Method of making boxes and box-blank assemblies

Application filed January 12, 1923, Serial No. 612,169. Renewed September 24, 1926.

tions of the blanks such as the end wings or side wings or both, with marginal projections which are turned in and secured to provide wall edges of substantially double thickness and including of course the shell or body 65 material of the blank as well as the finishing or cover material. This provides an especially strong and durable structure well adapted to meet the needs of the shoe trade or other trades in which boxes are subject to rough 80 treatment and as at present constructed are frequently broken before their useful life is ended.

Incidental to producing an especially strong reinforced box, the described forma- 35 tion of the blank and the infolding of marginal portions of the blank, including the shell material, provides at the same time a desirable finish in view of the fact that all of the box edges, including shell edges, except 70 certain edges of the shell end wings, are turned in and concealed without special precautions or expedients to produce this result, the result stated naturally following frdm the method steps and blank forms adopted fofo.TS reasons previously stated. The end edges of the shell end wings which may be exposed in the .completed box part are unobjectionable in many cases but they may be partially or substantially concealed when desired by so pressing down the adjacent edges of the cover material while the adhesive is still moist in a manner more particularly referred to in a companion application.

The invention also provides for incorpo- 85 rating in the continuous blank or box forming web other reinforcements of suitable material in various ways as described in detail hereafter. The provision of reinforcements in the various ways described permits the production of boxes of light weight in proportion to their strength with corresponding economies in shipping costs and cost of materials. For example, by the provision of _0gsuitable reinforcements the shell material employed may be lighter than otherwise in a box of given strength; if, however, shell material of ordinary standard weight for a given purpose is employed the reinforce- 109

This invention relates to box and boxblank production methods in general conformity with my previous inventions disclosed in various patents and pending appli5 cations in which materials are continuously advanced and operated upon and parts ar,e severed at regular intervals to produce individual box blanks, with important modifications and improvements.

The present methods are also in general conformity with a companion application, Serial No. 612,168, filed January 12, 1923, executed on even date herewith, and reference should be made to said application for an understanding of characteristics of the methods which are common to the two cases, and a general description of the objects and characteristics of these methods. Variations in the methods peculiar to the present in20 vention are sufficiently explained in detail hereafter. The box blanks and box parts to be produced are fully shown and described, in order that the produption methods may be properly understood. . They are not claimed in the present application, being disclosed and claimed in Application Serial No. 162,737, filed on January 22nd, 1927.

An important object of the present inven, tion is to provide for making box parts hav30 ing suitable reinforcements, especially reinforcements at or about the wall edges, and along fold lines and in some cases with reinforcing material substantially all over the blank area. .

While the invention is of course not limited to the. production of boxes for any particular purpose an immense number of boxes are required by the shoe trade for packing shoes, one pair in each box, for shipment to retailers, and these boxes are placed oh shelves and in most cases they are repeatedly handled before the shoes are sold, and such boxes are therefore subjected to especially rough treatment, and they are a good exam45 pie of boxes requiring reinforcements, these requirements being met in an improved fashion by the present invention..

In certain preferred embodiments of the invention as herein shown wall-edge reinforce50 ments are provided by providing certain por2

1,762,702 ments provide additional strength within reasonable weight limits.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufficiently explained in g connection with the following detail description of the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically different production methods and representative boxes embodying the invention. After considering ₁₀ these examples, persons skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made within the principles of the invention, and I contemplate the employment of any methods which are properly within the scope _lg of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of box forming materials, and representative mechanisms for performing a series of operations upon the materials in accordance with the inven2θ tion process in one form, up to the point of separation of a complete individual blank assembly.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan.

2g Figure 4 is a perspective view.

Figure .5 is a perspective view, enlarged, of an individual blank assembly.

Figure 6 shows the blank partly folded into box form. .

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the completed box part produced by the method exemplified in the previous figures. ,

Figure 8 is a section at 8—8, Fig. 7.

