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.

Abstract: A flap folding assembly for engaging a work piece, such as a paperboard carton flap, and moving that flap into a desired position. The flap folding apparatus can be used in a continuous motion packaging machine to engage a sleeve type carton flap as the carton is transported downstream through the package machine. The apparatus is operated in timed relationship with the machine's carton conveyor either by mechanically interlinking the apparatus to the main machine drive, or by the use of a servo drive operated from and controlled by the packaging machine's main controller. The flap folding apparatus includes a vacuum cup driven in a circular path by a drive mechanism comprised of two spaced gears which are driven in the same direction of rotation.

Abstract: An insert for a beverage carton has a floor panel, end wall panels and side wall panels. The insert is dimensioned to fit inside a beverage carton and accommodate an array of beverage containers such as bottles or cans therein. The insert is substantially waterproof.

Abstract: A package for holding and displaying a plurality of separately packaged flat items comprises a paper wrapping folding into a free-standing bag and containing the items in parallel stacked relation. The upper edges of the packages preferably protrude above the top of the bag for easy removal therefrom. Preferably, the bag is formed by folding a blank of paper stock about a stack of the items.

Abstract: Blanks (10) made of thin cardboard for hinge-lid packets or similar are produced in the region of a packaging machine. To this end, a material web (19) made of thin cardboard and if necessary partially pre-prepared, is led through a blanks device (20) in the region of the packaging machine. The blanks device (20) can if necessary apply printing (29) to the material web (19) as well as embossing, grooves, punched-out lines, until the blanks (10) are completely produced by a transverse severance cut (32).

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.

Abstract: A cutting device for imparting a partial incision to a blank, the blank produced therefrom, and a method for producing are disclosed herein. The partial incision in the blank creates an access area wherein a fitment is placed thereover in a post processing fitment application. The access area has an uncut portion and an unincised portion. The access area may have a circular shape or an oval shape. The depth of the partial incision allows for facilitated rupturing by the fitment after the blank is fabricated into a carton, and a fitment is attached thereto.

Abstract: A laminated paperboard package is produced by initially printing graphics by high speed printing on a sheet of clay-coated publication paper. The printed paper is then continuously applied to a surface of cellulosic substrate and bonded to the substrate, preferably through use of starch as an adhesive, to provide a laminated product. The laminated product is then die cut to the desired shape, folded and glued into the configuration of a box or container. A layer of water absorbent, cellulosic fiber material can be bonded to the inner surface of the substrate to prevent moisture from the contained product from seeping outwardly through the substrate to the printed paper.

Abstract: A method of marking a parcel (68) includes folding a label (33) about a chosen corner (123) of parcel (68) having contiguous sides (43) and converging edges (44) to permit an individual to rapidly locate the label. The label may be printed in ink and/or embossed directly on a parcel substrate (58) or as a lithographed and/or embossed sheet applied to the parcel substrate during its manufacture.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for fabricating a novel lid for use in frozen dessert containers. The apparatus has an interchangeable mandrel for wrapping a strip to form a rim of the lid to a predetermined configuration such as a super-ellipse. The invention allows for registered offset printing of the rim of the lid. The invention also allows for use of a single material for an entire frozen dessert container. The lid manufactured from the process and apparatus may be composed of a fiberboard material with a polyethylene coating thereon. The process and apparatus allows for the cost-effective fabrication of a frozen dessert container having a non-circular cross-section.

Abstract: Cartons are formed from die cut carton blanks two at a time from two feed magazines each holding a stack of carton blanks, two adhesive application means having optical sensors for sensing adhesive application to the carton blanks, a centrally mounted rotary table having prefolding means which engage and prefold tabs on the carton blanks, folding means comprising apertures interengaging the blanks and forming the cartons therefrom, two transfer means for transferring carton blanks from the feed magazines to the rotary table, two reciprocating forming rams cooperatively associated with the folding means on the rotary table and effecting the formation of cartons thereon, means for holding the formed cartons in their final shape while the adhesive sets, a computer with resident software for coordinating and synchronizing the operation of the above listed components to form cartons, the software receiving feedback signals from the various components and issuing commands depending on the nature of said feedback si

