Carrier assembly apparatus

An apparatus for assembling a plurality of containers into packages which includes a drum assembly with a plurality of jaw stations each including stretching fingers and tab devices laterally outside of the stretching fingers for associating with a forming bar at the entry region of the drum, which combination efficiently and reliably deforms the outer band of a continuously fed carrier strip to properly mate with the laterally outer surfaces of the stretching jaws.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Drum assemblies of the type generally described herein are typically those 
shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,816,968 or 4,079,571. They will include a 
plurality of jaw stations circumferentially spaced about spider wheels 
which form the lateral dimensions of the drum. Each jaw station will 
include at least one stretching jaw which is movable outwardly relative to 
the center line of the machine. The jaw is configured to include fingers 
or jaw elements generally arcuate in configuration which will register 
around a can after the carrier has been stretched permitting the carrier 
to be snapped over and beneath the chime sections of the can. 
The carrier strip is a relatively thin, flat configuration having the 
plurality of container encircling bands formed therein. The outermost band 
of the carrier strip must be deformed to a position substantially 
90.degree. to the plane of the carrier strip in order to be properly 
fitted about the stretching fingers for subsequent association with the 
containers. 
In the prior art, machines of the type mentioned above, a carrier guide and 
forming station includes twisting rails which bend the outer band of the 
carrier strip into its proper orientation prior to association with the 
continuously moving sets of jaw stations. For example, reference to U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,775,935 and also to U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,949, will show a guide 
assembly which includes a pair of laterally spaced carrier forming rails 
which include juxtaposed surfaces associated about and beneath the side 
marginal regions of the carrier strip. A first section of the marginal 
twisting rails in the prior art guide assemblies arranges the juxtaposed 
surfaces of the rails in a planar condition parallel to the strip. A 
second section of these surfaces gradually deforms the side margins of the 
strip by bending the juxtaposed flat rails to a position 90.degree. to the 
first position, thus the carrier strip is forced into a conforming 
relationship with the jaws by bending the outer margins 90.degree. to the 
remaining portions of the strip. When the carrier is thus in this deformed 
condition, it is then associated with the jaws which are continuously 
moving beneath the guide regions. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In contra-distinction to the above-noted prior art multi-packaging machines 
and methods for applying a strip of carrier devices, the machine and 
method described herein includes a particular jaw configuration which 
cooperates with simple, straight forming rails to positively and 
efficiently deform the outer marginal bands of the strip into proper 
package making configuration on the jaws. 
Each of the jaw stations include a pair of jaws adapted to move laterally 
of the drum relative to each other with each of the pair including carrier 
stretching fingers and a ramp structure extending laterally outwardly of 
each of the stretching finger means. The guide assembly for receiving a 
continuous reel or strip of carrier and feeding onto a continuously 
rotating drum is similar in many respects to the guide assembly of the 
prior art with one important distinction. The twisting rails for deforming 
the outer margins of the strip into a 90.degree. relationship with the 
remainder of the strip prior to association with the drum is eliminated in 
this invention. A simpler, more efficient and positive configuration for 
deforming the band of this invention includes substantially straight 
tucking or wedging rails which co-act with the unique configuration of 
each of the jaws to gradually force the outer margin of the strip 
downwardly relative to the remaining portions of the strip and against the 
ramp section of the jaw which effects a twisting of the outer band of the 
strip. Thus, as the carrier is fed onto the drum, each outer marginal 
region is gradually forced down into a recess and twisted individually by 
the co-action of the ramp and the tucking or wedging rail. 
A further aspect of the invention is the use of spaced stretching fingers 
which in composite generally conform to the arcuate configuration of the 
containers but are of a larger radius than that of the containers. This 
larger radius provides sufficient clearance between the jaws of containers 
as they are moved at high speeds relative to one another and thus provides 
tolerances for an otherwise highly critical timing necessary between the 
drum and containers to be packaged. 
Thus, a primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified 
apparatus for positively deforming the side marginal bands of the carrier 
strip onto the stretching surfaces of associated jaw stations. 
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent upon a 
perusal of the hereinafter following detailed description read in 
conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A complete machine for assembling containers and carriers of the type 
generally described herein need not be described in this specification. 
However, for a detailed description of such a machine, reference is made 
to U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,935 and U.S. Ser. No. 59,019 now U.S. Pat. No. 
4,250,682, which generally show a drum type of applicating machine for 
continuously applying endless strips of resilient plastic container device 
material to a plurality of rows of containers. 
A typical drum type applicating machine shown generally in FIG. 1 as 
apparatus 10 will include a drum assembly 12 rotating about a fixed axis 
24. As will become apparent with reference to the aforementioned patents 
and the below description, each drum will have a plurality of jaw stations 
circumferentially spaced about its periphery. A carrier strip 11, which 
includes a plurality of severable carrier devices each including a 
longitudinally extending series of transversely arranged ranks of 
container encircling bands, is continuously fed from a reel arrangement 14 
into a guide and forming section 15 at the entry region of the drum 
assembly. As is typical in machines of this type, the drum assembly 12 
rotates in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 1 while the 
plurality of rows of containers continuously move on the conveyor 18 in 
the direction of the arrow B into the package making area of the machine 
directly beneath the drum 12. Thus, a plurality of discrete containers 60, 
moving in a plurality of laterally aligned rows, results in a package 61, 
which includes the containers and a resilient container encircling band 
device 62 positioned beneath the chimes of the can. 
