EP1827983B1 - Method and machine for adjusting the height of crates with square or rectangular cross section, for example for shipping goods - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for adjusting height of a crate or box made of flexible material, having a base and at least four side walls by folding. After the base has been placed in a generally horizontal, a horizontal crease is produced on each side wall, parallel to the base and at a height substantially equal to a top of a stack of objects. At least one oblique crease is produced in each corner of the crate, with one end located at the intersection between two horizontal creases and the other end located on an upper ridge of one side wall. The upper part of each side wall is folded towards the center of the crate, at an angle substantially equal to 90°. The various flaps are folded on one another, being separated by oblique creases, bringing the upper part of side walls in a substantially horizontal plane.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a machine for the leveling of boxes of cardboard, corrugated cardboard or similar sheet material, having a square or rectangular section, for example for the shipment of goods and miscellaneous items.

The technical field of the invention is that of packaging machines, cutting, manufacture or closure of packaging or manufacturing and implementation of cushioning materials for such packaging.

The present invention is more particularly relating to the leveling of boxes used for the preparation of single or multi-item orders and more generally of boxes whose contents have a variable volume from one box to another.

It is known that crates of this type are formed by machines from a blank of foldable sheet material having different flaps and flaps assembled by gluing or adhesive tape.

Boxes are known which, after forming, are composed of five walls, a square or rectangular bottom and a belt composed of four side walls. Known cases of this type are called "American half-boxes", "trays" or "bell cases". These boxes are, after filling, closed by a lid. Lids are known that have four flaps that are folded and glued to the sides of the box. Lids are also known whose different shutters are previously shaped by nesting or gluing; these lids are inserted on the top of the box and secured to the box by gluing, stapling or a metal or plastic link.

Boxes are known which, after forming, are composed of five walls, like the boxes previously described, and four upper panels. Each of these flaps is connected to one of the side walls of the box by a fold line. Known cases of this type are called "American boxes". These boxes are, after filling, closed by folding the four upper flaps which are held in position by gluing, stapling or a metal or plastic link.

The cases described have the characteristic of offering a constant volume after manufacture and closure.

Several means are used by the users or integrated in the machines forming or closing crates, to wedge different objects whose number and unit volume vary from one fund to another.

Heat-shrinkable plastic films are known, one or more sheets of which are secured to the bottom or the side walls of the box during its forming. After filling the box, these films are folded on the pile of objects and then retracted by passing through a heating tunnel.

Polystyrene particles are known which are spread inside the box after filling, to fill the unused volume.

There are known inflatable plastic bags which are arranged inside the crates to fill this unused volume.

Chips or sheets of paper or cardboard are known which are, in various forms, arranged inside the crates to fill the unused volume.

Knocking sheets provided with flaps are known, which are introduced into the box in contact with the pile of objects, then whose flaps are fixed against the inner faces of the side walls of the box to ensure the setting of the objects.

• les moyens de calage sont souvent onéreux;
• les moyens de calage, sauf lorsqu'ils sont fabriqués avec le même matériau que l'emballage lui-même, doivent être nécessairement désolidarisés de l'emballage en carton avant collecte et recyclage éventuel des déchets correspondants; d'autre part, les matériaux utilisés sont, le plus souvent, difficilement recyclables; cette collecte et ce recyclage sont donc des opérations complexes et très onéreuses;
• leur mise en oeuvre est difficile et nécessite, soit des machines automatisées complexes, soit un grand nombre d'heures de main d'oeuvre; le coût de ces opérations est donc élevé;
• le volume expédié, qui est égal au volume de la caisse fabriquée, est, le plus souvent, très largement supérieur au volume utile, qui est égal au volume des objets disposés à l'intérieur de la caisse; il en résulte une augmentation des coûts de transport desdites caisses.

Such manufacturing processes have many disadvantages. Indeed:

• the wedging means are often expensive;
• the setting means, except when they are made of the same material as the packaging itself, must necessarily be disconnected from the cardboard packaging before collection and possible recycling of the corresponding waste; secondly, the materials used are, in most cases, difficult to recycle; this collection and recycling are therefore complex and very expensive operations;
• their implementation is difficult and requires either complex automated machines or a large number of manpower hours; the cost of these operations is therefore high;
• the volume shipped, which is equal to the volume of the box manufactured, is, in most cases, much greater than the useful volume, which is equal to the volume objects arranged inside the box; this results in an increase in the transport costs of said boxes.

Also known is the process of cutting the upper part of the boxes, located above the stack of objects, so as to reduce the height of the box to the useful height and stall objects by the installation of the closure cover closer to the top of this stack of objects.

• la découpe de la caisse est une opération délicate qui suppose la mise en oeuvre d'outils coupants dangereux;
• l'élimination automatique de la partie haute coupée de la caisse est une opération difficile qui génère par ailleurs un important volume de déchets qui doivent être collectés et évacués;
• l'automatisation de ce procédé nécessite donc la réalisation de machines complexes.

This method also has drawbacks:

• cutting the box is a delicate operation that involves the implementation of dangerous cutting tools;
• the automatic removal of the upper part of the box is a difficult operation that also generates a large volume of waste that must be collected and disposed of;
• the automation of this process therefore requires the production of complex machines.

The problem posed therefore consists in providing a means of setting objects inside crates used for packaging and shipping parcels whose useful volume is variable, and in reducing the volume of these crates as close to this useful volume, without the contribution of any cushioning material, or removal of a portion of material of the box, or making any cutout of this box.

