CA1152425A - Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons - Google Patents
Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartonsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1152425A CA1152425A CA000346382A CA346382A CA1152425A CA 1152425 A CA1152425 A CA 1152425A CA 000346382 A CA000346382 A CA 000346382A CA 346382 A CA346382 A CA 346382A CA 1152425 A CA1152425 A CA 1152425A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- forming device
- bag
- cartons
- carton
- filled
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status 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 status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 238000011049 filling Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 26
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 10
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 37
- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 238000009740 moulding (composite fabrication) Methods 0.000 claims description 100
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000003578 releasing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 abstract description 10
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000011236 particulate material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000670 limiting effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- UOACKFBJUYNSLK-XRKIENNPSA-N Estradiol Cypionate Chemical compound O([C@H]1CC[C@H]2[C@H]3[C@@H](C4=CC=C(O)C=C4CC3)CC[C@@]21C)C(=O)CCC1CCCC1 UOACKFBJUYNSLK-XRKIENNPSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000008030 elimination Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003379 elimination reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
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
- B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
- B65B1/20—Reducing volume of filled material
- B65B1/22—Reducing volume of filled material by vibration
-
- 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
- B65B43/00—Forming, feeding, opening or setting-up containers or receptacles in association with packaging
- B65B43/42—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
- B65B43/52—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation using roller-ways or endless conveyors
-
- 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
- B65B51/00—Devices for, or methods of, sealing or securing package folds or closures; Devices for gathering or twisting wrappers, or necks of bags
- B65B51/10—Applying or generating heat or pressure or combinations thereof
- B65B51/26—Devices specially adapted for producing transverse or longitudinal seams in webs or tubes
- B65B51/30—Devices, e.g. jaws, for applying pressure and heat, e.g. for subdividing filled tubes
- B65B51/303—Devices, e.g. jaws, for applying pressure and heat, e.g. for subdividing filled tubes reciprocating along only one axis
-
- 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
- B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
- B65B61/24—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for shaping or reshaping completed packages
-
- 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
- B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
- B65B9/10—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs
- B65B9/20—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs the webs being formed into tubes in situ around the filling nozzles
- B65B9/2042—Means for altering the cross-section of the tube filling opening prior to transversal sealing, e.g. tube spreading devices
-
- 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
- B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
- B65B9/10—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs
- B65B9/20—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs the webs being formed into tubes in situ around the filling nozzles
- B65B9/213—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs the webs being formed into tubes in situ around the filling nozzles the web having intermittent motion
-
- 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
- B65B2220/00—Specific aspects of the packaging operation
- B65B2220/16—Packaging contents into primary and secondary packaging
- B65B2220/18—Packaging contents into primary and secondary packaging the primary packaging being bags the subsequent secondary packaging being rigid containers, e.g. cardboard box
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Closing Of Containers (AREA)
- Making Paper Articles (AREA)
- Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
- Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons wherein the portions of the tube which are to become bags upon sealing and severing are suspended in a forming device above a conveyor for vibration to conform the cross section of the bags to the cross section of the forming device at a height such that the lower end of the forming device is above the upper end of the cartons resting on the conveyor and that filled cartons can be moved away from the lower end of the forming device and empty cartons moved into position below the forming device while a bag is being vibrated, wherein there is a conveyor for moving the cartons in timed relation to the release of the bags from the forming device and means for venting the cartons while the bags are being deposited therein,
Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons wherein the portions of the tube which are to become bags upon sealing and severing are suspended in a forming device above a conveyor for vibration to conform the cross section of the bags to the cross section of the forming device at a height such that the lower end of the forming device is above the upper end of the cartons resting on the conveyor and that filled cartons can be moved away from the lower end of the forming device and empty cartons moved into position below the forming device while a bag is being vibrated, wherein there is a conveyor for moving the cartons in timed relation to the release of the bags from the forming device and means for venting the cartons while the bags are being deposited therein,
Description
11529~2S
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
United States Patent 3,983,682 deals with forming, fill-ing and depositing bags filled with a particulate material into cartons and to facilitate the introduction of the filled bags into the carton, guide means comprising a pair of opposed channel member~ is employed within which the filled bags are conformed while suspended therein by vibrating the guide means. The guide means extends into the open upper end of the carton so that each filling operation has to be completed and the filled carton moved away before the next filling operation can be started, thus limit-ing the speed of operation. Further, after a bag was released and allowed to drop into a carton, it~ rate of descent was retarded by its frictional contact with the guide means and the cushioning effect of the air within the carton which prevented the bag from dropping quickly into the carton. The apparatus herein is designed especially to rectify these limitations in the aforesaid machine and as designed herein increases the rate of cartoning by about 60~.
SUMMA~Y OF THE I~VENTION
Broadly stated, the invention provides apparatus for form-ing, filling and depo~iting filled bags into cartons comprising a hollow mandrel upon which a sheet of flexible material is formed into a tube with a side seam, sealing and severing means supported below the mandrel for producing transverse seams to form bags and for severing successive respective bags from the tube to release the same, a stationary forming device defining a vertically-elongate passage below the sealing and se~ering means for constrain-_, ing the filled bags to substantially the interior cross section of ~ the cartons within which they are to be deposited, a conveyor posi-.' - 1 - ~
tioned below the forming device for supporting cartons for movement into alignment with the mandrel to receive the filled bags when released and means for moving the conveyor to position cartons one at a time in a position below the forming device to receive the filled bag and thereafter to move the filled bag away characterized in that said forming device is situated above the conveyor at a level exceeding the height of the cartons into which the filled bags are to be deposited to enable moving cartons into position for filling and out of position following filling while the filled bag is suspended in the forming device and further characterize~ in that there is deflector means at the lower end of the forming device arranged to be lowered into the open end of the carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members deflected out-wardly and means for moving the deflector means into and out of operative position.
As herein illustrated, the apparatu~ includes means for vibrating the forming device to effect conformation of the suspend-ed portion of the tube to the crosR section of the forming device, means for severing the su~pended tube above the fill to form a bag, $, 20 and releasing it 50 that it drops into the carton. An empty carton is positioned below the forming means in timed relation to the release of the filled bag. The sealing and se~ering means seals a longitudinal portion of the tube and severs it within the sealed area between the portion of the tube above the suspended portion of the tube below the sealing mean~ to form a bag closed at the top and to release the bag so that it drops from the forming device into the carton supported therebelow. There is means for effecting movement of the conveyor means and means operable in synchronism $
s ~ 2 r 1~52425 with the means for releasing the bag to stop a carton in a position to receive the filled bag and thereafter to move it on. The afore-said means may comprise indexing means for moving the conveyor intermittently, There is means for varying the cross section of the forming device and there are retractable deflectors at the ~`
- 2a -~.~, . .
~ 52425 lower end of the forming device, and means for moving them into positions to fold the closure flaps at the upper end away from the top of the carton to permit the bag to fall freely into the carton and means for projecting jets of air downwardly against the front and back sides of the bag suspended in the forming device to assist in releasing the bag from the forming device when it is severed.
