Filling and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a filling and packing machine with which corner forming defects do not occur in a content-filled container formed by providing creases surely at corner parts of the container when forming the content-filled container using a bottomed square tubular container made of carton.SOLUTION: A filling and packing machine 1 has at a predetermined point on a conveying route R a preliminary breaker part 5 that creases at least one predetermined corner C132, C134 of four corners formed by adjacent side walls of a container C1 before being sealed along vertical folding lines FR12, FR14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a filling and packaging machine, and more particularly, to a filling and packaging machine that forms a container filled with contents by transporting a plurality of containers made of cartons along a predetermined transport path and filling and sealing the contents such as beverages and foods in the containers.

Background Art

[0002] As a container used in this type of filling and packaging machine, a carton formed by molding a carton blank mainly made of paper into a bottomed rectangular tube shape is generally known. This container is formed, for example, by folding a carton blank folded in a flat sleeve shape along four vertical folding lines into a rectangular tube shape, and then folding one end thereof inward and sealing it to form a bottomed rectangular tube shape having an upper opening. Then, while transporting the formed plurality of containers in a predetermined direction by a transport conveyor in a filling and packaging machine, filling of the contents and sealing of the upper opening of the container are sequentially performed to form a container filled with contents. Here, upper folding lines for folding into a predetermined shape when sealing the upper opening are formed on the upper portions of the four side walls of the container. However, since the carton blank used as the material of the container has a certain degree of flexibility, the angle of folding becomes insufficient due to the springback action after the folding process, which may hinder the sealing of the upper opening of the container.

[0003] Therefore, as a means for solving the above problems, a filling and packaging machine provided with a top breaker portion for preliminarily creasing the upper portion of the container at a predetermined position on the transport conveyor has been proposed. Specifically, as the top breaker portion of the filling and packaging machine, for example, the following are known. First, Patent Document 1 below discloses a top breaker part for bending the upper part of a container into a gable roof shape. The top breaker part is provided so as to be vertically movable facing the upper opening of the container, and includes an inverted V-shaped bending plate that bends the upper parts of the side walls on both sides in the front-rear direction, which is parallel to the conveyance direction of the container when descending, inward, and left and right wings that are provided so as to be swingable left and right on both sides in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the container, and that bend the upper part of the container into a gable roof shape by pressing the upper part of the container from both the left and right sides. Further, Patent Document 2 below discloses a top breaker part for flattening and bending the upper part of a container so that flaps protruding to both the left and right sides are formed. The top breaker part includes a pair of left and right fixed clamping pieces that are horizontally arranged at a predetermined height position with a space therebetween into which the container can enter in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the container, and a pair of front and rear movable clamping pieces (wings) that are provided so as to be swingable back and forth on both sides in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the container, and that cooperate with the fixed clamping pieces to flatten and fold the upper part of the container so as to spread to both the left and right sides by pressing the upper part of the container from both the front and rear sides.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, in the case of a bottomed rectangular tube-shaped container formed from a carton blank, due to the spring-back action that attempts to return the carton blank folded into a flat sleeve shape, the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls are not right angles. That is, two corners corresponding to the folding edges on both sides of the carton blank may be acute angles, and the remaining two corners may be obtuse angles. Even if a conventional top breaker part as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is used to make a crease on the upper part of the container in a state where the corners are deformed in this way, the two corners deformed into obtuse angles will become rounded due to the springback effect, and there was a risk of forming defects at the corners in the resulting content-filled container as a product.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when forming a content-filled container using a bottomed square tube-shaped container made of cardboard, by surely making a crease at the corners of the container, it aims to provide a filling and packaging machine in which no forming defect occurs at the corners in the resulting content-filled container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, this invention consists of the following aspects.

[0008] 1) A filling and packaging machine that forms a content-filled container by sequentially filling the container with contents and sealing the upper opening while transporting a plurality of containers made of cardboard having an upper opening in a state arranged in one row or two rows on the left and right along a transport path extending in the front-rear direction, The container is formed by folding a flat sleeve-shaped cardboard blank along four longitudinal folding lines into a square tube shape and folding one end thereof inward and sealing it, and has four side walls on the front, rear, left, and right. A preliminary breaker part is provided at a predetermined position on the transport path to make a crease along the longitudinal folding line at at least one predetermined corner among the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls of the container before sealing.

[0009] 2) The preliminary breaker part of the filling and packaging machine according to 1) is configured to make a crease along the longitudinal folding line at one or both of the two corners corresponding to the two longitudinal folding lines located in the middle of the flat width of the cardboard blank among the four corners.

[0010] 3) The preliminary breaker part includes at least one pair of engaging units each composed of a vertically movable outer engaging member having an engaging concave part to be engaged with the outer part of the corner and a vertically movable inner engaging member having an engaging convex part to be engaged with the inner part of the corner for each row of the containers. The corner is pressed from both the inside and the outside by the outer engaging member and the inner engaging member so as to be creased. The filling and packaging machine according to 1) or 2) above.

[0011] 4) The outer engaging member is composed of an outer engaging roller having an annular engaging concave groove forming the engaging concave part at the outer peripheral edge and rotatable about a horizontal axis. The inner engaging member is composed of an inner engaging roller having an annular engaging convex ridge forming the engaging convex part at the outer peripheral edge and rotatable about a horizontal axis. The filling and packaging machine according to 3) above.

[0012] 5) The paired outer engaging roller and the inner engaging roller are rotatably supported by a support member so that their rotation centers are arranged at the same height, and are simultaneously lifted and lowered together with the support member by a lifting means. The filling and packaging machine according to 4) above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the filling and packaging machine of 1) above, in the preliminary breaker part, since at least one predetermined corner among the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls of the container is creased along the vertical folding line, it is possible to surely avoid the occurrence of defective corner forming in the content-filled container formed as a product.

