Patent GB-269246-A (GB)
Title: Improvement in wrapping machines
IPC: B65B11/22
Filed: 1925-10-09
Abstract: 269,246. Marks, E. C. R., (Package Machinery Co.). Oct. 9, 1925. Packcting by wrapping-up.-Relates to wrapping machines in which the article is fed to a transfer member and thence to a transported, wrapping material being positioned in the path of the transfer movement and being folded around the top, bottom, and sides, completion being effected during the passage of the article across the transported. Parts of the machine described form the subject-matter of Specifications 269,467 and 269,835. The articles to be wrapped are fed over a table 62 Fig. 15, between side walls 64 by endless bands 20, between which an elevator 22 rises and transports them to position I level with a folding table 32. A vertical strip 78 prevents the next article from being fed while the elevator is in the raised position. The article passes upwards through a well 68, of which the rear wall 74 is turned up to form a guide for the advancing cartons. During the ascent, the article carries with it a wrapper 26 from between guides 80, folders 206, 208 applying the wrapper to each side of the article. The rear downwardly extending flap a is folded up by plates 214 into the position shown in Fig. 4, and the forward flap b is folded up, when the article is moved to position II by the edge of the table 32, a previously applied line of gum causing this flap to adhere to the flap a. During the movement from position I to position II, a pair of spring-pressed followers 220 engage the vertical side of the article near the lower corner and prevent displacement of the wrapper. The articles are advanced to the various positions of work I - - VII by fingers A - - F depending from transporter bars 230, pivotally mounted on transverse rods 232. The rods are supported by links 234, Figs. 12 and 15, of which one end is attached to a crank arm 242 and the other to a, link 236 the lower end of which is pivoted at 236<1> to a fixed bar 238. Each bar is connected to two such systems of links and the rotation of the cranks 242 causes the rods 232, and consequently the fingers A - - F, to describe the closed path 270, Fig. 12. The lower portion of this path, corresponding to the feeding stroke of the fingers, is substantially horizontal, so that relative vertical movement between the fingers and the pockets is avoided. The upper portion of the path corresponds to the return stroke of the fingers during which they are lifted sufficiently high to avoid contact with the package immediately behind, and subsequently to engage it in readiness for the next feeding stroke. Pressure plates 303 maintain the packets in exact position in the table 32. When a package is in position III, vertically sliding folders turn up the fold g, Fig. 5, and extensions 276 on the feeding fingers C turn in the fold e. During further progress of the package folders 288 Fig. 14, in which the machine is seen from the other side, turn in the fold h and the sloping edge 290 causes the fold j to be turned up vertically as shown in Fig. 6. During the advance from position IV to position V, folders 295, Fig. 14, turn the flap down on to the end of the package as shown in Fig. 7, the wrapper being now completely applied so as to cover the carton except at the centre portions of the ends. A label is now applied to the ends so as to completely seal the packet as shown in Fig. 8. The labelling takes place during the feed of the articles from position V to position VI, after which the packet is moved to position VII between belts 36 of a delivering conveyer, passing between positioning plates 390, ribbed at 392 so as not to contact with the labels. The endless belts are intermittently advanced a distance equal to the breadth of a packet so as to reduce the spaces between the packets, each movement being slow to start with and speeding up eventually to the speed of the transporter movement. The wrappers are supplied to the position above the elevator, at which they are engaged by the article, by the apparatus shown in Fig. 9. A gripper device 82, comprising fixed jaws 84 and movable jaws 8G, is mounted on a carriage 88 adapted to reciprocate on horizontal guide bars 90. The movement is effected by sprocket chains 94 passing over wheels 96, 98. The shaft 100 of the wheel 96 is rotated alternately in opposite directions by crank-actuated rack-and-pinion mechanism in such a manner that the carriage 88 is reversed quickly at the receiving position on the left and slows up towards the point at which the jaws are to be opened to release the wrapper, thus facilitating the correct positioning of the wrapper and allowing time for it to be removed to the folding devices before the return movement. The jaw 86 is closed upon the jaw 74 at the receiving point by the action of a slide rod 142 frictionally mounted in the carriage 88 and moved relatively to the right by a stop 148 so that a roller 146 is moved into a notch in the rod by a spring 138 and the jaw thereby closed. At the other end of the travel of the carriage 88, a stop 150 acts reversely upon the rod and the jaws are opened, thus leaving the sheet supported by pronged bars 162, and the forward end aligned by stops 156 and curved springs 158 which prevent rebounding.