US-12623803-B1 - Sheet carrier conditioning die assembly and conditioning method

Abstract

An assembly to effectuate conditioning of a sheet carrier for a container multi-pack is provided. The assembly includes a die plate and a sheet carrier receiver plate resiliently retained thereupon for select displacement towards same via engagement of a sheet carrier received upon the receiver plate by a press plate. The die plate includes a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent the central portion, the die plate characterized by a select array of conditioning dies upwardly extending from the central portion of the die plate, the dies characterized by a shoulder delimiting upper and lower die portions. The sheet carrier includes a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent the central portion which includes a select array of passages configured to correspond to a configuration of the select array of conditioning dies of the die plate. Passages of the receiver plate circumscribe the lower die portions of the conditioning dies and during sheet carrier conditioning, discrete portions of the sheet carrier manipulated about/over the shoulder/lower die portions of the dies.

Inventors

• Kasey W. Dillon
• Corey S. Sundheim
• Craig Sholts

Assignees

• DOUGLAS MACHINE INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20250122

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An assembly to effectuate conditioning of a sheet carrier prior to application of the sheet carrier to an article container group so as to form a container multi-pack, the assembly comprising: a. a die plate having a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent said central portion, said central portion of said die plate characterized by a select array of conditioning dies, dies of said select array of conditioning dies upwardly extending from said central portion of said die plate, said dies of said select array of conditioning dies characterized by a shoulder delimiting upper and lower die portions; and, b. a sheet carrier receiver plate resiliently retained upon said die plate for displacement towards said die plate via engagement of a sheet carrier received upon said sheet carrier receiver plate by a press plate in furtherance of deflecting discrete portions of the sheet carrier about shoulders of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies, said sheet carrier receiver plate having a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent said central portion, said central portion of said sheet carrier receiver plate characterized by a select array of passages configured to correspond to a configuration of said select array of conditioning dies of said central portion of said die plate, the passages of said select array of passages circumscribing the lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies of said central portion of said die plate.
2. 2 . The assembly of claim 1 further comprising tensioning elements, said tensioning elements interposed between said sheet carrier receiver plate and said die plate, select displacement of said sheet carrier receiver plate compressing said tensioning elements.
3. 3 . The assembly of claim 1 further comprising grouped tensioning elements, a first tensioning element group interposed between said central portion of said sheet carrier receiver plate and said central portion of said die plate.
4. 4 . The assembly of claim 1 further comprising grouped tensioning elements, a first tensioning element group interposed between said central portion of said sheet carrier receiver plate and said central portion of said die plate, a second tensioning element group interposed between said central portion periphery of said sheet carrier receiver plate and said central portion periphery of said die plate.
5. 5 . The assembly of claim 1 further comprising sheet carrier receiver plate support assemblies for supporting said sheet carrier receiver plate in a spaced apart condition over said die plate, said die plate adapted to retain said sheet carrier receiver plate support assemblies.
6. 6 . The assembly of claim 5 wherein said sheet carrier receiver plate support assemblies comprise a housing and a post housed therein, said sheet carrier receiver plate affixed to an end of said post.
7. 7 . The assembly of claim 5 wherein said sheet carrier receiver plate support assemblies comprise a housing and a post housed therein, said sheet carrier receiver plate affixed to an end of said post, said post displaceable relative to said housing.
8. 8 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a cylindrical base portion and a tapering portion extending therefrom.
9. 9 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a cylindrical base.
10. 10 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a cylindrical base, said cylindrical base circumscribed by passages of said select array of passages of said central portion of said sheet carrier receiver plate.
11. 11 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a cylindrical base, said cylindrical base and said shoulder of the dies circumscribed by passages of said select array of passages of said central portion of the resilient retained sheet carrier receiver plate.
12. 12 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein upper die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a tapering segment.
13. 13 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein upper die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise tapering segments.
14. 14 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise a cylindrical base and upper die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies comprise tapering segments.
15. 15 . The assembly of claim 1 in operative combination with a press plate.
16. 16 . The assembly of claim 1 in operative combination with a press plate of a robotic arm EOAT.
17. 17 . The assembly of claim 1 embodied as a change-part.
18. 18 . A sheet carrier conditioning station for forming container multi-packs from retained article container groups characterized by the assembly of claim 1 .
19. 19 . The sheet carrier conditioning station of claim 18 further characterized by a press plate for engaging, in combination, a sheet carrier received upon said sheet carrier receiver plate.
20. 20 . The sheet carrier conditioning station of claim 18 further characterized by a robotic arm equipped with and end of arm tool having a press plate, the press plate for engaging, in combination, a sheet carrier received upon said sheet carrier receiver plate.

