WO1995003973A1 - A wrap-around sleeve apparatus - Google Patents

A wrap-around sleeve apparatus Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1995003973A1
WO1995003973A1 PCT/GB1994/001615 GB9401615W WO9503973A1 WO 1995003973 A1 WO1995003973 A1 WO 1995003973A1 GB 9401615 W GB9401615 W GB 9401615W WO 9503973 A1 WO9503973 A1 WO 9503973A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sleeve
product
plough
end portion
plough means
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1994/001615
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Gary Austin Fisher
Original Assignee
Fisher-Matthews Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Fisher-Matthews Ltd filed Critical Fisher-Matthews Ltd
Publication of WO1995003973A1 publication Critical patent/WO1995003973A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B11/00—Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material
    • B65B11/06—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths
    • B65B11/08—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths in a single straight path
    • B65B11/10—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths in a single straight path to fold the wrappers in tubular form about contents
    • B65B11/105—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths in a single straight path to fold the wrappers in tubular form about contents the axis of the tube being parallel to the conveying direction

Definitions

  • This invention relates to apparatus for assembling a wrap-around sleeve around a product.
  • Continuous motion sleeving machines are well known in the art. Such machines are particularly used for wrapping a sleeve around a food pack, cartons or around bottles.
  • a flat sleeve blank is placed accurately onto the upper surface of the food pack, the sides of the pack are then formed by folding portions of the sleeve downwards.
  • the base of the sleeve is then formed by folding the free end potions of the sleeve blank back under the pack.
  • the free end portions are usually known as "the bottom fold" and are folded by means of shaped push bars.
  • the pack and sleeve are moved past the stationary push bars which turn the free end portions under the pack.
  • a problem with this arrangement is that the sleeve can become slightly distorted during the final folding operation.
  • the present invention provides an alternative means of folding the end portion of the sleeve which do not cause distortions of the sleeve.
  • apparatus for assembling a wrap-around sleeve around a product which is being moved through the apparatus on a conveyor means, wherein the apparatus includes a pair of rotary plough means arranged to fold end portions of the sleeve back across the product to enclose the product within the sleeve.
  • rotary plough means which are preferably arranged substantially horizontally allows for the building of an apparatus whose overall length can be greatly reduced as compared with an apparatus having push bar folding.
  • the plough means are spaced longitudinally apart and one plough means folds one end portion of the sleeve blank prior to the other end portion folding the other end portion of said sleeve blank.
  • the plough means also act as a product support.
  • the plough means are preferably in the form of plate-like blades, which may have a shaped curved surface along one edge for contact with a respective end portion of the sleeve.
  • a method of wrapping a sleeve around a product which includes the step of folding the free end portions. of a sleeve blank back across the product by means of a pair of rotary plough means each of which folds a free end portion of the sleeve.
  • the invention also includes a product and sleeve assembled together by apparatus and/or method as described above.
  • Fig 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus according to the invention for folding a sleeve around a product
  • Fig 2 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 1 with some of the upper components removed
  • Fig 3 is a front elevation in the line ill-ill of Fig.
  • Fig 4 is a front elevation in the line iv-IV of Fig. 3, showing the sleeve and package advancing towards the second plough means.
  • FIG. 1 and Fig. 2 there is shown an in-line continuous motion sleeving machine 10 which is intended for wrapping a sleeve around a product 11 such as a food package, or a number of containers such as yoghurt pots or bottles.
