Double box glue and tape machine with separable conveyors, semi-automatic alignment and feed system, and glue flushing system

Abstract
A double box glue and tape machine that includes upper and lower seam conveyors with separately positionable gluing conveyors and idler rollers, which allows the idler rollers to be moved out of the way so that the upper and lower seam gluing conveyors may be positioned opposite each other for simultaneous gluing of overlapping seams. The machine also includes a semi-automatic alignment and feed system that includes one or more remotely operable gates for blocking the entrance of a pair of box blanks into the machine to facilitate alignment of the box blanks prior to feeding them into the machine. The alignment and feed system may also include outboard rollers to provide lateral support to the box blanks, input guide rollers to direct the box blanks into the seam conveyors, a seam separator to facilitate separation of the seam around the glue head, and a cold glue flushing system.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




This invention relates to machines for manufacturing cardboard boxes and, more specifically, relates to a double box glue and tape machine with separable conveyors, semi-automatic alignment and feed system, and glue flushing system.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In recent years, a need has developed for very large boxes, such as those used to secure a pallet stacked with a quantity of smaller boxes. Double box glue and tape machines have been constructed to manufacture these large boxes by gluing and/or taping together two smaller boxes. To date, however, these machines have proved to be difficult to operate primarily due to the large size and unwieldy nature of the double box blanks that have to be fed into the machine.




More specifically, correctly manufacturing a double box requires proper alignment of the two box blanks before they are fed into the glue and tape machine. Typically, an operator physically aligns the blanks at the input of the machine and then pushes the aligned blanks into the machine, which then propels the blanks through the machine as it applies glue and tape to the seams. But due to the large size of the blanks, obtaining proper alignment is generally difficult and time consuming. This difficulty slows the manufacturing process and increases the number of waste boxes resulting from poor alignment of the box blanks. In addition, many operators of double box machines that are not typically used in very high volume operations cannot justify the high cost of fully automatic alignment and feed systems. For this reason, many operators choose to put up with the inefficiency of a manual alignment system rather than investing in a fully automatic alignment and feed system.




Further, conventional double box glue and tape machines suffer from other drawbacks, such as the inability to glue and tape overlying seams, which may prevent the machine from sealing both seams of a square double box in a single pass. In addition, conventional double box glue and tape machines lack other desirable features that could contribute to increased efficiency, such as a flushing system for the cold glue head.




Therefore, a need exists for a double box glue and tape machine that can simultaneously seal overlying seams for manufacturing square double boxes. A further need exists for cost effective mechanisms to assist an operator in aligning box blanks for a double box glue and tape machine prior to feeding the blanks into the machine. There is a further need for devices to improve the efficiently of double box glue and tape machines.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention meets the needs described above in a double box glue and tape machine that includes upper and lower seam conveyors with separately positionable gluing conveyors and idler rollers. These independently separable conveyors allow the idler rollers to be moved out of the way so that the upper and lower seam gluing conveyors may be positioned opposite each other for simultaneous gluing of overlapping seams. This feature allows the machine to simultaneously glue overlying seams when manufacturing square double boxes.




Another aspect of the invention includes a semi-automatic alignment and feed system for a double box glue and tape machine. The alignment and feed system includes one or more remotely operable gates for blocking the entrance of a double box blank, consisting of a pair of individual box blanks, into the machine to facilitate alignment of the box blanks prior to feeding them into the machine. The gates are typically operated by a foot pedal located in an operator stand, where the operator can conveniently align the double box blank and then operate the foot pedal to release the gates. A proximity detector typically resets the gates after the box blank clears the input area of the machine. The alignment and feed system may also include additional features to facilitate the alignment and feeding of blanks into the machine, such as outboard rollers to provide lateral support to the box blanks, input guide rollers to direct the box blanks into the seam conveyors, and a seam separator to facilitate separation of the seam around the glue head. The machine may also include a glue flushing system to save time during the clean-up process.




