US3797372A — Box wrapping machine

Claim 1

Independent Claim 252 words

In a box wrapping machine including vertically reciprocable form blocks for folding an adhesively coated wrapper around a box at a forming station of the machine, a horizontally reciprocable transfer carriage downstream of said forming station and repetitively movable across said forming station to transfer the wrapped boxes to a downstream delivery station, a conveying flight at each side of said delivery station for frictionally engaging the opposed ends of the wrapped boxes, means for synchronously driving said flights away from said delivery station to preserve the interspacing of the wrapped boxes, an individual mounting plate for each conveying flight, means mounting said plates for movement toward and away from each other to accommodate different sizes of boxes between said flights, said means for synchronously driving said flights comprising individual laterally aligned drive shafts mounted on the respective mounting plates for said conveying flights, a first drive pulley mounted on one of said drive shafts, a first gear mounted on the other of said drive shafts, a second gear meshed with said first gear and carried by the adjacent mounting plate, a second driving pulley connected to said second gear, a powered pulley laterally adjacent one of said mounting plates, an idler pulley laterally adjacent the other of said mounting plates, all of said pulleys lying in a common plane, and an endless drive belt trained around said pulleys, said conveying flights thus moving in a common direction and being arranged for simultaneous and coextensive interspacing adjustment without interrupting their conveying function.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 252 words

In a box wrapping machine including vertically reciprocable form blocks for folding an adhesively coated wrapper around a box at a forming station of the machine, a horizontally reciprocable transfer carriage downstream of said forming station and repetitively movable across said forming station to transfer the wrapped boxes to a downstream delivery station, a conveying flight at each side of said delivery station for frictionally engaging the opposed ends of the wrapped boxes, means for synchronously driving said flights away from said delivery station to preserve the interspacing of the wrapped boxes, an individual mounting plate for each conveying flight, means mounting said plates for movement toward and away from each other to accommodate different sizes of boxes between said flights, said means for synchronously driving said flights comprising individual laterally aligned drive shafts mounted on the respective mounting plates for said conveying flights, a first drive pulley mounted on one of said drive shafts, a first gear mounted on the other of said drive shafts, a second gear meshed with said first gear and carried by the adjacent mounting plate, a second driving pulley connected to said second gear, a powered pulley laterally adjacent one of said mounting plates, an idler pulley laterally adjacent the other of said mounting plates, all of said pulleys lying in a common plane, and an endless drive belt trained around said pulleys, said conveying flights thus moving in a common direction and being arranged for simultaneous and coextensive interspacing adjustment without interrupting their conveying function.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 45 words

Apparatus according to claim 1 and box support means comprising a support track secured to each of said mounting plates, each track extending laterally inward below the adjacent conveying flight, the interspacing adjustment of said conveying flights thus effecting adjustment of said box support means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 241 words

A box wrapping system comprising a conveyor for delivering a box and adhesively coated wrapped unit to a pickup station, a box wrapping machine comprising a forming station having vertically reciprocable form blocks for folding the wrapper around the box adjacent said pickup station, and a transfer carriage movable between said sattions to transfer a box-wrapper unit from said pickup station to said forming station; the improvement comprising detector means at said pickup station for detecting the presence of a box-wrapper unit ready for pickup upon advance of said transfer carriage, sensing means intermediate said pickup and forming stations for sensing the passage of a box-wrapper unit picked up by said carriage and conveyed between said stations, power means including an electrically operated clutch for transmitting driving power to said form blocks and to said transfer carriage, control means operating in timed relation with said transfer carraige, and a control circuit responsive to said control means, to said detector and to said sensing means for disengaging said clutch when a box-wrapper unit is detected at said pickup station but is not picked up by the carriage and hence is not sensed by said sensing means disposed intermediate said pickup and forming stations, said control circuit leaving said clutch engaged if said carriage advances to pick up a box-wrapper unit but no unit is present at said pickup station, so that the wrapping of a previously picked up unit can be completed.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 241 words

A box wrapping system comprising a conveyor for delivering a box and adhesively coated wrapped unit to a pickup station, a box wrapping machine comprising a forming station having vertically reciprocable form blocks for folding the wrapper around the box adjacent said pickup station, and a transfer carriage movable between said sattions to transfer a box-wrapper unit from said pickup station to said forming station; the improvement comprising detector means at said pickup station for detecting the presence of a box-wrapper unit ready for pickup upon advance of said transfer carriage, sensing means intermediate said pickup and forming stations for sensing the passage of a box-wrapper unit picked up by said carriage and conveyed between said stations, power means including an electrically operated clutch for transmitting driving power to said form blocks and to said transfer carriage, control means operating in timed relation with said transfer carraige, and a control circuit responsive to said control means, to said detector and to said sensing means for disengaging said clutch when a box-wrapper unit is detected at said pickup station but is not picked up by the carriage and hence is not sensed by said sensing means disposed intermediate said pickup and forming stations, said control circuit leaving said clutch engaged if said carriage advances to pick up a box-wrapper unit but no unit is present at said pickup station, so that the wrapping of a previously picked up unit can be completed.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 79 words

The box wrapping system of claim 3, wherein said box wrapping machine includes a discharge station for discharging wrapped boxes from the wrapping machine, a wrapped box receiving station, a wrapped box sensor for sensing the passage of a wrapped box from said discharge station to said receiving station, said control circuit including means for disengaging said clutch in response to a signal from said timed control means when a box is not sensed by said wrapped box sensor.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1977-03-18	1977-09-17	1978-03-19	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1981-03-18	1981-09-17	1982-03-19	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1985-03-18	1985-09-17	1986-03-19	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Box wrapping machine

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