Continuous motion case packing apparatus and method

Apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes a slug feeder for receiving articles conveyed in at least one row for forming a slug of said articles containing a predetermined number of said articles in said row;

• and a slug pick-up station for supporting said slug of articles in a position to be picked up and transferred to a case packing station for being deposited in a partitioned case;
• said apparatus comprising:
• a plurality of transfer arms;
• a plurality of grid heads slidably carried by said transfer arms which reciprocate in a linear motion relative to said transfer arms for picking up said slug of articles at said slug pick-up station and for transferring said slug of articles to said case packing station;
• an array of pivotal grid fingers depending downwardly from said grid heads to define a matrix of grid chutes corresponding to a matrix of said articles in said slug which have an open and a closed position;
• a plurality of reciprocating article gripper heads carried by said transfer arms in alignment with said grid heads, said gripper heads having an array of article grippers arranged in a matrix corresponding to said slug for holding said articles in said slug in a positive manner within said grid beads;
• a vertical motion mechanism for lowering said grid heads and gripper heads over said slug of articles at said slug pick-up station with said chute ends extending below a bottom level of said slug of articles when said chutes are in said open position, and for lowering said grid head into said partitioned case for releasing said articles therethrough when said chutes are in said closed position;
• a carriage carried by a frame for moving said transfer arms between said slug pick-up station and said case packing station;
• an actuator having a first position in which said grid fingers are moved toward a center of said grid chutes for closure beneath said articles while said grid head is moved from said slug pick-up station to said case pick-up station;
• and
• said actuator having a second position in which said grid fingers are moved away from said center of said grid chutes to open said grid chutes so that said retained articles pass through said grid chutes and are deposited in said case at said case packing station.

Apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes a slug feeder receiving articles in at least one row for forming successive slugs of articles containing a predetermined number of said articles in said row and continuously feeding said slugs to a slug pick-up station where said slugs are picked up and transferred to a case packing station, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of article transfer arms;
• a plurality of reciprocating article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms which slide in a linear motion relative to said transfer arms for picking up said slug of articles at said slug pick-up station and for releasing said slug of articles for deposit into said case at said case packing station;
• a vertical revolving carriage continuously moving said transfer arms in a curved, vertical plane path to continuously move said pick-up heads and articles from said slug pick-up station to said case packing station generally in a straight line path;
• and
• an actuator having a first position for actuating said pick-up head at said pick-up station so that said articles are retained by said pick-up head for transfer, and said actuator having a second position for releasing said pick-up head at said case packing station so that said slug of articles is deposited into said case.

Apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes an infeed conveyor for feeding articles in at least one longitudinal row;

• said apparatus comprising:
• a slug feeder for receiving said row of articles and forming successive slugs of said articles containing a predetermined number of said articles;
• said slug feeder continuously feeding said slugs of articles along a slug feed axis to a slug pick-up station where said slug of articles are continuously picked up for transfer to a case packing station;
• a plurality of article transfer arms;
• a plurality of reciprocating article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms which slide in a linear motion relative to said transfer arms for picking up said slug of articles at said slug pick-up station;
• a revolving carriage moving said transfer arms and said pick-up heads along a pick-up head transfer axis and having a linear transfer path over which said slugs of articles are continuously transferred from said slug pick-up station to said case packing station;
• a case indexing conveyor for delivering indexed cases to said case packing station along a case conveyor axis;
• and
• said slug feeder axis, said pick-up head transfer axis, and said indexing case conveyor axis lying generally in a common vertical plane.

Apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes a slug feeder for receiving said articles in at least one row and forming a slug of said articles containing a predetermined number of said articles;

• and a slug pick-up station for supporting said slug of articles in a position to be picked up for transfer to a case packing station where said slug of articles is deposited into a case;
• said apparatus comprising:
• a plurality of article transfer arms;
• a plurality of reciprocating article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms for picking up said slug of articles at said slug pick-up station;
• a carriage moving said transfer arms in a closed cyclic path which includes a linear transfer section at least from said pick-up station to said case packing station along which said slug of articles are moved generally along a straight line path, and a curvilinear return path from said case packing station to said pick-up station;
• said carriage moving said transfer arms and pick-up heads at a generally constant horizontal speed along said linear transfer section to transfer said slug of articles from said slug pick-up station to said case packing station generally without horizontal acceleration of said articles;
• and
• a vertical motion mechanism connected to said pick-up heads for guiding said pick-up heads in a vertical motion so that said pick-up heads are lowered to said case packing station while said carriage moves said pick-up heads at said constant horizontal speed.

