US2795845A - Carton opening machine - Google Patents

Description

' June 18, 1957 E. E. SHIMER CARTON OPENING MACHINE Filed March so, 1956 m Q TEII m mll United States Patent CARTON OPENING MACHINE Ernest E. Shimer, Kokomo, Ind.

Application March 30, 1956, Serial No. 575,013

Claims. (Cl. 30-2) This invention relates to machines for non-destructively open1ng paper board cartons, particularly cartons which must be opened to permit inspection of the contents thereof and which must be again closed. Commonly, cartons containing taxable merchandise are opened, tax stamps are applied to the contents, and the cartons then closed.

Cigarette cartons, for example, of the size and type containing ten packages of cigarettes, have in the past been cut open along one side to expose the ends of the packages to which tax stamps are applied. Conveniently, the corner edges of the panel, under which the tuck-flap is found, are ripped and the now free panel and the tuckflap are folded back, exposing the ends of the cigarette packages. Generally, the cartons are pushed past a stationary knife blade for cutting the corner edges mentioned and then moving the cartons longitudinally of two long curved steel straps for catching the loosened flaps and swinging the flaps open and against the sides of the carton. After inspection, or after the application of tax stamps to the exposed ends of the packages, the flaps are returned to their original positions and glued closed.

Two serious shortcomings of such a machine are found. First, the considerable swing of the two flaps is difircult to control during high speed travel of the cartons. A protruding corner of one flap will occassionally catch on the guides or stamping machine and damage the carton and jam the machine. Second, there are are considerable quantities of dust and lint raised from the soft paper board by the cutting blade, which dirt and lint rides through to the stamping machine, mixes with the ink. and clogs the rubber stamps.

The object of this invention is an improved machine for non-destructively opening cartons for inspection, for reliably and at high speeds folding back the flap of the carton, and for removing dirt and lint during the cutting and folding operations.

The objects of this invention are realized by a machine for opening one panel of cantons having two overlapping flaps hinged respectively along opposite side edges of said panel, comprising a stationary knife for cutting through the end edges as the carton is propelled lengthwise into the knife, and curling rails for successively swinging the flaps about their respective hinges; an elongated hood over the knife, curling rails and cartonpropelling mechanisms; an air pump with a filter, said hood having an air-inlet port and an air-outlet port on opposite sides of the hood and on a level generally with said flaps, said ports communicating respectively with the inlet and outlet openings of said pump to move air across said flaps to hold the flaps in folded-back position and to remove airborne dirt and lint.

Other features and objects of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art by referring to one specific embodiment of the invention described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Patented June 18, 1957 ICC Fig. l is a plan view, partly in section, of the carton opening machine of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side-elevation of the machine of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are respectively sectional views taken on lines 33, 4- -4 and 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The machine shown in Fig. 1 is specifically designed for opening cartons of a size and shape often-pack cigarette cartons. It is to be understood, of course, and will readily appear hereinafter, that the principles of the machine shown are by no means limited to the specific carton size and shape mentioned.

In the plan view of Fig. 1 is seen the narrow side panel 10 of such a carton, the various panels of the carton be ing scored and folded at right angles, as is well known in the box-making art. The panel 10 is joinedby a scored-fold 9 to the wide flat side of the panel and by the scored-fold 12 to the end panel of the carton. The tuck-flap 11 is slidably inserted under the panel 10 and is score-folded to the other wide side of the carton. According to this invention, the knife 20 cuts through the corners 12 at one end, moves between the panel 10 and the tuck-flap 11 to the other end, and finally cuts the second end edge corner.

The carton moves through the machine of Fig. 1 substantially along the path defined by the two dotted lines 13 and 14. Guide rails, not shown, closely hold the carton to this path. The straight flat knife blade 20 is mounted on the end of post 21. The position of the blade to accommodate cartons of varying heights is adjustable by longitudinal movement of the post 21. Vertical power-driven rollers 22 and 23 frictionally engage the side panels of the carton and propel it forwardly.

Immediately after the knife blade 20 cuts through the corner 12 and passes under the panel 10, the panel is lifted slightly to move over the curling rail 25. .The curling rail 25 is a long flat strip of steel and is curved as shown to progressively lift the panel 10 as the carton moves forward, thus swinging the panel about its scored side edge. The forward end of the curling rail is curved and is held in a vertical position just back of the knife by the upstanding post 26. The opposite end ofthe rail .is secured to post 27. Intermediate the posts the rail has the twist and curvature to swing the panel 10.through substantially 270. Fig. 3 shows the start of the swinging motion of the panel 10.