There is also means for venting the cartons during deposit of the bags therein comprising employing a forming device having a cross-sectional area somewhat less than the cross-sectional area of the carton so that the filled bag will be conformed to a cross section slightly smaller than the cross section of the carton. Alternative-ly, the means for venting the cartons comprises providing vent openings at the lower end~ of the cartons and after depositing the bags in the cartons, clo~ing the vent openings.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a method for depositing filled bags into cartons open at their upper ends and resting at their lower ends on a conveyor comprising lowering a filled bag into a forming device of predetermined cros~ section in which the bag i~ formed into the cro~s section of a receiving carton, moving an empty carton by means of said conveyor into a po~ltion below the forming device and thereafter severing and releas-ing the bag to thus allow the so formed bag to drop into the empty carton, characterized in that the empty carton is moved to the position below the forming device and thereupon the flaps at the upper end of the carton are deflected away from each other whilè
the bag is formed and after moving the filled bag into the carton, the flaps are released, the filled carton is moved on and an empty - carton is moved into position underneath the forming device while .
,,, ~24ZS
the next bag is being filled.
While holding it suspended therein, the bag may be sub-jected to vibration to cause it to conform to the cross section of the forming device. During vibration, a previously filled carton is moved away from the lower end of the forming device and an empty carton is moved into a position below the forming device into alignment with the lower end of the bag suspended - 3a -1~524Z5 within the forming device. The method includes simultaneously sealing and severing the b~g in a sealed area to form a closed ¦ top bag, projecting jets oE air downwardly against the front ¦ and bac~ ~ides of the bag while in the forming device to ) release i~ from the forming device and of venting the carton during de~osit of the bag into the carton either by forming the bag while suspended to a cross section somewhat less than the cross section of the carton or providing a vent opening at the bottom of ~he carton.
¦ The invention will now be described in greater detail ¦~ with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
~'IG. 1 is a front elevation o a vertical forming and filling machine according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation as seen from the right side of FIG. l;
FIG. 2A is a horizontal section of the forming means , s~owing the blowdown means;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the m~chine showing the forming device for conforming the filled bags to the cross section of the carton and for guiding ~he filled ~ags into the cartons and further showing the conveyor for supporting the cartons below the forming device for deposit of the bags in the cartons, FIG. 4 is a partial elevation from the right side 25 1l of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3;
! FIG. 4A is a fragmentary plan view of a conveyor belt designed to convey cartons in uniformly-spaced relation.
ll FIG. 5 is a frasmentary section of the sealing and ¦I severing means;
FIG, 5A is a section similar to FIG. 5 showing the sealing jaws cut away below the cutting blades;
11 ;
~1 4 llSZ425 FIG. 6 is a horizontal section through a carton j' showing a clearance space between the bag and the carton which ¦ provides one form of venting;
~ FIG. 7 is a plan view of a narrow conveyor belt for I tran~porting cartons with the end or dust flaps folded up and both of the sides or closure flaps folded down;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a narrow conveyor belt for transporting cartons with the end or dust flaps and one ~ side flap folded up and one side closure flap folded down;
, FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken transversely of , FIG. 7 showing a carton resting on the belt with the end or dust flaps folded up and both of the side closure flaps folded down;
~I FIG. 10 is a plan view of the means for sealing 15 1l the tops of open top bags; and jl FIG. 11 is an elevation of FIG. 10.
, ~ , . .
, ~ ,.
~1 _5_ , l ~152425 Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus of this invention is a vertical type fol~ing and filling machine comprising a frame 10 on which there is vertically supported a hollow filling mandrel 12 to which there i.s suppl.ied flexible sheet material 14 for forming into a c~ntinuous tube on the mandrel and above which there is supported a hopper 16 for supplying material to be packaged;
a side sealing element 19 for continuously forming a side seam; means 18-18 for moving the formed tube downwardly on the mandrel; sealing and severing means 20a,20b for forming the tube into bag lengths and separating the bag lengths into individual bags; a tubular forming device 22 for conforming the cross section of the bags to the interior cross section ~ of the cartons in which they are to be deposited, including 1S '! means 23 for vibrating the forming device; and conveyor means 24 for moving cartons into positions for receiving the bags and thereafter moving them on.
The sealing means 20a comprises, FIG. 5, a pair of l! opposed ~aws 68-68 ~upported for horizontal reciprocation 1 toward and from each other which have vertically-disposed flat surfaces 70-70 for engagement with the front and back sides of the tube to press them together to seal a narrow . length of the tube as shown in FIG. S from the top to the bottom of the faces of the jaws~ The iaws have a vertical depth which is sufficient to form a sealed area which is adapted to be severed intermediate its upper and lower boundaries to form a seal at the lower end ll5Z4Z5 of the bag above the jaws and a seal at the upper end of the bag below the jaws.
The severing means 20b comprises cutting blades 72-72 which are recessed into the jaws 68-68 for horizontal movement, after the jaws are brought together, to cut through the sealed area. ~-~en a structure of this kind is employed, Il as soon as the jaws are retracted, the bag at the lower side 7l of the jaws is released, whereupon it drops from the forming 7 I device into the carton.
It may be desirable under certain circumstances to leave the top of the bag below the jaws open until it is deposited in the carton and if this is the case the lower portions of the jaws 68-6B below the cutting blades 72-72 , . , are beveled as shown in FIG. SA so that the seal takes place only above the cutting blades. The tube below the cutting blades is not sealed and so the bag length formed by severing the tube remains open at the top and will drop downwardly through the guiding means into the carton. When operating in I this fashion there is provided means 101 as shown in FIGS
¦ lO and 11 for qealing the upper open ends of the bags while within the cartons after the latter are moved away from the l~ lower end of the mandrel by the conveyor 24.
¦I The sealing jaws 68-68 are provided at their upper ~7 sides, FIG. 5, with flat surfaces 74-74 upon which the lower l~ end of the bag at each side of the seam is adapted to rest during the filling operation and the operation of the apparatus -is designed to hold the sealing jaws 68-68 engaged with the bottom seam until the bag is completely filled and for a sufficient length of time to perfect the seal by allowing it to become set before the sealing jaws are retracted to permit !~ ~7~ ', i 1~i24Z5 the bag to be dropped down for deposit into the carton there-below. The advantage, as pointed out, was to form a bag of uniform cross section throughout its length. This provided for a maximum fill vo~ume and maximum bag length even when the bottom seal was of the pillowslip type.
After the tube is sealed transversely to form the bottom of a bag, and the portion above the sealed portion is filled with a predetermined amount of particulate material, the tube is lowered to position the filled portion within the tubular forming device 22, the cross section of which correspond~ sub~tantially to the inside cross section of the carton within which the bag is to be deposited and while suspended therein is vi~rated to conform it to the interior , --Q _ 1~52425 of the carton whereupon it is severed from the portion of the tube above it and allowed to gravitate into the carton resting on the conveyor.
