BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to packaging, and more particularly to systems and methods for packaging multiple product units, such as cans or bottles, together.

2. Description of Related Art

One way of packaging multiple bottles or cans together utilizes a paperboard wrapper which is wrapped around four of the six sides of a grouping of cans or bottles. For example, a paperboard wrapper or carton can be wrapped around the top, left, bottom, and right sides of a two-by-two group of four cans. A similar paperboard carton can be used with the same technique to package a two-by-three six pack of cans.

The conventional techniques have been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is an ever present need for improved systems and methods for packaging. This disclosure provides a solution for this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system includes a pair of guide rails extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart from one another by a gap configured to receive a series of carton blanks therein, and to retain in a folded position a leading upper flap and a trailing upper flap of each carton as the carton is conveyed along the pair of guide rails. A rotary conveyance mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction. The rotary conveyance has a rotation axis oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and being mounted for rotation about the rotation axis. At least one pair of tines extends radially outward from the rotary conveyance. Each pair of the at least one pair of tines includes a leading tine and a trailing tine. The leading tine is positioned to contact and fold the leading upper flap of a passing carton blank in the series of carton blanks as the rotary conveyance rotates so the leading upper flap is folded prior to the leading upper flap passing into the gap between the pair of guide rails. The trailing tine is configured to contact and fold a trailing upper flap of the passing carton as the rotary conveyance rotates so the trailing upper flap is folded prior to the trailing upper flap passing into the gap between the pair of guide rails.

A second pair of guide rails can be laterally offset from the first pair of guide rails relative to the longitudinal direction. A second rotary conveyance can be mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction, laterally offset from the first rotary conveyance and aligned with the second pair of guide rails. The second rotary conveyance can be mounted for rotation about the rotation axis. The first and second rotary conveyances can be configured to fold two leading upper flaps and two trailing upper flaps of each carton blank in the series of carton blanks.

The rotary conveyance can include a main wheel mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction. The trailing tines can follow a cam path to articulate relative to the main wheel. The leading tines can be fixed so as not to articulate relative to the rotary conveyance.

A secondary wheel can be mounted across from the rotary conveyance stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction. The secondary wheel can have a rotation axis offset from and parallel to the rotary axis of the rotary conveyance. The secondary wheel can include a wheel contour configured to maintain folded position of the leading and trailing end flaps after folding by the pair of tines and before the leading and trailing flaps enter the gap between the pair of guide rails. The leading and trailing tines of the rotary conveyance can be fixed so as not to articulate relative to the rotary conveyance. The rotary conveyance can include a chain drive forming a cycling path elongated to extend in the longitudinal direction. The leading and trailing tines can follow a cam path to articulate relative to the chain drive.

A pack conveyor can be aligned with the longitudinal direction. The pack conveyor can be positioned to align a series of packs of product with respective carton blanks, wherein each pack is aligned with a respective carton blank as the carton blank is folded by the rotary conveyance.

A pack conveyor can be positioned to introduce a series of packs of product from a lateral direction into alignment with the longitudinal direction, wherein the pack conveyor is positioned to align the packs with respective carton blanks at a position downstream of where the carton blanks enter the gap between the guide rails.

A method includes folding leading upper flap of a carton blank, folding a trailing upper flap of a carton blank, and passing the leading and trailing upper flaps in a folded condition into a gap between a pair of guide rails. The method includes interlocking the leading upper flap into a leading can in a pack of product, interlocking the trailing upper flap into a trailing can in a pack of product, and wrapping the carton blank around the pack of product to package the pack of product together.

Folding the leading upper flap of a craton blank can include folding two leading upper flaps of the carton black at the same time, wherein folding the trailing upper flap includes folding two trailing upper flaps of the carton blank at the same time, and wherein interlocking the leading and trailing upper flaps includes interlocking the two leading upper flaps into two side by side leading units in the pack of product and interlocking the two trailing upper flaps into two side by side trailing units in the pack of product. The pack of product can be a two- by-three six pack of cans. Folding the leading and trailing upper flaps can be performed with access only from above the carton blank as the pack of product is below the blank. It is also contemplated that folding the leading and trailing upper flaps can be performed by accessing the carton blank from above and from below, wherein the pack of product is aligned with the carton blank downstream after the leading and trailing upper flaps are folded. Folding can include initially folding with access from only from above the carton blank and maintaining folding after initially folding, wherein maintaining folding includes accessing only from below the carton blank after accessing only from above and before passing the leading and trailing flaps into the gap between the guide rails.

