JP7698874B2 - filling packaging machine - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a filling and packaging machine, and more specifically, to a filling and packaging machine that forms a content-filled container by filling and sealing a plurality of containers made of cartons along a predetermined conveying path with beverages, food, or other contents.

A commonly known container for use in this type of filling and packaging machine is a carton made by forming a carton blank, mainly made of paper, into a rectangular tubular shape with a bottom. This container is formed into a rectangular tubular shape with a bottom and an opening at the top by, for example, folding a carton blank folded into a flat sleeve shape along four vertical creases into a rectangular tubular shape, and then folding one end of the container inward to seal it.
The formed plurality of containers are then transported in a predetermined direction on a transport conveyor in a filling and packaging machine, while being sequentially filled with the contents and having the upper openings of the containers sealed, thereby forming content-filled containers.
Here, upper creases are formed on the upper portions of the four side walls of the container to be folded into a predetermined shape when sealing the upper opening. However, since the carton blank used as the material for the container has a certain degree of flexibility, the springback effect after the folding process may result in an insufficient folding angle, which may cause problems in sealing the upper opening of the container.

In order to solve the above problems, a filling and packaging machine has been proposed that is provided with a top breaker unit at a predetermined location on the transport conveyor to pre-crease the top of the container. Specifically, the following top breaker units are known as filling and packaging machines.
First, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a top breaker unit for bending the top of a container into a gable roof shape, which comprises an inverted V-shaped bending plate that is freely raised and lowered so as to face the upper opening of the container and that bends inwardly the upper parts of the side walls on both front and rear sides parallel to the container transport direction when lowered, and left and right wings that are freely swingable left and right on both left and right sides perpendicular to the container transport direction and that press on the top of the container from both the left and right sides to bend the top of the container into a gable roof shape.
Furthermore, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a top breaker section for folding the top of a container flat so that flaps extending on both the left and right sides are formed, the top breaker section comprising a pair of fixed left and right clamping pieces arranged horizontally at a predetermined height with a gap allowing the container to fit in the left and right direction perpendicular to the container transport direction, and a pair of front and rear movable clamping pieces (wings) which are arranged on both sides in the front and rear direction parallel to the container transport direction so as to be able to swing back and forth and which cooperate with the fixed clamping pieces to press the top of the container from both the front and rear to fold the top of the container flat so that it spreads on both the left and right sides.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-191602 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-125105

Here, in the case of a bottomed, rectangular cylindrical container formed from a carton blank, due to the springback effect of the carton blank attempting to return to the shape of the folded carton blank into a flat sleeve, the four corners formed by adjacent side walls may not be right angles, i.e., two corners corresponding to the folded edges on both sides of the carton blank may be acute angles, and the remaining two corners may be obtuse angles.
Even if a fold was created on the top of a container with deformed corners in this manner using a conventional top breaker section as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the two corners that had been deformed at obtuse angles would become rounded due to the springback effect, which could result in poorly formed corners in the final product of a content-filled container.

This invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a filling and packaging machine that, when forming a content-filled container using a bottomed rectangular cylindrical container made of a carton, ensures that the corners of the container are properly folded, thereby preventing defective corner formation in the resulting content-filled container.

To achieve the above objective, this invention comprises the following aspects:

1) A filling and packaging machine for forming a content-filled container by conveying a plurality of containers, each of which is made of a carton having an upper opening, in a single row or in multiple rows aligned left and right along a conveying path extending in a front-rear direction, filling the containers with contents and sealing the upper openings in sequence,
The container is formed by folding a carton blank folded into a flat sleeve shape along four vertical creases into a rectangular tube shape and folding one end of the tube inward to seal it, and has four side walls, front, back, left and right,
A filling and packaging machine, in which a preliminary breaker unit is provided at a predetermined location on the conveying path, which creates a crease along the vertical fold line in at least one predetermined corner of the four corners formed by adjacent side walls of the container before sealing.

2) A filling and packaging machine as described in 1), in which the spare breaker unit is configured to create creases along the vertical fold lines at one or both of the two corners that correspond to the two vertical fold lines located in the flat middle portion of the width of the carton blank among the four corners.

3) A filling and packaging machine according to 1) or 2), in which the preliminary breaker section is provided with at least one pair of engagement units for each row of containers, each pair consisting of an outer engagement member capable of moving up and down having an engagement recess that can be engaged with the outer portion of the corner, and an inner engagement member capable of moving up and down having an engagement protrusion that can be engaged with the inner portion of the corner, and the corner is pressed from both the inside and outside by the outer engagement member and the inner engagement member to create a crease.

4) The outer engaging member is an outer engaging roller having an annular engaging groove on an outer circumferential edge thereof that constitutes the engaging recess and that is rotatable about a horizontal axis;
The filling and packaging machine according to claim 3), wherein the inner engagement member comprises an inner engagement roller having an annular engagement ridge on an outer circumferential edge thereof which constitutes the engagement protrusion and which is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

5) A filling and packaging machine according to claim 4, in which the pair of outer and inner engagement rollers are rotatably supported by a support member so that their centers of rotation are positioned at the same height, and are raised and lowered together with the support member by a lifting means.

According to the filling and packaging machine described above in 1), the preliminary breaker section is designed to create a crease along the vertical fold line in at least one of the four corners formed by adjacent side walls of the container, so that defective corner formation can be reliably avoided in the content-filled container formed as a finished product.

According to the filling and packaging machine of 2) above, even if two of the four corners of a container that correspond to two vertical fold lines located in the middle of the width of the carton blank are deformed to obtuse angles due to springback, at least one of these two corners is folded along the vertical fold lines by the preliminary breaker section, thereby reducing deformation of the container. Therefore, when a top breaker section is provided downstream of the preliminary breaker section, the top breaker section can more accurately fold the upper part of the container, thereby more reliably avoiding defective corner molding of the product, which is a content-filled container.
In particular, when two corners deformed at obtuse angles at diagonal positions are folded by two pairs of engaging units, the two corners are guided to the appropriate positions and fold accurately along the vertical fold lines, thereby achieving the above-mentioned effect even more reliably.

