GB2128162A

GB2128162A - A method of and apparatus for stacking and introducing flat articles into containers

Info

Publication number: GB2128162A
Application number: GB08326639A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johannes Lorsch; Siegfried Doelfs
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-10-05
Filing date: 1983-10-05
Publication date: 1984-04-26
Also published as: FR2533884A1; FR2533884B1; IT8349098A1; AU1989683A; IT8349098A0; IT1169079B; GB8326639D0; ZA837444B; GB2128162B; AU564775B2; DE3237194A1

Abstract

In an apparatus for introducing continuously supplied flat articles (2), e.g. film slide frames, into a container (3), articles supplied by a conveyor (1) are formed into a stack (30) and this stack is then cyclically introduced into the container (3) while allowing a fresh stack to be formed without the need to interrupt the continuous supply of articles on the conveyor (1). Successive stacks are formed on respective stacking surfaces (22,23,24,25) of a rotatably indexable stack support member (19). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession into a container and an apparatus for carrying out the method The invention relates to a method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession into containers, and to an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method. The flat articles may be, for example, slides or slide frames.

Such a container filling apparatus is used for example with slide framing machines in which developed film strips are cut up into individual pictures and then frames. The slide frames containing the slides are then introduced into containers which are subsequently despatched to the respective customers to whom the slides belong. In that procedure, it will be appreciated that it is only the processed slide frames which originate from a given film, that are to be introduced into a respective container.

In one form of filling apparatus for example, the flat articles, being supplied in continuous succession on a conveyor device, may be introduced directly into a container, in such a way that a stack is formed in the upstanding container, with the articles disposed in a horizontal stacking position in a vertical stack. For that purpose, it is necessary for the container to be lowered after each flat article has been introduced, by a distance which corresponds to the thickness of the respective article that has just been introduced into the container, in order to permit the subsequent flat article to be introduced. It will be appreciated that such arrangements are likely to be complicated and expensive.

Another disadvantage of the above-described apparatus is that the feed of articles must be interrupted and thus the entire framing apparatus must be stopped when a filled container is to be replaced by an empty container.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession, into a container, comprising forming a stack from the continuously supplied articles, and moving the stack towards the container for introduction thereinto, at such a speed that the formation of a fresh stack by subsequently supplied articles is not impeded.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession, into a container, comprising conveyor means for successive continuous supply of the articles, intermediate stacking means arranged to receive the articles from the conveyor means and to form a stack thereof, and introduction means arranged to receive the stack from the stacking means and guide the stack into the container.

Because an intermediate stack is first formed from the continuous feed of flat articles and the intermediate stack is then cyclically introduced into the container, it is possible, in the respective intermediate period of time during which a stack is being formed, either to advance container which has a plurality of receiving compartments, by a compartment, so as to present a fresh empty compartment to the stack-forming unit, or to prepare an empty container to be filled with articles, without the continuous feed of flat articles to be intermediate stacking means having to be interrupted as a result of that action.

In addition, in embodiments of the invention (to be described hereafter) the method and apparatus are particularly suitable when containers or container compartments or chambers (in the case of containers having a plurality of subdivisions) are fed to the filling apparatus to be filled thereby. The intermediate stacking means may have four articlereceiving or support surfaces disposed in a cross-like configuration, the cross assembly being cyclically rotatable about an axis.

Means for guiding the articles to be container to be filled may be disposed at the side of the cross assembly remote from the article conveyor. When the intermediate stack formed on the upper horizontal receiving or support surface has reached the desired stack height, the cross assembly of the intermediate stacking means may be rotated through 90 . By virtue of that movement, on the one hand, a fresh receiving surface is very quickly made available for forming a fresh stack thereon, while on the other hand the stack previously formed is introduced into the container by virtue of the shift from a horizontal stacking plane into a verticle stacking plane, which occurs as a result of the pivotal movement through 90 .

A maltese cross drive may be provided to rotate the stacking means through its 90 steps. In such an arrangement, the rotary stepping movement of the receiving surfaces of the stacking means occurs so abruptly or jerkily that, even when the flat articles being supplied to the stacking means arrive at high speed, an empty receiving surface is made available for the formation of a fresh stack thereon, without the necessity for an interruption in the supply of articles.

The means for guiding the stack of articles to the container may comprise a guide plate member which, in a first region thereof above the receiving surface is in an uppermost horizontal position, extends in an inclined position towards the conveyor, while in a second region below the uppermost receiving surface referred to above, the guide plate member bends towards the container for receiving the stack of articles. Thus, in that arrangement, the guiding means performs a guide function in the region in which the intermediate stack is formed while in the region between the stacking means and the container, it acts as a hopper-like or funnel means. The counterpart or opposite side of the hopper configuration may be formed, in that arrangement, by the receiving surface which was just respectively rotated from the horizontal position into the verticle position.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus, and Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

The embodiment described hereinafter is concerned with an apparatus by means of which a container 3 is filled with flat articles 2, for example slide frames, which are supplied in a continuous stream in succession on a conveyor track 1 from a slide framing means (not shown), in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The apparatus has a frame structure of which only parts are diagrammatically illustrated, at 4, 5 and 6. The container 3 is supplied to the apparatus on a conveyor track 7 (see Fig. 2) having lateral boundary means 8 and 9, in the direction indicated by the arrow B (in Fig. 2). Fig. 2 shows an empty container, as indicated by reference numeral 3', which is in a ready condition, waiting to be filled. The container 3' is subdivided into compartments 3a' and 3b' by an intermediate wall portion 10.

