US3483802A - System for inserting partitions in cartons - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1969 c, HEYNE 3,483,302

SYSTEM FOR INSERTING PARTITIONS IN CARTONS Filed NOV- 6, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 16, c, HEYNE SYSTEM FOR INSERTING PARTITIONS IN CARTONS Filed Nov. 6, 1967 Dec. 16, 1969 c. A. HEYNE SYSTEM FOR INSERTING PARTITIONS IN CARTONS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 6, 1967 3,483,802 SYSTEM FOR TNSERTDIG PARTITIONS IN CARTUNS Clarence A. ll-lleyue, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois, Inc, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 680,749

Int. Cl. B311) 1/74 US. CI. 93-38 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to method and apparatus for handling assembled partitions and transferring the partitions to and inserting them within open cartons. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for receiving and elevating partitions that are moved in succession with the intersecting panels lying in vertical planes, with the elevation of the partitions serving to frictionally engage the partitions with an overhead conveying means. The overhead conveying means will move the partitions into overlying relationship with respect to open cartons and the partitions are then inserted within the carton.

It has been the practice in the past to assemble partitions in cartons by hand with the partitions normally supplied in fiat stacks, with it being necessary for the person assembling the partitions in the cartons to separate a partition from others and to, in effect, expand the partition into rectangular form and then manually insert the partition into the carton.

Present-day machinery is capable of producing assembled partitions; however, for reasons of storage and because of the bulkiness of the partitions they are normally flattened for storage, this being accomplished, as for example, by the mechanism disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 757,838 issued May 2, 1967. In this Canadian patent the partitions are received in series on a fiat conveyor and are moved successively through a partition-collapsing mechanism and then moved into a partition-stacking arrangement so that the partitions are stacked preparatory to being either tied or otherwise bundled for storage or transporting to a position where they will then be manually inserted within cartons.

The present invention has its greatest utility in an operation where the partitions are assembled and the cartons are made up in the glass container plant.

Both the operations of partition-forming and assembly and carton making are now frequently carried out at the glass container manufacturing plants since they utilize a great many cartons for packing the ware produced in the plant and it is more economical to ship carton and partition blanks to a container plant than produce the cartons at a separate location.

This invention lends itself to a system of handling partitions from a partition-assembly machine, through a series of manipulations to a position where they are inserted within cartons that have just been made up. Both operations may then be closely associated and operated in concert.

ted States Patent ICC SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a carton-partition assembly system wherein the cartons are conveyed in series, with the closing flaps of the cartons being open, and assembled partitions are conveyed in series with their intersecting panels lying in vertical planes. The partitions are individually and serially moved from the partition conveyor to a position overlying the carton conveyor whereat the partitions are inserted within the open cartons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic, perspective view of the cartonpartition assembly arrangement of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a paper clip used in conjunction with the partition-transfer mechanism of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the paper clip of FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, assembled partitions 10 are moved by a horizontal conveyor 11 moving to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1. It should be understood that the partition forming and assembly machine (not shown) will supply the partitions in the attitude shown to the conveyor 11, with the surface of the conveyor having spaced bars 12 fixed thereto serving to advance the partitions at predetermined spaced-apart intervals.

The partitions are moved from the end of the conveyor 11 onto a partition-orienting and positioning conveyor 13. The conveyor 13 takes the form of a pair of spaced spools 14 and 15 about which a plurality of belts 16 are positioned at spaced intervals, with the spool 15 being driven in a clockwise direction by mechanism not shown.

A vertical plate 17 positioned at downstream end of the conveyor 13 serves as a physical stop for partitions being moved by the conveyor 13.

