Box gluing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9339984-B2
Application number	US-200913129093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2009
Priority date	Nov 13, 2008
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A box gluing device for attaching a glue tab of a box blank to an opposing panel when the box blank is folded so the glue tab is position at an edge of the box blank. The gluing device includes a support structure upon which a gluing apparatus and a support plate are mounted. The gluing apparatus includes a glue dispensing nozzle for applying glue on a surface of the box blank. The box blank can be moved through the gluing device to attach the glue tab to the opposing panel. As the box blank moves through the gluing device, a guide rail orients the glue tab in a desired manner while glue is applied to the box blank, and a roller assembly presses the glue tab and the opposing panel together with the glue therebetween.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gluing device for gluing together a first surface and a second surface of a packaging material as the packaging material moves from a first end of the gluing device through a second end of the gluing device, the gluing device comprising:
a support structure;
a support plate mounted to the support structure, the support plate supporting the packaging material thereon as the packaging material is moved through at least a portion of the gluing device;
a gluing apparatus operatively associated with the support structure, the gluing apparatus having a glue dispensing nozzle and a glue supply, the glue dispensing nozzle applying glue to at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the packaging material as the packaging material moves past the glue dispensing nozzle;
a guide rail including a vertical portion and an angled portion, the angled portion being oriented at a fixed angle relative to the support plate such that the angled portion maintains the second surface of the packaging material at a predetermined acute angle relative to the first surface of the packaging material while glue is applied to the packaging material, the support plate, the vertical portion, and the angled portion forming a channel that extends longitudinally from the first end of the gluing device toward the second end of the gluing device, the channel positioning the packaging material upon the support plate as the packaging material moves longitudinally through the channel and as glue is applied to the packaging material; and
a compression mechanism that presses together the first surface and the second surface of the packaging material after glue has been applied to at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the packaging material, such that the compression mechanism compresses together the first surface and the second surface of the packaging material with glue therebetween.

2. The gluing device of claim 1 , wherein the packaging material comprises a box blank having four panels and a glue tab, the glue tab comprising the second surface and a first panel of the four panels comprising the first surface.

3. The gluing device of claim 2 , wherein the channel is adapted to receive therein at least a portion of the glue tab and at least a portion of the first panel of the box blank.

4. The gluing device of claim 1 , wherein the channel is adapted to guide the packaging material through the gluing device.

5. The gluing device of claim 1 , wherein the channel orients the second surface relative to the first surface so as to form an acute angle between about 10° and about 20° between the second surface and the first surface as the gluing apparatus applies glue to at least one of the first surface and the second surface.

6. The gluing device of claim 1 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises a roller assembly having at least one top roller and at least one bottom roller, the at least one top roller and the at least one bottom roller being spaced apart from one another so as to:
allow the packaging material to move between the top and bottom rollers; and
compress the first and second surfaces together with the glue therebetween to facilitate secure attachment of the first and second surfaces to one another.

7. The gluing device of claim 1 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises a roller assembly having a plurality of top rollers and a plurality of bottom rollers, wherein a distance between the plurality of top rollers and the plurality of bottom rollers progressively decreases from a first distance at a first end of the roller assembly to a second, smaller distance at a second end of the roller assembly.

8. The gluing device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of top rollers and the plurality of bottom rollers are motorized to facilitate movement of the packaging material through said gluing device.

9. The gluing device of claim 7 , wherein the glue dispensing nozzle is disposed at a position along the length of the roller assembly.

10. A gluing device for gluing together a first surface and a second surface of a packaging material as the packaging material moves from a first end of the gluing device through a second end of the gluing device, the gluing device comprising:
a gluing apparatus having a glue dispensing nozzle and a glue supply, the gluing apparatus applying glue to a portion of the packaging material; and
a support plate assembly operably associated with the gluing apparatus, the support plate assembly comprising:
a support plate supporting the packaging material thereon as the packaging material is moved through at least a portion of the gluing device;
a guide rail including a vertical portion and an angled portion, the angled portion being oriented at a fixed angle relative to the support plate, the support plate, the vertical portion, and the angled portion forming a channel that extends longitudinally from the first end of the gluing device toward the second end of the gluing device, the channel positioning the packaging material as the packaging material moves longitudinally through the channel from the first end of the gluing device towards the second end of the gluing device and as the gluing apparatus applies glue to the packaging material, the channel maintaining a first surface of the packaging material at a predetermined acute angle relative to a second surface of the packaging material as the gluing apparatus applies glue to the packaging material; and
a compression mechanism that presses together the first surface and the second surface, with the glue being disposed between the first and second surfaces, so as to glue the first and second surfaces to one another.

11. The gluing device of claim 10 , wherein the glue dispensing nozzle is oriented to dispense glue such that, when the glue is dispensed from the glue dispensing nozzle, the glue exits the glue dispensing nozzle and moves toward the vertical portion of the guide rail.

12. The gluing device of claim 10 , wherein the gluing apparatus dispenses hot glue.

13. The gluing device of claim 10 , wherein the glue dispensing nozzle extends between the first surface and the second surface of the packaging material.

14. The gluing device of claim 10 , wherein the first surface comprises an interior surface of a glue tab of a box blank and the second surface comprise an exterior surface of a first panel of the box blank, the first panel being disposed at a first end of the box blank and the glue tab extending from a second end of the box blank opposite the first panel, the glue dispensing nozzle applying glue on at least one of the exterior surface of the first panel or the interior surface of the glue tab, and the compression mechanism presses the interior surface of the glue tab onto the exterior surface of the first panel with the glue therebetween so as to secure the glue tab to the exterior surface of the first panel.

15. The gluing device of claim 10 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises a roller assembly having at least one roller that compresses the first surface and the second surface together after glue has been applied to at least one of the first surface and the second surface.

16. The gluing device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one roller is motorized to facilitate movement of the packaging material through said gluing device.

17. The gluing device of claim 15 , wherein the roller assembly is positioned adjacent the glue dispensing nozzle so that the packaging material enters the roller assembly after passing the glue dispensing nozzle.

Assignees

• Pettersson Niklas
• Osterhout Ryan
• Kiessner Hanko
• Packsize Llc

Inventors

• Pettersson Niklas
• Osterhout Ryan
• Kiessner Hanko

Classifications

• B31B2100/0022

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

• B31B2110/35

  rectangular, e.g. square · CPC title

• B31B50/262

  involving folding, leading, or trailing flaps of blanks · CPC title

• B31B50/52

  by reciprocating or oscillating members, e.g. fingers (by plungers moving through folding dies B31B50/44) · CPC title

• B31B50/626

  Arrangements for permitting the glue to set · CPC title