HK1087382B - Method of securing a lining bag at precise locations on the inner surface of a container blank and container with lining bag - Google Patents

Description

Machine for fixing lining bag on precise position of inner surface of container paper blank and method thereof

Background

Paperboard containers have become popular that contain flexible, liquid-tight beverage pouches having dispensing openings that can also be used to fill the pouch. Containers such as these are used for dispensing beverages such as wine, coffee, beer and soft drinks. Current paperboard containers are assembled on automated assembly machines into flat structures without bags, which are easy to ship the paperboard containers to customers. The automated assembly machine receives a cardboard blank (paperboardblank) that has been die cut and creased. The automated assembly machine again folds the blank to facilitate formation of the container and presses a tab on the blank that is used to adhere the two side panels of the container together, thereby joining the vertical side panels of the container. As the blank travels along the automated assembly machine, glue is applied to the glue flap, the panel is folded along the fold and the two side panels are adhered together along the glue flap. Pressure is applied for a sufficient time to allow the glue to bond. After the blank has been formed into a flat configuration using an automated assembly machine, a bag is manually inserted with its spout extending through a spout opening in the panel of the blank. The box is received by the customer in a flat configuration with the spout of the bag projecting from the spout opening. The customer erects the box into its three-dimensional configuration and fills the bag from the spout. However, since the container and bag are assembled and shipped in a flat configuration, the surfaces of the bag sometimes stick together after the box is erected, making it difficult to initially fill the bag. When this happens, an unsanitary condition can result if the bag is filled with something inserted into the spout to open the passageway. The step of manually inserting the bag is labor intensive and substantially increases the cost of manufacture. This step also increases the return rate. There is therefore a need for a machine and method for making containers of this type which automatically places the bag in the proper orientation during automated assembly of the container so that the access to the spout will be open when the customer erects the paper container.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates generally to machines and methods for processing containers made of cardboard or corrugated cardboard and having a liquid-containing bag therein, and more particularly, to a machine and method for automatically placing a liquid-containing bag on the surface of a cardboard blank of cardboard or corrugated cardboard so that a spout will be accurately aligned with a spout opening in the blank for easy automatic assembly of a container containing a liquid-containing bag in a flat shipping configuration. In this automated assembly process, the fluid-containing bag is secured to the interior surface of the container at a plurality of locations, thereby opening a passageway for filling the bag through the spout when the container is opened to assume its three-dimensional use configuration.

A pre-formed string of flat sealed bags having a spout protruding from the surface thereof is fed into the bag feeding section of the present invention. The string of bags is aligned and cut into individual bags. The individual bags are then precisely positioned so that when the individual bags are fed into the automated assembly machine, their spouts are precisely positioned relative to spout openings formed in the container blanks controlled by the automated assembly machine.

The automated assembly machine is modified to detachably secure the bag to the container blank, for example, using a fugitive hot melt adhesive known as "fugitive glue". Fugitive glue produces exceptionally temporary adhesion to paper or plastic bonds and is easily released without breaking the fibers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two lines of fugitive glue are applied to both side panels of the blank that become the vertical sides of the container when it is erected. The machine of the present invention feeds the bag into the assembly line of the automated assembly machine and the outer surface of the bag is initially adhered to the blank by the fugitive glue in a first position which will be on the inner surface of the container box when the box is upright. The automated assembly machine continues its usual process to assemble the containers into a flat configuration. In this assembly process of the container, cold glue is applied to the lower surface of the glue flap and the folded side panels to which the glue flap is adhered. The fugitive glue is applied to the side panel having the spout opening so that the face of the glue flap having the cold glue faces upward and the panel having the spout opening and the fugitive glue applied to its surface will bond to the bag. Thus, when the panel of the blank having the spout opening is folded, the spout opening is accurately aligned with the spout and when the panel is flattened, the spout is automatically inserted through the spout opening, the bag is attached to the panel with the fugitive glue, and the panel is adhered to the panel having the adhesive flap. The cardboard blank with the bag glued at two points travels down the assembly line of the automatic assembly machine in a flat configuration, the edges of the panels that will become the vertical sides of the final product being glued together by the cold glue and the glue flaps. Pressure is applied to secure the glue joint. The final product of the carton forming machine is a flat product and is easy to transport. When the consumer receives the product, the product can be erected by hand into a three-dimensional container in which the bottom and sides of the container are fully formed and the bag attached to the two side panels by fugitive glue has been opened so that the spout is open and ready for filling. The tabs are inserted into the slits to close the top surface of the container, forming a fully closed box with handles. When the final product is erected, the two sides of the bag are pulled away from each other as they will be glued with a fugitive glue to the different side panels of the container, and the inlet of the final product is opened and ready for liquid to be poured from the spout, and then the lid is closed.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flat blank of paperboard;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a flat bag;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the carton forming machine;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the carton forming machine;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the entire bag infeed section of the carton forming machine;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the entire bag feeding portion shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A is an enlarged and more detailed side view of the left portion of the side view of the bag feeding portion shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8B is an enlarged and more detailed side view of the right portion of the side view of the bag feeding portion shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9A is an enlarged and more detailed top plan view of the left portion of the top plan view of the bag feeding portion of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9B is an enlarged and more detailed top view of the right portion of the top view of the bag feeding portion of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10A is an enlarged and more detailed top plan view of the upper right-hand middle portion of the top plan view of the bag feed portion of FIG. 6;

fig. 10B is an enlarged and more detailed side view of the upper right portion of the top view of the bag feeding portion of fig. 6.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

