Compact boxing machine

Abstract

 A compact boxing machine (1) having a packing container conveyor (4) for feeding a succession of packing containers (3) along a path through a filling station where a compact group of products (2) is positioned inside each packing container (3); and a product grouping and compacting platform (5) located alongside the packing container conveyor (4), at the filling station, to receive the loose products (2) and to compact and arrange the products (2) so as to form the cited compact groups; the filling station being located at the start end of the packing container conveyor (4); and the boxing machine (1) also having a packing container store (6) located alongside the packing container conveyor (4), at least partly beneath the product grouping and compacting platform (5).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a compact boxing machine.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a machine for boxing glass bottles and similar, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.

[0003] As is known, machines for boxing glass bottles are automatic machines, which receive a succession of loose bottles, and supply a succession of cardboard boxes, or similar packing containers, each containing a predetermined number of bottles arranged in a predetermined spatial arrangement, i.e. in a predetermined "format" and with a predetermined "spacing". Obviously, the spatial arrangement, i.e. the "format" and "spacing", of the bottles inside the box depends on the size of both the box and the bottles.

[0004] In other words, bottle boxing machines are automatic machines designed to deposit orderly, compact groups of bottles fully automatically inside a succession of cardboard boxes, each formed on the machine by appropriately folding a sheet of preshaped cardboard or so-called blank.

[0005] As is known, known bottle boxing machines substantially comprise a packing container belt conveyor for feeding a succession of cardboard boxes in steps, with the opening facing upwards, along a path through a filling station, where the bottles are positioned inside the boxes; a product grouping and compacting platform located alongside the filling station, and which receives, compacts, and forms the loose incoming bottles into said orderly, compact groups of bottles of predetermined "format" and "spacing"; and a loose-product belt conveyor for feeding a succession of loose bottles to said product grouping and compacting platform.

[0006] Boxing machines of the above type also comprise a movable gripping head, which is movable horizontally and vertically in the space astride the filling station and product grouping and compacting platform to remove the orderly, compact groups of bottles successively off the platform and deposit the groups of bottles inside the boxes as they are arrested at the filling station alongside the product grouping and compacting platform.

[0007] Known bottle boxing machines also comprise a packing container store, in which stacks of blanks from which to form the packing containers are stored; and a packing container forming unit for removing one blank at a time from the store, folding the blank to form a box with the opening facing upwards, and depositing the box so formed onto the packing container belt conveyor, upstream from the filling station, to form a succession of cardboard boxes which is then fed to the filling station alongside the product grouping and compacting platform.

[0008] Though highly efficient, boxing machines of the above type have the major drawback of being extremely bulky and therefore unsuitable for use in small bottling plants with very little space for machinery.

[0009] Boxing machines of the above type are also designed for a much faster output rate per hour than actually required by small bottling plants, with all the economic disadvantages this involves : the machines are never operated continuously to maximum capacity, thus resulting in economically unfeasible running costs.

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for boxing glass bottles and similar, which is both compact and more flexible than currently marketed machines.

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a compact boxing machine comprising a packing container conveyor for feeding a succession of packing containers along a path through a filling station where a compact group of products is positioned inside each packing container; and a product grouping and compacting platform located alongside the packing container conveyor, at the filling station, to receive the loose products and to compact and form said products into said compact groups of products; said boxing machine also comprising a packing container store for storing compacted packing containers; and the boxing machine being characterized in that said filling station is located at the start end of said packing container conveyor; and in that said packing container store is located alongside the packing container conveyor, at least partly beneath said product grouping and compacting platform.

[0012] A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of a machine for boxing bottles and similar, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a side view, with parts removed for clarity, of the Figure 1 boxing machine;

Figure 3 shows a plan view, with parts removed for clarity, of the boxing machine in Figures 1 and 2;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show three schematic plan views of the Figure 1-3 boxing machine in respective operating configurations.

[0013] With reference to figures 1, 2 and 3, number 1 indicates as a whole a boxing machine for receiving a succession of loose bottles 2 or similar, and supplying a succession of cardboard boxes 3 or similar packing containers, each containing a predetermined number of bottles 2 arranged in a predetermined spatial arrangement, i.e. in a predetermined "format" and with a predetermined "spacing".