Figure 9 is a plan view of continuous box 35 forming materials in process of assembly formation, showing a slightly modified manner of applying reinforcing material.

Figure 10 is a section at 10—10, Fig. 9.

Figure 11 is a similar view showing a 40 method of providing a different or “all-over” reinforcement.

Figure 12 is a section, enlarged, at 12—12, Fig. 11.

Figure 13 is a top plan view of box form45 ing materials in process of assembly and formation to produce a different form of individualblank.

Figure 14 is a bottom plan of the same.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of the same.

Figure 16 is a perspective view, enlarged, of a completed individual blank assembly produced by the method as exemplified in Figures 13 to 15.

Figure 17 shows the blank side wings fold55 ed over and creased or pressed.

Figure 18 shows the side wings turned up to normal position and the corner laps turned in.

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the com60 pleted box part produced in accordance with this variation of the method, a portion at one corner being broken away and sectioned.

Figure 20 is a section at 20—20, Fig. 19.

Figure 21 is a detail view in plan, showing 65 continuous materials in process of assembly to produce another modified form of continuous blank assembly.

Figure 22 is a section at 22—22, Fig. 21.

The process is carried out in one form in a manner sufficiently illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 inclusive. A continuous strip or web of suitable box body of shell material is advanced from a roll 2. A continuous web of suitable covering material, usually paper, 3 is advanced from a roll 4 and conducted to a 75 point of association with the shell web. The cover web may be secured directly in adhesive engagement with the shell web, but since in the present invention an important object is to provide suitable reinforcements in or- go der to obtain a stronger box structure, or to reduce the weight or wall thickness of a box of a certain weight by providing reinforcements, strips of reinforcing material 5 and 6 are advanced from spools or rolls 7 and 8 85 respectively, passed over glue rolls 9 and brought into adhesive contact with the shell strip between pressing rolls 10.

The reinforcing strips may be of any suitable material such as textile fabric of a 80 proper quality, or they may be of paper of a suitable grade or toughness such as kraft paper or other paper having the desired strength and folding qualities. The reinforcing strips may vary in number and ar- 95 rangement. In the present instance the outer strips are applied so that margins 11 project beyond the longitudinal edges of the shell web and the inner strips 6 are applied so that they overlie longitudinal fold lines 100 produced on the shell web referred to below.

The cover web passes over a glue roll 12 and is brought in contact with the shell web and the reinforcing strips between pressing rolls 13. The reinforcing strip or strips may in 105 some cases be omitted and the process will in that case be understood as comprising up to the present point merely the advancing of the shell strip, the advancing of the cover strip and its application to the shell strip with in- no terposed adhesive.

Desirably in the present instance the cover web has margins 14 projecting beyond the longitudinal edges of the shell web, and these margins also desirably project beyond the 115 margins 11 of the reinforcing strips 5 when the latter are provided. From a point where the cover web is applied to the shell web and secured there is produced a continuous blank assembly having a finished surface which '120 consists in the present specific example of the adhesively applied cover paper; this assembly is in a broader aspect of the invention only one example of a suitable continuous box blank forming strip or web having a finished 125 surf ace suitable for production of covered or “finished” boxes or boxes having a desired resemblance to covered boxes which are demanded for many purposes.

When the cover web has projecting mar- 130

1,782,702 part. At a subsequent point additional transverse fold lines 25 which may be of similar character, but which extend only across the central portion of the combined blank between the longitudinal fold lines, are pro- ,,θ vided by any suitable instrumentalities such as rolls 26 and 27. Thereafter longitudinal slots 28, which are usually directly in line and co-extensive with the width of the longitudinal fold channels 18, are produced by cutting out narrow strips of the combined blank material, co-operating cutting or shearing rolls 29 and 30 being indicated in Fig. 1 for this purpose. At a subsequent point in the advance of the continuous blank it is _eecut transversely at regular intervals along the severing line 31 and for certain forms or dimensions of boxes other cutting or excising operations may be performed at or adjacent to this point, such operations in the. present _S5 specific instance consisting in excising rectangular portions of the blank extending from the longitudinal fold lines to the outer margins, these excised portions being represented by the spaces 32, Figures 2 and 3.. . so