Fig. 1 is an example of the type of blank 17 used in the carton forming machine 10 of the present invention to produce a finished product. The bag 11 is shown in figure 2 in the form of a bag having a spout 16 secured to the surface of a blank 17 which will become the inner surface of the container formed from the blank 17. The blank 17 can be die cut from cardboard or corrugated paperboard and is made up of a plurality of connected side panels a, B, C and D sized and shaped so that the finished product will have four flat panels or sides. The blank 17 also includes top and bottom panels extending from the side panels a, B, C and D. The glue tab 20 extends from one side edge of the side panel a and the side panel D has a free side edge along which the glue tab 20 is secured with an adhesive such as cold glue. During the manufacture of the blank, the indentation marks are pressed against the cardboard or corrugated cardboard between adjacent panels to facilitate folding of the adjacent panels. A spout receiving hole 19 is formed in the side panel D through which the spout 16 of the bag 11 is inserted and protruded. The blank 17 also has a plurality of self-locking slots and tabs that enable it to form a closed box. Methods of processing blanks of this type without the bag being fixed to the inner surface and methods of assembling them on automatic machines are known and are not part of the present invention. The particular configuration of the blank 17 shown in fig. 1 is an example of the type of blank used in applicants 'preferred embodiment, however, other shapes and configurations of blanks can be used in the bag feeding portion and method of applicants' invention. While the preferred embodiment disclosed herein includes four side panels, the invention disclosed herein can be practiced with three or more side panels.

Fig. 2 shows a version of bag 11 with a bag feeding portion for carrying out applicants' inventive method. As shown in fig. 2, the bag 11 is rectangular and has an initial leading edge 13, a trailing edge and a pair of longitudinal edges 14, 15. The bag changes feed direction during the process and the longitudinal edge 14 becomes the leading edge at the rear portion of the process. The bag 11 has upper and lower layers joined together around the entire perimeter. The spout 16 is fixed to and projects upwardly from the layer visible in figure 2. In the assembly process, the bag 11 is secured at various locations to the inside surface of the box formed when the blank is erected, at which time the bag 11 is completely enclosed by the box.

Fig. 3 is a side view and fig. 4 is a top view of an automatic carton forming machine 10, the automatic carton forming machine 10 including a bag infeed section 30 applicants add as part of the machine 10. A stack of blanks 17 is provided at a receiving end 33 of the machine 10. The individual blanks are fed from right to left and are re-creased at a re-creasing station 35 and the glue tabs 20 are pressed by glue wing rollers 36. After the initial feeding of the blank 17 in a given direction, from right to left as shown in fig. 3 and 4, a plurality of strips of fugitive glue are applied by the glue dispenser to the panel C of the blank at the first fugitive glue dispensing station 18. As will be described in more detail below, a string of bags 12 is fed into the bag feed section 30 and cut into individual bags 11 with the spout 16 accurately positioned. The individual aligned bags 11 are then conveyed by a suction conveyor belt 77 capable of changing the feeding direction of the bags by 90 °. Now the bag 11 is fed in the given direction of feeding of the cardboard blank 17. A suction conveyor belt 77 moving in the same direction as the infeed direction of the carton forming machine 10 deposits the bag 11 on the upper surface of the blank 17. The bag 11 will be detachably secured to the upper or second surface of the blank, for example by applying fugitive glue to the panels C and D of the blank 17 on the upper or second surface of the blank. The upper or second surface of the blank will be the inner surface of the container when the blank is erected into its three dimensional state. The bag 11 has been accurately placed on the blank 17 by the suction conveyor 77 so that the bag 11 does not cover the panel D and the spout 16 of the bag 11 is received by the spout receiving aperture 19 in the panel D when the panel D is folded over. The folding mechanism flattens panel D so that a portion of the bag is sandwiched between panel D and panel C adjacent panel D and spout 16 projects upwardly through spout receiving aperture 19. As the blank 17 travels along the carton forming machine 10, cold glue is applied to the glue tab 20 and the plurality of tabs that will form the bottom of the erected box at the glue dispensing station 21. Fugitive glue is also applied to the surface of panel D at the glue dispensing station 21. Cold glue is applied to a first surface of the glue tab 20 and the surface of the blank 17 will form the outer surface of the container. Fugitive glue is applied to the upwardly exposed surface of panel D at glue dispensing station 21. The surface of the glue tab 20 that has been cold glued is folded along panel a so that the cold glue is facing upwards and panel D is folded down onto the glue tab 20, thus joining the first surface of the glue tab 20 with the second surface of panel D, which will be the inner surface of the container. At the same time, the surface of the fugitive glue coated panel D is folded over the exposed upper surface of the bag 11. As the folded containers travel in a given direction along the carton forming machine 10, pressure is applied to its upper surface for a sufficient time to ensure a secure attachment of the glued faces.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the bag feeding section 30 of the carton forming machine 10, and fig. 6 is a top view of the bag feeding section 30 of the carton forming machine 10. Figures 5 and 6 are scale views of the entire bag feeding portion 30 shown in these figures, but the scale of these views does not allow details of all of the components of the bag feeding portion to be shown in these figures. Thus, fig. 5-7 provide an overview of the bag feeding portion. It should be noted that the frame element 29 is not shown in fig. 5 in order to better show the components behind the element. A detailed discussion of the bag feeding portion 30 is provided with reference to fig. 6A, 6B, 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B, wherein fig. 6A, 6B, 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B are enlarged and more detailed views of the components of the bag feeding portion 30.

