GB810796A - Improvements in or relating to a machine for packing containers into cases - Google Patents

Abstract

810,796. Packaging. EMHART MANUFACTURING CO. July 25, 1956 [Aug. 15, 1955], No. 23046/56. Class 94(1). In a machine for packing containers, e.g. milk cartons 6 of uniform square or rectangular cross-section, in cases 50, four rows of cartons 6 are fed into the machine by a conveyer 5 and over a dead plate 7 with the rows at different levels onto a trap door 26, 27. When the leading cartons have crossed the trap door, the tops of all the cartons are gripped, the trap door opens and the cartons are lowered into an empty case 50 on a conveyer 49. The conveyer 5 delivers the cartons over the dead plate 7 which is formed at two levels by the sections 12, 15, Fig. 7, so that the two outer rows of cartons drop slightly in passing over this plate as shown in Fig. 8. The trap door has two sections 26, 27, the rear section 26 being formed by four horizontal fingers 22a projecting through notches 18 in the dead plate 7 and on the same level as the raised section 12 and four other fingers 25a projecting through notches 17 in the dead plate and on the same level as the lower sections 15, all these fingers being fixed to a shaft 23. The other half of the trap door is composed of similar fingers 30a, 31a, on a shaft 28. When the front carton of each row has been pushed by the succeeding cartons over the trap door, it strikes a detector 36 and when all the detectors 36 have been struck, mechanism is operated whereby gripper fingers 71R, 71L, 73R, 73L, engage grooves 71 around the cartons, as shown in Fig. 8. The gripper fingers are attached to a head 58, composed of three sections 58a, 58b, 58c, Fig. 1, and this is operated by an air motor 61. When the gripper fingers engage the cartons, the movement of conveyer 5 is interrupted and an empty case 50 on conveyer 49 moves into position under the trap door 26, 27, is stopped by a fixed stop 51 and actuates a detector 52 so lowering head 58 and the gripper fingers. The movement of the head causes the trap door 26, 27 to swing open and the cartons drop through a funnel 106 into the empty case 50 as shown in Fig. 6. The funnel is lowered slightly during this operation in order to align itself in the mouth of the case 50 and thus guide the cartons into it. When this has happened, a cam strip 139, on the head 58, Fig. 1, actuates another detector, thus causing release of the gripper fingers, raising of the funnel and gripper head and closing of the trap door. When the head is near the top of its journey it contacts another detector which operates a case kicker 54, thus projecting the filled case past the fixed stop 51 and also restarts the conveyer 5. The whole cycle then begins again. The machine is pneumatically operated and may have electrical or mechanical controls to operate it in the correct sequence. Specification 810,795 is referred to.