Folding the leading upper flap can occur prior to folding the trailing upper flap.

Interlocking the leading and trailing upper flaps can include lowering the carton down a ramp into engagement with the pack of product. Passing the leading and trailing upper flaps into the gap between the guide rails can include first passing the carton blank under an upper one of the guide rails then passing the carton blank over a lower one of the guide rails while still keeping the carton blank below the upper guide rail. Folding at least one of the leading and trailing upper flaps can include articulating a tine to effect folding thereof.

These and other features of the systems and methods of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein: Fig. l is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a system constructed in accordance with the present disclosure, showing the main wheel from a view point above the carton blanks;

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the system of Fig. 1, showing folding of a leading upper flap of one of the cartons from a view point below the carton blanks;

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the system of Fig. 1, showing the leading upper flap entering the gap between the guide rails from a view point below the carton blanks;

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the system of Fig. 1, showing folding of a trailing upper flap from a view point below the carton blanks;

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the system of Fig. 1, showing the cam path for articulating the trailing tines;

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the system of Fig. 1, showing one of the main wheels;

Fig. 7 is a schematic end view of the portion of the system of Fig. 6, showing both of the main wheels;

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the system of Fig. 1, showing chain drives in lieu of the main wheels;

Fig. 9 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the chain drives of Fig. 8, showing the tines and a carton blank;

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the chain drives of Fig. 8, showing the cam paths for articulating the lugs;

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the system of Fig. 1, showing another rotary conveyance that accesses the carton blanks from above and below; Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary conveyance of Fig. 11, as viewed from a position above the carton blanks;

Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary conveyance of Fig. 11, showing a secondary wheel with a different wheel contour from that shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a schematic view of a process of packaging products in accordance with the present disclosure, showing a carton blank being wrapped around a pack of cans wherein the upper flaps are engaged with respective cans;

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of the process of Fig. 14, as viewed from a point below the carton blanks;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of the system of Fig. 1, showing the rotary conveyance of Fig. 11 installed, and a pack conveyer that introduces product packs downstream of the rotary conveyance; and

Fig. 17 is a side elevation view of the system of Fig. 16, showing the main and secondary wheels.

PET ATT, ED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an embodiment of a system in accordance with the disclosure is shown in Fig. 1 and is designated generally by reference character 100. Other embodiments of systems in accordance with the disclosure, or aspects thereof, are provided in Figs. 2-17, as will be described. The systems and methods described herein can be used to fold upper flaps of carton blanks for engagement with product units, such as beverage cans, to lock the product units in the carton after wrapping the carton around a pack of the product units. The system 100 includes a pair of guide rails 102, 104 extending in a longitudinal direction D. The upper guide rail 102 is spaced apart from the lower guide rail 104

(identified in Fig. 2) by a gap G configured to receive a series of carton blanks 106 therein, and to retain in a folded position a trailing upper flap 108 and a leading upper flap 110 of each carton 106 as the carton 106 is conveyed along the pair of guide rails 102, 104. A rotary conveyance 112 is mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction D. The rotary conveyance 112 has a rotation axis A oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction D. The rotary conveyance 112 is mounted for rotation about the rotation axis A.

A second pair of guide rails 114, 116 is laterally offset from the first pair of guide rails 102, 104 relative to the longitudinal direction D. A second rotary conveyance 118 is mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction D, laterally offset from the first rotary conveyance 112 and aligned with the second pair of guide rails 114, 116. The second rotary conveyance 118 is mounted for rotation about the rotation axis A at the same speed as the first rotary conveyance 112. For purposes of clarity, this disclosure discusses the operation of the first rotary conveyance 112 and the first and second guide rails 102 and 104, however those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the description of the structure and operation of the first rotary conveyance 112 and the rails 102, 104 can readily be applied to the second rotary conveyance 118 and its corresponding rails 114, 116. The first and second rotary conveyances 112, 118 are configured to fold two trailing upper flaps 108, 120 and two leading upper flaps 110, 122 of each carton blank 106 in the series of carton blanks 106.

