Abstract:
An apparatus for packaging flexible-pouch packaged goods into cartons, trays, or the like is disclosed. An infeed section receives the packages from a source, orients the packages, and presents them to a picking device. The picking device has at least one picker head which contains a plurality of grabbers. The grabbers clutch the pouches, translate them to the tray or box loading station, then deposit the pouches in a composite motion which enables the pouches to be laid down in a space efficient and visually pleasing shingled manner. The process is controlled by a control unit programmable for a variety of product packaging configurations. The apparatus and process are especially suited for use with stand-up type or gussetted pouches.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of container packaging machines, and more particularly to a cartoner for placing objects within a carton or tray in a preselected orientation.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    It is well known to place uniform objects in cartons for shipping, sales, storage, organization, or display. The consumer product industry has made many different product configurations available, and it is an ongoing pursuit of the packaging industry to find the least expensive, highest speed, and highest quality method of packaging the products into containers containing multiple products.  
           [0003]    Some of the more challenging types of products to package or those in non-rigid containers, e.g. pouches or packets which are formed from a flexible material. Many of these types of pouches are known, e.g. those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,825; D434,976; U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,782; D420,900; D410,838; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,743, the disclosures of which are incorporated as if fully set forth herein. They are suitable for various consumer products, e.g. liquid, gel, particulate, shredded, sliced, or solid materials.  
           [0004]    However, handling these products in large quantity in a high-speed manner can be challenging. Heretofore, vacuum picker systems have been used for handling these pouches, as their lack of uniform shape and orientation (due to their inherent flexibility and shifting of the product therein) can give difficulty to mechanical handling systems. However, for vacuum systems to work effectively, the packages must be essentially perpendicular to the vacuum picker. In real life terms, this means the packages must be spread out on a conveyor belt, which slows down the packaging speed and adds cost.  
           [0005]    Various mechanical systems for handling pouches or other packages are known, e.g. those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,170,225 B1; 6,168,004 B1; 6,164,041; 6,151,867; 6,122,898; 6,092,979; 5,938,011; 5,855,105; 5,333,721; and 3,996,723.  
           [0006]    Mechanical picking devices, e.g. those manufactured by Goodman Packaging Equipment, which pick up packages and can be programmed to lay them down in preselected configurations, are also known.  
           [0007]    However, none of these yield a high speed high quality method of handling flexible pouches and the like in a process of cartooning or placing in trays according to the present invention.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high-speed pick-type packer which picks pouches and places them in a carton in a preselected orientation.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a compact cartoner/trayer with the ability to handle a large number of flexible packages of slightly different dimensions at a high speed.  
           [0010]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a system for orienting flexible packages in a “shingled” manner in a carton or tray in a space and time-efficient manner.  
           [0011]    It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a system, which allows for the simultaneous placement of two differently oriented rows of “shingled” flexible pouches.  
           [0012]    It is a further additional object of the present invention to provide a mechanical picking system with a gentle touch to prevent damage to the flexible pouches yet handle them securely.  
           [0013]    It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide a secure and flexible arrangement of equipment for handling so-called “stand-up” or “gussetted” pouches.  
           [0014]    These and other objects of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those of skill in the art having regard for the instant disclosure.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    To accomplish the above objects and to solve the above handling problems, the applicants have devised a novel picking system which securely handles flexible pouches, such as juice containers, bottled water containers, and the like. The pouches are manufactured and filled by any of a number of processes, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,970, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. However, they usually emerge from the manufacturing line in disarray, or placed in stacks in a box. Given their nonuniform shape (e.g. thin on the top and larger on the bottom, in the case of stand up juice or drink containers such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,825) much space is wasted in the initial containers off the production line.  
           [0016]    Furthermore, consumers and retailers alike prefer to save shelf space and enjoy a product that is arranged in a manner which they find visually appealing.  
           [0017]    Thus, the present invention contemplates supplying a method and apparatus for packaging nonidentical flexible packages in trays or boxes in a manner which is efficient and novel.  
           [0018]    The present invention is especially suited for handling gussetted pouches which are capable of standing on their bottom portions. These pouches are also known in the industry as Doyen or simply “Doy” packs. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a side plan view of the first stage of an apparatus according to the present invention including an infeed and orientation device.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is a top view of a split-belt conveyor which can independently move groups of packages.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a side plan view of a conveyor-picker apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a side plan view of an individual picker unit according to the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 5 is a side view of the translation apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 6 is a view in partial perspective of the boxing step of the method of the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 7 is a side view of a multiple layer shingled box packaged according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]    As this invention may be more easily explained by reference to the attached drawings, it should be noted that the figures are representative and exemplary of the invention only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.  