The machine comprises a series of servo-motor sets serving as drive components, electric pneumatic cylinders serving as actuating devices and electric eyes serving to identify the presence of an object at a determined location, all of which are operatively associated with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)60 controlling the operation of the machine 10 containing the bag feeding portion 30.

As shown in fig. 5, a roll or a string of interconnected bags is disposed within the bag containing box 22. The string of bags 12 is in the form of a flat strip of interconnected bags 11. Each individual bag is rectangular and has a spout 16 protruding from one flat surface. The bag feeding portion 30 is provided with a post 23 having a horizontal arm 24 extending from its upper end. A spool-type roller 27 is mounted on the horizontal arm 24 to freely rotate. As shown, the string of bags 12 extends from the bag box and around the spool-type roller 27. The spool-type roller 27 is of a size suitable for a string of bags 12 and there is no constraint between the two edges of the spool-type roller 27. The bag feeding portion 30 has horizontally extending parallel frame members 29 and 31. The string of bags 12 penetrates horizontally into the bag feeding portion 30 below a guide roller 32, which guide roller 32 is supported by the frame members 29 and 31 and is rotatable. The string of bags 12 is positioned so that the spout 16 of the bag projects upwardly from the upper flat surface of the bag. As best seen in fig. 6, the guide roller 32 has a notch 33 along its length for receiving the upwardly projecting spout 16. The movement of the bags 12 through the bag feeding portion 30 is controlled by a series of conveyors controlled by servo motors under electronic eye control. At the inlet end of the bag feeding portion 30 there is a manipulating panel 34 by means of which the operator can control the threading of said bags 12 into the bag feeding portion 30. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the manipulating panel 34 is a touch screen monitor, which is operatively connected to the PLC 60.

After passing under the guide roller 32, the string of bags 12 encounters a first conveyor belt 40 which extends over a pair of rollers 41 and 42. The roller 42 is driven by a servo motor 43. The second conveyor belt 48 is located downstream of the first conveyor belt 40. The second conveyor belt 48 extends over a pair of rollers 49 and 50. The roller 49 is also driven by the servo motor 43, with the result that the first and second conveyor belts are driven at the same speed. An electronic eye 44 is located above the first conveyor belt 40 and functions to sense the presence of the string of bags after the operation has begun. If the presence of a string of bags is not sensed, such as a break in a string of bags 12, a signal is sent to the PLC60 and the operation of the carton forming machine 10 is stopped. A cutter 46 supported by frames 29 and 31 is located between the first and second conveyors. The function of the cutter 46 is to cut the leading bag 11 of a string of bags 12 from the succeeding string. An electronic eye 51 located near the discharge end of the second conveyor belt 48 senses the presence of the spout 16 on the cut bag 11 and outputs a signal to the PLC60, which PLC60 is programmed to send a signal to the servo motor 43 to stop the first and second conveyor belts 40 and 48 to allow the next bag to be cut. The PLC60 also sends a signal to the cutter 46 to drop its blade and cut the leading bag 11. After a short delay, a signal is sent to the servo motor 43 to power the belts 40 and 48. The cut bag 11 rests on the second conveyor belt 48 and when this conveyor belt is powered it will cause the cut bag 11 to be thrown forwardly and onto a third conveyor belt 52, said third conveyor belt 52 extending over rollers 53 and 53. The rollers 54 are driven by a servo motor 56. The electronic eye 57 senses the spout 16 of the bag 11 cut on the third conveyor 52 and after a timed delay the conveyor and bag are stopped and the positioning device 58 is lowered into the open spout 16. The positioning device is shaped to fit the interior opening of the spout 16 and thereby accurately position the cut bag 11. As will be further discussed, the cylinders 93 and 96 function to engage and disengage nip rollers which, when engaged together, press the upper surface of the cut bag 12 down the longitudinal edges of the bag.

Assume that the machine is running and that the leading bag attached to a series of bags 12 has advanced to the position of the second conveyor belt 48. If the electronic eye 44 senses the string of bags 12, it will indicate that the machine is operating properly. If the electronic eye does not sense the presence of the string of bags 12, indicating that the machine is not operating properly, a signal is sent to the PLC60 indicating that something is not operating properly and the operation of the machine will stop. The spout 16 of the leading bag of the string of bags 12 is sensed by the electronic eye 51, which indicates that the leading bag of the string of bags 12 is on the second conveyor belt 48. The signal is sent to the PLC which sends a signal to the servo motor 43 which is driving the first and second conveyor belts 40 and 48 and stops them. After the string of bags 12 has been stopped, the PLC sends a signal to the cutter 46 to move it down and cut the leading bag 11 from the string of bags 12. The PLC then sends a signal to the servo motor 43 causing the servo motor to re-drive the first and second conveyor belts 40 and 48. Since the second conveyor 48 has a very light load, i.e. individual bags, the cut bags can be thrown forward onto the third conveyor 52 extending over the rollers 53 and 54. The roller 54 is driven by a servo motor 56.

