Semi-automatic random box sealer
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorTuan Vinh Le
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A box or carton sealer is disclosed having a frame with a conveyor for moving boxes therethrough. First and second longitudinal, laterally spaced-apart, independent gravity operated centering bars move inwardly and outwardly to center the boxes in the sealer. The centering force produced by the centering bars is proportional to the distance the box is off center in the sealer. A shiftable weight assists the respective centering bars to move laterally as required. A floating head has an inclined entry ramp for riding up over the box and lifting the floating head to a desired height as the box passes thereunder. The floating head has a sealing device for attaching the box flaps at whatever height the flaps happen to be at under the floating head.
Claims15
A box or carton sealer comprising:
- a frame having opposite inlet and outlet ends and a generally horizontal axis extending between said ends;
- a conveyor mounted on said frame for moving boxes along said axis toward said outlet end;
- first and second elongate centering bars;
- centering bar mounting means for mounting said centering bars on said frame on opposite sides of said axis for movement in directions transverse to said axis between inner and outer positions to afford engagement of the centering bars on the opposite sides of different width boxes moved along said axis between said centering bars, said centering bars including centering portions generally parallel to said horizontal axis and entry portions diverging from said centering portions toward said inlet end of said frame for helping to center the boxes between said centering bars;
- bias means for biasing the centering bars toward said inner positions and into engagement with the opposite sides of various width boxes moved along said longitudinal axis between said centering bars;
- a head;
- and
- head mounting means for mounting said head on said frame above said centering bars for movement between lower and upper positions relative to said centering bars;
- said head being adapted to have a box top flap attaching device mounted thereon and for spacing the box top flap attaching device at a predetermined vertical position with respect to the top surfaces of boxes of various heights moved along the axis at which predetermined vertical position the flap attaching device can attach the top flaps of the boxes in closed positions;
- and
- said head including an entry ramp portion at the end of said head adjacent said inlet end of the frame, a conveyor belt moveably mounted on said entry ramp with a portion of said conveyor belt having a bottom surface inclined downwardly from adjacent said inlet end of said frame, and means for driving said conveyor belt so that said portion of the belt moves downwardly and toward said outlet end of said frame so that said portion of the conveyor belt will engage a box moved along said axis between said centering bars and draw the box under the floating head while lifting the head upwardly to said predetermined vertical position.
A box or carton sealer according to claim wherein said cantilevered weighted portions of said pivoting members on each of said centering bars are arcuate and extend downwardly and under said longitudinal axis with distal parts of said weighted portions of the pivoting members on each of said centering bars extending past the distal parts of said weighted portions of the pivoting members on the other of said centering bars, said weighted portions have arcuate upper surfaces, and said sealer further includes a weight guided by said frame for vertical movement, said upper surfaces of said weighted portions being shaped to support said weight on said upper surfaces of all of said weighted portions when said centering bars are in said inner positions and when said centering bars are displaced the same distance from said inner positions toward said outer positions, and to support said weight only on the upper surfaces of the weighted portions attached to one of said centering bars when that one centering bar is moved farther from said inner position toward said outer position than the other of said centering bars.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.