  • a product 11 such as a food package, or a number of containers such as yoghurt pots or bottles.
  • the product 11 say a food package
  • a conveyor means 12 such as a continuous belt, having drive bars 13 for pushing the package 11 through the apparatus .
  • the drive bars can be set at a pitch of about 30cms, or as is desired for the product to be sleeved.
  • the conveyor means 12 is driven by an electric motor 14 through a series of pulleys and belts 15 and a lay shaft 16.
  • the package 17 is placed on the conveyor means 12 by automatic feed means (not shown) or is hand fed by an operator.
  • a hopper 17 Downstream of the package feed there is located a hopper 17 for feeding flat sleeve blanks into the apparatus for assembly around the packages 11.
  • the blanks 21 have the fold lines , cuts and apertures already formed on the blank.
  • An articulated arm 18 with a sucker 19 thereon picks up a sleeve blank 21 from the hopper 17 and places the blank 21 onto a moving package 11 on the conveyor means 12.
  • the package 11 and respective sleeve are moved past a pair of spaced apart co-axial rotary blades 22 which rotate about a horizontal axis.
  • the two blades 22 are spaced apart by a distance just greater than the width of the package so that the blades fold unsupported portions of the blank 21 downwards to form the sides 21a of the sleeve.
  • the package 11 with the down folded sleeve blank 21 moves onto a support bar 23 extending longitudinally of the apparatus, on which the package and blank slide along through the apparatus.
  • the package 11 and sleeve blank 21 are then moved between a pair of longitudinally spaced plough means 24, 25 arranged one on each side of the support bar 23.
  • the plough means 24, 25 are arranged just below the package 11 on the conveyor 12 and each comprises a flat horizontal blade 526 which is rotated on a vertical shaft 27 via a gear box 28 and a drive shaft 29 connected in turn to the lay shaft 16.
  • the shaft 27 and gearbox 28 are mounted on a block 31 which is slidably mounted on a pair of transverse tie bars 32, 33. The position of the block 31 along the tie bars 32,33 can be adjusted by means of a screw threaded strut 34 and adjuster wheel 35.
  • the first plough means 24 is arranged to the right of the package in the direction of feed is shown in Fig. 3, and the blade 26 rotates clockwise as seen in Fig. 2, to fold the free end portion 2IB of the sleeve 21 under the package 11.
  • the support bar 23 is off set to the left side of package to accommodate the rotary blade 26 and to allow the sleeve end portion 2IB to be folded flat against the package.
  • the blade will also support the package during this stage.
  • the second plough means 25 is arranged to the left of the package 11 in the direction of feed, is shown in Fig. 4.
  • the blade 26 rotates anticlockwise to fold the other free end portion 21C of the sleeve against the package 11.
  • the second plough means 25 folds the free end portion 21C of the other side of the sleeve 21 under the package 11 to overlay the other free end portion 21B.
  • the support bar 23 is kinked over to the right to accommodate the movement of the sleeve end portion 21C and the rotation of the blade 26.
  • the package 11 now encased within the folded sleeve passes to a locking station 36 for securing the two free end portions 2IB and 21C together.
  • the two portions 21B, 21C could be secured together by either an adhesive closure or by mechanical lock.
  • the mechanical lock could be in form of a pair of spaced tabs on the bottom portion 21C which could each be pushed through a respective aperture in the other free end portion 21B. This is achieved by reciprocating vertical pins 37.
  • the assembled sleeve and package 11 is then moved to a take-off conveyor 38 at the end of the apparatus.
  • the apparatus can handle up to 500 packages per minute and the conveyor belt 12 moves at a linear speed of up to 100ft per second.
  • the rotary blades 26 of the plough means 24 & 25 rotate so that the linear speed of the blade where it contacts the sleeve is substantially the same as the linear speed of the conveyor 32.
  • the whole apparatus when in use, is in continuous motion with the individual operations being timed relative to each other.

