MXPA00010040A - Case sealer mast and trolley assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A mast and trolley assembly for a case sealer machine includes a set of fixed bearing members mounted upon the trolley assembly, and a set of movably adjustable bearing members mounted upon the trolley assembly such that opposite sides of the trolley assembly will engage the mast member with the proper degree of tension whereby adjustable vertical movements of the trolley assembly along the mast member are smoothly accomplished without any play or chatter. The machine head assembly is also bolted to the trolley assembly such that replacement or exchange of different sized head assemblies are readily, easily, and quickly achieved. A coiled spring mechanism is mounted upon the mast member and operatively attached to the trolley assembly so as to counterbalance the weight of the trolley and head assemblies thereby rendering the vertical adjustments of the head and trolley assemblies along the mast member easy to achieve in a counterbalanced manner. A mast guard, a mast cap, a spring guard, and a trolley guard enclose the various operative components of the machine so as to eliminate safety hazards for operator personnel.

Description

ASSEMBLY OF POST AND CART FOR. SEALING PACKAGING FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to packaging equipment or sealing apparatus or boxes, and more particularly to a new and improved carriage and post assembly for mounting the carriage assembly on the machine post, equipment or apparatus to be easily and quickly capable of elevationally adjusting the head assembly of equipment or machine on which the apparatus carriage assembly is mounted. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Packing or box sealing machines, equipment or apparatus conventionally comprise a base frame assembly to which a vertically extending post member is fixedly secured. The vertically extending post member has a carriage assembly movably mounted on the post, so that the carriage assembly is capable of being arranged at any one of an infinite number of vertical positions relative to the vertically extending post member. The carriage assembly, in turn, supports a head assembly on which the various sealing mechanisms of packages or boxes are disposed. Accordingly, as a result of the vertical adjustability of the head assembly relative to the vertically extending post member, due to the vertically adjustable movement capabilities of the carriage assembly relative to the vertically extending post member, the various packaging sealing mechanisms or boxes can be placed or arranged in a vertically appropriate manner with respect to the particular package or box to be sealed. In accordance with the first type of conventional packaging, box or packaging machine, apparatus or box, the vertical adjustment of the head and carriage assembly relative to the vertically extending post member comprises a vertically extending shaft and a rotating rope mechanism. , wherein the rotation of the rotary rope mechanism converts into effect the rotary movement in vertical translation of the head and carriage assembly on the vertically extending axis. Although this system is obviously viable in its operations, the operation of this rotating rope mechanism is complicated, tedious and slow when, for example, rapid or long vertical movements of the head and carriage assemblies are desired or required with respect to the axis that is extends vertically. According to a second type of conventional machine, equipment or apparatus packaging sealer or boxes, the vertically adjustable carriage assembly, to move the head assembly with respect to the vertically extending post member, comprises a welded assembly that limits the flexibility and system versatility. More particularly, if, for example, a head assembly of different size must be mounted on the carriage assembly, to conveniently accommodate boxes or packaging of different sizes, or the like, to be closed and sealed, it is necessary to disassemble or break the welds to Remove the old head assembly, and weld the new head assembly into the cart assembly. Obviously, this procedure is very long and expensive. In addition, the bearing members comprise conventional radial-type bearing assemblies that limit the load-bearing capacity of the carriage assembly, which supports the head assembly in an inclined manner, with respect to the movements of the head and carriage assemblies on the carriage assembly. vertically extending pole member. Moreover, many of the operating components of the pole and carriage assemblies are not sufficiently covered, and in this way the operating components present safety risks to the operating personnel. Accordingly, there is a need in the art of sealing packages and boxes of a new apparatus, machine or box or package sealing equipment comprising a new and improved carriage and post assembly., where the vertical adjustments of the head and carriage assemblies of the machine on the pole member can be achieved easily and quickly. In addition, there is a need in the art to provide a new and improved carriage and pole assembly with greater flexibility and versatility to accommodate, for example, different head assemblies, as well as sufficient load bearing capabilities relative to the different head assemblies. . Moreover, there is a need in the art to provide a new and improved truck and pole assembly, where the various operating components of the pole and carriage assemblies are sufficiently or appropriately covered, so that the operating components do not present risks of security for the operator personnel. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved packaging, box or packaging equipment, machine or apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved box, packing or packaging equipment, apparatus or apparatus that effectively addresses the various operational disadvantages characteristic of the prior art equipment, packaging or packing sealing apparatus and machines. A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus, equipment or box sealing machine, wherein the vertical adjustments of the machine head and carriage assemblies on the post member can be achieved quickly and easily, and where the carriage assembly is such that it presents sufficient load bearing capacities. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved box, packaging or packaging apparatus, equipment or machine, wherein the pole and carriage assembly has capabilities of flexibility and versatility, and wherein the various operating components of the pole assemblies and carriage are sufficiently and properly covered so that the operating components do not present safety risks to the operating personnel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention by providing a new and improved apparatus, equipment or box sealing machine, comprising a base frame assembly; a vertical post member that is screwed into its lower end portion with the base frame assembly of the machine to extend or project up; a head assembly on which, for example, the tape cartridge for box or packaging is supported or transported, for sealing or gluing the box or packaging; and a carriage assembly adapted to be slidably mounted on the vertically extending or projecting pole member, and to which the head assembly is secured to allow vertical adjustment of the head assembly relative to the projecting pole member. up or extends vertically. A constant force spring is mounted on the upper end portion of the pole member, operatively connected to the carriage assembly to counteract the weight of the head and carriage assemblies, and consequently assist in the vertically adjustable movements of the carriage assembly. carriage, and the head assembly attached thereto, with respect to, and on the pole member extending vertically or projecting upwards. The head assembly is also bolted to the carriage assembly, to make the machine or equipment flexible and versatile, with which the head replacement or exchange operation is relatively easy and quick, without long machine or equipment downtime. A pole plug, a spring protector, a pole guard and a carriage guard are also mounted on the components of the pole and carriage assembly, to effectively cover the various internal components mounted on the pole and carriage assembly, with the purpose of protecting the operating personnel. In accordance with the carriage assembly characteristic of the present invention, the carriage assembly is adapted to effectively encircle the post member, and the carriage assembly is provided with two series of bearing members that are respectively joined with two opposite sides of the carriage assembly. pole member, while a pair of wear strips are respectively joined with the other two opposite sides of the pole member. One of the wear strips is fixed and the other wear strip is adjustable, and similarly, one of the series of bearings is fixed, while the other series of bearings is adjustable. Accordingly, the carriage assembly is adjustably attached on the post member, so that the carriage assembly is movably mounted on the post member, without any defined play between the post member and the carriage assembly, and without generating any noise or jolt. In addition to the structure described, the carriage assembly also comprises a security screw that can be fixedly attached to the post member, to secure the carriage assembly in a particularly desired vertical position on the post member, since the assembly of carriage moves to the selected vertical position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Many other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals designate similar or corresponding parts in the drawings. various views, and where: Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in cross section, of a packaging sealing machine related to the new and improved cart and pole assembly system, constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings that can be used of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side elevational view, in partial cross-section, of the packaging sealing machine disclosed in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a side elevational view similar to that of Figure 2, but showing only the pole assembly and carriage constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention, and where the fixing wrench or safety screw does not appear. Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the pole and carriage assembly shown in Figure 3, where the carriage guard, carriage faceplate and spring guard do not appear. Figure 5 is a side elevational view similar to that of Figure 3, but which nevertheless shows only the carriage assembly constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. Figure 6 is a rear elevated view of the carriage assembly, which is shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a rear planar top view of the carriage assembly, shown in Figure 5, where schematically illustrated as mounts the carriage assembly on the pole member. Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the bearing support bar that is used in the carriage assembly. Figure 9 is a side elevational view of a T-head member used in conjunction with the adjustable bearing members of the carriage assembly. Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the carriage faceplate component of the carriage assembly. Figure 11 is a front elevational view of a helical spring support for the coil spring member of the carriage assembly. Figure 12 is a side elevational view of the helical spring support shown in Figure 11. Figure 13 is a front elevational view of a helical spring shaft for the coil spring member. Figure 14 is a side elevational view of the carriage assembly that balances the helical spring member. Figure 15 is a front elevated view of the coil spring member shown in Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a front elevational view of the spring block member to be mounted on the carriage assembly. Figure 17 is a side elevational view of a pole guard for covering or partially covering the post member of the packaging sealing machine. Figure 18 is a top plan view of the pole guard illustrated in Figure 17. Figure 19 is a side elevational view of a spring guard to cover the front portion of the spring mechanism. Figure 20 is a side elevation view of a carriage guard that covers the front of the carriage assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, a packaging sealing machine is generally disclosed by reference number 10, in connection with which the principles and teachings may be used. of the present invention, pursuant to which the new and improved post and truck assembly system was constructed and will be described in detail. In view of the fact that the various operating components of the packaging sealing machine 10, in addition to the new and improved carriage and post assembly system, are not actually part of the present invention, only a brief description of the packaging machine 10 per se, and this description will then be followed by a detailed description of the new and improved cart and pole assembly system comprising the present invention. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the package sealing machine 10 comprises a base frame assembly 12 which of course functions to support the machine on a production facility floor, or other platform. A vertically extending post 14 is fixedly secured at its lower end to a rear portion of the base frame assembly 12, which can best be seen in Figure 2, so that the post 14 projects upwardly from the frame assembly of base 12, and a head assembly 16 is adapted to be adjustably mounted on the post 14 by a slide carriage assembly 18. The head assembly 16 functions to mount a tape cartridge, not shown, for use in sealing of cartons, packages and the like, adapted to be sealed by the packaging sealing machine 10. Referring now to Figures 3 to 7, details of the carriage assembly 18 will be stipulated and described, and as the carriage assembly 18 is mounted on, and operatively interacts with the pole member 14. As can best be appreciated, for example in Figure 7, the carriage assembly 18 is adapted to annularly surround the truck. pole 14 for which is illustrated in dotted lines for illustrative purposes. The carriage assembly 18 is provided with a one-of-a-kind mounting system comprising first and second adjustable devices for adjustably joining with the post member 14, so that as a result of the adjustment of the first adjustable device, the carriage assembly 18 it is movably mounted on the pole member 14 in vertical ascending and descending modes without any relative play existing between the pole member 14 and the carriage assembly 18, and where no vibrations or noises will be generated when performing vertical adjustment movements of the assembly of carriage 18 relative to the post member 14. As a result of the adjustment of the second adjustable device, the carriage assembly 18 is effectively secured to a particular vertical lift relative to the post member 14, so that the packaging sealing operation in particular can be carried out on a box, packaging or the like by assembling the head 16 and the cartridge d e tape mounted on it. More particularly, it can be appreciated that the mounting system for mounting the carriage assembly 18 on the post member 14 comprises a fixed side carriage plate 20 and a fixation side carriage plate. It can be seen that the inner surface of the fixed side carriage plate 20 comprises a notched portion 24 in which a fixed side wear strip 26 is fixedly fixed by a suitable fastener, which is not shown, so that the fixed side wear strip 26 is attached, for example, to the left side, when considered or viewed in Figure 1, of the pole member 14. The inner surface of the plate Carriage of the securing side 22 is similarly provided with a notched portion 28 in which a fixing side wear strip 30 is disposed in a manner essentially suitable for friction. Accordingly, fastener side wear strip 30 is not fixed on the fastener side carriage plate 22, but is movable in the notch portion 28 by four fastening screws 32 projecting through openings 34 defined in the plate side of carriage fastener 22, and joins with the fastener side wear strip 30 to effectively move the fastener side wear strip 30 so that it joins the right side, to be considered in Figure 1, of the pole member 14 with the amount of force desired. In this way, the right and left sides of the carriage assembly 18, i.e., the clamping side of the carriage assembly 18 and the fixed side of the carriage assembly 18, are tightly joined with the right and left sides of the post member 14. The front side of the carriage assembly 18 comprises a series of four bearing assemblies that include rotating bearing members 36 that are respectively disposed at the four corners of the front side of the carriage assembly 18, so that the bearing members 36 can considered as arranged in upper