Patent GB-678412-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in packaging apparatus
Inventor: JONES DAVID DAY
IPC: B65B35/50
Filed: 1950-06-23
Abstract: 678,412. Endless conveyers; hoppers. INTERNATIONAL CELLUCOTTON PRODUCTS CO. June 23, 1950. No. 15803/50. Class 78 (i). [Also in Group XVII] A machine for packeting stacks of articles, such as sanitary napkins, comprises a plurality of articlestacking machines, each having a storage compartment into which stacks of articles are delivered, a continuously-operated conveyer fitted with a series of buckets, each bucket being assigned to receive and convey the contents of a predetermined storage compartment to packeting-apparatus, and means for effecting the discharge of the contents of each storage into its assigned bucket as the latter passes said compartment. The machine shown comprises an endless chain conveyer 9 fitted with buckets 10 arranged in groups E 1-8 and W 1-8 and located below stacking machines 1-8 and a stand-by machine K each having two storage compartments 13, 14 or 13K, 14K, the buckets E 1-8 being assigned to the compartments 13 of the machines 1-8 and the buckets W 1-8 to the compartments 14. The buckets comprise fixed and adjustable sections, so that they may be expanded or contracted to suit articles of different sizes, and are carried by saddles 141 secured to the conveyer chains 136. Their upper ends 142 are flared to facilitate the introduction of the stacks of articles. The discharge of the contents of the storage compartments is effected by the opening of pivoted bottom gates 119 actuated by solenoids 17, 18 which are controlled by switch units 15 each comprising switches 15a, 15b arranged on opposite sides of the conveyer and operated by sets of cams 16 carried by the conveyer, the compartments of any one machine being discharged alternately. One arm is associated with each bucket, and the cams are so arranged that each one operates a predetermined switch of a predetermined unit to effect, discharge of a stack of articles from a predetermined chamber 13 or 14 into its assigned bucket. For example, the filling of bucket E2 from chamber 13 of machine 2 is effected by the closing of the associated switch 15b by the cam associated with bucket 7. The sets of cams are arranged in different horizontal planes, and the switch unit K5 of the standby machine K comprises switches 17a, 17b which are adjustable vertically so that this machine may be brought into operation in place of any one of the machines 1-8. Each stacking machine comprises magazines 62, 63 each adapted to receive twelve folded napkins fed thereto by mechanism including a counting device and to be discharged by a cam-operated pusher 111. The base supporting the magazines is mounted on rollers and is reciprocated transversely of the chambers 13, 14 by cam mechanism operating in timed relationship with the feeding of the napkins and the discharge of the chambers, the arrangement being such that the magazines 62 is in the filling position in which it is aligned with the feeding mechanism when the magazine 63 is aligned with the chamber 14 so that its contents may be transferred thereto by its associated pusher 111, and the magazine 63 is in the filling position when the magazine 62 is aligned with the chamber 13.