According to the filling and packaging machine described above in 3), the corners of the container are pressed from both the inside and outside by the outer and inner engaging members, so that the corners can be reliably folded.

According to the filling and packaging machine described above in 4), the outer and inner engagement members are composed of outer and inner engagement rollers, so that the deformed corners of the container can be straightened while smoothly and accurately creating creases in the same corners.

According to the filling and packaging machine described above in 5), the outer engaging roller and the inner engaging roller are always at the same height and press the corners of the container from both the inside and outside, so the pressing force acts reliably on the corners and the creases can be created accurately.

1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of a transport conveyor of the filling and packaging machine. 4A is a plan view showing a part of the transfer conveyor, and FIG. 4B is a front view showing a part of the transfer conveyor. 4(a) shows a first holding plate and a second holding plate used in the transport conveyor, in which (a) is a front view of the first holding plate, (b) is a side view of the first holding plate, (c) is a side view of the second holding plate, and (d) is a front view of the second holding plate. In Fig. 4(c), the part surrounded by a two-dot chain circle E is an enlarged cross-section of the part surrounded by a two-dot chain circle e. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a carton blank in an initial form for forming bottomed rectangular tubular containers used in the filling and packaging machine. This shows a secondary form of the carton blank in which the initial form of the carton blank has been formed into a flat sleeve shape, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a plan view, and (b) also shows the process of bending the carton blank into a rectangular tube shape. 1 shows a bottomed rectangular cylindrical container, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the container with a deformed corner. 1 shows a content-filled container with its upper opening sealed by the top seal section of the filling and packaging machine, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a side view, and (c) being a plan view. 1 shows a content-filled container in a completed state with the flap sealed to the container surface in the flap sealing section of the filling and packaging machine, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a side view, and (c) being a plan view. 5A to 5C are partially enlarged side views sequentially showing a process of folding the upper part of a container by a top breaker unit of the filling and packaging machine. FIG. 1A and 1B show a part of the spare breaker section of the filling and packaging machine, with FIG. FIG. 13 shows the engagement unit of the spare breaker section, where (a) is a side view of the outer engagement roller, (b) is a side view of the inner engagement roller, and (c) is a partially enlarged side view of a modified example of the outer engagement roller. 13 is an exploded plan view showing an engagement unit and a support member of the spare breaker unit. FIG.

A filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the right side of FIG. 1 will be referred to as the "front" and the left side as the "rear," and left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front.
1, 2, 11 and 13(b) show a side view of the entire or part of the filling and packaging machine with the front side wall of the chamber omitted.

The filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment is for filling and sealing a container (C1) made of a carton with contents such as beverages, food, etc. to form a content-filled container (C2).
As shown in Figure 1, the filling and packaging machine (1) has a long sealed (box-shaped) chamber (2) from front to back. A carton blank inlet (201) is provided in the front end wall (23) of the chamber (2), and a content-filled container outlet (202) is provided at the rear end of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2).

The front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2) is provided with a bottom forming portion (3) which forms a bottomed rectangular tubular container (carton) (C1) by sealing one end of a carton blank (CB12) which has been bent into a rectangular tubular shape and forming the bottom.
In the bottom forming section (3), a turret (30) having a plurality of radial carton holders (30a) is provided so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and the following are provided in the rotational direction of the turret (30) (counterclockwise in FIG. 1): a receiving section (31) for setting a rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) introduced from a carton blank inlet (201) in the carton holder (30a); a bottom heating section (32) for heating one end of the carton blank (CB12); a bottom breaker section (33) for folding one end of the carton blank (CB12) inward to create a crease; a bottom sealing section (34) for sealing one end of the carton blank (CB12) to form a rectangular tubular container (C1) with a bottom; and a transfer section (35) for transferring the formed container (C1) to the next process by a carton unloader (35a).
A carton blank (CB12), which has been pulled out of a carton magazine by a picker and formed into a rectangular cylindrical shape, is fed to the receiving section (31) through a carton blank entrance (201) by a carton loader (36).
In the case of the filling and packaging machine (1) shown in the figure, the front end (2a) of the chamber (2) where the bottom forming section (3) is provided has a double-roofed shape that slopes diagonally upward and forward when viewed from the side. This shape keeps the height of the front end (2a) of the chamber (2) low.

Within the chamber (2), a transport conveyor (4) is provided in a tunnel-shaped section (2b) extending from the rear (downstream) side of the bottom forming section (3) to the rear end thereof, for transporting a plurality of containers (C1) with their openings facing upward along a horizontal transport path (R) extending rearward.
On the conveying path (R), from the upstream side (front side) to the downstream side (rear side), there are sequentially provided a preliminary breaker section (5) that preliminarily creases the container (C1), a top breaker section (6) that creases the top of the container (C1), a sterilization section (7) that sterilizes the container (C1), a filling section (8) that fills the container (C1) with contents, a top seal section (9) that seals the top of the container (C1), a flap seal section (10) that folds a flap (C21) formed on the top of the content-filled container (C2) to seal it to the surface of the container (C2) upon sealing, and a discharge section (11) that discharges the content-filled container (C2) out of the chamber (2).

In filling and packaging machine (1) having the above basic configuration, clean air is blown into chamber (2) from a plurality of predetermined locations, and the clean air that has circulated within chamber (2) is sucked and discharged from a plurality of predetermined locations. As a result, almost the entire interior of chamber (2) is kept at positive pressure by the clean air, except for the clean air suction and discharge area, and a sterile state is maintained.
More specifically, since a particularly high level of sterility is required for the sterilization section (7), filling section (8) and top seal section (9) in the chamber (2), clean air purified by a ULPA filter (F) (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.9995% or more for particles with a diameter of 0.15 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is blown out from the clean air outlets (AB1) (AB2) through the air supply piping (P1).
Furthermore, locations within the chamber (2) other than the sterilization section (7), the filling section (8), and the top seal section (9), such as the hot air outlet (101) (see FIG. 1) in the flap seal section (10) and the hot air outlet (not shown) in the bottom molding section (3), do not require such a high level of cleanliness, so clean air purified by a HEPA filter (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.3 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is supplied thereto.
The clean air that has circulated in the chamber (2) is sucked and discharged from clean air suction ports provided at a number of predetermined locations in the chamber (2) and connected to an exhaust fan through exhaust piping. As shown in Fig. 1, the clean air suction ports (AS1) and (AS2) provided in the top wall (21) above the bottom forming portion (3) and the flap seal portion (10) in the chamber (2) are connected to the exhaust fan (E) through exhaust piping (P2). A flow control valve such as a butterfly valve (V) is provided in the middle of the exhaust piping (P2) so that the flow rate of the clean air discharged from the chamber (2) can be adjusted.

