Magazine for packs of blanks, and method for making containers from blanks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12466151-B2
Application number	US-202017781118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Dec 2, 2019
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A magazine for packs of blanks includes a vertical channel configured for inserting and extracting packs of blanks, a succession of groups of supporting parts movable between a retracted position to allow the packs of blanks to move along the channel towards a portion under the supporting part, and an at least partly extracted position, in which the supporting part intercepts a pack of blanks moving down the channel and provides a steady support for the pack of blanks, and transmission means configured to automatically move each supporting part from the retracted position to the at least partly extracted position when the supporting part immediately below it intercepts a respective pack of blanks, thereby defining the steady support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for making containers from blanks, comprising the following steps:
wherein the containers are configured for containing loose articles;
preparing a succession of blanks, which are flat;
folding the blanks about fold lines on each blank to make a succession of three-dimensional containers;
wherein the step of preparing the succession of blanks is accomplished by a step of withdrawing a pack of blanks from a magazine including a vertical channel and configured to support a plurality of packs, wherein the packs of blanks are accommodated in the magazine, above one another and spaced apart by a succession of groups of supporting parts distributed, along a height of an inside wall of the channel, at predetermined distances from each other, such that each group of supporting parts is located at a respective level of the channel to support the bottom of a respective pack of blanks, each supporting part being movable between a retracted position, in which the supporting part is aligned or recessed with respect to the inside wall of the channel to allow the packs of blanks to move along the channel towards a portion under the supporting part, and an at least partly extracted position, in which the supporting part projects from the inside wall towards the inside of the channel in such a way as to intercept a pack of blanks moving down the channel and to provide a steady support for the pack of blanks, and wherein the step of withdrawing the pack of blanks from the magazine is accomplished by a step of vertically extracting the pack of blanks from the channel, through an upper opening at a top of the channel; providing a transmission mechanism that automatically moves each supporting part from the retracted position to the at least partly extracted position when the supporting part immediately below the each supporting part intercepts the respective pack of blanks, wherein the transmission mechanism includes a drive rod that extends between two respective superposed supporting parts and which is movable between a raised position, in which the drive rod is lifted after the supporting part below reaches the fully extracted position, and a lowered position, in which the drive rod moves down by gravity after the supporting part below reaches the retracted position, and wherein the supporting part above, when the drive rod is at the raised position, is moved from the retracted position to the partly extracted position; wherein each supporting part is rotatable about a tilting axis located at an intermediate position between the supporting portion and the barycentre of the supporting part, wherein the rotational movement from the at least partly extracted position to the retracted position can be performed automatically by gravity; wherein the drive rod is engaged in supporting relation with the supporting parts above and below at respective portions of the supporting parts opposite to the supporting portion with respect to the tilting axis; wherein the transmission mechanism is housed in the inside wall of the channel, by slidably housing each drive rod in a respective vertical slide channel.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the blanks has a complex shape, having at least a main direction of extension and at least one protrusion extending along a direction perpendicular to the main direction of extension.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of vertically extracting the pack of blanks from the magazine is accomplished by a step of lifting the pack from the respective group of supporting parts and is followed by a step of automatically moving the supporting parts immediately above the respective group of supporting parts from the at least partly extracted position to the retracted position.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , and further comprising a step of placing at least one of the packs of blanks in the magazine, and wherein the step of placing is accomplished by a step of resting the at least one of the packs of blanks on the supporting parts of a respective group of supporting parts and is followed by a step of automatically moving each supporting part of the group of supporting parts immediately above the respective group of supporting parts from the retracted position to the at least partly extracted position.

Assignees

• Gd Spa

Inventors

• Carboni Salvatore
• Biondi Andrea
• Vitali Antonio

Classifications

• B31B50/26

  Folding sheets, blanks or webs · CPC title

• B31B50/022

  Holders for feeding or positioning blanks or webs · CPC title

• B31B2100/0022

  made from tubular webs or blanks, including by tube or bottom forming operations · CPC title

• B65G1/14

  Stack holders or separators · CPC title

• B65B43/145

  Feeding carton blanks from piles or magazines · CPC title