An arrangement for the raising of packing container blanks

(54) DESCRIPTION Device for erecting packaging container blanks (56) PUBLICATIONS Cited: US A 3 763 750 (93-53), US A 4 348 853 (53-566) (57) SUMMARY:

Apparatus for raising and transferring a flat, tubular packaging container blank (2) from a magazine (3) to a conveying device (4) for forwarding the blank into, for example, a packaging machine of the kind which produces filled and sealed packaging containers for milk. The device has suction means (18a and 18b) arranged apart from each other in a curved web of movable arms (15) such that the suction means in a certain position (receiving position) of the arms are facing each other to enable engagement and attachment to two opposite sides of the a flattened substance.

BB 705293 ALLF 139 9 095

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The numbers in brackets indicate the international identification code. INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code

The present invention relates to a device for erecting flat-laid tubular container blanks of the type described in the preamble of claim 1.

In the field of the packaging industry which packages certain types of liquid fillers, e.g. milk, used in disposable consumer packaging, i.a. packaging machines that transform pre-made packaging container blanks into bottom-sealed packaging containers which are then immediately filled with the relevant filling material and sealed. In this case, the packaging container blanks are usually supplied to the machine in the form of flat-laid tubular blanks which must be raised prior to the conversion to individual packaging containers, ie transformed into four-sided tubes of mainly square cross-section. This erection is usually done in conjunction with the blank being transferred from a magazine at the packaging end of the packaging machine to a first transformation station in the actual packaging machine.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a device for erecting flat-laid tubular container blanks with which it is possible to provide a safer and faster raising of the blanks than has previously been possible with previously known devices of the kind exhibiting with movable means for carrying means.

This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of a device of the kind described above which is characterized in that the arms are pivotally connected to each other and can be driven by means of a drive plate serving as individual feeders.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention for transferring and erecting flat-laid tubular packaging container blanks from a magazine to a moving conveying device for further loading of residual blanks into a packaging machine;

Figures 2a-2d schematically illustrate the principle of operation of the device shown in Figure 1, and

Fig. 3 shows an example of a conventional packing container blank in a flattened state for raising by means of the device shown.

Thus, in Fig. 1, a device 1 according to the invention is shown for transferring and erecting flat-laid tubular packaging containers 2 from a magazine 3 to a conveying device 4 for conveying residual substances into a packaging machine which is not shown, which produces from filled packaging containers blank and closed. packaging containers. The conveyor device 4 has its receiving end located in the left position substantially straight above the discharge end of the magazine 3 and includes, for example, rollers 5 driven in the feed direction by means of carrier 7 arranged so that the space between the carriers corresponds to the shape of a residual container blank.

The magazine 3 has an elongated shape with a width corresponding to the length of the container blanks 2 and is preferably oriented so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor 4 to facilitate the transfer of the container blanks 2 from the magazine 3 to the conveyor 4. The magazine 3 further has a longitudinal bottom plate 8 and 9 for correct alignment of a stack of container blanks 2 lying on the bottom plate 8. The stack of container blanks 2 located in the magazine 3 is pressed continuously against a drive plate 10 serving as a dispenser

At the dispensing end of the magazine 3 to ensure that a packing container blank 2 is always present at the outlet end of the magazine ready for transfer to the conveyor device 4. This effect of the packaging container blanks on the outlet end of the magazine is not shown in the figures, but may consist of any conventional device, e.g. a spring or weight-influenced printing plate at the other end of the magazine.

The dispenser serving plate 10 at the dispensing end of the magazine exhibits a substantially flat side surface facing the container blanks 2 with a projecting edge 11 arranged parallel to the container blanks 2 whose height substantially corresponds to or slightly below the thickness of a flattened container blank 2. The drive plate 10 is connected at the bottom to a driving rod 12 driven by a motor (not shown) and at the top 1 a connection with two (at 13) pivotally connected connecting arms 14. The connecting arms 14 are connected at the top to each, mainly horizontal arm 15, the length of which corresponds to or even slightly exceeds the length of a container blank 2. The arms 15 are, with their ends, suspended in central guide grooves 16 of the frame plates 17 arranged at the ends of the arms. The arms 15 are further provided with suction means 18 in the form of suction cups 18a and 18 respectively arranged along the arms. 18b which may be connected via a connection channel 19a and 19b either to a common or to each vacuum source not shown. According to the invention, it is important in this connection that the connection of the suction means to the vacuum source is such that the control of respective suction cups 18a and 18b can take place independently of one another.

By means of the drive shaft 12, the drive plate 10 is driven in a reciprocating vertical movement between a lower and an upper position, which in the example shown corresponds to the aforementioned projecting feeding edge 11 of the driving plate 10 in the lower position being immediately below the lower edge of the outermost container blank 2 in the magazine 3, while the feeding edge in the upper position is at or above the upper edge of the remaining container blanks. In the lower position so defined, the arms 15 are in such a position that the suction cups 18a and 18a respectively. 18b is located opposite each other, while in the upper position, the suction cups 18a and 18b pass through the arms along the grooves 16 of the frame plates 17, which are controlled from each other by an upward movement in a substantially horizontal, upwardly facing position.