The inside of the chamber (2) is configured so that it can be cleaned (CIP) and sterilized (SIP) entirely. During cleaning, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content-filled container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and cleaning agents such as alkaline and acidic solutions are sprayed from cleaning nozzles (12) provided at multiple designated locations, followed by rinsing. Similarly, during sterilization, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content-filled container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and sterilizing agents are supplied from multiple designated locations to perform sterilization.

As shown in detail in Figures 2 to 4, the transport conveyor (4) has a four-row, one-pitch feed configuration and is equipped with two endless conveyor chains (42), one on the left and one on the right sides of the transport path (R) and wound around front and rear sprockets (41), four bottom rails (43) arranged parallel to each other along the transport path (R) between the left and right conveyor chains (42) and supporting the bottoms of the containers (C1), and a large number of container holders (44) installed between the opposing links on the left and right of both conveyor chains (42) and holding the containers (C1) on the four bottom rails (43) with their openings facing upward.
The containers C1 are successively transferred from the transfer section 35 of the bottom forming section 3 to the container holders 44 by the carton unloader 35a at the front end of the transfer conveyor 4 (see FIG. 1).

Each container holder (44) has a pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) made of long vertical plate material extending in the left-right direction and connected to the links (421) of both conveyor chains (42), and a total of four pairs of second holding plates (442) made of short vertical plate material extending in the front-back direction and fixed at multiple points in a predetermined length direction of the front and rear first holding plates (441), each pair consisting of two left and right plates.
The front and rear side walls of the four containers (C1) whose bottoms are supported by the four bottom rails (43) are held by the two front and rear first holding plates (441), and the left and right side walls of the four containers (C1) are held by the two left and right second holding plates (442) in each of the four pairs. In other words, the pair of the two front and rear first holding plates (441) and the two left and right second holding plates (442) in each of the four pairs form a holding section (440) that surrounds and holds the container (C1) from the front, rear, left and right. If the container holder (44) is configured with the first holding plates (441) and the second holding plates (442) as described above, the flow of clean air in the vertical direction in the chamber (2) is not impeded, and it is easy to obtain a rectifying effect that makes the flow of clean air a stable downward flow.
The left and right ends of the pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) are attached to the inner surfaces of the mutually facing links (421) of the left and right conveyor chains (42) via vertical plate-shaped blocks (45). The pitch of the links (421) of the conveyor chains (42) corresponds to the transport pitch (P) of the containers (C1) by the transport conveyor (4) (see FIG. 2).
Each of the first holding plate 441 and each of the second holding plates 442 has a hemispherical protrusion 441a, 442a formed thereon for point contact with the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1. The presence of these hemispherical protrusions 441a, 442a prevents the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1 from coming into close contact with the inner surfaces of each of the first holding plate 441 and each of the second holding plates 442, so that the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1 can be reliably sterilized by spraying a sterilizing agent in the sterilization section 7.
The upper edge of each first holding plate (441) is provided with an upper protrusion (441b) that protrudes upward from the other parts in the portion that holds the container (C1). These upper protrusions (441b) enable the container (C1) to be held more stably, and the height of the upper edge of the first holding plate (441) other than the upper protrusions (441b) is reduced, so that the processing of the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker section (6) and the like can be performed smoothly. The tip of each upper protrusion (441b) is inclined obliquely upward and outward in the front-rear direction so as to serve as a guide when the container (C1) is transferred to the holding section (440) by the carton unloader (35a).
The upper edge of the rear first holding plate (441) of the pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) is provided with rear convex portions (441c) bent horizontally rearward between the upper convex portions (441b). These rear convex portions (441c) close the gaps between adjacent container holders (44) in the front and rear direction where no container (C1) is present, so that the flow of clean air can be concentrated around the container (C1).