In the aforesaid patented apparatus, the lower end ~ of the forming device 22 extends into the open part of tne cartons an~ ~ust be raised to permit a filled carton to be moved away. Hence, the speed of operation is limited, thus slowing up the rate of production. Furthermore, the conforming of the bags to the exact cross section of the interior of the cartons traps air within the cartons during deposit of the bags therein, thus preventing the bags from settling immediately to the bottom and thus limiting the rate of cartoning. Failure of the bag~ to settle rapidly to the bottom of the cartons was also aggravated by frictional contact of the surface of the bags , lS with the inner sides of the cartons. In order to overcome these problems, the forming device of the apparatus of this invention is raised or the conveyor is lowered so that the open upper end of cartons standing on the conveyor are spaced below the low¢r end of the forming device so that the bottoms of bags suspended in the forming device are also spaced above the open top of the carton. Additionally, blowdown means is provided for disengaging the bags from the forming device and means is provided for venting the cartons as the ba~s are dropped into the cartons.
The forming device 22 as herein illustrated comprises a pair of confronting channel mem~ers 26-26 which are supported below the sealing and severing means and above the open tops of the cartons resting on the conveyor 24 therebelow. Each channel member 26, FIG. 2A, has a side wall 28 and right angularly disposed front and bac~ walls 30-30 for engagement ~ ' ', ~ _9_ I! ;
¦¦ with front, back and side walls of the filled bag. The channels 26-26 are supported between the forward ends of a pair of transversely-spaced horizontal arms 32-32 by L-shaped bracket members 34-34, the vertical arms of which are fixed to the channel members and the horizontal arms of which are adjustably fastened to the forward ends of the arms 32-32 for movement transversely thereof, thus enabling changing the ¦ spacing of the channel members and, hence, the cross-sectional 3j ¦ area defined by the channel members. The rear ends of the ¦ arms 32-32 are secured to a mounting panel 36 with relatively ~i ¦ thick blocks 38-38 of rubber-like material between them and ¦ the frame. As thus supported, the upper end of the forming ¦ device is just below the lower side of the sealing and severing 7 ¦ means and the lower end is situated above the conveyor means 15 ¦ at a level which i8 above the upper ends of the carton resting 3 on the conveyor means. There are at the lower end o the forming device at opposite sides pivotally-mounted deflector elements 40-40 arranged to be lowered into the open end of a carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members 42-42 at the top of the carton deflected outwardly fro~ the top and to guide the bag into the open end of the carton.
.he deflector members 40-40 are pivotally ~ounted on shats 44-44 and these, in turn, are rotatably mounted to the frame of the machine by bracket ~embers 45-45 provided with bearings 46-46, 48-4a. The brackets 45-45 are fastened by bolt and 7 slot means 50-5~, 52-52 to a cross bar 54 for movement l, transversely toward and fro~ each other and the opposite ends 7 of the bar 54 are connected to vertically-disposed posts 56-56 by bolts 58-58 extended through slots 60-60 which provide for ad~ustment of the deflector members up and down. The deflector , ,~
-~0- j : 115242S
, members 40-40 are moved into and out of operative positions by rotation of the shafts 44-44 and rotation of the shafts 44-44 ¦ is effected by arms 62-62 fixed at one end to the shafts and ~ connected at their other ends to the piston rods 64-64 of air S cylinders 66-66. The deflectors are held retracted until a carton is ~oved into position and are immediately withdrawn when the bag drops into the carton.
In order to conform the filled bag with the cross section of the forming device, the latter is vibrated while I the bag is suspended therein and while the portion of the tube ¦l above the sealing and severing means is being filled. Vibration ~l of the forming device is effected herein by the vibrator 23 ¦I which is bolted to the mounting panel 36. As previously mentioned, the panel is secured to the frame with rubber blocks between it and the frame so that substantial shaking of the panel and, hence, of the forming device can be achieved.
In accordance with one aspect of this invention, as previously explained, the lower end of the forming device is located at a sufficient di~tance above the conveyor so that cartons can be moved into and out of position below the lower ¦ end of the forming device while a filled bag is suspended within the forming device and the portion of the tube above the sealing and severing means is being filled. Thus, it is possible to speed up the cartoning operation by movins cartons into and out of loading position without having to await retraction of the forming device.
Ideally, as previously related, the forming means 22 is provided with a cross section which corresponds sub-stantially with the cross section of the interior of the carton so that a bag which is conformed to the forming device l~SZ425 will slide smoothly into the open top of the carton. As a practical matter, however, it is desirable to make the cross section of the forming device somewhat smaller than the cross section of the interior of the carton and this is achieved by ~he adjustable mounting of the channel-shaped member.s 26-26 constituting the forming device relative to eaeh other.
Reduction of the cross section of the forming device and, hence, of the bag before it is dropped therefrom into the carton provides a narrow clearance space a, FIG. 6, around the bag between it and the carton so that frictional engagement ; of the side6 of the bag with the inner side of the carton is avoided which, as has been found, tends to retard the movement of the bag into the carton. At the same time, the air trapped ¦ between the bottom of the bag and the bottom of the carton which tends to prevent the bag from descending freely into the carton can escape upwardly around the ba~. The venting of the carton may be achieved by bottor,l venting as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the belt 92 is made narrow and the l carton is placed on the belt with the end or dust flaps resting ¦ on the belt and the side or closure flaps turned down. The ,, , ., .
, ' `, ! ' I ' !
~! -12-1~5Z425 space between the adjacent ends of the dust flap provides for venting. As shown in FIG. 9, the carton is placed on the belt with the dust flaps and one of the closure flaps resting l~ on the belt and the other closure flap turned down. The space ~etween thc dust flaps exposed by the downwardly-folded closure flap provides for venting.
The slight reduction in the cross section of the bag to eliminate frictional contact with the inside of the l carton, the provision of a vent space around the bas and the l~ provision of a vent hole at the bottom of the carton collec-tively promote rapid descent of the bag into the carton which thus enahles increasing the rate o~ cartoning so that it can be accomplished within the time period required for depositing the particulate material in the bag above the sealing and severing means so that the speed of cartoni~g is limited only by the rate at which the bag can be filled with the part$culate material. This is especially important when filling bags with ¦ particulate material which iY lightweight bulky material, the de~cent of which is retarded both by the effects or friction and the buoyancy of air trapped within the carton as it descends into the carton.
The frictional contact of the filled bags with the inside of the forming device 22 someti~es inhibits free descent of the filled bag. Hence, there is provided, FIG. 2~, blowdown means at the front and back in the form of vertically-disposed tubes 90-90 located in the space between the channel me~bers which contain vertically-spaced, downwardly-inclined ports 93-93 through which jets of air are ejected downwardly a~ainst ~he front and bac~ sides of the bag.
', ~SZ425 The conveyor 24 which ~oves the empty cartons into position beneath the forming device and removes the filled ~cartons in one form comprises a belt 92, FIGS. 3 and 4, I supported with a portion in a horizontal position on longi-tudinally-spaced sproc~ets 94-94, FIG. l; the sprockets at one end being driven through suitable connections by a motor M
continuously or intermittently. When driven continuously, Ithere i5 provided a positioning device 96 which is automatically s ~ moved into a position across the conveyor to stop a carton ~directly below the forming device in synchronism with the ,operation of the means for severing the bag so that the carton i will be in a position when the bag is released to receive the , bag. A stop 98 is moved across the conveyor to press the carton 1 ,l~against the railing at the back side of the conveyor to stop ¦¦ the succeeding carton. Pneumatic means are provided for s lj operating the positioning device and stop to which air is !~ supplied by valve means 104,106. Alternatively, the belt may be moved intermittently with the aid of indexing means to move car~ons one at a time into position below the forming device. When using indexing means, the belt i5 provided with means for holding the cartons at uniformly-spaced intervals.
