Patents Assigned to Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
  • Patent number: 7607277
    Abstract: A work piece wrapping apparatus for wrapping a work piece being transported along a transporting path of the work piece is provided with: a wrapping sheet supply device that supplies the wrapping sheet onto a transporting path of the wrapping sheet intersecting the transporting path of the work piece; a delivery guide device that causes the work piece to be wrapped by pushing the wrapping sheet with the work piece; and a spreading guide provided on the periphery surface of a transit aperture of the delivery guide device, and whose center area in the transverse direction protrudes toward the rear in a transporting direction of the work piece so as to gradually spread the wrapping sheet out from a center area in the transverse direction of the work piece towards both edges thereof with the work piece advances through the transit aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsuchiya, Toshio Yoshinari
  • Publication number: 20080209856
    Abstract: The present invention includes a film supply device 14 that supplies a film f onto a transporting path 6 that is transporting cases k, and a delivery guide device 13 that pushes the film so as to cause the cases to pass through a transit aperture between delivery guide portions 25a and 25b. V-shaped guides 35a and 35b that spread the film out from the center in the transverse direction of the cases towards both edges thereof as the cases advance, and smoothing pads 36a and 36b that are formed from bristles that cause the film to tightly contact to the surface of the cases are provided on opposing delivery guide portions. An elastic component 39 whose transit aperture is enlarged when the cases are pushed is provided in the upper delivery guide portion. A correction guide 12 that restrains the cases and corrects any crookedness is provided on the transporting path 6. Three suction belts that are arranged in a dovetail pattern and have suction holes are provided in the film supply device 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: TOKYO AUTOMATIC MACHINERY WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Tsuchiya, Toshio Yoshinari
  • Patent number: 7325472
    Abstract: A fixed cutter is provided on a top surface of an adsorption type carrying belt that carries a film. A cylindrical cutter holder having a rotary cutter is provided in the vicinity of the fixed cutter. The fixed cutter has nearly a triangular cross section, and includes an inclined surface that guides the film on the top surface of the belt to a blade edge and a flank relief having nearly a V-shaped cross section. A blade edge of the rotary cutter is disposed at an offset position. The film is cut by a relative operation of the blade edges while rotating the rotary cutter with respect to the fixed cutter. Both of the cutters are installed in a cutter unit, and are fixed to a frame part of a packaging machine while performing positional adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisamitsu Ishihara
  • Patent number: 6834826
    Abstract: Film rolls at the delivery position and the standby position are supported by supporting units. The roll is passed from the standby position to the delivery position by means of the conveying member provided in the roll conveying unit. As a result, it is not necessary to support the rolls at the individual positions by use of the roll conveying unit, thus permitting simplification of the configuration of the unit. The conveying member has a configuration in which the same is attached to a conveying chain put around the sprockets to make it possible to achieve circumferential travel of the conveying member by a single driving motor. When delivering by connecting to the film from the delivery position, the leading end easily comes off the holding unit by inserting the folded leading end of the film from the standby position and holding the same there.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Nobuta, Tuyoshi Okabe, Tomoo Hosono, Ryosuke Tamayama
  • Patent number: 6502366
    Abstract: A packing material feeding apparatus for a vertical-type bag form-fill-sealing machine comprises a feeding device for feeding a web as a packing material along a filling tube at a constant velocity during a normal operation of the machine, and a controller for controlling the operation of the feeding device. When a filling operation of articles is absent, the controller reduces a web feeding velocity, and then accelerates the web feeding velocity to the constant velocity when filling of the articles is resumed afterward. The acceleration of the web is carried out using a period equal to or longer than a unit packing period which is required to produce one bag during the normal operation of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Inoue, Naohiko Kakutani
  • Publication number: 20020148924
    Abstract: Film rolls at the delivery position and the standby position are supported by supporting units. The roll is passed from the standby position to the delivery position by means of the conveying member provided in the roll conveying unit. As a result, it is not necessary to support the rolls at the individual positions by use of the roll conveying unit, thus permitting simplification of the configuration of the unit. The conveying member has a configuration in which the same is attached to a conveying chain put around the sprockets to make it possible to achieve circumferential travel of the conveying member by a single driving motor. When delivering by connecting to the film from the delivery position, the leading end easily comes off the holding unit by inserting the folded leading end of the film from the standby position and holding the same there.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Applicant: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Nobuta, Tuyoshi Okabe, Tomoo Hosono, Ryosuke Tamayama
  • Patent number: 6378277
