Abstract:
A case sealing apparatus includes a frame structure including a case conveyance path extending from a case infeed station to a case outfeed station. First and second side conveying units extend between the infeed station and the outfeed station. The first and second side conveying units are moveable toward and away from the conveyance path for engaging opposite sides of cases to move cases of various widths from the infeed station toward the outfeed station. A lower tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case bottoms. The lower tape head assembly is movable between a lowered position for taping and a raised position for changing tape. An upper tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case tops. The upper tape head assembly is vertically movable to accommodate cases of various heights. A control system controls movement of the first and second side conveying unit, the upper tape head assembly and the lower tape head assembly. The control system includes one or more of a multi-size case mode, a case size lock mode and a tape change mode.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present application relates to packaging apparatus and more particularly to a case sealing apparatus including multiple operational modes. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Case sealing apparatus are known for taping or gluing flaps of a case closed. Some of the known case sealing apparatus can accept cases of varying heights and widths. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,616 describes an apparatus having a vertically moveable tape head assembly and side arm assemblies that are moveable toward and away from each other. The tape head assembly is used to tape the top of the case closed. 
   SUMMARY 
   In an aspect, a case sealing apparatus includes a frame structure including a case conveyance path extending from a case infeed station to a case outfeed station. First and second side conveying units extend between the infeed station and the outfeed station. The first and second side conveying units are moveable toward and away from the conveyance path for engaging opposite sides of cases to move cases of various widths from the infeed station toward the outfeed station. A lower tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case bottoms. The lower tape head assembly is movable between a lowered position for taping and a raised position for changing tape. An upper tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case tops. The upper tape head assembly is vertically movable to accommodate cases of various heights. A control system controls movement of the first and second side conveying unit, the upper tape head assembly and the lower tape head assembly. The control system includes a multi-size case mode, a case size lock mode and a tape change mode. During the multi-size case mode, the control system operates such that the first and second side conveying units and the upper tape head assembly are moved each time a case is fed through the machine for taping. During the case size lock mode, the control system maintains the upper tape head assembly and the first and second side conveying units in locked positions so that multiple cases of common size can be fed through the apparatus at increased throughput as compared to during the multi-size case mode. During the tape change mode, the control system raises the lower tape head assembly from the lowered position to the raised position to facilitate changing of tape. 
   In another aspect, a case sealing apparatus a frame structure including a case conveyance path extending from a case infeed station to a case outfeed station. First and second side conveying units extend between the infeed station and the outfeed station. The first and second side conveying units are moveable toward and away from the conveyance path for engaging opposite sides of cases to move cases of various widths from the infeed station toward the outfeed station. A lower tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case bottoms. An upper tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case tops. The upper tape head assembly is vertically movable to accommodate cases of various heights. A control system controls movement of the first and second side conveying units and the upper tape head assembly. The control system includes a multi-size case mode and a case size lock mode. During the multi-size case mode, the control system operates such that (i) the first and second side conveying units and the upper tape head assembly are located at respective initial positions until presence of a case at the infeed station is detected, (ii) the upper tape head assembly is moved vertically into a taping position for taping the top of the case and the first and second side conveying units are moved sidewardly into respective side positions for engaging opposite sidewalls of the case to move the case along the conveyance path and (iii) after taping the upper tape head assembly and the first and second side conveying units are moved back to their respective initial positions to prepare for handling of a next case. During the case size lock mode, the control system maintains the upper tape head assembly and the first and second side conveying units in locked positions so that multiple cases of common size can be fed through the apparatus at increased throughput as compared to during the multi-size case mode, wherein the case size lock mode is triggered via user activation of a user input during handling of a case in the multi-size case mode after the upper tape head assembly has moved to the taping position for the case and the first and second side conveying units have been moved into their respective side positions for the case. 
   In another aspect, a case sealing apparatus includes a frame structure including a case conveyance path extending from a case infeed station to a case outfeed station. At least one conveying unit is provided for moving cases from the infeed station to the outfeed station. A lower tape head assembly is positioned along the conveyance path to apply tape to case bottoms. The lower tape head assembly is movable between a lowered position for taping and a raised position for changing tape. A control system is provided for controlling operation of the conveying unit and movement of the lower tape head assembly. The control system includes at least one case sealing mode and a tape change mode. During the case sealing mode, the lower tape head assembly is maintained in its lowered position as cases are moved from the infeed station to the outfeed station via operation of the conveying unit. During the tape change mode, the control system raises the lower tape head assembly from the lowered position to the raised position to facilitate changing of tape. 
   The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a case sealing apparatus; 
       FIG. 2  is a section view of the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a lower tape head assembly for use in the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1  in a lowered position; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the lower tape head assembly of  FIG. 3  in a tape change mode; 
       FIG. 5  is a section view of the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the lower tape head assembly in the tape change mode; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a user input device for controlling the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1  by placing the case sealing apparatus in the tape change mode; 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate an embodiment of a method of controlling the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a user input device for controlling the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1  by placing the case sealing apparatus in a case size lock mode; 
       FIG. 9  is a side, diagrammatic view of an embodiment of an actuator including a lock feature for locking an output rod of the actuator at a position; and 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the case sealing apparatus of  FIG. 1  with doors in a closed configuration. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a case sealing apparatus  10  is provided that accommodates cases of various sizes and that provides increased throughput of similarly or same size cases therethrough. As will be described in greater detail below, the case sealing apparatus  10  has multiple modes including a multi-size case mode for sealing cases of varying dimensions, a case size lock mode for sealing cases having substantially the same dimensions and a tape change mode for increased tape accessibility. 
