US20020073658A1 - Machine for automated boxing of soft stacked items - Google Patents
Machine for automated boxing of soft stacked items Download PDFInfo
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- US20020073658A1 US20020073658A1 US09/738,489 US73848900A US2002073658A1 US 20020073658 A1 US20020073658 A1 US 20020073658A1 US 73848900 A US73848900 A US 73848900A US 2002073658 A1 US2002073658 A1 US 2002073658A1
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- trays
- unit
- boxes
- objects
- trapdoor
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- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000000725 suspension Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000002783 friction material Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 13
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 13
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000002985 plastic film Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229920006255 plastic film Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012856 packing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004809 Teflon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006362 Teflon® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011094 fiberboard Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011152 fibreglass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
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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
- B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
- B65B5/10—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles
- B65B5/108—Article support means temporarily arranged in the container
Definitions
- This invention relates to boxing machines, and more particularly to machines for the automated boxing of soft stacked items, such as with packs of loose plastic bags and the like.
- the process of manufacturing T-shirt and merchandise bags involves providing tubular plastic film material.
- a continuous tubular plastic film is provided.
- larger diameter tubular material can be formed into multiple tubes by forming side seams.
- a gusseting station folds sides of the plastic material inwardly at two sides.
- the tubular plastic film is then cut and seemed at bottom and optionally top ends to form closed bottom bags.
- a top edge of the bag is sealed to form “pillowcases”.
- the individual bags are then stacked in alignment, and further die cutting of the stacked bags is carried out to form the bag packs.
- the individual bags are held together in alignment by frangible pressure bonds, by adhesive spots, by hot welds, and the like. After the packs of bags are formed, then a number of packs are placed into boxes. This process is presently carried out by hand labor, with one worker typically manning a single bag manufacturing line. After the boxes are loaded, they are closed, and are loaded onto pallets. This process is highly labor intensive and adds significantly to the overall manufacturing costs.
- the invention provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes and for use in combination with a conveyor device upon which the objects to be boxed are placed.
- the invention further provides an automated boxing device for packaging multiple packs of pliable packs of plastic bags having a footprint area into cardboard boxes that ensures that the plastic bag packs are properly placed therein.
- the invention also provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes and for use in combination with a conveyor device upon which the objects to be boxed are placed, the boxing device having a trapdoor unit, a box conveying unit, a tramping unit, and a control unit.
- the invention yet further provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes, cartons, and other containers without need for a conveyor device.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of objects loaded into a box.
- FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an item to be loaded into the boxes.
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps undertaken by the device to load a plurality of objects into a box.
- FIG. 4 is a left front perspective view showing the boxing device of the invention and the conveyor with objects placed thereon.
- FIG. 5A is a side view illustrating operation of step 1 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device.
- FIG. 5B is a side view illustrating operation of steps 2 and 3 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device.
- FIG. 5C is a is a side view illustrating operation of steps 4 and 5 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device.
- FIG. 5D is a side view illustrating operation of step 6 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device.
- FIG. 5E is a is a side view illustrating operation of steps 8 and 9 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device.
- FIG. 6 is a top left perspective view showing the trays of the trapdoor unit in their opened position.
- FIG. 7 is a simplified top plan view of the device showing empty boxes ready on box conveying unit.
- FIG. 8 is a side view of a second embodiment of a boxing device with an object being prepared to be loaded onto the sliding plates.
- FIG. 9 is a side view of the boxing device of FIG. 8, with the sliding plates separated to allow the object to drop into an open box.
- FIG. 10 is a side view of the boxing device of FIG. 8, with the tamping unit activated to tamp objects into the box.
- FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the steps undertaken by an another embodiment of the device to load a plurality of objects into a box.
- FIG. 12A is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray with a wavy surface.
- FIG. 12B is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray formed from rods.
- FIG. 12C is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray having an air suspension feature.
- the boxing device comprises the following main functional units, as follows: a moveable trapdoor unit, a box conveying unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the moveable trapdoor unit and the box conveying unit.
- a tramping unit is also provided.
- FIG. 1 there is a shown a top plan view of a box 10 with an open top 12 with an item 14 shown placed therein.
- a plurality of items 14 e.g. multiple plastic bag packs, are shown stacked in box 10 .