         [0027]    The invention is suitable for wide-ranging types of products, including commonly known liquid pouches as disclosed above, pouches for chewing tobacco, shredded cheese, dry or liquid baby formula, freeze-dried concentrates, condensed milk, pharmaceutical preparations, ointments, lotions, etc. Beverage pouches, containing carbonated and noncarbonated beverages, are especially preferred for use in the present invention.  
         [0028]    The pouches (or bags, flexible containers, etc.) which are handled by the apparatus and method of the instant invention preferably are reasonably uniform in size and shape, although substantial product shifting may in fact alter the absolute dimensions of the packaging somewhat. The pouches need have at least one edge which may be grasped by a movable opposing pair of fingers. It is preferred, but not necessary, that the pouches are somewhat flattened in shape, such that they may lay down on one side.  
         [0029]    Especially preferred are stand-up type pouches, gussetted pouches, or the commonly known “Doyen” or “Doy” pack.  
         [0030]    For example, a pouch made of two similarly sized sheets a thermoplastic material which has been heat welded together will tend to be a flattened pouch with a top and bottom, and edges which may be grasped. Such pouched may by stacked, shingled, etc. by the apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0031]    The material of the pouch can be any of a variety of materials. One such suitable material is a laminated thermoplastic material, such as an outer layer of polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar®) and an inner layer of low-density polyethylene. Such an arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,763,622 and 3,893,834 for hot and cold packs. Also known are microwavable hot and cold packs from Francis, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,964, which disclose a completely sealed envelope constructed from opposed laminate layers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,782, to Kraft Foods, Inc. discloses a multiplayer laminate wall including a polyester film, printing ink, adhesive, foil, adhesive, and polyethylene film for bag shaped beverage containers.  
         [0032]    A well known container, e.g. that known for Capri Sun® beverage pouches available from Kraft Foods, Inc, a unit of Philip Morris Companies, Inc., which uses polyethylene terephthalate as the polyester film and aluminum as the metal foil, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,583, and is particularly suitable for the practice of the present invention.  
         [0033]    In brief overview, an apparatus according to the present invention takes a pouch, e.g. a stand up; gussetted, Doyen or “Doy” pack, and grips a side between the bottom and top. The pack or pouch is lifted, moved laterally, lowered, and placed into a box. In preferred embodiments, a plurality of pouches are simultaneously picked up, moved, lowered, and placed into a box. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lifted pouches are moved relative to the box into which they are being placed.  
         [0034]    Turning now more specifically to FIG. 1, a powered infeed conveyor  100  is supplied with a supply of flexible pouches  102  (e.g. gussetted, stand-up, Doyen, or Doy) from a manufacturing plant (not shown). The manufacturing plant may take various liquid, gelatinous, or solid (e.g. usually finely divided granular or particulate) materials and place them within a sealed pouch as discussed above. Suitable consumer products may include concentrates for liquid refreshments, nuts, candy, chewing tobacco, individually wrapped hard candies, and the like.  
         [0035]    Such suitable packs are conveyed along the infeed conveyor  100  by means of a powered driving wheel  104  which is connected to a control unit  106 . The control unit controls the speed and duration of the motion of the first conveyor. When the packages reach the end of the powered first conveyor  100 , they are conveyed by gravity and momentum to recipient second conveyor  108 , which is provided with receiving guides  110  which delimit a compartment for the packaged product. In essence, the packages  102  are thrown to the receiving conveyor  108 .  
         [0036]    The passage of packages  102  to the receiving conveyor  108  is recorded by detector  112  which can count the number of packages and transmit this information to the control unit  114 . This information may be used then to tally the total number of packages processed, and later downstream control as discussed below.  
         [0037]    Detector  112  is connected to controller  114  which is preferably a computing device configured with appropriate software, firmware, and/or hardware applicable to the task at hand. The controller has a database for recording input information such as number of units processed, faults, etc., and is capable of receiving instructions relating to how far and how fast to move the apparatus as it goes through its various packaging motions.  
         [0038]    For example, packages and shipping containers into which the packages are to be inserted can vary dramatically from consumer product to consumer product, therefore, the machinery and apparatus according to the present invention is adjustable to accommodate such variances.  
