US 4,784,558 AGranted

Apparatus for inverting and stacking folded box blanks made of sheet material

AssigneeTanabe Machinery Co., Ltd.

InventorDaigoro Toriyama

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Abstract

An apparatus for stacking a plurality of folded box blanks such that alternating groups of a predetermined number of folded blanks are superimposed in opposite orientations. The apparatus includes a lower rail device having a stacking position, a second rail device above the first rail device and terminating at a position above an intermediate portion of the lower rail device, an inverting and transferring device for inverting alternating stacks of a predetermined number of folded blanks stacks at the stacking position onto the second rail device, a stopper device for allowing alternating stacks to move along the lower rail device, and a conveying device for conveying both the stacks on the lower rail device and the upper rail device simultaneously so that each stack on the upper rail device falls onto a stack on the lower rail device at the end of the upper rail device, whereby the desired combined stack is formed on the lower rail device.

Claims35

Dependent claims

An apparatus for inverting and stacking a plurality of folded box blanks, each of which has a different thickness at its top and tail end portions, comprising:

supplying means for supplying said blanks along a direction of conveyance and for counting the number of said blanks;
first rail means extending along said direction of conveyance for receiving said blanks supplied by said supplying means;
stopper means for stopping and retaining said blanks supplied by said supplying means at a predetermined stacking position on said first rail means;
second rail means extending in said direction of conveyance and disposed vertically above said first rail means with an upstream end of said second rail means disposed downstream of said stacking position, a downstream end of said second rail means disposed at a position above an intermediate portion of said first rail means;
transferring means for inverting a first stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means onto said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said supplying means reaches a first predetermined value;
and
conveyor means disposed along said direction of conveyance for moving a second stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means downstream along said direction of conveyance past said stopper means to a position below said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said supplying means reaches a second predetermined value, said conveyor means further moving the first stack on said second rail means onto the second stack on said first rail means to form a combined stack of blanks on said first rail means, said conveyor means moving said combined stack downstream along said first rail means in said direction of conveyance.

4 more elements

An apparatus for inverting and stacking a plurality of folded box blanks, each of which has a different thickness at its top and tail end portions, comprising:

(a) feeding means which is adapted to receive blanks from a supplying means for consecutively supplying said folded blanks, said feeding means including
conveyor belt means for conveying said blanks supplied by said supplying means in a predetermined direction of conveyance,
roller means for vertically lifting a predetermined portion of said conveyor belt means at a predetermined position along said direction of conveyance,
position adjusting means for vertically and horizontally adjusting the position of said roller means, and
counting means for counting a number of said blanks conveyed by said conveyor belt means;
and
(b) conveying means which includes
first rail means extending along said direction of conveyance for receiving said blanks supplied by said feeding means;
stopper means for stopping and retaining said blanks supplied by said feeding means at a predetermined stacking position on said first rail means;
second rail means extending in said direction of conveyance and disposed vertically above said first rail means with an upstream end of said second rail means disposed downstream of said stacking position, a downstream end of said second rail means disposed at a position above an intermediate portion of said first rail means;
transferring means for inverting a first stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means onto said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said feeding means reaches a first predetermined value;
and
conveyor means disposed along said direction of conveyance for moving a second stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means downstream along said direction of conveyance past said stopper means to a position below said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said feeding means reaches a second predetermined value, said conveyor means further moving the first stack on said second rail means onto the second stack on said first rail means to form a combined stack of blanks on said first rail means, said conveyor means moving said combined stack downstream along said first rail means in said direction of conveyance.

10 more elements

An apparatus for inverting and stacking a plurality of folded box blanks, each of which has a different thickness at its top and tail end portions, comprising:

(a) separating means which is adapted to receive blanks from a supplying means for consecutively supplying said folded blanks, said separating means including
conveyor belt means for conveying said blanks supplied by said supplying means in a predetermined direction of conveyance;
roller means disposed above an intermediate portion of said conveyor belt means for forming a clearance which is just large enough to allow passage of a single one of said blanks along said conveyor belt means, said clearance being formed between said roller means and the conveyor belt means, said roller means being constructed and arranged for rotating in a direction opposite to said direction of conveyance of said conveyor belt means,
stopping plate means disposed upstream of said roller means for covering at least an upper half of said roller means, and
counting means for counting a number of said blanks conveyed through said clearance under said roller means, a frictional resistance produced between a surface of said roller means and said blank being less than a frictional resistance between a conveying surface of said conveyor belt means and said blank so that the successively fed blanks are separated from each other;
and
(b) conveying means which includes
first rail means extending along said direction of conveyance for receiving said blanks supplied by said separating means;
stopper means for stopping and retaining said blanks supplied by said separating means at a predetermined stacking position on said first rail means;
second rail means extending in said direction of conveyance and disposed vertically above said first rail means with an upstream end of said second rail means disposed downstream of said stacking position, a downstream end of said second rail means disposed at a position above an intermediate portion of said first rail means;
transferring means for inverting a first stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means onto said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said separating means reaches a first predetermined value;
and
conveyor means disposed along said direction of conveyance for moving a second stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means downstream along said direction of conveyance past said stopper means to a position below said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said separating means reaches a second predetermined value, said conveyor means further moving the first stack on said second rail means onto the second stack on said first rail means to form a combined stack of blanks on said first rail means, said conveyor means moving said combined stack downstream along said first rail means in said direction of conveyance.

10 more elements

An apparatus for inverting and stacking a plurality of folded box blanks, each of which has a different thickness at its top and tail end portions, comprising:

(a) feeding means which is adapted to receive blanks from a supplying means for consecutively supplying said folded blanks, said feeding means including
conveyor belt means for conveying said blanks supplied by said supplying means in a predetermined direction of conveyance,
roller means for vertically lifting a predetermined portion of said conveyor belt means at a predetermined position along said direction of conveyance,
position adjusting means for vertically and horizontally adjusting the position of said roller means;
and
(b) separating means which includes
separating roller means disposed above an intermediate portion of said conveyor belt means for forming a clearance which is just large enough to allow passage of a single one of said blanks along said conveyor belt means, said clearance being formed between said separating roller means and the conveyor belt means, said separating roller means being constructed and arranged for rotating in a direction opposite to said direction of conveyance of said conveyor belt means,
stopping plate means disposed upstream of said separating roller means for covering at least an upper half of said separating roller means, and
counting means for counting a number of said blanks conveyed through said clearance under said separating roller means, a frictional resistance produced between a surface of said separating roller means and said blank being less than a frictional resistance between a conveying surface of said conveyor belt means and said blank so that the successively fed blanks are separated from each other;
and
(c) conveying means which includes
first rail means extending along said direction of conveyance for receiving said blanks supplied by said feeding means;
stopper means for stopping and retaining said blanks supplied by said feeding means at a predetermined stacking position on said first rail means;
second rail means extending in said direction of conveyance and disposed vertically above said first rail means with an upstream end of said second rail means disposed downstream of said stacking position, a downstream end of said second rail means disposed at a position above an intermediate portion of said first rail means;
transferring means for inverting a first stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means onto said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said feeding means reaches a first predetermined value;
and
conveyor means disposed along said direction of conveyance for moving a second stack of said blanks at said stacking position on said first rail means downstream along said direction of conveyance past said stopper means to a position below said second rail means when a number of said blanks counted by said feeding means reaches a second predetermined value, said conveyor means further moving the first stack on said second rail means onto the second stack on said first rail means to form a combined stack of blanks on said first rail means, said conveyor means moving said combined stack downstream along said first rail means in said direction of conveyance.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.