[0014] According to the filling and packaging machine of 2) above, even when two of the four corners of the container are deformed into obtuse angles corresponding to the two vertical folding lines located in the middle of the width of the carton blank, at least one of these two corners is creased along the vertical folding line in the preliminary breaker section, thereby reducing the deformation of the container. Therefore, when a top breaker section is provided on the downstream side of the preliminary breaker section, the creasing of the upper part of the container in the top breaker section can be performed more accurately, and thus the defective corner forming of the filled container, which is the product, can be more reliably avoided. In particular, when two obtuse-angled corners at diagonal positions are creased by two pairs of engaging units, the two corners are accurately creased along the vertical folding line while being guided to appropriate positions, so the above effects are more reliably achieved.

[0015] According to the filling and packaging machine of 3) above, since the corners of the container are pressed from both the inside and the outside by the outer engaging member and the inner engaging member, creases can be reliably formed at the corners.

[0016] According to the filling and packaging machine of 4) above, since the outer engaging member and the inner engaging member are constituted by an outer engaging roller and an inner engaging roller, creases can be smoothly and accurately formed at the deformed corners of the container while correcting the deformed corners.

[0017] According to the filling and packaging machine of 5) above, since the outer engaging roller and the inner engaging roller always press the corners of the container from both the inside and the outside at the same height, the pressing force can surely act on the corners to accurately form creases.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] The filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. In the following description, the right side of FIG. 1 is referred to as "front", the left side as "rear", and the left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front. Also, FIGS. 1, 2, 11, and 13(b) show the whole or part of the side surface of the filling and packaging machine with the side wall on the front side of the chamber omitted.

[0020] The filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment is for forming a content-filled container (C2) by filling a container (C1) made of a carton with contents such as beverages and foods and then sealing it. As shown in FIG. 1, the filling and packaging machine (1) has a long, sealed (box-shaped) chamber (2) in the front-rear direction. A carton blank inlet (201) is provided on the front end wall (23) of the chamber (2), and a content-filled container outlet (202) is provided at the rear end of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2).

[0021] At the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2), there is provided a bottom forming portion (3) for forming a bottomed rectangular tube-shaped container (carton) (C1) by sealing one end of a carton blank (CB12) bent into a rectangular tube shape and forming the bottom. The bottom forming section (3) is provided with a turret (30) having a plurality of radial carton holders (30a) rotatable about a horizontal axis. Along the rotation direction of the turret (30) (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1), there are provided in sequence: a receiving section (31) for setting the rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) introduced from the carton blank inlet (201) into the carton holder (30a); a bottom heating section (32) for heating one end of the carton blank (CB12); a bottom breaker section (33) for folding one end of the carton blank (CB12) inward to form a crease; a bottom sealing section (34) for sealing one end of the carton blank (CB12) to form a bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1); and a transfer section (35) for transferring the formed container (C1) to the next process by means of a carton unloader (35a). In the receiving section (31), the carton blank (CB12) drawn out from the carton magazine by the picker and formed into a rectangular tubular shape is sent through the carton blank inlet (201) by the carton loader (36). In the case of the illustrated filling and packaging machine (1), the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2) where the bottom forming section (3) is provided has a double-roof shape inclined obliquely upward in the front when viewed from the side. With this shape, the height of the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2) is suppressed.

[0022] Also, in the chamber (2), a conveying conveyor (4) for conveying a plurality of containers (C1) along a horizontal conveying path (R) extending rearward with their openings facing upward is provided in a tunnel-shaped portion (2b) from the rear side (downstream side) to the rear end of the bottom forming section (3). Then, on the conveying path (R), from the upstream side (front side) to the downstream side (rear side), there are a preliminary breaker section (5) for preliminarily creasing the container (C1), a top breaker section (6) for creasing the upper part of the container (C1), a sterilization section (7) for sterilizing the container (C1), a filling section (8) for filling the container (C1) with the content, a top seal section (9) for sealing the upper part of the container (C1), a flap seal section (10) for folding the flap (C21) formed on the upper part of the content-filled container (C2) during sealing and sealing it to the surface of the container (C2), and a discharge section (11) for discharging the content-filled container (C2) outside the chamber (2) are sequentially provided.

[0023] In the filling and packaging machine (1) having the above basic configuration, clean air is blown and supplied from a plurality of predetermined locations into the chamber (2), and the clean air that has circulated in the chamber (2) is sucked and discharged from a plurality of predetermined locations. As a result, almost the entire chamber (2) except for the clean air suction and discharge area is maintained at a positive pressure by the clean air, and a sterile state is maintained. More specifically, in the sterilization section (7), filling section (8) and top seal section (9) inside the chamber (2), since particularly high asepticity is required, clean air purified by a ULPA filter (F) (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.9995% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.15 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is blown and supplied from the clean air outlets (AB1)(AB2) through the air supply pipe (P1). Also, in locations inside the chamber (2) other than the sterilization section (7), filling section (8) and top seal section (9), for example, the hot air outlets (101) (see FIG. 1) provided in the flap seal section (10) and the hot air outlets (not shown) provided in the bottom forming section (3), since such a high cleanliness is not required, clean air purified by a HEPA filter (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.3 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is supplied. The discharge of the clean air flowing through the chamber (2) is sucked and discharged from clean air inlets provided at a plurality of predetermined locations in the chamber (2) and connected to an exhaust fan through an exhaust pipe. As shown in FIG. 1, the clean air inlets (AS1) and (AS2) provided in the top wall (21) portion above the bottom forming portion (3) and the flap seal portion (10) in the chamber (2) are connected to the exhaust fan (E) through the exhaust pipe (P2). A flow control valve such as a butterfly valve (V) is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe (P2) so that the discharge flow rate of the clean air from the chamber (2) can be adjusted.