Multiple pairs of tines 124, 126 extend radially outward from the rotary conveyance 112. Each pair of tines 124, 126 includes a trailing tine 124 and a leading tine 126. The leading tine 126 is positioned to contact and fold the leading upper flap 110 of a passing carton blank 106 in the series of carton blanks 106 as the rotary conveyance 112 rotates so the leading upper flap 110 is folded prior to the leading upper flap 110 passing into the gap G between the pair of guide rails 102, 106. Fig. 2 shows a leading upper flap 110 being folded by one of the leading tines 122 at position PI. Fig. 3 shows the same upper flap 110 entering the gap G at position P2. Fig. 4 shows the same upper flap 110 at position P3 being captured in gap G and being conveyed along the guide rails 102, 104. Passing the leading and trailing upper flaps 110, 108 into the gap G includes first passing the carton blank 106 under an upper one of the guide rails 102 then passing the carton blank 106 over a lower one of the guide rails 104 while still keeping the carton blank 106 below the upper guide rail 102 because guide rail 102 starts upstream, i.e. further to the left in Fig. 1, than guide rail 104.

Each trailing tine 124 is configured to contact and fold a trailing upper flap 108 of the passing carton 106 as the rotary conveyance 112 rotates so the trailing upper flap 108 is folded prior to the trailing upper flap 108 passing into the gap G between the pair of guide rails 102, 104. Fig. 4 shows the trailing upper flap 108 (of the same carton for which the folding of the leading upper flap 110 was explained above) being folded by the tine 124 at position P4, and at position P5 a trailing upper flap 108 of preceding carton blank 106 is shown captured between the guide rails 102, 104. After folding the trailing upper flap 108, the trailing tine 124 articulates away from the trailing upper flap 108 to clear carton blank 106 as the carton blank 106 passes beyond the rotary conveyance 112.

The rotary conveyance 112 includes a main wheel 128 (identified in Figs. 5 and 7) that is mounted stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction D. The trailing tines 124 follow a cam path 130 defined in sidewall 134 to articulate the trailing tines 124 relative to the main wheel 128 as indicated by the curved arrow in Fig. 5. Each trailing tine 124 rotates about a respective tine axis T relative to the main wheel 128 as a result of a respective cam follower 132 of the trailing tine 124 following the cam path 130, which cam path 130 remains stationary relative to the rotation of the main wheel 128. The leading tines 126 (not shown in Fig. 5, but see Fig. 1) are fixed so as not to articulate relative to the rotary conveyance 112. The corresponding sidewall 134 for the second rotary conveyance 118 is shown in Figs. 6-7.

With reference now to Fig. 8, another device 200 for use in system 100, e.g., in lieu of the rotary conveyances 112 and 118 with their respective main wheels 128, uses rotary conveyances 212, 218 each of which includes a respective chain drive 228. Each chain drive 228 defines a rotary path that rotates around the axis A, but is elongated along the

longitudinal direction D. Fig. 9 shows that each chain drive 228 includes leading tine 226 and a trailing tine 224, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any suitable number of pairs of tines 224, 226 can be included on each chain drive 228. The elongated shape of the chain drives shown in Fig. 8 allows the tines 224, 226 to have prolonged contact with the cartons 106 (labeled in Figs. 1 and 9) for applications where prolonged contact is advantageous. The prolonged contact is prolonged in terms of distance, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the chain drives 228 can facilitate high speed throughput, so the prolonged contact is not necessarily prolonged in terms of time. With reference to Fig. 10, the prolonged contact is facilitated by articulation of both of the tines 224, 226. The leading tine 226 articulates about pivot 236 and its articulation is driven by cam follower 238 in cam track 240 of the cam wall 234. The trailing tine 224 articulates about pivot 242 and its articulation is driven by cam follower 244 in cam track 246 in the cam wall 234. The articulation of the tines 224, 226 is similar to that described above with respect to trailing tine 124.

The rotary conveyances described above with respect to Figs. 1-10 provide for folding the upper flaps 108, 110 without requiring access from below the cartons 106. This provides for folding the upper flaps 108, 110 in settings where the products, e.g., packs 148 of cans 150 are conveyed directly beneath where the rotary conveyances are folding the upper flaps 108, 110, as shown for example in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, a pack conveyor 152 is aligned with the longitudinal direction D. The pack conveyor 152 is positioned to align a series of packs 148 of product with respective carton blanks 106, wherein each pack 148 is aligned with a respective carton blank 106 as the carton blank is folded by the rotary conveyance 112, 118.