         [0039]    Controller  114  advances the secondary recipient belt in response to its preprogrammed instructions and input from the detector. The belt is physically driven by motor or powered wheel  116 . As the passage of each package or flexible pouch is recorded, the belt is advanced in time to receive the next pouch.  
         [0040]    The pouches are preferably gathered together in groups, which will reflect a unit layer or packaging of the finally packaged products in the container. In FIG. 1, six pouches are seen in each “flight” which will be inserted or placed on a surface for wrapping, into a tray or other carton-like container, or stacked.  
         [0041]    As may be seen from FIG. 1, the pouches are physically oriented with an edge facing upwardly and available to be grabbed.  
         [0042]    Turning now to FIG. 2, a particularly suitable belt arrangement is seen for conveying the “flights” of product separately. It includes a plurality of parallel belts, inner belt  200  and outer belts  202 . Attached to inner belt  200  are guides  204  which are affixed to the flexible belt. Inner belt  200  can be driven separately from outer belts  202 , thus enabling a flight of product to be relocated independent of the ongoing loading operation of another flight. This significantly reduces the orientation time required to get the product into place for the later picking operation.  
         [0043]    The outer belts have receiving guides  206  attached thereto. The outer belts are driven preferably synchronously to keep the product straight, unless crooked loading of product is desires, in which case an asynchronous drive and pivotable mountings might be used.  
         [0044]    Turning now to FIG. 3, the picking device  300  according to the present invention is seen. It has multiple picking units  302  which each have a plurality of individual picking heads  304 , which in turn have a pair of opposing picking fingers  306 . The picking fingers are openable and closable, preferably by pneumatic actuation, for ease and speed of use and maintenance. Pneumatic equipment can be lighter and move quickly with enhanced reliability. Although less preferred, electromechanically driven grabbers may also be used.  
         [0045]    The individual picking heads can be individually programmable, such that only the correct number and sequence of heads opens and closes about the edge  308  of the product  310  within grasping distance.  
         [0046]    In use, the loaded flights of product are moved to picker loading zone PLZ by the controller  313 . It is now apparent how the multiple parallel belts which can individually move product are very useful and time efficient. Even while the picker loading zone is being readied for the picking action, yet more product is being loaded on a third flight  312 .  
         [0047]    The picking units  302  then descend to within range of the product via actuator set  316 ; again controlled by the controller  314 . The picking fingers  306  are then closed about the edge of the product by command from the controller. The picking units  302  are then raised up vertically enough to clear the product from the compartments within the parallel belts and any obstructions around the PLZ. The picking units then are translated horizontally away from the PLZ on rails  318  by action of stepping motor  319 . Optionally, the picking units  302  may be drawn inwardly together by a second actuator  320 .  
         [0048]    Thus, as may be seen, the picking units are given a three-dimensional range of motion; up-down in the vertical direction (Z axis), side to side in the translational direction (Y axis), and they may be drawn together and spread apart in the horizontal direction (X axis).  
         [0049]    It should be noted that, by using a plurality of picking units  302 , that different packaging runs may go on simultaneously, leading to enhanced flexibility in packaging runs. For example, boxed of 6 pieces of product can be programmed to run in PLZ I, while boxes of 10 pieces of product can be programmed to run in PLZ II. The controller delivers the right number of pieces of product to each flight, and places it in the appropriate PLZ as required. Essentially, two runs of product might be completed simultaneously.  
         [0050]    The control unit coordinates the activities of the orientation device by controlling the belt speeds and duration to control the flow of product, the picking device motion by bringing it over to the secondary belt in the PLZ, dropping it down vertically to within grabbing range of the product packing edges, closing the picking fingers upon the product edges, raising the picking device vertically to remove the product from the belt and clear the PLZ, optionally bringing the product together, and translating it away from the PLZ to the cartooning, boxing, traying, or wrapping station.  
         [0051]    The controller orients the packages by controlling the speed of the first infeed conveyor, where product is originally loaded into the apparatus in what may be a jumbled orientation. The collection of packages may be flattened and oriented on the belt by means of guides and bars, as is known in the art. The controller also controls the second infeed conveyor, which has a plurality of vertical dividers thereon defining compartments for the pouches or product to be placed in by the action of gravity or momentum (essentially flinging the product from one belt to another).  
         [0052]    The controller controls the speed of the second belt by aid from the product detector  112  (FIG. 1). It positions a compartment in the second infeed conveyor to “catch” the product and bring it up to vertical orientation where one edge is above the product.  