- Plastic bag packs 14 are shown in FIG. 2, and have a length “L” and a width “W”, which define a footprint area, and the dimensions of item 14 is such that items 14 can be placed in a lay flat position through open top 12 of box 10 .
- the object can comprise any object, and as noted above, the invention is particularly useful for use in packing pliable objects into boxes and cartons.
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps taken to load objects into boxes.
- step 1 ( 16 ) trapdoors trays are inclined to receive object from an end of a conveyor.
- step 2 ( 18 ) boxes are placed under a drop zone of the trapdoors trays.
- step 3 ( 20 ) the objects are fed onto the trapdoor trays.
- step 4 ( 22 ) the objects are squared up on the trapdoor trays.
- step 5 ( 24 ) the trapdoor trays are pivoted to a horizontal position under a tamping unit.
- step 6 ( 26 ) the trapdoor trays are slide apart to drop objects into a box below.
- step 7 the tamper unit is activated to compress objects into the box.
- step 7 may not need to be carried out each time an object is dropped into the box.
- steps 1 , 3 - 7 are repeated until the box is filled.
- step 9 the box packed with objects is ejected onto a discharge conveyor, and the process may begin anew with the placement of an empty box under the drop zone.
- FIG. 4 is a left front perspective view showing the boxing device 40 placed at an end of a conveyor 42 of the invention and the conveyor with objects 44 placed on conveyor 42 thereon.
- the packaging device 40 has a trapdoor unit 46 , a box conveying unit 48 , a control unit 50 , and a tamping unit 52 .
- the device 40 is shown in an embodiment adapted to box three separate lines of objects 44 A, 44 B, and 44 C, which are to be loaded into three boxes 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C, respectively, but the device can have a single lines, or any number of separate lines of objects to be boxed.
- the trapdoor unit 46 has means 54 to raise sliding trays 56 and 58 from a generally horizontal orientation, as shown in FIG.
- the means to raise sliding trays 56 and 58 comprises at least one of a hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, and electromagnetic mechanisms.
- a pneumatic cylinder connects to a raising arm 74 .
- a rear end of the trapdoor unit 46 is pivotally affixed to the device 40 .
- moveable side walls 76 and 78 are positioned at left and right ends of the trays 56 and 58 , and are moved inward and outwardly by mechanisms 80 .
- the mechanisms are hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, or electromagnetic mechanisms, and are activated by the control unit 50 .
- the tamping unit 52 has tamping plates 82 which are sized to fit into the boxes 10 , and are aligned above the open boxes 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C.
- the tamping unit 52 preferably has a number of stations equal to the number of boxes to be loaded with objects.
- the box conveying unit 48 is designed to moves boxes from a first position (see FIG. 5A), where empty boxes 10 A ( 10 B and 10 C not shown) are placed on a moveable platform 90 , preferably with box alignment guides 92 , and moves the boxes to a second position onto a trackway 94 under the trapdoor unit 46 .
- the means to move the moveable platform can comprise a hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, or electromagnetic mechanisms.
- a stopper 96 moves from a retracted position to an extended position (shown in FIG. 5C), thereby preventing the boxes from being moved away from the second position when the moveable platform 90 is returned to its first position shown in FIG. 5A for reloading with empty boxes.
- a sliding trackway or discharge conveyor 106 is adjacent to the trackway 94 .
- a means to move the loaded boxes 10 D, 10 E, and 10 F from the second position to the a third position on the discharge trackway 106 is provided, and can comprise a push plate 98 moved by hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, or electromagnetic mechanisms.
- An alarm 110 is optionally provided in the device 40 to sound an audible sound and/or visible light to let a user know that the moveable platform 90 does not have empty boxes loaded thereon.
- the alarm 110 is activated by the control unit 50 .
- a sensor 112 detects when the box conveying unit in the first position is not loaded with boxes, and can comprise an electric eye, pressure cells, proximity sensors, or other known sensing means. If there are no boxes readied for loading with objects, the sensor 112 will send a signal to halt operation of the boxing device 40 and the conveyor 42 and bag making machine until the empty boxes are again placed on the box conveying unit 48 .
- the boxing device can be provided with video monitoring equipment so that a distant inspector can monitor the condition of the bags being loaded into the boxes, and even control the process, e.g. halt the machinery if there is a problem, or slow down and speed up the process if necessary.