The solution to the problem posed consists in providing a method for realizing the leveling of a box of a foldable material, composed of a bottom and at least four side walls, by folding up the upper parts of said side walls of said crate on the top of the stack of objects arranged in the latter.

• après avoir placé le fond de la caisse dans un plan sensiblement horizontal, on réalise sur chacune desdites parois latérales un rainage (ou rainurage) horizontal, à une altitude sensiblement égale à celle du sommet de ladite pile d'objets;
• on réalise dans chacun des angles de la caisse au moins un rainage (ou rainurage) oblique dont une extrémité se situe au niveau de l'intersection entre deux desdits rainages horizontaux et l'autre extrémité se situe au niveau de l'arête supérieure de l'une des parois latérales, de telle manière que ledit rainage oblique forme un angle sensiblement égal à 45° avec le plan horizontal dans lequel se trouve placé le fond de ladite caisse ;
• on replie la partie haute de chacune desdites parois latérales vers le centre de la caisse, autour dudit rainage horizontal, d'un angle sensiblement égal à 90°, et on replie simultanément, les uns sur les autres, les différents volets, séparés par lesdits rainages obliques, qui composent les parties hautes de ces parois latérales, autour desdits rainages obliques et d'un angle sensiblement égal à 180°, de manière à amener lesdites parties hautes desdites parois latérales dans un plan sensiblement horizontal.

The process used to achieve the height of said box is remarkable in that:

• after placing the bottom of the box in a substantially horizontal plane, is carried on each of said side walls a creasing (or grooving) horizontal, at an altitude substantially equal to that of the top of said stack of objects;
• at least one oblique creasing (or grooving), one end of which is located at the intersection between two of said horizontal creases and the other end is at the level of the upper edge of one of the side walls, such that said oblique crease forms an angle substantially equal to 45 ° with the horizontal plane in which is located the bottom of said body;
• the upper part of each of said side walls is folded towards the center of the box, around said horizontal crease, by an angle substantially equal to 90 °, and the different flaps, separated by said two, are folded simultaneously over each other; oblique grooves, which compose the upper portions of these side walls, around said oblique grooves and an angle substantially equal to 180 °, so as to bring said high parts of said side walls in a substantially horizontal plane.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method of the invention, each of said horizontal creases is obtained by placing a mandrel inside said box, which mandrel has a sharp horizontal edge which is positioned against the internal face of the side wall at the level of the crease line to be produced, and by the action of a roller which is applied and pressed against the outer face of this side wall and moved along this edge, by crushing said wall; lateral against said edge.

Advantageously, each of said creases or oblique grooves is obtained by the establishment of a mandrel within said body, which mandrel has an anvil which is positioned against the internal face of the side wall at the crease line to achieve, and by the action of a tool having a sharp edge, which is applied and pressed against the outer face of the side wall so that said tool performs said oblique crease, by crushing said side wall against said anvil.

In an advantageous embodiment, said mandrel is fixed and the altitude of said rollers and said tools is fixed and the vertical positioning of said box with respect to said mandrels, rollers and tools, such that said horizontal creases or horizontal grooves are made at an altitude substantially equal to that of the top of said stack of objects, is obtained by the introduction of said box around said mandrel, generated by the upward vertical movement of an elevator supporting said box.

Advantageously, after the realization of said horizontal creases and said oblique creases, firstly a horizontal force is exerted on the upper parts of said side walls which are provided with oblique creases, in order to ensure their partial folding towards the center of the box, which folding simultaneously causes the partial folding of the upper parts of the side walls not provided with oblique creases which are contiguous thereto, then a vertical force directed downwards on the parts is applied high of said side walls, until their complete folding, so as to bring them in the horizontal plane located substantially at the top of the stack of objects.

From these operations, it follows, on the one hand, that the height of the box has been reduced to the useful height corresponding to the height of the stack of objects previously arranged in the box and that the volume of the box has been reduced at a volume close to the useful volume corresponding to the volume of the objects previously arranged in said box.

It follows, on the other hand, that the wedging of the objects arranged in the box can be easily achieved by laying a lid closer to the top of the pile of objects and by the presence, between the objects and the lid , different shutters folded up the upper parts of the side walls of said box.

Thus, thanks to the method of the invention, the objects arranged inside the box are perfectly set and the volume of the box is reduced, which reduces the shipping costs of said box, without the contribution of any cushioning material other than the box itself, or removal of a portion of material from this box, or making any cutout of this box. The implementation of the method of the invention does not generate any drop of cardboard, so that no operation of recovery, storage and disposal of waste is necessary during the process of filling, setting up and closing crates.

The present invention further relates to a machine for carrying out the leveling of a box composed of a bottom and at least four side walls, by folding the upper parts of said side walls of the box on the top of the box. stack of objects previously arranged in said box.

• des moyens pour réaliser sur chacune desdites parois latérales un rainage (ou rainurage) horizontal, à une altitude sensiblement égale à celle du sommet de ladite pile d'objets;
• des moyens pour réaliser dans chacun des angles de ladite caisse au moins un rainage (ou rainurage) oblique dont une extrémité se situe au niveau de l'intersection entre deux desdits rainages horizontaux et l'autre extrémité se situe au niveau de l'arête supérieure de l'une des parois latérales, de telle manière que ledit rainage forme un angle sensiblement égal à 45° avec le plan horizontal;
• des moyens pour replier la partie haute de chacune desdites parois latérales vers le centre de la caisse, autour dudit rainage horizontal et pour replier simultanément, les uns sur les autres, les différents volets qui composent les parties hautes de ces parois latérales, autour desdits rainages obliques, de manière à amener lesdites parties hautes desdites parois latérales dans un plan sensiblement horizontal.