         [0053]    It is interesting to note that, as the second infeed conveyor is a flexible belt mounted on end rollers, as the belt passes over the end rollers, the angular distance between each vertical divider is increased, forming an enlarged space therebetween. The target area for package delivery is therefore much increased. As the belt passed over the roller and returns to the upper side, it compresses the compartment, forcing the flexible pouch upward vertically.  
         [0054]    After each flight is loaded into its own group of vertical dividers located on the second infeed conveyor, the controller selects which set to drive to which PLZ. The second infeed belt can be divided into as many belts as there are needed for flights of product.  
         [0055]    Turning now to FIG. 4, an exemplary single picking device is seen. The opposable fingers  400  are shown coated with an optional outer surface coating of enhanced frictional properties. This coating enhances product grip and reduces dropped product. The frictional enhancing coating is preferably a resilient polymeric material, to soften the grip of the fingers and lessen the likelihood of product damage. Natural, vulcanized, and synthetic rubber and polymers are suitable for this coating. The fingers may be individually dipped into molten rubber, polymer, or mixtures thereof, or the coating may be sprayed on, as is known in the coating art.  
         [0056]    Optionally, the closing jaws may be formed with ridges  404  to enhance the grip on edge  406 .  
         [0057]    Turning now to FIG. 5, the translational motion of the device may be seen. Picker head  500  is raised in the vertical direction of arrow A by an effectuator actuator (not shown) to a position above the PLZ  501 . The flexible package  503  is seen dangling from two sets of fingers  505 . The controller then drives the stepping motor  502  in the direction of arrow B along rail  504 . The picker head(s) are carried over to the carton loading station  506 , which may be another conveyor belt upon which is a carton  508 . The picker head(s) then descend in the direction of arrow C, the fingers can open, and the flexible package is placed or dropped into the carton.  
         [0058]    Turning attention now to FIG. 6, an especially preferred picker head arrangement is seen. Dual picker heads  600 A and  600 B are mounted on vertical supports  602 A and  602 B. Vertical supports  602 A  602 B are connected to horizontal actuator  604 , and are free to move in a horizontal direction. As the vertical supports  602  A and  602  B descend through the action of a vertical actuator (not shown) the horizontal actuator also acts to draw the heads  600 A and  600 B together, resulting in a motion along the lines of arrows D and E.  
         [0059]    The flexible pouches  606 A,  606 B, being gripped at a flexible edge  608 A,  608 B by the fingers  610 , pivot at the point of connection to the fingers and lie down in an aesthetically pleasing shingled effect.  
         [0060]    In a preferred embedment, there are as seen two heads, which heads move relative to each other in a horizontal plane in a different direction to shingle the product in a different orientation. If the simultaneously packaged materials are then stacked, a significant savings of space may be achieved, as may be seen from FIG. 7.  
         [0061]    Thus, to describe the process more fully from beginning to end, goods which are packaged in flexible containers having at least one edge may now be efficiently packaged in an aesthetically pleasing and rapid method by supplying a plurality of goods wrapped in flexible pouches, orienting the goods on a conveyor such that the at least one edge is facing in an upward direction, and dividing the goods into at least one discrete group on the conveyor. Then at least one, preferably at least two, picker heads grab the goods in their respective groups while maintaining the orientation and grouped relationship of each of said at least one discrete group of goods.  
         [0062]    The picker heads and thus the grabbed group of goods are raised first upwardly in a vertical direction, then in a horizontal direction, then downwardly into a container for holding a plurality of goods, and the goods are reoriented in the container into their final arrangement.  
         [0063]    Optionally, the detector which controls the operation of the various devices by feeding information to the controller may also be a product inspection device. If the product is defective in any way, the product may be rejected by simply reversing the receiving belt slightly and allowing the product to fall to a reject bin where it may be inspected and sent for quality control analysis.  
         [0064]    The inspection may occur preferably during the step of orienting the product while the apparatus is transferring the goods from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt located proximate to the end of said first conveyor belt. By running the first conveyor belt at a speed sufficient to propel the goods to the second conveyor belt; the goods may be passed by a single inspection camera or a plurality of inspection cameras for a 360-degree inspection while airborne. A decision on rejection can be made when receiving the goods. The goods are caught, or received, on a second conveyor belt having receiving compartments thereon which hold the goods such that the goods are disposed with the at least one edge at the top. By reversing the stepping motor, the compartment may be “dumped” over the edge of the belt.  
         [0065]    While the invention has been described by reference to the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, the invention is subject to considerable modification and may be tailored to fit the needs of many manufacturing packaging situations without departing from the scope or spirit of the claims which are appended hereto.