초록 ▼

A new and improved apparatus or system for automatically assembling or erecting tote containers, and a corresponding method or process for practicing or implementing the assembly or erection of the tote containers, is disclosed wherein tote container workpieces are disposed in a serial array within

A new and improved apparatus or system for automatically assembling or erecting tote containers, and a corresponding method or process for practicing or implementing the assembly or erection of the tote containers, is disclosed wherein tote container workpieces are disposed in a serial array within a magazine or hopper. The tote container workpieces are serially and individually removed from the magazine or hopper, expanded from their FLATTENED states to their OPENED or EXPANDED states, and have their flap members folded upwardly and inwardly with respect to the lower or bottom edge portions of each tote container workpiece, in accordance with a predetermined procedural sequence, whereby each tote container is automatically assembled, as a result of the flap members being engaged with each other in an intermeshed, interengaged, and interlocked manner so as to effectively form the bottom support surface of the tote container without the need for fixing, bonding, or otherwise permanently securing the flap members together. As a result of such structure, each tote container is then capable of being used, and as may be subsequently desired or required, disassembled and reused.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is: 1. A system comprising a tote container workpiece, and apparatus for automatically erecting the tote container workpiece from an originally FLATTENED state to an EXPANDED state so as to define

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is: 1. A system comprising a tote container workpiece, and apparatus for automatically erecting the tote container workpiece from an originally FLATTENED state to an EXPANDED state so as to define a tote container, comprising: a plurality of tote container workpieces wherein each tote container workpiece is defined by means of a pair of oppositely disposed end walls, a pair of oppositely disposed side walls, and a plurality of bottom surface flap members respectively pivotally connected to lower edge portions of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls and said pair of oppositely disposed side walls; a hopper for housing said plurality of tote container workpieces in substantially FLATTENED states, and in a serial array, in preparation for respectively erecting said plurality of tote container workpieces from said FLATTENED state to said EXPANDED state, wherein said hopper has an open end portion through which leading ones of said plurality of tote container workpieces, disposed within said hopper, can be individually withdrawn from said hopper in a serial manner; roller engaging means, disposed substantially immediately adjacent to said open end portion of said hopper, for engaging one of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls of said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, disposed within said hopper, when said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces is withdrawn from said open end portion of said hopper; means, comprising a plurality of vacuum suction cup implements disposed adjacent to said hopper and movable from a first position, disposed adjacent to said hopper, to a second position, disposed at a work station at which said plurality of tote container workpieces can be individually erected from said plurality of tote container workpieces to tote containers, for grasping one of the pair of oppositely disposed side walls of said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, disposed within said hopper, such that as said grasping means moves from said first position to said second position so as to withdraw said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, said one of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls of said FLATTENED, leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces is moved into contact with said roller engaging means, disposed substantially immediately adjacent to said open end portion of said hopper, so as to effectively be positionally restrained by said roller engaging means whereby continued movement of said grasping means toward said second position will cause said grasping means and said roller engaging means to cooperate together so as to cause said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, withdrawn from said hopper, to roll along said roller engaging means and attain said EXPANDED state; said roller engaging means comprising a first-stage roller for initially engaging and partially restraining said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, as said grasping means, for individually and serially withdrawing said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, withdraws said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper and moves said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces toward said work station such that said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces will begin to expand from said substantially FLATTENED state to said EXPANDED state, and a second-stage roller for subsequently engaging said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, as said grasping means, for individually and serially withdrawing said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, moves said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces toward said work station, such that said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces will be fully expanded to said EXPANDED state; and means for pivotally moving said plurality of bottom surface flap members of said EXPANDED tote container workpiece with respect to said lower edge portions of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls and said pair of oppositely disposed side walls of said tote container workpiece in a predetermined sequential manner from first positions, at which said plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other, to second positions at which said plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in an interlocked manner so as to define the bottom surface portion of said tote container without the need for permanently securing said plurality of bottom surface flap members together and thereby completing said erection of said tote container workpiece to said tote container. 2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for pivotally moving the plurality of bottom surface flap members, with respect to the lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls, comprises: a plurality of folding mechanisms for respectively engaging the plurality of bottom surface flap members; and a plurality of actuators operatively connected to said plurality of folding mechanisms for moving said plurality of folding mechanisms such that said plurality of folding mechanisms can move the plurality of bottom surface flap members from the first positions, at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other, to the second positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in the interlocked manner so as to define the bottom surface portion of the tote container. 