US3025648A - Method and apparatus for attaching displays to containers - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1962 J. M. EICHELMAN ETAL 3,025,648

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING DISPLAYS T0 CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 27, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 20, 1962 J. M. EICHELMAN ETAL 3,025,648

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING DISPLAYS TO CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Filed Sept. 27, 1960 March 20, 1962 J. M. EICHELMAN ETAL 3,025,648

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING DISPLAYS T0 CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 27, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 9 3,025,648 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING DISPLAYS T CONTAINERS John M. Eichelman, Burr S. Eichelman, and Donald D.

Towsley, Downers Grove, and Frank E. Moifett, Batavia, John F. Molfett, Hinsdale, and Walter R. Zeltner, .Ir., Niles, Ill.

Filed Sept. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 58,844 10 Claims. (Cl. 53-137) This invention relates as indicated to a method and apparatus for attaching and securing displays, such as advertising materials, to containers, for example, paper milk bottles.

Many containers manufactured of paper materials for containing liquids are coated with Wax, or other organic substances, to make them waterproof. The containers are purchased by the filling company in large quantities with the printing already aflixed for use over a long period of time. It is difficult, if not practically impossible, to add printed matter to the container because of the Wax coatings.

If a filling company desires to place current notices on certain selected quantities of the containers, as those distributed on certain days, or weeks of the month, or on special occasions, as has been done in the past with glass bottles, it is practically impossible to do so. The wax coatings do not allow addition of printed matter and the shape of the containers does not lend itself to the attachment of conventional advertising pieces employed with glass bottles.

The Fine Patent 2,651,852 shows a display device which may be secured to containers having the shape of a paper milk carton in a manner so as to reduce the possibility of accidental displacement therefrom. This display device was attempted to be placed on the paper milk bottles by hand operation. Manual operation, however, is much too slow and difficult to keep up with the filling rate in the bottle filling company. The necessary labor for manual application of the display device of the Fine patent is, therefore, prohibitively expensive.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for rapidly applying display materials to containers of paper milk carton shape, in order to keep up with the production rate of a filling line. It is a further object of the invention to secure displays to containers automatically. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for rapidly attaching and anchoring displays to containers, so as to reduce the possibility of accidental removel. Further objects and advantages of this invention will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating an apparatus embodying the principles of the invention with one cam removed in order to show the presser members;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the application mechanism in the apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the application mechamsm;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the application mechanism taken substantially along line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a display attached to a paper milk carton;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a display removed from the paper milk carton;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the application mechanism 3,925,648 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 iQQ prior to the insertion of the tabs of the display in the recesses of the paper milk carton;

FIGURE 8 is a plan view illustrating the tucking operation in which the tabs of the display are inserted into recesses of the paper milk carton; and

FIGURE 9 is a side view showing the manner in which the presser foot inserts the tab of the display device in the recess of the paper milk carton.

The present invention is shown and described in connection with a paper milk carton of conventional construction as designated generally by reference numeral 11 in the drawings, although it is applicable to milk cartons generally, and other forms of containers, and is not restricted to the particular form, or configuration, here shown. This carton is usually rectangular, or square, shape in cross-section with a closed top. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, the top has converging sides 12 which terminate in a sealing lip, or ridge, 13 joining tog-ether the opposite sides of the car-ton and providing a top seal. Intermediate to converging sides 12 the ends or connecting sides of the carton are turned inwardly as indicated providing recesses 15 at the opposite ends of the sealing lip 13. This results in a structure having a generally prismatic top on the milk carton when sealed, with a lip, or ridge 13 extending transversely from end to end, and having indentations or recesses 15 at the ends, beneath the opposite ends of the lip 13. Each of the inturned end portions, or the recesses, 15 is in the form of a hollow, triangular pyramid.

