Redington, Incorporated

Crompton & Knowles Corporation

Other

Walter H Vogel

Thomas E Close

Stevan Tisma

An automatic packaging machine includes a first conveyor which carries a batch of small items along a path extending in a first direction. A second conveyor carries boxes in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. A depositing structure in the form of a twisted funnel rotates the products from the first direction to the second direction before inserting them into a box. An oscillating plate carrying the funnel moves back and forth to fill the box while traveling in a first half of back and forth motion. Then, in the second half of that motion, returns to fill the next box. The oscillating plate may carry a plurality of funnels on each of its opposite sides. A memory of the type of small item carried by each funnel enables a single box to be loaded with different products.

Automatic packaging machine for inserting a few small items with desired

Article transfer mechanism or apparatus for changing the direction of movement of articles while maintaining the orientation of the articles, including an infeed conveyor conveying articles in a first direction while in a predetermined orientation, a transfer conveyor having a continuous belt with a plurality of groups of rollers thereon with windows therebetween receiving articles from the infeed conveyor, a plate disposed below the lower reach of the transfer conveyor and closing at least one of the windows to provide a container for an article deposited thereon, structure for rotating the groups of rollers to cause the rollers to move an article deposited thereon into the adjacent window, an article conveyor having a plurality of pockets open at the top for receiving articles from the plate of a transfer conveyor for conveying the articles in a different direction from that of the infeed conveyor; there also is shown conveyors for equally spacing randomly spaced articles and for laterally aligning articles.

Article transfer mechanism

A cartoner for inserting a product into an expanded carton having at least one open end and side flaps and an end panel with tuck flap thereon, and thereafter closing the open end, the cartoner accommodating a wide variety of carton shapes and sizes; a product infeed conveyor for such a cartoner including a product support plate extending laterally from either side of the cartoner and including a conveyor chain carrying product pushers pivotally mounted thereon, the product support plate being positioned from a bottom carton supporting rail a distance to receive the product pushers therethrough so that the product pushers both feed the product to the cartons and insert the product therein.

Cartoner and product infeed conveyor therefor

Article transfer mechanism for changing the direction of movement of articles while maintaining the orientation of the articles, including an infeed conveyor conveying articles in a first direction while in a predetermined orientation, a transfer conveyor having a continuous belt with a plurality of groups of rollers thereon with windows therebetween receiving articles from the infeed conveyor, a plate disposed below the lower reach of the transfer conveyor and closing at least one of the windows to provide a container for an article deposited thereon, structure for rotating the groups of rollers to cause the rollers to move an article deposited thereon into the adjacent window, an article conveyor having a plurality of pockets open at the top for receiving articles from the plate of a transfer conveyor for conveying the articles in a different direction from that of the infeed conveyor; there also is shown conveyors for equally spacing randomly spaced articles and for laterally aligning articles.

A long seam gluer for folding a carton blank into cylindrical form and forming a glued seam between the outer surface of a glue flap and a glued area on an overlying side panel includes a magazine for holding a stack of carton blanks, feed mechanism for feeding carton blanks one at a time from the magazine in a predetermined direction with a longitudinal extent of the glue flap in the side panel normal to the predetermined direction, first folding mechanism for folding a first portion of the carton blank including the glue flap into a position overlying a remainder of the carton blank to leave exposed the outer surface of the glue flap, glue applying mechanism for applying a longitudinal body of glue to the glue flap as the glue flap is fed in the predetermined direction with the longitudinal extent of the glue flap normal to the predetermined direction, second folding mechanism for folding a second portion of the carton blank including the side panel into a position overlying a remainder of the carton blank to place the inner surface of the side panel over the body of glue on the glue flap, pressing mechanism to press and hold the side panel against the body of glue on the glue flap until the body of glue has set firmly to secure the glue flap to the side panel to form a flattened cylindrical carton, and a carton opening mechanism adjacent to the pressing mechanism for opening the flattened carton to receive an article therein.

Long seam gluer

The method and apparatus in a packaging machine for transferring leaflets to spaced clamps on a first conveyor from a second conveyor in which leaflets are deposited on the second conveyor in synchronism with clamps on the second conveyor so that a leaflet is deposited on the first conveyor, arrives at a point of convergence between the first and second conveyors just behind its respective clamp which is in an open position and then travels along the same path as the clamp at a greater speed than the clamp until the leaflet is positioned within the jaws of the clamp after which time the jaws are closed to clamp the leaflet.

Method of feeding a leaflet and the apparatus therefor

The method of expanding and transferring a carton from a stack of collapsed cartons in a magazine to a bucket on a conveyor wherein the cartons comprise at one end thereof two side flaps and a front flap which includes a tuck flap. The method of expanding the carton comprises partially expanding the carton, closing the front flap while the carton is partially expanded thereby spreading the second flap outwardly, holding the second flap open while spreading the first and front flaps outwardly by applying pressure from the inside surfaces thereof and fully expanding the carton while holding the first, second and front flaps in their spread position.

Method of expanding a carton

A packaging machine which includes article buckets and leaflet clamps mounted on the buckets, each clamp having a spring loaded jaw which, in the open position, allows a leaflet to be inserted between the jaw and bottom plate of its respective article bucket, and, in the closed position, is effective to clamp a leaflet between the jaw and bottom plate to deflect a portion of it into the exit end opening of the bucket. Means are provided for opening the clamp jaw, inserting a leaflet between the open clamp jaw and bottom plate, closing the clamp jaw to clamp the leaflet and opening the clamp jaw to allow the leaflet to be carried into a carton by the article as it is transferred from the article bucket to the carton.

Article bucket with circular clamp

Means for and the method of expanding and transferring a carton from a stack of collapsed cartons in a magazine to a bucket on a conveyor wherein the collapsed cartons are extracted singly from the magazine first by a suction means and transferred to a second suction means which deposits the carton into the conveyor bucket. The cartons comprise at one end thereof two side flaps and a front flap which includes a tuck flap. Stationary cams are utilized to partially expand a carton while it is being transferred and pushing the front flap inwardly while the carton is partially expanded which spreads one of the side flaps outwardly. This side flap is then held while the front flap is released and the other side flap and front flap are spread outwardly from the inside. Finally, all the flaps are maintained in a spread position while the carton is fully expanded.

Growing community of inventors

Hoffman Estates, IL, United States of America

Walter H Vogel