GB2246548A

GB2246548A - Carton packaging machine

Info

Publication number: GB2246548A
Application number: GB9013484A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arthur John Freemantle
Original assignee: FREEMANTLE PACKAGING MACHINERY
Current assignee: FREEMANTLE PACKAGING MACHINERY
Priority date: 1990-06-16
Filing date: 1990-06-16
Publication date: 1992-02-05
Also published as: GB9013484D0

Abstract

A carton packaging machine for progressively closing the ends of a carton 10 which has been pre-filled with product comprises an input magazine 18 at an input station to receive a stack of open ended erected cartons 10 each pre-filled with the product 19. A gate 30 is arranged at the outlet 24 of the input magazine 18 and serves to engage a wall 31 of each carton 10 as it is ejected from the magazine and in such a way as to maintain the side wall in an erected state. Side flaps and inner end flaps are folded inwardly by guides as the carton 10 moves along a guide path towards an output magazine 20, adhesive being applied to outer end flaps which are folded into a closed condition as the carton is raised into the output magazine by a litter 21. <IMAGE>

Description

CARTON PACKAGING MACHINE This invention relates to a carton packaging machine which is capable of receiving an open-ended erected carton which has been pre-filled with product, and of progressively closing the ends of the carton during transit of the carton from an input station to a discharge station.

The invention has been developed primarily in connection with the closing of a carton of the type which is supplied in flat form with overlying top and bottom walls and which can be erected to form a carton by upward folding of side walls of the carton which interconnect the bottom and top walls. The opposed ends of the erected carton are open, but have foldable top and bottom end flaps and also foldable side flaps at each end which can be closed in order to contain the product in the carton.

Cartons of this type are relatively shallow in depth between the top and bottom walls in the erected state (say about 2 to 3 cm), and are used to contain frozen meals which can be cooked, or reheated, after removal of the carton from a deepfreeze or refrigerator, in a conventional oven or microwave oven.

It is often the case that the food product to be loaded in the erected carton may have a depth which is appreciably smaller than the depth of the carton, and this can give rise to problems in the handling of the carton and product during the end-closing operation. This happens because the cartons are usually stacked in a magazine at the input station, and which tends to make the cartons at the bottom of the stack to buckle.

Also, since the cartons are supplied in flat-pack form initially, there is a tendency for each erected carton to revert at least partly to its flat form, and especially when an undersized food product is contained in the carton.

The invention therefore seeks to provide a carton packaging machine having improved handling of cartons and products contained therein during end closure of the cartons.

According to the invention there is provided a carton packaging machine which is capable of receiving an open-ended erected carton which has been pre-filled with product, and of progressively closing the ends of the carton during transit of the carton from an input station to a discharge station, the carton being of the type having top and bottom walls, foldable side walls interconnecting the top and bottom walls, upper and lower end flaps and a pair of projecting side wall flaps at each end of the carton, and the machine comprising:: an input magazine at the input station for receiving a stack of open-ended erected cartons each pre-filled with product; an output magazine at the output station for receiving partly closed cartons singly; a lifter arranged at the output magazine to raise each carton, after reception by the magazine, to form a stack in the magazine; a guide path extending from a carton-outlet of the input magazine to an inlet of the output magazine and having guides engagable with the ends of the carton in order to close the projecting side wall flaps and also the lower end flaps at each end of each carton, as it passes to the output magazine; a set of adhesive applicators arranged along the guide path to apply adhesive to the underside of the upper end flaps after closure of the side wall and lower end flaps;; a guide arrangement in the output magazine which is engagable with the upper end flaps as each carton is raised by the lifter in order to fold the flap downwardly and to complete the closure of each carton; and a gate arranged at the outlet of the input magazine to engage the adjacent side wall of each carton as it is ejected from the magazine in such a way as to maintain said side wall in an erected state, but being capable of yielding to allow passage of the carton from the magazine to the guide path.

Preferably, the gate is biased to a closed position eg by a spring, in which it extends at least partly across the outlet of the input magazine. Also, it is preferred that the gate project downwardly off the upper wall of the ejected carton by an amount approximately equal to the unfilled height of the carton above the product contained therein, thereby to resist any tendency for the side wall to return to its initialy flat unerected state.

Since the product will usually tend to be undersized relative to the volume available in each erected carton, it is preferred that a product-centralising device is provided at the input magazine and which is operable simultaneously to engage each end of the product via the open ends of the carton, prior to ejection of the carton from the input magazine.

One embodiment of carton packaging machine according to the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the machine; Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the machine; Figure 3 is a detail view of a control gate arranged at an outlet of an input magazine of the machine; Figure 4 is an end view corresponding to Figure 3; Figure 5 is a detail view in schematic form of a productcentralising device provided at the input magazine; and Figure 6 is a perspective illustration of a carton of the type suitable for handling by the machine.

Referring now to the drawings, there is disclosed an embodiment of carton packaging machine which is capable of receiving an open-ended erected carton which has been prefilled with product, and of progressively closing the ends of the carton during transit of the carton from an imput station to a discharge station. The carton is shown in Figure 6, and is designated generally by reference 10, having top and bottom walls 11 and 12, an upwardly foldable side wall 13 which interconnects the bottom and top walls. The carton 10 shown in Figure 6 will initially be supplied in flat pack form, but can be erected to the form shown in Figure 6 by upward folding of the side walls 13.