[0024] The inside of the chamber (2) is configured to be capable of being cleaned (CIP) and sterilized (SIP) as a whole. During cleaning, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content filling container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a cleaning agent such as an alkaline solution or an acidic solution is sprayed and supplied from cleaning nozzles (12) provided at a plurality of predetermined locations, and then rinsing is performed. Similarly, during sterilization, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content filling container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a sterilizing agent is supplied from a plurality of predetermined locations to perform sterilization.

[0025] As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, the conveying conveyor (4) has a configuration of four columns and one-pitch feeding, and is arranged on both the left and right sides of the conveying path (R) and wound around front and rear sprockets (41). It includes two endless left and right conveyor chains (42), four bottom rails (43) arranged parallel to each other along the conveying path (R) between the left and right conveyor chains (42) and supporting the bottom of the container (C1), and a number of container holders (44) installed between the links facing each other on the left and right of both conveyor chains (42) and holding the container (C1) on the four bottom rails (43) with the opening facing upward. The container (C1) is sequentially transferred from the transfer portion (35) of the bottom forming portion (3) to the container holder (44) by the carton unloader (35a) at the front end of the conveying conveyor (4) (see FIG. 1).

[0026] Each container holder (44) is composed of a long vertical plate material extending in the left - right direction and a pair of front - rear first holding plates (441) passed and stopped on the links (421) of both conveyor chains (42), and is also composed of a short vertical plate material extending in the front - rear direction and a total of four pairs of second holding plates (442) formed in pairs of two left - right plates and interposed and fixed at a plurality of predetermined length - direction positions of the front - rear first holding plates (441). Then, the front - rear side walls of the four containers (C1) whose bottoms are supported by the four bottom rails (43) are held by the front - rear two first holding plates (441), and the left - right side walls of each of the four containers (C1) are held by the four pairs of left - right two second holding plates (442) respectively. That is, a holding part (440) that surrounds and holds the container (C1) from the front, rear, left, and right is formed by the two front - rear first holding plates (441) forming a pair and the four pairs of left - right two second holding plates (442) respectively. If the container holder (44) is configured by the first holding plate (441) and the second holding plate (442) as described above, the flow of clean air in the vertical direction in the chamber (2) is not obstructed, and it is easy to obtain a rectifying effect that makes the flow of clean air a stable downward flow. The two front - rear first holding plates (441) forming a pair have their left and right both ends attached to the inner surfaces of the opposing links (421) in the left - right conveyor chains (42) via vertical - plate - like blocks (45). And the pitch of the links (421) of the conveyor chain (42) is made to correspond to the conveyance pitch (P) of the container (C1) by the conveyance conveyor (4) (see Fig. 2). Hemispherical protrusions (441a) (442a) that are in point contact with the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) are formed on each first holding plate (441) and each second holding plate (442). Due to the presence of these hemispherical protrusions (441a) (442a), it is avoided that the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) adheres to the inner surfaces of each first holding plate (441) and each second holding plate (442). Therefore, in the sterilization part (7), the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) is surely sterilized by spraying a sterilizing agent. On the upper edge of each first holding plate (441), an upper convex portion (441b) that protrudes upward more than other portions is provided at the portion for holding the container (C1). These upper convex portions (441b) enable the container (C1) to be held more stably. Also, by suppressing the height of the upper edge of the first holding plate (441) other than the upper convex portions (441b), processing on the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker portion (6) and the like can be carried out without hindrance. The tip portions of the upper convex portions (441b) are inclined obliquely upward toward the outside in the front-rear direction so as to serve as a guide when the carton unloader (35a) transfers the container (C1) to the holding portion (440). On the upper edge of the rear first holding plate (441) among the pair of front-rear first holding plates (441), a rear convex portion (441c) that is bent horizontally rearward is provided at the portion between the upper convex portions (441b). These rear convex portions (441c) block the portion where the container (C1) does not exist in the gap between adjacent container holders (44) in the front-rear direction, so that the flow of clean air can be concentrated around the container (C1).

[0027] FIG. 5 shows an initial form of a carton blank (CB10) used as the material of the container (C1). This carton blank (CB10) is formed by punching a laminate mainly made of paper into a predetermined shape, and both its inner and outer surfaces are composed of thermoplastic resin layers. Further, a barrier layer made of aluminum foil or the like is provided in the middle of the thickness of the laminate as required. The carton blank (CB10) made of the laminate having the above configuration can be bent and formed into a predetermined shape, but since it has some flexibility, springback may occur after the bending process. As shown in FIG. 5, the carton blank (CB10) is slightly horizontally long rectangular, and a plurality of folding grids for folding it into a predetermined shape are formed. Specifically, first, on the carton blank (CB10), first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) for folding the carton blank (CB10) into a square tube shape are formed at predetermined intervals in the left - right direction. The first vertical folding line (FR11) at the left end of FIG. 5 and the third vertical folding line (FR13) third from the left are straight lines extending over the entire length. However, the second vertical folding line (FR12) second from the left has a vertically - long parallelogram - shaped portion (FR121) in the middle of its length, and the fourth vertical folding line (FR14) at the right end has a vertically - long hexagonal portion (FR141) in the middle of its length. Due to these portions (FR121) and (FR141), vertically - long parallelogram - shaped and vertically - long hexagonal chamfered portions (omitted in FIGS. 7 - 10) are formed at two corner portions of the product, the content - filled container (C2), making the content - filled container (C2) easy to hold by hand. Note that the shape of the folding line of the portion constituting the chamfered portion is not limited to the above. For example, it may be a quadrilateral other than a parallelogram or a curved shape such as an ellipse. Also, there may be a case where the chamfered portion is not formed. Also, on the carton blank (CB10), a first upper - horizontal folding line (FR21) and a first lower - horizontal folding line (FR23) are formed for further partitioning and folding the portion partitioned by the first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) into a top - wall forming portion (CB101), a side - wall forming portion (CB102), and a bottom - wall forming portion (CB103). The first upper - horizontal folding line (FR21) is formed as an obliquely - straight line with the portion between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) and (FR12) inclined slightly obliquely upward to the left, and the portion between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) and (FR14) is formed as an obliquely - straight line inclined slightly obliquely upward to the right. In the bottom wall forming portion (CB103) of the carton blank (CB10), in the portions between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) (FR14), two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32) are formed so as to form isosceles triangles having the first lower horizontal folding line (FR23) as the upper side, respectively. Also, a second lower horizontal folding line (FR24) extending in the left - right direction is formed so as to connect the intersections of the two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32). Further, lower vertical folding lines (FR42) extending short from each of the intersections to the lower edge of the carton blank (CB10) are formed. In the top wall forming portion (CB101) of the carton blank (CB10), a second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) extending in the left - right direction across the entire width of the carton blank (CB10) is formed at a position slightly below the upper edge thereof. The portion of the carton blank (CB10) above the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) serves as a seal margin when sealing the upper opening (C10) of the bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1). In the portions between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) (FR14) of the top wall forming portion (CB101), two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) are formed so as to form triangles having the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) as the lower side, respectively. Each portion surrounded by the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and the two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) forms an upper triangular panel portion (C14) that falls outward in the left - right direction when the upper part of the container (C1) is bent as described later (see FIGS. 5 - 7). The intersections of the two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) are located on the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22). Also, upper vertical folding lines (FR41) are formed so as to extend short from each of the intersections to the upper edge of the carton blank (CB10). In the portion between the second and third vertical folding lines (FR12) (FR13) of the top wall forming portion (CB101), a circular plug - attaching portion (CB104) is formed (omitted in FIGS. 7 - 10). The plug - attaching portion (CB104) has the paper layer of the portion cut into a circular shape and the breaking strength weakened so that a plug (not shown) can be easily inserted and attached.