As the third conveyor 52 carries the cut bags 11 along the longitudinal direction of the bag feeding portion 30, it is sensed by the electronic eye 57 and generates a signal to be sent to the PLC60, which PLC60 sends a signal to the servo motor 56 after a predetermined time interval to stop the third conveyor 52. At this point, the spout 16 of the bag 11 will be positioned below the positioning device 58. The positioning device 58 includes a conical cylindrical portion that, when lowered to the center of the spout 16, functions to accurately locate the cut bag 11 for subsequent steps in the process. After the bag 11 has been accurately positioned by the positioning device 58, the positioning device is raised, releasing the bag, causing it to be lifted, and the suction conveyor belt 77 then sucks on the bag and conveys it in a given direction which is 90 ° different from the direction in which the bag previously moved.

Referring now to fig. 6 and 7, the suction conveyor belt 77 that lifts the bag 11 from the third conveyor belt 52 is part of the carriage 72. The carriage 72 conveys the bag 11 moving in the same direction downwardly to a position above the blank 17. When the bag 11 merges with the cardboard blank 17, it has reached the end of the suction conveyor belt 77 and is therefore released therefrom and fixed on the face that will become the inner face of the final product 90.

As shown in fig. 7, the carriage 72 is supported by a bracket arm 86, the bracket arm 86 being cantilevered outwardly from the frames 29 and 31 and carrying a hanger plate 87 at its free end. The free end of the hanger plate 87 is fixed to the lower end portion of the bracket 72. A servomotor 70 with a pulley 71 is carried by the frames 29 and 31. The drive belt is connected to a pulley 71 carried by a drive shaft 75 (see fig. 10B). The carrier 72 is journalled for rotation on a shaft 75. At the bottom end of the carriage 72, a second shaft 76 is axially parallel to the shaft 75. Two sets of pulleys are carried by the shafts 75 and 76 and a pair of suction conveyor belts 77 extend over the two sets of pulleys. As shown by example at 122 (see fig. 9B), the suction conveyor belt 77 is perforated and the lower rungs of the suction conveyor belt 77 traverse the open bottom of the vacuum plenum 82. As best seen in fig. 6, a pair of vacuum tubes 78 connected to a vacuum source (not shown) have eight discharge holes 79. The bracket 72 has eight hose supports 80 which communicate with the plenum 82 and which are connected by flexible air conduits to corresponding eight discharge openings 79 to provide a vacuum to the plenum 82. The carriage 72 has two bottom supports 88 and 89 that extend the length of the carriage below the suction conveyor belt 77. The bags 11 are transported over the upper surfaces of the two bottom supports 88 and 89 and under the lower rungs of the suction conveyor belts 77. The cradle has a pair of electronic eyes 83 and 84 aimed at a reflective plate 85 and which function to detect the presence or absence of a bag 11 passing therethrough.

Fig. 8A is a side view of the bag feeding section 30 of the carton forming machine 10, taken in conjunction with fig. 8B, and fig. 9A is a top view of the bag feeding section 30 of the carton forming machine 10, taken in conjunction with fig. 9B. Fig. 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B are similar to fig. 5 and 6, but they are enlarged views and thus include details that are not precisely shown in fig. 5 and 6. The general discussion of the feeding portion 30 identified in fig. 5 and 6 will be supplemented as follows with reference to fig. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B and 10B. In the plan views of fig. 6, 9A and 9B, the conveyor belts 40, 48 and 52 are not shown so as not to obstruct the view of the elements below them. The conveyor belts 40, 48, and 52 are shown in fig. 5, 8A, and 8B.

The bag containing box 22 shown in figure 5 is not included in figure 8A since a careful discussion of this element and its function is not deemed necessary. It should be noted that the frame elements 29 in fig. 8A and 8B are not shown to better illustrate those components behind them. Now, a detailed discussion of the bag feeding portion 30 will be provided with reference to fig. 6A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A and 10B.

As shown in fig. 8A, a roll or string of interconnected bags 12 is fed into the bag feeding portion 30 from a spool-type roller 27, the spool-type roller 27 being mounted for rotation on a horizontal arm 24 supported by an upright 23. The string of bags 12 is made up of a plurality of interconnected bags of complete construction that are easily fed into the automated processing machine. Each individual bag is rectangular and has a spout 16 protruding from one flat surface. The bag feeding portion 30 has horizontally extending parallel frame members 29 and 31. The string of bags 12 passes horizontally into the bag feeding portion 30 below guide rollers 32, the guide rollers 32 being supported for free rotation by the frame members 29 and 31. The guide rollers 32 cooperate with the lower horizontal support surface 45 to guide the string of bags 12 horizontally.

