Container forming apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11938698-B2
Application number	US-202217903643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2022
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a container from a blank is provided. The apparatus includes a blank feeder assembly, and a compression assembly including a mandrel assembly, an upper folding arm assembly including a plurality of folding arms moveable between a first position and a second position, a compression plate, and a rollover arm assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a container, said method comprising:
positioning a blank in a blank feeder assembly;
feeding the blank to a compression assembly; and
forming the container from the blank within the compression assembly, wherein the compression assembly includes a mandrel assembly, an upper folding arm assembly including a plurality of folding arms moveable between a first position and a second position, a compression plate, and a rollover arm assembly, wherein forming the container comprises:
driving the mandrel assembly downwardly against a bottom panel of the blank;
rotating a first folding arm of the plurality of folding arms from the first position to the second position, said rotating comprising folding a first portion of the blank towards the mandrel assembly and into a perpendicular orientation relative to the bottom panel;
folding, with the compression plate, a second portion of the blank into contact with the first portion of the blank and into a perpendicular orientation relative to the bottom panel; and
folding, with the rollover arm assembly, a third portion of the blank coupled to the second portion of the blank, said folding comprising rotating the third portion of the blank from a perpendicular orientation relative to the bottom panel into a parallel orientation relative the bottom panel.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising applying an adhesive to the blank with an adhesive assembly.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein feeding the blank to a compression assembly comprises moving the blank from the blank feeder assembly to the compression assembly with a pusher assembly.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 , wherein moving the blank comprises actuating a slide plate of the pusher assembly to position the blank within the compression assembly.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein forming the container further comprises:
folding a fourth portion of the blank with a miter pusher plate; and
folding a fifth portion of the blank with an end-wall plate.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein driving the mandrel assembly into the bottom panel of the blank comprises driving the bottom panel of the blank downward until the bottom panel engages a ledge of the compression plate.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein folding the first portion of the blank comprises folding a front end panel and a back end panel of the blank with folding arm main compression plates.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein folding the first portion of the blank comprises folding corner panels of the blank with folding ears.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising expelling the formed container from the compression assembly.

Assignees

• Westrock Shared Services Llc

Inventors

• Aganovic Amer
• Graham Thomas Dean

Classifications

• B31B50/00 Primary

  Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons · CPC title

• B31B50/28

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

• B31B50/44

  by plungers moving through folding dies · CPC title

• B31B50/624

  Applying glue on blanks · CPC title

• B31B50/81

  Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings · CPC title