GB1603109A - Packing machines - Google Patents

Description

(54) PACKING MACHINES (71) We, MOLINS LIMITED, a British Company, of 2, Evelyn Street, Deptford, London, SE8 5DH, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to improvements in methods and apparatus for forming hinged lid packets for cigarettes.

einvention is particularly applicable to machines for making hinged lid packets from one-piece blanks of the type described and claimed in British Patent Specification No. 1570525. In claim 10 thereof there is claimed a one-piece blank for forming a hinged lid packet having a lid portion hinged to a body portion, the body portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of side walls each formed by an inner flap extending from the rear wall and by an outer flap extending from the front wall, a panel extending upwardly from the front wall and a pair of side flaps extending from the sides of the panel; the lid portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall hinged to the rear wall of the body portion, and a pair of side walls each formed by an inner flap extending from the rear wall of the lid portion and by an outer flap extending from the front wall of the lid portion; wherein the top of each said side flap is of such configuration that on completing the formation of the packet from the lank, with the lid portion closed, the respective inner and outer flaps of the lid portion may be secured together without intervention of said side flaps.

According to one aspect of the inventiion there is provided a method of forming a hinged lid packet from a one-piece blank as claimed in claim 10 of British Patent No.

1570525, comprising the steps of folding each inner flap substantially perpendicular to its rear wall, the rear walls of the body and lid portions being in alignment, folding over the front wall and panel of the body portion with associated flaps into a position parallel to the rear wall, folding the front wall of the lid portion with its outer flaps on to said panel, and folding over all the side flaps and outer flaps against the respective inner flaps for securement thereto, the outer flaps of the body portion being folded slightly after folding of the side flaps.

Other aspects of the invention are defined in the appended claims.

from the front panels of the lid and body portions.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the various stages in a method according to the invention for forming hinged lid packets.

Figure 2 is a plan view of an embossing device at station C of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view of the device of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a plan view of a folding device at station L of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a side view of the device of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a plan view of a folding device at station M of Figure 1, Figure 7 is a side view of the device of Figure 6, Figure 8 is a further side view of the device of Figure 6 at the end of its motion, Figure 9 is a plan view of apparatus at stations N, P, Q and R of Figure 1, and Figure 10 is a view from underneath of a packet at station S of Figure 1.

Referring first to Figure 1, hinged lid blanks are held in a stack at a station A and are fed singly on to a horizontal blank conveyor 1 which is movable in steps past subsequent stations. The blanks are socalled "one-piece blanks" of the type disclosed and claimed in the above-mentioned specification No. 1570525.

At station B a lid reinforcing flap 2 on each blank is bent downwardly, and at station C three portions of the blank are deformed by an embossing unit to be described below. After passing stations D and E, the blank is engaged at F by a transfer conveyor 3 which completes the folding of the flap 2 and transfers the blank to a further horizontal indexable conveyor 4 formed with pockets.

In being pushed down into a pocket at station G, the inner side walls 5 of the blank are folded upwards. At station H flaps 6 at the end of the side walls adjacent the lid are opened out in readiness for a bundle of cigarettes 7 to be delivered at station J into the thus partly formed packet. At station K the flaps are folded around the bundle, and in moving to station L the front wall 8 of the body is folded upwards. The presence of the bundle 7 is also checked by a detector at station L. The front wall 8 is then fully folded against the bundle at station M before the front wall of the lid is folded thereover. No further folding is performed at stations N and P, while at station Q the partly formed packet may be ejected, if for example no bundle has been detected at station L.

After station R the packet is transferred to an overhead conveyor where, as shown at S, lines of adhesive are applied by a gumming wheel 9 to each of the protruding flaps. The packet then enters a drying drum 10, in which the protruding flaps are folded over and held against the sides of the packet. The adhesive is allowed to dry at a plurality of stations, three of which are shown at T, Y and V. At station W the completed packet leaves the drum 10 and moves sideways towards apparatus for overwrapping the packet.

While much of the apparatus for performing the above packing operations may be similar to that of the packing machines known as the Molins HLP 1 and HPL 2 machines, certain different parts of the apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described.

The embossing device at station C will first be described, with reference to Figures 2 and 3. This device deforms or embosses three portions of the blank, namely the front wall 8 and two inner side walls 5; the purpose of such deformations is apparent from the above-mentioned specification. As a similar embossing unit is used for each of these three portions, only the one for the first front panel will be described.

The portion of the blank to be deformed rests horizontally on an anvil 11 having a sharp step of the required depth of the deformation. Above the anvil is pivoted a hammer 12 having a complementary sharp step, and biassed away from the anvil by a spring (not shown). Downward pivoting of the hammer 12 is effected by a cam 13 through a vertically slidable rod 14, whose length can be slightly adjusted to vary the extent of the downward travel of the hammer towards the anvil.