With reference to Fig. 16, in other applications pack conveyor 352 is positioned to introduce a series of packs (not shown in Fig. 16, but see packs 148 of Fig. 1) of product from a lateral direction I into alignment with the longitudinal direction D. The pack conveyor 352 is positioned to align the packs 148 with respective carton blanks 106 (not shown in Fig. 16, but see Fig. 1) at a position downstream of where the carton blanks 106 enter the gap G (see Fig. 1) between the guide rails 102, 104 and 114, 116. In other words, in Fig. 16, the carton blanks 106 can enter from the left along the direction D, the packs 148 can enter along direction I from a lateral position, and the packs 148 meet the cartons downstream of the beginning of the rails 102, 104, 114, 116, and together the packs 148 and cartons leave the area as indicated by the output arrow O in Fig. 16. This allows introduction of the packs 148 downstream of the rotary conveyances 312, 318 (shown from the side in Fig. 17), which means that the cartons can be accessed from below while folding the upper flaps 108, 110.

With reference now to Fig. 11, system 100 is shown wherein the folding is done by accessing the cartons 106 from both above and below. A respective secondary wheel 360,

362 is mounted across from each of the main wheels 328 of rotary conveyances 312, 318 stationary with respect to the longitudinal direction D. Each secondary wheel 360, 362 has a rotation axis R offset from and parallel to the rotary axis A of the rotary conveyances 312, 318. Each secondary wheel 360, 362 includes a wheel contour 364 configured to maintain folded position of the leading and trailing end flaps 110, 108 after folding by the pair of tines 326, 324 and before the leading and trailing flaps 110, 108 enter the gap G between the pair of guide rails 102, 104. The leading and trailing tines 326, 324 (respectively) of the rotary conveyances 312, 318 are fixed on their respective main wheels 328 so as not to articulate relative thereto. Figs. 11 and 12 show two of the leading tines 326 folding two of the leading upper flaps 110 from points of view below and above the cartons 106, respectively. Folding the upper flaps 108, 110 can include initially folding with access from only from above the carton blank 106 and secondary wheels 360, 362 maintain the folding after initially folding as described above, wherein maintaining folding includes accessing only from below the carton blank 106 before passing the leading and trailing flaps 110, 108 into the gap G between the guide rails 102, 104.

The number of tines 324, 326 can be varied as needed for a given application, as can the wheel contour 364. Fig. 13 shows a modified version of the main wheels 428 with fewer tines 424, 426, and secondary wheels 460, 462 with a different wheel contour 464. These modifications can be made, e.g., to accommodate systems with different speeds. The wheel contour 464 can move at twice the speed of the cartons 106, for example, whereas the wheel contour 364 in Fig. 11 moves at the same speed as the cartons 106.

With reference now to Figs. 14 and 15, which schematically show the system 100 from a view point above and below the cartons 106, respectively, stages of packaging packs 148 in cartons blanks 106 are shown. On the left in Figs. 14 and 15, cartons 106 approach the main and secondary wheels 428, 460, 462, which fold the leading and trailing upper flaps 110, 108. After folding the upper flaps 110, 108, the blank 106 is passed into the gap G, identified in Fig. 3, with the upper flaps 108, 110 in a folded condition. Then the pack 148 is introduced below the carton 106, and the guide rails 102, 104, 114, 116 (shown in Figs. 1-3) ramp the cartons 106 downward into contact with the pack 148. In the case where the packs 148 are initially introduced below the cartons 106 as in Figs. 1-4, there are no wheels 460,

462 accessing the blanks 106 from below. As the carton blanks 106 come into contact with the packs, the two side-by-side leading upper flaps 110 are interlocked into the upper rims 170 of the two side-by-side leading cans 150, and the side-by-side trailing upper flaps 108 are interlocked into the side-by-side upper rims 170 trailing cans 150. Then the carton blank 106 is wrapped around the pack 148 of product to package the pack 148 of product together, as shown on the far right of Fig. 14. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that while shown in the context of a two-by-three six pack of cans 150, other products or pack configurations (such as four packs) can be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for packaging product units such a beverage cans within cartons with superior properties including ease us use and reliability. While the apparatus and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and described with reference to preferred

embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or

modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.