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US 5,298,008 AGranted
Case opening apparatus
OwnerDennis Decker, Melvin Salwasser +1inventors
InventorsDennis Decker, Melvin Salwasser, Leslie Salwasser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A case opening apparatus that is part of a larger case loading and sealing machine which includes a loading bay for holding container blanks in vertical stacks, a means for removing the uppermost container blank from said stack and transferring it into an overhead rail system, and a case opening apparatus utilizing suction above and below the container blank The case opening apparatus includes an arm that has dual pivots so that by two separate motions it opens and thereafter erects a container blank for subsequent loading and sealing in preparation for shipment.
Claims17
A case opening apparatus comprising:
- a. a vertical loading bay from which the uppermost flattened container blank of a stack may be removed by suction means attached to an overhead piston mechanism;
- b. a pair of horizontal overhead transfer rails including a conveyor mechanism mounted above said loading bay into which a flattened container blank may be placed and moved horizontally, said rails extending beyond said loading bay;
- and
- c. a container blank opening mechanism disposed below the extended ends of said overhead transfer rails, said blank opening mechanism comprising:
- (1) an overhead suction means, and
- (2) a plurality of opposing suction means attached to a pair of dually pivotal arms such that said arms may swing upward to attach to said container blank, and thereafter swing downward in two separate motions to open and erect said container blank for subsequent loading and sealing,
- wherein said dually pivotal arms form at least one elbow-shaped structure such that the forearm of such structure is attached at one end to a second arm to form an elbow-shaped pivot, and the opposite end of said second arm is attached at a separate shoulder pivot, and a plurality of adjustable suction cup means are attached on the upper side of said forearm near the end of said forearm opposite said elbow pivot, wherein said arms move in a two-step cycle, the first step of which includes a downward rotation of the forearm around the elbow pivot from a horizontal position to a downward-angled position of between 30.degree. and 60.degree. around said elbow pivot;
- and, the second step includes the rotation of said other arm around said shoulder pivot from a nearly vertical position downward between 30.degree. and 60.degree., which has the result of bringing said forearm downward a total of 90.degree. to a vertical position.
5 more elements
A case opening apparatus comprising:
- a. a vertical loading bay from which the uppermost flattened container blank of a stack may be removed by suction means attached to an overhead piston mechanism;
- b. a pair of horizontal overhead transfer rails including a conveyor mechanism mounted above said loading bay into which a flattened container blank may be placed and moved horizontally, said rails extending beyond said loading bay;
- and
- c. a container blank opening mechanism disposed below the extended ends of said overhead transfer rails, said blank opening mechanism comprising:
- (1) a movable overhead suction cup connected to a means for imparting vacuum suction thereto positioned for attachment to the upper surface of a single flattened container blank;
- (2) a plurality of suction cups adjustably attached to a first pair of pivotally mounted swingable arms and connected to a means for imparting vacuum suction thereto whereby said suction cups may attach to the lower surface of a flattened container blank when said first arms are in their uppermost swingable position;
- (3) an upper pivot around which said first arms may rotate from an upper horizontal position downward between approximately 30.degree. and 60.degree. degrees to a lower angled position;
- (4) a second pair of arms attached at one end to said upper pivot and to one end of said first pair of arms, the opposite ends of said second pair of arms defining a second pivot around which said second arms may rotate from an upper nearly-vertical position downward between approximately 30.degree. and 60.degree. degrees to a lower angled position, whereby said first arms are correspondingly brought downward to a vertical position;
- and
- (5) a means for imparting motion in a continuous cycle that first lowers said first arms from a horizontal position to a downward angle, then lower said second arms from a nearly vertical position to a different downward angle which has the effect of also lowering said first arms to a vertical position, then reverses direction to raise said second arms which has the effect of also raising said first arms, and then finally raises said first arms back to their original horizontal position at which point the cycle repeats;
- whereby a flattened container blank may be fully opened and erected as a result of the suction of said cups and the motion of said arms.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.