Apparatus and method for packaging articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9493260-B2
Application number	US-201113582849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2011
Priority date	Mar 9, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for packaging articles in a box blank which has folding lines and also side flaps and/or lid flaps and/or base flaps. The apparatus includes a device for feeding a stream of articles, a device for dividing up the articles into groups and/or assemblies of articles, a device for feeding individual box blanks to the groups of articles and/or for combining the groups of articles and the box blanks, and a device for forming a box and for folding in the side flaps by folding-in elements, which rotate about an axis which is more or less perpendicular to the conveying plane and/or conveying direction of the box blanks. The folding-in elements each have at least one pair of folding-in devices, which can be moved in a common plane and which can be moved and/or controlled and regulated independently of one another.
A method and a folding element is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for packaging articles in a box blank having folding lines and at least one of side flaps, lid flaps and base flaps, the apparatus comprising:
a feed for feeding a stream of articles;
a divider for dividing up the articles into groups;
a box blank feed for feeding individual box blanks to the groups or for combining the groups and the box blanks, the box blank feed having a conveying direction and a conveying plane; and
a former for forming a box and for folding in the side flaps using folding-in elements rotating about an axis perpendicular to the conveying plane or to the conveying direction, each of the folding-in elements comprising at least one pair of folding-in devices moved in a common plane, the two folding-in devices moved independently of one another and controlled or regulated independently of one another, the pair of folding-in devices including a first finger and a second finger, the first and second fingers each having bow-shaped curves with convex sides facing each other.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the two folding-in devices are aligned in each case pairwise and perpendicular to a vertical and arranged in a movement direction in positions shifted in relation to each other and movable about a common rotational axis.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the two folding-in devices include protruding rods.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the folding-in devices are aligned in each case pairwise and perpendicular to a vertical and arranged in a movement direction in positions shifted in relation to each other and movable about rotational axes parallel to each other.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a first shaft connected to a first of the folding-in devices and a second shaft connected to a second of the folding-in devices, a first drive driving the first shaft and a second drive driving the second shaft.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the first shaft and second shafts are coaxial inner and outer shafts.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the first and second shafts are arranged vertically with respect to each other and in each case aligned flush with each other.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the first and second shafts are each arranged vertically with respect to each other with parallel axes of rotation, the axes offset in relation to each other.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the folding-in devices are variable and/or adjustable in length.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 further comprising chain or belt drives directly coupling the first and second shafts to the first and second drive respectively.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the common plane is horizontal.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein in each case two pairs of folding-in elements each movable independently of one another are arranged on both sides of the article stream, the elements used for folding in the side flaps of the box blanks transversely to the conveying direction.

13. A folding-in element for an apparatus for packaging articles in a box blank with folding lines and foldable flaps, the folding-in element comprising:
at least one pair of folding-in devices, the two folding-in devices being moved independently of one another and controlled or regulated independently of one another, each folding-in device being bow-shaped so that a clearance for each subsequent foldable flap is created when the folding-in devices move, the pair of folding-in devices including a first finger and a second finger, the first and second fingers each having bow-shaped curves with convex sides facing each other.

14. A method for packaging articles in a box blank having folding lines and foldable side flaps, the method comprising at least the following steps:
feeding a stream of articles,
dividing up the articles into groups of the articles,
feeding a box blank to one of the groups of the articles and/or combining the group of the articles and the box blank,
folding in the foldable flaps using at least one pair of folding-in devices of a rotating folding-in element, the two folding-in devices of the pair being moved independently of one another and controlled or regulated independently of one another; and
decoupling a rotating or pivoting movement of a first of the two folding-in devices with respect to a second of the two folding-in devices.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein a separate drive is used for moving each one of the folding-in devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the folding-in devices rotate about an axis perpendicular to a conveying plane.

17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the folding-in devices change an angle of their relative positions with respect to each other during the process of folding in.

18. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the decoupling step enables an adjustment to a different box size or pitch distance.

Assignees

• Koch Peter
• Wimmer Thomas
• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Koch Peter
• Wimmer Thomas

Classifications

• B65B49/12 Primary

  Rotary folders · CPC title

• B65B5/024

  for making containers from preformed blanks · CPC title

• B65B7/20

  by folding-down preformed flaps · CPC title

• B65B21/24

  Enclosing bottles in wrappers · CPC title