For example, the conveyor may comprise, FIG, 4A, a belt 92 with longitudinally-spaced spaces 9~ paced apart to receive the cartons and hold them at a predetermined spacing.
1 There are at opposite sides of the conveyor in whatever for~
vertically-spaced railings 108-108 for gl~iding the cartons and ; preventing them from tipping over.
¦¦ When the bags are left open at the top until deposited !¦ into the carton there is provided as heretofore mentioned, sealing means 101 for sealing the open ends, means 107 for i~ ' '.
~j -14-~52425 folding the sealed ends into the carton and means for closing the end and side closure flaps of the carton, FIGS. 10 and 11.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, as a carton with a bag in it is 1 moved by the conveyor 24 away from the lower end of the forming and filling apparatus to the right as shown in FIG. 11, the front and back closure flaps are spread apart by spaced, parallel folding rails 111-111. The sealing means 101 comprise jaws 113-113 similar to those disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6A arranged . to reciprocate in a horizontal plane above the top line of the containers moving along on the conveyor. The open tops of the ,~ bay~ will be moved between the separated jaws and at the right time a detector in the form of a photocell PC causes the jaws ,I to be closed on the upwardly proiecting top of the bag to seal I the top. As the jaws come together they push the end wall ¦ closure 1aps apart and to hold the leading closure flap dis-¦ placed downwardly, when the jaws are retracted, there is provided a pneumatic plunger 115 which i8 depre~ed into ~ engagement with the leading flap, as shown in FIG 11, to a ¦ nearly horizontal position so that as the carton continue~
to be moved along the leading closure flap it will be engaged with the underside of spaced rails 117~117 and be held down, A folding blade 119 havin~ an inclined edge 121, supported above the line of travel of the upper ends of the carton provides for folding the upwardly projecting sealed top of the bag over so as to lie flat within the open top of the carton Simul-taneously, adhesive is applied to the lower side of the closure flap at the back of the carton by means compristng a pair of ~ rollers 123a,123b and a pot 125 which supplied adhesive to the lower one of the rolls 123a. Beyond the folding adhesive ~ , Il ~.
~ ~lSZ425 applying means there is means 127 for engaging the underside of the leading flap to cause it to be folded back and down over the top of the carton. At this point, the forward end of the carton intercepts another photocell P'C' and a one revolution clutch 131 actuated by a solenoid moves a hook 133 under the trailing closure flap and folds it forwardly and down over the open top of the carton so that both the leading ~¦ flap and the trailing flap now move under a rail 135. Further movement of the carton brings the front and back closure flaps into engagement with spaced folding rails 137-137 which operate to first fold the adhesive-coated back closure flap inwardly over the end flaps and then the ront closure flap , onto the upper adhesive-coated side of the back closure flap.
, For folding and sealing the downwardly-folded closure ¦ member or members at the bottoms of the cartons, adhesive is applied to the downwardly-folded closure member or members with adhesive-applying means such as described above, and the cartons are moved onto folding rails such as described above bclow a hold down xail for folding the closure rnember or 1 members upwardly against the bottom.
~uring a single cycle of operation, a baq is formed above the sealing jaws, closed at its lower end and open at its upper end, and a bag is formed below the sealing jaws which is ll closed at its lower end and may be closed or open at its upper end. The filling operation t~kes place while the sealing jaws are closed and the severing takes p~ace after the sealing operation. Following filling, the sealing jaws and severing blades are retracted, the released bag allowed to drop into , the carton therebelow and the filled bag lowered for sealing .j , , s ~5Z425 and severing of the succeeding bag. Vibration of the bag is effected while the bag is within the guide means. If the top of the bag is left open, then the top is sealed while in the ! carton as the latter is moving away from the mandrel and the closure flaps are folded over the tops of the cartons.
The several operative functi~ns, to wit, the filling 'i operation, the sealing and severing operations, the projection ~¦ of the deflectors at the lower end of the forming device, the , operation of the jets, the movement of the conveyor and the operating of the positioning means and gates are all controlled to operate in synchronism and in the proper sequence to insure that the bag is filled with a predetermined quantity of particulate material sealed and severed, vibrated for a sufficient length of time to conform the bag to the cross section of the forming device, released to be deposited in the carton and a carton moved into position in time to receive the bag as it drops from the forming device by limit switches or a punched tape or a combination of limit 3witches and punched ~ tape or equivalent means.
1 The chief advantages of the apparatus as herein de~cribed over and above that shown in Patent No. 3,983,682 ! resides in an increase in the rate of cartoning of about 60 i over that possible with the patented apparatus and in the l elimination of interruption by reason of a bag fail~ng to drop ! freely from the forming device and/or failing to descend into~
the carton.
It should be understood that the present disclosure ~¦ is for the purpose of illustration only and includes all modi- ¦
~~ fications or improvements which fall within the scope of the ~ appended claims.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
United States Patent 3,983,682 deals with forming, fill-ing and depositing bags filled with a particulate material into cartons and to facilitate the introduction of the filled bags into the carton, guide means comprising a pair of opposed channel member~ is employed within which the filled bags are conformed while suspended therein by vibrating the guide means. The guide means extends into the open upper end of the carton so that each filling operation has to be completed and the filled carton moved away before the next filling operation can be started, thus limit-ing the speed of operation. Further, after a bag was released and allowed to drop into a carton, it~ rate of descent was retarded by its frictional contact with the guide means and the cushioning effect of the air within the carton which prevented the bag from dropping quickly into the carton. The apparatus herein is designed especially to rectify these limitations in the aforesaid machine and as designed herein increases the rate of cartoning by about 60~.
SUMMA~Y OF THE I~VENTION
Broadly stated, the invention provides apparatus for form-ing, filling and depo~iting filled bags into cartons comprising a hollow mandrel upon which a sheet of flexible material is formed into a tube with a side seam, sealing and severing means supported below the mandrel for producing transverse seams to form bags and for severing successive respective bags from the tube to release the same, a stationary forming device defining a vertically-elongate passage below the sealing and se~ering means for constrain-_, ing the filled bags to substantially the interior cross section of ~ the cartons within which they are to be deposited, a conveyor posi-.' - 1 - ~
tioned below the forming device for supporting cartons for movement into alignment with the mandrel to receive the filled bags when released and means for moving the conveyor to position cartons one at a time in a position below the forming device to receive the filled bag and thereafter to move the filled bag away characterized in that said forming device is situated above the conveyor at a level exceeding the height of the cartons into which the filled bags are to be deposited to enable moving cartons into position for filling and out of position following filling while the filled bag is suspended in the forming device and further characterize~ in that there is deflector means at the lower end of the forming device arranged to be lowered into the open end of the carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members deflected out-wardly and means for moving the deflector means into and out of operative position.
