US3214885A - Mechanism for placing elongated articles in a folded strip of packing material - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 2, 1965 H. GRAM MECHANISM FOR PLACING ELONGATED ARTICLES IN A FOLDED STRIP 0F PACKING MATERIAL Filed NOV 8, 1962 INVENTOR. 762717$ United States Patent 3,214,885 MECHANISM FOR PLACING ELONGATED AR- TICLES IN A FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL Hans Gram, Vojens, Denmark, assignor to Brodrene Gram A/ S, Vojens, Denmark Filed Nov. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 236,207 Claims priority, application Denmark, Dec. 12, 1961, 4,960/ 61 3 Claims. '(Cl. 53-191) This invention relates to a mechanism for use in ma chines for the packing of elongated articles such as ice lollies, and more particularly to a mechanism for placing elongated articles in a folded strip of packing material, said mechanism comprising a guiding groove for supporting and guiding a folded strip of packing material subjected to intermittent feeding motion along said guiding groove, means for supplying an elongated article to the groove formed by said folded strip of packing material in a position substantially perpendicular to the bottom of said folded strip of packing material, and a guiding member for subsequently tilting an article thus sup plied in controlled manner to a position longitudinally of said folded strip of packing material along the bottom thereof.

In experiments, on which the present invention is based, it has been found that in a mechanism of the type described an article, after having been supplied to the folded strip of packing material, is likely to skid or slide along the bottom of the folded strip of packing material during the subsequent tilting motion so that the article will not be correctly placed in the folded strip of packing material. The reason for this is that for hygienic reasons the said guide member by means of which the tilting motion is controlled cannot be constructed in such a manner as to firmly grip or hold the article during the said tilting motion so that the position of the article will mainly be determined by the frictional engagement between the bottom end of the article and the bottom of the folded strip of packing material, which frictional engagement may easily fail during the tilting motion.

It is the object of the invention to devise a simple and reliable mechanism of the type referred to which does not suffer from the above mentioned drawback. With this object in view, according to the invention, the said guiding groove is provided with a recess at the position where the article is supplied to the folded strip of packing material. Owing to this arrangement, the articles, when supplied to the bottom of the folded strip of pack ing material will make a depression therein so that the bottom end of the article is prevented from skidding or sliding relative to the bottom of the strip of packing material whereby the tilting movement will take place about an axis of rotation determined by the point of engagement of the article in the said depression, and the tilted article will therefore accurately assume a predetermined position relative to the folded strip of packing material.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 shows a section through one form of a mechanism according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the drawing, 1 is a strip of packing material which is folded to an approximate U-shape. The strip 1 is fed forward intermittently in a guiding groove 2 of U-shaped cross section by means not illustrated in the drawing. It will be understood that the mechanism illustrated is intended for use as part of a packing machine which in other respects may be of any conventional or other suita "ice ble design, e.g. of the general type referred to in an application filed concurrently herewith. As an example, the packing machine may comprise the folding mechanism of the type described in my said application filed concurrently herewith, and sealing and feeding means of the type described in my US. copending application Serial No. 236,208, filed on November 8, 1962. However, the mechanism according to the invention may also be used for other purposes and in other combinations.

In the example illustrated in the drawing, 4 represents an elongated article such as an ice lolly that has been supplied to the bottom of the folded strip of packing material 1. The ice lolly 4 is shown in the position which it assumes immediately after having been released e.g. from a clamping jaw 11 forming part of a conveyor, not illustrated, which is adapted to move ice lollies successively to a position vertically above the folded strip of packing material 1, and then to release the ice lollies, thereby permitting them to drop on to the bottom of the folded strip of packing material. During this dropping movement, the ice lolly passes through a guiding member 5 of rectangular shape, see FIG. 2. This guiding member must have a cross section greater than that of the biggest ice lolly for which the packing machine is intended since otherwise the guiding member would come into contact with the ice lolly during the introduction of the latter into the folded strip of packing material which would be objectionable for hygienic reasons. A consequence of the excess dimensions of the guiding member is that the ice lolly 4 when released in the position illustrated in FIG. 1 will start tilting until its stick 6 strikes one of the sides of the guiding member. Owing to this small tilting movement, if no precautions were taken, the bottom end of the ice lolly 4 might skid or slide relative to the bottom of the folded strip of packing material, whereby the ice lolly might become completely disengaged from the guiding member so as to tumble down onto the bottom of the folded strip in an uncontrolled manner and in an uncontrolled position. This is very undesirable since the ice lolly may be dislocated to such an extent as to prevent proper operation of the following parts of the packing machine e.g. such that the ice lolly will be clamped between pressing and sealing members which are intended to engage the packing material only in the intervals between successive ice lollies.

