초록 ▼

A machine and method for automatically cartoning fruit in the cells of a protective honeycomb, in which the method includes the steps of positioning a foldable carton blank at a first station, disposing an expanded honeycomb defining a plurality of open cells over the blank, depositing articles such

A machine and method for automatically cartoning fruit in the cells of a protective honeycomb, in which the method includes the steps of positioning a foldable carton blank at a first station, disposing an expanded honeycomb defining a plurality of open cells over the blank, depositing articles such as fruit in the cells to form a fruit-filled honeycomb on the blank, and forming the carton blank into a base portion and side and end portions closely embracing the periphery of the fruit filled honeycomb, thereby to form a self-supporting fruit containing carbon. The machine comprises means for feeding a carton blank to and receiving the carton blank at a loading station, means for receiving and for gripping and expanding a honeycomb blank into an expanded honeycomb having a plurality of open cells at the loading station directly above the carton blank, and conveyor and chute means for conveying and depositing fruit downwardly into the cells, thereby to provide a fruit-filled honeycomb supported on the carbon blank. The machine further comprises means for forming the carton blank into a base portion which supports the fruit-filled honeycomb and into side portions and end portions which closely embrace the sides and ends of the article-filled honeycomb.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for automatically forming a completed carton containing articles of varying sizes such as fruit in cells of protective expanded honeycomb comprising: feeding to and positioning a carton blank in a work station, feeding a honeycomb blank to said work station, expanding said honeycomb blank i

A method for automatically forming a completed carton containing articles of varying sizes such as fruit in cells of protective expanded honeycomb comprising: feeding to and positioning a carton blank in a work station, feeding a honeycomb blank to said work station, expanding said honeycomb blank into expanded cell-containing honeycomb at said work station directly above said carton blank positioned in said work station, feeding a mutiplicity of said articles to be cartoned to said work station and individually depositing them in separate cells of said expanded honeycomb resting on the top surface of said carton blank to provide an article filled expanded honeycomb (AFEH) on said carton blank, providing a multilateral mandrel defining substantially the entire periphery of said carton, positioning said mandrel directly above said carton blank and surrounding said AFEH, moving said mandrel surrounded AFEH from said work station to a package forming position, applying glue to partions of said carton blank during said moving, folding said carton blank at said position with the aid of said mandrel into a base portion supporting said AFEH plus side and end portions to closely embrace the sides and ends of said AFEH by bending said portions about the lower end of said mandrel and into contact with the mandrel sides to create said completed carton, withdrawing said mandrel from said completed carton at said position, and removing said completed carton from said machine.