Fig. 5 shows a carton blank (CB10) in an initial form used as a material for the container (C1). This carton blank (CB10) is formed by punching a laminate mainly made of paper into a predetermined shape, and both the inside and outside of the carton blank (CB10) are composed of thermoplastic resin layers. In addition, the laminate is provided with a barrier layer made of aluminum foil or the like in the middle of its thickness as required. The carton blank (CB10) made of the laminate having the above-mentioned structure can be folded to form a predetermined shape, but since it has some flexibility, springback may occur after the folding process.
As shown in FIG. 5, the carton blank (CB10) is a slightly horizontally elongated rectangular shape, and has a number of fold lines formed thereon for folding into a predetermined shape.
Specifically, first, the carton blank (CB10) has first to fourth vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), (FR14) formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction for folding the carton blank (CB10) into a rectangular tube shape. The first vertical fold line (FR11) on the left side of Fig. 5 and the third vertical fold line (FR13) on the third side from the left are straight lines over their entire length, while the second vertical fold line (FR12) on the second side from the left has a vertically long parallelogram portion (FR121) in the middle of its length, and the fourth vertical fold line (FR14) on the right side has a vertically long hexagon portion (FR141) in the middle of its length. These portions (FR121) and (FR141) form vertically elongated parallelogram and vertically elongated hexagonal chamfered portions (omitted in Figs. 7 to 10) at two corners of the product, the content-filled container (C2), making the content-filled container (C2) easy to hold in the hand. The shape of the fold lines constituting the chamfered portions is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a curved shape other than a parallelogram, such as a rectangle or an ellipse. There may also be cases where no chamfered portions are formed.
The carton blank (CB10) is further formed with a first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) and a first lower horizontal fold line (FR23) for dividing and folding the portion defined by the first to fourth vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) into a top wall forming portion (CB101), a side wall forming portion (CB102), and a bottom wall forming portion (CB103). The first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) is formed in a diagonal line that is slightly upwardly and to the left between the first and second vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), and in a diagonal line that is slightly upwardly and to the right between the third and fourth vertical fold lines (FR13), (FR14).
In the bottom wall forming portion (CB103) of the carton blank (CB10), in the portion between the first and second vertical fold lines (FR11) (FR12) and in the portion between the third and fourth vertical fold lines (FR13) (FR14), two lower diagonal fold lines (FR32) are formed so as to form an isosceles triangle with the first lower horizontal fold line (FR23) as its upper side, and a second lower horizontal fold line (FR24) is formed extending in the left-right direction to connect the intersections of the two lower diagonal fold lines (FR32). Furthermore, lower vertical fold lines (FR42) are formed extending short from each of the intersections to the lower edge of the carton blank (CB10).
A second upper horizontal fold line (FR22) is formed in the top wall forming portion (CB101) of the carton blank (CB10) slightly below its upper edge, and extends in the left-right direction across the entire width of the carton blank (CB10). The portion of the carton blank (CB10) above the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22) serves as a seal margin for sealing the top opening (C10) of the bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1). Two upper diagonal fold lines (FR31) are formed in the top wall forming portion (CB101) between the first and second vertical fold lines (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical fold lines (FR13) (FR14), respectively, so as to form a triangle with the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) as its lower side. Each portion surrounded by the first upper horizontal crease (FR21) and the two upper diagonal creases (FR31) forms an upper triangular panel portion (C14) that falls outward in the left-right direction when the top of the container (C1) is folded as described below (see Figures 5 to 7). The intersections of the two upper diagonal creases (FR31) are located on the second upper horizontal crease (FR22). In addition, upper vertical creases (FR41) are formed so as to extend short from each of the intersections to the upper edge of the carton blank (CB10). A circular plug attachment portion (CB104) is formed in the portion of the top wall forming portion (CB101) between the second and third vertical creases (FR12) and (FR13) (not shown in Figures 7 to 10). The plug attachment portion (CB104) is formed by cutting the paper layer in a circular shape in that portion to weaken its breaking strength so that a plug (not shown) can be easily inserted and attached.

The carton blank (CB10) in the initial form described above is folded into an envelope shape at the first and third vertical fold lines (FR11) (FR13) so that the surfaces that make up the inner surface of the container (C1) overlap, and the left and right side edges are overlapped and joined by adhesive, heat sealing, or the like to form the carton blank (CB11) in the second form folded into a flat sleeve shape as shown in Figure 6. A large number of these blanks are stacked and stored in a carton magazine in this form.
Next, this second type of carton blank (CB11) is pulled out one by one by the picker from the carton magazine as described above, and folded at approximately right angles along the first to fourth vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) to form a rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) with a square cross section (see FIG. 6(b)). The carton blank (CB12) is then sent by the carton loader (36) to the receiving section (31) of the bottom forming section (3).
One end (bottom wall forming section (CB103)) of this rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) is heated to a predetermined temperature in the bottom heating section (32), and then folded inward along the first lower horizontal fold line (FR23), the two lower diagonal fold lines (FR32), the second lower horizontal fold line (FR24), and the lower vertical fold line (FR42) in the bottom breaker section (33) to form creases, and then sealed by ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, or the like in the bottom seal section (34). This forms a rectangular tubular container (C1) with a bottom.

As shown in Fig. 7, the container C1 has a rectangular bottom wall C11 and four side walls C121, C122, C123, and C124 extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall C11, and an upper opening C10 is formed by the upper edges of the four side walls C121, C122, C123, and C124. The bottom wall C11 may be a square as shown in the figure, or may be a rectangle, in which case the cross sections of the four side walls C121, C122, C123, and C124 will also be rectangular. In addition, the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) have a side wall forming portion (CB102) that forms the side wall of the content-filled container (C2) below the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), and a top wall forming portion (CB101) that forms the top wall of the content-filled container (C2) above the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21).
The four corners C131, C132, C133, C134 of the container C1 are all nearly right angles at least in the lower part close to the bottom wall C11, but in the upper part, they may be deformed and not right angles. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the upper part of the container C1 may be deformed so that the first and third corners C131, C133 corresponding to the first and third vertical fold creases FR11, FR13 of the carton blank CB10 are acute angles, and the second and fourth corners C132, C134 corresponding to the second and fourth vertical fold creases FR12, FR14 are obtuse angles. This is because, due to the flexibility of the laminate constituting the carton blank CB10, a springback effect occurs in the four side walls C121, C122, C123, and C124 of the container C1, causing them to return to the shape of the second form of carton blank CB11 shown in Figure 6, i.e., a folded, flat sleeve shape, resulting in deformation of the corners C131, C132, C133, and C134.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the top breaker section 6 includes a pair of front and rear first bending members 62F, 62B for each row of containers C1 that press against the top of the containers C1 from both the front and rear to bend them, and a second bending member 63 that is provided above the containers C1 so as to be able to rise and fall and enters the containers C1 to press against the tops of the left and right side walls C123, C124 so as to spread outward in the left-right direction to bend them.
The pair of first folding members (62F) (62B) are made of long plates and are composed of front and rear wings (62F) and rear wings (62B) that are pivotable from front to back so as to press the tops of the containers (C1) in each row from both the front and rear. The second folding member (63) is composed of a vertical folding plate (63) that is vertically movable so as to be inserted into the containers (C1) in each row through their upper openings (C10) and spread the tops of the containers (C1) outward in the left and right directions. The front wings (62F) and rear wings (62B) and the folding plate (63) are all capable of being raised and lowered as a single folding unit (60).
When each row of containers C1 arrives at the top breaker section 6 and is temporarily stopped, the folding unit 60 descends, and the folding plate 63 is inserted into each row of containers C1 through their upper openings C10, and the upper parts of the left and right side walls C123, C124 of the containers C1 are pressed outward in the left-right direction to be folded. Next, when the folding unit 60 stops descending, the front wing 62F and the rear wing 62B are swung inward in the front-rear direction to press the upper parts of the front and rear side walls C121, C122 of the containers C1. As a result, the upper parts of the containers C1 are folded along the first upper horizontal crease FR21, the upper diagonal crease FR31, the second upper horizontal crease FR22, and the upper vertical crease FR41, and creases are formed.