[0014] Boxing machine 1 comprises a packing container conveyor 4 for feeding a succession of cardboard boxes 3, with the opening facing upwards, in steps along a path through a filling station where bottles 2 are positioned inside boxes 3; and a product grouping and compacting platform 5 located alongside packing container conveyor 4, at the filling station, and which receives loose bottles 2, and then compacts and forms bottles 2 into orderly, compact groups of bottles 2 of predetermined "format" and "spacing".

[0015] Unlike known machines, the filling station of boxing machine 1 is located at the start end of packing container conveyor 4, so that grouping and compacting platform 5 is located alongside the start end of packing container conveyor 4.

[0016] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, boxing machine 1 also comprises a packing container store 6 containing at least one stack of cardboard blanks 7; and a packing container forming unit 8, which removes one blank 7 at a time from packing container store 6, folds blank 7 to form a box 3 with the opening facing upwards, and positions the box 3, so formed, on packing container conveyor 4 at the filling station, i.e. at the start end of packing container conveyor 4.

[0017] More specifically, packing container store 6 is located alongside packing container conveyor 4, at least partly beneath grouping and compacting platform 5; and container forming unit 8 is located at the filling station, i.e. at the start end of packing container conveyor 4, and folds blanks 7 directly at the filling station.

[0018] With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, boxing machine 1 also comprises a loose-product conveyor 9 for feeding a succession of loose bottles 2 to bottle grouping and compacting platform 5; and a movable gripping head 10, which is movable horizontally and vertically in the space over product grouping and compacting platform 5 and the filling station (i.e. the start end of packing container conveyor 4) to remove, fully automatically and on command, the newly formed orderly, compacted groups of bottles 2 successively off grouping and compacting platform 5, and then deposit the groups of bottles 2 inside boxes 3 prepared shortly before by container forming unit 8 at the filling station alongside grouping and compacting platform 5.

[0019] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, in the example shown, packing container conveyor 4 substantially comprises a conventional linear belt conveyor 11; and a movable supporting member 12, which is located immediately upstream from linear belt conveyor 11, and has a horizontal supporting surface 13 for supporting boxes 3 arrested at the start end of packing container conveyor 4, i.e. at the filling station.

[0020] More specifically, movable supporting member 12 defines the start end of packing container conveyor 4; and horizontal supporting surface 13, being located opposite packing container store 6, is movable on command between a first operating position, in which it is substantially coplanar with the horizontal conveying surface of linear belt conveyor 11 to support box 3 pending transfer to linear belt conveyor 11, and a second operating position, in which it is located below the conveying surface of linear belt conveyor 11 to avoid interfering with withdrawal of blank 7 from packing container store 6, and with subsequent folding of the blank at the filling station, i.e. at the start end of packing container conveyor 4.

[0021] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, in the example shown, horizontal supporting surface 13 is defined by two flat, elongated rectangular plates 13, which extend parallel to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 on packing container conveyor 4 (i.e. parallel to the longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11), are aligned adjacent to and in series with each other to form an elongated rectangular supporting surface, and are hinged to the machine frame by the two minor lateral edges of said supporting surface, so that each plate projects from and can oscillate about a respective horizontal axis of rotation A perpendicular to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11, i.e. perpendicular to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 on linear belt conveyor 11.

[0022] More specifically, the two flat plates 13 project from and oscillate about respective axes of rotation A to move between a raised position, in which they are horizontal, aligned and coplanar with each other to support box 3, and a lowered position, in which they both slope downwards specularly with each other into a substantially vertical position, or at least a predetermined distance apart, to avoid interfering with the positioning of blank 7 at the filling station.

[0023] Movable supporting member 12 also comprises actuating means - hereinafter indicated 14 - for moving horizontal supporting surface 13, and which, on command, move flat plates 13 between the raised position and the lowered position to set horizontal supporting surface 13 selectively to the first or second operating position.

[0024] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, in the example shown, each of the two flat plates 13 is defined by the flat top portion of a horizontal beam 15 having a T-shaped (or even inverted-L-shaped) cross section, and which extends parallel to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11, and is hinged to the machine frame by an axial end of the vertical flat portion underneath, so as to project from and oscillate freely about relative horizontal axis of rotation A.

[0025] Actuating means 14 are defined by two double-acting pistons, each of which is fixed to the machine frame, directly beneath a corresponding horizontal beam 15, and is hinged by the end of its output shaft to the flat vertical portion of horizontal beam 15 so as to lift or lower the free end of horizontal beam 15 on command.