Abstract: A novel food server and method of producing a food server is disclosed. The novel method includes moving a web of paper at a constant rate of speed, rotary perforating a plurality of lines on the moving web, using rotary timing belts to score at least two fold lines on the moving web, where the two fold lines define two glue flaps, rotary die-cutting the moving web to cut away portions of the paper adjacent the glue flaps, plow folding the moving web along the two fold lines defining the glue flaps, and applying glue to the moving web. After plow folding along the fold lines and applying the glue, the moving web is cross cut to form a blank having the glue flaps. Then, the blank is vacuum folded to cause portions of the blank to contact and adhere to the glue flaps, thereby forming the food server from the blank. The novel food server includes a first panel having two side flaps each defined by a score line, and a second panel having two side flaps each defined by a score line.

Abstract: A method of forming a flower pot or a flower pot cover is provided. The method includes the step of providing a sheet of material having an upper surface and a lower surface with at least one of the upper and lower surfaces being a bondably connectable surface. The sheet of material has a label area which has information related to a floral grouping displayed thereon. The method further includes forming the sheet of material into a base having a closed lower end, an open upper end, and an object opening extending through the open upper end and dimensioned to receive a flower pot in which the floral grouping is disposed. The base is formed to have a plurality of overlapping folds that are bondably connected so as to retain the base in a predetermined shape with the information on the label area being viewable when the flower pot is disposed in the object opening.

Abstract: A box blank forming apparatus includes at least one printing assembly, a slotting assembly, and a feeding and conveying mechanism for feeding blanks through the apparatus. The printing assembly includes a rotatable printing cylinder, and the slotting assembly includes a rotatable blade. The feeding and conveying mechanism brings the blanks into contact with the printing cylinder and the slotter blade to complete printing and slotting operations on the blanks in the formation of boxes. An interrupter is provided in association with the printing assembly for removing the blanks from contact with the printing cylinder, and similar structure can also be provided with the slotting assembly for removing the blanks from contact with the slotter blade. A controller is provided for controlling operation of the interrupter of the printing assembly.

Abstract: Sheets and rolls of sheets with labels having multiple choice blocks and information areas corresponding to the choice blocks. The sheets include a closure bonding material for securing the sheets around items to be wrapped. The labels are detachably connected to the sheets with an adhesive, a perforation or a tear line. Spots of closure bonding material may be placed on the labels to hold the labels in a wrapped position. The information areas typically include data which may be selected to describe the source, type and characteristics of the items to be wrapped in the sheets. The sheets may also include detachable sleeves for protecting wrapped items during shipping and handle areas which may be punched out of the sheets for grasping the wrapped items. The handle areas may also contain information similar to that on the detachable labels. Sheets having labels with choice blocks may also be used for forming flower pots or flower pot covers.

Abstract: A packaging system has a conveyor, a coil of a web of box material, and a box-making unit adjacent the coil for pulling the box-material web from its coil, printing on the box-material web, cutting the printed box-material web into individual carton blanks, forming the blanks into individual upwardly open boxes, and depositing the boxes on the conveyor. A coil of label material is provided adjacent a label-making unit that pulls the label-material web from the coil, prints on the label-material web, cuts the printed label-material coil into individual labels, applies the labels to objects secured from a source of the objects, and loads respective pluralities of the labeled objects into respective ones of the open boxes on the conveyor.

Abstract: Sheets and rolls of sheets with labels having multiple choice blocks and information areas corresponding to the choice blocks. The sheets include a closure bonding material for securing the sheets around items to be wrapped. The labels are detachably connected to the sheets with an adhesive, a perforation or a tear line. Spots of closure bonding material may be placed on the labels to hold the labels in a wrapped position. The information areas typically include data which may be selected to describe the source, type and characteristics of the items to be wrapped in the sheets. The sheets may also include detachable sleeves for protecting wrapped items during shipping and handle areas which may be punched out of the sheets for grasping the wrapped items. The handle areas may also contain information similar to that on the detachable labels. Sheets having labels with choice blocks may also be used for forming flower pots or flower pot covers.