The container (C1) filled with contents through the top opening (C10) in the filling section (8) is folded at the top seal section (9) downstream of the filling section (8) so that the upper parts of the front, rear, left and right side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) spread outward in the left-right direction along the upper fold lines consisting of the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), the upper diagonal fold line (FR31), the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22), and the upper vertical fold line (FR41), and the front and rear edges (parts above the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22)) formed in the top opening (C10) overlap each other and are sealed. This forms a content-filled container (C2) with a flap (C21) that is long in the left-right direction at the top as shown in Figure 9.
The above-mentioned content-filled container (C2) is then folded downward at the next flap seal section (10) so that both left and right side portions of the flap (C21) are sealed to the upper surfaces of the left and right side walls, thereby forming the final shape of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped as shown in Figure 10.
It should be noted that the content-filled container (C2) shown in the figure has a top wall that slopes diagonally downward toward the rear, but the filling and packaging machine of the present invention can also be applied to the formation of content-filled containers with horizontal top walls.

Figures 13 to 16 show the detailed structure of the spare breaker section 5 and its components. In the following description of the spare breaker section 5, "front" refers to the right in Figure 13, "rear" refers to the left in Figure 13, and "left and right" refers to the left and right when viewed from the front, i.e., the left and right in Figure 14.
1, the preliminary breaker section (5) is disposed adjacent to the upstream side (front side) of the top breaker section (6) on the transport conveyor (4). In the preliminary breaker section (5), a step of preliminarily forming a crease along the vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) in at least one predetermined corner among the four corners (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) of the container (C1) is performed.
In the case of the spare breaker section (5) of this embodiment, the second and fourth corners (C132) (C134) of the container (C1), which correspond to the second and fourth vertical fold creases (FR12) (FR14) provided on the flat surface of the second form of carton blank (CB11), are configured to provide creases along the second and fourth vertical fold creases (FR12) (FR14) of the container (C1).
The second and fourth corners (C132) (C134) of the container (C1) constituted part of the flat middle part of the width of the flat sleeve-shaped second carton blank (CB11), and therefore when the carton blank (CB11) was folded into a rectangular tube, the flexibility of the material itself caused a springback effect, which resulted in a rounded shape. In particular, in the case of the second corner (C132), the vertically elongated parallelogram part (FR121) located in the middle of its length resists bending, and the rear wall (C122) between the spout attachment part (CB104) and the second corner (C132), which has a weakened breaking strength, tends to deform so as to bulge outward, and the bending force applied to the second vertical fold line (FR12) is lost, so that the rounded shape may remain. Therefore, it is preferable to provide creases at the second and fourth corners C132, C134.
As shown in FIG. 5, the second vertical fold line (FR12) intersects with the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) and the upper diagonal fold line (FR31) at one point, but it is preferable to provide a gap between the intersection point and the upper end of the vertically elongated parallelogram portion (FR121), which allows the upper part of the container (C1) to be folded sharply at the intersection point, improving formability.

The spare breaker section 5 has at least one pair (here, two pairs) of engagement units 51 for each row of containers C1, each of which is made up of a vertically movable outer engagement member 52 having an engagement recess 520 that is engaged with the outer portion of the corner C132, C134, and a vertically movable inner engagement member 53 having an engagement protrusion 530 that is engaged with the inner portion of the second or fourth corner C132, C134. Each corner C132, C134 is pinched from both the inside and outside by the pair of outer engagement member 52 and inner engagement member 53 to form a crease.
The outer engaging member (52) has an annular engaging groove (520) on its outer circumferential edge that constitutes the engaging recess, and is composed of an outer engaging roller (52) that is rotatable about a horizontal axis.
The inner engaging member (53) has an annular engaging ridge (530) on its outer circumferential edge that constitutes the engaging protrusion, and is composed of an inner engaging roller (53) that is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

The pair of outer engagement rollers 52 and inner engagement rollers 53 are rotatably supported by a support member 54 so that their centers of rotation are located at the same height, and are adapted to be raised and lowered together with the support member 54 by a lifting means 56. In this embodiment, the centers of rotation of the two pairs of outer engagement rollers 52 and inner engagement rollers 53 are all arranged at the same height.
As shown in Fig. 16, the support member (54) is composed of a square bar-shaped base block (541), two outer support plates (542) and two inner support plates (543) attached to both side surfaces of the base block (541). A notch (541a) having a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the inner support plate (543) is provided in the middle of the length of both side surfaces of the base block (541). Two engaging pins (541b) are attached to the middle of the length of the base block (541) so as to penetrate therethrough, and both ends of each engaging pin (541b) protrude from both notches (541a).
Each inner support plate (543) is generally T-shaped with the lower portions of both side edges protruding laterally in a convex arc shape, with two fitting holes (543a) formed at its upper end and shaft insertion holes (543b) formed in its both side protruding portions. The upper end of each inner support plate (543) is fitted into each notch (541a) of the base block (541), and the protruding ends of two fitting pins (541b) of the base block (541) are fitted into the two fitting holes (543a) of each inner support plate (543).
Each outer support plate (542) is generally inverted U-shaped and has a horizontal portion (542a) long in the horizontal direction and two hanging portions (542b) extending downward from both ends of the horizontal portion (542a). A shaft insertion hole (542c) is formed in the lower end of each hanging portion (542b). The horizontal portions (542a) of each outer support plate (542) are attached to both side surfaces of the base block (541) by bolts and nuts (not shown) or the like.
The outer support plate (542) and the inner support plate (543) may be provided as separate bodies as described above, or may be formed as an integrated body.

