Method and apparatus for attaching a spout to a container
AssigneeNimco Corporation
InventorsJerry G. Bachner, A. S. Worrell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An applicator and accompanying feed mechanism attaches spouts and other fitments to paperboard cartons and the like in automated packaging equipment. The applicator features a rotatable and translatable anvil having a plurality of radially extending lobes. A mandrel or other engagement mechanism on each lobe engages and holds spouts for attachment to a container. The anvil inserts a spout into a container hole, and an ultrasonic sealer ultrasonically vibrates the carton wall against the anvil to weld the spout to the carton.
Claims108
An apparatus for attaching a spout having a flanged end to a preformed hole in an open-ended, partially formed container, comprising:
- (a) an anvil having at least one mandrel projecting therefrom;
- (b) drive means for engaging the flanged end of the spout on said mandrel, for rotating said anvil to pass said mandrel and the spout through the open end of the container, and for inserting the spout into the hole;
- and
- (c) means for securing the flanged end of the spout to the inner wall of the container.
An apparatus for attaching spouts to partially formed containers having heat-sealable lamination and an open-ended top with a hole formed therein for receiving a spout, comprising:
- (a) conveyor means for conveying the containers in a conveyance direction, said conveyor means being adapted for periodic movement;
- (b) an anvil located adjacent to said conveyor means and having engagement means for engaging a spout, wherein said anvil is adapted for rotational motion about an axis which is transverse to said conveyance direction;
- (c) spout delivery means for sequentially delivering spouts to said engagement means;
- (d) rotational drive means for periodically rotating said anvil to position said engagement means inside one of the containers so that a spout engaged by said engagement means is aligned for insertion into the container's hole, wherein said rotation is synchronized with the periodic movement of said conveyor;
- (e) inserting means for periodically imparting a translational movement to said anvil to insert a spout engaged by said engagement means into the hole of the container;
- and
- (f) sealing means for attaching a spout engaged by said engagement means to a container when the spout is inserted by said inserting means into the container's hole.
A method for attaching spouts to partially formed containers, each container having an open-ended top with a hole formed therein for receiving a spout, comprising:
- (a) providing a rotatable anvil having an axis of rotation and comprising at least first and second lobes extending radially at angular intervals around said axis, and first and second engagement means for releasably engaging a spout, said first and second engagement means being mounted on said first and second lobes, respectively.
- (b) conveying containers under said anvil in an indexed movement along a conveyance path, said conveyance path being transverse to said axis of rotation;
- (c) moving said anvil in a first translational direction to position a first spout on said first engagement means and then in a second, opposite translational direction to return said anvil to its original axial position;
- (d) rotating said anvil during indexed movement of the conveyor so that said first lobe is placed into the interior of the container with said first engagement means and the first spout thereon is aligned with the container's hole;
- (e) moving said anvil in said first translational direction again to:
- insert said first engagement means and the first spout into the container's hole and simultaneously
- position a second spout on said second engagement means;
- and
- (f) after movement in said first translational direction, sealing the spout inserted at step (e) to the container.
A carton filling machine including a pouring spout application station for locating a pouring spout in a preformed hole in the upper regions of an open-topped, partly-formed carton, the pouring spout application station comprising a rotatable anvil provided with at least one mandrel projecting therefrom, the anvil being indexed such that, during rotation thereof,
- i) a pouring spout is positioned on the mandrel;
- ii) the mandrel enters the open top of the stationary carton and aligns the mandrel and the pouring spout thereon with the hole in the upper regions of the carton;
- iii) the pouring spout is displaced to extend through the hole in the upper regions of the carton;
- iv) the inner end of the pouring spout is secured to the inner wall of the upper regions of the carton, and
- v) the mandrel on the anvil is withdrawn from the secured pouring spout.
An apparatus for attaching spouts to a partly-formed container having an open-ended top with a pre-cut hole formed therein for receiving a spout, comprising:
- (a) a weld station suitable for welding a spout to the container;
- (b) a conveyor which moves the partly formed container past the weld station;
- (c) a rotating welding backup plate including a first spout engager, said backup plate located adjacent said conveyor so that rotation of said backup plate positions said first spout engager inside the moving open-ended container;
- (d) a supply chute located adjacent said backup plate to supply a spout to said backup plate's first spout engager;
- and
- (e) translational drive means for engaging said container and said backup plate to insert said spout into the pre-cut hole at said weld station;
- wherein said weld station welds the spout while said backup plate is engaged with the container.