As herein illustrated, the apparatu~ includes means for vibrating the forming device to effect conformation of the suspend-ed portion of the tube to the crosR section of the forming device, means for severing the su~pended tube above the fill to form a bag, $, 20 and releasing it 50 that it drops into the carton. An empty carton is positioned below the forming means in timed relation to the release of the filled bag. The sealing and se~ering means seals a longitudinal portion of the tube and severs it within the sealed area between the portion of the tube above the suspended portion of the tube below the sealing mean~ to form a bag closed at the top and to release the bag so that it drops from the forming device into the carton supported therebelow. There is means for effecting movement of the conveyor means and means operable in synchronism $
s ~ 2 r 1~52425 with the means for releasing the bag to stop a carton in a position to receive the filled bag and thereafter to move it on. The afore-said means may comprise indexing means for moving the conveyor intermittently, There is means for varying the cross section of the forming device and there are retractable deflectors at the ~`
- 2a -~.~, . .
~ 52425 lower end of the forming device, and means for moving them into positions to fold the closure flaps at the upper end away from the top of the carton to permit the bag to fall freely into the carton and means for projecting jets of air downwardly against the front and back sides of the bag suspended in the forming device to assist in releasing the bag from the forming device when it is severed.
There is also means for venting the cartons during deposit of the bags therein comprising employing a forming device having a cross-sectional area somewhat less than the cross-sectional area of the carton so that the filled bag will be conformed to a cross section slightly smaller than the cross section of the carton. Alternative-ly, the means for venting the cartons comprises providing vent openings at the lower end~ of the cartons and after depositing the bags in the cartons, clo~ing the vent openings.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a method for depositing filled bags into cartons open at their upper ends and resting at their lower ends on a conveyor comprising lowering a filled bag into a forming device of predetermined cros~ section in which the bag i~ formed into the cro~s section of a receiving carton, moving an empty carton by means of said conveyor into a po~ltion below the forming device and thereafter severing and releas-ing the bag to thus allow the so formed bag to drop into the empty carton, characterized in that the empty carton is moved to the position below the forming device and thereupon the flaps at the upper end of the carton are deflected away from each other whilè
the bag is formed and after moving the filled bag into the carton, the flaps are released, the filled carton is moved on and an empty - carton is moved into position underneath the forming device while .
,,, ~24ZS
the next bag is being filled.
While holding it suspended therein, the bag may be sub-jected to vibration to cause it to conform to the cross section of the forming device. During vibration, a previously filled carton is moved away from the lower end of the forming device and an empty carton is moved into a position below the forming device into alignment with the lower end of the bag suspended - 3a -1~524Z5 within the forming device. The method includes simultaneously sealing and severing the b~g in a sealed area to form a closed ¦ top bag, projecting jets oE air downwardly against the front ¦ and bac~ ~ides of the bag while in the forming device to ) release i~ from the forming device and of venting the carton during de~osit of the bag into the carton either by forming the bag while suspended to a cross section somewhat less than the cross section of the carton or providing a vent opening at the bottom of ~he carton.
¦ The invention will now be described in greater detail ¦~ with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
~'IG. 1 is a front elevation o a vertical forming and filling machine according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation as seen from the right side of FIG. l;
FIG. 2A is a horizontal section of the forming means , s~owing the blowdown means;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the m~chine showing the forming device for conforming the filled bags to the cross section of the carton and for guiding ~he filled ~ags into the cartons and further showing the conveyor for supporting the cartons below the forming device for deposit of the bags in the cartons, FIG. 4 is a partial elevation from the right side 25 1l of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3;
! FIG. 4A is a fragmentary plan view of a conveyor belt designed to convey cartons in uniformly-spaced relation.
ll FIG. 5 is a frasmentary section of the sealing and ¦I severing means;
FIG, 5A is a section similar to FIG. 5 showing the sealing jaws cut away below the cutting blades;
11 ;
~1 4 llSZ425 FIG. 6 is a horizontal section through a carton j' showing a clearance space between the bag and the carton which ¦ provides one form of venting;
~ FIG. 7 is a plan view of a narrow conveyor belt for I tran~porting cartons with the end or dust flaps folded up and both of the sides or closure flaps folded down;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a narrow conveyor belt for transporting cartons with the end or dust flaps and one ~ side flap folded up and one side closure flap folded down;
, FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken transversely of , FIG. 7 showing a carton resting on the belt with the end or dust flaps folded up and both of the side closure flaps folded down;
~I FIG. 10 is a plan view of the means for sealing 15 1l the tops of open top bags; and jl FIG. 11 is an elevation of FIG. 10.
, ~ , . .
, ~ ,.
~1 _5_ , l ~152425 Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus of this invention is a vertical type fol~ing and filling machine comprising a frame 10 on which there is vertically supported a hollow filling mandrel 12 to which there i.s suppl.ied flexible sheet material 14 for forming into a c~ntinuous tube on the mandrel and above which there is supported a hopper 16 for supplying material to be packaged;
a side sealing element 19 for continuously forming a side seam; means 18-18 for moving the formed tube downwardly on the mandrel; sealing and severing means 20a,20b for forming the tube into bag lengths and separating the bag lengths into individual bags; a tubular forming device 22 for conforming the cross section of the bags to the interior cross section ~ of the cartons in which they are to be deposited, including 1S '! means 23 for vibrating the forming device; and conveyor means 24 for moving cartons into positions for receiving the bags and thereafter moving them on.
The sealing means 20a comprises, FIG. 5, a pair of l! opposed ~aws 68-68 ~upported for horizontal reciprocation 1 toward and from each other which have vertically-disposed flat surfaces 70-70 for engagement with the front and back sides of the tube to press them together to seal a narrow . length of the tube as shown in FIG. S from the top to the bottom of the faces of the jaws~ The iaws have a vertical depth which is sufficient to form a sealed area which is adapted to be severed intermediate its upper and lower boundaries to form a seal at the lower end ll5Z4Z5 of the bag above the jaws and a seal at the upper end of the bag below the jaws.
The severing means 20b comprises cutting blades 72-72 which are recessed into the jaws 68-68 for horizontal movement, after the jaws are brought together, to cut through the sealed area. ~-~en a structure of this kind is employed, Il as soon as the jaws are retracted, the bag at the lower side 7l of the jaws is released, whereupon it drops from the forming 7 I device into the carton.
It may be desirable under certain circumstances to leave the top of the bag below the jaws open until it is deposited in the carton and if this is the case the lower portions of the jaws 68-6B below the cutting blades 72-72 , . , are beveled as shown in FIG. SA so that the seal takes place only above the cutting blades. The tube below the cutting blades is not sealed and so the bag length formed by severing the tube remains open at the top and will drop downwardly through the guiding means into the carton. When operating in I this fashion there is provided means 101 as shown in FIGS
¦ lO and 11 for qealing the upper open ends of the bags while within the cartons after the latter are moved away from the l~ lower end of the mandrel by the conveyor 24.
