The invention relates to a method and apparatus for optional removal of packages or the like in the longitudinal or transverse direction onto a conveyor belt of a packing machine.
In practice, the problem of removing packages or the like has heretofore been solved in various ways. Systems are known, for instance, in which packages are pushed from a rotary table, by a lifting movement of transfer devices, operating like paddles, onto a rotary plate which after receiving a package is turned in a timed stroke through an angle of 90 degrees, so that the packages are conveyed onto the subsequent conveyor belt after being turned through an angle of 90 degrees in relation to the position which they occupied when received. With the particularly high performance rates of the packaging machines now in use, the adoption of this method is precluded by the comparatively long distances over which the "thrust paddles" have to be controlled.
Systems have also become known in which a toothed belt is caused to revolve about the rotating table and is fitted with finger-shaped entrainment devices by which the packages can be transferred both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction to a subsequent conveyor belt. While the transfer operation is in itself quite satisfactory in the longitudinal direction, i.e. while the conveyor belt is moving straight ahead, the transfer of the packages into the transverse direction, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees in relation to the transfer in the longitudinal direction, is entirely unsatisfactory. The reason is that in order to deflect it from the initially longitudinal movement of its transfer from the rotary table, a corner of each package knocks against a fixed deflector, the package thus being enabled to rotate freely. This uncontrolled rotation of the packages is in no way reliable, in addition to which the danger arises that they will suffer unacceptable damage, particularly in the case of soft contents, such as butter.
Finally, the prior art includes a package removal system in which longitudinal or transverse transport, which ever is required, is effected by means of a so-called alternating cassette. This result is obtained by pushing the packages off the rotary table by the aid of a horizontally revolving roller chain and driving fingers attached thereto, the package then being turned through an angle of 90 degrees by interaction with guide elements in the curve, after which they pass to the removal conveyor apparatus. For the removal of the packages in the longitudinal direction, another alternating cassette is required, in which angular driving fingers are provided. The effort involved in removing packages optionally in the longitudinal or the transverse direction is thus considerable, this operation being hardly feasible at all, particularly in the case of high speed packing machines, the re-adaptation of the machine for the purpose being very time consuming. With high speed machines, moreover, there is the additional danger that the entrainment devices revolving horizontally with the roller chain can easily compress soft packages in an unacceptable manner, thus rendering them unuseable.