The conveyor means 7 for supplying the containers is in the form of an endlessly circulating conveyor belt, and electromagnetic control units 11 and 1 2 with armatures 1 3 and 14 are arranged laterally of the conveyor belt. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the movement of a supplied container can be stopped below the means for introducing the flat articles 2 into the container, by causing an armature (for example the armature 13) to extend into the path of movement of the container 3, thereby stopping the container.

In the view shown in Fig. 2, the container 3 can be stopped beneath the article-introducing means in such a way that each compartment 3a', 3b' can be filled with respective slide frames.

The conveyor means 1 has lateral boundary means 1 5 and 1 6 (see Fig. 2) and entrainment means (not shown) extending through a central slot 1 7 in the support surface of the conveyor 1. The slide frames 2 are transported in the direction indicated by the arrow A, by being engaged by the above-mentioned entrainment means of the conveyor means 1.

A conveyor wheel 18 is disposed in the vicinity of the end of the conveyor means 1 and above it. Disposed below the end of the conveyor means 1 is an intermediate stacking means which is generally indicated by reference numeral 19 and which is followed by an introducing means generally indicated by reference numeral 20. The intermediate stacking means has four receiving or support surfaces 22, 23, 24 and 25 which are arranged as an assembly in a cruciform configuration, being cyclically rotatable about a common axis 21 in the direction indicated by the arrow C. The surfaces 22, 23, 24, 25 are each provided with respective outwardly directed extension portions 22a, 23a, 24a and 25a.The apparatus has a cyclic drive means in the form of a maltese cross drive (not shown), whereby the above-described assembly can be cyclically rotated with an abrupt or jerky stepping motion in the direction indicated by the arrow C, each motion step being 90 . A guiding arrangement which is indicated by reference numeral 26 and which is secured in position at 27 is in the form of a guide plate member.

Above the uppermost horizontal surface 22, the guide plate member has a region 28 which extends at an inclined angle towards the conveyor means 1, while below the surface 22, that is to say, in the region of the vertically disposed surface 23, the guide plate member has a region 29 which is bent over towards the receiving container 3 to be filled and which has a hopper-like action in guiding the stack into the container.

The mode of operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows: The articles 2 which are supplied in continuous succession on the conveyor means 1 are fed to the intermediate stacking means 19 and, on the surface 22, form a stack 30 with the articles in a horizontal stacking position.

When a given stacking height is reached, the stacking means 19 is rotated with an abrupt or jerky motion through 90 in the direction indicated by the arrow C, by actuation of the maltese cross drive. By virtue of that rotary movement, the stack 30 goes from its horizontal stacking position into a vertical stacking position and thus drops down through the region 31 into the container 3. The container 3, the first compartment of which is already filled (by a stack indicated at 30'), is arranged below the filling means 20 in such a manner that the second compartment thereof, which is empty, can be filled by the stack dropping into the empty compartment of that container.

During the rotary motion and the downward dropping movement, the stack 30 is guided by the guiding arrangement 26 which, in its lower region 29, has a hopper-like or funnellike effect in guiding the stack into the container. The surface 22 which, after the rotary movement through 90 , takes up the position of the receiving surface indicated by reference numeral 23 in the Fig. 1, acts as the 'counterpart' or opposite side portion of the hopper formed in the region 31. The surface indicated by reference numeral 25 in Fig. 1, after the above-mentioned rotary movement, takes up a horizontal position such a that a further intermediate stack can now be formed on the surface 25.The projecting end portions 25a, 24a and so on each form the respective boundary means, which is disposed opposite the guiding arrangement 26, for defining and aligning the intermediate stack 30.

The rotary movement of the intermediate stacking means 1 9 and the consequent introduction of the intermediate stack 30 into the container 3 and the provision of a further receiving surface for forming a fresh stack thereof are effected at such a speed that the continuous feed of further articles 2 on the conveyor means in the direction indicated by the arrow A does not need to be interrupted and thus the formation of a further stack on the stacking means by the subsequently supplied articles is unimpeded. Putting further containers or a further container chamber into a position of readiness, by movement in the direction indicated by the arrow B, can be effected during the formation of the respective stack.

It will be appreciated that, as the feed of articles can be maintained uninterrupted, the operating speed of the apparatus can be maintained at a high level, and the rate of operation and the operating rhythm of the pieces of equipment disposed upstream of the filling apparatus are not restricted by the mode of operation of the latter, while the articles are inserted into the containers in their correct positions therein.

Claims

1. A method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession, into a container, comprising forming a stack from the continuously supplied articles, and moving the stack towards the container for introduction thereinto, at such a speed that the formation of a fresh stack by subsequently supplied articles is not impeded.

2. An apparatus for introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession, into a container, comprising conveyor means for successive continuous supply of the articles, intermediate stacking means arranged to receive the articles from the conveyor means and to form a stack thereof, and introduction means arranged to receive the stack from the stacking means and guide the stack into the container.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate stacking means has four article-receiving surfaces which are arranged in a generally cruciform assembly which is cyclically rotatable for the formation of a stack on a respective surface and for the subsequent feed of the stack to the introduction means, and the introduction means comprises a guiding arrangement for the flat articles, the guiding arrangement being disposed at the side of the stacking means remote from the conveyor means as viewed in the direction of conveying movement thereof.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rotatable assembly is drivable by a maltese cross drive.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the guiding arrangement comprises a guide plate member having a first portion which extends in an inclined position towards the conveyor means in a region above the uppermost horizontal receiving surface of the rotatable assembly, and a second portion, below the receiving surface, which bends towards the position of a container to be filled.

6. A method of introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession into a container, substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

7. An apparatus for introducing flat articles which are supplied in continuous succession, into a container, substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.