¦I The sealing jaws 68-68 are provided at their upper ~7 sides, FIG. 5, with flat surfaces 74-74 upon which the lower l~ end of the bag at each side of the seam is adapted to rest during the filling operation and the operation of the apparatus -is designed to hold the sealing jaws 68-68 engaged with the bottom seam until the bag is completely filled and for a sufficient length of time to perfect the seal by allowing it to become set before the sealing jaws are retracted to permit !~ ~7~ ', i 1~i24Z5 the bag to be dropped down for deposit into the carton there-below. The advantage, as pointed out, was to form a bag of uniform cross section throughout its length. This provided for a maximum fill vo~ume and maximum bag length even when the bottom seal was of the pillowslip type.
After the tube is sealed transversely to form the bottom of a bag, and the portion above the sealed portion is filled with a predetermined amount of particulate material, the tube is lowered to position the filled portion within the tubular forming device 22, the cross section of which correspond~ sub~tantially to the inside cross section of the carton within which the bag is to be deposited and while suspended therein is vi~rated to conform it to the interior , --Q _ 1~52425 of the carton whereupon it is severed from the portion of the tube above it and allowed to gravitate into the carton resting on the conveyor.
In the aforesaid patented apparatus, the lower end ~ of the forming device 22 extends into the open part of tne cartons an~ ~ust be raised to permit a filled carton to be moved away. Hence, the speed of operation is limited, thus slowing up the rate of production. Furthermore, the conforming of the bags to the exact cross section of the interior of the cartons traps air within the cartons during deposit of the bags therein, thus preventing the bags from settling immediately to the bottom and thus limiting the rate of cartoning. Failure of the bag~ to settle rapidly to the bottom of the cartons was also aggravated by frictional contact of the surface of the bags , lS with the inner sides of the cartons. In order to overcome these problems, the forming device of the apparatus of this invention is raised or the conveyor is lowered so that the open upper end of cartons standing on the conveyor are spaced below the low¢r end of the forming device so that the bottoms of bags suspended in the forming device are also spaced above the open top of the carton. Additionally, blowdown means is provided for disengaging the bags from the forming device and means is provided for venting the cartons as the ba~s are dropped into the cartons.
The forming device 22 as herein illustrated comprises a pair of confronting channel mem~ers 26-26 which are supported below the sealing and severing means and above the open tops of the cartons resting on the conveyor 24 therebelow. Each channel member 26, FIG. 2A, has a side wall 28 and right angularly disposed front and bac~ walls 30-30 for engagement ~ ' ', ~ _9_ I! ;
¦¦ with front, back and side walls of the filled bag. The channels 26-26 are supported between the forward ends of a pair of transversely-spaced horizontal arms 32-32 by L-shaped bracket members 34-34, the vertical arms of which are fixed to the channel members and the horizontal arms of which are adjustably fastened to the forward ends of the arms 32-32 for movement transversely thereof, thus enabling changing the ¦ spacing of the channel members and, hence, the cross-sectional 3j ¦ area defined by the channel members. The rear ends of the ¦ arms 32-32 are secured to a mounting panel 36 with relatively ~i ¦ thick blocks 38-38 of rubber-like material between them and ¦ the frame. As thus supported, the upper end of the forming ¦ device is just below the lower side of the sealing and severing 7 ¦ means and the lower end is situated above the conveyor means 15 ¦ at a level which i8 above the upper ends of the carton resting 3 on the conveyor means. There are at the lower end o the forming device at opposite sides pivotally-mounted deflector elements 40-40 arranged to be lowered into the open end of a carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members 42-42 at the top of the carton deflected outwardly fro~ the top and to guide the bag into the open end of the carton.
.he deflector members 40-40 are pivotally ~ounted on shats 44-44 and these, in turn, are rotatably mounted to the frame of the machine by bracket ~embers 45-45 provided with bearings 46-46, 48-4a. The brackets 45-45 are fastened by bolt and 7 slot means 50-5~, 52-52 to a cross bar 54 for movement l, transversely toward and fro~ each other and the opposite ends 7 of the bar 54 are connected to vertically-disposed posts 56-56 by bolts 58-58 extended through slots 60-60 which provide for ad~ustment of the deflector members up and down. The deflector , ,~
-~0- j : 115242S
, members 40-40 are moved into and out of operative positions by rotation of the shafts 44-44 and rotation of the shafts 44-44 ¦ is effected by arms 62-62 fixed at one end to the shafts and ~ connected at their other ends to the piston rods 64-64 of air S cylinders 66-66. The deflectors are held retracted until a carton is ~oved into position and are immediately withdrawn when the bag drops into the carton.
In order to conform the filled bag with the cross section of the forming device, the latter is vibrated while I the bag is suspended therein and while the portion of the tube ¦l above the sealing and severing means is being filled. Vibration ~l of the forming device is effected herein by the vibrator 23 ¦I which is bolted to the mounting panel 36. As previously mentioned, the panel is secured to the frame with rubber blocks between it and the frame so that substantial shaking of the panel and, hence, of the forming device can be achieved.
In accordance with one aspect of this invention, as previously explained, the lower end of the forming device is located at a sufficient di~tance above the conveyor so that cartons can be moved into and out of position below the lower ¦ end of the forming device while a filled bag is suspended within the forming device and the portion of the tube above the sealing and severing means is being filled. Thus, it is possible to speed up the cartoning operation by movins cartons into and out of loading position without having to await retraction of the forming device.
Ideally, as previously related, the forming means 22 is provided with a cross section which corresponds sub-stantially with the cross section of the interior of the carton so that a bag which is conformed to the forming device l~SZ425 will slide smoothly into the open top of the carton. As a practical matter, however, it is desirable to make the cross section of the forming device somewhat smaller than the cross section of the interior of the carton and this is achieved by ~he adjustable mounting of the channel-shaped member.s 26-26 constituting the forming device relative to eaeh other.
Reduction of the cross section of the forming device and, hence, of the bag before it is dropped therefrom into the carton provides a narrow clearance space a, FIG. 6, around the bag between it and the carton so that frictional engagement ; of the side6 of the bag with the inner side of the carton is avoided which, as has been found, tends to retard the movement of the bag into the carton. At the same time, the air trapped ¦ between the bottom of the bag and the bottom of the carton which tends to prevent the bag from descending freely into the carton can escape upwardly around the ba~. The venting of the carton may be achieved by bottor,l venting as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the belt 92 is made narrow and the l carton is placed on the belt with the end or dust flaps resting ¦ on the belt and the side or closure flaps turned down. The ,, , ., .
, ' `, ! ' I ' !
~! -12-1~5Z425 space between the adjacent ends of the dust flap provides for venting. As shown in FIG. 9, the carton is placed on the belt with the dust flaps and one of the closure flaps resting l~ on the belt and the other closure flap turned down. The space ~etween thc dust flaps exposed by the downwardly-folded closure flap provides for venting.