[0028] The above-described initial form of the carton blank (CB10) is folded into an envelope shape at the locations of the first and third vertical folding lines (FR11) and (FR13) so that the surfaces constituting the inner surface of the container (C1) overlap each other, and the left and right side edges are overlapped and joined by adhesion, heat sealing, or the like, thereby becoming the second-form carton blank (CB11) folded into a flat sleeve shape shown in FIG. 6. In this form, a large number of sheets are stacked and stored in a carton magazine. Next, when the second-form carton blank (CB11) is pulled out one by one from the carton magazine by a picker as described above, it is bent substantially at a right angle along the first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) to become a carton blank (CB12) having a rectangular cross-section and a square tube shape (see FIG. 6(b)), and is sent to the receiving portion (31) of the bottom forming portion (3) by a carton loader (36). Then, one end portion (bottom wall forming portion (CB103)) of this square tube-shaped carton blank (CB12) is heated to a predetermined temperature in the bottom heating portion (32), and then, in the bottom breaker portion (33), it is bent inward along the first lower horizontal folding line (FR23), two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32), the second lower horizontal folding line (FR24), and the lower vertical folding line (FR42) to form a crease, and then sealed in the bottom sealing portion (34) by ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, or the like. Thereby, a bottomed square tube-shaped container (C1) is formed.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, the container (C1) includes a rectangular bottom wall (C11) and four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall (C11). An upper opening (C10) is formed by the upper edge of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124). The bottom wall (C11) is square as shown in the figure, but may also be rectangular. In that case, the cross-section of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) is also the same rectangle. Further, the lower part of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) below the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) forms a side wall forming portion (CB102) of the side wall of the content filling container (C2), and the upper part thereof forms a top wall forming portion (CB101) of the top wall of the content filling container (C2). At least in the lower part near the bottom wall (C11), the four corners (C131), (C132), (C133), (C134) of the container (C1) are all substantially right-angled, but in the upper part, they may be deformed without being right-angled. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, in the upper part of the container (C1), the first and third corners (C131), (C133) corresponding to the first and third vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR13) of the carton blank (CB10) are acute angles, and the second and fourth corners (C132), (C134) corresponding to the second and fourth vertical fold lines (FR12), (FR14) may be deformed to be obtuse angles. This is due to the flexibility of the laminate constituting the carton blank (CB10), and a spring-back action occurs in the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) of the container (C1) to return to the shape of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) shown in FIG. 6, that is, a folded flat sleeve shape, thereby deforming the corners (C131), (C132), (C133), (C134).

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, for each row of containers (C1), the top breaker section (6) includes a pair of front and rear first bending members (62F) and (62B) that press and bend the upper part of the container (C1) from both the front and rear sides, and a second bending member (63) that is provided so as to be vertically movable above the container (C1) and enters the container (C1) to press and bend the upper parts of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) so as to spread outward in the left and right directions. The pair of front and rear first bending members (62F) and (62B) are composed of front wings (62F) and rear wings (62B) that are formed of plate-like bodies that are long in the left and right directions and are provided so as to be swingable back and forth so as to be able to press the upper parts of the containers (C1) in each row from both the front and rear sides. Further, the second bending member (63) is composed of a vertical bending plate (63) that is inserted into the containers (C1) in each row through their upper openings (C10) and is provided so as to be vertically movable so as to be able to spread the upper parts of the containers (C1) outward in the left and right directions. These front wings (62F), rear wings (62B), and bending plate (63) are all made to be vertically movable as a single bending unit (60). When the containers (C1) in each row reach the top breaker section (6) and are temporarily stopped, the bending unit (60) descends, the bending plate (63) is inserted into the containers (C1) in each row through their upper openings (C10), and the upper parts of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) of the containers (C1) are pressed and bent so as to spread outward in the left and right directions. Next, when the descent of the bending unit (60) stops, the front wings (62F) and rear wings (62B) are swung inward in the front-rear direction to press the upper parts of the front and rear side walls (C121) and (C122) of the container (C1). As a result, the upper part of the container (C1) is bent along the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), upper diagonal fold line (FR31), second upper horizontal fold line (FR22), and upper vertical fold line (FR41), and folds are formed.

