Method and apparatus for packaging cylindrical articles

April 26, 1960 a. e. cranston, jr 2,933,866

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES

Filed.Aug. 27, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1

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Fie. 2

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Fig. 3

INVENTOR.

A/berf E- Crans/oA, Jr.

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April 26, 1960 a. e. cranston, jr 2,933,8θθ

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES

Filed Aug. 27, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR.

A/hert E. Crans/on, Jr.

<img file="US2933866A_D0006.tif" />

April 26, 1960 a. e. cranston, jr 2,933,866

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES

Filed Aug. 27, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3

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<img file="US2933866A_D0008.tif" />

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INVENTOR.

Albert E. Cranston, Jr.

AtfyS

April 26, 1960 a. e. cranston, jr 2,933,866 x METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES

Filed Aug. 27, 1957

Sheets-Sheet 4

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INVENTOR.

Albert £ Cranston , Jr.

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United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 26, 1960

2,?33,866

METHOD. AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES

Albert E. Cranston, Jr., Oak Grove, Oreg,

Application August 27, 1957, Serial No. 680,533

Claims.: (Cl. 53^-3)

The, present invention relates to a, method and appa-. ; ratus for packaging cylindrical articles and to the resulting packaged product.

The present method and apparatus are particularly, advantageous for the packaging of cylindrical articles,, and specific application thereof is in connection with the pack- &lt; aging of a fuel product in.the form of short artificial logs, made from compressed sawdust having a natural or added binder. Such logs, have the general physical characteristics of wood and are most conveniently handled and merchandised in flat package units containing three logs. It is to be understood, however, that the method and apparatus are not to be limited to the packaging of this product alone as such are useful in the packaging of other cylindrical articles which are capable of being tightly bound together in a common plane in a frictipn-held, nonslipping relationship, as will be more fully understood hereinafter.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved fiat package unit of cylindrical articles and an improved method and apparatus for producing said package unit.

Another object is to provide an improved method, of applying a binding to a plurality of cylindrical, articles and, more specifically, to bind a plurality of cylindrical articles in parallel relation in a common, plane wherein friction between adjacent articles holds said, articles securely and rigidly in such relation.

The package unit of the invention is formed from, a plurality of the cylindrical articles bound together in a common plane by an endless band or hoop and held in said common plane by a frictional grip between adjoining articles and between the outside articles and the binding member. In the method of forming the package described file cylindrical articles are placed in pyramidal relation and then moved, into the pre-formed band.. Then the articles are pressed into a common plane, the band having a predetermined length dimension such that it wil! be tightly tensioned around the articles when the articles are disposed in said common plane. Friction between the adjacent articles and between the outside articles and the band maintains the articles in, a common plane to fp.rm a flat package.

The apparatus for carrying out the method described has conveying means for moving the articles from a loafF ing station to ή packaging station and means at the packaging station for receiving an endless band transversely of the conveying means. Means are also provided at the packaging station for pre-forming a stiff circular band into, a substantially triangular shape so that the articles in pyramidal relation can be moved endvdse. thereinto. Presser head means are employed for pressing the articles into a common plane to tension the band.

Conventional binding and strapping machines cannot apply a band around a small rigid.package under tension because the band joining mechanism deflects the band away from the package and introduces slack which must be taken up by resilience provided by the package Qt by a sufficient length of band. The present package unit cannot be bound tightly enough by conventional machines to hold the articles rigidly in position because theta is insufficient resilience in the articles and the relatively short length of band to hold the band adequately tight after removal from the joining mechanism. The present method, by using pre-formed hoops, permits the final, tension to be adjusted as desired and obviates the usual problem of uniting the band ends under tension.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the, following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of. the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the, invention may take other forms, and that all such modifications and variations within the scope of the appended ciairns which will occur to persons skilled in the art. aje. included in the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a packaged product of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of said product;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a hoop or band for binding the articles together;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a machine for carrying out the method;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5—5 of Figure 4 and showing in addition a pyramid of articles to be banded;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the. line 6—6 of Figure 4 showing the pyramid of articles, disposed in the packaging station of the machine;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the articles partially pressed toward a common plane posii tion; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 8—8 of Figure 4.. . . /

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the package unit of the present invention. This ) package is designated generally by the numeral 10 and comprises a plurality of cylindrical articles 11 bound to. gether in axially parallel side-by-side relation in a common plane by an encompassing endless band or hoop 12. As was described hereinbefore, the article to be packaged, is a compressed sawdust fuel product, although the package could as well be formed with other cylindrical, or approximately cylindrical articles, as will be readily understood as the dsecription proceeds.

The bund or hoop 12 for binding these articles together is shown in Figure 3 and is formed from a material having the requisite strength such as wire, flat metal band, certain types of twine or tough paper, plastic or other flexible but preferably stiff material. The band may assume various widths but the inside circumferential length thereof is of a predetermined dimension in relation to the number and diameter of the articles being packaged whereby when the articles are disposed in a common plane the band will be tightly tensioned around the articles.