   The case sealing apparatus  10  includes a frame  12  with a conveyor portion  14  and a tape head support portion  16 . Conveyor portion  14  includes a conveyor bed  17 . In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor bed  17  includes a series of horizontally aligned rollers  18 , however, other conveyor elements can be used such as balls, or even a low friction, flat surface material. The conveyor portion  14  also includes an infeed conveyor table  20  and an outfeed conveyor table  22 . The infeed and outfeed conveyor tables  20  and  22  each include their own series of aligned rollers  18  and each cooperates with the conveyor bed  17  to deliver cases onto and off of the conveyor bed. In some embodiments, the frame includes legs  34  with rollers  36  for ease in moving the case sealing apparatus  10  from one location to another. 
   The tape head support portion  16  includes vertical members  24  and  26  and a horizontal member  28  connecting the vertical members. The vertical members  24  and  26  each include a track  30  along which a tape head support beam  32  travels up and down. Tape head support beam  32  is used to support an upper tape head assembly  38  and is moved vertically using linear actuators  40  (e.g., pneumatic cylinders) located at each vertical member  24  and  26 . 
   The case sealing apparatus  10  utilizes a conveyor system, generally designated  42 , to move cases through the apparatus. The conveyor system  42  includes side conveyors  44  and  46 . The side conveyors  44  and  46  include a motor  48  that is used to move an endless belt  50 . The endless belts  50  of the side conveyors  44  and  46  cooperate to move cases through the case sealing apparatus. 
   The side conveyors  44  and  46  are moveable toward and away from each other to accommodate cases having different widths in the cross-conveying direction. In some embodiments, the side conveyors  44  and  46  are moved toward and away from each other using a pneumatic cylinder. In many embodiments, the side conveyors  44  and  46  are linked together such that they move together substantially the same distance to maintain a center point between the side conveyors. Maintaining the center point between the side conveyors  44  and  46  can keep cases centered under the tape head assembly  38  as they pass thereby. 
   Tape head assembly  38  includes a support bracket  52  connected to the tape head support beam  32 . The support bracket  52  is used to support a tape head  54  with tape  56  at a downstream side of the tape head support portion  16  and an array of compression rollers  58  at an upstream side of the tape head support portion. 
   In some embodiments, doors  59  are provided with each door having an open and closed configuration. The doors  59 , in the illustrated embodiment, are hingedly connected to the vertical members  24  and  26 . The doors  59  can inhibit (provide a barrier against) operator access to the tape head assembly  38  in their closed configurations and can allow operator access to the tape head assembly in their open configurations. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the case sealing apparatus  10  also includes a lower tape head assembly  60 . The lower tape head assembly  60  seals bottom flaps of the case together as it passes thereby. The lower tape head assembly  60  includes a support bracket  62  that supports a tape head  64  with tape  56  located beneath the conveyor bed  17 . Referring briefly back to  FIG. 1 , an opening  66  is provided in the conveyor bed  17 . This opening  66  is sized so that the lower tape head  64  can be repositioned above the conveyor bed  17  during the tape change mode, for example, to replace a spent roll of tape with a new roll of tape with relative ease. This is accomplished, in part, by rotatably mounting the support bracket  62  to a fixed lower support structure  68  located at the opening  66 . 
     FIG. 3  shows the lower tape head assembly  60  and lower support structure  68  in isolation. The lower tape head assembly  60  is rotatably mounted to the lower support structure  68  to provide a pivot axis A. A linkage  70  connects the lower tape head assembly  60  to an actuator, in this instance, pneumatic cylinder  72 . Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , retraction of the pneumatic cylinder  72  moves the lower tape head assembly  60  such that at least part of the lower tape head assembly is located above the conveyor bed  17 . In some embodiments, in the raised position, the tape  56  of the lower tape head  64  is positioned entirely above the conveyor bed  17 . When the lower tape head assembly is lowered by extending the cylinder  72 , rotating bracket  75  rests on projection  79  with the projection located in notch  79 . 