The string of bags 12 is oriented so that the spout 16 of the bag projects upwardly from the upper flat surface of the bag. As best seen in fig. 9A, the guide roller 32 has a notch 33 along its length for receiving the upwardly projecting spout 16. The movement of the bags 12 through the bag feeding portion 30 is controlled by a series of conveyors driven by servo motors controlled by the PLC in response to signals received by a series of electronic eyes. After a string of bags 12 passes under the guide roller 32, the string of bags 12 encounters a first conveyor belt 40 which extends over a pair of rollers 41 and 42. The roller 42 is driven by a servo motor 43. A tension element 38 is provided to the first conveyor belt 40, which functions to provide the proper tension on the first conveyor belt 40. The upper rail of the first conveyor belt 40 is supported by a support surface 47. A pair of nip rollers 59 is positioned above roller 41 and functions to ensure that the string of bags moves on the first conveyor 40. The nip roller 59 is controlled by manually actuating a lever mechanism 61 having a rotating shaft 63 and a handle 62. The nip roller 59 is supported by the free end of the link 97 extending from the rotating shaft 63 (see fig. 9A). The downward pressure of the nip roller 59 can be adjusted at a selected position using the locking roller 59. Also, nip roller 59 can be lowered and raised to ease the threading of a string of bags into the initial starting position of the machine or to ease clearing jams in the system.

A pair of engaging wheels 100 are supported by the free ends of the connecting members 98 extending from the rotating shaft 101 (see fig. 9A). The nip wheel 100 is positioned above the roller 42 and functions to provide positive control of the string of bags 12.

As shown in fig. 9A, the spout guide 102 is adjacent one of the nip rollers 59 and functions to receive the spout 16 and accurately align the string of bags 12 as it approaches the cutter 46. The spout guide 102 is supported by the frame 29 through the mounting arm 99.

An electronic eye 44 is located above the first conveyor belt 40 and has the function of sensing the presence of the string of bags after the start of the operation. If the presence of the string of bags is not sensed, for example if there is an interruption in the string of bags, a signal will be sent to the PLC60 and the operation of the carton forming machine 10 will cease.

The second conveyor belt 48 is located downstream of the first conveyor belt 40. The second conveyor belt 48 extends over rollers 49 and 50 and contains the tension element 39. The upper rail of the second conveyor belt 48 is supported by a support surface 67. The roller 49 is also driven by the servo motor 43 and as a result the first and second belts are driven at the same speed.

The conveyor rollers 42 and 49 are driven by a servomotor 43 via a belt 65 extending over a pulley, driven by the servomotor 43, the rollers 42 and 49 and a free-rotating pulley 66, which pulley 66 is in line with the other pulleys driven by the motor 43, the rollers 42 and 49. These pulleys are visible in fig. 9A and as seen in fig. 8A they are located on the distal surface of the frame member 31. The result of this drive setup is: the first conveyor belt 40 and the second conveyor belt 48 are driven in the same direction at the same speed, and they are stopped and started at the same time.

A cutter 46 supported by the frames 29 and 31 is located between the first and second conveyors 40 and 48. As will be discussed further herein, the servo motor 43 receives a signal from the PLC to stop the drive to the belts 40 and 48 so that the area between two bags in a string of bags 12 that must be cut should be directly beneath the laterally extending blade 68. The cutter 46 comprises a blade 68 extending transversely of the flow direction of the string of bags 12 and functioning to cut the leading bag 11 of the string of bags 12 from the following string. A string of bags 12 has been completed with a perforated seam between each individual bag and the edge of the blade 68 is rounded rather than a sharp edge. The function of the blade 68 is therefore to separate the leading bag from the string of bags along the perforated seam.

It should be noted that the exact separation of the leading bag from the string of bags is dependent upon the correct position of the string of bags 12 beneath the cutting blade 68. As best seen in fig. 8A, the cutting deck 69 is spring loaded to enable vertical movement. The cutter 46 includes plungers 81 resiliently mounted to the front and rear of the blade 68. When the cutter 46 is started, the blade 68 and plunger 81 are lowered. The plunger 81 engages a string of bags in front of the blade 68 and holds the bags 11 being cut from the string of bags 12 and the next bag to be cut from the string of bags 12 is directed toward the cutting station 69 as the blade 68 separates the bags 11 from the string of bags 12.

An electronic eye 51 located near the discharge end of the second conveyor belt 48 senses the presence of the spout 16 in the cut bag 11 as the cut bag 11 is discharged from the second conveyor belt 48. The PLC60 uses this information to calculate when to let the servo motor 43 stop the next drive, stop the belts 40 and 48, and when to start the cutter 46 next time.

After a short delay to allow the bags 11 to separate, a signal is sent to the servo motor 43 to cause the belts 40 and 48 to drive. The cut bag 11 rests on the second conveyor belt 48 and when this belt is powered, the cut bag 11 is thrown forward and will be fed onto a third conveyor belt 52, said third conveyor belt 52 extending over rollers 53 and 53. The upper rail of the third conveyor belt 52 is supported by a support surface 94.

A set of nip wheels 92 carried by the free end of the lever 109 is placed over the roller 53. The engaging wheel 92 can be raised and lowered by actuating the cylinder 93, the cylinder 93 rotating the rotating shaft 111, and the lever 109 extending from the rotating shaft 111. The PLC60 controls the operation of the air cylinder 93. When the servo motor 43 is activated by a signal to cause the cut bag 11 to be transferred from the second conveyor 48 to the third conveyor 52, a signal is also sent to the air cylinder 93 causing the nip wheel 92 to be raised immediately to allow the cut bag 11 to be transferred to the third conveyor 52 beneath the nip wheel 92, the nip wheel 92 then being lowered onto the cut bag 11 to control its transfer along the third conveyor 52.

