US 5,797,249 AGranted

Continuous motion case packing apparatus and method

AssigneeHartness International, Inc.

InventorThomas Patterson Hartness

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Abstract

A continuous motion apparatus and method are disclosed where slugs of articles are picked up by pick-up heads revolving in a vertical plane path, and are transferred to a case packing station. A vertical motion mechanism lowers the pick-up heads at the case packing station to gently place the slugs into indexed cases in a reliable manner. The slugs, pick-up heads, and indexed cases are fed in continuous, synchronous motions. The pick-up heads are carried on the transfer arms in alignment with grid heads which reciprocate relative to the pick-up heads. The grid heads include grid fingers which define grid chutes arranged in a matrix corresponding to the array of articles in a slug. The grid chutes are lowered over the slug to receive the articles, and thereafter to transfer the slug to the case packing station. In this manner, the grid heads may be used in connection with the pick-up heads to provde a placement packer. The pick-up heads positively hold the ends of the articles so that when the grid chutes penetrate the cases and are opened, the grippers may be independently lowered to gently release the articles as a placement packer, all in a continuous motion.

Claims37

Dependent claims

Apparatus for continuously packing articles into cases which includes a slug feeder for supplying a slug of said articles to a slug pick-up station at which said slug of articles is picked up and transferred to a case packing station for being deposited in a partitioned case;

said apparatus comprising:
a plurality of transfer arms disposed about a vertical plane for continuous sequential transfer of said articles from said pick-up station to said case packing station;
a carriage carried by a frame for moving said transfer arms between said slug pick-up station and said case packing station along said vertical plane;
a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms having an array of gripper elements arranged in a matrix corresponding to said slug of articles for holding said articles in a positive manner during said transfer;
a plurality of reciprocating grid heads carried in alignment with said pick-up heads which move in relative vertical movement with said pick-up heads;
an array of pivotal grid fingers depending downwardly from said grid heads to define a matrix of grid chutes corresponding to said slug of articles;
said grid chutes having an open position in which said grid fingers are open to accommodate relative passage between said articles and said grid fingers, and said grid chutes having a closed position in which said grid fingers are closed in a convergent configuration and converge toward the case at said case packing station;
a vertical motion mechanism operatively associated with said grid heads and pick-up heads for positioning said grid and pick-up heads in various positions along said vertical plane including a first relative position wherein said grid finger chutes are in said open position at said pick-up station and case packing station for allowing said articles to be picked up and released, respectively, and a second relative position at said case packing station wherein said grid finger chutes are in said closed position and aligned with the case prior to said articles being deposited in the case;
an actuator operatively associated with said grid fingers having a first position in which said grid fingers are disposed in said chute closed position with said grid fingers converged;
and
said actuator having a second position in which said grid fingers are spread apart in said chute open position for relative passage between said articles and grid fingers.

8 more elements

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 along a closed curvilinear path along a vertical plane to continuously move said pick-up heads and articles from said slug pick-up station to said case packing station along said vertical plane;
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.

2 more elements

A continuous motion apparatus for packing articles conveyed in at least one longitudinal row into cases comprising:

a pick-up station supporting said articles in a position to be picked up for transfer to a case packing station where said articles are released;
an article feeder for supplying articles to said pick-up station;
a plurality of article transfer arms disposed about a vertical plane for continuously transferring said articles from said pick-up station to said case packing station;
a vertical carriage which carries said plurality of article transfer arms along said vertical plane;
said carriage moving said transfer arms in a closed, curvilinear path which includes a transfer section between said pick-up station and said case packing station along said vertical plane;
a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms having an array of gripper elements for picking up a slug of said articles at said pick-up station and transferring said articles along said vertical plane to said case packing station;
a gripper actuator associated with said pick-up heads controlling said gripper elements so that said articles are retained by said gripper elements during transfer and are released for deposit into said case at said case packing station;
a plurality of grid heads carried in alignment with said pick-up heads for vertical movement relative to said pick-up heads, each said grid head including an array of pivotal grid fingers;
said array of pivotal grid fingers depending downwardly from said grid heads to define a matrix of grid chutes corresponding to said slug of articles to be picked up at said pick-up station, said grid fingers having an open position for passage of said articles within said chutes and a closed position in which ends of said grid fingers are disposed generally in a converged configuration with said articles disposed above said ends for release at said case packing station as said fingers are moved to said open position;
a grid finger actuator for controlling movement of said grid fingers between said open and closed positions;
and
a motion mechanism for controlling said relative movement between said grid and pick-up heads and the positions thereof during said article pick up, transfer, and case packing along said vertical plane.

9 more elements

A method of continuously packing articles into a partitioned case comprising:

continuously feeding said articles to a pick-up station where a slug of the article is picked up;
picking up said slug of articles with a plurality of article pick-up heads having a plurality of gripper elements arranged in an array corresponding to said slug of articles;
providing a plurality of reciprocating grid heads in alignment with said pick-up heads wherein said grid heads include a plurality of pivotal grid fingers defining grid chutes arranged in an array corresponding to said slug of articles;
continuously moving said pick-up heads and grid heads along a vertical plane in a closed cyclic path which includes a transfer section between said pick-up station and a case packing station where said articles are deposited into said case;
moving said gripper and grid heads along said vertical plane downward over said articles at said pick-up station with lower ends of said grid fingers being spread apart in an open position for allowing said gripper elements to pick up said articles;
picking up said articles with said pick-up heads and moving said articles along said vertical plane;
moving said gripper and grid heads in relative vertical movement so that said articles are received in said grid chutes with said pivotal grid fingers moved to a generally converged configuration below said articles prior to being deposited in the case at said case packing station;
moving said gripper and grid heads downward, and moving said grid fingers away from said converged configuration towards corners of said cells in said partitioned case to said open position;
and
releasing said articles from said gripper elements of said pick-up heads for passage through said grid chutes into cells of said partitioned case.

7 more elements

Apparatus for packing articles conveyed in at least one longitudinal row into cases in a continuous motion comprising:

a slug feeder for supplying a slug containing a predetermined number of said articles to a slug pick-up station;
said slug pick-up station supporting said slug of articles in a position to be picked up for transfer to a case packing station;
a vertical revolving carriage which carries a plurality of article transfer arms;
a plurality of article pick-up heads 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;
said carriage carrying said transfer arms and pick-up heads along a closed curvilinear path along a vertical plane which includes a linear transfer section between said slug pick-up station and said case packing station along said vertical plane;
an actuator associated with said pick-up heads having a first position in which a slug of articles is retained by said pick-up head at said slug pick-up station for transfer, and said actuator having a second position in which said slug of articles is released for deposit into said case at said case packing station;
and
a case indexing conveyor for conveying indexed cases to said case packing station for receiving said released slug in synchronization with said moving carriage and said slug feeder.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.