Methods and machine for forming a shipping and display container from a blank assembly using a pre-fold mandrel section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10786964-B2
Application number	US-201815861514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2013
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank and lid blank includes a frame, a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, a pre-folding assembly, and a glue panel presser assembly. The mandrel assembly includes a first mandrel and a second mandrel positioned downstream from the first mandrel. The first mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container, and the second mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container. The pre-folding assembly is configured to fold a first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container. The glue panel presser assembly includes a first presser plate configured to form a first manufacturer joint, and a second presser plate configured to form a second manufacturer joint.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank coupled to a lid blank, the tray blank defining a tray portion of the container, the lid blank defining a lid portion of the container, said machine comprising:
a frame;
a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, the mandrel assembly comprising at least one mandrel having a respective external shape complementary to an internal shape of a corresponding portion of the container;
a wrapping assembly configured to wrap at least a first portion of the blank assembly around the at least one mandrel to form a partially formed container; and
a glue panel presser assembly comprising:
a first presser plate mounted to a first linear actuator that moves the first presser plate toward and away from the at least one mandrel to couple a first panel of the partially formed container against a second panel of the partially formed container to form a first manufacturer joint; and
a second presser plate mounted on to the first presser plate; and
a second linear actuator coupled to the second presser plate that moves the second presser plate toward and away from the at least one mandrel to couple a third panel of the partially formed container against a fourth panel of the partially formed container to form a second manufacturer joint, wherein the second linear actuator moves the second presser plate toward the at least one mandrel after the first linear actuator moves the first presser plate toward the at least one mandrel, such that the third panel of the partially formed container is wrapped around at least a portion of the first and second panels of the partially formed container.

2. The machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the second presser plate forms an oblique angle with respect to the first presser plate.

3. The machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first panel of the partially formed container includes a glue panel of the lid portion of the container, the second panel of the partially formed container includes a corner panel of the lid portion such that the first manufacturer joint forms at least a portion of a corner wall of the lid portion, wherein the third panel of the partially formed container includes a glue panel of the tray portion of the container, and the fourth panel of the partially formed container includes a side panel of the tray portion of the container such that the second manufacturer joint includes at least a portion of a side wall of the container, and wherein the side wall forms a first oblique angle with respect to the corner wall.

4. The machine in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the second presser plate forms a second oblique angle with respect to the first presser plate, the second oblique angle complementary to the first oblique angle.

5. The machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the second linear actuator is actuatable independently of the first linear actuator.

6. The machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first linear actuator moves both the first and second presser plates toward and away from the at least one mandrel.

7. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the tray blank includes a plurality of tray side panels, the lid blank includes a plurality of lid side panels, the first linear actuator causes the first presser plate to couple a first lid side panel to a second lid side panel to form the first manufacturer joint, and the second linear actuator causes the second presser plate to couple a first tray side panel to a second tray side panel to form the second manufacturer joint.

8. A machine in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the first and second lid side panels are corner panels, and the second tray side panel is an end panel.

9. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first manufacturer joint at least partially forms a corner wall of the container, and the second manufacturer joint at least partially forms an end wall of the container.

10. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , the machine having an upstream end at which the blank assembly is loaded and a downstream end at which the container is discharged, wherein at least one mandrel of the mandrel assembly comprises:
a first mandrel having an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container; and
a second mandrel positioned downstream from the first mandrel, the second mandrel having an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container.

11. A machine in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising a pre-folding assembly configured to fold a first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container, the first portion of the blank assembly corresponding to the first portion of the container.

12. A machine in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the pre-folding assembly comprises:
folding rods configured to rotate a plurality of panels from the first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel; and
at least one tray panel folder configured to fold a panel from the tray blank around the first mandrel.

13. A machine in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising:
a transfer assembly for transferring the partially formed container from the first mandrel to the second mandrel.

14. A machine in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the mandrel assembly further comprises mandrel guide rails extending between the first mandrel and the second mandrel, the mandrel guide rails configured to facilitate transporting the partially formed container from the first mandrel to the second mandrel.

15. A machine in accordance with claim 14 , wherein a top surface of the first mandrel is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the mandrel guide rails such that the partially formed container is transported along the mandrel guide rails in substantially the same plane in which the blank assembly is placed on the first mandrel, the transfer assembly further comprising a tray panel folder configured to maintain alignment of the partially formed container as the partially formed container is transferred from the first mandrel to the second mandrel.

16. A machine in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the transfer assembly comprises:
a pusher foot operatively coupled to a linear actuator, the pusher foot configured to engage the partially formed container and push the partially formed container along the mandrel guide rails to transfer the partially formed container from the first mandrel to the second mandrel.

17. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the tray blank includes a plurality of tray side panels and the lid blank includes a plurality of lid side panels, the machine further comprising:
an adhesive applicator assembly mounted to the frame, the adhesive applicator assembly including an adhesive dispenser positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation, the adhesive applicator assembly configured to apply adhesive to a tray side panel and a lid side panel.

18. A machine in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the tray side panel is an end panel and the lid side panel is a corner panel.

19. A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank coupled to a lid blank, the tray blank defining a tray portion of the container, the lid blank defining a lid portion of the container, said machine comprising:
a frame;
at least one mandrel mounted to the frame;
a wrapping assembly configured to wrap at least a first portion of the blank assem

Assignees

• Westrock Shared Services Llc

Inventors

• Graham Thomas D
• Aganovic Amer
• D'Alesio Claudio

Classifications

• B31B50/28 Primary

  around mandrels, e.g. for forming bottoms · CPC title

• B31B50/60

  Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping · CPC title

• B31B2100/00

  Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by folding single-piece sheets, blanks or webs · CPC title

• B31B50/62

  by adhesives · CPC title

• B31B50/07

  by air pressure or suction · CPC title