It should be noted that the receiving end of the third conveyor belt 52 containing the roller 53 is shown in fig. 8A and 9A, while the entire third conveyor belt 52 including the roller 53 and the roller 54 is shown in fig. 8B and 9B. As best seen in fig. 8B, the roller 54 is driven by a servo motor 56 via a belt 91.

The other set of collet engaging wheels 95 is carried by the free end of a lever 113, the lever 113 extending from a pivot axis 119. The function of the nip wheel 95 is to ensure that the bags are continuously transported along the third conveyor 52, and the nip wheel 95 can be raised and lowered by mechanical means operated by means of the air cylinder 96. The PLC60 controls the operation of the air cylinder 96.

As the third conveyor 52 carries the cut bags 11 along the longitudinal direction of the bag feeding portion 30, it is sensed by the electronic eye 57 and generates a signal to be sent to the PLC60, which PLC60 sends a signal to the servo motor 56 at predetermined intervals to stop the third conveyor 52. The predetermined length of time interval causes the spout 16 of the bag 11 to stop below the positioning device 58. The positioning device 58 includes a conical cylindrical portion that, when lowered to the center of the spout 16, functions to accurately locate the cut bag 11 for subsequent steps in the process. After the bag 11 has been accurately positioned by the positioning device 58, the positioning device is raised, it releases the bag allowing it to be lifted, and then the bag is gripped by the suction conveyor belt 77, which conveys the bag in a given direction which is 90 ° different from the direction in which the bag previously moved.

The mechanism for lifting the bag is shown in fig. 10A and 10B. After the positioning device 58 is raised, the bag 11 is positioned on the surface of the conveyor belt 52 in fig. 10B. The free edge of the platen 103 is located below the longitudinal edge 14 of the bag 11. The pressure plate 103 is moved by a lever arm 104 fixed to a rotating shaft 105. When the rotating shaft 105 rotates counterclockwise, as seen in FIG. 10B, the platen 103 engages the lower surface of the bag 11 and lifts the longitudinal edge 14 of the bag 11 so it will be engaged by the suction conveyor belt 77 positioned above the bag 11. As best seen in fig. 10A, the rod 107 of the air cylinder 106 is supported by the frame 31 and is pivotally connected to a lever arm 108 extending from the pivot shaft 105. When the air cylinder 106 is activated, the rod 107 is extended and the shaft 105 is rotated so that the pressure plate 103 will be lifted and lift the longitudinal edge 14 of the bag 11, whereby the longitudinal edge 14 of the bag 11 will be gripped by the suction conveyor belt 77. At this point the direction of travel of the bag is changed by 90 deg. so that the longitudinal edge 14 which has been raised when the bag 11 is conveyed by the conveyor 77 is now the leading edge of the bag 11.

The suction conveyor belt 77 that picks up the cut bag 11 from the third conveyor belt 52 is part of a downwardly sloping tray 72. The bracket 72 is rotatably supported on a shaft 75 at an upper end of the bracket 72. In fig. 9B it is seen that the carriage 72 can be raised and lowered about its rotational support by actuation of the cylinder 115. The shaft 75 is supported for rotation by a center bearing 112 and a pair of end bearings 114 (see FIG. 8B). As best seen in fig. 8B, the right end of shaft 75 has a pulley 116 secured thereto. The shaft 75 is provided with a rotational force by a servo motor 70, the servo motor 70 having an output pulley 71, the output pulley 71 being connected to a pulley 116 by a belt 117. The servomotor 70 and pulley 71 shown in FIG. 6 are omitted from FIG. 9B in order to show the pulley 116 connected to the shaft 75 in this figure. Pulley 71 is connected to pulley 116 by belt 117, thus providing power to shaft 75. Shaft 75 has a pair of couplings 118 for ease of assembly and repair. The shaft 75 has a pair of pulleys 120 which function to drive the suction conveyor belts 77. In the preferred embodiment, the suction conveyor belt 77 has four identifiable sets of perforations such as 122, one set of which is shown in FIG. 9B. Each set of perforations 122 comprises three pairs of closely spaced holes directly above the longitudinal edge 14 of the bag lifted by the platen 103. Each set of perforations 122 also includes three pairs of spaced-apart holes that serve to grip the surface of the bag, while the trailing leading edge 14 is gripped by the three immediately spaced-apart pairs of holes. The suction conveyor belt 77 is driven and timed by the PLC so that the conveyor belt with the three pairs of closely spaced holes above the platen 103 is stopped and begins moving immediately after the leading edge of the bag 11 is lifted.

The support 126 extending in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the outer surface of the frame 31 by a pair of beams 127 (see fig. 9A and 9B). A pair of vacuum tubes 78 are supported by the support 126, the pair of vacuum tubes 78 being connected to a vacuum source (not shown) and having eight vacuum discharge holes 79 for providing vacuum to the plenum 82.

Reference is now made to fig. 10A, which is an enlarged and more detailed top view of the upper right portion of the top view of the bag feeding portion in fig. 6, and fig. 10B is an enlarged and more detailed side view of the upper right portion of the top view of the bag feeding portion in fig. 7.