With the type of article described, i.e., an article having a rough surface, the tight banding thereof in a common ⁶θ plane will cause the articles to remain in such common plane position due to the frictional grip which exists between adjacent articles and between the outer articles and the band. More specifically, in a package of the type illustrated, comprising three articles, a tight: band 12 will cause the center article to have a frictional gearlike grip on the other two articles whereby the center article is. clamped, tightly in place. Therefore, if. the center cylinder will not slide put of place, in order for it to move, the end cylinders would have to rotate in opposite. directions and such rotation does not occur in normal handling by reason of the frictional grip of the band. In

2,933,866 ³ the package thus formed, a plurality of individual articles are thereby held in compact and rigid relation for easy handling and convenient piling and storing.

.The method and apparatus for forming the package 10 will now be described. A preferred form of apparatus for carrying out the method is illstrated in Figures 4-8 and comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned belt conveyors 15 and 16 which operate on suitable rollers 17 to carry the articles to be packaged from a loading station 18 to a packaging station 19 and thence to an unloading station 20. The conveyor 15 leads into the packaging station and the conveyor 16 leads out of said station, and -the adjacent ends of these two conveyors are spaced apart slightly by end rollers 17α to form a transverse gap or break 21 for receiving the bands or hoops 12 one at a time. Conveyor belt 15 is equipped with cleats or lugs 14 to impart positive feed movement.

Disposed along the sides of the conveyor 15 throughout a portion of the length thereof are stationary guide plates 22 carried on arms 23 suitably secured rigidly to the machine frame structure. The trailing ends of the guide plates 22 terminate short of the gap 21 a distance slightly in excess of half the length of articles 11. Disposed between the plates 22 and the gap in continuation of the plates 22 are resilent guide plates 25 connected to rods 27. Rods 27 are slidable in bearings 28 and are urged toward each other by springs 29 which are compressed between the outer bearings 28 and suitable abutments 26, such as washers, secured on rods 27. In the rest position of the plates 25, shown in Figure 4, the plates 25 have the same lateral spacing as stationary plates 22.

The leading ends of guide plates 25 are rounded at 25α to permit the articles to slide freely therebetween without impediment by the vertical edges. The transverse spacing between the plates 22 and 25 depends upon the diameter of the articles being packaged as this spacing must be slightly greater than the combined width of two of the articles so that three articles in pyramidal relation can slide freely therebetween on the conveyor 15, as shown in Figure 5.

Disposed centrally over the gap 21 is a presser head or bar 32 carried on a vertical piston rod 33, and mounted centrally below the gap 21 is a transverse presser bar 34 mounted on a vertical piston rod 35. Each bar 32 and 34 has vertical movement by the action of fluid pressure 45 ⁱⁿS cylinders, not shown. Also disposed over the gap 21 is a pair of band-holding heads 38 mounted on inclined piston rods 39, as best shown in Figure 6. The rods 39, similar to the rods 33 and 35, are movable toward and _ ____________ ,ν,^ _lauv ,, . _aju away from the conveyor and also project from fluid 50 ^and resilent s‘ide plates' adjacent* opposite tides of said pressure cylinders, not shown. Each bar and head 32, '•n·™»™-*· and 38 is equipped with a band-holding groove 40.

In carrying out the method, using three articles to a package, a group of three articles is loaded in pyramidal 1 ’·· ’ . _r_____— the loading station 18 as shown in Figure 5 while the conveyor is stationary. The upper presser bar 32, as well as the lower bar 34, are at this time in a retracted position away from the conveyor and heads 38 are projected, as shown in Figure 6. ‘ 12 is then deformed into a rounded triangular shape and inserted in grooves 40 which support and hold it in vertical position in the gap 21.

Then the conveyor belts 15 and 16 are started to move snugly in a common plane v the pyramid group of articles 11 lengthwise into the band 65 ceive said articles freely when 12. The belts are stopped when the articles reach band- from the common plane, ing .position and heads 38 are retracted to their Figure 7 7. The method of packagin position. In banding position the articles 11 have cleared comprisine assembling ίο position. In banding position the articles 11 have cleared stationary side plates 22 and are confined by resilient side plates 25.

Then the presser bar 32 moves downwardly and the bar 34 moves upwardly to the supporting belt level. The downward movement of bar 32 spreads the outer cylinders apart and moves the center cylinder therebetween, against the action of springs 29 as the articles are pressed into a common plane position as shown in Figure 1. The upper bar 32 and lower bar 34 then retract to their Figure 6 positions and the conveyors 15 and 16 move the package through the machine to the unloading station 20.

When the articles assume the approximate positions shown in Figure 7, all slack has been removed from the band 12 and further downward movement of the center article operates to tension the band. A single band of adequate strength is sufficient to hold a group of three cylindrical articles rigidly in a stable flat package.