Positioned intermediate at least three of the belts 16 of the conveyor 13 are strip members 18. The strip members 18 form horizontal surfaces between the runs of the belts 16 and each of the strips 18 is provided with a vertical supporting member 19 connected thereto. The lower ends of the supporting members 19 are joined together by a cross-head 20. The cross-head 20 is fixed to the piston rod of a reciprocating fluid motor 21. The fluid motor 21, when actuated, is adapted to raise the members 18 in unison to elevate a partition which is resting on the belts 16 and in engagement with the plate 17. The elevated partitions are adapted to engage with paper clips 22 which are positioned in vertical alignment above the partitions and, as shown, are supported by a pair of endless belts or chains 23 and 24.

Depending upon whether the members 23 and 24 are belts or chains, they are supported and driven in their paths of travel by pulley or sprocket members 25 and 26. The members 25 and 26, at one end, serve as drive members and are coupled together and supported by a horizontal shaft 27, with the shaft 27 serving as the output shaft from an index drive mechanism 28 driven by a motor 29. The motor 29 and index drive 28 are operated in timed sequence so that the paper clips 22 carried by the members 23 and 24 will be positioned vertically above the artitions at the time the partition is raised by the motor 21. In this manner the partitions are frictionally held by the paper clips 22 and with subsequent lowering of the elevating members 18, the index drive will operate to move the depending partition to the left, as viewed in FIG. 1.

Through a series of subsequent indexing steps, an individual partition will be moved to a point adjacent the opposite ends of the runs of the members 23 and 24, Where the partition will be vertically above a carton conveyor 30.

The carton conveyor 30 is essentially a horizontal belt whose surface is moving generally in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the partition conveyor. Suitable guides 31 and 32 mounted over the conveyor surface are provided to center the carton with respect to the conveyor surface. A motor 33, mounted beside the conveyor 30, has an output shaft that is reciprocated into and out of the path of travel of the cartons 34 so as to momentarily stop the cartons in the position shown in FIG. 1.

With the carton stopped in the position shown in FIG. 1, its open top will be in vertical alignment with and beneath a generally rectangular shaped funnel 35. The funnel 35 has slightly inwardly tapering side walls which serve as partition-guiding surfaces to ensure that a partition, being inserted within the carton, will enter the open top of the carton without interference.

The partitions are released from the paper clips 22 when the partition is vertically above the funnel 35 by the operation of a vertical, reciprocating fluid motor 36 having an output shaft 37 connected to a cross-head 38, The cross-head 38 extends generally parallel to the conveyor 30 and has a plurality of partition-engaging into the area nected thereto, with the fingers extending into the area between the belts or chains 23 and 24 in the upper position, as shown in FIG. 1. The fingers 39 are formed with a pair of right angle bends along the length thereof with the portions of the fingers which overlie and actually engage the partition lying in a horizontal plane below the plane of the cross-head 38. The fingers will force the partition out of the frictionally engaging paper clips 22 and effectively push the partition through the guide funnel 35 into the carton 34 positioned therebeneath.

With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the details of the paper clips are shown. Each of the clips is formed with a pair of supporting flanges 40 and 41 which may serve as side links of a chain, it being understood that they would be joined together by chain rollers.

The flanges 4G and 41 are bolted to a wide, bent friction finger 42 whose lower end is bent outwardly and provided with strengthening webs or fillets 43 and 44 so as to render the finger member 42 fairly rigid.

A vertical, downwardly extending member 45, rigidly fixed at its upper end to the flanges 40 and 41, is formed with a pair of forwardly extending side webs 46 and 47 having openings therein through which a pivot shaft 48 extends and is supported. The member 45, as best shown in FIG. 3, extends downwardly and generally parallel to the finger 42. The shaft 48 pivotally supports a second friction finger 49 whose partition-engaging surface is in opposed relationship with respect to the finger 42 and also has its lower end bent outwardly in the opposite direction to the bend of the finger 42.

A pair of threaded screws 50 and 51 having their heads fixed with respect to finger 49, extend through openings formed in the member 45. Adjusting nuts 52 and 53 are threaded onto the screws 50 and 51. Each of the screws is surrounded by a helical compression spring 54. The springs 54 bear at one end against the inner surface of the member 49 and at their opposite end against the inner surface of the member 45, thus spring-biasing the finger 49 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3, with the position of the nuts 52 and 53 determining the at-rest-position of the finger 49.