[0026] More specifically, with reference to Figure 2, the two double-acting pistons 14 move respective horizontal beams 15 between a first operating position, in which horizontal beams 15 are positioned horizontally, aligned in series with each other, and parallel to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11, and a second operating position, in which the two horizontal beams 15 slope specularly with respect to each other, with their respective free ends closer to the floor than in the previous position.

[0027] With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, container forming unit 8 comprises a pickup member 16 for removing one blank 7 at a time from packing container store 6, and for positioning blank 7 on horizontal supporting surface 13 while simultaneously opening blank 7 into a substantially tubular shape (Figure 4); a squaring member 17 for setting and maintaining blank 7 in said tubular shape, with its walls "square", i.e. in parallel pairs perpendicular to one another (Figure 6); and two flap-closing members 18, each for squarely folding one of the two bottom lateral flaps of blank 7 to form the bottom of box 3.

[0028] In the example shown, blanks 7 are stored vertically inside packing container store 6, and pickup member 16 comprises a number of suction cups 20 or similar gripping devices suitably arranged on a vertical supporting frame positioned facing the inlet of packing container store 6, and which is movable horizontally, in a direction d₂ perpendicular to the inlet of packing container store 6, to penetrate the store and bring suction cups 20 to rest against the first blank 7 inside the store.

[0029] In other words, suction cups 20 move horizontally in the space defined at the top by grouping and compacting platform 5, and at the bottom by the conveying surface of packing container conveyor 4.

[0030] In addition to suction cups 20 and the supporting frame, pickup member 16 also comprises a supporting carriage 21 fitted to the machine frame to run in a horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal direction d₂ of suction cups 20; a connecting arm 22 for connecting supporting carriage 21 rigidly to the supporting frame of suction cups 20; and an actuating device for moving supporting carriage 21, on command, along the machine frame, so as to move suction cups 20 in horizontal direction d₂ into packing container store 6 and onto the first blank 7 in the store.

[0031] In the example shown, supporting carriage 21 runs alongside grouping and compacting platform 5 along a straight horizontal guide fixed to the machine frame and perpendicular to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11; and connecting arm 22 lies in a plane perpendicular to horizontal direction d₂ of suction cups 20 (i.e. is parallel to the central vertical plane of linear belt conveyor 11) and is substantially L-shaped to get around grouping and compacting platform 5.

[0032] In other words, in the example shown, horizontal direction d₂ of suction cups 20 is perpendicular to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 on packing container conveyor 4.

[0033] Squaring member 17 substantially comprises a supporting carriage 23 fitted to the machine frame to run in a horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 on packing container conveyor 4; a horizontal aligning bar 24 hinged at one axial end to supporting carriage 23 to oscillate freely about a vertical axis of rotation V; and a double-acting piston 25 for moving horizontal bar 24 to and from an operating position, in which horizontal bar 24 is perpendicular to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 on packing container conveyor 4 (i.e. is perpendicular to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11) and rests against a lateral wall of the box 3 standing at the filling station.

[0034] Squaring member 17 also comprises an actuating device (not shown) for moving supporting carriage 23 on command along the machine frame, and so moving horizontal bar 24, parallel to itself at all times, in a horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 along linear belt conveyor 11.

[0035] With reference to Figures 1 and 3, the two flap-closing members 18 are located on opposite sides of movable supporting member 12, below horizontal supporting surface 13, and each comprise a substantially T-shaped arm 26 hinged to the machine frame by its bottom end to oscillate freely about a horizontal axis of rotation B parallel to longitudinal axis L of linear belt conveyor 11; and a double-acting piston 27 for moving arm 26 between a lowered position, in which the arm is substantially horizontal, and a raised position, in which the arm is substantially vertical, with its top end resting on the flap forming part of the bottom of box 3 resting on horizontal supporting surface 13 of movable supporting member 12 (Figure 1).

[0036] With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, packing container store 6 comprises a horizontal drawer or tray 28, on which the stacks of blanks 7 are positioned; and a number of movable compacting and locating members 29 appropriately located on horizontal tray 28 to keep the stack of blanks 7 on the tray compact. More specifically, horizontal drawer or tray 28 is fitted to the machine frame, alongside movable supporting member 12, and movable members 29 are located along the perimeter of horizontal tray 28.

