Abstract: There are depicted, described and claimed an apparatus and method for receiving and transporting tray blanks of corrugated cardboard. Cutouts provide means for bending of flap portions of the blank which form the outer retaining walls or members. Asjustment is provided for the frame support and for the size of the tray as to its width, length and sidewall height. The tray blanks are advanced forwardly to and into a hopper where the lowermost tray blank is withdrawn from a stacked array by a plurality of vacuum cups carried by and on arms. The tray is erected on a reciprocably-moved table by apparatus whereat the back edge portion is brought to a normal position, then the partially erected tray is filled with containers brought by conveyors and said containers are inserted by pushers. The forward end of the tray is brought to a substantially vertical condition by Y-fingers. The rear inner side flaps are moved to a position against the containers by pivoted finger mechanism.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for assembling battery cell elements having a plurality of electrode plates of alternating polarity separated by a continuous interleaved insulating sheet.

Abstract: A corrugated box forming, loading and sealing machine, including a first or magazine and infeed section, a second or forming and loading section, and a third or closing and discharge section. In the first section there is stored and fed one-at-a-time flat corrugated blanks consisting of bottom, front, back and two top-half panels, all with extended edge panels, while glue is applied to the bottom, front and back edge panels. In the second section a product, such as cartons or plastic bottles, and two side panels, are loaded from opposite sides onto the bottom panel. When full, the loaded bottom panel is lowered through an opening whose four edge portions cause the front and back panels, and their respective edge panels to wrap around the product.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for packaging large stacks of sheet material such as reams (10) of folio-sized paper. The reams are positioned on a precut bottom carton blank (24) and conveyed to a folding station (110). A top carton blank (50) is then positioned on the upper surface of the ream. Then peripheral flaps (34, 36, 42, 44, 46, 48) on the bottom carton blank are folded upward adjacent the sides of the ream. The preglued side flaps (58, 60) and end flaps (70, 72) of the top carton blank are folded downward into contact with the flaps of the bottom carton blank. All folding operations are performed as the ream moves along an essentially straight path through the apparatus, thus providing a compact packaging system.

Abstract: Automatic wraparound packaging machinery comprising a carton blank feeding station, can accumulator, lowerator platform and gluing and sealing station is provided with a loading head adapted for receiving the supply of articles (e.g., cans) to be packed and for forming the articles into discrete groups. The apparatus further comprises a retractable loading curtain associated with the loading head and means associated with the loading head for retracting the loading curtain to release the group of articles formed in the loading head and for returning the loading curtain to its normal position for supporting the next group of articles formed in the loading head. In one embodiment, the articles are packed in the carton in one tier. In another embodiment, releasable lifting means are provided for lifting every other group or articles to form an upper and a lower tier of articles, thus producing a two-tiered arrangement of articles to be packed.

Abstract: A hinged lid packet has an integral inner frame comprising a recessed panel extending upwardly from the front wall of the body of the packet, and a pair of side flaps extending backwards from the sides of the recessed panel. A cut-away part is formed at the top of each side flap to provide access for securing each outer flap of the lid of the packet to the respective inner flap. Each inner flap may be of a shape corresponding to the cut-away part, so that with the lid closed the inner flap and the respective side flap are substantially contiguous.

Abstract: A box blank with receptacle and cover sections each with side flaps and end flaps has a hinge panel joining the two sections. A vacuum pickup draws a flat blank from a supply stack to a feed carriage which transfers the blank past sprays that apply glue to the end flaps. The speed of the carrier varies, but beneath the glue sprays speed is uniform. The carriage delivers the glue coated box blank to a former and a tray forming head having concave and convex interacting pressure plates which maintain doubled over end flaps of each section in a concave configuration with respect to the box while the folded end sections are adhered to form a box tray from the blank. Former flap benders cooperate with the tray forming head to shape the box tray. A second vacuum pickup clasps the formed tray at the hinge panel and draws a shaped tray from the forming head into engagement with folding elements such that the cover and receptacle sections are bent together along the hinge panel to form a closed box.

