GB2089755A - Treatment e.g. marking of moving articles - Google Patents

Abstract

Moving articles, such as paper sacks, are marked by a marking head (3) which can be moved in a first direction and in unison with consecutive sacks during at least the printing operation. The marking head (3) preferably forms part of a printing unit (7) which is pivotable about a vertical or horizontal axis (6) and which is located at the output end of a conveyor (10) of a sack production unit (9). The momentum of each sack leaving the output conveyor (10) causes the printing unit (7) to be pivoted about the axis (6), with the marking head (3) cooperating with an anvil (4), the sack being printed being located between the head (3) and anvil (4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Treatment of moving articles This invention relates to the treatment of a moving article and is especially, but not exclusively, related to the printing or marking of the outside surface of paper sacks being moved along a conveyor.

In a previously known method of marking a paper sack, any printing to be applied thereto was first applied to a label which was subsequently stitched into a seam of the sack during a stitching operation.

In an alternative, known method of marking sacks, a stationary printing or marking head has been used upon the sacks moving along a conveyor, with the result that the production efficiency of the sacks has been drastically reduced, owing to the fact that the sacks on the conveyor have to be slowed down, because they would otherwise be moving too quickly to be printed or marked by the stationary printing or marking head. If, however, the sacks are moved at an efficient but higher production speed by the conveyor, then the printing or marking head has been unable to cope and frequently the sacks are conveyed past the head without their being printed or marked thereby.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the above described disadvantages associated with the treatment of moving articles, such as, paper sacks, and this object is achieved by providing apparatus for treating a moving article, comprising treatment means which is associated with a moving article to be treated and which is movable with the article during at least the treatment operation.

Also, the invention further provides a method of treating a moving article, comprising providing treatment means arranged to move with the article during at least the treatment operation and causing the treatment means to move with the article to be treated during said operation.

Preferably, the treatment of the moving article is a printing or marking operation, in which case, the article is preferably a sack, such as a paper sack.

Advantageously, the treatment means is associated with the end of a conveyor, upon which the article to be marked is moving, and is caused to move in unison with the article, during the printing or marking operation, by the movement of the article itself, as a consequence of its being moved by the conveyor. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, to be described below, the treatment, that is, the printing or marking, means, is located at the end of a paper sack conveyor and is pivotable with respect thereto in the direction of motion of the sacks as they leave the conveyor.

in order that the invention may be more fully understood, two preferred embodiments in accordance therewith, will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure lisa diagrammatic elevation of one embodiment; and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of another embodiment.

Referring now to Figure 1 ofthe drawings, a sequential numbering unit, indicated generally at 7, comprises a generally rectangular housing 5 in which is located an operating piston/cylinder arrangement 2 connected to a sequential numbering head 3 located above a printing anvil 4. The unit 7 is pivotally connected at 6 to an exterior wall 13 of a paper sack production unit, indicated generally at 9, which includes an output conveyor 10.

The unit 7 has associated therewith an actuating switch 1 which is connected, in any suitable manner, such as, by means of an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic cable 12, to the piston/cylinder arrangement 2 and is actuated, by the interaction of a paper sack moving along the conveyor 10 in the direction of the arrow A with a sensor 11,to operate the piston/cylinder arrangement 2 and, as a consequ ence,the numbering head 3.

Athrough channel 14 has its input end in register with the downstream end of the conveyor 10, such that paper sacks moving along the conveyor pass directly into the channel 14to be numbered therein by the head 3, in association with the anvil 4.

Depending upon the size of the paper sacks, actuation of the switch 1 is either by the sack to be numbered or by a following upstream sack on the conveyor.

Upon the interaction of a sack with the sensor 11, the switch 1 operates the piston/cylinder arrangement 2 which, in turn, moves the head 3 downwardly towards the anvil 4. As a consequence, the sack immediately below the head 3 is numbered but during the numbering operation, the momentum of the sack, as a consequence of its movement off the conveyor 10, causes the unit 7 to pivot about the point 6, with respect to the conveyor and exterior wall 13 of the unit 9, thus allowing the head 3 to move in unison with the sack during the numbering operation. This movement of the head 3, in unison with the sack being numbered, provides sufficient time for the sack to be numbered properly and, also, enables each sack to be numbered sequentially, without any sacks being omitted from the numbering operation.

Once a sack has been numbered by the head 3, and as a result of the deactuation of the sensor 11, consequential movement of the head 3 in an upward direction away from the anvil 4, frees the unit 7 from the numbered sack and, by means of gravity and some assistance from a return spring 8, the unit 7 is returned quickly to its original position confronting the exterior wall 13 of the unit 9, in readiness for the numbering of the next sack upstream of the previously-numbered downstream sack.

Turning now to the other embodiment shown diagrammatically in Figure 2, a sequential numbering unit 27 operates in a similar manner to the corresponding unit 7 described above with reference to Figure 1, except that a delay timer 35 and associated air valve 36 are provided to cause each sack, moving in the direction of the arrow A', to be sequentially numbered at a predetermined time interval after the sack has interacted with a sensor 31 of an associated actuating switch 21.

In operation of this particular embodiment of the invention, a sack, travelling in the direction of the arrow A' along a conveyor 30 of a paper sack production unit 29, actuates the sensor 31 of the switch 21 which, in turn, starts the delay timer 35.