Said machine is remarkable in that it comprises:

• means for producing on each of said lateral walls a horizontal creasing (or grooving) at an altitude substantially equal to that of the top of said stack of objects;
• means for producing in each of the corners of said box at least one oblique creasing (or grooving), one end of which is at the level of the intersection between two of said horizontal creases and the other end is at the upper edge of one of the side walls, such that said creasing forms an angle substantially equal to 45 ° with the horizontal plane;
• means for folding up the upper part of each of said side walls towards the center of the box, around said horizontal creasing and to fold simultaneously, on top of each other, the various flaps which make up the upper parts of these side walls, around said creases oblique, so as to bring said high parts of said side walls in a substantially horizontal plane.

In an advantageous embodiment, said machine comprises a fixed mandrel and an elevator disposed below said mandrel and intended to introduce said body around the latter.

Advantageously, the machine comprises, for each of said horizontal creases to be performed, a sharp horizontal edge, fixed at the bottom of said mandrel, and a movable roller movable along said edge by crushing said side wall against said edge.

Advantageously, said machine also comprises, for each of said oblique creases to be performed, an anvil fixed on the side of said mandrel and a tool having a sharp edge and movable towards said anvil by crushing said side wall against said anvil.

According to an advantageous embodiment, said elevator comprises a base plate or bottom plate and a secondary plate or upper plate on which the body rests, which upper plate is movable relative to said lower plate, so that, during the movement vertical rising of the elevator, the body and the upper plate are immobilized when the top of said pile of objects housed in the body comes into contact with the underside of said mandrel, and the movement of the lower plate can continue with a predetermined amplitude (and independent of the filling level of the body), thanks to the relative movement of said upper plate relative to said lower plate.

Advantageously, said machine also comprises a matrix and a second elevator disposed below this matrix and intended to introduce, by an upward vertical movement, said box in said matrix, in order to achieve the folding of the upper parts of the side walls of the box , from to bring them into the horizontal plane located substantially at the top of the stack of objects.

Advantageously, said matrix comprises at least one deflector, which exerts, at the beginning of the movement of introduction of said box into said matrix, a horizontal component force on the upper parts of the lateral walls which are provided with oblique creases, in order to ensure their partial folding towards the center of the box, and said matrix also comprises at least one presser, which exerts, at the end of the movement of introduction of said box in said matrix, a vertical force on the upper parts of the side walls which do not have no oblique crease, to ensure the complete folding of the upper parts of all the side walls, so as to bring them in the horizontal plane located substantially at the top of the stack of objects.

Advantageously, this second elevator also comprises a base plate or bottom plate and a secondary plate or upper plate on which the body rests, before folding its upper parts, which upper plate is movable relative to said lower plate, so that during the upward vertical movement of the elevator, the box and the upper plate come to a standstill when the folding of the upper parts of all the side walls is completely completed, and the movement of the lower plate can continue with a predetermined amplitude ( and independent of the filling level of the body), thanks to the relative movement of said upper plate relative to said lower plate.

In an advantageous embodiment, said machine also comprises means for depositing on the outer face of certain flaps which make up the upper parts of the lateral walls which are provided with oblique grooves, dots or beads of adhesive, which make it possible to secure said shutters. between them after folding said shutters on each other and thus maintain in a substantially horizontal plane the upper parts of all the side walls of the box after their complete folding, despite the elasticity of the foldable material used to manufacture the body .

The advantages provided by the invention will be better understood from the following description which refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, without any limiting character, a particular embodiment of the method and of producing a machine according to the invention. invention.

The figure 1 is an isometric view of an empty box usable for the implementation of the method and the machine according to the invention.

The figure 2 is an isometric view with skin of a box of the same type, filled with a number of objects of various shapes and sizes.

The figure 3 is an isometric view of a part of the machine according to the invention.

The figure 4 is also an isometric view of the body and a part of the machine according to the invention.

The figure 5 is also an isometric view with skinned, the body and another part of the machine according to the invention.

The Figures 6 to 17 are isometric views of the box and the machine according to the invention at twelve successive stages of the operating cycle.

The figure 18 is an isometric view of the body after completion of the first stages of the machine operating cycle.

The figure 19 is an isometric view of the body after completion of other stages of the machine operating cycle.

The figure 20 is an isometric view of the body after completion of the complete operating cycle of the machine.

In the following description, words such as "horizontal", "horizontal", "vertical", "vertical", "upper" and "lower" are used, considering the optimal position and movements of the boxes during the different periods. phases of the process of setting thereof; it is emphasized, however, that these words have no limiting character, these movements being able to take place in directions close to horizontal and / or vertical.

The figure 1 shows the box 1 used by the machine according to the invention. Said body 1 is composed of a bottom 1 e and at least 4 side walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. According to the illustrated example, the bottom has a rectangular shape, so that the box has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. It is pointed out that the bottom could have a square or substantially rectangular or square shape, for example a general square or rectangular shape with cut corners.