- Empty boxes can be loaded onto the moveable platform 90 by hand, or can be loaded thereon by another mechanism (not shown.) In the embodiment of the invention shown, a plurality of columns of objects are packed into an equal number of plurality of boxes.
- dividers 120 and 122 are provided to further align to objects onto the trapdoor trays 56 and 58 .
- the trapdoors 56 and 58 are also adapted to be moved between a closed position, shown in FIG. 4, wherein the trapdoors 56 and 58 are close together, to an opened position, wherein the trays 56 and 58 are separated, as best shown in FIG. 6.
- the front tray 56 has a leading edge 60 and an inwardly facing edge 62 .
- the rear tray 58 has an inwardly facing edge 64 and a trailing edge 66 .
- the inwardly facing edges 62 and 64 are separated by distance “d”, and are moved apart in a co-planar manner by a separator unit 68 .
- Distance “d” is greater than the length and/or width of the object 14 , so that when the object is oriented on trays 56 and 58 , it is received in a lay flat condition, but when trays 56 and 58 are separated, the object 14 may fall through without being twisted, folded, or otherwise deformed.
- Separator unit 68 is adapted to quickly, simultaneously, and slidably separate tray 56 from a centerline “C”. This can be accomplished by attaching the tray 56 to a slide bar 70 which moves tray 56 from its closed position of FIG. 4 to its opened position of FIG. 6. A similar separator unit (not shown) moves trays 58 from its closed position of FIG. 4 to its opened position of FIG. 6.
- the separator units can be activated by hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, electromagnetic, and/or mechanical linked mechanisms.
- a retaining wall 72 is spaced above tray 58 , so that when tray 58 is moved rearwardly and tray 56 moves forwardly, objects on tray 58 and 56 are prevented from shifting rearwardly, and drop through the opening “d”, and are activated by the control unit 50 .
- the trapdoor unit 46 , the box conveying unit 48 and tamping unit 52 are controlled by the control unit 50 , which also receives input from the conveyor 42 , and provides precise timings to orchestrate the process.
- FIG. 7 a simplified diagrammatic top plan view of the boxing device 40 is shown. Boxes 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C are on the second position on the trackway 94 , and another set of boxes 10 G, 10 H, and 10 I are on the moveable platform 90 ready to be moved from its first position to the position of boxes 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C after boxes 10 A, 10 B, and 10 C are loaded with objects and moved to the discharge trackway 106 .
- FIG. 5A which is a simplified right view of the boxing device 40 adjacent to a terminal end 130 of the conveyor 42 .
- the forwardmost columns of objects 44 A 1 , 44 A 2 , and 44 A 3 are shown on conveyor 42 , and trays 56 and 58 are in their slanted up and closed position. In this position, the leading edge 60 of tray 56 is adjacent to terminal end 130 .
- the tamping plate 82 of tamping unit 52 is in its upraised position.
- An empty box 10 A is placed on the moveable platform 90 .
- the stop 96 is in its unactivated position.
- FIG. 5B the conveyor 42 is moved so that object 44 A 1 is moved off of the end 130 and slides onto trays 56 and 58 . Either prior to or before this, box 10 A would have been moved by moveable platform 90 to the second position under the trays 56 and 58 and onto track way 94 .
- trays 56 and 58 are moved to the horizontal position. Although not shown, in this horizontal position, the objects on the trays 56 and 58 will be suspended exactly above the opened boxes below. At this time, additional empty boxes can be loaded onto the moveable platform 90 of the box conveying means.
- the trays 56 and 58 are rapidly and simultaneously separated.
- the object 44 A 1 falls through the opening between the two trays 56 and 58 , and into the open box 10 A. Because the two trays are separated simultaneously, rapidly, and from the centerline, the object 44 A 1 will not be deformed as its falls, and will fall into the open box 10 A in a lay flat condition.
- FIG. 5E shows the tamping unit 52 being activated so that the tamping plate 82 passes through the open box 10 A and tamps objects down into the box.
- the tamping plate 82 is connected with a driving shaft 130 .
- two objects 44 A 0 and 44 A 1 are shown stacked in the box 10 A and being tamped.
- the tamping plate 82 is sized to fit through the slid apart trays 56 an 58 . After the objects are tamped into box 10 A, the tamping plate 82 is retract back to its position shown in FIGS. 5 A- 5 D.