The slight reduction in the cross section of the bag to eliminate frictional contact with the inside of the l carton, the provision of a vent space around the bas and the l~ provision of a vent hole at the bottom of the carton collec-tively promote rapid descent of the bag into the carton which thus enahles increasing the rate o~ cartoning so that it can be accomplished within the time period required for depositing the particulate material in the bag above the sealing and severing means so that the speed of cartoni~g is limited only by the rate at which the bag can be filled with the part$culate material. This is especially important when filling bags with ¦ particulate material which iY lightweight bulky material, the de~cent of which is retarded both by the effects or friction and the buoyancy of air trapped within the carton as it descends into the carton.
The frictional contact of the filled bags with the inside of the forming device 22 someti~es inhibits free descent of the filled bag. Hence, there is provided, FIG. 2~, blowdown means at the front and back in the form of vertically-disposed tubes 90-90 located in the space between the channel me~bers which contain vertically-spaced, downwardly-inclined ports 93-93 through which jets of air are ejected downwardly a~ainst ~he front and bac~ sides of the bag.
', ~SZ425 The conveyor 24 which ~oves the empty cartons into position beneath the forming device and removes the filled ~cartons in one form comprises a belt 92, FIGS. 3 and 4, I supported with a portion in a horizontal position on longi-tudinally-spaced sproc~ets 94-94, FIG. l; the sprockets at one end being driven through suitable connections by a motor M
continuously or intermittently. When driven continuously, Ithere i5 provided a positioning device 96 which is automatically s ~ moved into a position across the conveyor to stop a carton ~directly below the forming device in synchronism with the ,operation of the means for severing the bag so that the carton i will be in a position when the bag is released to receive the , bag. A stop 98 is moved across the conveyor to press the carton 1 ,l~against the railing at the back side of the conveyor to stop ¦¦ the succeeding carton. Pneumatic means are provided for s lj operating the positioning device and stop to which air is !~ supplied by valve means 104,106. Alternatively, the belt may be moved intermittently with the aid of indexing means to move car~ons one at a time into position below the forming device. When using indexing means, the belt i5 provided with means for holding the cartons at uniformly-spaced intervals.
For example, the conveyor may comprise, FIG, 4A, a belt 92 with longitudinally-spaced spaces 9~ paced apart to receive the cartons and hold them at a predetermined spacing.
1 There are at opposite sides of the conveyor in whatever for~
vertically-spaced railings 108-108 for gl~iding the cartons and ; preventing them from tipping over.
¦¦ When the bags are left open at the top until deposited !¦ into the carton there is provided as heretofore mentioned, sealing means 101 for sealing the open ends, means 107 for i~ ' '.
~j -14-~52425 folding the sealed ends into the carton and means for closing the end and side closure flaps of the carton, FIGS. 10 and 11.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, as a carton with a bag in it is 1 moved by the conveyor 24 away from the lower end of the forming and filling apparatus to the right as shown in FIG. 11, the front and back closure flaps are spread apart by spaced, parallel folding rails 111-111. The sealing means 101 comprise jaws 113-113 similar to those disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6A arranged . to reciprocate in a horizontal plane above the top line of the containers moving along on the conveyor. The open tops of the ,~ bay~ will be moved between the separated jaws and at the right time a detector in the form of a photocell PC causes the jaws ,I to be closed on the upwardly proiecting top of the bag to seal I the top. As the jaws come together they push the end wall ¦ closure 1aps apart and to hold the leading closure flap dis-¦ placed downwardly, when the jaws are retracted, there is provided a pneumatic plunger 115 which i8 depre~ed into ~ engagement with the leading flap, as shown in FIG 11, to a ¦ nearly horizontal position so that as the carton continue~
to be moved along the leading closure flap it will be engaged with the underside of spaced rails 117~117 and be held down, A folding blade 119 havin~ an inclined edge 121, supported above the line of travel of the upper ends of the carton provides for folding the upwardly projecting sealed top of the bag over so as to lie flat within the open top of the carton Simul-taneously, adhesive is applied to the lower side of the closure flap at the back of the carton by means compristng a pair of ~ rollers 123a,123b and a pot 125 which supplied adhesive to the lower one of the rolls 123a. Beyond the folding adhesive ~ , Il ~.
~ ~lSZ425 applying means there is means 127 for engaging the underside of the leading flap to cause it to be folded back and down over the top of the carton. At this point, the forward end of the carton intercepts another photocell P'C' and a one revolution clutch 131 actuated by a solenoid moves a hook 133 under the trailing closure flap and folds it forwardly and down over the open top of the carton so that both the leading ~¦ flap and the trailing flap now move under a rail 135. Further movement of the carton brings the front and back closure flaps into engagement with spaced folding rails 137-137 which operate to first fold the adhesive-coated back closure flap inwardly over the end flaps and then the ront closure flap , onto the upper adhesive-coated side of the back closure flap.
, For folding and sealing the downwardly-folded closure ¦ member or members at the bottoms of the cartons, adhesive is applied to the downwardly-folded closure member or members with adhesive-applying means such as described above, and the cartons are moved onto folding rails such as described above bclow a hold down xail for folding the closure rnember or 1 members upwardly against the bottom.
~uring a single cycle of operation, a baq is formed above the sealing jaws, closed at its lower end and open at its upper end, and a bag is formed below the sealing jaws which is ll closed at its lower end and may be closed or open at its upper end. The filling operation t~kes place while the sealing jaws are closed and the severing takes p~ace after the sealing operation. Following filling, the sealing jaws and severing blades are retracted, the released bag allowed to drop into , the carton therebelow and the filled bag lowered for sealing .j , , s ~5Z425 and severing of the succeeding bag. Vibration of the bag is effected while the bag is within the guide means. If the top of the bag is left open, then the top is sealed while in the ! carton as the latter is moving away from the mandrel and the closure flaps are folded over the tops of the cartons.
The several operative functi~ns, to wit, the filling 'i operation, the sealing and severing operations, the projection ~¦ of the deflectors at the lower end of the forming device, the , operation of the jets, the movement of the conveyor and the operating of the positioning means and gates are all controlled to operate in synchronism and in the proper sequence to insure that the bag is filled with a predetermined quantity of particulate material sealed and severed, vibrated for a sufficient length of time to conform the bag to the cross section of the forming device, released to be deposited in the carton and a carton moved into position in time to receive the bag as it drops from the forming device by limit switches or a punched tape or a combination of limit 3witches and punched ~ tape or equivalent means.
1 The chief advantages of the apparatus as herein de~cribed over and above that shown in Patent No. 3,983,682 ! resides in an increase in the rate of cartoning of about 60 i over that possible with the patented apparatus and in the l elimination of interruption by reason of a bag fail~ng to drop ! freely from the forming device and/or failing to descend into~
the carton.
It should be understood that the present disclosure ~¦ is for the purpose of illustration only and includes all modi- ¦
~~ fications or improvements which fall within the scope of the ~ appended claims.