Abstract: A box blank with receptacle and cover sections each with side and end flaps has a hinge panel joining the sections. A vacuum pickup draws a flat blank from a stack to a feed carriage which delivers the glue coated blank to a former and a forming head having concave and convex interacting pressure plates which maintain doubled over end flaps of each section in concave configuration while the folded end sections are adhered to form a box tray. Former flap benders cooperate with the tray forming head to shape the tray. A second vacuum pickup clasps the formed tray at the hinge panel and draws it from the forming head into engagement with folding elements such that cover and receptacle sections are bent together along the hinge panel to form a closed box.The machine implementing the process is cam and lever motivated with a gluer for forming the folded end flaps and holding the box partially closed after the tray is formed for loading articles into the box before it is closed.

Abstract: An arrangement for the feeding of objects to and grouping them on a base.In order to simplify handling and transport of milk packages it is frequent to use transport packages in the form of trays or the like, onto which a number of milk packages are placed in close stacking. For this purpose automatic machinery is used, which machinery automatically loads the milk packages on a transport package placed in position for loading. In order to avoid interruptions when an empty transport package has to be substituted for a filled one this invention suggests an arrangement according to which the milk packages are first collected in close stacking on a pre-loading surface. Thereafter, when the new transport package has been brought in correct position adjacent to the pre-loading surface, the collected milk packages are transferred onto the transport package.

Abstract: Goods to be packed are continuously collected in units of goods. Parallelly therewith plain package blanks are preformed to package containers, which are completely open at least at one vertical side. The units of goods and the open package containers are moved in a continuous feeding movement side by side with the same speed, and with the open container side facing the unit of goods. During the feeding movement a unit of goods is pushed sideways into a package container. The open container side or sides are closed and sealed, and the package is moved away from the packaging station. The front side and the rear side of the preformed package container as considered in the feeding direction are widened in relation to each other before the units of goods are pushed into the containers to facilitate the pushing in of the units of goods into the package containers.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a tray blank into a tray about its contents. The apparatus includes leading and trailing tray flap folders and side flap folders. The flaps on the tray blank have end tabs which are interconnected in angled oblique relation when the tray blank is formed into a tray, thus to create beveled or oblique corners of the tray. The leading and trailing tray flap folders have oblique fingers which engage the end tabs on the leading and trailing tray flaps to fold the end tabs into oblique position when the flaps are folded. The end tabs on the side flaps of the tray blank have notches into which the fingers are received. A conveyor moves the tray and its contents through the various folding elements.

Abstract: In a machine for packaging articles, in particular cigarettes, an apparatus for folding cutout elements to obtain packets of the hinged-lid type, the apparatus comprising a drum adapted to rotate in a stepped manner and having peripheral recesses each adapted to receive a respective article and to displace the same along a plurality of folding stations, at the first of said stations a first folding operation being performed by simultaneously inserting said articles and the respective cutout elements into the respective recesses; at the last of said stations a last folding operation being performed by ejecting said articles and the respective cutout elements through an aperture; and the intermediate stations comprising fixed cam means engaging said cutout elements during movement of said drum, and mobile folding means engaging said cutout elements when the drum is stationary.

Abstract: A receptacle is formed from an appropriately scored blank by mechanical folding and set-up prior to its being filled, and for mechanical closure of the self-contained cover members after the filling of the receptacle.

Abstract: An automatic machine for packing products of parallelepiped shape including a magazine for the boxes and a magazine for the lids. A line is provided for infeeding parallelepiped shaped products. A pusher is positioned to transfer the products from the infeed line exit to the central area of a box. A presser which acts on the product is arranged to push downwards the box and products a distance corresponding to the height of the products. Support locators which, with the step-by-step downward motion brought about by the presser, are fixed and cause the front and rear sections of the box to be folded upwards. A line is provided for moving forward the boxes, after their flaps are closed by the mounted fixed locators. A number of opposed rollers are arranged at the sides at the infeed line exit, for pressing the lateral sections against the flaps in order to permit them to be glued.

