With Means To Advance Work Or Product Patents (Class 493/71)
  • Patent number: 8647248
    Abstract: A device for folding blanks has a bottom conveyor (30) capable of conveying blanks along a conveyance path (10). The bottom conveyor (30) includes several longitudinal side frame members (40a, 40b, 40c) each supporting an endless conveyor belt (38) guided along the conveyance path (10) by top rollers (31, 31a, 31b, 32, 33). At least one member (50) folds a front tab of a blank. The folding member (50) is static. At least one top roller (32) is offset vertically from the other top rollers so that the conveyance path is curved, and the folding member (50) is suspended in the vicinity of the offset roller (32) in a position to intercept a front tab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Bobst SA
    Inventors: Pascal Criblez, Olivier Favre
  • Patent number: 8337376
    Abstract: A post-press apparatus which advances paper once to accomplish processing of cotton boxes, includes a sheet feeder unit, a hot foil stamping unit, a die-cutting unit, a waste stripping unit, a blank separation unit, a waste conveying unit, a gripper bar and a gripper bar chain. The advantages are that works to be done by multiple apparatuses are accomplished on one apparatus, reducing a number of times of paper advancing to improve a production efficiency and decreasing staffs to reduce a labor cost; inaccuracy of repetitive positioning by multiple times of paper advancing is avoided, improving a processing quality and reducing a defect rate to decrease a loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Inventor: Tian-Sheng Liu
  • Patent number: 7678035
    Abstract: A folded box gluing machine for the processing of folded box blanks includes at least one feeder unit arranged to transport the folded box blanks to downstream processing stations including a folding station, a glue applicator unit, a transfer station, a gathering and pressing mechanism, and a safety mechanism for a machine component presenting a danger to the human operator defined by a light curtain. The safety mechanism can be deactivated via a mobile operator unit, and the operator unit is designed such that it can only be operated with both hands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Frank Jansen
  • Patent number: 7544159
    Abstract: A machine for producing articles of sheet material, having a conveyor with powered rollers for feeding blanks along a path; pressure devices for holding the blanks in contact with the powered rollers; and operating devices which interact with the blanks to perform operations, in particular folding and gluing operations, on the blanks as the blanks travel along the path. The conveyor has a number of drive members arranged along the path, and to which the pressure devices are connectable by universal transmission assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Inventor: Giorgio Petratto
  • Patent number: 7329216
    Abstract: A system (1) for manufacturing containers (5) is designed around a supporting structure (2) with which all the stations (7, 18, 19, 21, 24, 25) and the devices (14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 26) needed to produce the containers are associated. The system (1) is equipped with a feed station (7) supplying a forming material (9), a scoring station (18) by which crease lines (4a) are generated, and a cutting station (19), combining to prepare a succession of blanks (4). The system (1) also includes a prefolding station (21) where each blank (4) is bent initially along the creases lines (4a), a folding station (24) where the single blank (4) is fashioned to the shape of the container (5), and a sealing or welding station (26) at which the shape of the container (5) is fixed definitively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.p.A.