[0031] In the filling section (8), the container (C1) filled with the contents through the upper opening (C10) has its upper parts of the front, rear, left, and right side walls (C121)(C122)(C123)(C124) folded outward in the left - right direction along the upper folding lines consisting of the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21), the upper diagonal folding line (FR31), the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22), and the upper vertical folding line (FR41) in the top - seal section (9) on the downstream side of the filling section (8). As a result, the front and rear edge portions (the portions above the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22)) formed at the upper opening (C10) are overlapped and sealed. Thereby, a content - filled container (C2) having a long flap (C21) in the left - right direction as shown in FIG. 9 is formed. In the next flap - seal section (10) of the above - mentioned content - filled container (C2), the left and right side portions of the flap (C21) are folded downward and sealed to the upper surfaces of the left and right side walls, resulting in a substantially rectangular - parallelepiped final form as shown in FIG. 10. Note that although the top wall of the illustrated content - filled container (C2) is inclined obliquely downward toward the rear, the filling and packaging machine according to the present invention can be similarly applied when forming a content - filled container with a horizontal top wall.

[0032] FIGS. 13 to 16 show the detailed structure of the preliminary breaker section (5) and its constituent members. In the following description regarding the preliminary breaker section (5), “front” refers to the right side in FIG. 13, “rear” refers to the left side in FIG. 13, and “left - right” refers to the left and right when viewed from the front, that is, the left and right in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the preliminary breaker section (5) is arranged adjacent to the upstream side (front side) of the top - breaker section (6) in the conveyor (4). In the preliminary breaker section (5), a process of preliminarily creasing at least one predetermined corner of the four corners (C131)(C132)(C133)(C134) of the container (C1) along the vertical folding lines (FR11)(FR12)(FR13)(FR14) is performed. In the case of the preliminary breaker part (5) of this embodiment, on the second and fourth corners (C132) (C134) corresponding to the second and fourth vertical folding lines (FR12) (FR14) provided on the flat surface of the carton blank (CB11) of the second form among the four corners (C131) (C132) (C133) (C134) of the container (C1), it is configured to form folding marks along the second and fourth vertical folding lines (FR12) (FR14). The second and fourth corners (C132) (C134) of the container (C1) constituted a part of the flat width intermediate part in the flat sleeve-shaped carton blank (CB11) of the second form. Therefore, when the carton blank (CB11) was bent into a rectangular tube shape, due to the flexibility of the material itself, a springback action might occur and it might become rounded. In particular, in the case of the second corner (C132), the vertically long parallelogram part (FR121) provided in the middle of its length not only served as a resistance to bending, but also the part of the rear side wall (C122) between the plug attachment part (CB104) with weakened breaking strength and the second corner (C132) was likely to deform so as to bulge outward, releasing the bending force applied to the second vertical folding line (FR12), and thus there might be remaining roundness. Therefore, it can be said that it is preferable to form folding marks on these second and fourth corners (C132) (C134). As shown in FIG. 5, although the second vertical folding line (FR12) intersects the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and the upper diagonal folding line (FR31) at one point, it is preferable that a gap is provided between the intersection point and the upper end of the vertically long parallelogram part (FR121), whereby the bending of the upper part of the container (C1) at the intersection point becomes sharp and the formability is improved.

[0033] The preliminary breaker part (5) includes at least one pair (here, two pairs) of engaging units (51) each consisting of a vertically movable outer engaging member (52) having an engaging concave part (520) that can be engaged with the outer part of the corner parts (C132)(C134) for each row of the container (C1), and a vertically movable inner engaging member (53) having an engaging convex part (530) that can be engaged with the inner part of the second or fourth corner parts (C132)(C134). And each corner part (C132)(C134) is clamped from both the inside and the outside by the paired outer engaging member (52) and inner engaging member (53) so as to be creased. The outer engaging member (52) consists of an outer engaging roller (52) having an annular engaging concave groove (520) that constitutes the engaging concave part on the outer peripheral edge part and is rotatable about a horizontal axis. The inner engaging member (53) consists of an inner engaging roller (53) having an annular engaging convex strip (530) that constitutes the engaging convex part on the outer peripheral edge part and is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

[0034] The paired outer engaging roller (52) and inner engaging roller (53) are rotatably supported by a support member (54) such that their rotation centers are arranged at the same height, and are simultaneously lifted and lowered together with the support member (54) by lifting means (56). In this embodiment, the rotation centers of the two pairs of outer engaging rollers (52) and inner engaging rollers (53) are all arranged at the same height. As shown in Fig. 16, the support member (54) consists of a square bar-shaped base block (541), and two outer support plates (542) and two inner support plates (543) attached to both side surfaces of the base block (541). Notch parts (541a) having a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the inner support plate (543) are provided in the middle part of the length of both side surfaces of the base block (541). Also, two fitting pins (541b) are attached to the middle part of the length of the base block (541) in a penetrating manner, and both end parts of each fitting pin (541b) are projected from both notch parts (541a). Each inner support plate (543) is generally T-shaped with the lower parts of both side edges protruding convexly and laterally, and two fitting holes (543a) are formed at its upper end, and shaft insertion holes (543b) are formed at both of its laterally protruding parts. Then, the upper ends of the respective inner support plates (543) are fitted into the respective notches (541a) of the base block (541), and the protruding ends of the two fitting pins (541b) of the base block (541) are respectively fitted into the two fitting holes (543a) of the respective inner support plates (543). Each outer support plate (542) is generally inverted U-shaped having a horizontally long horizontal portion (542a) and two hanging portions (542b) extending downward from both ends of the horizontal portion (542a). Shaft insertion holes (542c) are formed at the lower end portions of the respective hanging portions (542b). And the horizontal portion (542a) of each outer support plate (542) is attached to both side surfaces of the base block (541) by bolts and nuts (not shown). Note that the outer support plate (542) and the inner support plate (543) may be provided integrally instead of separately as described above.

