Apparatus for closing and sealing telescoping boxes
OwnerPhillip J. Martiniinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for closing and sealing telescoping boxes includes a ram for pressing the top of the box downwardly over the bottom of the box and a vertically movable box support plate which lowers during the box closing process. Four tape heads seal the four sides of the box while it is in the lowered position. The plate then moves to its upward position for removal of the closed and sealed box and for receiving the next box to be closed and sealed.
Claims20
An apparatus for closing and sealing a box wherein it is desired to apply a plurality of L-shaped pieces of tape to a plurality of locations on the bottom and side of said box, said apparatus comprising:
- a support plate means for said box and means for vertically moving said support plate between a first position and a second lower position, wherein said means for vertically moving said support plate means comprises a cylinder means having a piston rod means extending therefrom, said piston rod means being coupled to said support plate means,
- pressure plate means arranged above said support plate means and means for vertically moving said pressure plate means between a first raised position and a second lowered position;
- a tape applying means for simultaneously applying said L-shaped pieces of tape to said box when said support plate means is in its second position, wherein said tape applying means comprises tape supply means and a tape head for each piece of tape to be applied and means for simultaneously moving said heads in a horizontal direction from a first position wherein said heads are adjacent to but spaced laterally from said support plate means when said support plate means is in its second position to a second position wherein said tape heads are located beneath said support plate means wherein said tape heads are each adapted to place a piece of tape on the bottom of a box supported on said support plate means when said support plate means and said tape heads are in their respective second positions and to press each piece of tape toward and around the edge of said box and up onto the side thereof as said tape head is moved from its second to its first position.
An apparatus for closing and sealing rectangular or square telescoping boxes wherein a partially closed telescoping box is to be fully closed and wherein four pieces of sealing tape are to be simultaneously applied to the closed box, on a separate bottom edge thereof and intermediate its corners, and each piece of tape being L-shaped and extending inwardly from said bottom edge along the bottom of the box and upwardly from said edge on the side of said box, said apparatus comprising:
- a planar and horizontal support plate means for supporting said box during closing and sealing operations, said support plate means having openings therein to permit tape to be applied to the bottom of a box supported thereon, a first vertically arranged cylinder, piston rod means extending from said cylinder and coupled to said support plate means, and fluid inlet and outlet means for said first cylinder whereby said support plate means may be lowered from a first position to a second position;
- a planar and horizontal pressure plate means located in a first position above and spaced apart from said support plate means, the distance between said pressure plate means and said support plate means when the latter is in its first position being greater than the thickness of said partially closed box, a vertically arranged second cylinder means located above said pressure plate means, second piston rod means extending therefrom and coupled to said pressure plate means, fluid inlet and outlet means for said second cylinder whereby said pressure plate means may be lowered from said first position to a second position;
- means for conveying said partially closed box onto said support plate means and below said pressure plate means when said support plate means and said pressure plate means are in their first positions;
- four tape head means horizontally movable on a surface below the surface defined by said support plate means when said support plate means is in its second position, each of said tape heads being movable from a first location beneath an opening of said support plate means to a second location wherein said tape heads are laterally displaced from the edges of said support plate means, each of said tape head means including a roller means for applying a first end of a piece of tape to the bottom of a box supported on said support plate means and means for applying the remainder of said piece of tape outwardly to the edge of said box and upwardly on the side thereof as said tape head is moved from said first location to said second location.
An apparatus for applying elongate pieces of sealing tape to the bottom and the sides of a box to seal same, each of said pieces of tape extending perpendicularly from a point inwardly of a bottom edge of said box toward and around said edge and upwardly on the side of said box, said apparatus comprising:
- a support plate means for said box, said support plate means having an elongate opening therein for each piece of tape to be applied to said box, said opening extending perpendicularly from an inward location on said support plate to the edge thereof;
- means for holding a box on said support plate means;
- a tape head means for each piece of tape to be applied to said box means,
- a support track means for each of said tape head means, said support track means being located in a plane which is parallel to the plane of said support plate means but spaced apart and below same whereby the upper surface of said tape head means lies in a plane below the bottom of said support plate means,
- tape supply means for each of said tape head means,
- means for moving said tape head means along said support track means from a first location in which each of said tape head means lies below an opening of said support plate means to a second location where said tape head means are laterally displaced from the edges of said support plate means, the upper surface of said tape head means moving below said openings of said support plate means during such movement;
- roller means extending from the upper surface of said tape head means to apply a first end of said piece of tape to said box and through said opening;
- means extending from the upper surface of said tape head means to sever said piece of tape from said tape supply means;
- and
- second roller means extending from the upper surface of said tape head means to roll across and press said piece of tape onto the bottom of said box when said tape head means is moved from said first to said second location and said second roller means being spring loaded and extending upwardly from the upper surface of said tape head means when said tape head means passes from underneath said support plate means whereby said second roller means presses said piece of tape around the edge of said box and upwardly onto the side thereof.
A tape head for applying an elongate piece of tape to an article having a first planar surface and a second planar surface perpendicular thereto and forming an edge therewith wherein it is desired to apply an L-shaped piece of tape onto both planar surfaces and around the edge of said article, said tape head comprising:
- a housing having an open top,
- a first roller means extending from said housing and through said top, said first roller means being spring loaded whereby downward pressure of the article to be taped on said roller forces said roller means toward the interior of said housing against spring forces;
- knife means extending from said housing and through the top thereof and adjacent to said first roller means, said knife means being spring loaded whereby said downward pressure on said knife means forces said knife means toward the interior of said housing against spring forces;
- and
- follow roller means extending from said housing and through the top thereof and adjacent to said knife means, said follow roller means being spring loaded whereby said downward pressure on said follow roller means forces said follow roller means toward the interior of said housing means and wherein said follow means normally extends from the top of said housing by a distance which is greater than that of said first roller means or said knife means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.