Folding unit for producing packages of food products pourable into a tube of packaging material from sealed packs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10392137-B2
Application number	US-201515128555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 25, 2014
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

A folding unit for producing packages from sealed packs having at least one flap to be folded, the folding unit including a conveying device carrying at least one pushing element arranged for interacting with the at least one flap, and a supporting element onto which the conveying device abuts when the at least one pushing element interacts with the at least one flap. The conveying device also includes at least one rolling element rolling onto the supporting element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A folding unit for producing packages from sealed packs having at least one flap to be folded, said folding unit comprising:
a conveying device carrying at least one pushing element arranged for interacting with said at least one flap;
a supporting element onto which said conveying device abuts when said at least one pushing element interacts with said at least one flap;
said conveying device comprising at least one rolling element rolling onto said supporting element; and
a main conveyor for advancing said packs along a path, said main conveyor being vertically below and spaced apart from said conveying device, said main conveyor having a conveying branch arranged for conveying said packs and said conveying device having an active branch along which said at least one pushing element interacts with said packs, said active branch of said conveying device facing said conveying branch of said main conveyor so that said at least one pushing element pushes said at least one flap while said packs are carried by said main conveyor, wherein
said conveying device comprises first driving means arranged for interacting with second driving means of said main conveyor so that, in use, said main conveyor drives said conveying device.

2. The folding unit according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one pushing element is movable with respect to said conveying device.

3. The folding unit according to claim 2 , wherein said conveying device comprises at least one resilient element interposed between said at least one pushing element and said conveying device.

4. The folding unit according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one pushing element includes a plurality of pushing devices and said conveying device comprises a chain conveyor provided with link elements, at least some of said link elements carrying a respective pushing device of said plurality of pushing devices.

5. The folding unit according to claim 4 , wherein the number of said pushing devices is one half of the number of said link elements, said pushing elements being arranged along said chain conveyor and being associated to every second link element of said link elements.

6. The folding unit according to claim 4 , wherein each pushing element of said plurality of pushing elements is hinged to a corresponding link element of said link elements.

7. The folding unit according to claim 4 , wherein said conveying device comprises a plurality of resilient elements, each resilient element of said plurality of resilient elements being interposed between a corresponding pushing element of said plurality of pushing elements and a corresponding link element of said link elements.

8. The folding unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a supporting structure comprising a fixed supporting plate facing towards said main conveyor, said at least one rolling element of said conveying device rolling on said fixed supporting plate while said at least one pushing element interacts with said at least one flap, said fixed supporting plate preventing said conveying device from moving away from said main conveyor while said at least one pushing element interacts with said at least one flap.

9. The folding unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said main conveyor comprises a plurality of links,
said conveying device comprises a chain conveyor provided with link elements, and
said links in said main conveyor having a same pitch as said link elements in said chain conveyor.

10. The folding unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said conveying device comprises a chain conveyor provided with link elements, and
said first driving means comprises a plurality of appendixes, at least some of said link elements carrying a respective appendix of said plurality of appendixes.

11. The folding unit according to claim 10 , wherein the number of said appendixes is one half of the number of said link elements, said appendixes being associated to every second link element of said link elements, so that said appendixes and said pushing elements are staggered on said chain conveyor.

12. The folding unit according to claim 10 , wherein said second driving means comprises a plurality of cavities of said main conveyor, said cavities being arranged for receiving said appendixes.

13. A folding unit for producing a package from a sealed pack having at least one unfolded flap, said folding unit comprising:
a chain conveyor comprising link elements and rollers connected to said link elements, said chain conveyor rotating in a closed loop, the closed loop possessing a curved top portion and a linear bottom portion;
at least one pushing element configured to be conveyed by said conveyor, the at least one pushing element configured to contact and fold said at least one unfolded flap of said sealed pack;
said at least one pushing element comprising a bulge portion that protrudes beyond said chain conveyor and a spring that urges said bulge portion radially outward from said chain conveyor;
a fixed supporting plate positioned directly above said linear bottom portion of said closed loop, said fixed supporting plate possessing a bottom surface, said bottom surface being parallel to said linear bottom portion of said closed loop; and
said rollers of said chain conveyor rolling along said fixed supporting plate when said at least one pushing element is being conveyed along said linear bottom portion.

14. A folding system for producing a package from a sealed pack having at least one unfolded flap, said folding system comprising:
a first conveyor for advancing the sealed pack along a path, the first conveyor being rotatable around a closed loop, the closed loop having a left side segment, a top segment, a right side segment and a bottom segment;
a second conveyor positioned vertically above a portion of the top segment of the first conveyor;
at least one pushing element configured to be conveyed by the second conveyor, the at least one pushing element configured to contact and fold the at least one unfolded flap of the sealed pack while the sealed pack is being advanced along the portion of the top segment of the closed loop of the first conveyor; and
the at least one pushing element comprising a bulge portion that protrudes below the second conveyor when the at least one pushing element contacts and folds the at least one unfolded flap of the sealed pack.

15. The folding system according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one pushing element comprises a spring that urges the bulge portion towards the first conveyor when the at least one pushing element contacts and folds the at least one unfolded flap of the sealed pack.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Catellani Andrea

Classifications

• B65B51/18

  by endless bands or chains · CPC title

• B65B7/04

  by tucking-in mouth portion to form two flaps and subsequently folding-down · CPC title

• B65B3/025 Primary

  Making parallelepipedal containers from a single carton blank · CPC title

• B65B61/24

  for shaping or reshaping completed packages · CPC title

• B65B43/10

  by folding the material · CPC title