A grid head for use with apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes a slug feeder for receiving said articles in at least one row and forming successive slugs of articles containing a predetermined number of said articles;

• a slug pick-up station for continuously receiving said slugs of articles for pick-up and transfer to a case packing station;
• a revolving carriage which carries a plurality of transfer arms between said slug pick-up station and said case packing station;
• a plurality of reciprocating grid heads carried by said transfer arms for picking up said slugs of articles at said slug pick-up station and transferring said slugs to said case packing station;
• said grid head comprising:
• an array of pivotal grid fingers depending downwardly from said grid head to define a matrix of grid chutes corresponding to a matrix of said articles in said slug;
• said grid chutes having lower chute ends through which said slug of articles enter and exit said grid chutes, and said grid chutes having an open position in which said grid chutes are lowered over said articles in said slug at said slug pick-up station;
• said grid chutes having a closed position in which said articles are retained within said chutes above said lower chute ends for transfer to said case packing station;
• a grid actuator having a first position in which said grid fingers move toward a center of said chutes for closing said grid chutes at said pick-up station so that said articles are retained within said grid chutes for transfer;
• and
• said grid actuator having a second position in which said grid fingers move away from said center of said chute for opening said grid chutes at said case packing station to release said slug of articles for deposit into said case.

For use with apparatus which continuously packs articles into cases which includes a lane for feeding articles in at least one longitudinal row defined by a lane, a lane infeed conveyor for conveying said row of articles;

• a carriage which carries a plurality of transfer arms;
• a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms for picking up a slug of articles at a slug pick-up station and for transferring said slug of articles to a case packing station;
• a slug feeder comprising:
• a slug feeder for receiving said row of articles from said laner;
• a slug feed conveyor included in said slug feeder for receiving articles from said lane infeed conveyor in a continuous manner;
• a slug metering section included in said slug feeder continuously receiving articles from said slug feed conveyor for creating a slug of said articles containing a predetermined number of said articles;
• a revolving abutment mechanism carried in said slug metering section having a revolving abutment for engaging a last of said articles in each row of said slug;
• a slug metering block movably carried in said slug metering section which moves in and out of a path of conveyance of said articles in a cyclic manner independent of said revolving abutment;
• a metering distance defined between said metering block and said revolving abutment which determines the number of said articles in said row and the size of said slug;
• a drive mechanism for driving said slug metering block in said cyclic movements in and out of said article conveyance path;
• and
• a slug pick-up station continuously receiving said slugs of articles from said slug metering section for supporting said slug of articles for being picked up for transfer to said case packing station for being deposited in a case.

A method of continuously packaging articles into a case comprising:

• continuously conveying said articles in at least one longitudinal row;
• continuously dividing said articles into separate, successive slugs of articles wherein said slugs contain a prescribed number of articles;
• conveying said slugs of articles to a slug pick-up station;
• picking up said slug of articles at said pick-up station using a linearly reciprocating pick-up head carried on a transfer arm;
• rotating said transfer arm in a vertical plane curved path which includes a linear transfer section between said pick-up station and a case packing station to continuously transfer said slugs in a generally straight line path between said stations;
• and
• moving said pick-up head vertically in a linear motion to lower said slug of articles for deposit into said case at said case packing station.

A method of continuously packing articles into a case at a case packing station comprising:

• continuously conveying said articles in at least one longitudinal row;
• continuously dividing said articles into slugs of articles wherein said slugs contain a prescribed number of said articles;
• continuously conveying said slugs of articles to a slug pick-up station;
• moving a grid head having a plurality of grid chutes arranged in a matrix corresponding to an array of said articles in said slugs into a slug pick-up position directly above said slugs at said slug pick-up station;
• moving said grid head downwardly over said slug of articles with a lower end of said chutes being open for receiving said articles with said chutes;
• closing said chutes to retain said articles in said chutes of said grid head while moving said grid head from said slug pick-up station to a case pick-up station;
• and
• releasing said slug of articles from said grid chutes into said cases at said case packing station.

A method for continuously packing articles into a case including arranging said articles in at least one longitudinal row;

• dividing said articles into slugs of articles which contain a predetermined number of said articles;
• picking said slug of articles up at an article pick-up station and transferring said slug of articles to a case packing station where said slug of articles is deposited into said case;
• said method comprising:
• conveying said articles on a slug feed conveyor to a slug metering section;
• feeding a first article in said row against a metering device while engaging a last article in said row with a revolving abutment whereby said slug of articles is defined by a metering distance between said metering device and said abutment to fix the number of articles between said metering device and said abutment;
• moving said metering device out of contact with said first article on engagement as said abutment conveys said slug away from said metering section to said slug pick-up station;
• and
• mounting one of said metering device or revolving abutment on an adjustable carrier so that said metering distance may be adjusted to vary the slug size.