Generally described, the present invention may be embodied in a double box glue and tape machine that includes upper and lower seam conveyors. The upper seam conveyor includes an upper seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the upper seam gluing conveyor, an upper seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the upper seam idler roller. Similarly, the lower seam conveyor includes a lower seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor, a lower seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller. This allows the upper seam gluing conveyor to be selectively positioned opposite the upper seam idler roller to glue a first seam, while the lower seam gluing conveyor may be selectively positioned opposite the lower seam idler roller to glue a second seam that is laterally separated from the first seam. Alternatively, the upper seam gluing conveyor may be positioned opposite the lower seam gluing conveyor, with the upper and lower seam idler rollers placed in inoperative positions, to glue first and second seams that are laterally overlapping.




The lateral positioning system for the upper seam gluing conveyor may include a first cross bar having a first rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam gluing conveyor carried on the first rolling surface. In addition, the lateral positioning system for the upper seam idler roller may include a second cross bar having a second rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam idler roller and carried on the second rolling surface. The lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor may include rollers supporting the lower seam gluing conveyor carried on the second rolling surface, while the lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller may include rollers supporting the lower seam idler roller and carried on the first rolling surface. That is, the upper seam gluing conveyor and the lower seam idler roller may ride on the first cross bar, while the lower seam gluing conveyor and the upper seam idler roller may ride on the second cross bar. This allows the upper seam gluing conveyor, which is riding on the first cross bar, to be positioned opposite the lower seam gluing conveyor, which is riding on the second cross bar. The double box glue and tape machine may also include a vertical adjustment mechanism operable for adjusting a vertical distance between the first and second cross bars to adjust a nip distance to accommodate box blanks of varying thickness.




The semi-automatic alignment and feed system typically includes one or more remotely operable gates for selectively blocking the entrance of a pair of the box blanks into the seam conveyors and facilitating alignment of the box blanks prior to entry into the seam conveyors. More specifically, the alignment and feed system may include a feed stand for supporting a pair of box blanks adjacent to the input end of the double box glue and tape machine and one or more gates for selectively blocking the entrance of the pair of the box blanks into the input end of the machine and facilitating alignment of the box blanks prior to entry into the machine. The alignment and feed system may also include a release mechanism for remotely releasing the gate to selectively unblock the entrance of the pair of box blanks into the input end of the double box glue and tape machine after alignment.




In particular, the alignment and feed system may include one or more lateral guides supported by the feed gate and configured to cooperate with the gate to facilitate alignment of the box blanks prior to entry into the double box glue and tape machine. In addition, the alignment and feed system may include a box proximity detector, such as an electric eye, configured to reset the gate after the double box blank passes through the input end of the double box glue and tape machine. The release mechanism typically includes a foot pedal carried by an operator stand positioned to facilitate manual alignment and feeding of the box blanks into the double box glue and tape machine.




The alignment and feed system may also include additional features to facilitate the alignment and feeding of blanks into the machine, such as one or more outboard rollers carried by the seam conveyors configured to provide lateral support to the double box blanks passing through the seam conveyors, one or more input guide rollers carried on an input end of the seam conveyor configured to facilitate feeding the double box blanks into the input end of the seam conveyors and a seam separator carried on an input end of the seam conveyors configured to facilitate receipt of a glue head into the seam as the seam passes through the input end of the seam conveyors.




The double box glue and tape machine may also include a cold glue head, a cold glue supply providing cold glue to the cold glue head, a water supply providing water to the cold glue head, and a valve for selectively connecting the cold glue supply and water supply to the cold glue head to facilitate cleaning of the cold glue head.




In a two conveyor system, the double box glue and tape machine typically includes an upper seam conveyor having an upper seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the upper seam gluing conveyor, an upper seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the upper seam idler roller. The machine also typically includes a lower seam conveyor having a lower seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor, a lower seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller. The upper seam gluing conveyor may be selectively positioned opposite the upper seam idler roller to glue a first seam, and the lower seam gluing conveyor may be selectively positioned opposite the lower seam idler roller to glue a second seam that is laterally separated from the first seam. Alternatively, the upper seam gluing conveyor may be selectively positioned opposite the lower seam gluing conveyor, with the upper and lower seam idler placed in inoperative positions, to glue first and second seams that are laterally overlapping.