Referring to fig. 10B, the carriage 72 is rotatably supported at its upper end on the shaft 75 by a bracket arm 86, which bracket arm 86 is cantilevered outwardly from the frame 31 at its lower or free end. A hanger plate 87 is adjustably connected to the bracket arm 86 and extends downwardly from the bracket arm 86. The free end of the hanger plate 87 is fixed to the lower end portion of the bracket 72. A servomotor 70 with a pulley 71 is carried by the frame 31. The drive belt 117 is connected to the pulley 71 carried by the drive shaft 75. The carrier 72 is journaled for rotation on a shaft 75. A second shaft 76 is journalled at the bottom end of the bracket 72 and parallel to the shaft 75. A pair of pulleys 120 are carried by the shaft 75 and a pair of suction conveyor belts 77 extend over the pulley shafts. A pair of suction conveyor belts 77 corresponding to a pair of pulleys 124 at the free end of the carriage 72 also extend over the pulleys 124. The suction conveyor belt 77 includes four sets of perforations spaced along its length as shown at 122 in fig. 9B. The suction conveyor belt 77 travels around a vacuum plenum 82, which vacuum plenum 82 opens onto the lower surface of the suction conveyor belt. The lower ledge of the suction conveyor belt 77 acts as the bottom surface of the vacuum plenum 82 to provide a vacuum to the perforations 122. A support 126 mounted on frame 31 carries a pair of vacuum tubes 78 connected to a vacuum source (not shown). The vacuum tube 78 has eight vacuum discharge holes 79.

The bracket 72 has eight hose mounts 80 which communicate with a plenum 82. The flexible support 80 is connected by flexible air conduits to the corresponding eight discharge openings 79 to provide a vacuum to the plenum 82. The carriage 72 has two bottom supports 88 and 89 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the carriage below the suction conveyor belt 77. The bags 11 are transported over the upper surfaces of the bottom supports 88 and 89 and under the lower rungs of the suction conveyor belts 77.

The carriage 72 carries the bag down to a position above the blank 17 moving in the same direction. When the bag 11 merges with the cardboard blank 17, it has reached the end of the suction conveyor belt 77 and is therefore released therefrom and fixed above the inner surface that will become the final product 90.

The carton forming machine 10 processes the blank 17 so that the blank 17 is fed in the same direction as the bag fed by the carriage 72. When the blank 17 reaches the point where the bag 11 is placed on the blank 17, a releasable or fugitive glue is applied to the panel C of the blank 17. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, two lines of fugitive glue 110 are applied to a panel C of the blank, which is located below the spout 16 of the flat bag. The other fugitive glue line 110 is applied to a panel D of the blank 17 having a spout receiving hole 19 formed therein at a later stage of forming the box. The carriage 72 feeds the bag into the processing line of the carton forming machine 10 and places the bag thereon so that the outer bottom surface of the bag 11 is adhered by fugitive glue to the panel C of the blank below the spout 16. After the bag 11 is placed on the blank 17, the carton forming machine 10 applies cold glue to the upper surface of the glue tab 20. This operation can be accomplished using a glue wheel located beneath the blank. The lower part of the glue wheel rotates through the glue bath, lifting the glue on the periphery of the glue wheel and sending it to the glue flap. This is a glue that does not have to be heated and it is referred to as cold glue, for example. Cold glue is also applied to the wings of the panel that will form the bottom of the carton so that when the panel is erected, the bottom of the carton is fully formed. These methods used in carton formation are well known and are not part of the present invention. After the bag is attached to the blank 17, the carton forming machine will continue with the normal processing of the blank. The blank panel to which the glue tab 20 is adhered will be folded up and then flattened over the adjacent panel B. The glue tab 20 will extend across the adjacent panel B and lay flat above the panel C which supports the portion of the bag having the spout 16 projecting upwardly therefrom. The cold glue applied to the glue tab 20 will be directed upwards. Because the bag 11 is precisely aligned prior to placement of the blank 17, the spout 16 is in line with the spout receiving aperture 19 formed in the panel D when the panel D is flattened. As the blank 17 continues its normal processing along the carton forming machine, fugitive glue is applied to the surface of panel D. When panel D is folded over the spout, the spout is forced through the spout-receiving aperture 19 and the panel is adhered to the surface of the bag from which the spout projects. When pressure is applied to the flat panel D, the spout 16 is forced through the spout receiving aperture 19 and the edge of the panel D is cold glued to the glue tab 20. The folded blank with the bag 11 adhered thereto is passed down the carton forming machine 10 where pressure is applied over the cold glue area for a sufficient time to ensure adequate bonding of the panel edges. The product will be shipped to the customer in a flat condition or flat configuration. When the consumer erects the carton into the three dimensional state of the carton, the surfaces of the bag 11 secured to the interior surface of the carton by fugitive glue cause the surfaces of the bag adjacent the associated spout to be separated from each other to ensure that the spout is open and free to receive liquid. The above method facilitates filling of the final product with liquid through the spout 16 without the need to insert a foreign object into the spout to open a passage for receiving the liquid.

Up to this point, although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the illustrations of the bag feeding portion, it should be understood that the mechanisms of change, modification and equivalent effect of use do not depart from the scope of the invention. Thus, such changes and modifications are intended to be covered by the following claims.