    Inventors: Fulvio Boldrini, Roberto Ghiotti, Stefano Cavallari
  • Patent number: 7258655
    Abstract: A gathering and pressing device for a folded box gluing machine has two machine-width, circulating conveyor belts which are connected to a drive and whose conveying runs are disposed horizontally, one above the other and running parallel to each another. An upper conveying run of the lower conveyor belt being mounted such it can be moved vertically with respect to the lower conveying run of the upper conveyor belt in order to press the folded blanks. Both the lower conveyor belt and the upper conveyor belt having their own drive which includes a servomotor with a resolver connected directly to the respective drive roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Karl Saro, Wolfgang Diehr, Klaus Naber, Klaus Torka
  • Patent number: 7150707
    Abstract: A folding box gluing machine has a folding station in which portions of blanks provided with a glue strip are folded, and a subsequent transfer station which includes as a conveyor mechanism at least two pairs of conveying straps, each including an upper and a lower strap, and having a device for achieving the sideways removal of defective boxes arranged on the outside next to one pair of conveying straps. The upper conveying strap on at least one lengthwise side in the transfer station is supported in one region of its conveying path by support rollers, which are secured to a bearing plate, which is mounted with its lower edge tilted inward relative to a perpendicular plane and can move upward to a limited extent, and a guide baffle is secured on the inside next to the support rollers and extends upward from the inner edge of the upper conveying strap and is angled in the direction of the other pair of conveying straps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Gerd Taubenheim
  • Patent number: 6811525
    Abstract: Substantially tubular, or sleeve-type, cartons each with an end opening having a width less than a pitch of flight bars of a packaging machine but having a combined end opening equal to the pitch of the packaging machine are erected and placed between the flight bars. In one embodiment, the cartons are detachable affixed to one another. In another embodiment, the cartons are detachable affixed to one another in collapsed condition such that the composite collapsed carton formed thereby has dimensions substantially similar to a single carton loadable on the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: MeadWestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Will L. Culpepper
  • Publication number: 20040162204
    Abstract: In a machine for forming articles of sheet material, an orderly succession of flat blanks is fed along a forming path on a roller conveyor having powered rollers equally spaced with a given spacing; on the roller conveyor, the blanks are maintained contacting the rollers by idle-wheel pressure devices, and are deformed by folding devices; the pressure devices and folding devices being fitted to respective gantry-type frames having respective removable cross members, and which can be set to a number of predetermined reference positions and locked in such positions releasably with respect to the roller conveyor; and a continuous guide and slide adjusting assembly being interposed between each frame and the respective pressure devices and folding devices to adjust the position of the devices on the roller conveyor as a function of the shape and size of the blanks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2003
    Publication date: August 19, 2004
    Inventor: Giorgio Petratto
  • Patent number: 6773384
    Abstract: A machine for treating sheets, said machine comprising drive means (14, 16, 18) for driving the sheets, treatment tooling (52, 62) for forming cutouts or folds in said sheets that extend transversely to the drive direction (F) in which the sheets are driven. The treatment tooling is carried by at least one carrier shaft (52, 62) driven by a shaft motor (M52, M62). The sheets are driven at a substantially constant drive speed through the machine, and said machine further comprises a control unit (UC) which, as a function of said drive speed, and of information relating to the position of a sheet in the machine, control the shaft motor (M52, M62) such that, for treating said sheet, the tooling is in contact with a predetermined region of the sheet and is driven at a treatment speed whose tangential component is equal to the drive speed at which the sheet is driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Rapidex S.M.
    Inventors: Bernard Guiot, Philippe Vallee
  • Publication number: 20040023770
    Abstract: An automatic packaging machine has mandrels with a plurality of fingers for gripping an object. A cam track has contours which defines the location of positions along a conveyor carrying the mandrels. The fingers are closed by a spring and opened by a cam follower encountering a contour of cam track. This way a plurality of objects having a variety of widths may be carried by the fingers without requiring a readjustment of the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Applicant: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Tisma
  • Publication number: 20040023769