and lower pairs spaced horizontally or laterally of the bearing members 36, or pairs spaced vertically on the left and right sides of the bearing members 36. Suitable screw fasteners 38, projecting inwardly from the plate of fixed-sided carriage 20 and side-by-side carriage plate 22 are joined by rope with axial portions of the bale assemblies ro, so that the rotational axes of the bearing assemblies are fixed, while still allowing the bearing members 36 to rotate, where the bearing spacers 40 are interposed axially and respectively between the bearing members 36 and the plate of fixed-sided carriage 20, as well as between the fastening side carriage plate 22 and the bearing members 36. It can be appreciated that in accordance with the pole and carriage assembly of the present invention, the bearing members 36 are disposed in contact with the front side of the post member 14.

Similarly, the rear side of the carriage assembly 18 also comprises a series of four bearing assemblies that include rotating bearing members 42 respectively disposed at the four corners of the rear side of the carriage assembly 18, so that the bearing members 42 can also be considered as arranged in upper and lower pairs laterally or horizontally spaced from the bearing members 42, or vertically spaced pairs at the right and left sides of the bearing members 42. Each upper and lower series of the bearing member 42 is supported on a bearing support bar 44 whose details are more clearly illustrated in Figure 8. The bearing support bar 44 comprises a central section of enlarged diameter 46 and a pair of bearing shaft sections of bearings 48 and 50, which have diametrical extensions smaller than those of the central section 46, which extend axially outward in direction opposed to the central section 46. In this manner, the flange portions 52 are respectively defined between each end of the central section 46 and its respective bearing support shaft section, 48.50. As seen in Figures 6 and 7, when the bearing members 42 are mounted on the bearing support bar 44, and in particular on the bearing support shaft sections 48 and 50, the bearing members 42 bear against the flange portions 52. For better appreciation, again referring to Figures 5 to 7, the rear side of each of the fixed side and side-by-side carriage plates 20 and 22 is provided with essentially rectangular grooves or openings 54 and 56 in its upper and lower regions, wherein each of the slots or openings 54 and 56 has a substantially T-shaped transverse configuration, which can best be seen in Figure 6. T-head members 58, which have transverse configurations with essentially T-shaped, which coincides with the transverse configuration of the slots or openings 54 and 56, and as illustrated in Figure 9, are adapted to be disposed within the slots or openings in T 54 and 56 of the fixed-side and side-holding carriage plates 20 and 22. The opposite distal ends of the bearing support shaft sections 48 and 50 of the bearing support rod 44 are provided with beveled bores. or with ropes 60 and 62, and each of the T-head members 58 is similarly provided with a transverse bore 64. In this way, suitable fasteners 66 are inserted through the transverse bores 64 of the T-head members. 58, and are joined with rope with the beveled bores 60 and 62 of the bearing support shaft sections 48 and 50. As was the case with the bearing members 36 disposed on the front side of the carriage assembly 18, the spacers of bearing 68 are disposed on the support shaft sections of bearing 48 and 50 to interpose between the T-head members 58 and the bearing members 42, as best seen in Figures 6 and 7. As best you can appreciate In Figure 5, the longitudinal extent of each of the essentially rectangular grooves or openings 54 and 56 is greater than the diametrical extension of the T-head members 58, and consequently the T-head members 58 are capable of moving longitudinally in the openings or grooves 54 and 56. In order to effect this movement of the T-head members 58 in the openings or grooves 54 and 56, comprising a unique feature of the carriage assembly of the present invention, the openings 70, which can be better appreciated in Figure 5, are respectively provided in the lower and upper regions of the fixed-side trolley plates and fastening side 20 and 22 so that the set screws, which are not shown, can be inserted through these and join with the head members in T 58. In this way, as the fastener screws, which are not shown, are rotated, they effectively function as movement components that move the head members on T 58, and consequently the bearing members 42, into the carriage assembly 18 so as bearing members 42 are joined with the back side of the post member 14, as best seen in Figure 7. Accordingly, as a result of the positional adjustment of the bearing members 42, as well as the aforementioned positional adjustment of the stripe fastener side wear 30, the carriage assembly 18 is positionally adjusted relatively tightly on the post member 14, so that when the carriage assembly 18 slides up and down on the post member 14, These movements are able to be performed in a smooth and stable manner, and without undesirable noise or vibration. Once the carriage assembly 18 and the head assembly 16 attached thereto move up or down relative to the post member 14, as noted above, it is of course desirable to positionally hold the carriage assembly 18, and the head assembly 16 attached thereto, in a particular elevational position with respect to the post member 14. In order to join the head assembly 16 with the carriage assembly 18, the carriage assembly 18 further comprises a front plate member of carriage 72 which