Patent ID: 6276893
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
A folded box hopper for accepting a stack of flattened folded boxes in a packaging machine and for transporting folded boxes to a downstream transport belt, the hopper comprising:a frame;a hopper shaft having an input opening and an output opening, said hopper shaft for accepting the stack of flattened folded boxes;a transfer device having a gripper, said gripper communicating with said hopper shaft output opening for removing a lowermost flattened folded box from said hopper shaft, said gripper and said transfer device for depositing folded boxes onto the downstream transport belt;a first adjustment device mounted to said frame and communicating with said hopper shaft and said transfer device to adjust a height of said gripper and a height of said hopper shaft relative to the downstream transport belt;a second adjustment device mounted to said first adjustment device and communicating with said hopper shaft to align said hopper shaft relative to said gripper;an input belt having a front end proximate said hopper shaft input opening for introducing the flattened folded boxes into said hopper shaft, said input belt also having a rear end;a front bearing means disposed between and cooperating with said front end of said input belt and said hopper shaft to hinge said input belt to said hopper shaft; anda rear bearing means connected between said input belt proximate said rear end thereof and said frame to constrain said input belt to travel through a control path.