- FIGS. 8 - 10 there is shown a side view of a second embodiment of a boxing device 140 .
- Boxing device 140 is a simplified version of the first embodiment of the boxing device 40 , and does not include a slant adjustment feature. Instead, objects 142 are deposited onto co-planar sliding trays or plates 144 and 146 with the plates in a horizontal, or nearly horizontal position, with the plates 146 slide together.
- An object moving device 148 has a means 150 to move objects 142 onto the top surface of plates 144 and 146 .
- This means 150 can comprise grips (as shown) moveable toward and away from the plates 144 and 146 by a track or rod 152 , or other object moving means.
- the objects 142 being moved and be dragged along a n optional sliding surface 154 . Once placed upon plates 144 and 146 , if needed, the objects 142 can be aligned on the plates 144 and 146 as described above with respect to the first embodiment 40 to be situated directly above the open mouths of the boxes, cartons, or other containers 156 .
- An optional tamper unit 158 with tamping plates or means 160 is positioned above the plates 144 and 146 .
- FIG. 9 after the objects 142 are placed on the plates 144 and 146 , the plates are slide apart in a co-planar manner by a distance sufficient to allow the objects 142 to drop straight through the opening and into the box, carton, or container 146 below.
- FIG. 10 is a side view showing objects 142 being tamped into the boxes 156 by the tamping plate 160 of the tamping unit 158 .
- tamping may need not take place each time objects are dropped into the boxes 156 .
- Empty boxes can be moved from a staging position 162 to a position under the sliding plates by a box conveying unit 164 (see FIG. 8) as described above with respect to the first embodiment of the device, and after loaded with objects, the boxes 156 can be ejected from underneath the sliding plates to a third position, also as described above.
- step 1 a box, carton, or other container is placed under a drop zone.
- step 2 172
- objects are deposited onto trapdoor plates of the device.
- step 3 174
- objects are squared up on the trapdoor plates if needed.
- step 4 176
- the trapdoor plates are slide apart to drop objects into the boxes below.
- step 5 178
- the tamper unit is activated to tamp objects into the boxes.
- steps 2 - 5 are repeated until the boxes are filled with objects.
- step 7 182
- the packed boxes are ejected on a discharge conveyor, and the cycle can begin again.
- the trays or plates 56 and 58 and 144 and 146 of the embodiments 40 and 140 can be provided in a variety of materials, such as metal, plastics, fiberboard, fiberglass that provide a low friction surface upon which the object are deposited.
- the plates 56 and 58 and 144 and 146 can be coated with Teflon or other low friction material, and the plates can be flat (as shown) or can alternately have a shape that designed to reduce the area of contact between the objects and the plates.
- the embodiments of the device can be outfitted with shapes and features designed so that the objects can more easily slide on the trays when the trays are slide apart.
- the trays can optionally have a waved shape 180 with ridges 182 and valleys 184 , so that the objects rest on the ridges 182 and can more easily slide off the trays.
- the trays can also comprise parallel rods 190 , or a mesh (not shown.)
- the trays 200 can also be designed to provide an air suspension of objects placed thereon. This can be accomplished by provided trays 200 with a sandwiches construction, with a solid lower sheet 202 and an upper sheet 204 with a plurality of air holes 206 . Pressurized air 208 will be supplied to the trays 200 and the pressurized air will pass through the air holes 206 to provide for air suspension of the objects on the trays. While a limited number of embodiments has been described, they are all friction decreasing features for the trays or plates, and the trays or plates can be provided with other friction decreases features, and the invention is not limited to the above described embodiments.
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Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to boxing machines, and more particularly to machines for the automated boxing of soft stacked items, such as with packs of loose plastic bags and the like.
- While many aspects of manufacturing and packaging have been automated, one area that still requires a considerable amount of human labor is the loading of boxes with soft and flexible goods, such as packs of plastic bags. Unlike the packing of discretely sized, relatively incompressible, and/or individually packaged objects into boxes, soft goods, such as stacked of plastic bags and the like are not easy to load into boxes since they tend to be shift around. Therefore, presently workers must box these items by hand. This boxing represents a significant labor expense.
- In the process of manufacturing packs of plastic bags, such as packs of T-shirt bags and merchandise bags are created with many individual bags held together loosely in alignment. The bags in the pack can shift if not handled carefully.
