초록 ▼

A packaging machine for loading a plurality of articles into a carton which mechanism comprises carton erecting means for part erecting said carton to define a first article receiving cell, means for selecting a group of articles comprising at least two articles, means for separating said grouped ar

A packaging machine for loading a plurality of articles into a carton which mechanism comprises carton erecting means for part erecting said carton to define a first article receiving cell, means for selecting a group of articles comprising at least two articles, means for separating said grouped articles from an adjacent like group of articles, means for loading said grouped articles into said first article receiving cell through an open end thereof in the packaging carton and a means for completing the construction of the carton. There also comprises a mechanism for forming a carton including a pair of article receiving cells comprising complementary die members, each said die member being mounted to a rotating wheel wherein each said complementing die member is adapted to interengage when a blank is positioned between the two members, such that said die members cause the blank to be folded to define said article receiving cells.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A packaging machine, for loading a plurality of articles into a carton which mechanism comprises carton erecting means for part erecting said carton to define a first article receiving cell, means for selecting a group of articles comprising at least two articles, means

The invention claimed is: 1. A packaging machine, for loading a plurality of articles into a carton which mechanism comprises carton erecting means for part erecting said carton to define a first article receiving cell, means for selecting a group of articles comprising at least two articles, means for separating said grouped articles from an adjacent like group of articles, means for loading said grouped articles into said first article receiving cell through an open end thereof in the packaged carton and a means for completing the construction of the carton characterised in that said carton erecting means comprises complementary die members, each said die member being mounted to a rotating wheel wherein each said complementary die member is adapted to inter engage when a carton blank is positioned between the two members, such that said die members cause the blank to be folded to define said article receiving cells, one of said complementary die members having a protruding portion extending from a working face thereof and the other of said complementary die members having a recessed portion adapted to receive said protruding portion, when said blank is placed on said receiving member the protruding portion forces part of the blank into said receiving portion. 2. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carton erecting means comprises a device which effects a chance in configuration of the carton from an inoperative configuration in which said first article receiving cell is formed to receive said grouped articles. 3. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selecting means comprises a plurality of channels mounted on an endless chain which said channels are grouped to correspond to the number of articles to be placed into said first article receiving cell and wherein the channels are adapted to substantially align each said article with said first article receiving cell. 4. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein the carton comprises a second article receiving cell formed by said carton erecting means in a spaced relationship to said first article receiving cell wherein said grouped channels comprise at least two channels in substantially parallel relationship to one another wherein said at least two channels are adapted to diverge into a plurality of sub-groups wherein each said sub-group is spaced to align an article held in each said sub-group with one of said articles receiving cells. 5. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a conveyor including means to convey the articles and means to regulate the flow of articles to enable the articles to be aligned with each said carton. 6. A packaging machine for loading a plurality of articles into a carton which mechanism comprises carton erecting means for part erecting said carton to define a first article receiving cell, means for selecting a group of articles comprising at least two articles, means for separating said grouped articles from an adjacent like group of articles, means for loading said grouped articles into said first article receiving cell through an open end thereof in the packaged carton and a means for completing the construction of the carton characterised in that said carton erecting means comprises complementary die members, each said die member being mounted to a rotating wheel wherein each said complementary die member is adapted to inter engage when a carton blank is positioned between the two members, such that said die members cause the blank to be folded to define said article receiving cells, one of said complementary die members having a protruding portion extending from a working face thereof and the other of said complementary die members having a recessed portion adapted to receive said protruding portion, when said blank is placed on said receiving member the protruding portion forces part of the blank into said receiving portion, wherein each article includes a label affixed thereto and further includes a portion protruding outwardly of the article in a fixed position relative to said label, the packaging machine further comprising support means adapted to support an article, orientation means adapted to cause the article to rotate in the support means until the protruding position is restrained by abutment means formed in said support means to orient said group of articles prior to loading the articles into the carton. 7. A mechanism for forming a carton including a pair of article receiving cells, the mechanism comprising complementary die members, each said die member being mounted to rotating wheel wherein each said complementary die member is adapted to inter engage when a blank is positioned between the two members, such that said die members cause the blank to be folded to define said article receiving cells, one of said complementary die members having a protruding portion extending from a working face thereof and the other of said complementary die members having a recessed portion adapted to receive said protruding portion, when said blank is placed on said receiving member the protruding portion forces part of the blank into said receiving portion. 8. A mechanism for grouping a plurality of articles, comprising an endless series of channels along which articles may be transferred into a plurality of article receiving cells of a carton wherein the channels are organised into groupings whereby each grouping corresponds to a given number of grouped articles to be loaded into the carton, the channels adapted to be substantially parallel to one another and then diverge into sub-groupings to divide the grouped articles into sub-groups, wherein each said sub-grouping is spaced to align an article held in each said sub-group with one of said article receiving cells corresponding to each one of the cells of each carton and wherein the sub-groupings are each substantially parallel to one another to provide in line parallel access to the cells. 9. An apparatus for causing a label affixed to an article to be oriented to a predetermined display position wherein the article includes a portion protruding outwardly of the article in a fixed position relative said label, comprising: a support adapted to support the article; an elongate member adapted to cause the article to rotate in the support until the protruding portion is restrained by abutment means formed in said support, said support comprising a channel including a support surface to retain part of the article within said channel, said support surface substantially corresponding to the exterior surface of said retained part of the article; resilient means connected to said elongate member; and wherein said elongate member is adapted to abut a portion of said article as said support is moved in a substantially parallel plane to said elongate member such that a tangential force is applied to said abutting portion of the article to cause the article to rotate.