As indicated, this box 1 may be made of corrugated cardboard, compact cardboard or any other equivalent foldable sheet material.

The figure 2 shows the box 1, composed of the bottom 1e and the side walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, into which a number of objects 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of various shapes and sizes have been introduced. The number and size of objects can be any, as well as their storage in the box. The objects can in particular be stacked on top of one another if necessary. In order to justify and authorize the treatment of the box by the machine according to the invention, the height of the stack of objects must be substantially less than the height of the box. If the height of the stack of objects is likely to be, for some boxes, substantially equal to or even greater than the height of the box, these boxes, called "full", will not be introduced into the machine or a mode Special machine operation will be provided, for which these boxes can cross the machine without the main stages of the machine operating cycle being performed.

The figure 3 shows the parts of the machine used for horizontal creases and oblique creases.

In this figure, we see the mandrel 9 provided with horizontal edges 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d and anvils 12aa, 12ab, 12ca and 12cb. The horizontal edges are sharp; the surface of the anvils is substantially flat. The relative position of these edges and anvils on the mandrel corresponds to the relative position of the creases to be made on the cardboard.

We also see, on this figure 3 , rollers 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d provided to cooperate in obtaining horizontal creases on the sides of the body 1. The two rollers 11a and 11c, intended to perform horizontal creases on large sides of the body 1a and 1c, are fixed on the same open mobile frame 24. The two rollers 11b and 11d, intended to perform the horizontal creases on the short sides 1b and 1d of the body, are fixed on a second open mobile frame 25. The movable frames 24 and 25 are moved orthogonally by linear actuators (not shown) known per se, and they have the general shape of a U, a pressure roller 11a, 11c or 11b, 11 d being positioned near the free ends of these open movable frames 24 and 25, respectively. The pressure rollers 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d are positioned in the same horizontal plane. The rollers 11a, 11c are, for example, placed on the upper face of the parallel branches 24a of the open frame 24, while the rollers 11b, 11d are placed under the lower face of the parallel branches 25a of the open frame 25 moving to a level slightly higher than of said open frame 24. To achieve said horizontal creases, the body 1 is positioned around the mandrel 9 at the desired altitude, then said frame 24 is moved parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body and said frame 25 is moved in parallel with the body. transverse axis of the body. These movements of the frames 24 and 25 must be synchronized so as to avoid any interference between the rollers, during the movements of said moving frames.

The creasing of each side wall is achieved by crushing the carton between a roller and an edge during the movement of the roller. This crushing is itself obtained by adjusting the distance roller / edge to a dimension less than the nominal thickness of the sheet of cardboard used to manufacture said box or using devices intended to press the roller against the edge, by example using springs.

It should be noted that said arrangements represent one of the advantageous embodiments according to which it is possible to manufacture the machine. Other embodiments could be used for which the movements of the rollers would be independent of each other or associated differently. It would also be possible to construct a machine for which the horizontal creases would be made using anvils and tools with sharp edges as provided for the realization of oblique creases in the embodiment chosen.

We also see, on this figure 3 , tools 13aa, 13ab, 13ca and 13cb. These tools each have a sharp edge. The two tools 13aa and 13ab, intended to perform oblique creases on one of the large side walls 1a of the body, are fixed on the same movable plate 26a. The two tools 13ca and 13cb, intended to perform oblique creases on the other large side wall 1c of the body, are fixed on a second movable plate 26c. To achieve said oblique creases, the body 1 is positioned around the mandrel 9 at the desired altitude, and then said plates and said tools are moved towards the anvils facing them.

Also shown in this figure, the linear actuators 27a and 27c used to move said plates 26a and 26c.

The creases are obtained by crushing the cardboard between the edges of the tools and the anvils and can be adjusted by adjusting the plating force of these tools against the anvils.

It should be noted that said arrangements represent one of the advantageous embodiments according to which it is possible to manufacture the machine. Other embodiments could be used for which the oblique creases would be made on other walls of the carton or by associating the tools and their movements differently. It would also be possible to construct a machine for which the oblique creases would be made using sharp edges fixed to the mandrel and movable rollers as provided for the realization of horizontal creases in the embodiment chosen.

The figure 4 shows the fixed mandrel 9 and the first elevator 14 whose vertical movement is used to position the body 1 relative to said mandrel so that the horizontal creases are made at an altitude substantially equal to that of the top of the stack of objects.

Also shown in this figure, the base plate or bottom plate 15 embedded on the movable portion of the elevator 14 and the secondary plate or upper plate 16 movable relative to said base plate.

This figure also shows guide columns 28a, 28b and 28c which guide the vertical movements of said plate 16 relative to said plate 15 along a linear axis of displacement.

Thus, in the upward vertical movement of said elevator 14, when the top of the stack of objects housed in the box 1 comes into contact with the underside of said mandrel 9, said box 1 and said upper plate 16 stop and said plate lower 15 continues its movement produced by the linear actuator 30. This constructive arrangement allows a simple control of said actuator 30 with a high end position always the same, regardless of the filling of said box 1.

We finally see return springs 29a, 29b and 29c interposed between the plates 15 and 16 and which bring back said upper plate 16 in a reference position with respect to said lower plate 15 during the loss of contact between the top of the stack of objects and the underside of said mandrel 9 during the downward movement of said elevator 14.

The figure 5 shows the matrix 17 and the second elevator 20 used to refold the upper portions of the side walls of said carton 1.

