the unopened carton blank moving on the vacuum conveyor belts. Thereafter, the speed of the suction cup in the direction of the path of travel is retarded with respect to the speed of the bottom portion of the carton blank being moved on the vacuum conveyor belt as the suction cup is simultaneously moved perpendicularly away from the vacuum conveyor belts so that the carton blank is opened, whereupon the opened carton is then passed to the carton transport conveyor.

Carton feed opening wheel assembly

A carton transfer assembly having a rotary feeder that rotates a series of selectors about a transfer path between a carton feeder and a transport conveyor. The selectors each include vacuum engagement members adapted to engage a selected carton to remove the selected carton from the carton feeder and carry the carton toward a transport conveyor as the rotary feeder rotates the selectors about the transfer path. Each selector further includes stingers that are operated off of the vacuum applied to the cartons by the vacuum engagement members to move the stingers between extended and retracted positions. As the vacuum is applied to the stingers, the stingers are retracted. When the vacuum is disengaged, the stingers move to an extended position to engage and spread apart the panels of the cartons to open the cartons prior to the deposit of the cartons within the carton pockets of the transport conveyor.

Carton transfer system

A carton feeder assembly is positioned substantially at the infeed conveyor level and includes a carton supply assembly, a carton selector, a carton opener, and a carton erector. The carton supply assembly has a carton supply position, a carton holding position, and a carton selecting position. The carton selector includes a pair of feeder wheels with corresponding suction devices and respective motion defining assemblies. The motion defining assemblies cause the suction devices to move along a linear pick line as the feeder wheels rotate, so that the suction devices can apply a suction on a carton to be selected. The selected carton is brought into contact with the feeder wheels by retraction of the suction devices caused by respective motion defining assemblies, so that the carton moves with the feeder wheels to the carton opener. The carton opener includes a vacuum belt which applies suction to one surface of the selected carton as a carton opening wheel applies a suction to a second side of the selected carton. As the vacuum belt moves the carton in a linear direction, the carton opening wheel rotates the second side of the carton so that the carton opens. The vacuum belt then feeds the opened carton into leading lugs on respective chains of the carton erector. Trailing lugs rotate into position behind the opened carton to hold the carton in an erect position suitable for loading the carton with articles such as bottles or cans.

Carton feeder assembly

A carton flap folding assembly (10) and a method of folding carton flaps is disclosed. The carton flap folding assembly includes a rotatable cam plate (25) which defines upper and lower cam tracks (29, 30). The cam plate is affixed to drive sprockets (35, 36) which drive associated chains through a lower chain guide (45) or an upper chain guide (50), respectively. Lever assemblies (62, 70) operatively engage the cam track, and effect shifting of an associated chain guide. A plurality of lugs (87, 88) project from the upper and lower chain, and are arranged to comprise composite lug assemblies (91). The composite lug assemblies are moved into prescored flap areas of a carton blank, and fold the flaps inwardly to a first extent. The lever assemblies are actuated to slide the chain guides in opposite directions, which moves the lugs mounted to the upper and lower chains in opposite directions. This movement folds the flaps to a second extent. The separate lugs are then returned to their composite arrangements and withdrawn from the carton blank.

Carton flap folding assembly and method

A carton flap folding assembly (10) and a method of folding carton flaps is disclosed. The carton flap folding assembly includes a modular housing (12) positioned on the framework (22) of a packaging machine, and along the path of travel of articles of product moved along the packaging machine. The carton flap folding assembly includes a drive gear (26) which moves a drive pulley (28) and a star wheel assembly (29) in a timed relationship with respect to one another and with the groups of articles of product conveyed along a path of travel past the assembly. A spaced series of generally protruding lugs (33) are formed along the length of an endless lug belt (32), and a top star wheel disc (84) and a spaced bottom star wheel disc (85), each having a spaced series of generally protruding teeth (86) formed thereon are also provided as a part of the carton blank flap folding assembly. The teeth of the star wheel discs are moved into the prescored flap areas of a carton blank to break the flaps open, whereupon lugs from the lug belt are moved into the carton blank through the prescored flap areas, moving the flaps thereof into tangential engagement with the exterior surface of the bottles within the group of bottles, the side wall of the carton blank being simultaneously moved toward the bottles by a top guide (90) and a bottom guide (91).

Method and apparatus for positioning carton flaps

A carton engaging assembly for use in continuous motion packaging machines is designed to perform specific functions on a carton as it moves continuously along the path of travel through the packaging machine. The carton engaging assembly includes mechanisms for aligning the carton engaging device perpendicular to the carton's path of travel and to the carton side wall, so that the engaging device enters and exits the carton side wall along the substantially perpendicular line of travel. The carton engaging assembly is a self-contained, rotary unit which is readily interchanged with other units to facilitate engagement with various sizes and shapes of cartons. The rotational movement of the carton engaging assembly is timed with the continuous linear movement of the carton along the carton path of travel.

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Kennesaw, GA, United States of America

Urs Reuteler