There is thus produced a complete individual box forming .blank B shown in enlarged perspective in Fig. 5, which comprises a central or body portion a, side wings b, with corner laps c extending from their ends, 95 end wings d and end wing margins e defined by the transverse fold lines 25. All of these blank portions are composed of shell material with overlying cover material.. The longitudinal edges of the shell, that is, the 100 edges of the side wings, are covered and concealed by the overturned cover, margins 14, and these edges are further reinforced and strengthened by the reinforcing strips 5 and the longitudinal fold lines 18 are overlaid 105 and strengthened by reinforcing strips 6, portions of which extend inward considerably along margins of the central blank section a to reinforce the top or bottom of the completed box part as the case may be. When no the reinforcing strips 6 are applied in the described position they are of course partly severed by the longitudinal slots 28 produced in the previously described manner from the transverse fold lines 22 to the end of the lie blank.

The individual blanks are now folded into box form in a suitable series, or one or more stages, of operations, comprising turning up the side wings, turning in the corner laps and 120 turning up the end wings, the intermediate stages of the process comprising these operations being sufficiently indicated in Fig. 6. Finally the inner faces of the end wings d are brought in contact with the outer faces of the 125 corner laps, and then the end wing margins e are turned in against inner end margins of the corner laps and secured in position. To secure the end wings and end wing margins adhesive is properly supplied at a con- 130 gins 14, at a suitable point in the advance of the combined materials these margins are turned down and under by suitable instrumentalities such as the stationary folders 15, .. and pressed by pressing rolls 16 and 17 in ⁰ adhesive engagement with under surface margins of the shell; and when the reinforcing strips 5 have projecting margins 11 they are of course at the same time turned under ₁₀ and pressed in adhesive contact ivith the shell, and with the cover margins extending beyond and concealing the edges of the reinforcement margins as clearly shown in Fig. 10.

₁₅ At a suitable point in the advance of the materials, longitudinal folding lines 18 are produced in some or all of the materials. The character of these fold lines may vary. They may be scores or creases but more desir₂₃ ably and especially when the shell material is a relatively cheap grade of the class some times known as chip-board in. which special treatment is necessary to provide the proper longitudinal fold formations, these fold lines ₂₅ are produced by cutting away the material to form channels and this removal of material is desirably effected by grinding wheels 19 carried by a shaft 20 and driven at a suitable speed, usually in a direction counter to the movement of the shell web, and suitable provision is made for removing the particles of material ground away. This method of producing fold channels is conveniently described as “routing.” The grinding wheels 35 19 are most desirably located so that they operate upon the shell web at a point prior to its contact with other box forming material as shown in full lines in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and an abutment roll 21 is provided to hold the shell in contact with the grinders or, grinding wheels 19^a and abutment rolls 21^amay be provided and located as shown and may be used alternatively with the wheels 19 and 21 or in conjunction with them to deepen ._g the groove. In the one case therefore the longitudinal fold lines are produced prior to assembly contact and in the other case after assembly contact, or they can be produced upon the continuous blank or blank-assembly 50 after its formation in any suitable manner, not necessarily as a part of the present method or invention.

At a suitable point in the further advance of the materials transverse fold lines 22 are ₆₆ produced by suitable instrumentalities such as rolls 23 and 24, Fig. 1. The character of these transverse fold lines may also vary. They may be scores or channels but in a preferred instance they are in the form of deep SO or “gathered” creases which may be- formed by devices carried by the rolls which gather and break, down to a certain extent the shell material and form the deep or convex creases which enable the combined materials to be 6S properly folded in the formation of the box

1,762,702 venient or suitable point to inner surfaces of the end wings <7, and end wing margins e, or in some cases it may be applied to outer faces of the corner laps and inner margins of the 5 corner laps to correspond with the location of the end wing margins e when folded. The application of adhesive is sufficiently indicated in Fig. 5 where it is applied to the end wings and end wing margins, and this ad10 hesive application may be performed at any suitable time, while the materials are still in continuous assembly form or after the individual blanks are severed.