Each outer engagement roller (52) comprises a generally disc-shaped roller body (521) and a horizontal shaft member (522) attached to the center of the roller body (521) in a penetrating manner. An annular engagement groove (520) having a generally V-shaped cross section is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the roller body (521). Each outer engagement roller (52) is interposed between the lower ends of the pair of hanging parts (542b) of both outer support plates (542), and both ends of the horizontal shaft member (522) are loosely inserted into the shaft insertion holes (542c), whereby each outer engagement roller (52) is rotatably supported by both outer support plates (542).
Each of the inner engagement rollers (53) comprises a generally disc-shaped roller body (531) and a horizontal shaft member (532) attached to the center of the roller body (531) in a penetrating manner. An annular engagement ridge (530) having a generally V-shaped cross section is provided on the outer circumferential edge of the roller body (531). Each of the inner engagement rollers (53) is interposed between the pair of lateral protrusions of both inner support plates (543), and both ends of the horizontal shaft member (532) are loosely inserted into the shaft insertion holes (543b), whereby each of the inner engagement rollers (53) is rotatably supported by both inner support plates (543).

The base block (541) of each support member (54) is fixed by bolts or the like to the underside of a plate-like bracket (551) extending in the left-right direction so as to extend along a diagonal line connecting the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) of the container (C1). The lower ends of two lift shafts (552), one on the left and one on the right, are attached to the bracket (551). The two lift shafts (552) are inserted at their intermediate portions in two vertical sleeves (553) that are attached to the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) in a penetrating manner so as to be able to slide up and down, and their upper ends are connected to each other by a horizontal connecting bar (554) that extends in the left-right direction.
A lifting device 56 (lifting means) for lifting the lifting shaft 552 is provided on the top wall 21 of the chamber 2. In this embodiment, the lifting device 56 is a fluid pressure cylinder 56 provided between two vertical sleeves 553 on the upper surface of the top wall 21 of the chamber 2. The fluid pressure cylinder 56 is, for example, an air cylinder, and has a piston rod 561 that can be driven to move forward and backward in the vertical direction. The upper end of the piston rod 561 is connected to the longitudinal middle of the connecting bar 554. When the piston rod (561) of the fluid pressure cylinder (56) is driven back and forth, the lifting shaft (552) is raised and lowered, whereby the outer engagement roller (52) and the inner engagement roller (53) of each engagement unit (51) are raised and lowered between an upper retracted position where they do not interfere with the container (C1) being transported, and a lower limit position where they engage with the second or fourth corner (C132), (C134) of the container (C1) to create a crease.
13, the preliminary breaker section 5 is provided with container holding members 57 for preventing the upward movement of the containers C1 in each row, spaced a predetermined distance above the upper openings C10 of the containers C1 in each row so as not to interfere with the engagement units 51 and the support members 54. The container holding members 57 can be formed, for example, of horizontal plates provided in a forward-protruding manner on the support bar 64 of the top breaker section 6 adjacent to the downstream side of the preliminary breaker section 5.
The support member (54) and the lifting device (56) of each engagement unit (51) are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate.

To explain each engagement unit (51) in more detail, first, the inner engagement roller (53) is supported by two inner support plates (543) with a small gap between each inner support plate (543) and can move in the direction of the horizontal shaft member (532) by the same gap. Similarly, the outer engagement roller (52) is supported by two outer support plates (542) with a small gap between each outer support plate (542) and can move in the direction of the horizontal shaft member (522) by the same gap. The state of deformation of the second and fourth corners C132, C134 varies depending on the individual containers C1, and in order to engage the outer engaging roller 52 and the inner engaging roller 53 along these corners C132, C134, it is preferable that the outer engaging roller 52 and the inner engaging roller 53 are slightly movable in the direction of the horizontal shaft members 522, 532 as described above. The gap between the inner engaging roller 53 and both inner support plates 543 is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm with respect to one of the inner support plates 543 when the inner engaging roller 53 is positioned in the center between the both inner support plates 543, and more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The gap between the outer engaging roller 52 and both outer support plates 542 is also similar to the above.
15C, the outer engagement roller 52X may have a roller body formed of two roller segments 521X, with ring-shaped spacers 523 interposed between the roller segments 521X and between each roller segment 521X and each outer support plate 542. Although not shown, the inner engagement roller 53 may also have ring-shaped spacers interposed between each inner support plate 543. In these configurations, the spacers 523 restrict the movement of the outer engagement roller 52X and the inner engagement roller 53 in the direction of the horizontal shaft members 522 and 532, but the spacers 523 must not impede the rotation of the outer engagement roller 52X and the inner engagement roller 53.

The containers (C1) in each row are held by the transport holder (44) and transported by the transport conveyor (4). However, since the upper portions of the containers (C1) protrude upward from the transport holder (44), they are not constrained by the transport holder (44) and may be deformed into a diamond shape for the reasons described above.
When each row of containers (C1) arrives at the spare breaker section (5), two pairs of engagement units (51) provided corresponding to each row of containers (C1), i.e., two outer engagement rollers (52) and two inner engagement rollers (53), descend from their standby positions, and the two inner engagement rollers (53) enter the inside of the container (C1).
The two inner engagement rollers (53) are positioned so that they can engage with the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134), which have been deformed into obtuse angles, and move down while pushing these corners (C132) and (C134) outward, thereby correcting the upper part of the container (C1) into a square.
Here, in order to allow each of the inner engagement rollers 53 to smoothly fit the inside of the deformed second or fourth corner portion C132, C134, it is better to increase the diameter of each of the inner engagement rollers 53. However, in this embodiment, since the two inner engagement rollers 53 are arranged so that their rotation centers are aligned on a diagonal line connecting the second and fourth corner portions C132, C134 of the container C1 that has been reformed into a square, the diameter of the inner engagement rollers 53 is set to be slightly smaller than half the length of the diagonal line.
It is also possible to provide only one pair of outer engagement rollers (52) and inner engagement rollers (53) and have both rollers (52), (53) create a crease in only one of the second and fourth corners (C132), (C134). In this case, the diameter of the inner engagement roller (53) can be made even larger so that it can smoothly fit along the inner portions of the corners (C132), (C134).
The two outer engagement rollers (52) are arranged at outer positions facing the two inner engagement rollers (53), sandwiching the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) which are pushed apart from the inside by the two inner engagement rollers (53).
The two outer engaging rollers 52 and the two inner engaging rollers 53 are supported by support members 54 so that their centers of rotation are located at the same height. If the heights of the centers of rotation of these four rollers 52, 53 (particularly the pair of inner engaging rollers 53 and outer engaging rollers 52) are misaligned, there is a risk that the force applied to the second and fourth corners C132, C134 will be lost. However, if the heights of the centers of rotation are the same, there is no risk of the force being lost, and the second and fourth corners C132, C134 can be more reliably folded.