In this figure, we see a deviator device 18 which acts, in a first phase, during the upward movement of said elevator 20, on the upper edges of the side walls 1a and 1c of the body 1 by exerting on them a horizontal component force which tends to fold the upper parts of said side walls towards the center of said body 1.

It is understood that the folding of the upper parts of the side walls 1a and 1c, in this first phase, simultaneously causes a folding towards the center of said box 1 of the upper parts of the side walls 1b and 1d contiguous and with which they are connected to the level of the angles of said box 1.

This figure also shows two pressing devices 19a and 19b. The figure 5 represents a cutaway view of the presser 19b, so as to allow good vision of said deflector 18; the shape of said presser 19b is identical to that of said presser 19a and both have a substantially flat underside. Said pressers 19a and 19b act, in a second phase, during the upward movement of said elevator 20, on the upper parts of the side walls 1b and 1d of the box 1 by exerting on them a vertical force which allows to completely fold said parts high of said side walls towards the center of said box 1 so as to bring them into the horizontal plane located substantially at the top of the stack of objects, that is to say in a plane parallel or substantially parallel to the plane in which is the bottom 1e of the box.

It is understood that the folding of the upper parts of the side walls 1b and 1d, in this second phase, simultaneously leads to folding, towards the center of said box 1, the upper parts of the side walls 1a and 1c contiguous and with which they are connected to the level of the angles of said box 1, so that the latter are also brought into the horizontal plane located substantially at the top of the stack of objects.

Also shown in this figure, the base plate or bottom plate 21 embarked on the movable portion of the elevator 20 and the secondary plate or upper plate 22 movable relative to said lower plate.

We also see, on this figure, 5 guide columns 33a, 33b and 33c which guide the vertical movements of said plate 22 relative to said plate 21 along a linear axis of displacement.

Thus, in the upward vertical movement of said elevator 20, when said deflector 18 and said pressers 19a and 19b have completely completed the folding the upper parts of the side walls of the box, said box 1 and said upper plate 22 are immobilized and said bottom plate 21 continues its movement produced by the linear actuator 35. This constructive arrangement allows a simple control of said actuator 35 with a end position always high the same, regardless of the filling of said body 1.

Lastly, we see the return springs 34a, 34b and 34c interposed between the plates 21 and 22 and which bring back said upper plate 22 in a reference position with respect to said lower plate 21 during the loss of contact between the folded walls of said box 1 and the lower part of said die 17 during the downward movement of said elevator 20.

The Figures 6 to 17 show said box 1 and said machine according to the invention at different stages of the operating cycle, in a chronological order.

The Figures 6 to 17 show, for the sake of simplicity, only one box processed by the machine. It will be understood that, in one advantageous embodiment and operation of said machine, several boxes can be processed simultaneously by the machine, each of them on one of the different workstations, with simultaneous transfer of said boxes of equipment. a workstation to the next workstation.

We see, on the figure 6 a conveying system 36 with horizontal displacement intended to introduce said box 1 into the machine and then moving it successively at the different workstations of the machine, the bottom 1e of said box being thus disposed horizontally or approximately horizontally during its journey in the machine. The figure 6 shows the cash register 1 at the machine entrance.

The figure 7 shows said box 1 at the first workstation, under said mandrel 9.

The figure 8 shows the box 1 in the high position after the rise of the elevator 14 produced by the actuator 30. It is understood that the objects arranged in the box 1 came into contact with the underside of the mandrel 9 and that the vertical movement of said box 1 and the upper plate 16 which door was then stopped while the lower plate 15 continued its upward movement. The guide column 28b of said plate 16 is seen with respect to said plate 15 and the spring 29b is seen which has been compressed by the relative movement of said plates 15 and 16.

The figure 9 shows that the frames 24 and 25, which carry the rollers 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d have been moved horizontally. It is understood that these horizontal movements have led to the realization of the horizontal creases 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d, by crushing the side walls of said box 1 between said rollers and said horizontal edges 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d (not visible on the Figure) of said mandrel 9. In the figure, for example, the horizontal creases 7a and 7b are seen.

The figure 10 shows the horizontal movement of the plates 26a and 26c to said mandrel 9 produced by the actuators 27a and 27c. It is understood that these horizontal movements have led to the realization of oblique creases 8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb, by crushing the side walls 1a and 1c of said body 1 between the tools 13aa, 13ab, 13ca and 13cb (not visible on the figure) and the anvils 12aa, 12ab, 12ca and 12cb (not visible in the figure).

The figure 11 shows the plates 26a and 26c returned to the rest position by the actuators 27a and 27c. In this figure, we see the result of the actions illustrated by the figure 10 and the parts of the machine used: for example, the tools 13ca and 13cb and the anvils 12aa and 12ab; we also see oblique creases 8aa and 8ab.

The figure 12 shows the box 1 output of the mandrel 9 by return of the elevator 14 in the low position, due to the actuator 30. It is seen that said upper plate 16 has returned to its reference position relative to said lower plate 15, under the action of the springs 29a, 29b and 29c.

The figure 13 shows said box 1 during its transfer to the next work station, operated by the conveyor system 36. In this figure we see the means 23a and 23c arranged on the path of the boxes, between the grooving station and the folding station, for depositing dots or beads of glue on the upper parts of the side walls 1a and 1c of the body 1 during the advance movement of said body. We see the glue points 37ab and 37ca that have just been deposited in front of said box.