The completed box part as shown in Fig. 7 15 is a very strong and durable structure in proportion to its weight. The shell material is folded evenly and smoothly along the longitudinal fold lines 18 due to the removal of material and the reduction of the thickness of 20 the shell material along the fold lines to such an extent that it can bend properly after reinforcement by the cover paper, and the reinforcing strips 6 when such reinforcements are provided, without cracking or breaking.

The side wall edges are strengthened and reinforced by the reinforcing strips 5 and by the cover margins 14 and the end structure of the box part is especially strong and durable, consisting of the corner laps c reinforced by so the reinforcing strips and the cover material, ’ the end wings d also reinforced by strips 6 and the cover paper and especially th© end edges are reinforced by the overturned and adhesively secured end wing margins e con35 sisting of shell and cover material, and also portions of the reinforcing strips when those are provided. The box is therefore especially strong at the ends and well able to resist strains which are frequently put on boxes of 40 this class at the ends, for instance, in pulling them from shelves. The box clogely simulates the appearance of covered boxes of the highest type. Inner wall margins are all . covered by marginal portions of the cover 45 paper, these comprising cover margins 14 along the side wall margins and portions of the cover material e' overlying the inturned. shell margins e. In other words the box has a complete inner marginal edging of cover so paper. In this particular form of box, produced as described, side edges d' of the shell end wings.<Z are more or less exposed and this shell edge exposure is unobjectionable in /many cases. These shell edges can moreover 55 be more or less covered or concealed when desired by drawing or pressing adjacent edges of the cover paper more or less over the shell edges while the adhesive is still moist in ways more particularly described in my companion «£· application, Serial No. 612,168 filed Jan. 12, 1923.

In the broader aspect of the invention a great amount of variation is permissible in the ordet in which operations are performed. ¢(5 They do not have to be performed necessarily in the exact order above stated. For instance, the longitudinal routing may be performed at different points in the process as above explained; the transverse fold lines 22 and 25 may be produced nra different order 70 or at different points, and in general there is no limitation as to the order of operations except when a certain operation is necessarily performed after another or others.

Figure 11 sufficiently illustrates a variation 75 in the method in which instead of one or more relatively narrow reinforcing strips, such as 5 and 6, a single wide reinforcing sheet or web 35 is applied to the shell web under the cover web, and this reinforcing web has pro- 80 jecting margins 36 which are folded over about the longitudinal edges of the shell in the process of turning over and securing the cover margins 14. The box blank and box produced in accordance with this variation 85 of the method will therefore consist of portions or sections as described in connection with Fig. 5, but with portions of the reinforcing sheet located between the shell and the cover paper at every point. Fig. 12 is a sec- 80 tion at 12—12 of Fig. 11 showing the continuous assembly including the all-over reinforcing sheet after the margins have been turned and pressed in position.

Fig. 12 also illustrates a variation in the 95 longitudinal fold lines. These folds 18^a instead of being routed are produced by creas-. ing after the general fashion explained in connection with the production of the transverse fold lines 22 and 25 in previous figures. 1°° This form of longitudinal fold lines may be provided in some cases where the character of the body or shell material permits; for instance, when high grade board, such as folding board, is used. Otherwise the longi- 105 tudinal fold lines in Fig. 12 may be routed lines or channels as described in connection with the previous figures.

A variation of the process is indicated in Figures 13 to 20 inclusive, with the general 110 object of producing a box having side wall marginal reinforcements produced by turning in and securing marginal portions of the “finished” or covered side wall after the general fashion of the end margin turn-ins de- 115 scribed in connection with Figures 1 to 8.

