Case packer container feeding apparatus
AssigneeNewcastle Company, Inc.
InventorFrank P. Alduk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feeder is provided for feeding containers into the several lanes provided between divider plates above the conveyor belt of a case packer as the containers are transferred to the dump table or the like of a case packer. It delivers a predetermined number of rows of containers with a selected number of containers in each row to the belt conveyor of a case packer until a case load of containers is supplied to said belt, and upon a case load being then discharged from the case packer, the cycle is repeated to feed another case load to the case packer, the operation continuing indefinitely as long as the case packer is operating.
Claims10
For use with a case packer having a belt conveyor of a length sufficient to accommodate more than a single case load lot of containers thereon at one time with a receiving end and at discharge end and a plurality of spaced paralell partitions extending thereover from end-to-end providing a plurality of parallel lanes along which containers travel from one end of the conveyor to the other, there being a dump tray at the discharge end of the conveyor onto which the containers are collected in single case lots with the containers arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, the dump tray being operable to discharge each case load before the next one starts to accumulate thereon, the case packer feeder being operable for depositing containers of either circular horizontal section or of elliptical or oval horizontal section on the case conveyor feeder belt of the successive rows and parallel lanes for assembly on the dump plate of the case packer in case lots of uniform pattern, said case packer comprising:
- a. an intermittently operating feeder conveyor arranged to move a row of containers into position at the receiving end of the case packer with one container in front of each of said lanes,
- b. counter means arranged to be actuated by containers on the feeder conveyor to stop said feeder conveyor when a row of containers has been carried by the feeder conveyor into position where one container of the row is aligned with one of the lanes of the case packer,
- c. a pusher arranged to push the containers in each such row into the respective lanes of the case packer in front of which the containers are positioned during the time the feeder conveyor is stationary, and then retract, said counter means having a counter switch located along the feeder conveyor in advance of the pusher and arranged to be activated by each container on the feeder conveyor as it is carried by the belt past the switch, and
- d. switch means positioned to be operated by the dump tray of the case packer arranged to stop the case packer feeder belt when the dump tray is operating to discharge a case load of cartons therefrom and restore operation of the feeder conveyor when the dump tray is in position to receive containers from the case packer belt conveyor.
For use with a case packer having a belt conveyor with a receiving end and a discharge end and a plurality of spaced parallel partitions extending thereover from end-to-end providing a plurality of parallel lanes along which containers travel from one end of the conveyor to the other, there being a dump tray at the discharge end of the conveyor onto which the containers are collected in successive case lots with the containers arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, the dump tray being operable to discharge each case load before the next one starts to accumulate thereon, the case packer feeder comprising:
- a. an intermittently operating feeder conveyor arranged to move a row of containers into position at the receiving end of the case packer with one container in front of each of said lanes,
- b. counter means arranged to be actuated by containers on the feeder conveyor to stop said feeder conveyor when one container is so positioned in front of each row,
- c. a pusher arranged to push the containers in each such row into the respective lanes of the case packer in front of which the containers are positioned during the time the feeder conveyor is stationary, and then retract,
- d. other means arranged to correlate the operation of the feeder conveyor to the operation of the case packer to stop the feeder conveyor after each case load of containers has been delivered to the belt conveyor of the case packer until a case load of containers has been discharged from the packer, and
- e. the feeder conveyor being an endless conveyor belt extending transversely across the receiving end of the case packer conveyor belt with guides along the feeder belt arranged to keep containers of noncircular horizontal section from rotating about their vertical axes and to keep them aligned in single file until a row of containers is in position at the front of the respective lanes of the case packer conveyor.
For use with a case packer having a plurality of parallel lanes over an endless conveyor so arranged and of a length to receive and transport more than two case load lots of containers at one time and that moves containers through the lanes from a receiving end onto a dump table at the discharge end, the dump table being arranged to receive successive transverse rows of containers and retain them in longitudinal alignment with said lanes until a predetermined case lot has been assembled on the dump table, means for effecting a dumping operation of the dump table when a case lot has been received on it, the invention comprising a case packer feeder comprising:
- a. a feeder conveyor extending transversely across the receiving end of the case packer conveyor,
- b. means for intermittently operating the feeder conveyor in increments arranged to present a row with one container in the row in front of each lane on the case packer and then stop the feeder conveyor,
- c. pusher means arranged to push the containers in front of the case packer lanes into the respective lanes when the feeder conveyor stops,
- d. means to actuate the feeder conveyor when the pusher retracts, and
- e. means to prevent the feeding and pushing cycle from repeating after a predetermined number of such cycles until the dump table of the case packer operates to discharge a case load of containers and return to a position to again receive containers from the case packer conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.