    Abstract: A conveyor apparatus (10) for folding boxes (1) in a boxing machine has conveyor chains (11 to 14). The conveyor chains (11 to 14) are respectively supported in pairs in a guide rail (22, 23). The conveyor chains (11 to 14) have pusher lugs (18, 19) attached to them, between which the folding boxes (1) are contained in a positively engaging fashion. In order to permit a simple adjustment of the conveyor apparatus (10) with regard to different folding box widths and folding box lengths, the conveyor chains (11 to 14) are respectively coupled to cross sectionally polygonal shafts (41, 44). Whereas the format adaptation to different folding box widths is permitted by means of a self-locking adjusting mechanism (35), for a simple format adaptation in terms of the folding box length, according to the invention it is necessary that the gears (42, 45) that are operationally connected to the one guide rail (23) be disposed on the respective shaft (41, 44) in a rotationally fixed, but movable fashion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventors: Ulrich Wieduwilt, Johann Zeller
  • Publication number: 20040005977
    Abstract: A carton forming machine having a blank feeding section (1) which receives blanks from stacked supplies of blanks (10, 11) means (2) for gluing folding and compressing side wall of the blank to form reinforced side walls and end flaps, mandrel means (3) about which the blanks are folded, glued and held to form an open topped carton, the mandrel means including first and second mandrels mounted on a rotating turret (15) and having associated blank holding means (17, 18) the machine being operable to rotate the mandrels when a carton has been formed while the carton is held by the holding means to ensure that the glue sets and to present an empty mandrel about which the next blank is to be folded, thereby ensuring that the throughput of the machine is not compromised while the glue sets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Publication date: January 8, 2004
    Inventor: William John Scholtes
  • Patent number: 6656100
    Abstract: An integrated apparatus for forming folded containers comprising a film attaching unit, a fold/glue unit, and a common transport system coupling the film attaching unit to the fold/glue unit. The film attaching unit can have a pattern glue applicator for applying a pattern of glue to a blank and a film applicator operatively coupled to the pattern glue applicator to apply a film to the blank. The fold/glue unit is configured to receive the blank directly from the film attaching unit, and the fold/glue unit can have a plurality of fold-members for folding portions of the blank and at least one glue gun for applying glue to portions of the blank. The blank transport system can comprise a synchronized carrier to transport the blank through a portion of the film attaching unit and a plurality of non-synchronized carriers to transport the blank through the film attaching unit and/or the fold/glue unit without removing the blank from the transport system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: P. E. Printech Equipment, Inc.
    Inventor: Whah Tseng
  • Patent number: 6620085
    Abstract: A method for transferring cardboard blanks (7) in individual succession in a plant, comprising a store (1) for collection of cardboard blanks (7b), a conveyor (3), with an upstream portion (3a) which is designed to receive the cardboard blanks (7a), and a rotary collector-translator (2), comprising one or a plurality of orbiting gripper units (100, 200), wherein the cardboard blank is grasped in the store (1), extracted, translated and spaced, whilst being kept substantially parallel to the successive cardboard blank (7c), which is still disposed in the vicinity of the downstream end (1a) of the store (1); and is then inclined, and placed parallel on the upstream portion (3a) of the conveyor (3). A corresponding system, and a corresponding rotary collector-translator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Baumer S.r.l.
    Inventor: Mario Gambetti
  • Patent number: 6616585
    Abstract: A method of assembling a paper box, comprising a 1st step of carrying a paper box (10a) with unfolded both side wall members (26) and (27) into a clearance between a fixed stand (101) and a guide member (100) in the condition that the positions of folded parts (22) and (23) aligned with the positions of both outer end parts of the guide member (100) at a folding station (47) where the guide member (100) is disposed with a slight clearance provided above the fixed stand (101) and a clearance at both end parts thereof set equal to a clearance at the folded parts (22) and (23), a 2nd step of driving a folding member (105) so as to fold both side wall members (26) and (27) to the inside with reference to the outer end part of the guide member (100) in contact with the folded parts (22) and (23), and a 3rd step of extracting the paper box (10a) with bent both side wall members (26) and (27) from the folding station (47) by holding the front side of the paper box (10a) in its moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignees: Chuestu Tech Co., Ltd., Ryoichi-Hashitani, Takeshi Okamoto
    Inventor: Haruo Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20020193218
    Abstract: Substantially tubular, or sleeve-type, cartons each with an end opening having a width less than a pitch of flight bars of a packaging machine but having a combined end opening equal to the pitch of the packaging machine are erected and placed between the flight bars. In one embodiment, the cartons are detachably affixed to one another. In another embodiment, the cartons are detachably affixed to one another in collapsed condition such that the composite collapsed carton formed thereby has dimensions substantially similar to a single carton loadable on the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventor: Will L. Culpepper
  • Publication number: 20020082151
