PACKAGING DEVICE FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES IN BOXES AND RELATIVE PACKAGING METHOD

Abstract

A device for packaging articles in boxes includes a mandrel, configured to accommodate one or more of said articles inside it and to be wound at least partially by a blank to form a partially closed box, and a closing group provided to at least partially overlap and fix an outer flap of the blank on an inner flap of the blank. The closing group includes an abutting element movable with respect to the mandrel between a rest position, at least one folding position, and a pressure position, and a displacement member configured to displace the abutting element between the rest position, the at least one folding position, and the pressure position.

Claims

1.-16. (canceled)

17. A device for packaging articles in boxes comprising: a mandrel configured to accommodate one or more of said articles inside the mandrel and adapted to be wound at least partially by a blank to form a partially closed box, and a closing group arranged to at least partially overlap and fix an outer flap of the blank onto an inner flap of the blank when the blank is at least partially wound on the mandrel, the closing group comprising: an abutting element movable with respect to the mandrel between a rest position, at least one folding position, and a pressure position, and a displacement member configured to displace the abutting element between the rest position and the at least one folding position, and between the at least one folding position and the pressure position, wherein: in the rest position, the abutting element is in a remote position with respect to the mandrel, in the at least one folding position, the abutting element is in a first position to fold the outer flap towards the mandrel, and in the pressure position, the abutting element is in a second position to press the outer flap on the inner flap and against the mandrel.

18. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, wherein the displacement member is configured to displace the abutting element with respect to the mandrel from the rest position to the at least one folding position and from the at least one folding position to the pressure position along a straight trajectory.

19. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 18, wherein: the abutting element in the pressure position presses the outer flap on the inner flap against an abutment surface of the mandrel, and the straight trajectory is inclined by an angle within a range of 10 to 60 with respect to the abutment surface of the mandrel.

20. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 19, wherein the angle is within a range of 20 to 45 with respect to the abutment surface of the mandrel.

21. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, wherein the abutting element comprises at least one of: a bar and an L-bent plate.

22. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, wherein: the abutting element comprises an L-bent plate, and the displacement member is configured to displace the abutting element into the pressure position so the abutting element presses simultaneously on the outer flap, on the inner flap, and on a further side of the at least partially closed box.

23. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, wherein the closing group further comprises pneumatic elements configured to keep the abutting element pressed on the outer flap and the inner flap against the mandrel with a predefined pressure.

24. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 23, wherein the pneumatic elements are pneumatic cylinders.

25. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, the device further comprising a movement unit of the mandrel configured to displace the mandrel and wherein the closing group is mounted on the movement unit.

26. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 25, wherein the movement unit is further configured to displace the closing group.

27. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 25, wherein the movement unit comprises a carousel.

28. The device for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 17, the device further comprising a plurality of mandrels and a closing group for each mandrel of the plurality of mandrels.

29. A method for packaging articles in boxes comprising: a) providing a blank at least partially around a mandrel to form a partially closed box around said mandrel, the blank having an outer flap and an inner flap, the outer flap being at least partially overlappable on the inner flap, the outer flap and the inner flap being fixable on each other when pressed against each other, the mandrel containing one or more of said articles; b) folding the inner flap at least partially towards the mandrel; c) folding the outer flap towards the mandrel by displacing an abutting element from a rest position to at least one folding position, wherein the abutting element is in a remote position with respect to the mandrel in the rest position, and the abutting element abuts said outer flap folding it towards the mandrel in the at least one folding position; and d) pressing the outer flap onto the inner flap and against the mandrel by displacing the abutting element from the at least one folding position to a pressure position to fix the outer flap on the inner flap.

30. The method for packaging articles into boxes according to claim 29, wherein the displacing the abutting element from the rest position to the at least one folding position and the displacing the abutting element from the at least one folding position to the pressure position is performed along a straight trajectory.

31. The method for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 29, wherein: at least one of the outer flap and the inner flap bears an adhesive on an overlapping surface with an other flap, said adhesive being a glue, and the pressing comprises the abutting element pressing the outer flap onto the inner flap and against the mandrel in the pressure position for a time equal to or greater than a time for drying the glue.

32. The method for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 29, the pressing comprising the abutting element pressing the outer flap onto the inner flap and against the mandrel in the pressure position with a predefined pressure.

33. The method for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 29, wherein the folding the inner flap is performed at least partially simultaneously with the folding the outer flap.

34. The method for packaging articles in boxes according to claim 29, wherein: during the displacing the abutting element from the at least one folding position to the pressure position, the abutting element completes the folding of the inner flap against the mandrel.

Description

[0105] The characteristics and advantages of the present solution will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings wherein: [0106] FIG. 1 is a partial schematic and left side perspective view of a first example of packaging device for packaging articles in boxes made in accordance with this solution; [0107] FIG. 2 is a partial schematic and right side perspective view of the device of FIG. 1; [0108] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a blank; [0109] FIG. 4 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of a second example of packaging device for packaging articles in boxes made in accordance with this solution; [0110] FIG. 5 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of a detail of the device of FIG. 4 with the abutting element in the rest position with respect to the mandrel; [0111] FIG. 6 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of the detail of FIG. 5 with the abutting element in the folding position with respect to the mandrel; [0112] FIG. 7 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of the detail of FIG. 5 with the abutting element in a pressure position with respect to the mandrel; [0113] FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are partial schematic and side perspective views from above of the detail of FIG. 5 with the abutting element in a position analogous, respectively, to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7; and

[0114] FIGS. 11a to 11f are respective schematic representations of a method for packaging articles in boxes made in accordance with this solution.

[0115] With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a packaging device made in accordance with a first embodiment of the present solution is indicated as a whole with 100.

[0116] The packaging device 100 is arranged to package one or more articles 1 inside boxes 2.

[0117] The articles 1 are, in this preferred embodiment, bags of granular, loose or bulk food products, for example corn flakes, in particular bags with a longitudinal dimension of about 300 mm (exemplary value).

[0118] The packaging device 100 comprises, in its most general units, a mandrel 10 and a closing group 30.

[0119] The closing group 30 comprises an abutting element 31 and a displacement member 32.

[0120] The abutting element 31, in the embodiment example of FIGS. 1 and 2, is a bar 312.

[0121] Said displacement member 32 comprises an articulated arm 321 that actuates the displacement of the abutting element 31 between the rest, folding and pressure positions.

[0122] The mandrel 10 is configured to accommodate one or more such articles 1 therein. It is furthermore adapted to be wound at least partially by a blank 20 of cardboard so as to form a partially closed box 210, as can be noted for example in FIGS. 5-7 and 8-10.

[0123] The blank 20, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3, provides a series of panels 23 adapted to form the sides of the box 2 and of the flaps 24, 241, 242 adapted to overlap with other flaps 24 or with the panels 23.

[0124] The flaps 24, 241, 242 and the panels 23 may be creased along a folding line 25, 251, 252 so as to be more easily folded to form the box 2.

[0125] The blank 20 is shaped such that, once wound at least partially around the mandrel 10, it has two flaps 241,242 that are overlappable on each other when folded towards each other along the corresponding folding line 251,252.

[0126] In particular, the flap 241 folded along the corresponding folding line 251 will be overlapped on the flap 242, in turn folded along the corresponding folding line 252.

[0127] The flap 241, once this overlap has been made, will be located outside the partially closed box 210; this flap 241 is the so-called outer flap 241. In a completely similar way, the flap 242, once such an overlap has been made, will be located between the outer flap 241 and the inside of the partially closed box 210; such flap 242 is the so-called inner flap 242.

[0128] At least one of the two flaps 241,242 also bears an adhesive 40 on an overlapping surface 222 with the other flap 241,242.

[0129] The adhesive 40 is a glue 41 distributed in glue points 411 spaced apart stepwise along an axis X parallel to the folding lines 251 and 252.

[0130] With reference to FIG. 3, it is the outer flap 241 that bears, on its overlapping surface 222, such glue points 411.

[0131] With reference to FIG. 4, a second embodiment example of the innovation is represented, in which the packaging device 100 comprises a plurality of mandrels 10 and a movement unit 50 of said mandrels 10. Such a movement unit 50 comprises a carousel 51 rotatable around a vertical axis.

[0132] The movement unit 50 moves the plurality of mandrels 10 along a displacement direction F defining a substantially circular path.

[0133] Each mandrel 10 has its closing group 30; each closing group 30 is mounted on the movement unit 50, so that said movement unit 50 moves both each mandrel 10 and the corresponding closing group 30 along the movement direction F.

[0134] With reference to FIGS. 5-7 and 8-10, a detail of the second embodiment example of the innovation is illustrated below.

[0135] The closing group 30 comprises a displacement member 32 and an abutting element 31 movable with respect to the mandrel 10 between a rest position in which the abutting element 31 is in a remote position with respect to the mandrel 10 (position depicted in FIGS. 5 and 8), at least one folding position, in which the abutting element 31 is in such a position as to fold the outer flap 241 towards the mandrel 10 (position depicted in FIGS. 6 and 9) and a pressure position, in which the abutting element 31 is in such a position as to press the outer flap 241 on the inner flap 242 and against the mandrel 10 (position depicted in FIGS. 7 and 10).

[0136] In such an embodiment, the abutting element 31 is an L-shaped plate 311.

[0137] The displacement member 32 moves the abutting element 31 between the rest, folding and pressure positions.

[0138] The abutting element 31, in passing from the rest position to the at least one folding position, approaches the mandrel 10 from the side of the outer 241 and inner 242 flaps of the blank 20 until it meets the outer flap 241.

[0139] Continuing its approach towards the mandrel 10, the abutting element 31 folds the outer flap 241 against the mandrel 10 along a corresponding folding line 251. The outer flap 241, by folding against the mandrel 10 along the folding line 251, meets the inner flap 242, which is already preliminarily at least partially folded along a corresponding folding line 252 towards the mandrel 10 itself.

[0140] Continuing further its approach to the mandrel 10, the abutting element 31 continues to fold the outer flap 241 towards the mandrel 10; in turn the outer flap 241, in its folding movement, further folds the inner flap 242 against the mandrel 10 until it abuts the mandrel 10 itself on an abutment surface 10a thereof.

[0141] The approach of the abutting element 31 to the mandrel 10 from the rest position to the pressure position takes place with a straight trajectory D that is inclined with respect to the abutment surface 10a of the mandrel 10.

[0142] Once the abutting element 31 has abutted the outer flap 241 on the inner flap 242 and against the mandrel 10 on its abutment surface 10a, it remains pressed against the mandrel 10 until the glue 41 present on at least one of the two flaps 241,242 on the overlapping surface 222 with the other flap 241,242 has dried, so that the two overlapped flaps 241,242 no longer separate and that the partially closed box 210 does not open.

[0143] With reference to FIGS. 7 and 10, it can be noted that, when the abutting element 31 is an L-shaped plate 311, this, in the pressure position, presses against the blank 10 on the two overlapped flaps 241,242 and on a further side 231 of the partially closed box 210.

[0144] Finally, FIGS. 11a to 11f illustrate different steps of the method according to the innovation.

[0145] FIG. 11a shows the blank 20 partially wound around the mandrel 10 to form a partially closed box 210. The blank 20 partially wound around the mandrel 10 to form a box 2 that is partially closed 210 has two partially overlappable flaps 241,242, the outer flap 241 and the inner flap 242.

[0146] FIG. 11b depicts the step in which the inner flap 242 is at least partially folded towards the mandrel 10 along the corresponding folding line 251.

[0147] FIG. 11c depicts the step in which the abutting element 31 is in a remote position from the mandrel 10 and is about to move along a straight trajectory D that is inclined with respect to an abutment surface 10a of the mandrel 10 by an angle of about 30.

[0148] FIG. 11d depicts a step in which the abutting element 31 is in a folding position; the abutting element 31, in its movement along the straight trajectory D, folds the outer flap 241 along the corresponding folding line 251 towards the abutment surface 10a of the mandrel 10. During its folding, the outer flap 241 meets the inner flap 242 and completes the folding thereof along the corresponding folding line 252 until it abuts the abutment surface 10a of the mandrel 10 (FIG. 11e).

[0149] In this step the abutting element 31 is in the pressure position and applies a predetermined pressure on the overlapped flaps 241,242 against the abutment surface 10a of the mandrel 10 until the glue 41 has dried.

[0150] Subsequently, the closing group 31 can possibly return to the rest position with respect to the mandrel 10 (FIG. 11f).

[0151] It goes without saying that, in order to meet specific and contingent application needs, a person skilled in the art will be able to make further modifications and variants to the solution described above that are nevertheless within the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.