[0037] In the example shown, horizontal drawer or tray 28 is fixed to the machine frame by a supporting structure 31 enabling the off-floor height of horizontal drawer or tray 28 to be adjusted as required. More specifically, in the example shown, horizontal drawer or tray 28 is supported at the bottom by a height-adjustable trestle 31 or jack, the base of which is fixed rigidly to the machine frame underneath.

[0038] With reference to Figure 1, in the example shown, horizontal drawer or tray 28 is also mounted to slide horizontally on supporting structure 31, and can be moved manually, or by means of known servomechanisms, between an operating position, in which horizontal drawer 28 is located beneath grouping and compacting platform 5, as close as possible to movable supporting member 12, and an extracted position, in which horizontal drawer 28 is located as far as possible from movable supporting member 12 and so projects beyond the peripheral edge of grouping and compacting platform 5 to facilitate loading of blanks 7. In other words, horizontal drawer or tray 28 is fixed extractably to supporting structure 31.

[0039] With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, grouping and compacting platform 5 is substantially known, and, in the example shown, comprises a belt conveyor 30 fixed horizontally to the machine frame to feed the bottles to the start end of packing container conveyor 4 in a horizontal direction d₃ preferably, though not necessarily, perpendicular to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3 along packing container conveyor 4; and a number of movable compacting and grouping members (not shown) for compacting and grouping the incoming bottles 2 on belt conveyor 30 into a succession of said orderly, compact groups of bottles 2 eventually deposited inside boxes 3.

[0040] As regards loose-product conveyor 9 and movable gripping head 10, both are commonly known in the trade and require no detailed description.

[0041] Operation of boxing machine 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6, assuming at least one orderly, compact group of bottles 2 of predetermined "format" and "spacing" has already been formed on grouping and compacting platform 5, and that horizontal supporting surface 13 of movable supporting member 12 is set to the second operating position to avoid interfering with removal of blank 7 from packing container store 6, i.e. assuming the two flat plates 13 defining horizontal supporting surface 13 are set to the lowered position, in which both slope downwards specularly with respect to each other to avoid interfering with the positioning of blank 7 at the filling station (Figure 2).

[0042] In actual use, and with reference to Figure 4, the control unit (not shown) of boxing machine 1 moves supporting carriage 21 along the straight horizontal guide to feed suction cups 20 inside packing container store 6 and onto the first blank 7 inside the store, and then activates suction cups 20 to grip and retain the first blank 7.

[0043] With reference to Figure 5, once pickup member 16 has gripped blank 7, the control unit moves again supporting carriage 21 along the straight horizontal guide to bring the blank into the filling station and onto horizontal supporting surface 13 of movable supporting member 12. In the course of which movement, seeing as suction cups 20 only grip one of the two cardboard layers of blank 7, blank 7 tends to open by force of inertia.

[0044] Once the half-open blank 7 is positioned on horizontal supporting surface 13 of movable supporting member 12, the control unit (not shown) of boxing machine 1 operates double-acting piston 25 of squaring member 17 to move horizontal bar 24 into the operating position resting against a lateral wall of box 3 being formed at the filling station, so as to position and keep the vertical walls of box 3 "square", i.e. in parallel pairs perpendicular to one another (Figure 6).

[0045] With reference to Figure 6, once squaring member 17 has "squared" the vertical walls of box 3, the control unit of boxing machine 1 operates the double-acting pistons 14 of movable supporting member 12 to move the two flat plates 13 from the lowered position to the raised position and so set horizontal supporting surface 13 to the first operating position, in which it supports the box 3 being formed at the filling station, pending transfer to linear belt conveyor 11.

[0046] It should be pointed out that, as they are raised level with the conveying surface of packing container conveyor 4, the two flat plates 13 squarely fold and hold in position two first flaps of blank 7 forming the inner portion of the bottom of box 3, so that box 3 being formed at the filling station is ready to receive an orderly, compact group of bottles 2.

[0047] The control unit of boxing machine 1 therefore operates movable gripping head 10 to deposit inside box 3 resting on horizontal supporting surface 13 the bottles 2 previously removed by movable gripping head 10 off grouping and compacting platform 5. At the same time as or before bottles 2 are deposited inside box 3 resting on horizontal supporting surface 13, the control unit of boxing machine 1 activates the two flap-closing members 18, which squarely fold two second bottom flaps of blank 7 to complete formation of the bottom of box 3.