In the following, the operation of the illustrated device will be described with reference to Figs. 2a-2d, which schematically illustrate the operation of a working cycle, but to clarify this description, a brief description of a packaging container blank with particular reference to Figs. 3 thus showing such a container blank in a flattened condition for raising to a shape of substantially square cross-section by means of the apparatus described in accordance with the present invention.

As mentioned previously, the packaging container blank 2 is conventional and may, for example, be made of a flexible but form-stable laminated material, e.g. a packaging laminate comprising layers of paper and plastic. After the laminate has been cut to the desired outer contour and provided with fold forming facilitating crease lines, two longitudinal edges are sealed together so that the laminate is transformed into a tubular packaging container blank. The packaging container blank is then flattened by joining along two longitudinal big lines 201 and 202, thereby obtaining the flat-laid tubular shape shown in Fig. 3 with the sidewall panels AD bounded by the big lines lying in pairs against each other so that in the illustrated example, panels A and B are connected longitudinally. big line 201 and panels C and D at left longitudinal big line 202 are located opposite each other. A package of such flat-laid container blanks 2 is then arranged in a horizontal stack which in this example means that the right edge 201 is turned downwards while the left edge line 202 is turned upwards. As arranged in the magazine 3 of Figures 2a-2d, this is further assumed to cause the side of the packaging container blanks 2 facing the output end of the magazine 3 to be the panels A and D with the panel A at the bottom, while the panels B and C are turned in the opposite direction with the panel B at the bottom. .

As the drive rod 12 and the associated drive plate 10 at the discharge end of the magazine 3 move upward from the previously defined lower position (which is schematically shown in Fig. 2a), the protruding feeding edge 11 of the drive plate 10 will thereby engage the outermost container blank 2 from below. in the magazine 3 along the edge line 201 and extending it upwards out of the magazine 3 as shown in FIG. 2b and further upwards to the one in FIG. 2c, which corresponds to the upper position of the upward movement of the drive rod 12 and the drive plate 10, and thus means that the feed edge 11 is just at or just above the upper edge of the magazine 3. Then the drive rod 12 turns and moves downward with the drive plate 10 to the lower position shown in FIG. 2a with the container blank 2 so left behind above

In the magazine 3 in a standby mode ready for the actual erection operation. For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that%

this erection is carried out simultaneously with the discharge just described, but on a nearest previously discharged container blank. Thus, by means of the device according to the invention, delivery or, rather, delivery of a flattened packaging container blank to the said standby position and the erection of a previously delivered container blank during one and the same duty cycle are carried out.

A former packing container blank previously prepared for erection position is shown in FIG. 2a with the designation 2 'and in this position the blank is located between the suction cup arms 15 which are in their lower position having their respective suction cups 18a and 18b located opposite each other and in level. with and directed to the side panels B and B respectively. A of the container blank 2 '. The suction cups 18a and 18b are connected to the vacuum source (not shown) via the connections 19a and 18a, respectively. 19b, wherein suction grips with said panels are provided. During the forced upward movement of the drive plate 10 and the associated interconnected connecting arms 14, the arms 15 guided in the guide grooves 16 of the frame plates 17 will move in an upwardly curved path, as shown in Fig. 2b. During this movement, the container blank 2 'is subjected to a raising or wrapping operation by suction cups 18a and 18b (which act against panel B, respectively). A) separating the panels from each other by folding them apart outwardly around the side edge 201 so that they are ultimately substantially in line with each other.

This also means that the two upper side panels C and D are also forced on a corresponding folding operation during which the two margins 201 and 202 are successively joined together and pass an intermediate position at which the previously flat container blank 2 'has a square cross-section.

When the arms 15 have reached their upper position (Fig. 2c), the connection between the suction cups 18a and the vacuum source is broken, which causes the suction cups 18a to release the grip on the side panel B, which in turn causes the overweight container blank 2 'to tend to naturally overlap. return to and take the original flat state. Thus, during this folding motion, the container blank 2 'again passes the previously folded intermediate position with a square cross-section. By synchronizing in advance the operation of the transport device 4 located above the device so that a passing carrier 7 is just in such a position that the folding container blank 2 'with its border 202 impinges on it in the instant the blank blank is retracted, its square shape is then cross-sectioned. it is possible to intercept the container blank in the raised intermediate position in the space between it and the subsequent carrier as shown in Fig. 2c. When this trapping has taken place, the connection between the suction cups 18b and the vacuum source is also broken, thereby releasing the grip on the side panel A of the container blank 2 'and allowing a further feeding of the so-squared container blank along the conveyor belt 6. When this vacuum connection is broken, the arms 10 move together with the arms 15. drive bar 12 downward (Fig. 2d) to return to the lower position of new working cycle shown in Fig. 2a, i.e. erection or discharge of additional containers.