Description

This is a United States patent application filed pursuant to 35 USC § 111 (a) claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. Pat. Appl. Ser. No. 63/623,672 filed Jan. 22, 2024 pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 111 (b) entitled SPRING LOADED PRE-BREAK DIE, ASSEMBLY & PRE-BREAK PROCESS, said application incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure is generally directed to one or more of processes, systems, platforms, stations, apparatuses, devices, assemblies, subassemblies, and/or methods for/of conditioning a sheet carrier (e.g., a top clip) for an article container group (ACG) in furtherance of applying the conditioned sheet carrier to the ACG in furtherance of delimiting a clipped container multi-pack without a loss of integrity or aesthetic of same and/or with reduced force application of the sheet carrier to the ACG, and further still, to a sheet carrier conditioning die assembly characterized by a sheet carrier receiver plate reversibly displaceable in relation to a static die plate, more particularly still, to a sheet carrier conditioning die assembly characterized by a tensioned sheet carrier receiver plate. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a typical packing operation, articles approach a case packing station or the like via a flowing article stream, e.g., a continuous, semi-continuous, or batch continuous stream having origins in an upstream bulk flow of articles. As such operations/processing lines are more often than not intended to aggregate articles in multiples in furtherance of establishing an ACG or multi-pack of arrayed or otherwise grouped articles, e.g., multi-pack cases (e.g., 6, 12, 24 article packs or bundles), trays of article multi-packs, or even stacked trays of article multi-packs, etc., it is necessary to manage, prepare and generally manipulate the inflow stream of articles so as to separate the articles into groups (e.g., collated arrayed articles corresponding to a preselect pack pattern consistent with the case packing objective) as is generally well known. Once grouped or collated, the article group or set may be further processed, such as by being trayed, cased or sleeved, and/or film over-wrapped. While not so limited, articles commonly comprise containers, more particularly, beverage cans or bottles. In light of sustainability objectives, considerable ground has been covered in relation to how consumer goods are packaged and presented, with the beverage industry being a key player. While cartoning and sleeving remain important packaging options for larger or bulkier container arrays, renewed focus has targeted smaller container groups, for example and without limitation, 4, 6, & 8 container (e.g., beverage) packs, i.e., multi-packs. Though greatly diminished since their heyday, plastic 6-pack yokes (i.e., plastic ring carriers) to retain canned liquids/beverages nonetheless remain in a number of forms. That said, considerable effort has been directed to securing container groups in novel ways using devices having a reduced impact on the environment and its inhabitants. For example, and without limitation, adapted containers per se which are joinable as a stack, use of adhesives which connect containers of ACGs, and use of arrayed container retainers, often in the form of sheet carriers (e.g., clips, toppers), which are applied to an upper or top portion of an ACG so as to securely integrate the containers of the group for easy, efficient and reliable consumer handling as carriable multi-packs, are known, with paperboard sheet carriers being substituted for plastic carriers. With regard to container carrying devices, numerous styles have emerged and are known. This is especially true in the case of multi-pack solutions for cans (see e.g., products of Graphic Packaging International LLC, Georgia USA (https://www.graphicpkg.com/products/keelclip/) and/or WestRock Packaging Systems LLC, Georgia USA (https://www.westrock.com/products/folding-cartons/cancollar). That said, the application of a paperboard sheet carriers, in a repeatable reliable way while maintaining carrier integrity and/or aesthetic remains a challenge owing to a minimal amount of sheet carrier material between passages and peripheries/borders thereof, and, in the case of clip application via a robotic arm end of arm tool (EOAT), increased application forces. Applicant Douglas Machine. Inc., Minnesota MN USA presently offers a multi-pack solution for beverage containers in the form of a paperboard clip with neck rings and an applicator system for same, see e.g., https://www.douglas-machine.com/products-solutions/nexclip-series/and U.S. Pat. No. 11,905,052, the content associated with each citation hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Work to date has been well received, especially in the differentiated context of multi-packing/pack PET bottles. While initially having addressed front end/upstream processing, i.e., forming clipped PET bottle multi-packs, downstream