Abstract: The blanks (1) are withdrawn one after another from a storage part (20) by transfer means (21) and are disposed on the cylindrical support surface of a drum (3) driven rotatingly by portions of a revolution. Various processing operations are performed on the blanks either while the drum is rotating or while it is stopped, e.g., folding a flap (16), gluing this flap to a surface portion (15) of the blank, or printing a code (17) on part of the blank. The presence, correct positioning, and proper alignment of the blank on the drum are checked before the aforementioned operations are carried out. After they have been effected, the blank is withdrawn from the drum to be sent on to a packaging machine. The processing apparatus and method can be utilized on a line for processing boxes or the like, particularly cigarette boxes, just before they are assembled to receive their contents.

Abstract: Sheets and rolls of sheets with labels having multiple choice blocks and information areas corresponding to the choice blocks. The sheets include a closure bonding material for securing the sheets around items to be wrapped. The labels are detachably connected to the sheets with an adhesive, a perforation or a tear line. Spots of closure bonding material may be placed on the labels to hold the labels in a wrapped position. The information areas typically include data which may be selected to describe the source, type and characteristics of the items to be wrapped in the sheets. The sheets may also include detachable sleeves for protecting wrapped items during shipping and handle areas which may be punched out of the sheets for grasping the wrapped items. The handle areas may also contain information similar to that on the detachable labels. Sheets having labels with choice blocks may also be used for forming flower pots or flower pot covers.

Abstract: A machine for forming a box without smearing or distorting its printed matter. The machine has a feed section at its input stage, a stacking section at its output stage, and print, dryer, and die cutter sections at its intermediate stages. The dryer section has an overhead vacuum conveyor for moving box blanks from the print section to the die cutter section. The die cutter section for forming the cutouts in the box has a first and a second roller, with the first roller having an extension and the second roller means having a soft surface to allow the extension to penetrate, thus cutting the box. The drying operation is performed without causing any smearing of the printed matter and, similarly, cutouts are formed without causing any distortion of the printed matter, all being accomplished while the box blank moves along its predetermined path within the box forming machine.

Abstract: A CAMERA-FLASH unit of a feeder table of an infeed station belonging to a machine converting sheets into package is disclosed. The CAMERA-FLASH unit shoots an image of the color register marks printed previously on every sheet. The CAMERA-FLASH unit operates jointly with an IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM having previously memorized a reference image from a model sheet. Owing to an image process comparison of the images shot from the successive sheets to the memorized image of the model, it is possible to check whether the quality criteria of the run are fulfilled.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a videocassette storage and display sleeve having identifying indicia thereon for use with or without the videocassette. The sleeve is convertible from its rectangular box-like original form to a flattened display form with portions removed and then back to its reformed rectangular form with an adhesively-attachable tab member to form a partial sidewall to form the reconstituted rectangular box or cover. The method of reestablishing the original cover by reforming the rectangular form is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of recording an image on a record medium in which the image comprises a number of interleaved first patterns (FIG. 1A) comprises deriving a second pattern (17) formed by a complete first pattern and portions of other first patterns whereby the image comprises a plurality of the second patterns in the same orientation and which are not interleaved, and causing relative movement between the record medium (32) and an exposing beam such that the beam scans the record medium and is repeatedly controlled to reproduce the second pattern and thus the image on the record medium.

Abstract: A vari-gap drive system for controlling the speed of the drive system used in the fabrication of corrugated boxes which varies the drive rate for a folder vis-a-vis that of the printer/slotter to which it is attached to vary the box blank gap through the folder and thus permit a throughout two to three times faster than that attainable when the drive for the two units are driven at the same speed. The reliability and speed of the subject Vari-Gap Drive System is in part derived from a unique cage roll assembly.

Abstract: A slip case package for small articles includes a sleeve member and a drawer being slideably mounted therein. The sleeve member is formed by first providing a blank of relatively lightweight cardboard with graphic designs formed thereon. The blank is formed into a partially assembled sleeve portion and reinforcing member is inserted therein. The reinforced sleeve member has sufficient rigidity to act as a slip case package sleeve, but the graphics may be provided thereon with machine operations and with perfect alignment.