The double box glue and tape machine may also include one or more remotely operable gates for selectively blocking the entrance of a double box blank into the seam conveyor and facilitating alignment of the box blanks prior to entry into the seam conveyor. It may also include one or more outboard rollers carried by the upper seam conveyor configured to provide lateral support to box blanks passing through the upper seam conveyor. Similarly, it may include one or more outboard rollers carried by the lower seam conveyor configured to provide lateral support to box blanks passing through the lower seam conveyor.




The double box glue and tape machine may also include one or more input guide rollers carried on an input end of the upper seam conveyor configured to facilitate feeding box blanks into the input end of the upper seam conveyor. Similarly, it may include one or more input guide rollers carried on an input end of the lower seam conveyor configured to facilitate feeding box blanks into the input end of the lower seam conveyor.




The double box glue and tape machine may also include an upper seam separator carried on an input end of the upper seam conveyor configured to facilitate receipt of an upper glue head into an upper seam as the upper seam passes through the input end of the upper seam conveyor. Similarly, it may include a lower seam separator carried on an input end of the lower seam conveyor configured to facilitate receipt of a lower seam glue head into a lower seam as the lower seam passes through the input end of the lower seam conveyor.




In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention improves on prior double box glue and tape machines by providing separately positionable upper and lower seam gluing conveyors, and a semi-automatic alignment and feed system including remotely operable gates, outboard rollers, guide rollers, and seam separators. The double box glue and tape machine may also include a glue flushing system. The specific techniques and structures employed by the invention to improve over the drawbacks of prior double box glue and tape machines to accomplish the advantages described above will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention and the appended drawings and claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIGS. 1A

,


1


B and


1


C are plan views of a double box glue and tape machine including a semi-automatic alignment and feed system.





FIGS. 2A

,


2


B and


2


C are front views of a prior art double box glue and tape machine.





FIG. 3A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine.





FIG. 3B

is a front view of a double box blank with laterally separated upper and lower seams.





FIG. 3C

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine and box blank with separately positionable upper and lower seam gluing conveyors.





FIG. 4A

is front view of a double box glue and tape machine with separately positionable upper and lower seam gluing conveyors configured to seal overlying seams.





FIG. 4B

is front view of a pair of box blanks having overlying seams for receipt in the double box glue and tape machine of FIG.


4


A.





FIGS. 5A and 5B

are front views of a conveyor for a double box glue and tape machine including a remotely operable gate.





FIG. 5C

is a side view of the conveyor and remotely operable gate shown in

FIGS. 5A and 5B

.





FIG. 5D

is a top view of the conveyor and remotely operable gate shown in

FIGS. 5A

,


5


B and


5


C.





FIG. 6A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine including outboard rollers.





FIG. 6B

is a top view of the double box glue and tape machine of

FIG. 6A

including outboard rollers.





FIG. 7A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine including input guide rollers.





FIGS. 7B

,


7


C and


7


D are side views of the double box glue and tape machine of

FIG. 7A

including input guide rollers.





FIG. 8A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine including top and bottom seam separators.





FIG. 8B

is a front view of a pair of box blanks illustrating the function of the seam separators shown in FIG.


8


A.





FIG. 8C

is a side view of one of the seam separators of FIG.


8


A.





FIG. 9

is a block diagram of a glue flushing system for a double box glue and tape machine.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS




The present invention may be embodied in a double box glue and tape machine that includes upper and lower seam conveyors with separately positionable gluing conveyors and idler rollers. These independently separable conveyors may be included in a new machine, or they may be installed as a retrofit to an existing machine. In addition, the machine may include one conveyor, two conveyors, or a larger number of conveyors if desired. For example, a double box glue and tape machine typically included two conveyors, whereas machines for manufacturing large boxes from three or more box blanks may be constructed with larger numbers of conveyors.




The double box glue and tape machine may also include a semiautomatic alignment and feed system for a double box glue and tape machine. The alignment and feed system includes one or more remotely operable gates for blocking the entrance of a pair of box blanks into the machine to facilitate alignment of the box blanks prior to feeding them into the machine. Again, the semi-automatic alignment and feed system may be deployed as a new machine, or it may be installed as a retrofit to an existing machine. In addition, the machine may include one gate, two gates, or a larger number of gates if desired.