Abstract: A method of and a machine for the simultaneous forming of and stuffing of an insert into an envelope blanked from a paper web wherein the web is intermittently advanced along a first path, scored along preselected fold lines and notched at preselected spaced intervals for defining unsevered envelope blanks having a bottom flap, a closure flap and end flaps. The bottom flap of each envelope blank is folded as the web advances along the first path to form a pocket, the leading envelope blank is stopped and registered at a preselected position, severed and charged with an insert into the pocket defined by the bottom flap. The charged envelope blank is advanced along a second path perpendicular to the first path, where adhesive is applied to the end flaps, the end flaps folded into sealing relationship with the bottom flap.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sizing and fitting cover flaps over tray-type packets such that an optimum packet is formed regardless of the compressibility of the material to be enclosed.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus of making and filling a hinged box of a foldable material, more particularly cardboard, especially a hinged box for cigarettes, which box comprises a blank with front, rear and end walls, side walls formed from lateral flaps and a hinged lid. The end wall and front wall and the lateral flaps thereof are first simultaneously folded by movement of the blank in relation to folding tools into a position perpendicular to the rear wall and part of the blank adjoining the rear wall and thereafter further foldings are performed by the movement of folding tools in relation to the already partially folded blank.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for folding the gable top of gable top containers into a flat condition preparatory to packing a plurality of such containers into a carton so as to avoid wasted volume during transport of such containers. A gable top container having an extra score line to facilitate such folding of the gable top.

Abstract: Arrays of articles are stacked one on top of another in a U-shaped shroud structure which includes vacuum means to retain the upper array while the lower array of articles is positioned therebeneath. A carton blank is simultaneously fed from a stack to a position over the pocket of a intermittently operated conveyor. A vertically reciprocable mandrel forms the flat blank into a U-shape in one of these pockets. Both the mandrel and shroud are mounted on a shifting carriage so that as the mandrel is moved to an inactive position, the shroud shifts the arrays of articles onto the bottom panel of the U-shaped carton blank. Flap folding devices then fold certain of the end flaps of the carton and the shroud is then raised clear of the partially formed box so that the top panel can be folded. The manufacturer's flap and certain other end flaps are then folded up and the box conveyed by the pocket chain conveyor to a horizontal compression unit.

Abstract: A packing machine for cigarettes comprises a carton blank reservoir, a carton blank hopper, a blank feeding device, a blank transfer conveyor, a bundle drum, a packet forming drum, a packet stacking unit and a packet orientation unit.Carton blanks are removed one at a time from the hopper by a suction device and fed intermittently by the transfer conveyor to a position adjacent a pocket in the packet forming drum, the blank then being pushed into the pocket so as to partially form it into a carton. Whilst on the transfer conveyor adhesive is applied to certain parts of the blank and initial holding of the blank takes place.Foil wrapped bundles of cigarettes are pushed, two at a time, into pockets provided on the bundle drum and transferred one at a time into a partially formed carton contained in a pocket on the packet forming drum.

Abstract: A forming-die-less packaging machine makes packages, consisting of an array of articles in a carton, preferably one of tray-like form, by receiving a carton blank and, upon it, the requisite array of articles upon a platform forming a first positioning arrangement in the machine; this platform then descends past an opposed pair of adjustable but stationary members which erect wall portions of the carton on two opposed sides, one or both of the opposed members then moving to move the partly-formed package to a second positioning arrangement where another opposed pair of walls are erected.

Abstract: A packaging machine operative to sequentially fold separate cooperating carton blanks about lading and discharge a sealed package containing the lading in an automatic operation. The packaging machine is particularly adapted to cooperate with a lading loading ram which could be provided by a conventional case packer having a discharge horn through which the ram moves a quantity of lading. The carbon blank system includes a body blank having a center panel and alternate side panels with flanges hingedly connected along the longitudinal edges of the panels and along the ends of the side panels and a cover blank having a center panel and alternate side panels.

Abstract: A packing machine for cigarettes comprises a number of rotatable drums which are driven intermittently. Carton blanks and foil-wrapped bundles of cigarettes are fed by separate transfer drums to a common wrapping drum, which has pockets into each of which is inserted first a blank and then a cigarette bundle. Partial folding of the blank occurs while it is on the blank transfer drum, further folding as it is inserted into a pocket of the wrapping drum, and yet further folding after insertion of the cigarette bundle. The blank is partially gummed before it reaches the blank transfer drum and further gumming is effected on a further drum to which the cigarette bundles with their (now folded) blanks are transferred from the wrapping drum.