The display adapted to be attached to the top of the milk carton is best shown in FIGURE 6 by general reference numeral 20 and is formed of a sheet of resilient, or flexible, material, such as paperboards. Printing, such as advertising, or special notices, are placed on the display portion 21 which is the central section of the sheet 20. The display portion may be approximately the same length as the top converging sides 12 of the carton 11, so that when it is mounted it forms the top wall of the converging sides 12, so that it is readily viewed by an observer. 7

A straight line slit 23 traverses longitudinally the the length of the display 20 terminating, however, intermediate the ends. The slit 23 preferably is slightly longer than the lip, or ridge, 13 of the carton. At each end of the slit 23 is a transverse slit 24 which extends only a partial distance between the sides 22 of the sheet 20. Slits 23 and 24 form an H-shaped design with tabs 29 at the ends outside slits 24.

The sheet 20 may be applied to the carton 11 in the manner evident from FIGURE 5 by pushing the sheet down over the lip 13, passing the lip through the slit 23, the width of the lip 13 being accommodated by the transverse slits 24, so that the edges of the slit 23 turn up in the form of flaps indicated at 25 in FIGURE 5. This permits the sheet to pass down to the base of the lip and to be pressed over the converging top sides 12 of the carton. At the same time the flaps 25 are resiliently pressed against the lip 13 tending to grip the latter.

When the sheet of the display device is thus applied to a carton, it may be anchored securely in place by tucking the tabs 29 into the recesses 15 beneath the opposite ends of the lip 13. As best shown in FIGURE 5, the tabs are inserted into the recessed ends 15 of the carton 11 locking the display to the carton. To facilitate folding the tabs 29 under the display portion 22 and into the recesses 15 in the carton 11, score lines 26, 27 may be inscribed on the tabs.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, as the cartons are moved between stations by a conveyer 30, the displays are placed on the cartons and the tabs tucked in the recesses 15. The displays are contained in a magazine 41 and applied 3 to the top of the carton by feed wheel 43. As the cartons are moved beneath the feed wheel on conveyer 30, slit 23 of the displays are positioned on the lip 13 of the carton.

The cartons are moved next to a station under the attaching mechanism 50 in which the displays are pressed against the top of the carton and the tabs are anchored in the recesses. The attaching mechanism 50 has a movable belt 52 which is spaced above and parallel to the conveyer 30. The belt 52 is driven by sprocket wheel 53 at the same rate of speed as the conveyer 30, so that the operations on the displays may be performed without interruption, or delay. A plurality of cover members 51, secured to the belt 52, engage the top side 12 of the cartons 11 as the latter are passed beneath the belt. The cover members 51 have the configuration of a hollow prism complementary to the configuration of the top sides 12 of the carton 11 so that the cover members 51 fit snugly on the top of the cartons as the cartons are conveyed under the belt 52. The cover members 51 press the displays down on the lip 13 and bend the display portions 21 against the top sides 12 of the carton.

As best shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the cover members are formed of shaped metal plates 55 fastened to a base member 56 by screws 57. Base member 56 has a hollow central portion in the shape of an inverted V.

A slidable carriage 60 at each end of the cover member 51 supports presser members 61 normally located outside the ends of the cover, but which may be slidably moved under the cover and into the recesses 15 of the cartons. The carriage 60 may be mounted on shafts 62, 63 which project in tubes 64, 65 of the base 56. Springs 66, 67 mounted in the tubes 64, 65 bias the shafts 62, 63 outwardly and laterally so that the presser members 61 are normally kept outside the cover 51.

Cam followers 68 are mounted on the sides of the carriage 60 and may have rollers 69 for engaging the stationary cam 70. When the cam follower 68 engages the inclined end 71 of the stationary cam 70, the carriage 60 is moved inwardly gradually placing the presser members 61 beneath the cover 51 and into the indentations, or recesses 15 of the cartons 11.