The gates are typically driven by air cylinders, but may alternatively be driven by electric solenoids, gears, ball screws, or any other suitable type of actuators. The gates are typically operated by a foot pedal located in an operator stand, where the operator can conveniently align the box blanks and then operate the foot pedal to release the gate. However, other types of remote activation may be employed, such as a hand lever, a knee pad, a voice response system, or any other suitable type of remote activation system.




A proximity detector typically resets the gate after the box blank clears the input area of the machine. This proximity sensor is typically implemented with an inexpensive electric eye, but alternatively be implemented as a limit switch, a motion detector, or any other suitable type of sensor for detecting the passing of the blank across the input end of the machine. The alignment and feed system may also include additional features to facilitate the alignment and feeding of blanks into the machine, such as outboard rollers to provide lateral support to the box blanks, input guide rollers to direct the box blanks into the seam conveyors, and a seam separator to facilitate separation of the seam around the glue head. The machine may also include a glue flushing system to save time during the clean up process. These features may be deployed in any desirable combination.




Turning now to the figures, in which like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several figures,

FIGS. 1A

,


1


B and


1


C are plan views of a double box glue and tape machine


10


including a semi-automatic alignment and feed system


24


. The machine


10


is operative to receive one double box blank


12


(consisting of two box blanks to be glued and/or taped together) at a time from a stack


14


of double box blanks. An adjustable stack feeder


30


lifts the stack


14


of double box blanks to a position that allows an operator to physically lift one blank


12


at a time and place it onto the feed stand


23


while standing behind the stack


14


in an operator stand


26


. The operator physically aligns the pair of individual box blanks forming the double box blank


12


while the double blank is supported on the feed stand


23


, and then pushes the aligned double blank into the input end of the machine


10


.




Each double box blank


12


includes two box blanks, which the machine glues and/or tapes together to construct a double box. To do so, the machine


10


includes a driven conveyor


16


, a hot and cold glue applicator


18


, and a tape applicator


20


. These conventional features of the machine


10


, which are well known in the art, may be used to seal a seam with glue and/or tape as the conveyor


16


drives one double box blank


12


at a time though the cold glue applicator


18


and the tape applicator


20


. A stack


22


of completed double boxes typically collects at the output end of the machine


10


. In addition, the machine


10


may include two gluing conveyors


16


to simultaneously glue and/or tape two seams simultaneously. In this case, the pair of conveyors


16


are typically vertically inverted with respect to each other because the double box blank


12


includes a first seam on the top side of the blank and a second seam on the bottom side of the blank.




As noted previously, correctly manufacturing a double box requires proper alignment of the two box blanks forming the double box blank


12


before the blanks are fed into the glue and tape machine


10


. Typically, an operator, who stands in an operator stand


26


, physically aligns the blanks while the blanks are supported by the feed stand


23


, and then pushes the aligned double blank


12


into the machine


10


. The conveyor


16


then propels the blank


12


through the machine as it applies glue and tape to the seams. But due to the large size of the double blank


12


, obtaining proper alignment is generally difficult and time consuming. In particular, an operator standing in the operator stand


26


and holding the rear of the double blank can find it difficult to maneuver the blanks into an aligned position before feeding them into the machine


10


.




To solve this problem, the machine


10


includes a semi-automatic alignment and feed assembly


24


to assist the operator in aligning the two box blanks forming the double box blank


12


before they are fed into the glue and tape machine


10


. The assembly typically includes two gates


32


(one for each conveyor


16


) that selectively block passage of the blank


12


into the glue and tape machine


10


. These gates provide a pair of stops against which an operator standing in the operator stand


26


can physically brace the double box blank


12


while manipulating the blanks into proper alignment. Once the double box blank


12


is properly aligned, the operator depresses a foot pedal


28


located in the operator stand


26


to release the gate


32


. A proximity sensor, such as an electric eye


34


, located at the input end of the machine


10


resets the gate


32


to the blocking position when it detects passage of the blank


12


.





FIGS. 2A

,


2


B and


2


C are front views of prior art double box glue and tape machines.

FIG. 2A

illustrates a machine with a single conveyor


16


, which may be moved laterally along a cross bar


40


. As shown in

FIG. 2B

, the conveyor


16


typically includes a gluing conveyor (e.g., upper section) and an idler roller (e.g., lower section) with a nip adjustment mechanism to accommodate blanks of different thickness, such as single, double, and triple wall cardboard. Although this machine works well for sealing one seam at a time, it cannot simultaneously seal two seams to complete a double box in a single pass through the machine.

FIG. 2C

illustrates a prior art machine with two conveyors


16


A and


16


B, which allows the machine to seal two laterally separated seams simultaneously. However, the conveyors


16


A and


16


B do not include independently separable upper and lower sections (i.e., independently separable gluing conveyors and idler rollers). Therefore, the gluing conveyors for each conveyor


16


cannot be positioned vertically opposite to each other for simultaneously sealing overlying seams, which may prevent the machine from sealing both seams of a square double box in a single pass.




This drawback is solved by the machine illustrated by

FIGS. 3A and 3C

, which are front views of a double box glue and tape machine and box blank with separately positionable upper and lower seam gluing conveyors


54


,


60


.

FIG. 3B

is a front view of a double box blank


12


with laterally separated upper and lower seams


62


,


63


. The upper seam conveyor


16


A includes an upper seam gluing conveyor


54


that rides on an upper cross bar


50


. The upper seam gluing conveyor


54


includes hot and cold glue heads for applying glue to an upper box seam as the double box blank


12


passes along the upper seam gluing conveyor. The upper seam conveyor


16


A also includes an upper seam idler roller


56


that rides on a lower cross bar


52


.




The lower seam conveyor


16


B includes a lower seam gluing conveyor


58


that rides on the lower cross bar


52


. The lower seam gluing conveyor


58


includes hot and cold glue heads for applying glue to a lower box seam as the double box blank


12


passes along the lower seam gluing conveyor. The lower seam conveyor


16


B also includes a lower seam idler roller


60


that rides on the upper cross bar


50


. That is, the upper and lower seam conveyors


16


A and


16


B are vertically inverted with respect to each other so that the upper seam gluing conveyor


54


can seal an upper seam


62


located on the upper side of the double box blank


12


, while the lower seam gluing conveyor


58


seals a lower seam


64


located on the bottom side of the blank


12


. This opposing configuration of the seams is shown best in

FIG. 3B

, in which the upper and lower seams are laterally separated from each other as typically occurs in a rectangular double box.




The double box glue and tape machine also includes a vertical nip adjustment


66


, such as a worm gear or eccentric cam, for raising and lowering the lower cross bar


52


to adjust the conveyor nip distance to accommodate boards of varying thickness, such as single wall, double wall and triple wall board.




However, when the double box is square rather than rectangular, the upper and lower seams typically overlie each other vertically. To accommodate this situation, the upper seam gluing conveyor


54


, which rides on the upper cross bar


50


, is separable from the upper seam idler roller


56


, which rides on the lower cross bar


52


. Similarly, the lower seam gluing conveyor


58


, which rides on the lower cross bar


52


, is separable from the lower seam idler roller


60


, which rides on the upper cross bar


50


, as shown in FIG.


3


C.




To further illustrate the use of the machine in manufacturing square double boxes,

FIG. 4A

is front view of a double box glue and tape machine with separately positionable upper and lower seam gluing conveyors configured to seal overlying seams. Specifically, the upper seam gluing conveyor


54


is positioned vertically opposite to the lower seam gluing conveyor


58


, with the upper and lower seam idler rollers


56


,


60


moved out of the way, for simultaneously sealing overlying upper and lower seams, as shown in FIG.


4


A.

FIG. 4B

is front view of a pair of box blanks having overlying seams


62


and


64


for receipt in the double box glue and tape machine of FIG.


4


A.





FIGS. 5A and 5B

are front views of a conveyor for a double box glue and tape machine


10


including a pair of remotely operable gates


32


.

FIG. 5C

is a side view, and

FIG. 5D

is a top view, showing that the machine includes two remotely operable gates


32


A and


32


B, which are supported by conveyors


16


A and


16


B, respectively. The gates


32


A and


32


B are typically mounted to the sides of the conveyors


16


A and


16


B, respectively, toward the input end of the machine


10


adjacent to the feed stand


23


. In this embodiment, each gate


32


includes an air cylinder


50


for selectively extending and retracting a plunger


52


.




