Patent ID: 9738406
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: B31B,B65B,B65D

Claim:
1. A packing method for producing a rigid package with a hinged lid, which has a top wall with first, second, and third hollow ribs extending along the perimeter of the top wall, and forming together a U-shape; the packing method comprising the steps of: applying glue to fastening tabs of a blank, wherein the blank comprises a panel that corresponds to the top wall of the hinged lid, and first, second, and third end portions extending along three sides of the perimeter of the panel, and the fastening tabs form the end part of each of the end portions and are glued to the panel to stabilize each hollow rib when the hollow rib is formed; feeding a blank along a straight folding path to a first folding station; positioning, at the first folding station, a first contrasting body close to the first end portion of the panel; folding the first end portion in a direction parallel to the folding path about the first contrasting body to form the first hollow rib; extracting the first contrasting body from the first hollow rib once the first end portion is folded; feeding the blank along the straight folding path to a second folding station that is downstream of and separate from the first folding station; positioning, at the second folding station, second contrasting bodies close to the second and third end portions, respectively; folding each of the second and third end portions in a direction perpendicular to the folding path about the respective second contrasting body to form the second and third hollow ribs, respectively; extracting the second contrasting bodies from the second and third hollow ribs once the second and third end portions are folded; exerting pressure on a first fastening tab using a first pressure device, after the first hollow rib is formed, to keep the fastening tab in firm contact with the panel; applying the blank to an article downstream from the first and second folding stations; and folding the blank about the article to form the rigid package enclosing the article and having the hinged lid; exerting pressure on second and third fastening tabs using two second pressure devices, after the second and third hollow ribs are formed wherein each pressure device is movable perpendicular to the panel and up and down with respect to the fastening tab, as well as parallel to the folding path to follow the blank along the folding path downstream from the respective folding station where the hollow rib is formed.