- The process of manufacturing T-shirt and merchandise bags involves providing tubular plastic film material. For seamless side edge bags, a continuous tubular plastic film is provided. Likewise, larger diameter tubular material can be formed into multiple tubes by forming side seams. For bags with gussets, a gusseting station folds sides of the plastic material inwardly at two sides. The tubular plastic film is then cut and seemed at bottom and optionally top ends to form closed bottom bags. For T-shirt bags, a top edge of the bag is sealed to form “pillowcases”. The individual bags are then stacked in alignment, and further die cutting of the stacked bags is carried out to form the bag packs. The individual bags are held together in alignment by frangible pressure bonds, by adhesive spots, by hot welds, and the like. After the packs of bags are formed, then a number of packs are placed into boxes. This process is presently carried out by hand labor, with one worker typically manning a single bag manufacturing line. After the boxes are loaded, they are closed, and are loaded onto pallets. This process is highly labor intensive and adds significantly to the overall manufacturing costs.
- There according remains a need for an automated boxing device for deformable goods, such as packs of bags and the like.
- The invention provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes and for use in combination with a conveyor device upon which the objects to be boxed are placed.
- The invention further provides an automated boxing device for packaging multiple packs of pliable packs of plastic bags having a footprint area into cardboard boxes that ensures that the plastic bag packs are properly placed therein.
- The invention also provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes and for use in combination with a conveyor device upon which the objects to be boxed are placed, the boxing device having a trapdoor unit, a box conveying unit, a tramping unit, and a control unit.
- The invention yet further provides a boxing device for packaging pliable objects having a length and width into boxes, cartons, and other containers without need for a conveyor device.
- The yet further provides an automated method of boxing pliable objects having a footprint area into a box.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of objects loaded into a box.
- FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an item to be loaded into the boxes.
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps undertaken by the device to load a plurality of objects into a box.
- FIG. 4 is a left front perspective view showing the boxing device of the invention and the conveyor with objects placed thereon.
- FIG. 5A is a side view illustrating operation of
step 1 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device. - FIG. 5B is a side view illustrating operation of
steps - FIG. 5C is a is a side view illustrating operation of
steps - FIG. 5D is a side view illustrating operation of
step 6 of FIG. 2 of the operation of the boxing device. - FIG. 5E is a is a side view illustrating operation of
steps - FIG. 6 is a top left perspective view showing the trays of the trapdoor unit in their opened position.
- FIG. 7 is a simplified top plan view of the device showing empty boxes ready on box conveying unit.
- FIG. 8 is a side view of a second embodiment of a boxing device with an object being prepared to be loaded onto the sliding plates.
- FIG. 9 is a side view of the boxing device of FIG. 8, with the sliding plates separated to allow the object to drop into an open box.
- FIG. 10 is a side view of the boxing device of FIG. 8, with the tamping unit activated to tamp objects into the box.
- FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the steps undertaken by an another embodiment of the device to load a plurality of objects into a box.
- FIG. 12A is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray with a wavy surface.
- FIG. 12B is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray formed from rods.
- FIG. 12C is an isometric view of a trapdoor tray having an air suspension feature.
- The boxing device comprises the following main functional units, as follows: a moveable trapdoor unit, a box conveying unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the moveable trapdoor unit and the box conveying unit. Optionally, a tramping unit is also provided.
- While the invention was developed with stacked plastic bags in mind, it can be used to box a wide variety of items, and is particularly useful for boxing flexible items that would otherwise need to be hand loaded into boxes. For purposes of the discussion of the invention, reference may be made to plastic bag backs, but again, the invention can be used to load any number of types of items into boxes.