The figure 14 shows said box 1 at the second workstation, under said matrix 17. We see the glue points 37ab and 37ca that have been deposited in front of said box. We also see the glue point 37aa on the wall 1a and it is understood that a fourth glue point 37cb has also been deposited on the wall 1c at the rear of said body. We see said means 23a and 23c used to deposit these points or cords of glue.

The figure 15 shows the body 1 in the intermediate position after the beginning of the rise of the second elevator 20 to said die 17, produced by the actuator 35. It can be seen that the upper edge of the wall 1a has come into contact with the deflector 18, which which has had the effect of folding the upper part of said wall 1a, located above the horizontal crease 7a, towards the center of said body 1. It is understood that the upper edge of the wall 1c has also come into contact with the deflector 18, which also had the effect of folding the upper part of said wall 1c, located above the horizontal creasing 7c, towards the center of said box 1. It is also seen that the folding of the upper parts of said walls 1a and 1c had the effect of folding towards the center of said box 1 the upper part of the wall 1b, located above the horizontal creasing 7b and it is understood that the same is true for the upper part of the wall 1d, located at above the horizo creasing ntal 7d.

The figure 16 shows said box 1 in the high position after the end of the rise of the elevator 20 to said die 17, produced by the actuator 35.

It will be understood that, during the upward movement of said elevator 20, said horizontal creases 7a and 7c came into contact with the deflector 18 and that said deflector 18 was then driven upwards by said box 1 until the end of the movement ascending said elevator 20. The guide columns 31a and 31b of said deflector 18 are seen with respect to said pressers 19a and 19b and the spring 32a is seen to be compressed by the relative movement of said deflector 18 relative to said pressers 19a and 19b .

It is also understood that, during this upward movement, the upper edge of the wall 1b comes into contact with the underside of said presser 19b and that the upper edge of the wall 1d has come into contact with the lower face of said presser 19a.

It can be seen that this has had the effect of completely folding down the upper parts of said walls 1b and 1d, until they are found in a horizontal plane, in contact with the underside of said pressers 19a and 19b. It is understood that the folding of the upper parts of said walls 1b and 1d has also resulted in folding towards the center of said box 1 the upper parts of said walls 1a and 1c until they are also found in a plane substantially horizontal, under the high parts of said walls 1b and 1d.

Finally, it is understood that when the upper parts of said walls 1b and 1d are in a horizontal plane, in contact with the lower faces of said pressers 19a and 19b, the vertical movement of said body 1 and the secondary plate or upper plate 22 that the door was stopped while the main plate or bottom plate 21 continued its uphill movement. The guide columns 33a, 33b and 33c of said plate 22 are seen with respect to said plate 21 and the springs 34a, 34b and 34c which have been compressed by the relative movement of said plates 21 and 22 are seen.

The figure 17 shows the box 1 extracted from the die 17 by returning the elevator 20 in the low position, due to the actuator 35. It can be seen that said upper plate 22 has taken up its reference position with respect to said lower plate 21, under the action of the springs 34a, 34b and 34c. It is also seen that said deflector 18 has resumed its reference position with respect to said pressers 19a and 19b, under the action of the spring 32a.

It can be seen in this figure that the upper parts of said side walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d of said box 1 have been brought substantially in a horizontal plane.

The figure 18 shows said box 1 after passing over the first station of the machine and performing horizontal creases 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d on each of the walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. Said horizontal creases 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d are made in a plane situated substantially at the level of the top of the stack of objects, that is to say at the level of the upper face of the object 2.

We also see the oblique grooves 8aa and 8ab made on the wall 1a and oblique grooves 8ca and 8cb made on the wall 1c.

Said creases 7a, 8aa and 8ab have created three flaps 1 aa, 1 ab and 1 ac on the upper part of said wall 1a and said creases 7c, 8ca and 8cb have also created three flaps 1ca, 1cb and 1cc on the part high of said wall 1 c. The upper part of the wall 1 c thus consists of a central trapezoidal flap 1 ac and two triangular flaps 1 aa and 1 ab connecting to the central flap by folding lines, respectively 8aa and 8ab, while the upper part 1c of the wall consists of a central trapezoidal flap 1 cc and two triangular flaps 1 ac and 1 cb connecting to the central flap by folding lines, respectively 8ca and 8cb.

The figure 19 shows said box 1 at a later stage of realization of the operating cycle of the machine. This figure shows the points of glue that have been deposited on some of said flaps: we see the glue point 37aa on said flap 1aa and glue point 37ab on said flap 1 ab; we also see the glue point 37ca on said flap 1ca and glue point 37cb on said flap 1cb.

We see on the figure 19 the upper parts of said walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d being folded towards the center of said box 1 by pivoting around said horizontal creases: the upper part of said wall 1a pivots about said horizontal creasing 7a, the upper part said wall 1b pivots around said horizontal crease 7b, the upper part of said wall 1c pivots around said horizontal crease 7c and the upper part of said wall 1d pivots around said horizontal crease 7d. It is understood that, at the end of the movement, the pivot angle of the upper portions of said side walls around said horizontal creases will be about 90 ° when said high parts have been brought in a substantially horizontal plane.

