Patent EP-0204606-B1 (EP)
IPC: B65B5/02
Filed: 1986-05-22
Granted: 1988-05-11
Abstract: 1. Installation for opening out, filling and palletising containers of the type comprising a parallelepipedic case (10) of square or rectangular section, which is open at its two ends and whose bottom is reduced to four peripheral bottom flaps (20, 22, 24, 26) pivotally connected to the side walls of the container, comprising a filling station (B) with a vertical piston (100) for supporting a plate (136) intended to form the bottom of the container, characterized in that it comprises : - an introduction and formation station (A) into which the container (10) which is initially formed by a blank in the form of a flattened paralelogram is manually introduced and then opened out to assume a parallelepipedic shape, its bottom flaps (20 to 26) remaining in a vertical open position, said station comprising means (48, 68) for holding the container in its parallelepipedic shape, means (48, 62, 64, 70) for lifting the bottom flaps to a horizontal position and optionally means (92) for glueing the internal faces of the bottom flaps, - the filling station (B) disposed downstream of the formation station comprising : . a horizontal plane formed for example by a series of free rollers (95) on which the containers rests by way of its folded-over bottom flaps and which delimit a central opening (99) of an area substantially equal to that (34) of the opening remaining in the bottom of the contour, . the vertical piston (100) which is provided at the end of its rod with flat elements (102 to 110) capable of expanding in the horizontal plane forme a contracted position in which, when the piston is retracted, they form an area slightly less than that of said opening (34) in the bottom of the container and whose upper common plane is disposed at the same level as that of said rollers (95), to an expanded position in which they occupy practically the entire internal section of the container, wherein said flat elements can support over its entire surface the plate (136) which is intended to form the bottom of the container, - a palletisation station (C) which is disposed downstream of the filling station at a distance therefrom equal to that separating the formation station and the filling station and which is supplied with pallets (192), each pallet in position having its upper surface substantially at the same level as the plane of the free rollers (95), - a horizontal transfer plate (215) ensuring continuity between the plane of the free rollers and that of the pallet, - at least a first carriage (72) which is normally in the formation station (A) and which is actuated sequentially with a forward movement in which it entrains an empty container from the formation station to the filling station and a return movement in the empty condition to the formation station ; - at least a second carriage (138, 140) which is normally at the filling station and which is displaced synchronously with the first carriage (72) so as simultaneously to entrain a loaded container from the filling station (B) to the palletisation station (C) and to return empty to the filling station, - a pallet supply station (D), - a discharge station (E) dor discharge of full containers mounted on a pallet, -  a palletisation plate member (214) which covers the pallet which is in position at the palletisation station and on to which the full container arriving from the filling station is pushed, said plate member being capable of being slid alone in such a way that the container is deposited on the pallet, said last two elements being retained by  abutments (226, 204), and - a conveying device (206, 208) which is intended to entrainh simultaneously and in a stepwise manner an empty pallet (192') from the supply station (D) to the palletisation station (C) and a pallet (192) carrying a loaded container from the palletisation station to the discharge station.