[0048] It should be pointed out that the particular shape of the two horizontal beams 15 allows the four bottom flaps of blank 7 to be closed in twos, one on top of the other, without removing horizontal supporting surface 13, which is eased out as box 3 is transferred from movable supporting member 12 to linear belt conveyor 11.

[0049] Once movable gripping head 10 has deposited bottles 2 inside box 3 resting on horizontal supporting surface 13, the control unit of boxing machine 1 moves supporting carriage 23 of squaring member 17 along the machine frame, in a direction parallel to the horizontal travelling direction d₁ of boxes 3, so that horizontal bar 24, moving horizontally and parallel to itself, pushes box 3 onto linear belt conveyor 11.

[0050] The advantages of boxing machine 1 as described and illustrated herein are obvious: locating the filling station at the start end of packing container conveyor 4, with packing container store 6 located alongside the filling station, at least partly beneath grouping and compacting platform 5, drastically reduces the overall size of the machine, with all the advantages this affords.

[0051] Boxing machine 1, in fact, is so compact as to be installable in practically any bottling plant, even the smallest.

[0052] Moreover, boxing machine 1 has the big advantage of being much lighter, when empty, than conventional machines, and can therefore be transferred completely from one place to another using conventional transportation means.

[0053] Clearly, changes may be made to boxing machine 1 as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact boxing machine (1) comprising a packing container conveyor (4) for feeding a succession of packing containers (3) along a path through a filling station where a compact group of products (2) is positioned inside each packing container (3); and a product grouping and compacting platform (5) located alongside the packing container conveyor (4), at the filling station, to receive the loose products (2) and to compact and form said products (2) into said compact groups of products (2); said boxing machine (1) also comprising a packing container store (6) for storing compacted packing containers (7); and the boxing machine (1) being characterized in that said filling station is located at the start end of said packing container conveyor (4); and in that said packing container store (6) is located alongside the packing container conveyor (4), at least partly beneath said product grouping and compacting platform (5).

2. A boxing machine as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said packing container conveyor (4) comprises a linear conveyor (11); and a movable supporting member (12) located immediately upstream from said linear conveyor (11), at said filling station, and having a horizontal supporting surface (13) for supporting the packing containers (3) standing at said filling station; said horizontal supporting surface (13) being movable on command between a first operating position, in which it is substantially coplanar with the horizontal conveying surface of the linear conveyor (11), and a second operating position, in which it is positioned below the conveying surface of the linear conveyor (11) to avoid interfering with removal of said compacted packing container (7) from the packing container store (6) and with subsequent folding of the compacted packing container at the filling station.

3. A boxing machine as claimed in Claim 2, characterized by also comprising a packing container forming unit (8) located at said filling station and for removing one compacted packing container (7) at a time from said packing container store (6), folding said compacted packing container (7) to form a said packing container (3), and positioning the packing container (3) on the packing container conveyor (4) at said filling station.

4. A boxing machine as claimed in Claim 3, characterized in that said packing container forming unit (8) comprises a pickup member (16) for removing one said compacted packing container (7) at a time from the packing container store (6), and then positioning it on said horizontal supporting surface (13) while at the same time at least partly opening the compacted packing container; a squaring member (17) for positioning and maintaining the walls of said compacted packing container (7) parallel and perpendicular to one another; and flap-closing means (18) for squarely folding two bottom lateral flaps of said compacted packing container (7) to form the bottom of the packing container (3).

5. A boxing machine as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, characterized by also comprising a loose-product conveyor (9) for feeding a succession of loose products (2) to said product grouping and compacting platform (5).

6. A boxing machine as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, characterized by also comprising a movable gripping head (10), which is movable horizontally and vertically in the space over said grouping and compacting platform (5) and the portion of the packing container conveyor (4) containing said filling station, so as to remove said compact groups of products (2) on command from said grouping and compacting platform (5), and to deposit these groups inside the packing containers (3) at the filling station, alongside the grouping and compacting platform (5).

7. A boxing machine as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that said packing container store (6) comprises a horizontal tray (28); and a supporting structure (31) connecting the horizontal tray (28) to the machine frame and permitting adjustment as required of the off-floor height of said horizontal tray (28) .

8. A boxing machine as claimed in Claim 7, characterized in that said horizontal tray (28) is mounted to slide horizontally on said supporting structure (31), so as to be extractable.

Drawing