- Turning to FIG. 1, there is a shown a top plan view of a
box 10 with anopen top 12 with anitem 14 shown placed therein. (In fact, a plurality ofitems 14, e.g. multiple plastic bag packs, are shown stacked inbox 10.Plastic bag packs 14 are shown in FIG. 2, and have a length “L” and a width “W”, which define a footprint area, and the dimensions ofitem 14 is such thatitems 14 can be placed in a lay flat position throughopen top 12 ofbox 10. While a stack ofplastic bags 14 is shown, the object can comprise any object, and as noted above, the invention is particularly useful for use in packing pliable objects into boxes and cartons. - FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps taken to load objects into boxes. In step1 (16), trapdoors trays are inclined to receive object from an end of a conveyor. In step 2 (18),boxes are placed under a drop zone of the trapdoors trays. In step 3 (20) , the objects are fed onto the trapdoor trays. In step 4 (22), the objects are squared up on the trapdoor trays. In step 5 (24), the trapdoor trays are pivoted to a horizontal position under a tamping unit. In step 6 (26), the trapdoor trays are slide apart to drop objects into a box below. In
step 7, the tamper unit is activated to compress objets into the box. Depending upon the number and characteristics of the objects to be placed into the box,step 7 may not need to be carried out each time an object is dropped into the box. Instep 8, steps 1, 3-7 are repeated until the box is filled. Instep 9, the box packed with objects is ejected onto a discharge conveyor, and the process may begin anew with the placement of an empty box under the drop zone. - FIG. 4 is a left front perspective view showing the
boxing device 40 placed at an end of aconveyor 42 of the invention and the conveyor withobjects 44 placed onconveyor 42 thereon. Thepackaging device 40 has atrapdoor unit 46, a box conveying unit 48, acontrol unit 50, and a tampingunit 52. Thedevice 40 is shown in an embodiment adapted to box three separate lines ofobjects boxes trapdoor unit 46 has means 54 to raise slidingtrays front tray 56 to rear tray 58 (as is shown in FIG. 5A.) The means to raise slidingtrays - Turning back to FIG. 4, a pneumatic cylinder connects to a raising arm74. As shown in FIG. 5A, a rear end of the
trapdoor unit 46 is pivotally affixed to thedevice 40. In order to help align and square up objects ontrays moveable side walls trays control unit 50. The tampingunit 52 has tampingplates 82 which are sized to fit into theboxes 10, and are aligned above theopen boxes unit 52 preferably has a number of stations equal to the number of boxes to be loaded with objects. The box conveying unit 48 is designed to moves boxes from a first position (see FIG. 5A), whereempty boxes 10A (10B and 10C not shown) are placed on amoveable platform 90, preferably with box alignment guides 92, and moves the boxes to a second position onto atrackway 94 under thetrapdoor unit 46. The means to move the moveable platform can comprise a hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, or electromagnetic mechanisms. Upon being moved to the second position (shown in FIG. 5B), astopper 96 moves from a retracted position to an extended position (shown in FIG. 5C), thereby preventing the boxes from being moved away from the second position when themoveable platform 90 is returned to its first position shown in FIG. 5A for reloading with empty boxes. A sliding trackway ordischarge conveyor 106 is adjacent to thetrackway 94. A means to move the loadedboxes discharge trackway 106 is provided, and can comprise apush plate 98 moved by hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanically linked, electric, motorized, or electromagnetic mechanisms. Analarm 110 is optionally provided in thedevice 40 to sound an audible sound and/or visible light to let a user know that themoveable platform 90 does not have empty boxes loaded thereon. Thealarm 110 is activated by thecontrol unit 50. A sensor 112 detects when the box conveying unit in the first position is not loaded with boxes, and can comprise an electric eye, pressure cells, proximity sensors, or other known sensing means. If there are no boxes readied for loading with objects, the sensor 112 will send a signal to halt operation of theboxing device 40 and theconveyor 42 and bag making machine until the empty boxes are again placed on the box conveying unit 48. In addition to the monitoring and sensor functions, the boxing device can be provided with video monitoring equipment so that a distant inspector can monitor the condition of the bags being loaded into the boxes, and even control the process, e.g. halt the machinery if there is a problem, or slow down and speed up the process if necessary. Empty boxes can be loaded onto themoveable platform 90 by hand, or can be loaded thereon by another mechanism (not shown.) In the embodiment of the invention shown, a plurality of columns of objects are packed into an equal number of plurality of boxes. To further align to objects onto thetrapdoor trays dividers 120 and 122 are provided. Thetrapdoors trapdoors trays - Turning to FIG. 6, the