The pivot point of the hammer is arranged so that there is a significant horizontal component in the final movement of the stepped part of the hammer 12. This allows a sharper, better defined internal corner to be produced along the embossed line of the blank, and reduces the tendency of a shear cut along this line which could result if the movement were purely vertical.

Referring next to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown the arrangement at station L for intially folding the front walls of the body and lid. A fixed folder 16 is disposed between the stations K and L to fold the front wall 8 of the body upright. The front wall of the lid is also folded upright, but by a pivoting folding device 17 at station L. A pair of fixed rails 18 serve to hold down the base of the body and the top of the lid while the respective front walls are being folded.

Positioned over the bundle 7 at station L is a bundle detector 19. As mentioned above, if this detects a missing bundle, the resultant empty packet is subsequently ejected at station Q.

Referring to Figures 6 to 8, when the blank and bundle arrive at station M, a plate folder 20 moves towards the front wall 8 to fold it and the base around the bundle.

Immediately afterwards a pivotal folder 21 similarly brings the top and front wall of the lid around the bundle. A holding bar 22 now descends on to the partly formed packet, and holds the two front walls down, while the packet moves under a guide (not indicated) to successive stations N and P (Figure 9).

At station Q any defective packets may be ejected by a pusher (not shown) into a guide 24. After station R the packet is picked up by an overhead conveyor, and a gumming wheel 9 (Figure 1) applies three lines of adhesive 9A along each packet flap, as shown in Figure 10. There are three flaps at each side of the packet, and the wheel 9 is arranged to apply discrete adhesive lines to each of the flaps, so that there is a slight discontinuity of the adhesive lines at the junctions between the flaps, in particular between the outer flap 25 of the lid and the top triangular outer flap 26 of the body. This is arranged by having suitably disposed radial slots across the adhesive-applying peripheral ribs on the wheel 9.

When the packet has been deposited in the drying drum 10 (Figure 1) stationary folders fold down the flaps against the sides of the packet as the drum is indexed to the next position. The stationary folders are slightly staggered, so tht the flaps 25, 26 are folded slightly before the main outer flaps 27 (Figure 10) of the body. The degree of such staggering may correspond to the thickness of the flaps of the blank.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A method of forming a hinged lid packet from a one-piece blank as claimed in claim 10 of British Patent No. 1570525, comprising the steps of folding each inner flap substantially perpendicular to its rear wall, the rear walls of the body and lid portions being in alignment, folding over the front wall and panel of the body portion with associated flaps into a position parallel to the rear wall, folding the front wall of the lid portion with its outer flaps on to said panel, and folding over all the side flaps and outer flaps against the respective inner flaps for securement thereto, the outer flaps of the body portion being folded slightly after folding of the side flaps.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the folding steps are preceded by a step of embossing at least said panel relative to the front wall of the body portion.

3. Apparatus for forming a hinged lid packet from a one-piece blank as claimed in claim 10 of British Patent No. 1570525, comprising first folding means for folding the respective inner flaps perpendicular to their mutually aligned rear walls, second folding means for successively folding the front wall of the body portion and thereafter the front wall of the lid portion into positions parallel to the rear walls, and third folding means for folding over all the side and outer flaps against the respective inner flaps, said third folding means being staggered so that the outer flaps of the body portion are folded slightly after the side flaps.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an embossing device upstream of said folding means for embossing at least said panel relative to the front wall of the body portion.

5. A method of forming a hinged lid packet substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

6. Apparatus for forming a hinged lid packet substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. next position. The stationary folders are slightly staggered, so tht the flaps 25, 26 are folded slightly before the main outer flaps 27 (Figure 10) of the body. The degree of such staggering may correspond to the thickness of the flaps of the blank. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of forming a hinged lid packet from a one-piece blank as claimed in claim 10 of British Patent No. 1570525, comprising the steps of folding each inner flap substantially perpendicular to its rear wall, the rear walls of the body and lid portions being in alignment, folding over the front wall and panel of the body portion with associated flaps into a position parallel to the rear wall, folding the front wall of the lid portion with its outer flaps on to said panel, and folding over all the side flaps and outer flaps against the respective inner flaps for securement thereto, the outer flaps of the body portion being folded slightly after folding of the side flaps.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the folding steps are preceded by a step of embossing at least said panel relative to the front wall of the body portion.

3. Apparatus for forming a hinged lid packet from a one-piece blank as claimed in claim 10 of British Patent No. 1570525, comprising first folding means for folding the respective inner flaps perpendicular to their mutually aligned rear walls, second folding means for successively folding the front wall of the body portion and thereafter the front wall of the lid portion into positions parallel to the rear walls, and third folding means for folding over all the side and outer flaps against the respective inner flaps, said third folding means being staggered so that the outer flaps of the body portion are folded slightly after the side flaps.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an embossing device upstream of said folding means for embossing at least said panel relative to the front wall of the body portion.

5. A method of forming a hinged lid packet substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

6. Apparatus for forming a hinged lid packet substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.