Packaging system and methods for detecting and removing malformed cartons

Abstract

A cartoning system and method of operating same to package products in cartons is disclosed. The method includes providing the cartoning system including a carton magazine including a plurality of carton blanks, a carton feeder, a carton conveyor, a product conveyor, a product inserter, a carton detection system, and a carton reject system. Operating the carton feeder to transfer carton blanks to the carton conveyor and conveying each carton along the carton conveyor in a carton feed direction. The method includes conveying product along the product conveyor in a product feed direction, detecting an opened configuration of each carton with the carton detection system, and loading product into each carton that is detected to be in the opened configuration. The method includes detecting a malformed carton with the carton detection system, operating the carton conveyor to continuously convey cartons in the carton feed direction without interruption upon detection of one or more malformed cartons, bypassing the malformed carton by not loading product into the malformed carton, and operating the carton reject system to remove the malformed carton from the carton conveyor. The carton reject system operates independently of the carton feeder to remove the malformed carton.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.