An apparatus for attaching a spout to a partially formed container having an open-ended top with a hole formed therein, comprising:
- (a) an anvil including a spout engager and an anvil surface adjacent to said spout engager;
- (b) a spout supplier located adjacent said anvil;
- (c) a conveyor which moves the open-ended container past said anvil;
- (d) drive means for moving said anvil's spout engager from said spout supplier to the container's interior so that a spout held by said spout engager is inserted into the container's hole, and a portion of the spout is placed between said anvil surface and the container adjacent to the hole;
- and
- (e) means for securing the spout to the container while the spout is held by said spout engager.
A method for attaching a spout to a container having an open-ended top with a hole formed therein for receiving the spout, comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a spout on an anvil;
- (b) conveying the container toward said anvil;
- (c) as the container approaches said anvil, moving at least a portion of said anvil along a curved path so that the spout enters the open top of the moving container;
- (d) inserting the spout into the hole;
- and
- (e) attaching the spout to the container while the spout is still on said anvil.
A method for attaching a spout to an open-topped container having a preformed hole formed therein, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an anvil having means to hold a spout;
- (b) placing the spout onto said anvil;
- (c) conveying the container toward said anvil;
- (d) while said container is moving, rotating said anvil to position said spout inside the container in alignment with the hole;
- (e) while keeping the spout on the anvil, inserting the spout into the hole;
- (f) attaching the spout to the container;
- and
- (f) withdrawing the anvil from the container after the spout has been attached.
An apparatus for attaching spouts having flanged ends from a source of spouts to preformed holes in open-ended, partially formed containers from a source of containers, comprising:
- (a) an anvil having at least one mandrel projecting therefrom;
- (b) driving means for engaging the flanged end of a spout from the spout source on said mandrel, for partially rotating said anvil to pass said mandrel and the spout through the open end of a first container from the container source and for inserting the spout in the preformed hole;
- and
- (c) means for securing the flanged end of the spout to the inner wall of the container.
An apparatus for attaching spouts from a spout accumulator to preformed holes in open-ended, partially formed containers being indexed by conveyor means having repeating first and second periodic operations, each of the spouts having a flanged end, comprising:
- (a) an anvil including a front face having a center portion;
- (b) first, second and third lobes extending radially from said center portion;
- (c) first, second and third mandrels mounted on said first, second and third lobes, respectively, and extending away therefrom;
- (d) drive means for periodically translating and rotating said anvil in synchronization with the indexed conveyor means to engage spouts from the spout accumulator, rotate the engaged spouts into the open-ended containers and insert the spouts into the preformed holes;
- and
- (e) means for securing each spout to the inner wall of successive containers.
An apparatus for attaching spouts to preformed holes in open-ended partially formed containers being indexed by conveyor means having repeating first and second periodic operations, each of the spouts having a flanged end, comprising:
- (a) an anvil having a front face, said front face including a center portion and multiple lobes extending radially from said center portion;
- (b) a mandrel mounted on each lobe and extending away therefrom;
- (c) drive means for periodically translating and rotating said anvil in synchronization with the indexed conveyor means such that said anvils periodically engage the spouts on said mandrels, rotate the engaged spouts into the open-ended containers and insert the spouts into the preformed holes;
- and
- (d) means for securing the spouts to the inner wall of the containers.
A method of attaching spouts to preformed holes in partially-formed containers, each spout having a flanged end, comprising the steps of:
- engaging the flanged end of a spout on a mandrel connected to an anvil;
- rotating said anvil to pass the spout and said mandrel through the open end of the container;
- inserting said mandrel and the spout into the preformed hole;
- and
- securing the spout to the inner wall of the container while the spout is engaged by said mandrel.
A method of attaching spouts to preformed holes in partially-formed containers, the spouts having flanged ends, comprising the steps of:
- conveying containers along a conveyor in indexed movement;
- positioning a spout applicator having lobes radially extending therefrom adjacent the conveyor;
- engaging the flanged end of a spout on a mandrel connected to one of said lobes;
- rotating said spout applicator and passing said mandrel and the spout through the open end of the container during indexed movement of said conveyor;
- inserting said mandrel and the spout into the preformed hole and securing the spout to the inner wall of the container between indexed movement of said conveyor;
- withdrawing said mandrel from the hole and simultaneously releasing the spout from said mandrel;
- and
- rotating said spout applicator and passing said mandrel out through the open end of the container during the next indexed movement of said conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.