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US 2023/0192337 A1Published application
Case-handling system with flap openers
AssigneeSignode Industrial Group LLC
InventorsBryce J. Fox, William J. Menta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a case-handling system including movable flap openers positionable relative to a case and operable to fold the upper major flaps of the case outwardly before the upper minor flaps of the case are folded inwardly and closed.
Claims19
A case-handling system comprising:
- a conveyor;
- a rotatable first flap opener comprising a first flap-engaging finger;
- a rotatable second flap opener comprising a second flap-engaging finger and spaced apart from the first flap opener;
- one or more actuators operably connected to the first and second flap openers and configured to rotate the first and second flap openers in opposing rotational directions;
- and
- a controller operably connected to the conveyor to drive the conveyor and to the one or more actuators to rotate the first and second flap openers,
- wherein the first and second flap openers are positionable such that, when a case having first and second upper major flaps and first and second upper minor flaps is conveyed by the conveyor between and past the first and second flap openers:
- the first flap opener engages an inner surface of the first upper major flap to fold the first upper major flap outwardly, and
- the second flap opener engages an inner surface of the second upper major flap to fold the second upper major flap outwardly.
6 more elements
A method of operating a case-handling system, said method comprising:
- when a case having open first and second upper major flaps and first and second upper minor flaps is at a flap opening position:
- causing a first flap opener to engage an inner surface of the first upper major flap to fold the first upper major flap outwardly, and
- causing a second flap opener to engage an inner surface of the second upper major flap to fold the second upper major flap outwardly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.