Claims (7)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons comprising a hollow mandrel upon which a sheet of flexible material is formed into a tube and side-seamed, sealing and severing means supported below the mandrel for producing trans-verse seams to form bags and for severing respective bags from the tube to release the same, a stationary forming device defining a vertically-elongate passage below the sealing and severing means for constraining the filled bags to substantially the interior cross section of the cartons within which they are to be deposited, a conveyor positioned below the forming device for supporting cartons for movement into alignment with the mandrel to receive the filled bags when released and means for moving the conveyor to position cartons one at a time in a position below the forming device to receive the filled bag and thereafter to move the filled bag away characterized in that said forming device is situated above the conveyor at a level exceeding the height of the cartons into which the filled bags are to be deposited to enable moving cartons into position for filling and out of position following filling while the filled bag is suspended in the forming device and further characterized in that there is deflector means at the lower end of the forming device arranged to be lowered into the open end of the carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members deflected outwardly and means for moving the deflector means into and out of operative position.
2. Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons comprising a hollow mandrel upon which sheet material is formed into a tube with a side seam, sealing and sever-ing means supported below the mandrel for producing seams to form bags and for severing respective bags from the tube to release the same, a stationary forming device defining a vertically-elongate passage below the sealing and severing means for constraining the filled bags to substantially the interior cross section of the carton within which they are to be deposited, a conveyor positioned below the forming device for supporting cartons for movement into alignment with the mandrel to receive the filled bags when released and means for moving the conveyor to position cartons one-at-a-time in a position below the forming device to receive a filled bag and thereafter to move the filled carton away characterized in that the forming device is situated above the conveyor at a level exceeding the height of the cartons into which the filled bags are to be deposited to enable moving the cartons into position for filling and out of position following filling while a filled bag is suspended in the forming device, further characterized in that there is means for vibrating the forming device to conform a filled bag suspended therein to the cross section of the conforming device and further characterized in that there is deflector means at the lower end of the forming device arranged to be lowered into the open end of a carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members at the top of the carton deflected outwardly.
3. Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags in cartons comprising a hollow mandrel upon which sheet material is formed into a tube with a side seam, sealing and severing means supported below the mandrel for producing seams to form bags and for severing respective bags from the tube to release the same, a stationary forming device defining a vertically-elongate passage below the sealing and severing means for constraining the filled bag to substantially the interior cross section of the cartons within which they are to be deposited, a conveyor positioned below the forming device for supporting cartons for movement into align-ment with the mandrel to receive the filled bags when released and means for moving the conveyor to position cartons one-at-a-time in a position below the forming device to receive a filled bag and thereafter move the filled carton away, characterized in that said forming device is situated above the conveyor at a level exceeding the height of the cartons into which the filled bags are to be deposited to enable moving cartons into position for filling and out of position following filling while a filled bag is suspended in the forming device, further characterized in that there are deflector means arranged at the lower end of the forming device to be lowered into the open end of a carton supported therebelow for holding the closure members at the top of the carton deflected outwardly and further characterized in that there is blow-down means provided for ejecting jets of air downwardly against the sides of the bag within the forming device for ejecting a filled bag from the forming device into a carton resting on the conveyor therebelow.
4. A method for depositing filled bags into cartons open at their upper ends and resting at their lower ends on a conveyor com-prising lowering a filled bag into a forming device of predeter-mined cross section in which the bag is formed into the cross section of a receiving carton, moving an empty carton by means of said conveyor into a position below the forming device and there-after severing and releasing the bag to thus allow the so formed bag to drop into the empty carton, characterized in that the empty carton is moved to the position below the forming device and there-upon the flaps at the upper end of the carton are deflected away from each other while the bag is formed and after moving the filled bag into the carton, the flaps are released, the filled carton is moved on and an empty carton is moved into position underneath the forming device while the next bag is being filled.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the filled bag is vibrated while within the forming device.
6, A method according to claim 4 wherein jets of air are directed downwardly against the sides of the bag while in the form-ing device to assist in ejecting the bag from the forming device.
7. A method according to claim 4 wherein the filled bag is subjected to vibration while in the forming device and jets of air are directed downwardly against the sides of the bag following severing to eject the bag.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US5016079A | 1979-06-20 | 1979-06-20 | |
| US050,160 | 1979-06-20 | ||
| US5097379A | 1979-06-22 | 1979-06-22 | |
| US050,973 | 1979-06-22 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1152425A true CA1152425A (en) | 1983-08-23 |
Family
ID=26727951
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000346382A Expired CA1152425A (en) | 1979-06-20 | 1980-02-25 | Apparatus for forming, filling and depositing filled bags into cartons |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1152425A (en) |
| CH (1) | CH634788A5 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3007391C2 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2459175B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2050991B (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA1126150A (en) * | 1978-09-12 | 1982-06-22 | Frederick W. Beer | Package and automatic method of forming same |
| US4718217A (en) * | 1986-08-04 | 1988-01-12 | Pneumatic Scale Corporation | Settling systems for bag-in-box machines |
| US4938003A (en) * | 1987-12-14 | 1990-07-03 | Pneumatic Scale Corporation | Apparatus for filling two or more bags with product |
| EP0320850A1 (en) * | 1987-12-14 | 1989-06-21 | Pneumatic Scale Corporation | Apparatus for filling two or more bags with product |
| US4979353A (en) * | 1988-11-23 | 1990-12-25 | Pneumatic Scale Corporation | Apparatus for filling two or more bags with product |
| CN107972936A (en) * | 2017-12-29 | 2018-05-01 | 浙江钦顺智能设备有限公司 | A kind of tiling device for sandbag |
| CN116835066A (en) * | 2023-08-11 | 2023-10-03 | 沧州正大生物制品股份有限公司 | A packaging and sealing device for processing freeze-dried materials |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE359508B (en) * | 1966-11-03 | 1973-09-03 | Tetra Pak Int | |
| GB1208606A (en) * | 1967-08-24 | 1970-10-14 | Mardon Son & Hall Ltd | Apparatus for transferring articles and/or packing articles |
| US3983682A (en) * | 1974-11-27 | 1976-10-05 | Pneumatic Scale Corporation | Apparatus for forming, filling and inserting filled bags into cartons |
| DE2615270C2 (en) * | 1976-04-08 | 1982-11-18 | Rovema Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH & Co KG, 6301 Fernwald | Device for packing bulk goods |
| DE2637794A1 (en) * | 1976-08-21 | 1978-02-23 | Pneumatic Scale Corp | Packing goods in flexible bags - has hose closed by cross seam, then filled and formed bag separated to fall into open carton |
| CH620402A5 (en) * | 1977-11-09 | 1980-11-28 | Sig Schweiz Industrieges |
-
1980
- 1980-02-25 CA CA000346382A patent/CA1152425A/en not_active Expired
- 1980-02-27 DE DE19803007391 patent/DE3007391C2/en not_active Expired
- 1980-03-07 CH CH180580A patent/CH634788A5/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1980-03-10 FR FR8005307A patent/FR2459175B1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-06-19 GB GB8020003A patent/GB2050991B/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE3007391C2 (en) | 1986-09-11 |
| GB2050991B (en) | 1983-11-23 |
| CH634788A5 (en) | 1983-02-28 |
| DE3007391A1 (en) | 1981-01-08 |
| FR2459175B1 (en) | 1985-12-06 |
| FR2459175A1 (en) | 1981-01-09 |
| GB2050991A (en) | 1981-01-14 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |