Case sealer configurable into a bypass configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330829-B2
Application number	US-202318335568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2023
Priority date	Jul 5, 2022
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a random case sealer configurable into a bypass configuration in which a tape cartridge is out of the path of a case so the tape cartridge does not apply tape to the case as the case moves past the tape cartridge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A case sealer comprising:
a frame;
a lower drive element supported by the frame;
a lower-drive-element actuator operably connected to the lower drive element and configured to drive the lower drive element;
a tape cartridge comprising a mounting plate, a roller arm supported by the mounting plate, and a roller supported by the roller arm, wherein the tape cartridge is supported by the frame and movable relative to the lower drive element between a home position and a bypass position, wherein when the tape cartridge is in the home position, the roller is positioned to engage a leading surface of a case as the lower drive element moves the case toward the tape cartridge; and
a tape-cartridge mover operably connected to the tape cartridge and configured to move the mounting plate and the roller arm relative to the frame such that the tape cartridge moves from the home position to the bypass position to lower the roller.

2. The case sealer of claim 1 , wherein the roller is at least partially above an upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position, wherein the roller is not above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the bypass position.

3. The case sealer of claim 1 , wherein the tape cartridge further comprises a roller-arm actuator operably coupled to the roller arm and configured to move the roller arm relative to the mounting plate from an extended position to a retracted position to lower the roller.

4. The case sealer of claim 3 , wherein the tape cartridge further comprises a biasing element configured to bias the roller arm to the extended position.

5. The case sealer of claim 3 , wherein the roller is at least partially above an upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the extended position, wherein the roller is at least partially above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the retracted position, wherein the roller is not above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the bypass position and the roller arm is in the retracted position.

6. The case sealer of claim 5 , wherein an entirety of the roller is above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the extended position, wherein part of the roller is above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the retracted position.

7. The case sealer of claim 3 , further comprising a controller configured to, responsive to a case-bypass condition being met:
control the roller-arm actuator to move the roller arm from the extended position to the retracted position; and
control the tape-cartridge mover to move the tape cartridge from the home position to the bypass position.

8. The case sealer of claim 7 , wherein the roller is at least partially above an upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the extended position, wherein the roller is at least partially above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the retracted position, wherein the roller is not above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the bypass position and the roller arm is in the retracted position.

9. The case sealer of claim 7 , wherein the tape-cartridge mover comprises a first tape-cartridge-mover actuator comprising a first pneumatic cylinder, the roller-arm actuator comprises a second pneumatic cylinder, and the lower drive element comprises an endless belt.

10. The case sealer of claim 7 , wherein the case-bypass condition is met responsive to an actuation of a bypass actuator.

11. The case sealer of claim 7 , further comprising a top-head assembly and a top-head-assembly actuator operably connected to the top-head assembly to move the top-head assembly relative to the frame, wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to the case-bypass condition being met, control the top-head-assembly actuator to raise the top-head assembly.

12. The case sealer of claim 1 , wherein the tape cartridge is pivotably mounted to the frame such that the mounting plate and the roller arm pivot downward when the tape cartridge moves from the home position to the bypass position.

13. The case sealer of claim 12 , wherein an upstream end of the mounting plate is mounted to the frame so that a downstream end of the mounting plate descends as the tape cartridge moves from the home position to the bypass position.

14. A method of operating a case sealer to move a case past a tape cartridge of the case sealer without applying tape to the case, the method comprising:
providing the case sealer in a home configuration in which the tape cartridge is in a home position in which a roller of the tape cartridge is positioned to engage a leading surface of the case as a lower drive element of the case sealer moves the case toward the tape cartridge, wherein the tape cartridge further comprises a mounting plate and a roller arm supported by the mounting plate, wherein the roller arm supports the roller;
responsive to a case-bypass condition being met, switching the case sealer from the home configuration into a bypass configuration to move the mounting plate and the roller arm such that the tape cartridge moves from the home position to a bypass position to lower the roller; and
actuating the lower drive element to move the case past the tape cartridge when the case sealer is in the bypass configuration such that the tape cartridge does not apply tape to the case.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein switching the case sealer into the bypass configuration comprises actuating a tape-cartridge mover of the case sealer to move the tape cartridge from the home position to the bypass position to lower the roller of the tape cartridge, wherein the roller is at least partially positioned above an upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and is not above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the bypass position.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, responsive to the case-bypass condition being met, actuating a roller-arm actuator of the tape cartridge to move the roller arm relative to the mounting plate from an extended position to a retracted position to lower the roller.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the roller is at least partially above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the extended position, wherein the roller is at least partially above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the retracted position, wherein the roller is not above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the bypass position and the roller arm is in the retracted position.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein an entirety of the roller is above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge is in the home position and the roller arm is in the extended position, wherein part of the roller is above the upper surface of the lower drive element when the tape cartridge

Assignees

• Signode Ind Group Llc

Inventors

• Jarrell Diana
• Wolf Michael Trevor

Classifications

• B65B61/06

  by cutting · CPC title

• B65B57/02

  responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages · CPC title

• B65B7/20

  by folding-down preformed flaps · CPC title

• B65B7/2864

  by adhesive tape · CPC title

• B65B7/2842

  Securing closures on containers (in general B65B51/00) · CPC title