Method for packaging articles in boxes and packaging device operating according to such a method

Abstract

A method for packaging articles in boxes includes composing a mandrel from separate units, depositing at least one article inside the mandrel, wrapping a blank around the mandrel to form a box that is at least partially closed around the article deposited in the mandrel, decomposing the mandrel in the plurality of separate units, and leaving the article inside the box. The disclosure also includes a packaging device configured to operate according to such a method.

Claims

1. A method for packaging articles in boxes, comprising: composing a mandrel from separate units, depositing at least one article inside said mandrel, wrapping a blank around said mandrel to form a box that is at least partially closed around said at least one article deposited in said mandrel, decomposing said mandrel into said separate units, and leaving said at least one article inside said box.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decomposing occurs while said mandrel is inside said box, the method further comprising, after the decomposing and before the leaving: extracting said separate units from said box.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the extracting said separate units from said box further comprises separately extracting said separate units from open, longitudinally opposed ends of said box formed around said mandrel.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the extracting said separate units from said box further comprises retaining said article within said box.

5. The method according to claim 1, the composing further comprising bringing said separate units closer to each other and the decomposing further comprising moving said separate units away from each other.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the bringing said separate units closer and the moving said separate units away are reciprocally along a longitudinal direction defined on said mandrel, said longitudinal direction being substantially perpendicular to a direction of relative displacement of said mandrel with respect to said blank when said blank abuts said mandrel before the wrapping.

7. The method according to claim 1, the composing further comprising bringing said separate units closer to each other to a distance of less than 50% of a dimension of said article along a direction of a distance between said separate units.

8. The method according to claim 1, the composing further comprising bringing said separate units closer to each other to a distance of less than 200 mm.

9. The method according to claim 1, the decomposing further comprising moving said separate units away from each other to a distance greater than 200 mm.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said separate units are formed by a first unit and by a second unit, and the first unit and second units are two respective halves of said mandrel.

11. A device for packaging articles in boxes, comprising: a mandrel comprising separate units, a movement system of said separate units configured to displace said separate units with respect to each other between: (a) an operating position, in which said separate units are configured to accommodate one of said articles inside said mandrel and to abut a blank when said blank is wrapped externally around said mandrel, and (b) a non-operating position in which said mandrel is decomposed.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said mandrel, when in the operating position, further comprises a support surface, and at least one of said separate units comprises a portion of said support surface of said mandrel.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein, in at least one of said separate units, at least one dimension of said portion of said support surface is adjustable.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein said at least one of said separate units further comprises a first element and a second element, the first element and second element provided with respective base plates, said base plates being positioned in partial overlap on top of each other to form said portion of said support surface, and wherein said base plates are slidable with respect to each other to vary said at least one dimension of said portion of said support surface.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein each of said first element and said second element comprises a projection erected by said base plates to each form one of said abutment surface portions.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein said at least one of said separate units further comprises an angular element, the angular element spaced from said respective base plate and cooperating with said first element or said second element to form said portion of said at least one abutment surface, and wherein a distance of said angular element from said base plate is adjustable to vary said at least one dimension of said portion of said at least one abutment surface.

17. The device according to claim 12, wherein: said mandrel, when in the operating position, further comprises at least one abutment surface positioned laterally with respect to said support surface and is configured to abut said blank when said blank is wrapped around said mandrel to form one of said boxes; and the at least one of said separate units further comprises a portion of said at least one abutment surface of said mandrel.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein, in at least one of said separate units, at least one dimension of said portion of said at least one abutment surface is adjustable.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: said mandrel, when in the operating position, further comprises two abutment surfaces positioned on opposing sides of said support surface and is configured to abut said blank when said blank is wrapped around said mandrel to form said one of said boxes; and said at least one of said separate units further comprises a portion of each of said two abutment surfaces of said mandrel.

20. The device according to any one of claim 11, wherein at least one of said separate units is associated with a positioning element, the positioning element being movable with respect to said at least one of said separate units, and arranged to retain said one of said articles within one of said boxes when said at least one of said separate units is extracted from said one of said boxes.

21. An apparatus for packaging articles in boxes comprising: at least one packaging device according to claim 11, a movement member of said at least one packaging device arranged to displace said at least one packaging device along a predefined path, an article feeder arranged to deposit an article in said mandrel when composed of said separate units, and a blank feeder arranged to position said blank along said predefined path, to be abutted by said mandrel and wrapped around said mandrel containing said article.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said movement member comprises a carousel rotatable around an axis of rotation and said at least one packaging device is mounted on said carousel to be displaced along a predefined substantially circular path.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said separate units are mounted on an arm, the arm being radially extended from said carousel, passing below a working surface of said apparatus, and extended at least in part, along said predefined substantially circular path.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said separate units are mounted on said arm to be positioned on either side of said working surface.

Description

(1) The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, shown, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of an apparatus for packaging articles in boxes made in accordance with the present solution;

(3) FIG. 2 is a partial schematic and perspective view from above of the packaging apparatus of FIG. 1 representing a plurality of packaging devices manufactured in accordance with the present solution in different operating configurations;

(4) FIGS. 3 to 6 are schematic views of the packaging device of FIG. 2 in subsequent operating configurations;

(5) FIG. 7 is a perspective and enlarged scale view of the packaging device of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 8 is a perspective and enlarged scale view of a variant embodiment of the packaging device of FIG. 2;

(7) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a package obtained with the packaging device of FIG. 8.

(8) Referring to the enclosed Figures, number 100 denotes a packaging apparatus made in accordance with the present solution.

(9) The packaging apparatus 100 is arranged to package one or more articles 1 inside boxes 2.

(10) The articles 1 are, in this preferred embodiment, bags of granular, loose food products, e.g cereal flakes, with a longitudinal dimension of about 300 mm.

(11) The packaging apparatus 100 comprises, in its most general units, an article feeder 3, a blank feeder 4, a packaging unit 5, and an unloading station 6.

(12) The article feeder 3 may be made in any form that is suitable to take an article 1 from an upstream work station (or warehouse) and deliver it to the packaging unit 5. For example, the article feeder 3 may comprise a plurality of gripping members 3a, such as of the suction cup type, mounted on a vertical axis carousel 3b.

(13) The blank feeder 4 is in turn configured to take a single blank 7 from a set of blanks stacked in a hopper 4c and bring it to the packaging unit 5. For example, the blank feeder 4 may comprise a plurality of gripping members 4a mounted on a carousel 4b rotatable around an axis substantially parallel to a vertical direction, generically indicated in the Figures by Z.

(14) The packaging unit 5 is arranged to receive the articles 1 from the article feeder 3 and form a box 2 around them from a blank 7 supplied by the blank feeder 4.

(15) For this purpose, the packaging unit 5 comprises a plurality of packaging devices 10 which are all mounted on a carousel 8, rotatable around a vertical axis, so as to be moved along a displacement direction F defining a substantially circular path.

(16) Thus, each packaging device 10 is led along the circular path between a receiving zone A, in which the packaging device 10 receives an article 1 from the article feeder 3, an abutment zone B, in which the packaging device 10 abuts a blank 7 supplied by the blank feeder 4, a forming zone C, in which the blank 7 is folded to form a box 2 containing the article 1, an unloading zone D, in which the box 2 containing the article 1 is delivered to the unloading station 6, and, finally, a return zone E in which the packaging device 10 is returned to the receiving zone A.

(17) The unloading station 6 comprises, in turn, a plurality of gripping members 6a mounted on a carousel 6b with a vertical axis and arranged to take from the packaging device 10 the box 2 containing the article 1 and displace it to an exit conveyor 6c for subsequent working steps.

(18) Each packaging device 10 comprises a first unit 11 and a second unit 12, distinct and separate from each other, both mounted on an arm 14 radially extended from the carousel 8 and passing below a working surface 9 of the packaging unit 5, fixed to the ground and extended along the circular path on which the packaging devices 10 are led.

(19) In particular, the first unit 11 and the second unit 12 are mounted on the arm 14 by means of a respective upright 11a, 11b erected by the arm 14 so as to support the units 11 and 12 on opposed sides of the working surface 9 and above the level defined by it.

(20) The first unit 11 is therefore in a radially inward position with respect to the working surface 9, while the second unit 12 is in a radially outward position with respect to the working surface 9.

(21) The first unit 11 and the second unit 12 are substantially identical to each other and are arranged facing each other symmetrically with respect to the working surface 9.

(22) Each packaging device 10 further comprises a movement system 13 configured to displace the first unit 11 and the second unit 12 with respect to each other between an operating position, wherein the two units 11, 12 are brought closer to each other so as to compose a mandrel 20, and a non-operating position wherein the two units 11, 12 are moved away from each other, so as to decompose the mandrel 20.

(23) Specifically, the two units 11 and 12 are displaced between the operating position and non-operating position by sliding along the arm 14, and are therefore brought closer to and moved away from each other along a radial direction of the carousel 8, which, in this case, also corresponds to a longitudinal direction X defined on the mandrel 20.

(24) The mandrel 20 is formed by bringing closer to each other along the longitudinal direction X the two units 11 and 12, each one representing a respective half of the mandrel 20.

(25) In the embodiment herein described and shown, the two units 11 and 12 are brought closer to each other to a distance of about 100-120 mm, but it is also provided that, in alternative embodiments, the two units 11, 12 are brought closer together until they touch.

(26) It will be appreciated in any case that, even without direct contact between them, when the two units 11, 12 are brought together in the operating position they form, as a whole, a mandrel, as they are capable to fulfil the functions specified for its definition, i.e. to accommodate and support the article to be packaged as well as to provide an effective abutment in order to fold the blank when it is wrapped around it.

(27) The possibility of forming a mandrel 20 without necessarily bringing the two units 11 and 12 into direct contact also makes it possible to vary, within certain limits, the dimension of the mandrel 20 parallel to the longitudinal direction X, in other words, the length of the mandrel.

(28) The mandrel 20, on the other hand, is decomposed by moving the two units 11, 12 away from each other along the longitudinal direction X until the non-operating position is reached.

(29) Such position is reached when the two units 11, 12 are moved away from each other at such a distance that they cannot accommodate and support the article to be packaged, or cannot provide an effective abutment for folding the blank. In other words, in the non-operating position, the two units 11 and 12 are not considered as a mandrel altogether.

(30) In the embodiment herein described and shown, the two units 11 and 12 when displaced to the non-operating position are moved away from each other to a distance greater than 200 mm, e.g. about 500 mm.

(31) On the mandrel 20, composed by the two units 11 and 12 displaced in the operating position, they are identified a bottom 21, defining a support surface on which the article 1 is deposited, as well as a pair of side walls 22 and 23, delimiting the bottom 21 at the opposed longitudinal sides and defining respective abutment surfaces of the mandrel 20, configured to abut a blank 7 when wrapped around the mandrel 20 to form the box 2.

(32) In particular, both the bottom 21 and the side walls 22, 23 are formed by respective portions provided in both the first unit 11 and in the second unit 12.

(33) In particular, each unit 11 and 12 comprises a first element 15 and a second element 16, that are substantially L-shaped.

(34) A respective base plate 17 and a projection 18 erected from a longitudinal edge of the base plate 17 are defined on each first and second element 15, 16.

(35) The base plates 17 lie substantially in a horizontal plane, while the projections 18 lie substantially in a vertical plane.

(36) The respective base plates 17 of the first and second element 15, 16 are positioned in partial overlap on top of each other with their respective projections 18 in a parallel and opposite position, thereby forming, in each unit 11, 12, both a portion of the bottom 21 and respective portions of the side walls 22 and 23 of the mandrel 20.

(37) Each unit 11 and 12 further comprises a pair of angular elements 19, extended substantially parallel to a respective projection 18 on the side opposite the base plate 17.

(38) Each angular element 19 has an L-shaped section, with a first wall 19a substantially coplanar with the projection 18, and a second wall 19b, substantially parallel to the base plate 17 and coplanar with the corresponding second wall 19b of the other angular element 19 provided in the same unit 11 or 12.

(39) In each unit 11 or 12, the angular element 19 forms, in combination with the projection 18 lying below it, a portion of the side wall 22 or 23.

(40) The wrapping device 10 further comprises a first adjustment mechanism (not shown in the accompanying figures) configured to displace the first element 15 with respect to the second element 16 along a direction Y, substantially perpendicular to both the vertical direction Z and the longitudinal direction X, by sliding the respective base plates 17 one over the other.

(41) It is thereby possible to vary the dimension of the first unit 11 or the second unit 12 parallel to the direction Y, in other words its width. Consequently, when the units 11 and 12 are in the operating position, it is possible to vary the width of the bottom 21 of the mandrel 20.

(42) The packaging device 10 also includes a second adjustment mechanism (not shown in the enclosed Figures) arranged to change the distance of the angular elements 19 from the respective base plate 17. This is achieved by raising or lowering the angular elements 19 vertically with respect to the projections 18.

(43) It is thereby possible to vary the vertical dimension (parallel to the axis Z) of the side wall 22 and 23, in other words the height of the first unit 11 or the second unit 12.

(44) In particular, it is provided that the angular element 19 can lower until it joins the projection 18, thus decreasing the height of the slot (until it is cancelled) formed between the angular element 19 and the projection 18.

(45) Preferably, a projection 19c is provided on the second wall 19b of the angular element 19 that is adapted to couple with a corresponding recess 18a obtained in the projection 18 when the angular element 19 is lowered onto the projection 18. The provision of the projection 19c and the recess 18a gives the slot defined between the angular element 19 and the projection 18 a broken line pattern which encourages the retention of the article 1 inside the mandrel by preventing the article 1 from escaping from the side wall 22, 23 passing between the angular element 19 and the projection 18.

(46) For this purpose, several projections and recesses, including those of different shapes and dimensions, may be obtained at the angular element 19 and the projection 18.

(47) Both the first and second units 11, 12 are also associated with a respective positioning element 24 arranged to retain the article 1 inside the box 2 when the first and second units 11, 12 are extracted from the box.

(48) In particular, the positioning element 24 comprises a piston with a head 26 attached at one end of a rod 25 extended longitudinally within the first unit 11 or, respectively, the second unit 12.

(49) The head 26 is oriented in a vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and is positioned between the projections 18 resting on (or in proximity to) the base plates 17.

(50) Thus, when the first and second units 11, 12 are in the operating position, the mandrel 20 composed by them has a chamber for accommodating an article 1 delimited inferiorly by the bottom 21, defined by the base plates 17, laterally by the side walls 22 and 23, defined by the projections 18 and angular elements 19, and longitudinally by the heads 26 of the positioning elements 24.

(51) The positioning element 24 is movable with respect to the respective first or second unit 11, 12 along the longitudinal direction X.

(52) The packaging apparatus 100, with particular reference to each of its packaging devices 10, operates as described hereinafter.

(53) The carousel 8 rotates around its vertical rotation axis Z in a continuous motion, leading the packaging devices 10 along the circular path with the first and second units 11 and 12 at radially opposed sides of the support surface 9.

(54) Before the receiving zone A, the movement system 13 is operated to bring the first and second units 11, 12 closer to each other and bring them into the operating position so as to compose the mandrel 20 above the working surface 9 (sequence visible in FIG. 2).

(55) Preferably, at this stage, the first and second elements 15 and 16 of the first and second units 11, 12 are adjusted by the first adjustment mechanism to a width slightly greater than the width provided for forming the box 2, so as to ease accommodating an article 1 deposited on the bottom 21 of the mandrel 20 by a gripping member 3a of the article feeder 3.

(56) In the example herein described, only one article 1 (FIG. 4) is intended to be contained in the box 2, however, it is also possible to introduce in the box 2 a plurality of articles 1, all of which, in this case, would be deposited inside the mandrel 20 before being wrapped in the blank 7.

(57) Once the article 1 has been deposited, the width of the bottom 21 is brought to the correct dimension by bringing the respective first and second elements 15 and 16 of the first and second units 11 and 12 closer to each other.

(58) While the mandrel 20 is led towards the abutment zone B, the blank feeder 4 brings a blank 7 on the path of mandrel 20, at an interruption point of the working surface 9.

(59) The blank 7 is positioned on a vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the displacement direction F, such that a central panel 7a of its front surface is abutted by the side wall 22 of the mandrel 20 (FIG. 5), which, thus, drags the blank 7 into the formation zone C placed immediately downstream. The side wall 22, placed in front of the mandrel with respect to its forward motion along the displacement direction F, represents the first abutment surface of the mandrel 20 with the blank 7.

(60) The mandrel 20 then passes through a pair of plates 27 that are horizontal and spaced by a measure slightly greater than the height of the side walls 22, 23. The blank 7 is thereby pushed by the mandrel 20 between the plates 27 that fold the upper panel 7b and lower panel 7c of the blank 7 against the mandrel 20.

(61) When exiting from the pair of plates 27, respective closing members fold the lower flap 7d and the upper flap 7e protruding from the lower panel 7c and the upper panel 7b, respectively, of the blank 7 against the side wall 23 of the mandrel 20 so as to laterally close the box 2.

(62) Preferably, one of the two flaps is suitably provided with glue dots so that it can be attached to the other flap by gluing.

(63) To this end, an L-shaped closing member 28 is mounted on the packaging device 10, which is lowered in a vertical plane so as to press the blank 7 against the angular element 19 of the side wall 23.

(64) At the end of the formation zone C, the box 2 thus formed is closed laterally and open at the two opposed longitudinal ends 29a, 29b.

(65) At that stage, in the unloading area D, the first and second units 11 and 12 are displaced to the non-operating position, moving them away from each other along the longitudinal direction X until they are completely out of the longitudinal ends 29a, 29b of the box 2.

(66) If desired, the extraction of the units 11 and 12 from the box 2 may be further eased by slightly reducing the width of the bottom 21.

(67) At that stage, the positioning elements 24 initially remain fixed inside the box 2, so as to prevent the article 1 from being pulled out of the box 2 by the first or second units 11 and 12 (FIG. 6).

(68) Once the first and second units 11 and 12 have been extracted from the box 2, the positioning elements 24 and the box 2 with the article 1 therein, are also extracted by the gripping members 6a of the unloading station 6 to be sent to the subsequent work stations, where the box 2 is closed also at the longitudinal ends 29a, 29b and is taken to the final steps of packing and shipping.

(69) The packaging device 10, having delivered the box 2, is then led to the return zone E to be returned to the initial receiving zone A.

(70) In the return zone E, the first and second units 11 and 12, which have already been moved away from the non-operating position, may be independently lowered below the level of the working surface 9, so as not to interfere with any other parts of the packaging unit 5 (FIG. 3).

(71) FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment variant of the packaging device, globally indicated by 110.

(72) Compared to the packaging device 10 described in the previous example, the packaging device 110 is configured to make a mandrel 20 having side walls 22 and 23 with a different shape.

(73) In particular, in both the first and second units 11 and 12, the angular elements 19 as well as the first and second elements 15 and 16 have at the corners a chamfer with a tapered profile starting from the end facing the positioning element 24, where the chamfer is wider, to the end facing the other unit 11, 12, where the chamfer is narrower.

(74) The packaging device 110, once mounted on the arm 14 in place of the packaging device 10, substantially operates in the same way as the packaging device 10, making it possible to obtain the box 102 shown in FIG. 9 from a suitably shaped blank 7.

(75) As it may be seen, the box 102 has chamfered longitudinal edges 103, with the chamfer having a greater width at opposed end regions 104 and a smaller width at a median zone 105.

(76) It will be noted that a box 102 having such profiled chamfers could not have been obtained with a traditional single-unit mandrel due to the interference between the mandrel and the box when extracting the mandrel from the box, unless the inner section of the mandrel was significantly narrowed before extraction, with the risk of damaging the product contained therein, or by using a mandrel with a narrow cross-section even when folding the blank, with the risk of not properly abutting the blank, thus creating a box with irregular edges and therefore of poor quality.

(77) Obviously, as the articles and boxes may be of a shape and dimension similar to those indicated in the examples shown above, the dimensions and shapes of the units 11 and 12, as well as the distance at which they are brought closer to each other to form the mandrel 20, may be widely modified and adapted to suit specific needs.

(78) The present solution thus makes it possible to solve the technical problem identified above, while at the same time achieving further advantages, including the possibility of easily adjusting one or more dimensions of the mandrel around which the box is formed.

(79) Obviously, one skilled in the art may, in order to meet specific and contingent application requirements, make further modifications and variants to the solution described above that nevertheless fall within the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.