The ends of the carton 10 are initially open, and foldable top and bottom end flaps 14 and 15 respectively, and also inwardly foldable side wall flaps 16 are provided at each open end of the carton.

The carton 10 is relatively shallow, and is of a type suitable for containing food products in the form of "convenience foods". It is often the case that such foods do not completely fill the volume available to receive them, and there may therefore be a substantial depth of unfilled height of the erected carton, as can be seen for example in Figure 5.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 5 in detail, the carton packaging machine is designated generally by reference 17 and has an input magazine 18 at an input station to receive a stack of open-ended erected cartons 10 each pre-filled with product 19, as shown by dashed outlines. There is also an output magazine 20 at the output station to receive partly closed cartons singly, and a lifter 21 at the output magazine 20 operates to raise each carton, after reception by the magazine and operation of a switch 22, so as to form a stack in the magazine 20.

A guide path 23 extends from a carton outlet 24 of the input magazine 18 to an inlet 25 at the output magazine 20, and has guides, such as shown schematically by reference 26 and 27, which engage first with the side wall flaps 16 to fold them inwardly, and then with the lower end flap 15 which is folded upwardly, so as to partly close each carton as it passes to the output magazine 20.

A set of adhesive applicators 28 are arranged along the guide path 17, and take the form of vertically reciprocating plunger rods which move through a bath of hot melt adhesive, and which apply adhesive to the undersides of the upper end flap 14 after closure of the side wall flaps 16 and lower end flaps 15.

A guide arrangement in the output magazine, shown schematically by reference 29, engages with the upper end flaps 14 as each carton is raised by the lifter 21, in order to fold the flaps 14 downwardly and thereby complete the closure of each carton. The guide arrangement 29 may comprise sloping guide ramps arranged in opposed end walls of the magazine 20, and preferably are arranged to be able to yield outwardly after upward passage of each carton, thereby to form a temporary platform on which the raised carton can be supported, prior to upward passage of a further carton.

A gate 30 is arranged at the outlet 24 of the input magazine 18, and serves to engage the adjacent side wall 31 of each carton 10, as it is ejected from the magazine, and in such a way as to maintain the side wall in an erected state.

However, the gate 30 is biased to the closed position, shown in full lines, by any convenient means, such as a spring, and is therefore capable of yielding to allow passage of the carton from the magazine 18 to undergo the various end closure operations provided by the guides of the guide path 17.

As can be seen particularly in Figures 3 and 4, the gate 30 projects downwardly of the upper wall 12 of the carton 10 by an amount approximately equal to the unfilled height of the carton above the product 19 contained therein, thereby to resist any tendency for the side wall 31 to return to its initially flat unerected state.

Since the product 19 will usually tend to be undersized relative to the volume available in each erected carton, a product-centralising device 32 is provided (see Figure 2) at the input magazine 18 and which operates simultaneously to engage each end of the product 19 via the open ends of the carton, prior to ejection of the carton from the input magazine

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A carton packaing machine which is capable of receiving an open ended erected carton which has been prefilled with product, and of progressively closing the ends of the cartons during transit of the cartons from an input station to a discharge station, the carton being of the type having top and bottom walls, foldable side walls interconnecting the top and bottom walls, upper and lower end flaps and a pair of projecting side wall flaps at each end of the carton, and the machine comprising:: an input magazine at the input station for receiving a stack of open ended erected cartons each pre-filled with product; an output magazine at the output station for receiving parts of closed cartons singly; a lifter arranged at the output magazine to raise each carton, after reception by the magazine, to form a stack in the magazine; a guide path extending from a carton outlet of the input magazine to an inlet of the output magazine and having guides engageable with the ends of the carton in order to close the projecting side wall flaps and also the lower end flaps at each end of each carton, as it passes to the output magazine; a set of adhesive applicators arranged along the guide path to apply adhesive to the underside of the upper end flap after closure of the side wall and a lower end flap;; a guide arrangement in the output magazine which is engageable with the upper end flap as each carton is raised by the lifter in order to fold the flap downwardly and to complete the closure of each carton; and a gate arranged at the outlet of the input magazine to engage the adjacent side wall of each carton as it is ejected from the magazine in such a way as to maintain said side walls in an erected state, but being capable of yielding to allow passage of the carton from the magazine t the guide path.
2. A carton packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the gate is biassed to a closed position1 in which it extends at least partly across the outlet of the input magazine.
3. A carton packaging machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the gate is biassed by means of a spring.
4. A carton packaging machine as claimed in any one of the previous claims in which the gate projects downwardly off the upper wall of the erected carton by an amount approximately equal to the unfilled height of the carton above the product contained therein.
5. A carton packaging machine as claimed in any one of the previous claims, further comprising a product centralising device provided at the input magazine which is operable simultaneously to engage each end of the product by the open ends of the carton, prior to ejection of the carton from the input magazine.
6. A carton packaging machine as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.