초록 ▼

A packaging apparatus has a lift mechanism to lower and raise a tool, such as a formation box that functions to form cavities in a web of flexible material. The lift mechanism has a series of arms, supported by belt driven carriages, which move in tandem to raise and lower the formation box. The arm

A packaging apparatus has a lift mechanism to lower and raise a tool, such as a formation box that functions to form cavities in a web of flexible material. The lift mechanism has a series of arms, supported by belt driven carriages, which move in tandem to raise and lower the formation box. The arms are arranged into two sets such that when the arms within each set are moved closer to one another, the formation box is raised, and when the arms within each set are moved away from one another, the formation box is lowered. The common driving of all arms by a belt allows the indexing of the formation box to be well controlled.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A lift mechanism for a tool in a packaging apparatus in which cavities are formed in web material for receiving products to be packaged, the lift mechanism comprising: a pair of arms interconnected with the tool, wherein the pair of arms are movable between a first position and a secon

We claim: 1. A lift mechanism for a tool in a packaging apparatus in which cavities are formed in web material for receiving products to be packaged, the lift mechanism comprising: a pair of arms interconnected with the tool, wherein the pair of arms are movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the pair of arms raise the tool when moved from the first position to the second position; a slave drive that includes a flexible driven member coupled to the pair of arms and adapted to translate between a third position and a fourth position, wherein the slave drive moves the pair of arms from the first position to the second position so as to raise the tool when the flexible driven member is translated from the third position to the fourth position and moves the pair of arms from the second position to the first position so as to lower the tool when translated from the fourth position to the third position; and a master drive coupled to the slave drive and adapted to translate the flexible driven member between the third and fourth positions. 2. The lift mechanism of claim 1 wherein the slave drive and the master drive are interconnected by a rotatable driven member that when rotated in a first direction causes the flexible driven member to translate from the third position to the fourth position. 3. The lift mechanism of claim 2 wherein the rotatable driven member is further adapted to rotate in a second direction, which causes the flexible driven member to translate from the fourth position to the third position. 4. The lift mechanism of claim 3 wherein the master drive includes a drive member and a driving belt associated with the drive member and the rotatable driven member, and wherein rotation of the drive member in a first direction causes the driving belt to rotate the rotatable driven member in a first direction of rotation. 5. The lift mechanism of claim 4 wherein rotation of the drive member in a second direction causes the driving belt to rotate the rotatable driven member in a second direction of rotation opposite the first direction of rotation. 6. The lift mechanism of claim 1 wherein translation of the flexible driven member from the third position to the fourth position causes a distance between the pair of arms to narrow and translation of the flexible driven member from the fourth position to the third position causes the distance between the pair of arms to widen. 7. The lift mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flexible driven member is a belt. 8. A lift mechanism for a tool in a packaging apparatus in which cavities are formed in web material for receiving products to be packaged, the lift mechanism comprising: a pair of arms interconnected with the tool, wherein the pair of arms are movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the pair of arms raise the tool when moved from the first position to the second position; a slave drive coupled to the pair of arms and adapted to translate between a third position and a fourth position, wherein the slave drive moves the pair of arms from the first position to the second position so as to raise the tool when translated from the third position to the fourth position and moves the pair of arms from the second position to the first position so as to lower the tool when translated from the fourth position to the third position; and a master drive coupled to the slave drive and adapted to translate the slave drive between the third and fourth positions; wherein the slave drive and the master drive are interconnected by a rotatable driven member that when rotated in a first direction causes the slave drive to translate from the third position to the fourth position; wherein the driven member is further adapted to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction, which causes the slave drive to translate from the fourth position to the third position; wherein the master drive includes a drive member and a driving belt associated with the drive member and the driven member, and wherein rotation of the drive member in a first direction causes the driving belt to rotate the driven member in the first direction; wherein rotation of the drive member in a second direction causes the driving belt to rotate the driven member in the second direction; and wherein the slave drive includes a driven belt associated with the driven member and wherein rotation of the driven member in the first direction causes the driven belt to translate from the third position to the fourth position. 9. The lift mechanism of claim 8 wherein rotation of the driven member in the second direction causes the driven belt to translate from the fourth position to the third position. 10. The lift mechanism of claim 9 wherein the drive member includes a shaft that is rotated by a drive motor. 11. A tool apparatus for a packaging assembly, the tool apparatus comprising: a tool adapted to act on a web of packaging material; and a lift mechanism operatively associated with the tool and adapted to move the tool between a lowered position and a raised position, the lift mechanism including: a pair of arms with which the tool is interconnected; a flexible driven member with which the pair of arms are interconnected, the flexible driven member being movable between a first position and a second position along a linear path that is generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tool, wherein the flexible driven member positions the tool at the lowered position when moved to the first position and positions the tool at the raised position when moved to the second position; and a master drive interconnected with the flexible driven member and operative to move the flexible driven member along the linear path between the first position and the second position. 12. The tool apparatus of claim 11 wherein the tool apparatus includes a rotatable driven member, wherein the flexible driven member is a belt that is caused to translate along the linear path by rotation of the rotatable driven member and wherein the master drive includes a pulley that is connected to and causes rotation of the rotatable driven member. 13. The tool apparatus of claim 12 wherein the pulley is motor driven. 14. The tool apparatus of claim 12 wherein rotation of the rotatable driven member in a first direction causes the pair of arms to move the tool from the lowered position to the raised position. 15. The tool apparatus of claim 14 wherein rotation of the rotatable driven member in a second direction causes the pair of arms to move the tool from the raised position to the lowered position. 16. A packaging apparatus comprising: a web supply containing a sheet of web material; a web advancement assembly associated with the web supply; and a cavity tool adapted to act on the sheet of web material; and an operating mechanism for reciprocating the tool between a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the operating mechanism includes a pair of arms operatively coupled to a flexible driven member in a cooperative spaced arrangement, wherein movement of the arms toward one another by the flexible driven member raises the tool and movement of the arms away from one another by the flexible driven member lowers the tool. 17. The packaging apparatus of claim 16 wherein the operating mechanism includes a master-slave arrangement and wherein rotation of a master causes linear translation of the flexible driven member. 18. The packaging apparatus of claim 17 wherein rotation of the master in a first rotational direction causes the flexible driven member to move the arms toward one another and rotation of the master in a second rotational direction causes the flexible driven member to move the arms away from one another. 19. The packaging apparatus of claim 18 wherein the master includes a drive wheel and a drive belt operatively associated with the drive wheel and a driven wheel that is operatively associated with the flexible driven member. 20. The packaging apparatus of claim 19 wherein the flexible driven member is a belt that is trained around a follower and the driven wheel. 21. The packaging apparatus of claim 17 wherein the tool comprises a cavity forming box for forming a cavity in the web material when in the raised position. 22. The packaging apparatus of claim 16, wherein each arm includes an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end of each arm is interconnected with the tool, and wherein the flexible driven member includes an upper run and a lower run, wherein the lower end of a first one of the arms is secured to the lower run of the flexible driven member and the lower end of a second one of the arms is secured to the upper run of the flexible driven member, wherein movement of the flexible driven member causes the arms to move in opposite directions to move the tool between the raised and lowered positions.