[0035] Each outer engagement roller (52) is composed of a generally disc-shaped roller body (521) and a horizontal shaft member (522) penetratingly attached to the center of the roller body (521). An annular engagement concave groove (520) having a substantially V-shaped cross section is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the roller body (521). And each outer engagement roller (52) is interposed between the lower end portions of the paired hanging portions (542b) of both outer support plates (542), and both ends of the horizontal shaft member (522) are loosely inserted into the shaft insertion holes (542c), whereby each outer engagement roller (52) is rotatably supported by both outer support plates (542). Each inner engagement roller (53) is composed of a substantially disk-shaped roller body (531) and a horizontal shaft member (532) penetratingly attached to the central portion of the roller body (531). An annular engagement rib (530) having a substantially V-shaped cross section is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the roller body (531). And each inner engagement roller (53) is interposed between the side protrusions forming a pair of both inner support plates (543), and both end portions of the horizontal shaft member (532) are loosely inserted into the shaft insertion holes (543b), whereby each inner engagement roller (53) is rotatably supported by both inner support plates (543).

[0036] The base block (541) of each support member (54) is fixed by bolts or the like so as to extend along the diagonal direction connecting the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) on the lower surface of a plate-shaped bracket (551) extending in the left-right direction. The lower end portions of two left-right elevating shafts (552) are attached to the bracket (551). The two elevating shafts (552) are respectively vertically slidably inserted into two vertical sleeves (553) penetratingly attached to the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) at the intermediate portions of their lengths, and their upper end portions are connected by a horizontal connecting bar (554) extending in the left-right direction. On the top wall (21) of the chamber (2), a lifting device (56) (lifting means) for lifting the lifting shaft (552) is provided. In this embodiment, the lifting device (56) consists of a fluid pressure cylinder (56) provided at a portion between two vertical sleeves (553) on the upper surface of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2). The fluid pressure cylinder (56) is composed of, for example, an air cylinder and has a piston rod (561) that can be driven to advance and retreat in the vertical direction. The upper end of the piston rod (561) is connected to the middle portion of the length of the connecting bar (554). When the piston rod (561) of the fluid pressure cylinder (56) is driven to advance and retreat, the lifting shaft (552) is lifted and lowered, whereby the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53) of each engaging unit (51) are lifted and lowered between an upper retracted position where they do not interfere with the container (C1) being conveyed and a lower limit position where they engage with the second or fourth corner (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) to form a crease. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, in the preliminary breaker section (5), a container pressing member (57) for preventing the upward movement of the containers (C1) in each row is provided at a predetermined distance above the upper opening (C10) of each row of containers (C1) so as not to interfere with each engaging unit (51) and the support member (54). The container pressing member (57) can be constituted by, for example, a horizontal plate material provided in a forward protruding manner on the support bar (64) of the top breaker section (6) adjacent to the downstream side of the preliminary breaker section (5). Note that the support member (54) and the lifting device (56) of each engaging unit (51) are not limited to the above-described mode and can be appropriately changed.

[0037] Regarding each engaging unit (51), for a more detailed explanation, first, the inner engaging roller (53) is supported by two inner support plates (543) with a slight gap left between each inner support plate (543), and it can move in the direction of the horizontal shaft member (532) by the amount of this gap. Similarly, the outer engaging roller (52) is also supported by two outer support plates (542) with a slight gap left between each outer support plate (542), and it can move in the direction of the horizontal shaft member (522) by the amount of this gap. Due to individual containers (C1), there are variations in the deformation states of the second and fourth corner parts (C132)(C134). To engage the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53) along these corner parts (C132)(C134), it is preferable that the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53) can move slightly in the direction of the horizontal shaft members (522)(532) as described above. The gap between the inner engaging roller (53) and both inner support plates (543) is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm, with respect to one side of the inner support plate (543) when the inner engaging roller (53) is located at the center between both inner support plates (543). The gap between the outer engaging roller (52) and both outer support plates (542) is the same as above. Also, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the outer engaging roller (52X) may be configured such that its roller body is composed of two roller split bodies (521X), and ring-shaped spacers (523) are interposed between both roller split bodies (521X) and between each roller split body (521X) and each outer support plate (542). Although not shown, for the inner engaging roller (53), a ring-shaped spacer may also be interposed between each inner support plate (543). In these embodiments, the spacer (523) restricts the movement of the outer engaging roller (52X) and the inner engaging roller (53) in the direction of the horizontal shaft members (522)(532), but the spacer (523) needs to be such that it does not prevent the rotation of the outer engaging roller (52X) and the inner engaging roller (53).

[0038] The containers (C1) in each column are conveyed by the conveying conveyor (4) while being held by the conveying holder (44). However, since the upper part of the container (C1) protrudes upward from the conveying holder (44), it is not subject to the restraint of the conveying holder (44) and may be deformed into a rhombus for the reasons described above. When the containers (C1) in each column reach the preliminary breaker section (5), two pairs of engaging units (51) provided corresponding to the containers (C1) in each column, that is, two outer engaging rollers (52) and two inner engaging rollers (53), descend from the standby position, and the two inner engaging rollers (53) enter the inside of the container (C1). The two inner engaging rollers (53) are respectively engaged with the inner parts of the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) deformed into obtuse angles, and while pushing these corner portions (C132)(C134) outward, they descend and are arranged so as to be able to correct the upper part of the container (C1) into a square. Here, in order to smoothly follow the inner part of the second or fourth corner portion (C132)(C134) where each inner engaging roller (53) is deformed, it is better to increase the diameter of each inner engaging roller (53). However, in this embodiment, since the two inner engaging rollers (53) are arranged such that their centers of rotation are aligned on the diagonal connecting the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) corrected into a square, the diameter of the inner engaging roller (53) is set to be slightly smaller than half the length of the diagonal. It should be noted that it is also possible to provide only one pair of the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53), and make both rollers (52)(53) apply a kink to only one of the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134). In that case, the diameter of the inner engaging roller (53) can be further increased so as to smoothly follow the inner part of the corner portion (C132)(C134). The two outer engaging rollers (52) are arranged at outer positions facing the two inner engaging rollers (53), sandwiching the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) that are pushed outward from the inside by the two inner engaging rollers (53). The two outer engagement rollers (52) and the two inner engagement rollers (53) are supported by a support member (54) such that their centers of rotation are located at the same height. If the heights of the centers of rotation of these four rollers (52)(53) (especially the paired inner engagement roller (53) and outer engagement roller (52)) are displaced, there is a risk that the forces applied to the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134) will escape. However, if the heights of the centers of rotation match, there is no risk of the forces escaping, and it is possible to more reliably crease the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134).