Specifically, the plunger


52


is retracted in response to a signal from the foot pedal


28


and reset to the extended position in response to a signal from the electric eye


34


(shown in FIG.


1


A). As shown in

FIG. 5D

, the top edge of the feed stand


23


includes two moveable lateral guides


54


A and


54


B, which can be moved along the top edge of the feed stand


23


to correspond to the desired width of the double box blank


12


to be fed into the machine


10


. The lateral guides


54


A and


54


B provide side surfaces, while the gates


32


A and


32


B provide end surfaces, to assist the operator in aligning the double box blank


12


prior to depressing the foot pedal


28


and feeding the blank into the machine


10


.





FIG. 6A

is a front view, and

FIG. 6B

is a top view, of a double box glue and tape machine including outboard rollers


60


A and


60


B. A first set of outboard rollers


60


A is carried by the conveyor


16


A and second set of outboard rollers


60


B is carried by the conveyor


16


B. The outboard rollers


60


A and


60


B extend laterally toward the center of the machine


10


to provide lateral support to the double box blank


12


. In particular, the outboard rollers


60


A and


60


B may be used to provide lateral support to the double box blank


12


during toward the input end of the conveyors, where the glue is applied, to provide extra support until the hot glue sets. The hot glue, which sets very quickly, then holds the double box together while the slower-setting, but stronger, cold glue sets. Typically, relatively small spots or strips of hot glue are applied to tack the seam together while a wider continuous band of cold clue sets. The outboard rollers


60


A and


60


B may be formed of any suitable material, such as urethane, rubber or the like, and are typically located on steel shafts that extend from a conveyor


16


A or


16


B. The rollers may be driven or idler rollers.





FIG. 7A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine including input guide rollers


70


A and


70


B.

FIGS. 7B

,


7


C and


7


D are side views of the double box glue and tape machine of

FIG. 7A

including input guide rollers


70


A and


70


B. A first set of input guide rollers


70


A is positioned adjacent to the input end of the conveyor


16


A and second set of input guide rollers


70


B is positioned adjacent to the input end of the conveyor


16


B. The input guide rollers


70


A and


70


B help to direct the double box blank


12


into the conveyors


16


A and


16


BB, as shown in

FIGS. 7B

,


7


C and


7


D. The input guide rollers


70


A and


70


B may be formed of any suitable material, such as urethane, rubber or the like. The rollers may be driven or idler rollers.





FIG. 8A

is a front view of a double box glue and tape machine including top and bottom seam separators


80


A and


80


B.

FIG. 8B

is a front view of a pair of box blanks illustrating the function of the seam separators shown in FIG.


8


A.

FIG. 8C

is a side view of one of the seam separators of

FIG. 8A. A

first seam separator


80


A is positioned adjacent to the input end of the conveyor


16


A and a second seam separator


80


B is positioned adjacent to the input end of the conveyor


16


B. Each seam separator includes a skate


82


and a guide


84


positioned adjacent to the skate toward the center of the machine


10


. The skate


82


is positioned to press against the inner side of a seam while the guide


84


slides into the seam to guide the seam around an associated glue head. In particular, the top seam separator


80


A presses down against the top side of the inner portion of the double box blank


12


while the guide


84


A slides into the upper seam


62


. At the same time, a bottom seam separator


80


B presses up against the bottom side of the inner portion of the double box blank while the guide


84


B slides into the lower seam


64


.




The skate


82


typically includes three steel rollers on a linear support that is positioned at an angle with respect to the blank


12


. However, rollers may be formed of any other suitable material, such as urethane, rubber or the like. The rollers may be driven or idler rollers. The guide


84


is typically a formed steel shim that curves both inward into the seam and away from the blank


12


in the same general direction that the skate


82


inclines. This configuration permits the guide


84


to slide into the seam in the blank


12


as the skate


82


comes into contact with the blank


12


. In some applications, the machine may operate properly with only the bottom seam separator


80


B because only the bottom seam tends to be pressed closed by the weight of the double box blank


12


.