It is intended that the drawings and foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive, and that the scope of the invention includes any equivalents, alternatives and/or modifications of the elements included within the spirit and scope of the invention, and all changes within the meaning and scope of the equivalent claims.

Claims (12)

1. A container capable of being erected from a flat condition into a three-dimensional condition in which it facilitates the receipt, containment and dispensing of a liquid, the container comprising:

a blank having a first surface that will form an exterior surface of a container and a second surface that will form an interior surface of the container, the blank comprising a plurality of side, top and bottom panels separated by fold lines;

a bag capable of holding a liquid and secured to the second surface of the blank, the bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting upwardly therefrom;

the plurality of side panels comprises first and second side panels, each side panel having a side edge,

an adhesive wing extending from the first panel side;

said second panel having an aperture formed therein for receiving a spout projecting from said bag, said bag and said adhesive flap being secured to said second panel;

said bag being also secured to the other of said side panels so that when said container is erected from a flat condition into a three-dimensional condition, the bag will be opened into the three-dimensional condition to facilitate the pouring of liquid from said spout into the bag;

wherein the bag is secured to the second side panel and the other side panel by a fugitive hot melt adhesive.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said glue flap is secured to said second panel by cold glue.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein adhesive is applied to a first surface of the glue flap for adhering to a second surface of the second panel.

4. A method of making a container formed from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the container being capable of being quickly erected from a flat condition into a three-dimensional condition in which it is conducive to receiving, containing and dispensing liquids, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a feed mechanism for feeding a first of said flat bags;

providing a spout positioning device for accurately locating the flat bag on the bag feeder mechanism;

providing a blank feeding mechanism for feeding the flat blank in a given direction;

providing a first glue dispensing mechanism for placing a first glue coating on the flat blank of paperboard;

providing a second bag feeding mechanism for feeding said flat bag in said given direction and placing said flat bag on said flat blank over said first glue application such that the bag covers a portion of said blank;

providing a second glue dispensing mechanism for placing a second glue coating on the portion of the flat blank not covered by the pocket; and

a blank folding mechanism is provided for folding the flat blank onto the flat bag so that the spout passes through and into the spout-receiving aperture and the bag is secured to the blank by the second glue coating.

5. The method of manufacturing a container according to claim 4, the container being made from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the method comprising the additional steps of:

a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is provided to control and adjust the first and second bag feeding mechanisms, the blank feeding mechanism, the first and second glue dispensing mechanisms, and the blank folding mechanism.

6. A method of making a container made from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the method comprising the additional steps of:

a first electronic eye is provided for sensing the presence or absence of a string of bags on the first bag feed mechanism.

7. The method of manufacturing a container according to claim 6, the container being made from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the method comprising the additional steps of:

a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is provided to control and adjust the first and second bag feeding mechanisms, the blank feeding mechanism, the first and second glue dispensing mechanisms, the blank folding mechanism, and the electronic eye.

8. A method of making a container made from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the method comprising the additional steps of:

a second electronic eye is provided for sensing the position of the flat bag along the first bag feed mechanism.

9. The method of manufacturing a container according to claim 8, the container being made from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the method comprising the additional steps of:

a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is provided to control and adjust the first and second bag feeding mechanisms, the blank feeding mechanism, the first and second glue dispensing mechanisms, the blank folding mechanism, and the electronic eye.

10. A method of making a container formed from a flat blank of paperboard having a spout-receiving aperture formed therein and a flat bag having a spout secured thereto and projecting therefrom, the container being capable of being quickly erected from a flat condition into a three-dimensional condition in which it is conducive to receiving, containing and dispensing liquids, the method comprising:

feeding a single flat bag along a bag feeding mechanism with the spout projecting upwardly;

inserting a spout positioning device into the spout to accurately locate the bag on the bag feeding mechanism;

grasping one edge of a flat bag and conveying the bag in a given direction;

feeding said flat bag in said given direction;

applying a first glue coating to the flat blank;

placing the flat bag on the flat blank of paperboard over the first glue application such that the bag covers a portion of the blank of paperboard;

placing a second glue coating on the portion of the flat blank not covered by the pocket; and

folding the portion of the flat blank not covered by the bag over the flat bag so that the spout passes through and into the spout-receiving aperture and the bag is secured to the blank by the second glue coating.

11. The method of manufacturing a container according to claim 10, comprising the additional steps of:

feeding a string of interconnected bags along a first conveyor into said bag feed mechanism;

aligning the string of bags by receiving said upwardly projecting spout in an alignment mechanism as the string of bags is fed by said first conveyor belt,

stopping movement of said first conveyor and said second conveyor when a leading bag of the string of bags has left said first conveyor and is on said second conveyor;

cutting a leading bag of the string of bags from the string of bags;

initiating movement of said first and second conveyors so that said first conveyor feeds the string of bags and said second conveyor feeds bags cut from the string onto a third conveyor;

conveying the individual bags along said third conveyor;

stopping the third conveyor belt and positioning the single bag to receive the spout positioning mechanism into the spout.

12. The method of manufacturing a container according to claim 11, comprising the additional steps of:

after the spout positioning mechanism is inserted into the spout, an edge of the stationary bag is lifted to position the edge to grasp the edge and feed in a given direction.