[0039] The engagement concave groove (520) of the outer engagement roller (52) has a substantially V-shaped cross-section, and its angle is approximately 90°. As the two inclined surfaces (520a) of this engagement concave groove (520) are lowered while engaging with the outer portions of the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134), and the engagement ridge (530) of the inner engagement roller (53) is lowered while engaging with the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134), the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134) are corrected to be approximately right angles, and creases are accurately formed along the second and fourth vertical folding lines (FR12)(FR14) on the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134). That is, when the engagement ridge (530) of the inner engagement roller (53) pushes the inner portions of the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134), which were provided in the flat width intermediate portion of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) folded in a flat sleeve shape, outward, in reaction to the force trying to bend each corner (C132)(C134), the two adjacent side wall (C121)(C122)(C123)(C124) portions forming the same corner (C132)(C134) try to bulge outward. However, by the two inclined surfaces (520a) of the engagement concave groove (520) of the outer engagement roller (52) pressing the two adjacent side wall (C121)(C122)(C123)(C124) portions inward, the force to bend the corner (C132)(C134) cannot escape, and the corner (C132)(C134) can be bent at a right angle and reliably creased. The engaging ridges (530) of the inner engaging roller (53) are substantially V-shaped in cross section. Making the angle smaller increases the effect of creating creases at the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134). However, if it is too small, there is a risk of scratching the inner surface of the container (C1). Therefore, it is preferably 30 to 95°, more preferably 55 to 75°. Also, the radius of curvature R of the tip of the engaging ridges (530) of the inner engaging roller (53) is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm, more preferably 0.3 to 0.8 mm, because making it smaller increases the effect of creating creases at the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134), but if it is too small, there is a risk of scratching the inner surface of the container (C1). Making the angle of the engaging grooves (520) of the outer engaging roller (52) smaller increases the effect of creating creases at the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134). However, if it is too small, there is a risk of scratching the outer surface of the container (C1). Therefore, it is preferably 70 to 120°, more preferably 85 to 95°. Also, the radius of curvature R of the bottom of the engaging grooves (520) of the outer engaging roller (52) is preferably 0.2 to 2 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 0.5 mm, because making it smaller increases the effect of creating creases at the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134), but considering the limitations of component processing accuracy, etc. In addition, the engaging grooves (520) of the outer engaging roller (52) may have the corresponding vicinity of the bottom cut off so as not to contact the tip portions of the second and fourth corners (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) (not shown). Alternatively, like the outer engaging roller (52X) in the modified example of Fig. 15(c), the roller body can be divided into two roller segments (521X), and a ring-shaped spacer (523) can be interposed between the two (521X) to form a gap in which the tip portions of the corners (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) are accommodated in a non-contact state. The two inclined surfaces (520a) of the engaging concave groove (520) of the outer engaging roller (52) need to have a width sufficient to press the two adjacent side wall (C121)(C122)(C123)(C124) portions forming the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) over a required width, and each preferably has a width of at least 2 mm or more. In particular, in the outer engaging roller (52) engaged with the outer portion of the second corner portion (C132), since the strength of the rear side wall (C122) portion between the second corner portion (C132) and the plug mounting portion (CB104) is weaker than that of other portions, it is preferable to set the width of the inclined surface (520a) of the engaging concave groove (520) so as to support about half of the width of the rear side wall (C122) portion.

[0040] Lowering the lower limit positions of the lifting strokes of the inner engaging roller (53) and the outer engaging roller (52) can create creases at lower positions of the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1), but it is necessary to set them so that the outer engaging roller (52) does not interfere with the transport holder (44) of the transport conveyor (4). When the plug mounting portion (CB104) is provided at the upper part of the container (C1) as in this embodiment, the lower limit positions of the lifting strokes of the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53) are preferably set such that their rotation centers (i.e., the engaging positions with the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1)) are located at least below the center of the plug mounting portion (CB104). Also, reducing the diameter of the outer engaging roller (52) can create creases at lower positions of the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134) of the container (C1), but if it is too small, the frictional resistance with the outer surface of the container (C1) will increase and there is a risk of scratching the outer surface of the container (C1). Reducing the distance between the paired outer engaging roller (52) and inner engaging roller (53) will increase the effect of creating creases at the second and fourth corner portions (C132)(C134), but it is necessary to be at least about the same as the thickness of the carton blank (CB10) constituting the container (C1), preferably 0.4 - 2 mm, more preferably 0.5 - 1 mm. After the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53) form creases at the second and fourth corner portions (C132) (C134) of the container (C1), when both rollers (52) (53) are raised, the container (C1) also attempts to rise. However, the rise of the container (C1) is prevented because the edge of the upper opening (C10) of the container (C1) is brought into contact with the container pressing member (57). At this time, since the frictional resistance between the inner and outer surfaces of the container (C1) is reduced by the rotation of the outer engaging roller (52) and the inner engaging roller (53), the inner and outer surfaces of the container (C1) are not damaged.