appears better in Figures 5 and 10. It can be seen that the edge portions of the opposite side of the carriage front plate 72 are provided with blind upper and lower bevelled blind holes 74 and 76, within the that suitable rope fasteners 78 are inserted, inserted through the openings defined within the carriage plate of the fixed side 20 and the carriage plate of the fastening side, to join by means of a rope, so that the carriage front plate 72 is fixedly secured on the carriage assembly 18. Furthermore, the carriage front plate 72 is also provided with four beveled bores 80 in which they can be joined by additional suitable screw-securing cords. , not shown, for mounting the proximal end of the head assembly 16 on the carriage face plate 72, as can be seen in Figure 2. This is a unique feature of the post and carriage system of the sealing machine. of packing 10, in the sense that by simply screwing the head assembly 10 with the carriage assembly 18, different head assemblies can be quickly and easily exchanged when removing the screw fasteners, which are not shown, thereby removing an assembly of head in particular, replace the removed head assembly with a new head assembly, and reassemble the new head assembly head in the carriage assembly 18 when reinserting the rope screw fasteners, not shown, into the beveled bores 80 of the carriage front plate 72. Returning to the discussion of posisionally holding the carriage assembly 18, and assembling the carriage assembly 18 head 16 mounted on it, in a particular elevational position with respect to the post member 14, a handle, key or fastening screw 82 is provided. A fastening screw 84 is fixedly secured to the fastener side carriage plate 22 by suitable screw fasteners , not shown, which are inserted in a pair of vertically spaced bevelled perforations 86, defined in the carriage plate of the fastening side 22. Corresponding non-bevelled perforations are provided in the wear strip of the fastening side 30, to allow the wear strip of fastener side 30 is adjusted posisionally with respect to carriage assembly 18 and post member 14 as discussed previously without interfering with the fixed fastener mounting screw 84 on the carriage plate 22. As bra side best seen in Figures 6 and 7, the tang 88 of the fastening wrench or fastening screw 82 have an external cord, and the fastening nut 84 has an internal nut, so that the pin 88 of the fastening wrench or fastening screw 82 are connected by means of a rope to the fastening nut or safety nut 84. The fastener side carriage plate 22 and the fastener side wear strip 30 are also provided with non-bevelled openings to allow the distal end of the pin 88 of the hold-down key or security screw 82 to project through these, without interfering operatively with these, when the securing key or security screw 82 is rotated by rope to effectively move into the interior of the carriage assembly 18, as best seen in Figure 7. In this way, when the security key or fastener screw 82 is rotated and translated by rope, the distal end of the pin 88 of the safety key or fastening screw 82 will be joined with the right side the post member 14, as seen or seen in Figure 1, wherein the entire carriage assembly 18, and the head assembly 16 assembled and transported thereon, will be fixedly attached to the post member 14 so that the lifting arrangement of the carriage assembly 18 and the head assembly 16 will be fixed relative to the pole member 14. The positional elevational adjustments of the carriage assembly 18 and the head assembly 16 can consequently be subsequently achieved simply by loosening the safety key or fastener screw 82 when unscrewing it with respect to the fastening nut or lock nut 84, by elevationally moving the carriage and head assemblies 18 and 16 to a desired new lifting position, and subsequently retightening the fastening wrench or safety screw 82 relative to the securing nut or safety nut 84. In order to facilitate the lifting operations of the assemblies carriage and head 18 and 16, when the safety key or fastening screw 82 is loosened relative to the post member 14, by counteracting the weight of the carriage and head assemblies 18 and 16 when the carriage and header assemblies 18 and 16 16 move positionally either upwards or downwards on the post member 14, the post and carriage assembly further comprises a helical spring mechanism which is generally illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 and which is indicated by the number of reference 90. More specifically, a helical spring support 92, which is illustrated in detail in Figures 11 and 12, comprises a U-shaped spring shaft support member 94, and an inverted U-shaped support bracket towards below 96. Respective base portions 98 and 100 of the shaft support member 94 and the support bracket 96 are attached to one another such as, for example, by welding, and the projecting upward ends 102 of the support member. Shaft support 94 are provided with axially aligned bores or apertures 104. The shaft support member 94 is adapted to firmly support a spring shaft 106 that is illustrated in Figure 13, and it can be seen that the opposite ends of the spring shaft 106 are provided with bevel bores 108 for receiving nuts with rope 110 that are inserted through the bores or openings 104 of the shaft support member 94 and in the beveled bores 108 of the spring shaft 106, as can be seen from Figure 4. As will be discussed shortly, the spring shaft 106 supports a coil spring member of the coil spring member 90. The U-shaped inverted support bracket 96 similarly comprises a pair of dependent legs 112, 112, which in turn they are respectively provided with axially