Machine and method for forming reinforced polygonal containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908304-B2
Application number	US-201414274335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2014
Priority date	May 7, 2008
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A machine for forming a container from a blank of sheet material includes a forming station and a compression station. The forming station is configured to form a reinforcing corner assembly from first and second reinforcing panels extending from an end panel of the blank. The compression station is configured to rotate side panels and end panels of the blank to be substantially perpendicular to a bottom panel of the blank. The compression station includes a plurality of plows at least partially defining a plunger opening, and a plunger vertically movable through the plunger opening. The plurality of plows are configured to rotate the side panels and the end panels towards the interior surface of the bottom panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for forming a container from a blank of sheet material, the blank including a bottom panel having opposing side edges and opposing end edges, a side panel extending from each side edge of the bottom panel, an end panel extending from each end edge of the bottom panel, and at least a pair of reinforcing panels extending from a side edge of one of the end panels for forming a reinforcing corner assembly of the container, said machine comprising:
a forming station configured to rotate a first reinforcing panel of the pair of reinforcing panels into face-to-face relationship with a second reinforcing panel of the pair of reinforcing panels to form the reinforcing corner assembly; and
a compression station configured to rotate the side panels and the end panels of the blank to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel of the blank, the compression station comprising:
a plurality of plows at least partially defining a plunger opening, the plurality of plows including a pair of opposing end panel plows and a pair of opposing side panel plows; and
a plunger vertically movable through the plunger opening, the plunger configured to contact an interior surface of the bottom panel and push the blank through the plunger opening; and
wherein the side panel plows are configured to rotate the side panels towards the interior surface of the bottom panel and the end plows are configured to rotate the end panels towards the interior surface of the bottom panel, and
wherein the reinforcing corner assembly is positioned into face-to-face relationship with an exterior surface of one of the side panels, said exterior surface of one of the side panels comprising an exterior surface of a side wall in a set-up container.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the end panel plows are configured to position the reinforcing corner assembly into the face-to-face relationship with the exterior surface of one of the side panels.

3. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the forming station comprises a male forming member having a shape corresponding to an interior shape of the reinforcing corner assembly and a female forming member having a shape corresponding to an exterior shape of the reinforcing corner assembly, the male forming member and the female forming member configured to form the reinforcing corner assembly by pressing together the first and second reinforcing panels.

4. A machine in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the blank further includes a third reinforcing panel foldably connected to the first reinforcing panel, wherein the forming station further comprises a folder arm configured to rotate the first reinforcing panel towards an interior surface of the second reinforcing panel, the folder arm further configured to rotate the third reinforcing panel away from the interior surface of the second reinforcing panel as the first reinforcing panel is rotated towards the second reinforcing panel by moving the third reinforcing panel into contact with the male forming member.

5. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an angling station positioned downstream from the forming station, the angling station configured to rotate the first and second reinforcing panels away from an interior surface of the end panel from which the pair of reinforcing panels extends.

6. A machine in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the angling station comprises a miter plate and a guide bar extending substantially parallel to the miter plate, the miter plate configured to rotate the first and second reinforcing panels to be at an obtuse angle with respect to the end panel from which the pair of reinforcing panels extends.

7. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plunger is configured to move from a first position to a second position when the plunger pushes the blank through the plunger opening, and wherein each of the side panel plows is positioned vertically closer to the plunger than each of the end panel plows when the plunger is in the first position.

8. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the compression station is further configured to couple the reinforcing corner assembly to an exterior surface of an adjacent side panel by compressing the reinforcing corner assembly and the adjacent side panel together.

9. A machine in accordance with claim 8 , further comprising at least one presser assembly including a presser plate and an actuator configured to move the presser plate towards and away from the plunger opening, wherein the compression station is configured to couple the reinforcing corner assembly to the adjacent side panel by compressing the reinforcing corner assembly and the adjacent side panel between the presser plate and the plunger.

10. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the forming station is a secondary forming station, the machine further comprising an initial forming station comprising: at least one stationary folding plow configured to rotate the first reinforcing panel into an upright orientation with respect to the second reinforcing panel as the blank is received in the initial forming station; and a rotatable guide rail rotatably coupled to the folding plow, the rotatable guide rail configured to maintain the first reinforcing panel in the upright orientation as the blank is transferred from the initial forming station to the secondary forming station.

11. A machine in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive applicator positioned between the forming station and the compression station, the adhesive applicator configured to apply adhesive to an interior surface of the reinforcing corner assembly.

12. A method of forming a container from a blank of sheet material using a machine, the blank including a bottom panel having opposing side edges and opposing end edges, a side panel extending from each side edge of the bottom panel, an end panel extending from each end edge of the bottom panel, and at least a pair of reinforcing panels extending from a side edge of one of the end panels, the machine including a forming station and a compression station including a plurality of plows and a plunger, the plurality of plows including a pair of opposing end panel plows and a pair of opposing side panel plows, the plurality of plows at least partially defining a plunger opening, said method comprising:
forming a reinforcing corner assembly by folding a first reinforcing panel of the pair of reinforcing panels into face-to-face relationship with a second reinforcing panel of the pair of reinforcing panels using the forming station;
positioning the blank in the compression station between the plunger opening and the plunger; rotating the side panels of the blank towards an interior surface of the bottom panel by directing the blank through the plunger opening with the plunger and contacting the side panels with the side panel plows;
rotating the end panels of the blank towards the interior surface of the bottom panel by directing the blank through the plunger opening with the plunger and contacting the end panels with the end panel plows; and
positioning the reinforcing corner assembly into face-to-face relationship with an exterior surface of one of the side panels, said exterior surface of one of the side panels comprising an exterior surface of a side wall in a set-up container.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein the side panels are rotated prior to the end panels being rotated.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein forming the reinforcing corner assembly comprises pressing the first reinforcing panel and the second rei

Assignees

• Westrock Shared Services Llc

Inventors

• Aganovic Amer
• Graham Thomas Dean
• Smith Kenneth Charles
• Conley John Hershcel
• Teany Robert Bradley
• Gulik Gregory Scott
• Spurlock Paul Andrew
• Armstrong Maureen Ann

Classifications

• B65D5/0015

  the container being formed by folding up portions connected to a central panel · CPC title

• B31B50/282

  involving stripping-off formed boxes from mandrels · CPC title

• B65D5/0025

  the corner posts being formed as a prolongation of a doubled-over extension of the side walls · CPC title

• B65D5/003

  having ledges formed by extensions of the side walls (B65D5/0045 and B65D5/0065 take precedence) · CPC title

• B31B50/52

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