APPARATUS FOR FORMING PACKAGING UNITS

• US 20150090404A1
• Filed: 03/16/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Original Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Inventors: Van Wickeren, Ernst, Nitsch, Thomas, Wagner, Stefan, Zahn, Volker
• Granted Patent: US 9,637,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/556
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 17/02 Joining articles, e.g. cans, directly to each other for convenience of storage, transport, or handling
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 21/06 Forming groups of bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 27/04 Bundling groups of cans or bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/36 by grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/58 Turning articles by positively-acting means, e.g. to present labelled portions in uppermost position
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/08 spacing or grouping the articles during feeding during transit by conveyor B65G47/28
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1744 Means bringing discrete articles into assembled relationship

Abstract

An apparatus for producing bundles of containers received from a wide container stream that is converted into plural single-track container streams. The apparatus has a dividing-off and/or compactor unit that divides off and compacts a predetermined number of containers to form a partial bundle to be combined with other partial bundles to form a full bundle. The apparatus also includes application elements that apply adhesive to a container, a linear transporter having a controllable drive, a guide element, a transport element that moves linearly along the guide element, and as many head guides as there are containers in a bundle. The head guides move and/or rotate relative to the transport element.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. An apparatus for producing bundles of containers received from a wide container stream that is converted into plural single-track container streams, said apparatus comprising a dividing-off and/or compactor unit, application elements, a linear transporter, a transport element, a controllable drive, a guide element, and head guides wherein said dividing-off and/or compactor unit divides off and compacts a predetermined number of containers to form a partial bundle to be combined with other partial bundles to form a full bundle, wherein said application elements are configured such that at least one contact face of at least one container in a bundle of containers has an adhesive and/or an application of adhesive thereon, wherein said transport element is a constituent of said linear transporter, wherein said controllable drive is a constituent of said transport element, wherein said transport element is movable back and forth linearly along said guide element, wherein said head guides are constituents of said transporter element, wherein a cardinality of said head guides equals a cardinality of containers in a bundle of containers, wherein said head guides are at least one of axially movable relative to said transport element and rotatable relative to said transport element.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transport element comprises a carriage, and wherein said controllable drive is coupled to said carriage.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transport element comprises a longitudinal side, and wherein said transport element is guided at said longitudinal side on said guide element.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a subsection along which said containers are transported by said transport element while suspended.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a controllable conveyor belt, wherein said transport element is configured to guide containers at a top thereof, wherein said containers stand, on bottoms thereof, on said controllable conveyor belt.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said head guides are actuatable independently of each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said transport element is configured such that plural subsequent bundles are transportable by said transport element.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a section along which said application elements accompany said containers.