   By providing the tape change mode, an operator need not somehow access the tape head  64  from beneath the case sealing apparatus  10  in order to access the tape  56 . As can be seen by  FIG. 1 , this can be particularly advantageous where the case sealing apparatus  10  includes a housing  66  or other protective covering that shields the lower tape head assembly  60  from the operator in its lowered, operating position. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the pneumatic cylinder  72  may be operated using an operator input device  74 , for example, including a control box having multiple inputs, one input  76  (e.g., a button) for retracting the cylinder and lifting the lower tape head assembly  60  and one input  78  for extending the cylinder and lowering the lower tape head assembly. Although shown in isolation, the operator input device  74  may be mounted to the frame  12 , for example, on one side of the frame. In some embodiments, operation of the pneumatic cylinder  72  may be linked to operation of the upper tape head assembly  38 , which is described in greater detail below. For example, it may be possible to retract the pneumatic cylinder  72  and raise the lower tape head assembly  60  only after the upper tape head assembly  38  has been raised, e.g., so that the upper tape head assembly does not interfere with raising the lower tape head assembly. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7A , the case sealing apparatus  10  including control system operates when a case is located on the conveyor bed  17  at the infeed. Initially, the case sealing apparatus  10  may be in the multi-size case mode with the upper tape head assembly  38  at rest in its lowest position and the side conveyors  44  and  46  at rest in their fully spaced apart positions (as also shown by  FIG. 1 ). The case is moved in the conveying direction until it is sensed by a sensor  80  (e.g., a contact sensor located at the front of the upper tape head assembly  38 ; see also  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) by pushing the case against a front of the upper tape head assembly  38 . In some embodiments, the sensor  80  may provide an indication to a controller that the case is sensed. When the case is detected by the sensor  80 , the upper tape head assembly  38  rises upward with roller assembly  85  at the front of the upper tape head assembly facilitating movement. Referring to  FIG. 7B , when the upper tape head assembly  38  is high enough, the operator pushes the case further forward, triggering sensor  86 . Triggering sensor  86  causes the side conveyors  44  and  46  to move inward until they engage the sides of the case (sensors on the side conveyors may be used to detect position of the case as well). The side conveyors  44  and  46  move the case past the upper and lower tape head assemblies  38  and  60  and the case is taped along its top and bottom. An exit sensor  88  detects case throughput after which the side conveyors  44  and  46  move to their furthest spaced apart positions and the upper tape head assembly  38  descends to its lowest/start position ( FIG. 7A ) to handle the next case. When a following case is fed into the case sealing apparatus, the steps of  FIGS. 7A and 7B  are repeated for each following case. The multi-size case mode may be particularly advantageous when cases of varying dimensions are being sealed during a single run. 
   In some instances, it may be desired to feed cases of substantially the same dimensions through the case sealing apparatus  10 . For these instances, the case sealing apparatus  10  is provided with the case size lock mode during which at least one (or both) of the elevation of the tape head assembly  38  and the positions of the side conveyors  44  and  46  relative to each other can be locked after their locations are set based on the dimensions of the case. The case lock mode can increase the throughput of similarly or same sized cases through the cases sealing apparatus  10  as compared to the multi-sized case mode because many of the steps described above are not repeated for each case. 
   After the elevation of the upper tape head assembly  38  and the distance between the side conveyors  44 ,  46  are set as described above to the positions of  FIG. 7B , an operator can place the case sealing apparatus  10  in the case size lock mode, for example, using a user input device  100  ( FIG. 8 ). In one embodiment, referring to  FIG. 9 , the pneumatic cylinders  105  used to move the upper tape head assembly  38  and the side conveyors  44  and  46  each include an actuation section  106  and a lock section  108 . The actuation section  106  includes the cylinder  107  and pneumatic line connectors  111  and  113  and the lock section  108  includes a locking mechanism  109  for locking the output rod  110  in place. In one embodiment, the actuation section  106  includes a rod lock that is spring actuated for clamping the rod thereby preventing its movement and air-released for unclamping the rod thereby allowing its movement. In one implementation, once a lock button  102  ( FIG. 8 ) of the user input device  100  is depressed, pressurized air is no longer provided to the lock section  108  (and, in some embodiments, the actuation section  106 ) via air line  115  causing the locking mechanism to lock the rod in place. 
   Then, the cases having substantially the same dimensions as the already fed through case can be sent through the case sealing apparatus  10  without readjusting the positions of the upper tape head assembly  38  and side conveyors  44  and  46  each time a case is infed into the case sealing apparatus. Once the cases are sealed, the operator may release the case size lock mode using button  104  of the user input device  100 , which causes the upper tape head assembly  30 , in the illustrated example, to fully descend and the side conveyors  44  and  46  to fully retract away from each other. Although shown in isolation, the user input device  100  may be mounted to the frame  12  (see  FIG. 1 ). In another embodiment, the user input device  100  is mounted to the upper tape head assembly  38  such that it moves vertically therewith. In some embodiments, the pneumatic cylinder  72  used to place the case sealing apparatus  10  in the tape change mode includes the actuation section  106  and the lock section  108 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 10 , in some embodiments, the automated control system that sets the locations of the upper tape head assembly  38  and the side conveyors  44  and  46  may operate to move the upper tape head assembly and the side conveyors only if the doors  59  are in their respective closed configurations. If the doors  59  (or one or more of the doors) are in their open configurations as shown by  FIG. 1 , the upper tape head assembly  38  and side conveyors  44 ,  46  will not move. A proximity sensor may be provided to detect whether the doors  59  are open or closed. 
   It is to be clearly understood that the above description is intended by way of illustration and example only and is not intended to be taken by way of limitation, and that changes and modifications are possible. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.