    Abstract: For folding sheet layers the folding blade (20) forms a comb. The comb gaps (27) are closed during fold pressing and opened during transfer of the fold to a conveyor (21). Thus the conveyor (21) engages the sheet only in the region of the comb gaps and easily withdraws the sheet without pressing it into contact against the folding blade (20). For controlling the gap variations a fully mechanical cam control (30) is provided underneath the working plane (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventor: Karl Wahl
  • Patent number: 6346068
    Abstract: An existing box-making machine is retrofitted by first removing the pull rolls and impression cylinder and other associated parts and cross-ties. However, the heavy duty side frames and drums, including the print cylinder are left intact in the box-making machine. A vacuum transfer machine is then inserted in the box-making machine and mounted to the existing frame to replace the pull rolls that were removed. The vacuum transfer machine includes a hood enclosure having an impression cylinder for printing, and transport rolls on opposite sides of the impression cylinder for conveying the corrugated boards through the impression and print cylinders and to the die cutter. The boards are held against the transport rolls and the impression cylinder by vacuum generated in a vacuum chamber in the hood which also contains the transport rolls and the impression cylinder. The vacuum chamber contains a plurality of vacuum dampers for controlling the vacuum area in accordance with the size of the boards being processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Sun Automation Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Cunnington Philips, III
  • Publication number: 20010023227
    Abstract: A method for transferring cardboard blanks (7) in individual succession in a plant, comprising a store (1) for collection of cardboard blanks (7b), a conveyor (3), with an upstream portion (3a) which is designed to receive the cardboard blanks (7a), and a rotary collector-translator (2), comprising one or a plurality of orbiting gripper units (100, 200), wherein the cardboard blank is grasped in the store (1), extracted, translated and spaced, whilst being kept substantially parallel to the successive cardboard blank (7c), which is still disposed in the vicinity of the downstream end (1a) of the store (1); and is then inclined, and placed parallel on the upstream portion (3a) of the conveyor (3). A corresponding system, and a corresponding rotary collector-translator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Publication date: September 20, 2001
    Applicant: BAUMER S.r.l.
    Inventor: Mario Gambetti
  • Patent number: 6179763
    Abstract: An existing box-making machine is retrofitted by first removing the pull rolls and impression cylinder and other associated parts and cross-ties. However, the heavy duty side frames and drums, including the print cylinder are left intact in the box-making machine. A vacuum transfer machine is then inserted in the box-making machine and mounted to the existing frame to replace the pull rolls that were removed. The vacuum transfer machine includes a hood enclosure having an impression cylinder for printing, and transport rolls on opposite sides of the impression cylinder for conveying the corrugated boards through the impression and print cylinders and to the die cutter. The boards are held against the transport rolls and the impression cylinder by vacuum generated in a vacuum chamber in the hood which also contains the transport rolls and the impression cylinder. The vacuum chamber contains a plurality of vacuum dampers for controlling the vacuum area in accordance with the size of the boards being processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Sun Automation Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Cunnington Phillips, III
  • Patent number: 5158522
    Abstract: Knocked down boxes made of corrugated paperboard are slit longitudinally in an on-line process directly downstream from the folder/gluer in which the boxes are formed. The boxes are first reoriented 90.degree. in a horizontal plane from the positions in which they are formed in the folder/gluer to a reoriented position for movement in a direction transverse to the box fold lines, the boxes are formed into a shingle in the direction of movement, and the shingle is conveyed in that direction into an alignment station. In the alignment station, the lateral edges of the boxes in the shingle are aligned vertically, while the shingle moves through the alignment station, by shifting the boxes transversely to the direction of movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignee: Marquip, Inc.
    Inventors: James A. Cummings, Richard F. Paulson
  • Patent number: 4432746
    Abstract: An apparatus for segmenting a continuous running web into a stream of discrete articles by cutting the web transversely at uniformly longitudinally spaced intervals; and which apparatus may also effect U-folding of each of the discrete articles. The apparatus is of the type which includes a flight of longitudinally spaced, web engaging friction plates which provide cutter access to the web through spaces intermediate adjacent friction plates. The apparatus further includes a constant clearance infeed nip which is formed in part by the spaced friction plates of the flight passing over a circumferential portion of an infeed roll having circumferentially spaced, radially extending lugs, and which lugs are configured and disposed to engage the web by extending through the spaces intermediate the spaced friction plates. Alternatively, the flight of friction plates may be integrated into a unitary apertured conveyor belt; and the cutter may be integrated into such a constant clearance nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1984
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Dennis A. DeHaan