The engaging groove 520 of the outer engaging roller 52 has a generally V-shaped cross section with an angle of about 90°. The two inclined surfaces 520a of the engaging groove 520 are lowered while engaging with the outer portions of the second and fourth corners C132, C134, and the engaging ridges 530 of the inner engaging roller 53 are lowered while engaging with the inner portions of the second and fourth corners C132, C134, so that the second and fourth corners C132, C134 are corrected to approximately right angles and creases are accurately formed in the second and fourth corners C132, C134 along the second and fourth vertical fold creases FR12, FR14. That is, when the engaging ridges (530) of the inner engaging rollers (53) push outward the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) that were provided in the flat widthwise intermediate portion of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) folded into a flat sleeve shape, the engaging ridges (530) push outward the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) that were provided in the flat widthwise intermediate portion of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) folded into a flat sleeve shape, and the engaging ridges (530) push outward the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) that were provided in the flat widthwise intermediate portion of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) that was folded into a flat sleeve shape. The (C122), (C123), and (C124) portions attempt to bulge outward, but the two inclined surfaces (520a) of the engagement groove (520) of the outer engagement roller (52) press the two adjacent side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) portions inward, preventing the force bending the corners (C132), (C134) from escaping. As a result, the corners (C132), (C134) can be bent at right angles to ensure a crimped fold.
The engaging ridges 530 of the inner engaging rollers 53 have a generally V-shaped cross section, and the smaller the angle, the greater the effect of forming creases at the second and fourth corners C132, C134, but if the angle is too small, there is a risk of scratching the inner surface of the container C1, so the angle is preferably 30 to 95°, and more preferably 55 to 75°. Also, the smaller the radius of curvature R of the tip of the engaging ridges 530 of the inner engaging rollers 53, the greater the effect of forming creases at the second and fourth corners C132, C134, but if the angle is too small, there is a risk of scratching the inner surface of the container C1, so the radius of curvature R is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm, and more preferably 0.3 to 0.8 mm.
The smaller the angle of the engagement groove 520 of the outer engagement roller 52, the greater the effect of forming creases in the second and fourth corners C132 and C134. However, if the angle is too small, there is a risk of scratching the outer surface of the container C1. Therefore, the angle is preferably 70 to 120°, and more preferably 85 to 95°. In addition, the smaller the curvature radius R of the bottom of the engagement groove 520 of the outer engagement roller 52, the greater the effect of forming creases in the second and fourth corners C132 and C134. However, taking into consideration the limits of part processing accuracy, the radius R is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm, and more preferably 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The engagement groove 520 of the outer engagement roller 52 may be cut out near the corresponding bottom portion so as not to come into contact with the tip portions of the second and fourth corners C132 and C134 of the container C1 (not shown). Alternatively, as in the modified outer engagement roller (52X) of Figure 15 (c), the roller body may be divided into two roller segments (521X) and a ring-shaped spacer (523) may be interposed between the two segments (521X) to form a gap in which the tip portions of the corners (C132) and (C134) of the container (C1) are accommodated in a non-contacting manner.
The two inclined surfaces 520a of the engagement groove 520 of the outer engagement roller 52 must be wide enough to press the two adjacent side walls C121, C122, C123, and C124 that form the second and fourth corners C132 and C134 of the container C1 over a required width, and each preferably has a width of at least 2 mm. In particular, in the outer engagement roller 52 that is engaged with the outer portion of the second corner C132, the strength of the rear side wall C122 between the second corner C132 and the plug attachment portion CB104 is weaker than the other portions, so it is preferable to set the width of the inclined surfaces 520a of the engagement groove 520 so that it can support approximately half the width of the rear side wall C122.

The inner engagement roller 53 and the outer engagement roller 52 can crease the container C1 at a lower position in the second and fourth corners C132, C134 of the container by lowering the lower limit of their lifting stroke, but the outer engagement roller 52 must be set so as not to interfere with the transport holder 44 of the transport conveyor 4. When the plug attachment portion CB104 is provided on the upper portion of the container C1 as in this embodiment, the lower limit of the lifting stroke of the outer engagement roller 52 and the inner engagement roller 53 is preferably set so that their rotation centers (i.e., their engagement positions with the second and fourth corners C132, C134 of the container C1) are located at least below the center of the plug attachment portion CB104.
In addition, by making the diameter of the outer engagement roller (52) smaller, it is possible to form creases at lower positions of the second and fourth corners (C132), (C134) of the container (C1). However, if the diameter is too small, the frictional resistance with the outer surface of the container (C1) becomes large, which may scratch the outer surface of the container (C1).
The smaller the gap between the pair of outer engagement rollers (52) and inner engagement rollers (53), the greater the effect of forming creases in the second and fourth corners (C132), (C134); however, the gap must be at least as large as the thickness of the carton blank (CB10) constituting the container (C1), and is preferably 0.4 to 2 mm, and more preferably 0.5 to 1 mm.
When the outer engaging roller 52 and the inner engaging roller 53 raise the second and fourth corners C132, C134 of the container C1 after the rollers 52, 53 have been folded, the container C1 also tries to rise, but the edge of the top opening C10 of the container C1 comes into contact with the container pressing member 57, preventing the container C1 from rising. At this time, the outer engaging roller 52 and the inner engaging roller 53 rotate to reduce frictional resistance with the inner and outer surfaces of the container C1, so the inner and outer surfaces of the container C1 are not scratched.