As in applicating machines of the type noted above, this invention includes 
jaw stations 26 each including a pair of opposing jaw members 38. Each jaw 
member 38 thus being adapted to be inserted into respective apertures in 
the carrier strip so that they abut the inner edge of the laterally outer 
bands in the strip to stretch the strip laterally by movement of one or 
both of the jaw members 38. In the preferred embodiment, only one such jaw 
member 28 is designed to move relative to the drum while opposing jaw 
member 30 is designed to be fixed relative to the drum. A pair of 
laterally spaced spider members 20,22 are fixed to rotate about the axis 
24 with the associated jaw stations secured thereto. Fixed jaw member 30 
is thus secured to a spider 20 while movable jaw station 28 is mounted to 
spider 22. This fixed and stationary jaw station is described in more 
detail in the U.S. Application, Ser. No. 59,019 now U.S. Pat. No. 
4,250,682 and does not in itself form part of the invention herein 
described. This invention, however, is directed to an improvement in the 
configuration of the jaw members per se and the interaction of the 
improved jaw configuration with forming means to efficiently bend the 
outer bands of the carrier strip into a proper relationship with the 
stretching jaw members. 
For example, the improvement is directed to the guide area 15 of the 
apparatus. Each fixed jaw will include a pair of spaced finger members 40, 
preferably lying in an arcuate configuration. Each jaw member 38 further 
includes a ramp member 42 extending upwardly and outwardly from the base 
of the jaw so that it creates a trough between the outermost region of the 
fingers 40 and the ramp itself. A guide device 34 is secured to the 
periphery of the spider 22 with passages formed therein permitting free 
sliding movement of rod members 32 which are fixed to the movable jaw 38. 
The other extremity of the rods 32 are fixed to a cam follower 36 and cam 
follower carrier 35 which is associated with a cam track as is generally 
shown in the above-mentioned prior art. As the drum rotates in the 
directions shown in FIG. 1, the cam track and cam follower arrangement 
gradually opens the jaw stations laterally outwardly relative to one 
another so that the carrier strip is progressively stretched laterally. 
In order to insure that the can receiving bands of the carrier are properly 
positioned, it is important that the outer band regions 64 of the carrier 
strip be deformed or twisted 90.degree. from the plane of the strip. This 
deformation of the carrier strip is positively created in an effective and 
efficient manner by cooperation of the ramps 42 on each of the jaw 
stations and forming bars 50 which act as a wedge forcing the outer bands 
64 into conforming relationship with the inclined ramps 42. 
Each and every jaw station reacts with a simple, straight bar to deform or 
twist the outer bands. The carrier strip 11 is fed into a guide system 
which includes a generally U-shaped tray 44 with a cover or holddown plate 
46. This portion of the guide system of this invention is similar to the 
prior art, however, in contra-distinction to the prior art, the strip 
exits from this initial guide system and into a secondary forming guide 
system which acts in cooperation with each and every station moving 
beneath it. This secondary guide section includes stationary side rail 
extensions 48 which may be secured to the side rails of the U-shaped 
trough and which in turn carry a pair of laterally spaced carrier band 
deforming bars 50. Each of these deforming bars is generally straight and 
spaced inwardly of the adjacent support bars 48 so as to be directly 
aligned with the path of movement of the jaw stations rotating 
therebeneath. For example, in the embodiment described herein, the 
leftmost forming bar 50 in FIG. 2 will be directly parallel to the plan of 
the spider 20 and directly aligned with the gap or recess created outside 
of the fingers 40 by the ramp 42. Likewise, the rightmost forming rail 50 
is directly aligned with the path of movement of the moving jaws 28. 
However, it should be understood that depending on the rate of movement of 
the moving jaws 28 from their respective stationary jaw 30, the rightmost 
forming rail 50 may be disposed at an acute angle (not shown) to the plane 
of rotation of the drum so that the rightmost forming bar may directly 
follow the path of the ramps 42. In order to insure stability of the 
operation, a lowermost back-up plate 54 is designed to cantilever-extend 
from the tray 44 and a plurality of holddown fingers 52 are designed to 
restrain the upward movement of the carrier strip 11 relative to the 
back-up plate 54, much in the manner of the operation of the hold-down 
plate 46 relative to the tray 44 at the first part of the guide system of 
this invention. 
In operation, therefore, and as more clearly shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 
strip will be fed out of the first guide section so that the outermost 
band 64 directly overlies the jaw stations 28, 30, and most particularly 
are aligned with the ramps 42 so that the forming bars 50 are spaced 
laterally inwardly from the uppermost extremity of the ramps 42 as well as 
the outermost lateral extremity of the strips. As the strip and jaw 
stations are moved in the direction of rotation of the drum, the depth of 
the penetration of the forming bars 50 gradually increases so that its 
entry into the recess formed between the ramp 42 and the fingers 40 
increases to carefully and firmly deform the side bands 64 in a manner 
shown in FIG. 4 so that, as the stretching members or fingers 40 are 
slowly laterally moved relative to one another, the side bands assume a 
proper position for application and further stretching of the carrier 
strip. 
A further important aspect of the invention is the radius of the arc upon 
which the forming fingers 40 lie. In prior art devices, the radius of the 
carrier stretching jaws was generally conforming to the radius of the cans 
or the can chime. In this invention, however, it has been found that a 
slightly increased radius of the jaw fingers 40 relative to the cans 
provides improved results. Such a relationship is schematically shown in 
FIG. 5. While not shown in the application, it is within the scope of this 
invention to provide forming fingers 40 which are straight or lie in a 
common plane rather than the generally arcuate configuration or obtuse 
angle configuration that is shown throughout the drawings herein. With the 
increased radius of the forming fingers 40, as well as possibly a decrease 
in the total length L, more potential clearance is obtained between the 
rotating jaws and moving cans. In high speed operations, timing and 
tolerances are important and this increased clearance potential is, 
therefore, an aid to achieving high efficiencies. 
Having described the invention, it is to be understood that changes can be 
made in the present embodiment by one skilled in the art within the scope 
of the hereinafter following claims.