aligned openings 114,114. It will be appreciated that the axes defined between the openings 104, 104 of the spring shaft support member 94, and between the openings 114 of the support bracket 96 are perpendicular to each other., and this arrangement allows the coil spring support 92 to appropriately support a helical spring member 116 on the spring shaft support member 94 while the support bracket 96 is fixedly attached to the upper end portion of the spring member. post 14, as can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, by means of suitable fasteners, not shown, which are inserted through openings 114, 114 and in bevelled perforations, which are also not shown, provided in post member 14. The coil spring member 16 is illustrated in Figures 14 and 15, and it is noted that the coil spring member 116 is comprised of a helical steel spring which, as is known in the art, has a memory that tends to shrink the helical spring when the spring is stretched. An inner or initial end portion of the spring member 116 is mounted or fixed to a spring hub member 118, as can be seen in Figures 1 to 4, which freely rotates about the spring shaft 106, and in order to maintaining the spring hub member 118 centered on the spring shaft 106, a pair of spring shaft spacers 120, 120 are mounted on opposite ends of the spring shaft 106 to interpose between the spring hub member 118 and the ends upright 102,102 of the spring shaft support member 94. In order to fix the free end 122 of the helical spring member 116 to the carriage assembly 18 to counteract the weight of the carriage assembly 18 and the head assembly 16 as was done note above, a spring block 124 is fixed, as illustrated in detail in Figure 16, with the carriage assembly 18 as shown in Figures 3 to 6. More particularly, as can best be seen in Figure 16 , the spring block 124 is provided with four beveled bores 126, and it can be seen from Figs. 14 and 15 that the free end 122 of the coil spring member 116 is provided with a pair of openings 128. Accordingly, fasteners can be passed through. suitable rope, not shown, through the openings 128 of the spring member 116 and in the bevelled perforations 126 of the spring block 124 to secure the free end 122 of the spring member 116 with the spring block 124. There is a larger number of perforations 126 provided in the spring block 124 that the number of openings 128 provided in the spring member 116, to accommodate different spring fabrications, where the spacing between openings of a particular spring member may differ. In order to secure the spring block 124 in the carriage assembly 18, opposite ends of the spring block 124 are provided with a pair of beveled perforations 130 into which suitable rope fasteners 132 may be inserted after these fasteners 132 have passed through suitable openings, not numbered, provided in the fixed-side carriage plate 20 and the carriage plate of the fastening side 22, as can be seen in Figures 5 and 6. A last important characteristic of the present invention resides in the fact that all major operating components of pole and carriage assembly are covered or protected by suitable removable protective structures, to protect the operating personnel. More particularly, it is noted in the first place that the pole and carriage assembly, as best illustrated, for example, in Figures 1 to 4, comprises a pole guard 134 which is illustrated in detail in Figures 17 and 18, and it can be seen that they have an essentially trilateral and U-shaped configuration comprising a rear wall 136 and a pair of opposite side walls 138. It can be readily appreciated from Figures 1 and 4 that the post shield 134 is adapted to cover or span three sides of the post member 14, i.e. the left side wall 140 of the post member 14, the right side wall 142 of the post member 14, and the rear side wall 144 of the post member 14, as seen or considered in Figures 1 and 4, while the front side wall 146 of the member 14 post 14 remains covered or not covered, to allow the head assembly 16 to be joined and project forward from the carriage assembly 18. It is also noted that while the post guard 134 encompasses or covers three sides of the member of post 14, opposite side walls 138 of post guard 134 are remote from side walls 140 and 142 of post member 14, to respectively define gaps or separations 148 and 150. Similarly, back wall 136 of guard 13 post 134 is remote from the rear side wall 144 of post member 14 to define a space or spacing 152. In this manner, spaces or spacings 148,150 and 152 of post guard 134 and post member 14 allow have the respective rear and side portions of the carriage assembly 18 disposed in these spaces to facilitate vertical movements of the carriage assembly 18 on and with respect to the post member 14 during the vertical adjustable movements of the head and carriage assemblies. and 16. Each of the opposite side walls 138 of the post shield 134 also comprises an essentially rear cutting or notching portion 153 which, as best seen in Figures 1 to 3, provides access to the operator to the fastening screw or spanner. safety 82 on the carriage assembly 18, which is then effectively projected outwardly, laterally, by the notch or cutting portion 153 of the post guard 134. In order to define or establish these spaces or separations 148, 150 152, a post spacer 154 is adapted to be secured with the lower portion of post member 14, as best seen in FIG. Figure 4, and the lower ends of the opposite side walls 138 of the post shield 134 are fixedly secured to the post spacer 154 by suitable fasteners 156 which pass through the openings 157 defined in the lower ends of the opposite side walls 138 of the guard. post 