From the foregoing it is believed operation of the apparatus is apparent. As the cartons are moved beneath the feed wheel 43, as shown in FIGURE 1, the displays are fed from the magazine 41 by the feed wheel onto the lip 13 of the cartons. At this location, the tabs 29 of the displays extend laterally and project beyond the sides of the carton. The conveyor 30 next moves the cartons beneath the belt 52 of the attaching mechanism 50 and a cover member 51 is placed on the top sides of the carton so as to snugly press the display downwardly to the base of the carton lip 13. At the same time the presser members 61 engage the tabs 29 of the displays 20, which project to the sides, as shown in FIGURE 7. As the cover members 51 are moved with and at the same rate of speed as the cartons 11 on the conveyor 30, the cam follower 68 engages a stationary cam 70 which moves the presser members into the recesses of the carton bending and inserting the tabs of the displays 20 beneath the top sides 12 of the carton in order to anchor the display firmly to the carton, as shown in FIGURE 8. The presser members are then removed from the cartons and the cover members 51 lifted before the carton is transferred to the next location. The carton with the display attached is shown in FIGURE 5.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in form andthe proportion of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated, as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as further defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for attaching displays with opposite end tabs to containers having opposite end recesses, conveyer means for moving said containers, cover members for holding the displays against the top sides of the containers, presser members engageable with said display tab, means for moving said cover and presser members in the same direction and at the same speed as said conveyer means, and cam means for inserting said presser members into said container recesses to tuck the display tabs in the container recesses in order to anchor the displays to the containers.

2. In an apparatus for attaching displays to containers, cover members for engaging and urging the displays against the top side walls of the containers, presser members transversely insertable under said cover members for tucking portions of the displays into recesses of the containers, means for conveying said containers, means for moving said cover and presser members with the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members while said cover members engage and urge the displays against the top side Walls of the containers.

3. In an apparatus for rapidly securing displays with tabs to containers having recesses, conveyer means for moving the containers, means for placing the displays on the containers, presser means for inserting the tabs of the displays into the recesses of the containers, and means for moving said presser means at the same speed and in the same direction as said conveyor means.

4. In an apparatus for attaching display devices with opposite end tabs to containers having opposite end recesses, presser members for engaging said end tabs of the display devices and slidable for insertion in the container recesses, spring means for biasing said presser members away from the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members against the bias of said :spring means so as to tuck the display device tabs into the container recesses.

5. In an apparatus for automatically attaching displays to containers, cover members for engaging and urging the displays against the top side Walls of the containers, presser members transversely insertable under said cover members for tucking portions of the displays into recesses of the containers, means for urging said presser members away from the containers, means for conveying said containers, means for moving said cover and presser members with the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members into the container recesses while said cover members engage and urge the displays against the top side Walls of the container to lock the displays to the containers.

6. In an apparatus for rapidly securing displays with tabs to containers having recesses, conveyer means for moving the containers, means for pushing the displays down on the containers, presser means for inserting the tabs of the displays into the recesses of the containers, and means for moving all of the foregoing means at the same speed and in the same direction.

7. In an apparatus for automatically attaching displays with opposite end tabs to containers having opposite end recesses, conveyer means for moving said containers, cover members for pushing and holding the displays against the top sides of the containers, presser members for engaging the display tab-s, means for moving said cover and presser members in the same direction and at the same speed as said conveyer means, and cam means for inserting said presser members into said container recesses for inserting the display tabs in the container recesses.

8. In an apparatus for automatically attaching displays to containers, cover members for engaging and urging the displays against the top side walls of the containers, presser members transversely inserta-ble under said cover members for tucking portions of the displays into-recesses of the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members while said cover members engage and urge the displays against the top side walls of the containers.

9. In an apparatus for attaching displays to containers, cover members for engaging and urging the displays against the top side Walls of the containers, presser members transversely insertable under said cover members for tucking portions of the displays into recesses of the containers, means for conveying said containers, means for moving said cover and presser members with the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members while said cover members engage and urge the displays against the top side Walls of the container in order to anchor the displays to the containers.

10. In an apparatus for attaching displays to containers, presser members transversely inserta-ble for tucking portions of the displays into recesses of the containers, means for conveying said containers, means for moving said presser members with the containers, and cam means for inserting said presser members to tuck the portions of the display in the container recesses.

No references cited.

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