Patent GB-802743-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in wrapping machines
Inventor: ROSE ALFRED GERMAN
IPC: B65B11/08
Filed: 1955-10-19
Abstract: 802,743. Wrapping-machines. ROSE BROS. (GAINSBOROUGH), Ltd. Oct. 17, 1956 [Oct. 19, 1955], No. 29780/55. Class 94(1). A wrapping machine comprises a continuously driven chain conveyer 11 having attached to its links at spaced intervals a plurality of wrapper and article-supporting plates 12 each carrying a pivoted wrapper-gripper 13, Figs. 5 and 6, urged by a torsion spring 14 into engagement with the surface of the plate. The grippers are opened at intervals by stationary cams 16, 17 firstly to allow a web 18 of wrapping material to be fed over the plates 12 and secondly to allow wrappers cut from the web by a device 19 to be subsequently folded around individual articles 21 carried by the plates. The grippers close on to the edge of the web so that it is drawn from the supply by the movement of the conveyer and remains in the closed position during the severing of the wrappers and the initial folding of their leading and trailing portions against the ends of the articles. The latter may be blocks of ice-cream which are cut from an extruding rod and deposited in succession on the plates by mechanism as described in Specification 743,978. The initial folding of the wrappers is effected by plates 31, Fig. 5, pivoted on axes 32 to the leading and trailing edges of each plate 12 and swingable upwardly by a pair of spring-loaded tongues 37, Fig. 2, mounted on parallel-motion links 38, 39 which are carried by a bracket 41 reciprocable on rods 42 by a link 47 and arm 46 operated by a cam 43. The tongues 37 are moved upwardly by linkage 49, 51 operated by a cam 48, the rate of reciprocation of the bracket 41 being such that the tongues move at the same speed as the conveyer 11 during their upward movement. The bracket 41 also carries the cutting device 19. The plates 31 are retained in their operative and inoperative positions by leaf springs 36 engaging depressions 34 in segments 33 formed thereon and grip the partially-wrapped block so that it is maintained in position after the associated gripper 13 has been released by the cam 17 to allow the laterally-extending portions of the wrapper to be folded upwardly by fixed ploughs 52 to form the wrapper into an open-topped box having doubled portions of the wrapper extending forwardly and rearwardly from its corners. These doubled portions are folded in pairs on to the forward and rear ends of the package by pairs of lateral tuckers 53 and 54, Fig. 4, movable synchronously with the conveyer 11. Tuckers 53 are attached to a slide 56 mounted in a slideway 57 carried by a bracket 58 which is reciprocated on rods 59 by a link 61 coupled to the arm 46. Slide 56 carries a roller 62 movable in a track 63 on an arm 64 which is operated by a cam 67 to produce the lateral movement of the tuckers. The tuckers 54 are similarly mounted on a slide 68 arranged to be similarly reciprocated by an arm 69 and cam 71. During the tucking action the plates 31 are sandwiched between the end folds. The upwardly extending portions of the wrappers are then folded on to the top of the block by a pair of end folders 72, pivoted to the bracket 58 and actuated through linkage 74, 76 by a cam 73 and a pair of slidably mounted side folders 78 actuated by cam-operated arms 79, 81 similar to those actuating the tuckers 53, 54. The completely wrapped block then passes under an upper guide 82 which maintains the folds in position while the conveyer 11 passes around its sprocket 83 to invert the block and deposit it on a delivery conveyer 84. The wrapped blocks will normally be disengaged from the plates 31 by gravity, but this disengagement may be assisted by a cam operated stripper 86. The various folds may be sealed by heat and pressure applied by mechanism (not shown). The wrappers may be prepared and fed separately to the plates and the conveyer 11 may be driven intermittently, the various operations being effected during the idle periods and the mechanism for moving the folders at conveyer speed being omitted. Alternatively, the speed of the conveyer may be varied so as to reach or approach zero at the moments of feeding and cutting.