    Abstract: A vertical sealing device for a packing machine includes a pair of feed units for feeding a cylindrical-formed packaging material and a center heat sealer for the heat-sealing of a vertical seam of the packaging material. When the operation of the machine is halted, the feed units feed the packaging material from a steady speed mode to a deceleration mode. During this deceleration mode, the operation of the center heat sealer is stopped. On the other hand, when the operation of the packing machine is restarted, the feed units feed the packaging material in an acceleration mode, and during this acceleration mode, the center heat sealer starts operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Inoue, Eiji Yoshida, Naohiko Kakutani
  • Patent number: 6155030
    Abstract: A sealing apparatus applied to a vertical type flexible package forming, filling and closing machine includes a heater block arranged near a filling tube and having a heating ridge, and a web guide attached to the outer surface of the filling tube and having a pair of guide rails, and the heating ridge cooperates with the pair of guide rails to hold the joint of a traveling package web therebetween in such a manner that the joint is elastically deformed in convex form in cross section, whereby the joint is concentratedly applied with heat and thus is heat-sealed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Inoue, Tomoo Hosono
  • Patent number: 5860269
    Abstract: A device for feeding stock sheets is provided with a hopper for storing carton blanks as stock sheets in an upright posture, a delivery roller for delivering the carton blanks in the hopper toward a hopper outlet, an auxiliary roller located between the delivery roller and the hopper outlet to deliver the carton blanks toward the hopper outlet, a plurality of gap sensors used to detect gaps between the carton blanks situated between the delivery roller and the auxiliary roller and to control the delivery roller in rotation, and an arrival sensor used to detect a gap between the hopper outlet and the leading stock sheet and to control the auxiliary roller in rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1999
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Takahashi, Tomoyuki Ochi, Yuji Hanazawa
  • Patent number: 5829232
    Abstract: A device for detecting shortage of cigarette packs in a carton has a pair of first proximity sensors capable of individually detecting the cigarette packs at the opposite ends of the carton in an inspecting position, among other cigarette packs in the carton, and a plurality of second proximity sensors capable of individually detecting the remaining cigarette packs in the carton in the inspecting position, the interval between each two adjacent second proximity sensors being longer than the width of each cigarette pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tadashi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5776300
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device of regulating a running position of unsealing tape for packing film, in which in the normal operation unsealing tape runs on a linear normal running position disposed between projecting portions and by being guided by the projecting portions and while being in contact therewith, if the unsealing tape runs on the outside of an annular groove by being shifted to either side in the width direction, as a result of a relative movement of the annular groove in the direction reverse to the rotational direction of the regulating roller with the rotation of the regulating roller, the unsealing tape gradually enters the annular groove by being guided by corner portions and on the side of openings produced by separating portions and while being in an abrasive contact therewith, thereafter, the unsealing tape is drawn to the normal running position by being guided by approaching portions and while being in contact therewith and finally the unsealing tape is returned to the normal
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd
    Inventor: Taizo Ogata
  • Patent number: 5775064
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a cartoning machine in which box-like (i.e., generally rectangular) contents with a carton positioned therearound are fed, and when the box-like contents with the carton have passed a pivotable face of a conveyance pocket positioned on the most upstream side in the conveyance direction, a fold-down piece operates to fold down an upper body flap of the carton. After this operation, the pivotable face is raised from a lower position to fold up a lower body flap, whereby the lower body flap is overlapped on the outside of the upper body flap to complete the body folding of the carton. Thereafter, a plurality of conveyance pockets are conveyed simultaneously by intermittent operation of endless flexible members, whereby side flaps of each carton, which has gone through the body flap folding operation, are folded in successively to complete the cartoning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuo Iwata
  • Patent number: 5709507
    Abstract: A pneumatic bar conveying apparatus in which compressed air is supplied from an air injection port towards a bar-like material in each of a plurality of holding grooves is intermittently supplied by an intermittent air supply mechanism, so that the compressed air will be shut off by a tooth-shaped section protrudingly provided between the holding grooves for a longer period than an air shut-off period. After a specific period of compressed air supply into the holding groove, the supply of the compressed air is shut off to decrease the outlet pressure of the compressed air remaining in the holding groove and the conveying pipeline, resulting in an increased pressure difference as compared with the inlet pressure of the compressed air supplied into the holding groove from the air injection port. Consequently the compressed air flows at a higher rate from the holding groove into the conveying pipeline, thus imparting a large initial flow velocity to the bar-like material in the holding groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd
    Inventors: Isao Endo, Kunihiro Konishi
  • Patent number: 5699978