3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for pivotally moving the plurality of bottom surface flap members, with respect to the lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls, in the predetermined sequential manner from the first positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other to the second positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in the interlocked manner so as to define the bottom surface portion of the tote container, comprises: means for folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to a first side wall of the tote container; means for folding the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container; and means for folding the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container such that the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container overlaps the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container, the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container overlap the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container, and the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container overlaps the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container. 4. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for pivotally moving the plurality of bottom surface flap members, with respect to the lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls, in the predetermined sequential manner from the first positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other to the second positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in the interlocked manner so as to define the bottom surface portion of the tote container, comprises: means for folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to a first side wall of the tote container from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation; means for folding the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container from substantially vertical orientations to substantially horizontal orientations; and means for folding the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container from a substantially vertical orientation to a position beyond a horizontal orientation so as to bias the first one of the bottom surface flap members away from its substantially horizontal orientation until the first one of the bottom surface flap members reaches a predetermined position at which the first one of the bottom surface flap members snaps back to its horizontal orientation such that the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container overlaps the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container, the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container overlap the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container, and the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container overlaps the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container, whereby the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in the interlocked manner. 5. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: means for moving the plurality of tote container workpieces within said hopper so as to dispose the leading one of the plurality of tote container workpieces at said open end portion of said hopper at which said grasping means, for individually and serially withdrawing the plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, can withdraw and move the leading one of the plurality of tote container workpieces from said open end portion of said hopper toward said work station. 6. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for moving the plurality of tote container workpieces within said hopper comprises: a chain drive mechanism for movably supporting lower edge portions of the plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper; and a pusher mechanism for engaging a rear surface portion of the rearwardmost tote container workpiece disposed within said hopper so as to operatively cooperate with said chain drive mechanism in moving the plurality of tote container workpieces toward said open end portion of said hopper. 7. The system as set forth in claim 6, further comprising: photodetector means disposed at said open end portion of said hopper for determining the vertical disposition of the plurality of tote container workpieces within said hopper and operatively associated with said chain drive and pusher mechanisms; and programmable logic controller (PLC) means operatively connected to said photodetector means, and said chain drive and pusher mechanisms, for controlling said chain drive and pusher mechanisms in accordance with signals received from said photodetector means so as to ensure the vertical disposition of the plurality of tote container workpieces within said hopper. 8. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: means disposed with said hopper for engaging the plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper so as to ensure that the plurality of tote container workpieces can only be disposed within said hopper in a predetermined orientation in order to properly dispose the tote container workpieces for proper erection into the plurality of tote containers. 9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein: said means, disposed with said hopper for engaging the plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper so as to ensure that the plurality of tote container workpieces can only be disposed within said hopper in a predetermined orientation, comprises a longitudinally extending tote container workpiece orientation bar for engaging a slotted portion of each one of the plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper. 10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said tote container workpiece orientation bar is disposed within said hopper at an off-center position with respect to the lateral extent of said hopper such that the plurality of tote container workpieces must be disposed within said hopper with a proper front-to-back orientation. 11. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said means for pivotally moving the plurality of bottom surface flap members of the EXPANDED tote container workpiece with respect to the lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece in a predetermined sequential manner from first positions, at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other, to second positions, at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in an interlocked manner, comprises means for folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of a first one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece, means for folding second and third ones of the bottom surface flap members, pivotally connected to the lower edge portions of the oppositely disposed end walls of the tote container workpiece, subsequent to the folding of the first one of the bottom surface flap members of the tote container workpiece, and means for lastly folding a fourth one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of a second one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece so as to be interlocked only with the first oppositely disposed one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of the first one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece so as to define the bottom surface portion of an erected tote container without the need for permanently securing the plurality of bottom surface flap members together. 