After a certain interval of time and when the sack has reached the channel 34, whose input end is in register with the downstream end of the conveyor 30, the timer 35 operates the air valve 36, such that air from a supply then operates a piston/cylinder arrangement 22 which moves a marking head 23 downwardly towards the bottom wall 24 of the housing 25 of the numbering unit 27. This wall 24 acts as an anvil, such as that shown at 4 in Figure 1, whereby the sack in the channel 34, which activated the switch 21 via the sensor 31, is now numbered.

For the short period of time during which the sack is trapped between the head 23 and bottom wall 24, the continued movement of the sack from the conveyor 30 causes the numbering unit 27 to pivot about an axis 26. On the return stroke of the piston/cylinder arrangement 22 and also that of the numbering head 23, the numbered sack is released and, as a consequence, the unit 27 is pivotally returned under the action of gravity and assisted by the return spring 28 to its original position, as shown in Figure 2, readyforthe next sack to be numbered.

Also, the piston/cylinder arrangement 22 is "double acting", that is to say, both its downward and upward return strokes are performed by respective air lines 37,38 from the valve 36. In addition, the switch 21 and timer 35 are provided with an associated air supply line 39, as is the valve 36 with line 40 from the supply.

It will be appreciated that although the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the sequential numbering of paper sacks, the inventive apparatus and method can be used for any form of treatment of a moving article, for instance, the application of labels to articles moving off a conveyor.

Moreover, it should be noted that the sequential numbering units 7,27 can be arranged in any desirable orientation. For instance, and assuming that the diagrammatic views of Figures 1 and 2 are in plan, rather than in elevation as shown, the sequential numbering units 7, 27, can be pivoted about respective vertical axes at 6 and 26, in which case, the return movement of the units 7,27 to their respective original positions confronting the exterior walls of the paper sack production units 9,29, is achieved solely by the action of the respective return springs 8, 28 or any suitable form of other return mechanism. This is because, of course, gravity would not piay a part in this return movement with the sequential numbering units 7, 27 being pivotable horizontally about the respective vertical axes at 6 and 26.

Claims (27)

1. Apparatus for treating a moving article, comprising treatment means which is associable with a moving article to be treated and which is movable in a first direction with the article during at least the treatment operation.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said treatment means is returnable in a second direction opposite to the first direction to an initial position, associablewith anotherfollowing article to be treated, after the first-mentioned article has been treated.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the return of said treatment means in the second direction to the initial position is under the action of gravity and/or biasing means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said biasing means comprises a return spring.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said treatment means is movable with an article during the treatment operation, as a consequence of the movement of the article with which said means is engageable during said operation.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said treatment means is movable with the article during the treatment operation, as a consequence of the momentum of the moving article prior to and during the engagement of said means with the article.

7. Apparatus for marking a surface of a generally planar, moving article, comprising a marking head which is associable with the article to be marked and which is movable in a first direction and in unison with the article during at least the marking operation.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the marking head is returnable in a second direction opposite to the first direction to an initial position, associated with another following article to be marked, after the first-mentioned article has been marked.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the return of the marking head to the initial position is under the action of gravity and/or biasing means.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said biasing means comprises a return spring.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the marking head is movable with a planar article during at least the marking operation, as a consequence of the movement of the article with which the head is engageable during said operation.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the marking head is movable with the planar article during the marking operation, as a consequence of the momentum of the moving article prior to and during engagement of the marking head therewith.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 7 to 12, wherein the marking head constitutes part of a marking unit which is pivotable in both the first and second directions about a horizontal or vertical axis;

14. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 7 to 13, wherein the marking head comprises a printing head for sequentially numbering consecutive articles.

15. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 7 to 14, wherein the marking head is associated with a marking anvil, the moving article being engaged therebetween during the marking operation.

16. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 7 to 15, in combination with a conveyor for the planar articles, the marking head being located at or adjacent the output end of the conveyor.

17. A combination as claimed in claim 16 including sensor means associated with the article con veyor and arranged to interact with an article which is moving on the conveyor and which is to be marked, whereby said interaction is arranged to cause the apparatus to perform a marking operation.

18. A combination as claimed in claim 17, wherein said sensor means is connected to actuation means of the marking head of the apparatus.

19. A combination as claimed in claim 18, wherein said sensor means is connected to said actuation means either hydraulically or pneumatically.

20. Printing apparatus for sequentially numbering paper sacks moving from the end of an output conveyor of a paper sack production unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 or 2 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A method of treating a moving article, comprising providing treatment means arranged to move in a first direction with an article during at least the treatment operation and allowing said treatment means to move with the article to be treated in the first direction during said operation.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein said treatment means is returned in a second direction opposite to the first direction to an initial position, associated with another following article to be treated, after the first-mentioned article has been treated.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein said treatment means is returned to the initial position under the action of gravity and/or biasing means.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein said treatment means is returned to the initial position under the action of a return spring.

25. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 24, wherein said treatment means is moved with an article during at least the treatment operation, as a consequence of the movement of the article with which said means is engageable during the treatment operation.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein said treatment means is moved with the article during the treatment operation, as a consequence of the momentum of the moving article prior to and during the engagement of said means with the article.

27. A method of sequentially numbering paper sacks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.