The process is in general substantially the same as in the previous example, with the exception that the cover web 3^a need not have projecting margins, and therefore is in this 120 particular instance the same width as the shell strip 1, and similarly the full width reinforcing web 35^a, which may or may not be employed, depending on the strength required in the completed box, or other con- 125 siderations, is of the same width as the shell and cover webs, without the projecting margins. The longitudinal and transverse fold lines may be produced substantially as in the previous examples.

1,762,702

Additional longitudinal fold lines 39, are however, produced, commencing at any desirable point in the advance of the materials, and particularly in the present instance these ₆ additional longitudinal fold lines are channels produced by routing, and this may be performed at the same point that the channels 18 are routed, by the provision of additional grinding wheels 19^a in line with the ₁₀ wheels 19 as described in connection with Figures 1 to 4,. and the grinding wheels may be located in the position shown in Figures 13 and 14 so that they operate upon the shell anterior to. the point of assembly contact, ₁₅ or otherwise they may be located so that the fold lines are produced subsequent to assembly contact of the cover or of the cover and reinforcing sheet.

Strips of material are cut out, producing 20 slots 28, which separate the corner laps from the end wings, and at a suitable point in the operations performed upon the combined materials, or in connection with severing the individual blanks by transverse cuts along the 05 line 31, as in the previous example, relatively narrow portions are excised or cut away from the side wing portions of the combined materials, these cut-out portions being indicated by the rectangular spaces 40, Figures 13 and 30 14, the width of these cut-out portions being commensurate with the width of the side wing margins.

The box to be produced by this particular embodiment of the process is of a type or of 35 such dimensions that the corner laps are of the same length in the longitudinal direction of the blank assembly as the combined end wings and end wing margins e, and therefore the end formation of the individual ₄₀ blanks, except for the side cuts 40, is produced by a single transverse cut along the line 31. Otherwise where the corner laps are longer or shorter than the combined end wings and end wing margins, the proper end ₄₅ formation may be produced by excising portions of the materials between the fold lines 18 and 39 or between fold lines 18.

The individual blanks b' so produced are folded into box form, and Figure 17 shows a _B0 variation in the folding method which is desirable in some cases. In accordance with this variation the side wing members b are folded and creased down firmly along the fold lines 18 to initially establish the proper lon55 gitudinal folds of these wing portions while the wing portions are substantially flat, in order to eliminate strains in the materials and prevent bulging of the side walls in the completed box, and in order therefore to ₆₀ avoid special pressing or bending operations to eliminate such bulges. The side wings are subsequently straightened up as shown in Fig. 18, and the corner laps are turned in, and by operations similar to those performed _c? in the first example given, including the proper application of adhesive, the box formation is completed with, however, the additional step of folding in and securing the side wing margins f to upper inner margins of the side wings, and for this purpose adhesive is supplied at any convenient point in the process, either while the material is still in continuous form or after the blanks are severed, to inner surfaces of the wing extensions or outer margins of the wing proper. 75 The completed box so produced, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, may have any or all of the characteristics of the box part previously described, with the addition of the inturned assembly margins /, each including so combined shell and cover materials, which additionally support and reinforce the box side wall margins and at the same time produce the interior finish appearance desirable in boxes of this class, including covering of 85 the side wall edges by portions of the cover sheet.

Figures 21 and 22 sufficiently illustrate a variation in the last described example of the process consisting in the provision of 90 separate reinforcing strips 50 and 51 in general similar to the reinforcing strips 5 and 6 described in the first example of the process. In this case the reinforcing strips 51 overlie the longitudinal fold lines 39 and extend 95 substantially to the outer edges of the shell strip with the projecting margins, and the inner reinforcing strips 50 overlie longitudinal fold lines 18 and extend a considerable distance on each side to reinforce the side 100 walls and bottom or central box section.