As described above, according to the filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment, the spare breaker section (5) can reliably crease the two obtuse corners (C132) (C134) of the container (C1), which are difficult to crease, without rounding them, thereby reliably preventing poor corner forming in the product, the content-filled container (C2).
In particular, in the filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment, the spare breaker section (5) is configured to simultaneously fold the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) of the container (C1), which have been deformed into obtuse angles, so that with the container (C1) corrected (positioned) so that the diagonally opposite second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) form a right angle, folds can be accurately made in these corners (C132) and (C134) along the second and fourth vertical fold lines (FR12) and (FR14).
It is also possible for the spare breaker section (5) to perform the folding of the two obtusely deformed corners (C132) (C134) of the container (C1) in two separate processes, one before the other, for each corner; however, the above embodiment is more advantageous in terms of saving space in the filling and packaging machine (1).
Also, in the spare breaker section 5, a crease may be formed in only one of the two corners C132, C134 of the container C1 that are deformed to an obtuse angle. However, forming creases in the two corners C132, C134 that are diagonally opposite each other and are deformed to an obtuse angle as in the above embodiment is more advantageous because it weakens the springback force that tries to deform the container C1, thereby reducing the deformation of the container C1.

The spare breaker section (5) may be located upstream (forward) of the top seal section (9). For example, if it is located upstream of the filling section (8), this is advantageous in that it prevents the deformed top of the container (C1) from interfering with the filling of the contents.
However, if the spare breaker section (5) is located upstream (forward) of the top breaker section (6) as in the above embodiment, it is more advantageous because the process of forming a crease in the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker section (6) can be performed more reliably. That is, if the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) of the container (C1) are rounded, when the top breaker section (6) forms a crease in the upper part of the container (C1), the corner is not fixed, particularly at the intersection of the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) and the upper diagonal fold line (FR31), which may cause defective corner formation of the product (content-filled container (C2)). However, if the spare breaker section (5) creases the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) so that they are not rounded, the above-mentioned problem does not occur in the top breaker section (6), and defective corner formation of the product (C2) can be eliminated.

In the above embodiment, this invention is applied to a filling and packaging machine (1) that forms a content-filled container (C2) by folding the top of a carton container (C1) flat to form flaps (C21) that protrude on both the left and right sides and sealing the top opening (C10). However, this invention can also be applied to other filling and packaging machines that form a content-filled container by folding the top of a carton container inward to form a gable roof shape and sealing the top opening, such as the filling and packaging machine described in Patent Document 1, and can reliably eliminate molding defects in the corners of the product, as in the above embodiment.

This invention is suitable for use as a filling and packaging machine that forms content-filled containers by filling and sealing a plurality of containers made of cartons along a predetermined conveying path with beverages, food, or other contents.

(1): Filling and packaging machine
(2): Chamber
(4): Transport conveyor
(5): Spare breaker part
(51): Engagement unit
(52): Outer engagement roller (outer engagement member)
(520): Engagement groove (engagement recess)
(53): Inner engagement roller (inner engagement member)
(530): Engagement protrusion (engagement protrusion)
(54): Support member
(56): Fluid pressure cylinder (lifting means)
(6) Top breaker section
(8): Filling section
(9): Top seal part
(10): Flap seal part
(11): Discharge section
(CB11): Carton blank folded into a flat sleeve
(C1): Container (carton)
(C10): Upper opening
(C121): Front wall
(C122): Back wall
(C123): Left side wall
(C124): Right side wall
(C131): First corner
(C132): Second corner
(C133): Third corner
(C134): 4th corner
(FR11): First vertical fold
(FR12): Second vertical fold
(FR13): 3rd vertical fold
(FR14): 4th vertical fold
(C2): Container filled with contents
(R): Transport route

Claims (4)

A filling and packaging machine for forming a content-filled container by conveying a plurality of containers, each of which is made of a carton having an upper opening, in a single row or in multiple rows arranged left and right along a conveying path extending in a front-rear direction, filling the containers with contents and sealing the upper openings in sequence, the machine comprising:
The container is formed by folding a carton blank folded into a flat sleeve shape along four vertical creases into a rectangular tube shape and folding one end of the tube inward to seal it, and has four side walls, front, back, left and right,
a pre-breaker unit is provided at a predetermined location on the transport path to create a crease along the vertical fold in at least one predetermined corner among four corners formed by adjacent side walls of the container before sealing ;
The reserve breaker section is provided with at least one pair of engagement units for each row of containers, each pair consisting of an outer engagement member movable up and down having an engagement recess that can engage with the outer portion of the corner, and an inner engagement member movable up and down having an engagement protrusion that can engage with the inner portion of the corner, and the corner is pressed from both the inside and outside by the outer engagement member and the inner engagement member to create a crease . The filling and packaging machine of claim 1, wherein the spare breaker section is adapted to create creases along the vertical fold lines at one or both of the two corners that correspond to the two vertical fold lines located in the flat width center portion of the carton blank among the four corners. the outer engagement member is an outer engagement roller having an annular engagement groove on an outer peripheral edge thereof that constitutes the engagement recess and is rotatable about a horizontal axis,
3. A filling and packaging machine according to claim 1 , wherein said inner engagement member comprises an inner engagement roller having an annular engagement ridge on an outer circumferential edge thereof which constitutes said engagement protrusion and which is rotatable about a horizontal axis. 4. A filling and packaging machine according to claim 3, wherein the pair of outer engagement rollers and the pair of inner engagement rollers are rotatably supported by a support member so that their centers of rotation are positioned at the same height, and are adapted to be raised and lowered simultaneously together with the support member by a lifting means .

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