When a partition member is moved upwardly into the paper clip, the finger 42 remains stationary in its position, while the finger 49 is free to swing about the pivot shaft 48 against the biasing force of the springs 54. The screws 50 and 51 will move with respect to the member 45 and when a partition is moved from the clip, the finger 49 will move back to the position shown in FIG. 3 and the nuts 52 and 53 will then abut the outer surface of the member 45. Obviously, the spacing between the fingers 42 and 49 may be adjusted by the nuts 52 and 53. This adjustment is advantageous from the standpoint that partition material may vary in thickness from time to time depending upon the type of articles being separated by the partitions in the carton.

Other and further modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for inserting partitions in cartons comprising, means for conveying assembled partitions tIl series to a transfer loading station, means at said station for elevating the partitions into engagement with transfer means, said transfer means comprising means for pendantly receiving said elevated partitions and for moving said partitions in series into overlying relationship to successively present open cartons and means releasing said partitions from said transfer means whereby the partition falls into the carton.

2. In a carton-partition assembly system wherein the cartons are conveyed in series with the closing flaps open and assembled partitions are conveyed in series with their intersecting panels lying in vertical planes, the improvement comprising, indexing means extending between the partition conveyor and the carton conveyor for transferring partitions to a position overlying said cartons and means for inserting the assembled partitions into the open cartons in succession.

3. A carton-partition assembly apparatus comprising, in combination a first conveyor for receiving an assembled partition thereon and for moving the partition into contact with a fixed stop, means for raising the partition from said first conveyor, a second conveyor moving parallel to said first conveyor and adapted to move open cartons lIl succesion to a loading position opposite said first conveyor, transfer means extending from above said first conveyor and overlying the second conveyor at the loading position, said transfer means having partition-holding means carried thereby, said raising means being effective to engage the partitions with said partition-holding means, drive means connected to said endless members for successively moving the partitions into overlying relationship with respect to the second conveyor and vertically reciprocable means extending over the second conveyor for successively engaging the partitions and inserting the partitions in the open carton positioned therebeneath.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said first conveyor comprises a plurality of spaced-apart, moving surfaces.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for raising said partitions from said first conveyor comprises a plurality of members positioned intermediate said moving surfaces and means connected to said members for raising said members in unison to lift the partition off the first conveyor.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said transfer means comprises a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, endless members extending at right angles with respect to said first conveyor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said partitionholding means comprises plural, spring-biased clips mounted on said endless members for gripping partitions that are raised into engagement therewith.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said vertically reciprocable means comprises, a fluid piston motor mounted adjacent the second conveyor, a plurality of horizontally extending fingers connected to said motor piston, said fingers overlying partitions positioned above said second conveyor.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a guide mounted over said second conveyor intermediate cartons moved thereunder and partitions positioned thereover for guiding the partitions into the top of the cartons when the vertically reciprocable means pushes the partitions downwardly.

5 10. A method of assembling cartons and partitions comprising, the steps of conveying assembled partitions in succession to a specific position, individually elevating the partitions as they arrive at said position, holding and moving the elevated partitions horizontally from said position to a loading position, conveying cartons, with open tops, in succession to said loading position beneath held partitions and releasing and inserting the partitions into the open-topped cartons.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,894,433 7/1959 Peters et a1 9338 3,350,836 11/1967 Dillon et a1 9337 XR BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. j5,83,802 D t d December 16, 1969 Inventor(s) Clarence A Heyne It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that: said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

r- Column 3, lines 23 and 2 4, delete "into the area nected thereto" and insert therefor El1'1 ;ere 39 connected thereto-- SIGNED AND SEALED MAY 1 21970 (SEAL) Atteat:

Edward member WILLIAM E. 'S-CIHUYLER, JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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