Folding apparatus for folding sheet packaging elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11040511-B2
Application number	US-201615552313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Folding apparatus (1) for folding sheet packaging elements (2), comprising main conveying means (12), configured to sequentially receive the packaging elements (2) from a feeding station (13) and to advance each packaging element (2) along a first path (A), forming means (15), carried by the main conveying means (12) and configured to cooperate in use with a first face (2b) of each packaging element (2) while the packaging element (2) is advanced along the first path (A), and folding means (18), advanced by auxiliary conveying means (16) along a second path (Q), having a first portion (Q1) distinct from the first path (A) and a second portion (Q2), which is in common with the first path (A) and along which the folding means (18) cooperate with a second face (2a), opposite the first face (2b), of each packaging element (2) to fold the packaging element (2) against the forming means (15).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A folding apparatus for folding sheet packaging elements, comprising:
a feeding station configured to receive the packaging elements compacted into a batch;
a main conveyor configured to sequentially receive the packaging elements from the feeding station and to advance the packaging elements along a first path, wherein the feeding station is configured to receive the batch of the packaging elements while the packaging elements extend transversely to the first path;
a first forming surface and a second forming surface carried by the main conveyor and configured to engage the packaging elements while the packaging elements are advanced along the first path;
a first folding bar and a second folding bar advanced by an auxiliary conveyor along a second path, the second path having:
a first portion that is not parallel to the first path and includes an operative part extending adjacent to the feeding station, and
a second portion that is parallel with the first path; and

a suction head configured to separate an end packaging element from the batch of the packaging elements and to release the end packaging element at a separation position, wherein
while the first folding bar is advanced along the second portion of the second path, the first folding bar is configured to engage a first face of the end packaging element to fold the end packaging element against the first forming surface while the second folding bar is configured to remain out of contact with the end packaging element,
while the second folding bar is advanced along the second portion of the second path, the second folding bar is configured to engage the first face of the end packaging element to fold the end packaging element against the second forming surface,
while the first folding bar is advanced along the first portion of the second path, the first folding bar is configured to be inserted between the end packaging element and the batch and to interact with the first face of the end packaging element at the separation position to transfer the end packaging element from the separation position to the main conveyor, and
while the second folding bar is advanced along the operative part of the first portion of the second path, the second folding bar is configured to remain out of contact with the end packaging element.

2. The folding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first forming surface and the second forming surface are configured to be continuously advanced along the first path by the main conveyor and the first folding bar and the second folding bar are configured to be continuously advanced along the second path by the auxiliary conveyor.

3. The folding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first forming surface and the second forming surface are secured to the main conveyor.

4. The folding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main conveyor comprises:
a linear transport branch defining the first path.

5. The folding apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
the first forming surface is configured to be orthogonal to the linear transport branch while the first forming surface is advanced along the linear transport branch,
the second forming surface is configured to face the first forming surface and to be orthogonal to the linear transport branch while the second forming surface is advanced along the linear transport branch, and
the first forming surface and the second forming surface are configured to define, with a portion of the linear transport branch situated therebetween, a U-shaped profile forming seat, wherein when the U-shaped profile forming seat houses a respective packaging element, the first folding bar and the second folding bar are configured to fold the respective packaging element.

6. The folding apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the suction head is movable, along an axis parallel with the first path, towards and away from the batch of the packaging elements between:
a rest position, in which the suction head is separated from the batch of the packaging elements and from the separation position of the end packaging element, and
an operative position, in which the suction head is adjacent to the batch of the packaging elements to pick up the end packaging element, and

wherein the operative part of the first portion of the second path passes between a location corresponding to the rest position of the suction head and a location corresponding to the operative position of the suction head.

7. The folding apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
stop means configured to define an abutment for the end packaging element before the suction head reaches the rest position while the suction head moves from the operative position to the rest position, wherein the end packaging element is separated from the suction head when the end packaging element abuts against the stop means.

8. The folding apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the linear transport branch of the main conveyor extends horizontally, and
wherein the operative part of the first portion of the second path extends vertically and parallel to the packaging elements at the feeding station.

9. The folding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary conveyor is located between the feeding station and the main conveyor and is located above the main conveyor.

10. The folding apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the main conveyor comprises:
a first conveying device carrying the first forming surface; and
a second conveying device carrying the second forming surface, and

wherein the first conveying device and the second conveying device comprise respective operative branches that are arranged to be parallel to each another and that define the linear transport branch.

11. The folding apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the first conveying device comprises two parallel first conveyors, and
wherein the second conveying device is arranged between the two parallel first conveyors.

12. The folding apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the first folding bar and the second folding bar are spaced apart along the second path and are attached to different portions of the auxiliary conveyor, and
wherein the first folding bar and the second folding bar are configured to cooperate with the first forming surface and the second forming surface, respectively, to fold the packaging elements.

13. The folding apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein the auxiliary conveyor comprises:
a third conveying device carrying the first folding bar; and
a fourth conveying device carrying the second folding bar, and

wherein the third conveying device and the fourth conveying device have respective folding branches parallel to one another and lying on a common plane with the linear transport branch.

14. The folding apparatus of claim 13 ,
wherein the third conveying device comprises two parallel second conveyors, and
wherein the fourth conveying device is arranged between the two parallel second conveyors.

15. The folding apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein the first folding bar is configured to cooperate with the first forming surface while the first folding bar is advanced along the second portion of the second path to fold a first portion of the end packaging element, and
wherein the second folding bar is configured to cooperate with the second forming surface while the second folding bar is advanced along the second portion of the second path to fold a second portion of the end packaging element that is separate from the first portion of the end packaging element.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Davidson Mark W
• Coulomb Mathias N
• Johnson Roy A
• Alexander Joshua
• Morselli Alessandro

Classifications

• B31B50/36 Primary

  by continuously feeding the sheets, blanks or webs to stationary members, e.g. plates, ploughs or cores · CPC title

• B31B50/062

  from the underside of a magazine · CPC title

• B31B2100/002

  characterised by the shape of the blank from which they are formed · CPC title

• B31B50/58

  by moving endless belts {or chains} · CPC title

• B31B50/07

  by air pressure or suction · CPC title