    Abstract: A tear tape changer, in which guide rollers positioned at downstream ends of two transfer paths are disposed displacedly from each other in the front and rear direction orthogonal to a tape feed direction to prevent mutual interference of tapes even when the tapes are stretched crosswise from the guide rollers toward two route changing rollers. After the tape stretched on the route changing roller which is standing by in a stand-by position has been fed to a backup roller with an approaching motion of a pressure roller to the backup roller, the route changing roller is moved to a feed position. At the same time, the route changing roller which is standing by in the feed position and which is in an empty state is moved in the rear direction by a relief means while moving it to the stand-by position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Hanazawa
  • Patent number: 5694738
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a body flap folding apparatus in a packaging machine. Comb-shaped folding pieces are moved pivotally along arcuate tracks from edge portions of a folding surface of box-like contents. As a result, front ends of the folding pieces strike against body flaps at the edge portions, whereby the base portions of the body flaps are bent along the edge portions. Thereafter, resilient members are deformed in the direction opposite to their biasing direction by virtue of a reaction force from the folding surface, so that the folding pieces fold the body flaps inside along the folding surface in a strained state of the flaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Shigeta
  • Patent number: 5502954
    Abstract: Flap folding device of a wrapping machine. Side folding guides approach side flaps to hit a hitting part against the closed side faces of a wrapped body part of a content or volume, thereby pressing a wrapped body part, near the base end of the side flaps that face the closed side faces, against the closed side faces. Subsequently, the middle part of each of the side folding guides makes a quarter turn while tracing a corner continued to the closed side faces,. Therefore, the base ends of the side flaps are folded along the corners while being pulled toward the forward end thereof, and, at the same time, are pressed by folding parts against the open sides, through the entire length, from the base end to the forward end, of the side flaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Heiemon Akiyama, Masafumi Hamaguchi, Minoru Sato, Hiroaki Kikuta
  • Patent number: 5442894
    Abstract: A packaging device wherein a thermoplastic packaging sheet is supplied to a peripheral part of a pocket opening of a winding wheel while a box-like item, transported into the pocket, is continuously transferred, the item being transported out of the pocket and delivered whereby the sheet is wound in a U-shape along the surface of the item, and both free ends of the sheet are folded, along the surface of the item while the item is continuously transferred, and then overlapped to thermally adhere to each other, wherein an applying wheel continuously rotating synchronously in a direction opposite to that of the winding wheel, is disposed on a downstream side of the winding wheel with each of the outer circumferences of the winding wheel and the applying wheel being provided with a plurality of pockets having the items transported therein, the winding and applying wheels, being equally spaced apart in a rotational direction and being continuously oppositely rotated in a synchronous manner, with both pockets being
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taizo Ogata, Yuji Hanazawa, Yasuo Iwata, Toshio Shigeta
  • Patent number: 5437144
    Abstract: A packaging apparatus that compresses the contents in a vertical direction and tightly winds the contents. Upon the lowering of the elevator, compressive receiving plates project above the contents. The elevator is raised to hold the contents between the compressive receiving plates and the contents are compressed in the vertical direction. The winding guides approach each other, while the contents are being compressed. Both ends of the packaging sheet are connected by the fixing elements, and then the compressive receiving plates are pulled out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Heiemon Akiyama, Minoru Sato
  • Patent number: 5373681
    Abstract: A lug folding apparatus for a packaging machine in which box-like items, fed into pockets, are continuously circularly conveyed, during which a packaging sheet is wound or wrapped along the surface of each of the box-like items, the wound box-like items are transferred from the continuous circular conveyance to a linear conveyance, and the extended ends of the packaging sheet, protruding angularly from both sides of the box-like items, are folded along both sides thereof, the lug folding apparatus having a continuously rotating lug folding wheel provided with a plurality of pockets into which the wound box-like items are fed at equal intervals at the outer periphery thereof; a low speed conveyor which is partly in contact with a moving orbit of the pockets; a horizontal conveying path, opposite to the low speed conveyor, wherein the pockets are circularly moved while maintaining their horizontal state by rotation of the lug folding wheel, the pockets being provided with spaced portions to which projections of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Shigeta
  • Patent number: 5353572
    Abstract: The total heating energy to be given to the folded parts of packages (i.e. box-like items) is changed within a short period of time in response to a variation of transferring speed of the box-like items. As the heater moving mechanisms are operated, each of the heater blocks is moved towards or away from the inside parts of each of the package conveying annular belts in synchronization with the transferring speed of the box-like items. The number of heated blocks abutting against the inside parts of each of the annular belts is varied in response to the transferring speed of the box-like items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Shigeta