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for assembling a wrap-around sleeve blank (21) around a product (11) which is being moved through the apparatus on a conveyor (12). The apparatus includes a pair of rotary horizontal plough means (26) arranged to fold end portions (21B, 21C) of the sleeve blank (21) back across the product to enclose the product within a sleeve.

Description

A Wrap-around Sleeve Apparatus
This invention relates to apparatus for assembling a wrap-around sleeve around a product.
Continuous motion sleeving machines are well known in the art. Such machines are particularly used for wrapping a sleeve around a food pack, cartons or around bottles. In a typical machine a flat sleeve blank is placed accurately onto the upper surface of the food pack, the sides of the pack are then formed by folding portions of the sleeve downwards. The base of the sleeve is then formed by folding the free end potions of the sleeve blank back under the pack. The free end portions are usually known as "the bottom fold" and are folded by means of shaped push bars. The pack and sleeve are moved past the stationary push bars which turn the free end portions under the pack.
A problem with this arrangement is that the sleeve can become slightly distorted during the final folding operation.
The present invention provides an alternative means of folding the end portion of the sleeve which do not cause distortions of the sleeve.
According to the invention there is provided apparatus for assembling a wrap-around sleeve around a product which is being moved through the apparatus on a conveyor means, wherein the apparatus includes a pair of rotary plough means arranged to fold end portions of the sleeve back across the product to enclose the product within the sleeve.
The use of rotary plough means which are preferably arranged substantially horizontally allows for the building of an apparatus whose overall length can be greatly reduced as compared with an apparatus having push bar folding.
The plough means are spaced longitudinally apart and one plough means folds one end portion of the sleeve blank prior to the other end portion folding the other end portion of said sleeve blank.
Preferably the plough means also act as a product support.
The plough means are preferably in the form of plate-like blades, which may have a shaped curved surface along one edge for contact with a respective end portion of the sleeve.
Also according to the invention there is provided a method of wrapping a sleeve around a product which includes the step of folding the free end portions. of a sleeve blank back across the product by means of a pair of rotary plough means each of which folds a free end portion of the sleeve. The invention also includes a product and sleeve assembled together by apparatus and/or method as described above.
The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Fig 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus according to the invention for folding a sleeve around a product, Fig 2 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 1 with some of the upper components removed, Fig 3 is a front elevation in the line ill-ill of Fig.
1 showing the sleeve and package advancing towards the first plough means, and Fig 4 is a front elevation in the line iv-IV of Fig. 3, showing the sleeve and package advancing towards the second plough means.
With reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 there is shown an in-line continuous motion sleeving machine 10 which is intended for wrapping a sleeve around a product 11 such as a food package, or a number of containers such as yoghurt pots or bottles.
The product 11, say a food package , is moved down the apparatus by a conveyor means 12, such as a continuous belt, having drive bars 13 for pushing the package 11 through the apparatus . The drive bars can be set at a pitch of about 30cms, or as is desired for the product to be sleeved. The conveyor means 12 is driven by an electric motor 14 through a series of pulleys and belts 15 and a lay shaft 16.
The package 17 is placed on the conveyor means 12 by automatic feed means (not shown) or is hand fed by an operator.
Downstream of the package feed there is located a hopper 17 for feeding flat sleeve blanks into the apparatus for assembly around the packages 11. The blanks 21 have the fold lines , cuts and apertures already formed on the blank. An articulated arm 18 with a sucker 19 thereon picks up a sleeve blank 21 from the hopper 17 and places the blank 21 onto a moving package 11 on the conveyor means 12.
The package 11 and respective sleeve are moved past a pair of spaced apart co-axial rotary blades 22 which rotate about a horizontal axis. The two blades 22 are spaced apart by a distance just greater than the width of the package so that the blades fold unsupported portions of the blank 21 downwards to form the sides 21a of the sleeve.
The package 11 with the down folded sleeve blank 21 moves onto a support bar 23 extending longitudinally of the apparatus, on which the package and blank slide along through the apparatus.
The package 11 and sleeve blank 21 are then moved between a pair of longitudinally spaced plough means 24, 25 arranged one on each side of the support bar 23.
The plough means 24, 25 are arranged just below the package 11 on the conveyor 12 and each comprises a flat horizontal blade 526 which is rotated on a vertical shaft 27 via a gear box 28 and a drive shaft 29 connected in turn to the lay shaft 16. The shaft 27 and gearbox 28 are mounted on a block 31 which is slidably mounted on a pair of transverse tie bars 32, 33. The position of the block 31 along the tie bars 32,33 can be adjusted by means of a screw threaded strut 34 and adjuster wheel 35.
The first plough means 24 is arranged to the right of the package in the direction of feed is shown in Fig. 3, and the blade 26 rotates clockwise as seen in Fig. 2, to fold the free end portion 2IB of the sleeve 21 under the package 11.
The support bar 23 is off set to the left side of package to accommodate the rotary blade 26 and to allow the sleeve end portion 2IB to be folded flat against the package. The blade will also support the package during this stage.
The second plough means 25, is arranged to the left of the package 11 in the direction of feed, is shown in Fig. 4. The blade 26 rotates anticlockwise to fold the other free end portion 21C of the sleeve against the package 11. The second plough means 25 folds the free end portion 21C of the other side of the sleeve 21 under the package 11 to overlay the other free end portion 21B. The support bar 23 is kinked over to the right to accommodate the movement of the sleeve end portion 21C and the rotation of the blade 26.
The package 11 now encased within the folded sleeve passes to a locking station 36 for securing the two free end portions 2IB and 21C together. The two portions 21B, 21C could be secured together by either an adhesive closure or by mechanical lock.
The mechanical lock could be in form of a pair of spaced tabs on the bottom portion 21C which could each be pushed through a respective aperture in the other free end portion 21B. This is achieved by reciprocating vertical pins 37.
The assembled sleeve and package 11 is then moved to a take-off conveyor 38 at the end of the apparatus.
The apparatus can handle up to 500 packages per minute and the conveyor belt 12 moves at a linear speed of up to 100ft per second. The rotary blades 26 of the plough means 24 & 25 rotate so that the linear speed of the blade where it contacts the sleeve is substantially the same as the linear speed of the conveyor 32.
Since the apparatus is driven by a single motor 14, the whole apparatus, when in use, is in continuous motion with the individual operations being timed relative to each other.

