US1538299A - Process for the folding of carton blanks - Google Patents

Description

May 19, 1925.

1,538,299 J. w. NASMITH PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKS Filed April 21, 1924 2 Sheets-Shet l 6 A 0 C .4 v1" F F i 5/ l I 0 C May 19, 1925.

J. W. NASMITH PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKS 2 T1 -fl h li ll k m--- 5 r H v MI Q Ah fl V a Q M M M Aw Q U a. Q m A) J. O A m w v m\ w m x E \w s Q W m b x ww a g w NM M mm mw Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN W. NASMITH, OF MZANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKiS.

Application filed April 21, 1924. Serial No. 707,991.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-rN WILLIAM NA- SMITH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Heaton Mersey, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes for the Folding of Carton Blanks, of which the following is a specification.

In apparatus as commonly used for the folding of carton blanks after the necessary creasing has been effected, the blanks are fed lengthwise into the folding machine and the flaps to be folded over are raised by inclined faces in their traverse through the machine. This of necessity calls for a very long machine, occupying much space. The object of the present invention is to fold the flaps of the carton blanks over and on to the body or centre of the blank without the necessity of'providing the long and spaceoccupying inclined faces just referred to, and to simplify the folding apparatus generall With the aboveobjects in view my pr0cess consists in feeding thecreased blanks into the folding apparatus and traversing them therethrough in a direction. at right angles to the creases on which they have to be folded, the foreinost'flap being automatically raised and folded over on the blank centre by retaining means during the traverse of the blank, and then folding over the rear flap by positive'means which operate in the direction of traverse 0f the blank.

Where a. small gluing flap isprovided on the edge of one of the flaps, that flap is the foremost in traversing the apparatus and it is glued by holding it momentarily in contact with a gluing roller and lifting it from said roller before the traverse of the blank brings the foremost foldable. flap thereto, this lifting being automatically effectedby the edges of the foremost folda-. ble flap coming upon the means which raise them as the first step in the operation of the folding thereof. I i

The process with a simple and convenient form of apparatus for carrying it out will now be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of a carton blank creased ready for folding, a small gluing flap being shown attached to that foldable flap which is the "first to be folded in passing through the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side view of the carton blank after the gluing flap has been glued and the foremost foldable flap folded over;

Figure 3 is a similar view of the blank when the apparatus has completed the fold- 111g;

Figure 4 is a view of the apparatus taken on a longitudinal section line and showing one of each set of a plurality of units which effect the folding, rollers being shown in section where they extend across the apparatus;

Figure 5 is a plan of the apparatus employed for arresting the edge of a gluing flap whilst glue is applied thereto; and

Figures 6 and 7 are details.

The drawings are not to any special scale.

Referring to the figures, the cartons, ready cut and scored, are piled in a hopper of the usual kind and delivered one by one to the machine in the usual manner. 'The feed rollers l, 2, and 1 and 2 pass the cartons forward. The glue tank T is of the usual kind and revolving therein is the glue roller R working in conjunction with the squeezing roller S- and operating as described in my British specification No. 8,263 of 1911, so that a thin but regulata ble film of glue is carried round by the roller S. The'tank and rollers can be removed when the machine is required to fold without gluing.

Between the feed rollers '1, 2, and the roller'S is a rod 3 carrying arms 4 adjustable lengthwise on the rod and to which are riveted a pair of blades 5 inclined as shown at 6. These blades are seen in plan in Figure 5 and one of them in perspective in Figure 6. The horizontal part 5 is longer than the inclined part 6 and they are made in pairs. They are adjusted on the rod so that the body A B C of the carton to be operated on will pass between the inner edges of the inclined part 6, over which only the end parts F of the cartons pass.

Above the blades 5 is a rod 7 free to rock in its bearings. It carries fingers 8 adjusted longitudinally thereon and positioned so as to fall between the inclined parts 6 of the blades as shown in plan in Figure 5 Means, such as the screw V, Figure 7, I

that the resistance of the fingers 8 to displacement by the onward moving carton can be nicely regulated and their return to normal position assured when the carton has passed.

The function of these organs is as follows. The feed roller 1 is placed slightly forward of the centre of the roller 2 so as to direct the front edege of the carton downwards as it issues from the rollers. It passes over the horizontal part of the blade 5 and the front edge under the fingers 8, which compel the underside of the lip A to touch the roller 8 when this is in use. But only for an instant, because the end flaps F of the carton, riding up the inclined part ,6 of the blades, raise it and cause it also to push thefingers 8 away as they offer but slight resistance. \Vhen no gluing is required and the size ofthe carton permits they may be thrown over out of the way by turning the lever .L

over.

The swinging levers 9 Figured, are adjustable longitudinally on the free shaft 10 and are each formed with a short arm 11 resting normally against the cross bar 12 adjustable vertically int he slots 13 by the screw 1%. The proximity of the lower end of the levers 9 to the blades 6 can thus be regulated. They are positioned on their shaft as shownin plan Figure 5, and receive the flaps F of the cartonas it passes off the inclined blades (3, giving way beforeit but offering some resistance by reason of the spring 32attacl1ed to a lever .28 fixed on the end of the shaft 10. Their function is to turn over the forwardend B of the carton at theorease E assoon as-this has passed under the fingers 8 or is free from the rollers 1' 2, when the fingers are not in use. If the lip A has been glued, the glue is now uppermost. As soonas the fold has been made the doubledfront edge, of the carton (Figure 2) is presented naturally over thefixed plate 1 5,to the grip of the transporting,rollers 16, 17. ltiwill be understood that 17 and also 18 arenot continuous rollers but bosses acting only on the end flaps F of the cartons and adjustable vlengthwise on their respective shafts M and X. to suit different widths of cartons. The rollers 18,;19 carry the carton forward overthe plateQO so that the folded edge lfigureQ enters the recess 21 in the lower ends of the pendentlevers 22. There are a number of such leversfixed at regular intervals along theshaft 23, which isquite freeto rock in its bearings 26. The lower lip of the recess Qlprojectsi-nto grooves 0 formed in the curved front of thetransverse grid casting 27 which reaches right across the machine resting on slides 2-1 formed on the framing. It canbeinoved nearer to or further from the rollers 18, 1 9 as required and, clamped in position. Que or t ereof the levers 2:2 is provided with a projection 24; contacting with the set screw 25 in the cross bar connecting the bearings 26. These are adjustable along the framing of the machine and are connected to the grid casting 27 by the rods 33. so that the pendent levers 22 can be adjusted along with the grid as desired, in relation to the rollers 18, 19, in addition to a similar but more limited adjustment by the screws The advancing car ton pushes the levers 22 away as it is forced up the curved face of the grid 27, until the last crease D has passed over the faceof the plate 20 and as soon as .the flap C is {free from the rollers l8. l9 turns up tothe position of the dotted line N, being lifted by the teethof flutes of the bosses 18. The carton then collapses and the rear doubled edge passes down between the face 29 ofthe plate 20 and the nose of the grid 27. as indicated by the arrow to the grip ofthe press roller 30, which. under spring pressure, squeezes the flap C against the lip Annd. if is gluedcauses it to adherethereto. The bosses 18 may bemade either with square orangular faces flutes or teeth, or the teeth maybe resilient, giving ay and sinking into Zthe body of theboss when contacting with the lower roller 19. Their function ,is .to raise the rear end of the carton andbend itat the crease .D so that it will collapse under the weight ofthelevers 22 andpa ss down to the press rollers, when it passes to a counting and stackingdevice of.the or dinary kind.

Iclaim 1. As a step in the preparation of a carton after the carton blank hasbeen creased on ,the lines on which .it is to gbe ,folded, folding thesideflapsover upon theblank body by traversing the blank through an apparatus in a directionat right angles to the creases of thesai d blankby means of a series of rollers, raising the outer edge of the foremost flapby fixed means withinthe apparatus and pressing same against members which foldit over backwards upon the blanlcbo dy, and raising the reaiflflap of the blank to collapse the vlatter by means operating inthe direction of traverse of the blank co-acting with means against which the folded over junction ofthe foremost flap and blank body presses.

2. In combination with the, process elaimed inclaiin 1,.gluinga gluing flap attached to theforen'iost flap by holding it momentarily in contact with a gluing roller .andglifting it therefrom by the means for raisingthe foremost edge of the -f0ldab1e flap, before the traverse, of the carton blank bringsthe said foremost foldable flap tosaid roller.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

a". w. saints

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