It is also seen in this figure that the different flaps separated by said oblique creases are also and simultaneously folded over each other by pivoting around said oblique creases: said flap 1aa is folded over said flap 1 ac by pivoting around said creasing 8aa, said flap 1 ab is folded over said flap 1 ac by pivoting around said crease 8ab, said flap 1a is folded on said flap 1cc by pivoting around said creasing 8ca and said flap 1cb is folded on said flap 1cc by pivoting about said creasing 8cb. It is understood that, at the end of the movement, the pivot angle of said flaps between them will be about 180 ° when said flaps have been brought in a substantially horizontal plane.

The points of glue 37aa, 37ab, ..., which is provided with the surface of at least one of the shutters 1aa, 1ab, ..., intended to come into contact with the surface of another shutter 1ac, 1 cc, ..., are applied before folding the upper part of the walls 1 a, 1b, 1 c, 1d of the box, thus ensuring the maintenance in the folded horizontal position of said upper part.

The figure 20 shows said box 1 at the machine outlet, after complete folding of the upper parts of the side walls 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d such that said upper parts are found in a horizontal plane located at the level of said horizontal creases 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d, substantially at the top of the stack of objects previously arranged in said box 1.

In order not to lengthen and unnecessarily complicate the description and drawings, it does not describe the programmable controllers, the motorization and the transmission devices ensuring the operation of the various workstations of the machine, these automata, motorization and transmission coming in not within the scope of the invention and being well known to those skilled in the art.

Claims (16)

1. - Process for adjusting the height of a carton (1) made from a flexible material and comprising a base (1e) and at least four side panels (1a, 1b, 1c and 2d), whereby the upper parts of said side panels of the carton are folded at the height of the top of a pile of objects (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) previously arranged in said carton, characterised in that:

   - after having placed the base (1e) of said carton (1) in an generally horizontal or substantially horizontal plane, each of said side panels is creased (or scored) horizontally (7a, 7b, 7c and 7d) parallel to the base (1e) of said carton at a height substantially equal to that of the top of the pile of said objects;

   - Also, at least one oblique crease (or score) (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) is made at each of the corners of said carton, whereby one end of an oblique groove is located at the intersection between two said horizontal creases and the other end is located at the top edge (1a, 1c) of one of the side panels such that said oblique crease forms an angle of substantially 45° with the horizontal crease (7a, 7c) made in this panel;

   - The upper part of each of said side panels is folded in towards the centre of the carton around said horizontal crease at an angle of substantially 90°, while, at the same time, folding, one over the other, the various flaps (1aa, 1ab, 1ac, 1ca, 1cb and 1cc), separated by the said oblique creases which comprise the upper parts of said side panels, whereby said folds are made around said oblique creases at an angle of substantially 180°, such that said upper parts of said side panels are disposed in an substantially horizontal plane.
2. - A process in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that each of said horizontal creases (7a, 7b, 7c and 7d) is obtained by placing a mandrel (9) inside said carton, whereby the mandrel has a sharp, horizontal edge (10a, 10b, 10c and 10d) positioned against the internal face of the side panel at the height where the crease line is to be made, and, by way of a roller (11a, 11b, 11c and 11d), is applied and pressed against the internal face of the side panel and moved along said edge, as said side panel is crushed against said edge.
3. - A process according to any one of the claims 1 or 2, characterised in that each of said oblique creases (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) is obtained by arranging a mandrel (9) inside the carton (1), the mandrel having an anvil (12aa, 12ab, 12ca and 12cb) positioned against the inside face of the side panel at the height where the crease line is to be made, and, through the action of a tool (13a, 13b, 13c and 13d) having a sharp edge, is applied and pressed against the internal face of the side panel such that said tool produces said oblique crease, as said side panel is crushed against said anvil.
4. - A process according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said mandrel (9) is fixed and that the height of said rollers (11a, 11b, 11c and 11d) and said tools (13a, 13b, 13c and 13d) is also fixed, and whereby the vertical positioning of said carton (1) in relation to said mandrel, rollers and tools, so that said horizontal creases (7a, 7b, 7c and 7c) are made at a height substantially equal to that of the pile of objects (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), is obtained by arranging said carton around said mandrel, produced by the upwards vertical movement of an elevator (14) supporting said carton.
5. - A process according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that, after the horizontal creases (7a, 7b, 7c and 7c) and the oblique creases (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) have been formed, a horizontal force is applied firstly to the upper parts of said side panels (1a and 1c), which have oblique creases ensuring their partial folding towards the centre of the carton, whereby this folding action causes simultaneously the partial folding of the upper parts of said side panels (1b and 1d), not having oblique creases and which are adjacent to them, after which a vertical force is applied towards the base on to the upper parts of said side panels (1b and 1d) until said upper parts of said side panels are folded completely such that they are lying in a horizontal plane substantially at the height of the top of the pile of objects.
6. - A process according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that, before folding the upper part of said side panels (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the carton, a dab or coating of glue (37aa, 37ab, ...) is applied to the external surface of at least one of the flaps (1aa, 1ab, ...) such that it will come into contact with the external surface of another flap (1ac, 1cc), so as to ensure retention of the horizontal folded position of said upper part.
7. - Machine for adjusting the height of a carton (1) consisting of a base (1e) and at least four side panels (1a, 1b, 1c and 2d), whereby the upper parts of said side panels of the carton are folded at the height of the top of the pile of objects (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) previously arranged in said carton, for implementing, for example, the process in any one of the claims 1 to 6, characterised in that it comprises:

   - means (9, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 14) for producing a horizontal crease (or score) (7a, 7b, 7c and 7d) on each of said side panels and parallel to the base (1 e) of said carton at a height substantially equal to that of the top of the pile of said objects;

   - means (9, 12aa, 12ab, 12ca, 12cb, 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 14) for producing at least one oblique crease (or score) (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) at each of the corners of said carton, whereby one end is located at the intersection between two said horizontal creases and the other end is located at the top edge of one of the side panels such that said oblique crease forms an angle of substantially 45° with the horizontal;

   - means (17, 18, 19a, 19b, 20) for folding upper part of each of said side panels in towards the centre of the carton around said horizontal crease (7a, 7b, 7c and 7d) while, at the same time, folding, one over the other, the various flaps (1aa, 1ab, 1ac, 1ca, 1cb and 1cc), forming the upper parts of said side panels, around said oblique creases, such that said upper parts of said side panels are made to lie in an substantially horizontal plane.
8. - A machine in accordance with claim 7, characterised in that it has a fixed mandrel (9) and an elevator (14) arranged under this mandrel and intended to place said carton (1) around said mandrel.
9. - A machine in accordance with one of the claims 7 or 8, characterised in that it comprises:

   - for each of said horizontal creases (7a, 7b, 7c and 7d) to be produced, a sharp, horizontal edge (10a, 10b, 10c and 10d) attached to the bottom part of said mandrel (9) and a moving roller (11a, 11b, 11c and 11d) which is able to move along said edge, as said side panel is crushed against said edge;

   - for each of said oblique creases (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) to be produced, an anvil (12aa, 12ab, 12ca and 12cb) attached to the side of said mandrel and a tool (13a, 13b, 13c and 13d) having a sharp edge and able to move towards said anvil as said side panel is crushed against said anvil.
10. - A machine in accordance with claim 9, characterised in that the pressure rollers (11a, 11b, 11c and 11d) interacting to produce the horizontal creases (7a, 7b, 7c and 7c) of the carton (1) are arranged near the free ends of open moving yokes (24, 25) which can move in orthogonal directions, wherein said rollers (11a, 11b, 11c and 11d) are arranged in the same horizontal plane, whereby rollers (11a, 11c) are arranged, for example, on the upper face of the parallel arms (24a) of one of the open yokes (24), whereas rollers (11b, 11d) are arranged on the lower face of the parallel arms (25a) of the second open yoke (25).
11. - A machine in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 10, characterised in that said elevator (14) comprises a lower plate (15) and an upper plate (16) on which said carton (1) rests, whereby the upper plate (16) can move in relation to said lower plate (15) such that, during the upward vertical movement of said elevator, said carton and said upper plate stop where the top of said pile of objects (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) come into contact with the bottom surface of said mandrel (9), and the movement of said lower plate can continue for a predetermined distance independent of the degree to which said carton is filled, due to the relative movement of said upper plate in relation to said lower plate.
12. - A machine in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 11, characterised in that it has a die (17) and a second elevator (20) designed, by executing a vertical upward movement, to place said carton (1) into said die in order to fold the upper parts of the side panels (1a, 1b, 1c and 1d) of said carton such that they are made to lie in a horizontal plane substantially at the height of the top of the pile of objects.
13. - A machine in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 12, characterised in that said die (17) has at least one displacement device (18), which, at the start of the movement to place said carton into said die, exerts a force with a horizontal component on the upper parts of said side panels (1a and 1c), which have oblique creases, in order to ensure their partial folding towards the centre of the carton, and that said die (17) also has a pressure device (19a, 19b), which, at the start of the movement to place said carton into said die, exerts a vertical force on the upper parts of said side panels (1b and 1d), not having oblique creases, in order to ensure that said upper parts of all said side panels are folded completely such that they are made to lie in a horizontal plane substantially at the height of the top of the pile of objects.
14. - A machine in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 13, characterised in that said second elevator (20) also has a lower plate (21) and an upper plate (22) on which said carton (1) rests, whereby the upper plate (22) can move in relation to said lower plate (21) such that, during the upward vertical movement of said elevator, said carton and said upper plate stop when said upper parts of all said side panels are folded completely and the movement of said lower plate can continue for a predetermined distance independent of the degree to which said carton is filled, due to the relative movement of said secondary plate in relation to said bottom plate.
15. - A machine in accordance with one of claims 1 or 14, characterised in that return springs (29a, 29b, 29c, ...; 34a, 34b, 34c, ...) are interposed between between the lower and upper plates (15, 16; 21, 22) of elevators (14, 20), whereby these springs comprise, preferably, helical springs arranged around the solid guide pillars (28a, 28b, 28c, ...; 33a, 33b, 33c, ...), attached to the upper plates (16, 22) and passing through guide holes arranged in the lower plates (15, 21).
16. - A machine in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 14, characterised in that it comprises means (23 and 23c) arranged between the creasing station and the station where the upper parts of the side panels of the cartons are folded, the purpose of the means being to apply dabs or beads of glue (37aa, 37ab, 37ca and 37cb) on the external surface of certain of said flaps (1aa, 1ab, 1ca and 1cb) forming the upper parts of said side panels (1a and 1c) joined by oblique creases (8aa, 8ab, 8ca and 8cb) to seal said flaps to each other after the flaps have been folded, one on top of the other, and to retain the upper part of all said side panels (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the carton (1) as such in a substantially horizontal plane after they have been folded completely.

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