[0041] As described above, according to the filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment, in the preliminary breaker portion (5), it is possible to surely form creases at the two corner portions (C132) (C134) deformed into obtuse angles of the container (C1) that are difficult to crease, without rounding. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent the occurrence of molding defects at the corners in the product, the content-filled container (C2). In particular, in the filling and packaging machine (1) according to this embodiment, in the preliminary breaker portion (5), the second and fourth corner portions (C132) (C134) deformed into obtuse angles of the container (C1) are simultaneously creased. Therefore, with the container (C1) corrected (positioned) so that the second and fourth corner portions (C132) (C134) at diagonal positions become right angles, creases are accurately formed along the second and fourth vertical folding lines (FR12) (FR14) at these corner portions (C132) (C134). In the preliminary breaker portion (5), it is also possible to form creases at the two corner portions (C132) (C134) deformed into obtuse angles of the container (C1) separately in two steps, before and after, for each corner. However, the above embodiment is more advantageous in terms of space saving of the filling and packaging machine (1). Also, in the preliminary breaker part (5), a crease may be formed only on one of the two corner parts (C132)(C134) that are deformed into obtuse angles of the container (C1). However, forming creases on the two obtuse-angled corner parts (C132)(C134) at diagonal positions as in the above-described embodiment is more advantageous because the springback force that attempts to deform the container (C1) is weakened and the deformation of the container (C1) is reduced.

[0042] The preliminary breaker part (5) may be arranged on the upstream side (front side) of the top seal part (9). For example, if it is arranged on the upstream side of the filling part (8), it is advantageous in that it can avoid the upper part of the deformed container (C1) from interfering with the filling of the contents. However, if the preliminary breaker part (5) is arranged on the upstream side (front side) of the top breaker part (6) as in the above-described embodiment, the process of forming a crease on the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker part (6) can be performed more reliably, which is even more advantageous. That is, when the second and fourth corner parts (C132)(C134) of the container (C1) are rounded, when forming a crease on the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker part (6), especially at the intersection where the first upper horizontal crease (FR21) and the upper diagonal crease (FR31) meet, the corner is not determined, which may cause a molding defect in the corner of the product (the content-filled container (C2)). However, if the second and fourth corner parts (C132)(C134) are creased so as not to be rounded in the preliminary breaker part (5), the above-mentioned problem does not occur in the top breaker part (6), and the molding defect in the corner of the product (C2) can be eliminated.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a filling and packaging machine (1) that forms a content-filled container (C2) by flatly folding the upper part of a container (C1) made of cardboard so that flaps (C21) protruding to both the left and right sides are formed, and sealing the upper opening (C10). However, for example, as in the filling and packaging machine described in Patent Document 1, even for a filling and packaging machine that forms a content-filled container by folding the upper part of a container made of cardboard inward so as to have a gable roof shape and sealing the upper opening, the present invention can be applied, and similar to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to surely eliminate defective forming of the corners of the product.

Industrial Applicability

[0044] The present invention is suitably used as a filling and packaging machine that forms a content-filled container by transporting a plurality of containers made of cardboard along a predetermined transport path and filling and hermetically packaging the containers with contents such as beverages and foods.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0045] (1): Filling and packaging machine (2): Chamber (4): Conveyor (5): Preliminary breaker section (51): Engagement unit (52): Outer engagement roller (outer engagement member) (520): Engagement groove (engagement recess) (53): Inner engagement roller (inner engagement member) (530): Engagement rib (engagement protrusion) (54): Support member (56): Fluid pressure cylinder (lifting means) (6) Top breaker section (8): Filling section (9): Top seal section (10): Flap seal section (11): Discharge section (CB11): Cardboard blank folded into a flat sleeve shape (C1): Container (cardboard) (C10): Upper opening (C121): Front side wall (C122): Rear side wall (C123): Left side wall (C124): Right side wall (C131): First corner (C132): Second corner (C133): Third corner (C134): Fourth corner (FR11): First vertical folding grid (FR12): Second vertical folding grid (FR13): Third vertical folding grid (FR14): Fourth vertical folding grid (C2): Contents filling container (R): Conveyor path

Claims

1. A filling and packaging machine for forming a filled container by sequentially filling the container with contents and sealing the upper opening while conveying a plurality of containers made of a carton having an upper opening in a single row or in a double row, left and right, side by side along a conveying path extending in the front-rear direction, wherein the container is formed by folding a flat sleeve-shaped carton blank along four longitudinal folding lines into a rectangular tube shape and folding one end thereof inward to seal it, and has four side walls on the front, rear, left and right, at a predetermined position of the conveying path, a preliminary breaker portion is provided for making a crease along the longitudinal folding line at at least one predetermined corner of the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls of the container before sealing, the preliminary breaker portion includes at least one pair of engaging units each comprising an outer engaging member movable up and down and having an engaging recess engaged with an outer portion of the corner and an inner engaging member movable up and down and having an engaging projection engaged with an inner portion of the corner, and the corner is pressed from both the outer and inner sides by the outer engaging member and the inner engaging member to form a crease. Filling and packaging machine.

2. The filling and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary breaker portion is configured to make a crease along the longitudinal folding line at one or both of the two corners corresponding to the two longitudinal folding lines located at the middle of the flat width of the carton blank among the four corners.

3. The outer engaging member comprises an outer engaging roller having an annular engaging groove forming the engaging recess at its outer peripheral edge and rotatable about a horizontal axis, The filling and packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner engaging member comprises an inner engaging roller having an annular engaging ridge forming the engaging projection at its outer peripheral edge and rotatable about a horizontal axis.

4. The pair of outer engaging rollers and inner engaging rollers are rotatably supported by a support member such that their centers of rotation are arranged at the same height, and are simultaneously moved up and down together with the support member by a lifting means. Filling and packaging machine according to claim 3.

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