Abstract:
An apparatus and method for forming a carton from a blank sheet of material, in line, and wrapping it about articles of a predetermined size including cutting and scoring blades which are automatically preset according to parameters previously stored, for these particular articles, in a programmable controller.

Description:
This is a division, of prior application Ser. No. 09/173,121, filed Oct. 15, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,231 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for wrapping books and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to wrap-around packing wherein discrete articles are deposited upon carton blanks which are wrapped about the articles to surround all sides of the articles. The thus obtained packages are then ready for stacking, storage or transport. 
     In the art of packaging products of variable length, width and height, it s the practice of the manufacturer to maintain a large inventory of pre-scored and pre-slit containers of varying sizes together with an inventory of filler pads for insertion into the filled containers since normal size variations in so-called standard size products will result in the container selected being slightly too small or too large. Thus, a tight package of the product is not obtained without the use of the aforementioned filler pads. 
     Moreover, when the production is changed to new sized articles to be wrapped, a different sized pre-scored and pre-slit blank must be inventoried and used. This contributes to the initial cost of the packages and necessitates relatively long interruptions of the packing operation during conversion from the processing of a first dimensioned article to the processing of articles of a different second dimension. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, articles of different sizes such as different pack sizes of books, are wrapped with a carton formed from a blank in a continuous manner in a new and improved process. This is achieved by taking a standard size blank or blanks and custom trimming the blanks to a size relates to the pack size and adjusting the slotting and scoring means to form the blank so that it wraps neatly about the book pack. The preferred process is practiced by an in-line, high speed, case packing machine which can be readily adjusted to handle and carton different sizes of book packs. Preferably information on sizing from previous orders of book packs is stored and used by a controller to reposition slitting knives to cut the blanks to size, to reposition slotting knives to slot the blanks, and/or to reposition slotting blades to score the blanks to neatly fit the carton to the size of the book pack. Thus, the same size of blanks, such as corrugated board blanks, can be customized to the order without having to inventory a large number of blank sizes and/or without having to use filler pads. 
     This invention provides a machine capable of performing this method in high speed production operation and which will produce a tightly wrapped pack or case that can easily be handled and which is well suited to reduce and to avoid damage to the contents in any such later handing. 
     In this invention a controller for controlling the sizing, scoring and slotting means has stored information on sizing from previous orders of identical sizes and uses this stored information for automatically adjusting the appropriate scoring blades, trimming knives, etc. in order to produce a pre-sized and pre-formed flat blank which is identical to the said previous orders. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose. 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the system to transport the articles to be packed to the wrapping station and to prepare a properly sized and scored flat blank of wrapping material as shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 1A shows one possible configuration for the second rotatable cutting wheels of the second cutting and scoring station; 
     FIG  1 B shows one possible configuration for the second rotating scoring wheels of the second cutting and scoring station; and 
     FIG. 1C shows the third rotating scoring wheel for the second scoring station. 
     FIG. 2 is a view of a completed pre-scored, trimmed and pre-cut flat blank of wrapping material; 
     FIG. 3 shows the pre-cut blank wrapping material of FIG. 2 in a first position about material to be wrapped (not shown). 
     FIG. 4 shows the continued wrapping process with all four sides enclosed. 
     FIG. 5 shows continued wrapping process with bottom side flaps in final position. 
     FIG. 6 shows continued wrapping process with top cover in place. 
     FIG. 7 shows final wrapping with formed lid for opening carton and prior to gluing, labeling and taping. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The carton is formed from a single corrugated sheet or blank  10 , shown in FIG. 2, by the apparatus shown in FIG.  1 . 
     Flat, corrugated blanks  10  are fed from a stack in a hopper  11  of an up stack sheet feeder  14  by an automatic vacuum blank feed from the top of the stack. The sheet (FIG. 1) is fed by the automatic up stack sheet feeder  14  under the control of a controller  200  in timed relationship onto a conveyor  12  to a first scoring and cutting station  15 . Hopper  11  has the capacity for holding enough blanks  10  for a predetermined period of time, e.g. 10 minutes of operation without refilling. A central controller  200  such as a CPU and/or several programmable controllers controls the timed operation of the sheet feeder  14  and conveyors to deliver the standard size blanks  10  for cutting the blank  10  into the appropriate size for the carton needed to pack a particular pack size of books. 
     The controller  200  has stored therein the various carton sizes for various book packs. The operator of the apparatus identifies the pack size for the books and the controller has stored in memory the size of carton to be cut from the standard size of blanks and the location of the sits to be made in the blank and location of the scores to be made in the blank. Prior to feeding the first blank into a cutting and scoring station  15  where the blank is cut to size and scored, the cutting knives or knife wheels  25  are first positioned to define lateral sides for the trimmed blank. Herein, the knife wheels  25  may be mounted on oppositely threaded portions of a shaft driven by a precisely positioned stepping motor or the like  205 . The motor is operated by an electrical line  205   a  connected to the controller  200  to rotate the shaft  16  and cause the blades to move toward or away from one another relative to a center line through the center of the sheet feeder  14  and the blanks  10  being fed thereby so that equal amounts will be cut from opposite sides of the blank. If desired, each cutting blade  25  could have separate motor and a separate positioning shaft so that the knives could be moved independently and through respectively different distances. 