Abstract: In the manufacture of a package used to hold liquids, wherein the package has a perforated or punched-out rip-out opening or a point at which a drinking straw can be inserted, wherein a cardboard web is coated on one or both sides, printed and processed into packages, the improvement which comprises advancing the web past a station prior to coating, and at such station punching or perforating the web at predetermined intervals at predetermined points while simultaneously applying to or impressing into the web register marks, whereby such register marks serve to ensure proper location of the subsequently applied print relative to the punched or perforated points. This differs from prior processes in that it involves perforating the cardboard web prior to both coating and printing, and thus is a simpler process resulting in a superior product.

Abstract: A box making machine comprises a feed station, a positioning station, a printing station including four printing units, a cutting station with a creasing unit, a slotting unit and a cutting unit, a folding-gluing station and a stacking and delivery station, all driven by D.C. motors. The D.C. motors control is achieved by the electrical shaft coupling driven by a driving device which comprises a command control unit having a code generator, a synchronization circuit for each motor and a curved generator for one of the motors, a calculating unit including a microprocessor, input/output circuits and an input circuit with switches, a signal conditioning unit with an element for sense discrimination and multiplication, and a signal conditioner, and a command logic unit including a logic drive selection circuit, a logic starting circuit and a logic manual command circuit.

Abstract: An arrangement for conducting an on-the-cup promotion in which promotional prize information is encoded onto each soft drink cup with an optically machine-readable code. The code is used with the promotion to identify whether a customer has won any of the different prizes available. In order to provide the needed variation and the completely random distribution of prizes needed for a fair game, each individual cup is separately encoded as it is being manufactured by a computer controlled printing station directly preceding a cup-forming machine. All of the necessary information on the number or prizes, the frequency of occurrence of each prize, and a program to randomize that frequency is placed in the computer software. A scanner at the point of sale scans the code, signals whether the cup is a prize winner or not, and delivers a printed ticket notifying winners of their prizes and how to redeem them.

Abstract: Apparatus making foldable box blanks of pre-printed corrugated material by continuously delivering pre-printed web material to a reciprocating press which is operated intermittently to cut and score the web material and utilizing an accumulator mechanism which receives the pre-printed web material continuously and delivers it intermittently.

Abstract: An apparatus for performing a manufacturing operation on a plurality of flat sheets, such as corrogated cardboard, is provided which is quickly and easily configured for the desired manufacturing operation and substantially reduces the makeready times between jobs having different manufacturing requirements. Preferably, the apparatus includes a mechanism for transporting the sheets serially along a path of travel from the stack of sheets to a first manufacturing location. A mechanism for performing the desired manufacturing operation is normally disposed at the first location, but is shiftable out of the first location when desired. Advantageously, a shiftable conveying mechanism is provided which is shifted into the first location when the manufacturing mechanism is shifted out. Preferably, the apparatus includes a second shiftable manufacturing mechanism and a second shiftable conveying mechanism operably disposed adjacent a second location along the path of travel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a printed, pre-creased, plastic-coated packing material web provided with opening arrangements. The method includes providing a first wider web of paper or cardboard, whose width is a multiple of the desired packing material webs, with impressed crease line patterns and opening arrangements, whereupon the paper or cardboard web is covered with plastics. The wider web so treated is then cut into a number of partial webs, each partial web is of a width corresponding to the width of a complete crease line pattern. The partial webs are rolled up into large rolls intended for transport which in a separate printing operation are provided with text and decoration and are rolled up into magazine rolls of packing material of the desired size.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting box blanks into formed but collapsed cases, the apparatus comprising means (15, 16) for receiving a vertical stack(s) of blanks, means (18, 19) for elevating and supporting the stack such that the top of the stack is continually elevated into position against a feeding mechanism (17) at a fixed elevated level, the apparatus further comprising a line of casemaking machinery (10a, 10b, 11, 12, 13, 14), all arranged at the elevated level of the feeding mechanism (17).