FIG. 9

is a block diagram of a glue flushing system


36


for a double box glue and tape machine. The glue flushing system


36


includes a cold glue supply


90


, a water supply


92


, and a valve


94


for selectively connecting either the glue supply


90


or the water supply


92


to the cold glue head of the double box glue and tape machine. The glue flushing system


36


allows easy cleaning of the cold glue head when the machine


10


is shut down for a period of time. The hot glue head, on the other hand, does not benefit from a flushing system because the hot glue does not set unless heated, which prevents the hot glue from setting inside the glue head without flushing.




In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that present invention provides an improved double box glue and tape machine with separable conveyors, semi-automatic alignment and feed system, and glue flushing system. It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A double box glue machine, comprising:an upper seam conveyor comprising an upper seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the upper seam gluing conveyor comprising a first cross bar comprising a first rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam gluing conveyor carried on the first rolling surface, an upper seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the upper seam idler roller comprising a second cross bar comprising a second rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam idler roller and carried on the second rolling surface; a lower seam conveyor comprising a lower seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor, a lower seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller; the upper seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the upper seam idler roller to glue a first seam, and the lower seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the lower seam idler roller to glue a second seam that is laterally separated from the first seam; and the upper seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the lower seam gluing conveyor, with the upper and lower seam idler rollers placed in inoperative positions, to glue first and second seams that are laterally overlapping.
  • 2. The double box glue machine of claim 1, wherein:the lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor comprises rollers supporting the lower seam gluing conveyor carried on the second rolling surface; and the lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller comprises rollers supporting the lower seam idler roller and carried on the first rolling surface.
  • 3. The double box glue machine of claim 2, further comprising a vertical adjustment mechanism operable for adjusting a vertical distance between the first and second cross bars to adjust a nip distance to accommodate box blanks of varying thickness.
  • 4. A double box glue machine, comprising:an upper seam conveyor comprising an upper seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the upper seam gluing conveyor comprising a first cross bar comprising a first rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam gluing conveyor carried on the first rolling surface, an upper seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the upper seam idler roller comprising a second cross bar comprising a second rolling surface and rollers supporting the upper seam idler roller and carried on the second rolling surface; a lower seam conveyor comprising a lower seam gluing conveyor, a lateral positioning system for the lower seam gluing conveyor, a lower seam idler roller, and a lateral positioning system for the lower seam idler roller; the upper seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the upper seam idler roller to glue a first seam, and the lower seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the lower seam idler roller to glue a second seam that is laterally separated from the first seam; the upper seam gluing conveyor being selectively positionable opposite the lower seam gluing conveyor, with the upper and lower seam idler rollers placed in inoperative positions, to glue first and second seams that are laterally overlapping; and one or more remotely operable gates for selectively blocking the entrance of a pair of the box blanks into the seam conveyor and facilitating alignment of the box blanks prior to entry into the seam conveyor.
  • 5. The double box glue machine of claim 4, further comprising:one or more outboard rollers carried by the upper seam conveyor configured to provide lateral support to box blanks passing through the upper seam conveyor; one or more outboard rollers carried by the lower seam conveyor configured to provide lateral support to box blanks passing through the lower seam conveyor; one or more input guide rollers carried on an input end of the upper seam conveyor configured to facilitate feeding box blanks into the input end of the upper seam conveyor; one or more input guide rollers carried on an input end of the lower seam conveyor configured to facilitate feeding box blanks into the input end of the lower seam conveyor; an upper seam separator carried on an input end of the upper seam conveyor configured to facilitate receipt of an upper glue head into an upper seam as the upper seam passes through the input end of the upper seam conveyor; and a lower seam separator carried on an input end of the lower seam conveyor configured to facilitate receipt of a lower seam glue head into a lower seam as the lower seam passes through the input end of the lower seam conveyor.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
4854929 Szuba Aug 1989 A
4976672 Harrison et al. Dec 1990 A
6012503 Balder Jan 2000 A
6067773 Le May 2000 A
6221192 Walsh Apr 2001 B1
6620086 Butler et al. Sep 2003 B2
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
General Taper & Machine Co. (Division of Corrugated Gear and Services, Inc.) . Original Point of Sale advertisement sheet. Alpharetta, Georgia 30004.