Packaging machine and apparatus therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10086961-B2
Application number	US-201515515516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for a packaging machine comprising; a first conveyor for conveying an input stream of articles, a second conveyor for conveying an output stream of articles, a guide path configured as a loop and one or more tools coupled to the guide path. Each tool comprises a tool head for engaging with one or more articles in the input stream. The tool head is operable to transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The one or more articles are placed upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having one or more tiers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a packaging machine comprising: a first conveyor for conveying an input stream of articles; a second conveyor for conveying an output stream of articles;
a guide path configured as a loop; one or more tools coupled to the guide path; wherein each tool comprises: a tool head for engaging with one or more articles in the input stream; the tool head being operable to transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the one or more articles being placed upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having two or more tiers, wherein the first conveyor is arranged so as to converge towards the second conveyor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discrete groups are metered at a predefined pitch.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each tool is independently driven about the guide path by a drive motor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide path is mounted over a portion of the first conveyor and a portion of the second conveyor.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide path comprises a first working reach and a second working reach, the first working reach disposed in part over the first conveyor, the second working reach disposed in part over the second conveyor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises one or more tools having a first tool head configured to place a metered group of articles in a first tier on the second conveyor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the apparatus comprises one or more tools having a second tool head configured to place a metered group of articles in a second tier upon the first tier.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the apparatus comprises a third conveyor for conveying carton inserts, wherein the one or more tools having the first tool heads and/or the one or more tools having the second tool heads are configured to simultaneously transfer an insert from the third conveyor and a metered group of articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the tools having the second tool heads are arranged in alternating arrangement with the tools having the first tool heads.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a third conveyor for conveying carton inserts.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein two or more tools are consecutively arranged to form first tool groups and two or more tools are consecutively arranged to form second tool groups, and wherein the first tool groups are arranged in alternating arrangement with the second tool groups.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first conveyor is at a different elevation to the second conveyor and the guide path includes a working reach, the working reach being disposed in part over and collinear with the first conveyor and in part over the second conveyor.

13. An apparatus for a packaging machine comprising: a first conveyor for conveying an input stream of articles; a second conveyor for conveying an output stream of articles: a guide path configured as a loop, one or more tools coupled to the guide path; wherein each tool comprises: a tool head for engaging with one or more articles in the input stream; the apparatus comprising two modes of operation: a first mode in which the tool heads transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the tool heads placing the one or more articles upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having a single tier; a second mode in which the tool heads transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the tool heads placing the one or more articles upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having two or more tiers, wherein the first conveyor is at a different elevation relative to the second conveyor and the guide path includes a working reach, the working reach being disposed in part over and collinear with the first conveyor and in part over the second conveyor.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein in the first mode the discrete groups are metered at a predefined first pitch.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein in the second mode the discrete groups are metered at a predefined second pitch.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the first conveyor is arranged so as to converge towards the second conveyor.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the first conveyor is arranged so as to be co-linear with the second conveyor, with a downstream end of the first conveyor adjacent to an upstream end of the second conveyor.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the guide path comprises a working reach and a return reach, the working reach being disposed in part over the first conveyor and in part over the second conveyor.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein each tool comprises an actuator for adjusting the elevation of each tool head with respect to the first and second conveyors as the tool is driven about the guide path.

20. A method of configuring articles to be packaged, then method comprising:
providing a first conveyor;
providing a second conveyor at a different elevation relative to the first conveyor;
providing a guide path configured as a loop;
providing a plurality of tools coupled to the guide path, wherein each tool includes a tool head;
conveying an input stream of articles upon the first conveyor;
engaging one or more articles in the input stream with the tool head of each one of the plurality of tools; and
placing the one or more articles upon the second conveyor to form discrete groups of articles having two or more tiers,
wherein the guide path includes a working reach, the working reach being disposed in part over and collinear with the first conveyor and in part over the second conveyor.

Assignees

• Westrock Packaging Systems Llc

Inventors

• Bonnain Jean-Christophe
• Martini Pascal

Classifications

• B65B35/36

  by grippers · CPC title

• B65B35/52

  building-up the stack from the bottom · CPC title

• B65B21/04 Primary

  Arranging, assembling, feeding, or orientating the bottles prior to introduction into, or after removal from, containers {(B65B21/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65B35/50

  Stacking one article, or group of articles, upon another before packaging · CPC title

• B65B21/183

  the grippers moving in an endless path · CPC title