Patent GB-780020-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to packaging machines
Inventor: DAVIS EDWARD JOHN ALBERT
IPC: B65B5/04
Filed: 1954-12-30
Abstract: 780,020. Packaging-machines. LONDON RUBBER CO., Ltd. March 21, 1956 [Dec. 30, 1954], No. 37691/54. Class 94(1). In a machine for packaging deformable articles, e.g. rubber articles formed with a teat at one end, each article is inserted into a flattened tube so that part of it projects from the tube, the end of the tube from which the article projects is caused tc enter an envelope, the article is held in the envelope by a gripping device which engages the exterior of the envelope and the tube is withdrawn, Vertical shafts 15 and 17, inter. connected by chain and sprocket gearing 18, are rotated intermittently through gearing 16 by a main cam shaft 14, the shaft 17 supporting a spider 19 comprising ten arms each consisting of parallel rods 21, 22 on which is mounted a slider 23 carrying a flattened tube 24. Each slider is fitted with a roller 25 arranged to engage in the slotted upper end of a lever 26 or 27, the lever 26 being oscillated by a cam 32 on the shaft 14 and coupled by a collapsible link 33 to an arm 34 on the lever 27. The articles to be packaged are fed into the tubes by rollers 37, 38 rotated intermittently by a shaft 35 driven from the shaft 14. The shaft 15 carries a turntable 39 formed with ten inclined platforms 41 each adapted to receive ar envelope, holes 42 in each platform being connected by conduits 43 and a rotary valve 44 to a source of suction. Each platform is associated with a vertically-slidable post 48 carrying a tube 49 connected by a flexible pipe 51 to the valve 44, each post carrying at its lower end an arm 52 fitted with a follower 53 engaging a fixed cam track 54 whereby the posts are periodically lowered against the action of a spring. A lever 55 associated with each platform carries a finger 56 arranged to press on an envelope when the lever is rotated anticlockwise by a cam 57 on the upper end of a rod 58 which is periodically moved upwardly against the action of a spring 62 by a cam 61 on the shaft 14. The envelopes are fed in succession from a stack supported by a chain hoist 63, each envelope being engaged by a reciprocable suction device 67 and deposited on a platform 41 where it is held by suction applied through the holes 42. When the envelope reaches station B, suction is applied to the tube 49 which is then moved upwardly to open the envelope, the tube 24 and partially enclosed article are inserted into the envelope by outward movement of the slider 23 and the lever 55 is operated to cause the article and envelope to be gripped between the finger 56 and the platform while the tube 24 is`withdrawn. The absence of an envelope at station B is detected by a photo-electric device which operates an electromagnet 81 to collapse the link 33 and prevent deposition of an article on an empty platform. The photo-electric device also operates mechanism whereby the rollers 37, 38 are prevented from inserting a second article into the unemptied tube at station A. The electric circuit may be so arranged that the machine is stopped if two successive platforms have not received envelopes.