Packaging machine and method of packaging articles

Abstract

A system for packaging articles, which system comprises a first conveyor ( 6 ) for conveying items to form a first stream of items ( 7 ), and a second conveyor ( 23 ) for conveying items to form a second stream of items, and a first tool ( 16 ) capable of engaging items from one or more of the two streams, and of transferring any items so engaged from one of the two streams, in a direction substantially transverse to that stream, and to deposit those items at an adjacent point in the other of the two streams, whilst at least one of those two streams is in continuous motion.

1 . A system for packaging articles, which system comprises a first conveyor for conveying items to form a first stream of items, and a second conveyor for conveying items to form a second stream of items, and a first tool capable of engaging items from one or more of the two streams, and of transferring any items so engaged from one of the two streams, in a direction substantially transverse to that stream, and to deposit those items at an adjacent point in the other of the two streams, whilst at least one of those two streams is in continuous motion. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said first stream is substantially parallel to said second stream. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein items of one stream are articles and the items of the other stream are cartons, and wherein the first tool is operable to:
 a. engage with selected ones of the articles forming one of the streams and to load them into selected cartons forming the other stream; or 
 b. engage with selected ones of the cartons forming one of the streams and to apply them to selected ones of the articles forming the other of the two streams; 
 
       to result in one or more loaded cartons. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a third conveyor and a second tool, wherein items of one stream are articles and the items of the other stream are cartons, and wherein the first tool is further operable to engage selected articles forming the first stream and to deposit those articles onto the third conveyor, which conveyor conveys those articles to form a third stream, and wherein the second tool is operable to engage selected cartons forming the second stream and to apply those cartons to selected ones of the articles forming the third stream to result in one or more loaded cartons on the third conveyor. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein one of streams of items comprises a stream of loaded cartons, and the other of the streams of items comprises tertiary packaging, and wherein the first tool is so operable to result in one or more packages comprising one or more loaded cartons within a tertiary package. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said system further comprises an intermediate stacking station and a tool that is operable to transfer items from one of the streams onto the stacking station whilst that stream is in continuous motion. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 6 , further comprising a tool that is operable to engage groups of items that have been so transferred onto the intermediate stacking station, and to transfer groups of items that have been so engaged into cartons forming one of the streams. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the or each tool that is operable to engage with items from, or to deposit items onto, a moving stream of items, comprises a head that is capable of movement, in the direction of motion of that moving stream of items, independently of the motion of the tool to which that head is attached. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the head is capable of reciprocal linear movement. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said head is operable so as to match the velocity of the stream of items with which it is to become engaged, such that, when so engaged, the velocity of the items in that stream is not affected by engagement of the head with selected items from that stream. 
     
     
         11 . A method for packaging articles, which method comprises conveying items to form a first stream of items, and conveying items to form a second stream of items, engaging items from one or more of the two streams, transferring any items so engaged from one of the two streams, in a direction substantially transverse to that stream, and to deposit those items at an adjacent point in to the other of the two streams, whilst at least one of those two streams is in continuous motion. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein said first stream is conveyed substantially parallel to said second stream. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11  wherein items of one stream are articles and the items of the other stream are cartons, and further comprising:
 a. engaging selected ones of the articles forming one of the streams and loading them into selected cartons forming the other stream; or 
 b. engaging with selected ones of the cartons forming one of the streams and applying them to selected ones of the articles forming the other of the two streams; 
 
       to result in one or more loaded cartons. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to any one of  claim 11 , wherein the items of the first stream are articles and the items of the second stream are cartons, and further comprising engaging selected articles from the first stream and depositing those articles onto a conveyor to form a third stream, and engaging selected cartons from the second stream and applying those cartons that have been so selected to selected ones of the articles forming the third stream to result in one or more loaded cartons. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein one of streams of items comprises a stream of loaded cartons, and the other of the streams of items comprises tertiary packaging, and wherein the method results in one or more packages comprising one or more loaded cartons within a tertiary package. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein said method further comprises transferring items from one of the streams onto an intermediate stacking station whilst that stream is in continuous motion. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising engaging groups of items that have been so transferred onto the intermediate stacking station, and transferring groups of items that have been so engaged into cartons forming one of the streams. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising using a tool having a moveable head to engage with selected items from a stream of items, and controlling that moveable head so as to allow the selected items to be so engaged whilst continuously moving in the stream. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising accelerating the moveable portion of the head to match the velocity of the stream of items with which it is to become engaged, such that, when so engaged, the velocity of the items in that stream is not affected by engagement of the head with selected items from that stream. 
     