134. It can also be seen from Figures 1, 2 and 4 that the lower end of the post member 14, including the post spacer 154, is adapted to be securely secured to the machine base assembly 12 by a plurality of nut fasteners 158. Similarly, the post guard holders 160 are adapted to be secured with upper external portions of the side walls 140, 142 of the post member 14, and the upper regions of the side walls 138 of the post guard 134 are adapted to Securely secure the post guard brackets 160 using suitable fasteners that pass through the openings 162 define the upper regions of the side walls 138 of the post shield 134, as best seen in Figure 17. In this way, the post shield supports 160 are interposed steadily between the upper regions of the post member 14 and the post guard 134. The upper end of the pole guard 134, which can be best seen in Figures 2 and 3, also functions to partially cover the coil spring mechanism 90 on its three sides, provided with a post shield plug 164 As shown in Figures 17 and 18, suitable openings 166 are provided in the upper end portions of the back wall of the pole guard 136 and the side walls 138 for receiving fasteners suitable for inserting into the post shield plug 164. , in order to secure the pole guard plug 164 with the top end portion of the pole guard 134. In order to completely cover nte the helical spring mechanism 90, a spring protector 168 is adapted to be secured with the pole guard plug 164. As shown more particularly in Figure 19, the spring protector 168 essentially comprises a vertically extending plate portion 160 having a portion of rolled edge 172 formed on the lower edge portion to be joined with the laterally spaced pole guard supports 160, as will be better appreciated from Figure 3. The upper end portion of spring guard 168 is provided with a pair of laterally openings 164, of which only one is shown in Figure 19, where suitable fasteners, not shown, can be securely secured with the spring protector 168, with a front portion of the pole guard plug 164, as well as see Figure 3. As a result of providing the spring protector 168, the pole guard plug 164 and the pole guard 134, it will be appreciated that the spring mechanism 90 is completely covered by its four sides, and furthermore, the vertical arrangement of the pole guard 134 also covers the vertical extension of the coil spring 116 which extends, for example, between the spring hub member 118 and the spring block 124 to effectively eliminate any safety risk for the operating personnel. With a final reference to Figure 20, a carriage protector 176 is illustrated, and the carriage guard 176 is adapted to be secured to the front side of the carriage assembly 18, to similarly cover it to eliminate security risks associated therewith, in particular as it relates to the bearing members 36. It can be seen that the carriage guard 176 is similar in structure to the spring protector 168, and can be seen to comprise a vertically extending plate portion 178 with upper convoluted edge portions. and lower 180, 182 to be joined respectively with upper and lower end portions of the carriage assembly 18. The carriage protector 176 is also provided with a plurality of openings 184 through which suitable fasteners can be extended to secure the carriage protector 176 over the front surface portion of the carriage assembly 18. More particularly, the carriage protector 176 is ad adapted to be secured with the carriage faceplate 72 by the same fasteners that extend through the perforations 80 of the carriage face plate 72, and which attach the head assembly 16 to the carriage assembly 18 by the carriage face plate 72 In this manner, the carriage guard 176 is interposed or effectively sandwiched between the head assembly 16 and the carriage front plate 72 of the carriage assembly 18. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that in accordance with the various teachings and principles of the present invention, a pole and carriage assembly structure is described that allows easy and quick vertical lift adjustments of the carriage assembly and the head assembly carried by it. In addition, the carriage assembly is mounted on the post member quickly and easily adjustable, so that the vertical positional movements of the carriage assembly relative to the post member are smoothly achieved and without any play or vibration. The fastening systems of the various components and assemblies of the machine make the maintenance, repair and exchange of components easy and simple, and also the various protective members fixed on the machine assemblies protect the operating personnel from potential risks to safety. Obviously many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Accordingly, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced in other ways than those specifically described herein.