front tray 56 has aleading edge 60 and an inwardly facing edge 62. Therear tray 58 has an inwardly facingedge 64 and a trailingedge 66. In the position shown in FIG. 6, the inwardly facingedges 62 and 64 are separated by distance “d”, and are moved apart in a co-planar manner by aseparator unit 68. Distance “d” is greater than the length and/or width of theobject 14, so that when the object is oriented ontrays trays object 14 may fall through without being twisted, folded, or otherwise deformed.Separator unit 68 is adapted to quickly, simultaneously, and slidablyseparate tray 56 from a centerline “C”. This can be accomplished by attaching thetray 56 to aslide bar 70 which movestray 56 from its closed position of FIG. 4 to its opened position of FIG. 6. A similar separator unit (not shown) movestrays 58 from its closed position of FIG. 4 to its opened position of FIG. 6. The separator units can be activated by hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, electromagnetic, and/or mechanical linked mechanisms. A retaining wall 72 is spaced abovetray 58, so that whentray 58 is moved rearwardly andtray 56 moves forwardly, objects ontray control unit 50. Thetrapdoor unit 46, the box conveying unit 48 and tampingunit 52 are controlled by thecontrol unit 50, which also receives input from theconveyor 42, and provides precise timings to orchestrate the process. - Turning to FIG. 7, a simplified diagrammatic top plan view of the
boxing device 40 is shown.Boxes trackway 94, and another set of boxes 10G, 10H, and 10I are on themoveable platform 90 ready to be moved from its first position to the position ofboxes boxes discharge trackway 106. - The method of the invention will now be further explained with reference to FIGS.5A-5E.
- In FIG. 5A, which is a simplified right view of the
boxing device 40 adjacent to aterminal end 130 of theconveyor 42. The forwardmost columns ofobjects conveyor 42, andtrays edge 60 oftray 56 is adjacent toterminal end 130. The tampingplate 82 of tampingunit 52 is in its upraised position. Anempty box 10A is placed on themoveable platform 90. Thestop 96 is in its unactivated position. - In FIG. 5B, the
conveyor 42 is moved so thatobject 44A1 is moved off of theend 130 and slides ontotrays box 10A would have been moved bymoveable platform 90 to the second position under thetrays track way 94. - Turning to FIG. 5C,
trays trays moveable platform 90 of the box conveying means. - Turning to FIG. 5D, the
trays object 44A1 falls through the opening between the twotrays open box 10A. Because the two trays are separated simultaneously, rapidly, and from the centerline, theobject 44A1 will not be deformed as its falls, and will fall into theopen box 10A in a lay flat condition. - FIG. 5E shows the tamping
unit 52 being activated so that the tampingplate 82 passes through theopen box 10A and tamps objects down into the box. The tampingplate 82 is connected with a drivingshaft 130. In FIG. 5E, twoobjects box 10A and being tamped. Depending upon the characteristics of the objects, it may not be necessary to tamp the objects into the box as each object falls into the box, and may be sufficient to tamp the objects every nth cycle. Obviously, the tampingplate 82 is sized to fit through the slid aparttrays 56 an 58. After the objects are tamped intobox 10A, the tampingplate 82 is retract back to its position shown in FIGS. 5A-5D. - Turning to FIGS.8-10, there is shown a side view of a second embodiment of a
boxing device 140.Boxing device 140 is a simplified version of the first embodiment of theboxing device 40, and does not include a slant adjustment feature. Instead, objects 142 are deposited onto co-planar sliding trays orplates plates 146 slide together. Anobject moving device 148 has ameans 150 to moveobjects 142 onto the top surface ofplates plates rod 152, or other object moving means. Theobjects 142 being moved and be dragged along a n optional slidingsurface 154. Once placed uponplates objects 142 can be aligned on theplates first embodiment 40 to be situated directly above the open mouths of the boxes, cartons, orother containers 156. Anoptional tamper unit 158 with tamping plates or means 160 is positioned above theplates - Turning to FIG. 9, after the
objects 142 are placed on theplates objects 142 to drop straight through the opening and into the box, carton, orcontainer 146 below. - FIG. 10 is a side
view showing objects 142 being tamped into theboxes 156 by the tampingplate 160 of thetamping unit 158. Depending upon the characteristics and numbers ofobjects 142 to be placed into the boxes, tamping may need not take place each time objects are dropped into theboxes 156. Empty boxes can be moved from a staging position 162 to a position under the sliding plates by a box conveying unit 164 (see FIG. 8) as described above with respect to the first embodiment of the device, and after loaded with objects, theboxes 156 can be ejected from underneath the sliding plates to a third position, also as described above. - Turning to FIG. 11, there is shown a flowchart showing the steps undertaken by an alternate embodiment of the invention to load objects into boxes, cartons, or other containers. In step1 (170), a box, carton, or other container is placed under a drop zone. In step 2 (172), objects are deposited onto trapdoor plates of the device. In step 3 (174), objects are squared up on the trapdoor plates if needed. In step 4 (176), the trapdoor plates are slide apart to drop objects into the boxes below. In step 5 (178), if necessary, the tamper unit is activated to tamp objects into the boxes. In step 6 (180), steps 2-5 are repeated until the boxes are filled with objects. In step 7 (182), the packed boxes are ejected on a discharge conveyor, and the cycle can begin again.
