Flight lug for octagonal cartons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944421-B2
Application number	US-201414585343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Jan 15, 2010
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A carton conveyer for a packaging machine has upper and lower flights to which sets of flight lugs are attached. Each set of flight lugs comprises leading flight lugs and trailing flight lugs and the leading flight lugs have recesses that face and oppose recesses on the trailing flight lugs. The recesses are formed to confine an open carton therebetween. Notches are formed in the flight lugs in such a way that movement of the leading and trailing flight lugs toward one another causes an un-erected carton between the lugs to be captured and erected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flight lug for a carton conveyor of an article packaging machine, the flight lug comprising a body having a first end configured to be secured to an endless chain of the carton conveyor and a second end, and a recess formed in the body between the first end and the second end configured to conform substantially to the shape of a portion of an erected carton, the recess is formed by a lower surface, a middle surface, and an upper surface, the lower surface being oblique with respect to the middle surface, the upper surface being oblique with respect to the middle surface, the recess comprises at least one notch that comprises an upper notch in the upper surface and a lower notch in the middle surface.

2. The flight lug of claim 1 , wherein the at least one notch is positioned to engage an edge of a carton blank as the flight lug and carton blank move into engagement with each other.

3. The flight lug of claim 2 , wherein the lower notch is formed at the bottom of the middle surface and adjacent to the lower surface.

4. The flight lug of claim 3 , wherein the upper notch is formed at the bottom of the upper surface and adjacent to the middle surface.

5. The flight lug of claim 1 , wherein the lower surface is disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the middle surface.

6. The flight lug of claim 5 , wherein the upper surface is disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the middle surface.

7. The flight lug of claim 5 , wherein a lower portion of the body comprises the first end of the flight lug that is configured to be secured to a chain of a carton conveyor.

8. A flight lug comprising an elongated body and a recess formed in the body, the recess is formed by a plurality of surfaces and is configured to conform substantially to the shape of a portion of an erected carton, the plurality of surfaces comprising a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface, the first surface and the third surface are disposed at respective oblique angles with respect to the second surface, the recess comprises at least one notch that comprises a first notch formed in the first surface and a second notch formed in the second surface.

9. The flight lug of claim 8 , wherein the first and second surfaces meet at a first intersection and the second and third surfaces meet at a second intersection, the first notch formed at the first intersection and sized to capture an edge of a carton blank.

10. The flight lug of claim 9 , wherein at the second notch is formed at the second intersection and sized to capture an edge of a carton blank.

11. The flight lug of claim 8 , wherein the first surface and the third surface are disposed at approximately 45 degree angles relative to the second surface.

12. The flight lug of claim 1 , wherein each of the lower notch and the upper notch is recessed into a portion of the respective middle surface and the upper surface.

13. The flight lug of claim 8 , wherein each of the first notch and the second notch is recessed into a portion of the respective first surface and the second surface.

14. A set of flight lugs for a carton conveyor of an article packaging machine, the set of flight lugs comprising:
a leading flight lug comprising a recess with a lower surface, a middle surface, and an upper surface, the lower surface and the upper surface are disposed at respective oblique angles relative to the middle surface, a notch is formed in the middle surface; and
a trailing flight lug comprising a recess with a lower surface, a middle surface, and an upper surface, the lower surface and the upper surface are disposed at respective oblique angles relative to the middle surface;
the leading flight lug and the trailing flight lug are each configured to at least partially receive a carton in an un-erected configuration, the leading flight lug and the trailing flight lug are arranged to move toward one another such that a leading edge of the carton in the un-erected configuration slides along the lower surface of the leading flight lug to engage the notch and erect the carton from the un-erected configuration to an erected configuration.

15. The set of flight lugs of claim 14 , wherein the notch is a lower notch, and the leading flight lug further comprises an upper notch in the upper surface.

16. The set of flight lugs of claim 15 , wherein the trailing flight lug comprises a lower notch in the middle surface and an upper notch in the upper surface.

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Inc
• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Ford Colin P

Classifications

• B65B43/325 Primary

  to boxes, cartons or carton blanks · CPC title

• B31B50/78

  Mechanically · CPC title

• B31B50/002

  Prebreaking · CPC title

• B65B43/26

  Opening or distending bags; Opening, erecting, or setting-up boxes, cartons, or carton blanks · CPC title

• B31B2100/00

  Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by folding single-piece sheets, blanks or webs · CPC title