However, owing to the provision of the recess 3 in the bottom of the guiding groove 2, the tip of the ice lolly will make a small depression in the bottom of the folded strip so that the tendency of the tip of the ice lolly to slide relative to the bottom of the folded strip is reduced, and the stick 6 of the ice lolly will therefore remain in engagement with one of the sides of the guiding member 5.

The guiding member 5 is rigidly mounted on an arm 7 which is connected with a rocking mechanism, not illustrated, via a shaft 8. After the ice lolly 4 ha been introduced through the guiding member 5 and brought into position with its tip resting against the bottom of the strip of packing material, which is stationary in this phase of operation, the arm 7 is rotated about the axis of the shaft 8 whereby the end of the arm 7 will describe a circular are 9. At the same time, the ice lolly will rotate about its bottom end or tip, while the upper end of the ice lolly is taken along by the guiding member 5, and the end of the stick of the ice lolly will therefore describe a circular are denoted by reference character It) in FIG. 1. At the position Where the two circular arcs 9 and 10 intersect, the stick of the ice lolly will be released from the lower edge of the guiding member 5 and will drop onto the bottom of the folded strip, thi movement being guided by a guiding plate 12. During the first part of the movement, the ice lolly, whether at first in contact with one or the other side of the guiding member, will be tilted in such a manner as to cause the stick of the ice lolly to rest against the inner side of the side Wall 5a of the guiding member, and it will therefore be seen that the tilting of the ice lolly takes place in a completely controlled manner in spite of the fact that the ice lolly is not positively held during this movement.

It will be understood that the means by which the articles to be packed are introduced into the folded strip of packing material may be constructed in many different Ways and may, if desired, comprise means such as the clamping jaws 11 constructed to perform a downward movement when in position above the folded strip of packing material such as to lower the articles into position before releasing same. It will also be understood that the mechanism according to the invention may be used with advantage as a part of packing machines for packing elongated articles other than ice lollies.

I claim:

1. A mechanism for placing elongated articles in a folded strip of packing material, comprising mean defining a guiding groove for supporting and guiding a folded strip of packing material subjected to intermittent feeding motion along said guiding groove, means for supplying an elongated article to the groove formed by said folded strip of packing material in a position substantially perpendicular to the bottom of said folded strip of packing material, and a guiding member for subsequently tilting an article thus supplied in controlled manner to a position longitudinally of said folded strip of packing material along the bottom thereof, said guiding groove being provided with a recess in the bottom thereof at the position where the article is supplied to the folded strip of packing material, and said recess having a cross sectional area and a shape suitable for holding the lower end of i the article to be packed against sliding relative to said folded strip of packing material.

2. A mechanism for placing elongated article in a folded strip of packing material, comprising means defining a guiding groove for supporting and guiding a folded strip of packing material subjected to intermittent feeding motion along said guiding groove, a guiding member located vertically above the bottom of said grove, said guiding member having a horizontally disposed opening of a cross section larger than that of the articles to be packed, means for supplying an elongated article in upright position through the opening of said guiding member to the bottom of a folded strip of packing material supported on the bottom of said groove, said guiding member being constructed for subsequently tilting an article thus supplied in a controlled manner to a position longitudinally of said folded strip of packing material along the bottom thereof, said guiding groove being provided with a recess in the bottom thereof vertically below said guiding member, said recess having a cross sectional area and a shape suitable for holding the lower end of the article to be packed against sliding relative to said folded strip of packing material.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2, in which the guiding member is mounted for tilting about a hori- Zontal transverse axis near the bottom of the guiding groove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,322,430 6/43 Fay 53200X FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A MECHANISM FOR PLACING ELONGATED ARTICLES IN A FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL, COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING A GUIDING GROOVE FOR SUPPORTING AND GUIDING A FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL SUBJECTED TO INTERMITTENT FEEDING MOTION ALONG SAID GUIDING GROOVE, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN ELONGATED ARTICLE TO THE GROOVE FORMED BY SAID FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL IN A POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL, AND A GUIDING MEMBER FOR SUBSEQUENTLY TILTING AN ARTICLE THUS SUPPLIED IN CONTROLLED MANNER TO A POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL ALONG THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID GUIDING GROOVE BEING PROVIDED WITH A RECESS IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF AT THE POSITION WHERE THE ARTICLE IS SUPPLIED TO THE FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL, AND SAID RECESS HAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL AREA AND A SHAPE SUITABLE FOR HOLDING THE LOWER END OF THE ARTICLE TO BE PACKED AGAINST SLIDING RELATIVE TO SAID FOLDED STRIP OF PACKING MATERIAL.

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