- The trays or
plates embodiments plates - Turning to FIGS.12A-12C, the embodiments of the device can be outfitted with shapes and features designed so that the objects can more easily slide on the trays when the trays are slide apart. Referring to FIG. 12A, the trays can optionally have a waved
shape 180 withridges 182 andvalleys 184, so that the objects rest on theridges 182 and can more easily slide off the trays. Referring to FIG. 12B, the trays can also compriseparallel rods 190, or a mesh (not shown.) - Turning to FIG. 12C, the
trays 200 can also be designed to provide an air suspension of objects placed thereon. This can be accomplished by providedtrays 200 with a sandwiches construction, with a solidlower sheet 202 and anupper sheet 204 with a plurality of air holes 206.Pressurized air 208 will be supplied to thetrays 200 and the pressurized air will pass through the air holes 206 to provide for air suspension of the objects on the trays. While a limited number of embodiments has been described, they are all friction decreasing features for the trays or plates, and the trays or plates can be provided with other friction decreases features, and the invention is not limited to the above described embodiments. - The drawings and the foregoing description are not intended to represent the only form of the invention in regard to the details of this construction and manner of operation. In fact, it will be evident to one skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Although specific terms have been employed, they are intended in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation.
Claims (63)
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US09/738,489 US6438928B1 (en) | 2000-12-15 | 2000-12-15 | Machine for automated boxing of soft stacked items |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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US09/738,489 US6438928B1 (en) | 2000-12-15 | 2000-12-15 | Machine for automated boxing of soft stacked items |
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US20020073658A1 true US20020073658A1 (en) | 2002-06-20 |
US6438928B1 US6438928B1 (en) | 2002-08-27 |
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US09/738,489 Expired - Lifetime US6438928B1 (en) | 2000-12-15 | 2000-12-15 | Machine for automated boxing of soft stacked items |
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Cited By (3)
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CN109305507A (en) * | 2018-11-30 | 2019-02-05 | 苏州精濑光电有限公司 | A kind of conveying device |
CN109896095A (en) * | 2017-12-11 | 2019-06-18 | 株式会社大福 | Article carrying apparatus |
US10759550B2 (en) | 2015-09-25 | 2020-09-01 | Douglas Machine Inc. | Intermittent case packer assembly and methods |
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AUPR340301A0 (en) * | 2001-02-27 | 2001-03-22 | P & G Developments Pty Ltd | Material handling system & method |
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US6907981B2 (en) * | 2003-02-13 | 2005-06-21 | Robert L. Williamson | Conveyer assembly for a produce packaging system |
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DE102013105002A1 (en) * | 2013-05-15 | 2014-11-20 | Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) | Method of handling containers, in particular boxes, for groups of articles, in particular packages |
US10093440B2 (en) * | 2014-01-21 | 2018-10-09 | R.A. Pearson Company | Vertical load case packer |
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US10759550B2 (en) | 2015-09-25 | 2020-09-01 | Douglas Machine Inc. | Intermittent case packer assembly and methods |
CN109896095A (en) * | 2017-12-11 | 2019-06-18 | 株式会社大福 | Article carrying apparatus |
KR20190069308A (en) * | 2017-12-11 | 2019-06-19 | 가부시키가이샤 다이후쿠 | Article transport facility |
KR102582984B1 (en) | 2017-12-11 | 2023-09-25 | 가부시키가이샤 다이후쿠 | Article transport facility |
CN109305507A (en) * | 2018-11-30 | 2019-02-05 | 苏州精濑光电有限公司 | A kind of conveying device |
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