12. A method for automatically erecting a tote container, having an EXPANDED state, from an originally FLATTENED tote container workpiece, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of tote container workpieces wherein each one of said plurality of tote container workpieces is defined by means of a pair of oppositely disposed end walls, a pair of oppositely disposed side walls, and a plurality of bottom surface flap members respectively pivotally connected to lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls; housing said plurality of tote container workpieces, in substantially FlATTENED states and in a serial array, within a hopper in preparation for respectively erecting said plurality of tote containers from said plurality of tote container workpieces, wherein said hopper has an open end portion through which leading ones of said plurality of tote container workpieces, disposed within said hopper, can be individually withdrawn from said hopper in a serial manner; positioning roller engaging means, at a location substantially immediately adjacent to said open end portion of said hopper, for engaging one of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls of said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, which are disposed within said hopper, when said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces is being withdrawn from said open end portion of said hopper, wherein said roller engaging means comprised a dual-roller mechanism such that a first-stage roller is used for initially engaging and partially restraining said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, as said grasping means, for individually and serially withdrawing said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, withdraws said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper and moves said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces toward said work station such that said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces will begin to expand from said substan-tially FLATTENED state to said EXPANDED state, while a second-stage roller is used for subsequently engaging said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, as said grasping means, for individually and serially withdrawing said plurality of tote container workpieces from said hopper, moves said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces toward said work station, such that said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces will be fully expanded to said EXPANDED state; using a grasping means, comprising a plurality of vacuum suction cup implements disposed adjacent to said hopper, so as to grasp one of said pair of oppositely disposed side walls of said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper; moving said grasping means from a first position, disposed adjacent to said hopper, to a second position, disposed at a work station at which said plurality of tote container workpieces can be individually erected from said plurality of tote container workpieces to said tote containers, so that said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces is withdrawn from said hopper in such a manner that one of said pair of oppositely disposed end walls of said FLATTENED, leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces will be moved into contact with said roller engaging means, disposed substantially immediately adjacent to said open end portion of said hopper, so as to effectively be positionally restrained by said roller engaging means whereby continued movement of said grasping means toward said second position will cause said grasping means and said roller engaging means to cooperate together so as to cause said leading one of said plurality of tote container workpieces, withdrawn from said hopper, to roll along said roller engaging means and be OPENED so as to attain said EXPANDED state; and pivotally moving the plurality of bottom surface flap members of the EXPANDED tote container workpiece with respect to the lower edge portions of the pair of oppositely disposed end walls and the pair of oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece in a predetermined sequential manner from first positions, at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are not operatively engaged with each other, to second positions at which the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in an interlocked manner, so as to define the bottom surface portion of said tote container without the need for permanently securing said plurality of bottom surface flap members together and thereby completing said erection of said tote container workpiece to said tote container. 13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the steps of: folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to a first side wall of the tote container; folding the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container; and folding the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container such that the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container overlaps the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container, the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container overlap the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container, and the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container overlaps the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container. 14. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the steps of: folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to a first side wall of the tote container from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation; folding the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container from substantially vertical orientations to substantially horizontal orientations; and folding the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container from a substantially vertical orientation to a position beyond a horizontal orientation so as to bias the first one of the bottom surface flap members away from its substantially horizontal orientation until the first one of the bottom surface flap members reaches a predetermined position at which the first one of the bottom surface flap members snaps back to its horizontal orientation such that the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container overlaps the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container, the bottom surface flap members connected to the pair of end walls of the tote container overlap the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container, and the second one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the second side wall of the tote container overlaps the first one of the bottom surface flap members connected to the first side wall of the tote container, whereby the plurality of bottom surface flap members are operatively engaged with each other in the interlocked manner. 15. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the steps of: first folding a first one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of a first one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece; subsequently folding second and third ones of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portions of the oppositely disposed end walls of the tote container workpiece; and lastly folding a fourth one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of a second one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece so as to be interlocked only with the first oppositely disposed one of the bottom surface flap members pivotally connected to the lower edge portion of the first one of the oppositely disposed side walls of the tote container workpiece so as to define the bottom surface portion of an erected tote container without the need for permanently securing the plurality of bottom surface flap members together. 16. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the step of: disposing means within said hopper for engaging the plurality of tote container workpieces disposed within said hopper so as to ensure that the plurality of tote container workpieces can only be disposed within said hopper in a predetermined orientation in order to properly dispose the tote container workpieces for proper erection into the plurality of tote containers. 17. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: means for discharging the erected tote container from said work station so as to permit a subsequent tote container workpiece to be erected into a tote container.