After panel 10 has sufiiciently raised, the tuck-flap v11 may then start to raise, as shown in Fig. 4. For this purpose, the second curling rail 30 mounted on post 31 slips under the tuck-flap and proceeds to swing the tuckfiap through about 270 in the opposite direction. Rail 30, like rail 25, is thin and smooth and is appropriately curved to progressively swing the flap. The forward end of rail 30 may be anchored by a looping brace from the floor of the machine, if it is found the forward end is insufliciently stable. With the two flaps folded back upon the sides of the carton, the carton emerges from the righthand end of the machine, Fig. l, and into a stamping machine, not shown. The exposed ends of the packages within the carton are then stamped and the flaps 10 and 11 are returned to their original positions and glued together.

According to an important and characteristic feature of this invention, the carton opening mechanism thus far described is enclosed in a rectangular hood preferably of lightweight sheet metal having top side 35 and side panels 36 and 37. The ends of the hood are preferably closed except for windows slightly larger than the cross-sectional size of the carton to be fed through the machine along path 13-14. To side panels 36 and 37 are connected respectively air exhaust and inlet ports 38 and 39, connected near the top edge of the side panels, and, hence, substantially on a level with the cut flaps of the carton to be opened. The exhaust port 38 and inlet 39 are connected to opposite ends of the air pump 40 comprising motor 41, fan blade 42 and filter 43 enclosed in anairtight jacket 44 and communicating through air ducts 45 and 46 to ports. Preferably the ducts are attached to the hood through cone-shaped air funnels, as shown.

Importantly, the inlet port 39 is adjacent the front or left end of the hood and delivers a fairly strong blast of air against the flap as it starts to raise. This blast of air presses the flap firm against the curling rail and prevents vibration or flutter thereof. When the flap 19 passes beyond the center of the air stream from port 39, the air suddenly flips the panel 10 downward and against the side of the carton.

On the other hand, when tuck-flap 11 raises slightly by the action of curling rail 30, the air blast catches under the raised edge of the flap and flips the flap to full, open position against its side of the carton.

It has been found, further that a portion of the incoming stream of air is deflected downward and around the bottom of the moving carton and serves to effectively float the carton on a film of air to facilitate its forward movement.

According to still another feature of this invention, the exhaust port 38 is not directly opposite the inlet port 39 as might be expected. Instead, the exhaust port is to the right or down-stream so that the general direction of air flow through the hood is diagonally across the hood. Such misalignment of the two ports serves the very useful purpose of swinging the flaps 10 and 11 during the opening operations, in a manner which, it has been found, was not effectively performed when the two ports were directly opposite each other. It is not understood why the improved results are caused by the staggered ports, but it is believed that the axial or lengthwise component of the air stream serves not only to propel the carton forwaIdly but to yieldably force the flaps to swing without flutter to their open positions. It has been found that with the ports mounted as described, cigarette cartons may be fed into the machine and opened at the rate of sixty per minute. Heretofore the cartons on such a machine could be opened only at a small fraction of this speed.

Furthermore, the lint and dirt is so elfectively removed by the diagonal and circuitous flow of air as to require the cleaning of the rubber or bronze stamps in the stamping machine which follows only once in several weeks of operation.

While the principles of the invention have been described in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be 4 clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine for opening one side panel of a paper board carton comprising in combination a knife, means for propelling said carton into the knife to sever the end corners and one side corner of said panel, and means for hingedly swinging said panel about the other, uncut, side corner of the panel; a hood over the knife and panel swing mechanism; air ports on opposite sides of said hood, and means for moving air from one port to the other laterally across said carton and swinging panel.

2. A machine for opening one panel of cartons having two overlapping flaps hinged respectively along opposite side edges of said panel, a stationary knife for cutting through the end edges as the, carton is propelled lengthwise into the knife, curling rails for successively swinging the flaps about their respective hinges; an elongated hood over the knife, curling rails and carton-propelling mechanisms, an air pump with a filter, said hood having an air inlet port and an air outlet port on opposite sides of the hood and on a level generally with said flaps, said ports communicating respectively with the inlet and outlet openings of said pump to move air across said flaps and to remove airborne dirt.

3. A machine for opening one side panel of a paper board carton, said machine comprising in combination a knife, means for propelling said carton into the knife to sever the end corners and one side corner of said panel, and means for lifting and swinging said panel about the uncut side corner of the panel; a hood over the knife and panel-swinging machanism, air ports on opposite sides of said hood, said air ports being in staggered relation with respect to the direction of travel of cartons through the machine, and means for moving air from one port to the other laterally across the swinging panel.

4. The machine defined in claim 3 further comprising an air pump and a filter communicating at its inlet and outlet ends, respectively, with said two ports for removing dirt and lint from the cartons being cut.

5. A cigarette carton-opening machine comprising means for cutting corner edges of one panel and means for folding the panel open; a hood over the cutting and folding means, and means for moving a stream of air laterally across the carton and over said panel.

No references cited.

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