Method for forming reinforced polygonal containers from blanks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11643243-B2
Application number	US-202117160043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2021
Priority date	May 7, 2008
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A method of forming a container from a blank of sheet material using a machine is provided. The method includes forming a corner wall by folding a first pair of a plurality of reinforcing panels inwardly towards a respective side panel and into face-to-face contact with a second pair of the plurality of reinforcing panels, rotating the side panels and end panels to be substantially perpendicular to a bottom panel such that an interior surface of at least one reinforcing panel of the plurality of reinforcing panels is in contact with an interior surface of the first side panel, and coupling at least one other reinforcing panel of the plurality of reinforcing panels to one of the end panels to form the container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a polygonal container from a blank of sheet material using a machine, the blank including a bottom panel having opposing side edges and opposing end edges, two opposing side panels each extending from one of the side edges of the bottom panel, two opposing end panels each extending from one of the end edges of the bottom panel, and a reinforcing panel assembly including a plurality of reinforcing panels separated by a plurality of fold lines, the reinforcing panel assembly extending from a first side edge of a first side panel of the two side panels, said method comprising:
forming a corner wall by folding a first pair of the plurality of reinforcing panels inwardly towards the respective side panel and into face-to-face contact with a second pair of the plurality of reinforcing panels;
rotating the side panels and the end panels to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel such that an interior surface of at least one reinforcing panel of the plurality of reinforcing panels is in contact with an interior surface of the first side panel; and
coupling at least one other reinforcing panel of the plurality of reinforcing panels to one of the end panels to form the container.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said forming the corner wall further comprises forming the corner wall by transporting the blank past a first plurality of rails of a corner post forming station of the machine.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising forming a reinforcing end tab by transporting the blank past a second plurality of rails of the corner post forming station of the machine, said forming further comprising folding, by the second plurality of rails, the first and second pluralities of reinforcing panels in face-to-face contact along a fold line of the plurality of fold lines such that an angle is defined between the reinforcing end tab and the corner wall.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said rotating the side panels and the end panels further comprises rotating the side panels and the end panels to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel by directing the blank through a plunger station of the machine.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising forming a reinforcing end tab by folding the first and second pluralities of reinforcing panels in face-to-face contact along a fold line of the plurality of fold lines such that an angle is defined between the reinforcing end tab and the corner wall.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the angle defined between the reinforcing end tab and the corner wall is about 135°.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein forming a corner wall further comprises maintaining an angle between the corner wall and the respective side panel.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said maintaining further comprises maintaining the angle between the corner wall and the respective side panel using at least one rail of a corner post forming station of the machine.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein maintaining an angle between the corner wall and the respective side panel comprises maintaining an angle of about 135° between the corner wall and the respective side panel.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising applying an adhesive to an interior surface of the first side panel before rotating the interior surface of at least one other reinforcing panel of the plurality of reinforcing panels into contact with the interior surface of the first side panel.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein said applying the adhesive comprises transporting the blank past a first adhesive applicator.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein rotating the side panels and the end panels to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel further comprises:
forcing the blank downward through a plunger opening by applying a first force to the bottom panel;
applying a second force to an exterior surface of the two end panels; and
applying a third force to an exterior surface of the two side panels.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein applying the second force to the exterior surface of the two end panels comprises:
rotating a frame of an end panel plow assembly toward the plunger opening as a plunger forces the blank downward by applying the first force; and
pressing an interior surface of a first end panel of the two end panels into contact with an exterior surface of the reinforcing end tab.

14. The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein the blank includes at least one outer reinforcing corner panel extending from a first side edge of a first end panel of the two end panels, and wherein the reinforcing panel assembly includes a corner panel extending from the first side edge of the first side panel, said method further comprising:
applying adhesive to at least one of an interior surface of the at least one outer reinforcing corner panel and an exterior surface of the corner panel;
rotating the at least one outer reinforcing corner panel toward the exterior surface of the corner panel by applying a third force to the at least one outer reinforcing corner panel; and
pressing the at least one outer reinforcing panel into contact with the corner panel to secure the at least one outer reinforcing panel to the corner panel using the adhesive.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
transporting the blank from a hopper station of the machine to a corner post forming station of the machine prior to said forming the corner wall.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15 , wherein transporting the blank from the hopper station to the corner post forming station further comprises:
pulling the blank from a hopper of the hopper station in a downward direction using a feed mechanism;
applying a restraining force to the reinforcing panel assembly at the hopper to rotate the reinforcing panel assembly toward an interior surface of the first side panel at a predetermined angle; and
transporting the blank into the corner post forming station using the feed mechanism in a substantially horizontal direction.

17. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
rotating each reinforcing panel assembly upwardly about a respective fold line toward a respective side panel;
forming the corner wall and a reinforcing end tab from each of four reinforcing panel assemblies of the blank by folding the plurality of reinforcing panels of each reinforcing panel about the plurality of fold lines; and
coupling each of four reinforcing end tabs to one of the end panels to form the container.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17 ,
wherein said rotating each reinforcing panel assembly upwardly about a respective fold line toward a respective side panel further comprises transporting the blank from a hopper station of the machine to a corner post forming station of the machine, and
wherein said forming the corner wall and the reinforcing end tab further comprises transporting the blank through the corner post forming station to a plunger station of the machine.

Assignees

• Westrock Shared Services Llc

Inventors

• Graham Thomas Dean
• Anderson Ricki D
• Rojas Guillermo
• Smith Kenneth Charles

Classifications

• B31B50/54

  operating on moving material · CPC title

• B31B50/44

  by plungers moving through folding dies · CPC title

• B65D5/28

  with extensions of sides permanently secured to adjacent sides, with sides permanently secured together by adhesive strips, or with sides held in place solely by rigidity of material · CPC title

• B65D5/6629

  the lid being formed by two mating halves joined to opposite edges of the container body · CPC title

• B31B50/36

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