     The controller  200  will in a like manner position scoring wheels  20  mounted on a common shaft  21  having oppositely threaded ends with the shaft  21  being driven by a stepper motor  206  or the like which is connected over and electrical control line  206   a  to the controller  200 . Thus, the scoring wheels  20  are adjusted to the positions needed to provide the scoring line locations for the particular carton to be erected for a given pack size of books. The location of the score lines may vary one pack size of books to the next pack size of books. 
     Prior to feeding the first blank  10 , second edge trimmer knife wheels  65  and second scoring wheels  70  at a second cutting station  55  are positioned by reversible motors in a manner similar to that described above for the knife wheels  25  and scoring wheels  20 . 
     The location of the cutting and scoring blades in the first station  15  have been predetermined by the programmable controller in the electrical cabinet  200 , and placed in these locations by reversible motors  205  and  206 . The leading edge of a single corrugated sheet  10  is conveyed from the up stacker sheet feeder  12  to the right in the longitudinal direction of the sheet  10  in FIG.  1  through the first scoring and cutting station  15  by a positive feed assembly that either grips and pulls the sheet  10  or pushes the sheet  10  as near as possible to the outside edges. The first scoring wheels  20  will form the first and second score lines  30  and  35 , respectively, as well as the lid flap cuts  45  (FIG. 2) on the corrugated sheet  10 . Rotatable, first edge-trimming knife wheels  25 , are capable of trimming the outside horizontal longitudinally extending edges  40  of the corrugated sheet  10  by up to 3 inches. Scrap trimmed from the longitudinally extending edges  40  will be dropped into and accumulated in a hopper which is at a lower level and which is equipped for rolling out of the machine for dumping by an individual fork lift. The scrap may also be accumulated in a remote area by means of a vacuum system (not shown). 
     The corrugated sheet  10  is then fed at right angles from the cross feed station  41  to a second cutting station  55  for the short dimension scoring and slitting operations. The location of the cutting and scoring blades  70  and  110  in this station  55  have also been predetermined by a programmable controller in the electrical cabinet  200 , and placed in these locations by reversible motors  207  and  208 . At this second cutting station  55 , rotatable, second edge-trimming knife wheels  65  sever the corrugated sheet  10  at the outside vertical edges  60  to trim the sheet to size. Also, second rotating scoring wheels  70  (FIG.  1 B), will make the third, fourth, and fifth score lines  75 ,  80 , and  85 , respectively, while the third rotating scoring wheel  71  (FIG.  1 C), accomplishes the scoring of the sixth score line  90  which includes the scoring of the seventh score lines  115  at first and second top inside end flaps  185  and  190  respectively in the corrugated sheet  10 . Second rotatable cutting wheels  110  (FIG. 1A) sever the sheet to make first and second side-bottom cuts  95  and  100 , respectively, and side-toe cut  105 , in the corrugated sheet  10 . The sheet  10  is fed into the wrap-around station  130  to await the arrival of a stack of articles. 
     Individual articles  120  are fed to the cartoning machine (FIG. 1) by a continuous conveyor  125 , the articles  120 , are then turned and stacked by turner, stacker  127 , delivered by the stack, delivery  128 , and moved on to the transfer, loader  133 , by the infeed, indexing  132 . The transfer, loader  133 , is preferably an air lift transfer table which feeds the stack of individual articles over the top of a scored and cut flat corrugated sheet  10 , in the wrap-around station  130 . 
     At the wrap-around station  130 , the stacks of individual articles  120 , are seated on the bottom panel  135 , and the stacks and sheet are pushed downward forcing the carton blank through former guides to turn up end and side flaps. A table supports the carton blank and the stack as they move downward. Therefore, as the stacks and carton blank are pushed down, first and second side flaps  160  and  165  (FIG. 3) are bent up about third and fourth score lines  75  and  80 , respectively, to position the first and second side flaps  160  and  165  alone the sides of the stack&#39;s outer side. Also, first side and second side inside end flaps  150  and  155  (FIG. 4) are plowed to fold along first and second score lines  30   a ,  35   a,    30   c,  and  35   c;  and first and second bottom end flaps  140  and  145  (FIG. 5) are bent about first and second score lines  30   b,  and  35   b  to cover the first and second side inside end flaps  150  and  155 . Thus, the stacks of individual articles  120 , are covered on the bottom and the four vertical sides. 
     Next, the stacks of individual articles  120 , and the corrugated sheet  10  are fed horizontally to a former station where a top panel  170  (FIG. 6) is bent at fifth score line  85  over the top of the stacks of books  120 ; and first and second top outside end flaps  175  and  180  are plowed down about first and second score lines  30   d  and  35   d.  At the next station, the first and second top inside end flaps  185  and  190  (FIG. 7) are folded at seventh score lines  115  across the first side panel  160 . A top primary flap  195  connected to the top panel  170  at sixth score line  90  is folded down, which is glued to first and second top inside end flaps  185  and  190  to form the lid by which the carton may be opened. 
     The incoming corrugated sheets  10  and the stacks of individual articles  120 , continuously travel through the cartoning station without stopping. The cartoning machine can accept a stream of 100 books per minute with surges up to 105 BPM and is capable of delivering sealed cartons containing from 8 to 30 books without delaying or causing slowdowns in the incoming product stream. The carton may also be kept compressed, and tape may be wrapped about the carton instead of, or, in addition to, the aforementioned gluing process. 
     While specific details of a preferred embodiment have been set forth above, it will be apparent that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will therefore be understood that what has been described herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.