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS 1. A pole and carriage assembly for use in connection with a machine, comprising: a vertically extending pole member; a head assembly that has components to perform an operative function on a product to be processed by the machine; a carriage assembly having the head assembly fixed and mounted on the vertically extending post member to move through the pole member between different vertical lift positions; a first device mounted on the carriage assembly for adjustably joining the post member with varying degrees of force, so that the carriage assembly is movably mounted on the post member between the various vertical lift positions in a relatively smooth manner , no excessive play or vibration defined between the pole member and the carriage assembly; and a second device mounted on the carriage assembly for fixedly attaching the post member, for securing the carriage assembly in a particular elevational position on the post member when the carriage assembly of the first carriage of different vertical lift positions, at a second of the different vertical lift positions. The pole and carriage assembly specified in claim 1, wherein the first device comprises: a first series of bearing members mounted on a first side of the carriage assembly on a fixed axis and which can be joined with a first side of the carriage assembly; member of post; and a second series of bearing members mounted on a second opposite side of the carriage assembly and on an axis that is movable to and from a second side of the pole member, which is opposite the first side of the pole member, to be able to be joined with the second side of the pole member; and devices for adjustably joining the second series of bearing members to move the second series of bearing members to the second side of the pole member to cause the joining of the second series of bearing members to the second side of the pole member, wherein the carriage assembly can be tightly mounted on the pole member as a result of joining the first and second series of bearing members with the opposite first and second sides of the post member. The pole and carriage assembly specified in claim 2, further comprising: a first wear strip fixedly mounted on a third side of the carriage assembly to be joined with a third side of the pole member; and a second wear strip adjustably mounted on a fourth side of the carriage assembly, disposed opposite the third side of the carriage member, to be adjustably joined with a fourth side of the post member, which is disposed oppositely to the third side of the post member. . The post and carriage assembly specified in claim 3, wherein: the second device mounted on the carriage member to be fixedly attached to the post member comprises a safety screw mounted adjustably on the carriage member and connectable with the carriage member. the pole member for fixing the carriage member to a particular elevational position with respect to the pole member. The pole and carriage assembly specified in claim 2, further comprising: a spring member mounted on the pole member and operatively connected to the carriage assembly to counteract the weight of the carriage and head assemblies, in a manner that the carriage and head assemblies can be positioned vertically with respect to the post member in a stable and balanced manner. 6. A packaging sealing machine comprising: a vertically extending post member; a head assembly that has components to perform an operative function on a product to be processed by the machine; a carriage assembly secured to a head assembly and mounted on the vertically extending post member to move on the post member between different vertical lift positions; a first device mounted on the carriage assembly for adjustably joining the post member with varying degrees of force, so that the carriage assembly moves on the post member in a stable manner between the different vertical lift positions in a relatively smooth manner , without defined play or excessive vibration between the pole member and the carriage assembly; and a second device mounted on the carriage assembly for fixedly attaching the post member to fix the carriage assembly to a particular elevational position on the post member when the carriage assembly moves from the first of different vertical lift positions to the carriage assembly. second of different vertical elevational positions. The machine specified in claim 6, wherein the first device comprises: a first series of bearing members fastened on a first side of the carriage assembly on a fixed axis and which can be joined with a first side of the post member; and a second series of bearing members mounted on a second opposite side of the carriage assembly and on an axis moving from and to a second side of the pole member, which is opposite the first side of the pole member, to join with the second side of the pole member; and a device for adjustably holding the second series of bearing members to move the second series of bearing members to the second side of the pole member to cause the joining of the second series of bearing members with the second side of the pole member. , wherein the carriage assembly can be tightly mounted on the post member as a result of the connection between the first and second series of bearing members, with the first and second opposite sides of the post member. The machine specified in claim 7, further comprising: a first wear strip fixedly mounted on a third side of the carriage assembly for joining a third side of the pole member; and a second wear strip adjustably mounted on a fourth side of the carriage assembly, disposed opposite the third side of the pole member, to be adjustably joined with a fourth side of the pole member that is disposed opposite the third side of the pole member. The machine specified in claim 8 wherein: the second device mounted on the carriage member to be fixedly attached to the post member comprises a fastening screw adjustably mounted on the carriage member and connectable with the post member for fastening the carriage member to a particular elevational position with respect to the post member. The machine specified in claim 7, further comprising: a spring member mounted on the pole member and operatively connected to the carriage assembly to counteract the weight of the head and carriage assemblies, so that the assemblies of head and carriage can be positioned vertically with respect to the post member in a stable and balanced manner.