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US 3,992,982 AGranted
Folding apparatus for corrugated paperboard blanks
AssigneeKoppers Company, Inc.
InventorMartinus C. Huiskes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for folding and sealing corrugated paperboard blanks having scores and slots therein comprising a blank feeding means, a conveying means to move the blanks including top and/or bottom folding means, such bottom folding means extending along the full length of the folding apparatus, such top folding means extending over the upstream portion of the folding apparatus, guide means for laterally guiding the panels to be folded, and an alignment means at the outlet end of the apparatus to align the folded panels.
Claims10
Apparatus for folding and sealing paperboard blanks having scores and slots therein forming side panels on said blanks, comprising:
- feeding means for feeding said blanks sequentially into said apparatus;
- conveying means for advancing said blanks through said apparatus having a bottom folding means extending substantially the entire length of said apparatus and a top folding means extending along an upstream portion of said apparatus over said bottom folding means;
- guiding means for laterally guiding said side panels of the blanks to be folded during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus between said top and bottom folding means;
- and
- an alignment means at the outlet end of said apparatus for aligning the folded side panels on said blanks,
- said bottom folding means including:
- at least three parallel, horizontally aligned and laterally spaced conveyor belts each supported along its length by tubular support means having subatmospheric pressure therein, said tubular support means including perforated top portions across which perforated portions of said belts associated therewith are movable for directing said subatmospheric pressure to beneath portions of said blanks on top of said belts for firmly adhering said blanks to said belts during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus;
- each of the outermost two of said belts including a longitudinally extending perforated portion maintained horizontally over said perforated top portions and a longitudinally extending non-perforated portion bendable around a longitudinal axis of said belts with respect to said perforated portions for guiding said side panels toward folding relationship with the remainder of said blanks.
5 more elements
Apparatus for folding and sealing paperboard blanks having scores and slots therein forming side panels on said blanks, comprising:
- feeding means for feeding said blanks sequentially into said apparatus;
- conveying means for advancing said blanks through said apparatus having a bottom folding means extending substantially the entire length of said apparatus and a top folding means extending along an upstream portion of said apparatus over said bottom folding means;
- guiding means for laterally guiding said side panels of the blanks to be folded during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus between said top and bottom folding means;
- and
- an alignment means at the outlet end of said apparatus for aligning the folded side panels on said blanks,
- said bottom folding means including:
- at least three parallel, horizontally aligned and laterally spaced conveyor belts each supported along its length by tubular support means having subatmospheric pressure therein, said tubular support means including perforated top portions across which perforated portions of said belts associated therewith are movable for directing said subatmospheric pressure to beneath portions of said blanks on top of said belts for firmly adhering said blanks to said belts during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus,
- each of the outermost two of said belts including a longitudinally extending perforated portion maintained horizontally over said perforated top portions and a longitudinally extending non-perforated portion bendable around a longitudinal axis of said belts with respect to said perforated portions for guiding said side panels toward folding relationship with the remainder of said blanks,
- each of said perforated top portions of the outermost ones of said tubular support means including laterally outwardly extending, non-perforated projections for supporting said non-perforated portions of said conveyor belts associated therewith,
- each of the outermost ones of said conveyor belts including a longitudinally extending groove formed in the top surface thereof separating the perforated and non-perforated portions of said belts.
7 more elements
Apparatus for folding and sealing paperboard blanks having scores and slots therein forming side panels on said blanks, comprising:
- feeding means for feeding said blanks sequentially into said apparatus:
- conveying means for advancing said blanks through said apparatus having a bottom folding means extending substantially the entire length of said apparatus and a top folding means extending along an upstream portion of said apparatus over said bottom folding means;
- guiding means for laterally guiding said side panels of the blanks to be folded during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus between said top and bottom folding means;
- and
- an alignment means at the outlet end of said apparatus for aligning the folded side panels of said blanks,
- said bottom means including:
- at least three parallel, horizontally aligned and laterally spaced conveyor belts each supported along its length by tubular support means having subatmospheric pressure therein, said tubular support means including perforated top portions across which perforated portions of said belts associated therewith are movable for directing said subatmospheric pressure to beneath portions of said blanks on top of said belts for firmly adhering said blanks to said belts during advancement of said blanks through said apparatus,
- said top folding means including rollers exerting pressure downwardly against the top surfaces of said blanks along the upstream end of said apparatus and a pair of laterally spaced folding staves extending downstream from said rollers about which said side panels are folded,
- said staves being substantially triangular in cross-section, each having side surfaces for engaging said side panels of said blanks that taper from a thick portion of said stave on the upstream end thereof to a thin portion on the downstream end thereof and having bottom surfaces for engaging the top surfaces of said blanks passing beneath said staves on top of said conveyor belts, said staves being hollow and having pressurized air therein, said side and bottom surfaces of said staves being perforated for directing said pressurized air against the portions of said blanks advancing adjacent such surfaces.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.