Claims

Claims
1. Apparatus for assembling a wrap-around sleeve around a product which is being moved through the apparatus on a conveyor means, wherein the apparatus includes a pair of rotary plough means arranged to fold end portions of the sleeve back across the product to enclose the product within the sleeve.
2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the plough means are spaced longitudinally apart and the first plough means folds one end portion of a sleeve blank prior to the other plough means folding the other end portion of said sleeve blank.
3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the plough means are arranged to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plough means are also used for product support.
5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the conveyor means includes a support bar on which the product/sleeve slides, the support bar being off set to accommodate the sweep of the plough means .
6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the plough means is in the form of a flat blade having a curved shape along one edge for contact with the respective end portion of a sleeve.
7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the conveyor means moves the product through the apparatus at a pre-set linear speed, and the rotary speed of the plough means is arranged so that its contact with the sleeve is at the same linear speed.
8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein apparatus further includes a pair of spaced co-axial rotary blades arranged upstream of the plough means for folding a wrap¬ around sleeve downwards around respective package prior to the folding of said free end portions of the sleeve.
9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the apparatus further includes a locking means for pushing tabs on one end portion of the sleeve into an aperture in the other of the end portions of the sleeve to lock the end portions together.
10. A sleeve and product assembled together by an apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9.
11. A method of wrapping a sleeve around a product which includes the step of folding the free end portions of a sleeve blank back across the product by means of a pair of rotary plough means each of which folds a free end portion of the sleeve.
12. A method as claimed in Claim 11, where one sleeve end portion is folded against the product by a first plough means arranged upstream of the second plough means, which then folds the second end portion to overlap said one end portion.
13. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein the rotary plough means also support the product during transport of the product through the apparatus .
14. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 13 wherein the product and sleeve are moved past the plough means at a desired linear speed, and the rotary plough means engage the free end portions of the sleeve at the same linear speed.
PCT/GB1994/001615 1993-07-31 1994-07-27 A wrap-around sleeve apparatus WO1995003973A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9315911A GB2281549B (en) 1993-07-31 1993-07-31 A wrap-around sleeve apparatus
GB9315911.9 1993-07-31

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1995003973A1 true WO1995003973A1 (en) 1995-02-09

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ID=10739784

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1994/001615 WO1995003973A1 (en) 1993-07-31 1994-07-27 A wrap-around sleeve apparatus

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GB (1) GB2281549B (en)
WO (1) WO1995003973A1 (en)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2986857A (en) * 1958-06-26 1961-06-06 Continental Can Co Machine and method for packaging articles
US2998685A (en) * 1958-11-20 1961-09-05 Continental Can Co Method and machine for packaging articles
US3182431A (en) * 1963-05-10 1965-05-11 Ganz Henry Packaging machine and method
US3303631A (en) * 1962-10-08 1967-02-14 Continental Can Co Machine for and method of applying carriers to containers
FR2521100A1 (en) * 1982-01-22 1983-08-12 Mead Corp Packager for conical articles - has feed to fold moving blank onto two converging files of articles below it

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3387428A (en) * 1966-02-25 1968-06-11 Weyerhaeuser Co Packaging machine
US4592190A (en) * 1983-06-07 1986-06-03 Johns-Manville Corporation Sleeve carton end panel and flap folding and sealing assembly

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2986857A (en) * 1958-06-26 1961-06-06 Continental Can Co Machine and method for packaging articles
US2998685A (en) * 1958-11-20 1961-09-05 Continental Can Co Method and machine for packaging articles
US3303631A (en) * 1962-10-08 1967-02-14 Continental Can Co Machine for and method of applying carriers to containers
US3182431A (en) * 1963-05-10 1965-05-11 Ganz Henry Packaging machine and method
FR2521100A1 (en) * 1982-01-22 1983-08-12 Mead Corp Packager for conical articles - has feed to fold moving blank onto two converging files of articles below it

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2281549A (en) 1995-03-08
GB9315911D0 (en) 1993-09-15
GB2281549B (en) 1997-03-19

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