     
         20 . A movable head for a tool for packaging articles, which head comprises a means of securement to a tool, a chassis, and one or more gripper elements that are moveable relative to the chassis and that are capable of engaging items from a continuously moving stream of items. 
     
     
         21 . The moveable head according to  claim 20 , further comprising a drive means that is mechanically coupled to the gripper elements, such that the drive means is operable to accelerate the gripper elements relative to the chassis. 
     
     
         22 . The moveable head according to  claim 21 , wherein the-or-each gripper element is slidably disposed upon a runner, and the drive means is operable to move the gripper means along that runner. 
     
     
         23 . The moveable head according to  claim 22 , wherein the or each gripper element is fixed in position relative to a carriage, which carriage is slidably connected to the chassis, and wherein the drive means is operable to move the carriage relative to the chassis. 
     
     
         24 . The moveable head according to  claim 21  wherein the drive means rotates one of a nut or a threaded shaft about which the nut is disposed, and the gripper element is attached to the other of a nut or a threaded shaft about with the nut is disposed. 
     
     
         25 . The moveable head according to  claim 21  wherein the drive means rotates a pinion that engages a rack, wherein the rack is fixed to one of the gripper element or the chassis, and the pinion is fixed relative to the other of the gripper element or the chassis. 
     
     
         26 . The moveable head according to  claim 22 , comprising a series of gripper elements disposed along the runner, and wherein articulated arrangements comprising a first member hinged to a second member, at adjacent ends thereof, to form an elbow, connect the gripper elements together. 
     
     
         27 . The moveable head according to  claim 26 , wherein the articulated arrangements are disposed both sides of the runner, and wherein, between any two gripper elements that are hinged together by an articulated arrangement on a first side of the runner, is disposed a gripper element that is hinged to one of those two gripper element, by an articulated arrangement disposed on an opposing second side of the runner. 
     
     
         28 . The moveable head according to  claim 26 , wherein the elbows of each articulated arrangement comprise a follower that follows the path of a guide rail, and wherein spacing of the gripper elements that are linked to one another by those articulated arrangements is effected by moving that guide rail perpendicular to the runner, and thereby causing those articulated arrangements to hinge at their elbows. 
     
     
         29 . The moveable head according to  claim 20 , wherein the gripper elements are shaped so as to be capable of engagement with “U”-shaped cartons. 
     
     
         30 . A packaging system as described above and/or illustrated by  FIGS. 11 to 42 . 
     
     
         31 . A method as described above and/or illustrated by  FIGS. 1 to 42 . 
     
     
         32 . A moveable head as described above and/or illustrated by  FIGS. 1 to 11 . 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second tool, wherein the first stream of items comprises a stream of articles that are formed into spaced groups of two or more rows, and the second stream of items comprises a stream of “U”-shaped cartons, and wherein the first tool is operable to engage selected cartons from the second stream and to apply those cartons to selected groups of articles in a first of the two rows of the first stream, and wherein the second tool is operable to engage selected cartons from the second stream and to apply those selected cartons to selected groups of articles from a second of the rows of the second stream. 
     
     
         34 . The system according to  claim 33  wherein the rows of grouped articles forming the first stream are separated from one another by a distance less than the height of the articles forming those groups. 
     
     
         35 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein items of one stream are articles and the items of the other stream are cartons, and wherein the first tool is operable to:
 a. engage with selected ones of the articles forming one of the streams and to load them into selected cartons forming the other stream; and 
 b. engage with selected ones of the cartons forming one of the streams and to apply them to selected ones of the articles forming the other of the two streams; 
 
       to result in one or more loaded cartons. 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 11  wherein items of one stream are articles and the items of the other stream are cartons, and further comprising:
 a. engaging selected ones of the articles forming one of the streams and boar them into selected cartons forming the other stream; and 
 b. engaging with selected ones of the cartons forming one of the streams and applying them to selected ones of the articles forming the other of the two streams; 
 
       to result in one or more loaded cartons.