Article-packaging apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES COMPRISING MEANS FOR CONVEYING AN ARTICLE THROUGH A PATH, A PAIR OF RODS RECIPROCABLE IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE CONVEYING MEANS FOR FOLDING END PORTIONS OF A WRAPPER SURROUNDING THE LATERAL SURFACES OF THE ARTICLE, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE RODS, EACH OF SAID RODS HAVING A LATERAL EXTENSION PROJECTING TOWARD THAT OF THE OTHER AND HAVING A RECESS ADAPTED TO FIT OVER AN END CORNER OF THE ARTICLE WHEREBY TO SIMULTANEOUSLY FOLD AN END PORTION OF THE WRAPPER AGAINST THE END OF THE ARTICLE AND TO TRANSFER THE ARTICLE TO THE CONVEYING MEANS DURING THE FORWARD STROKE OF THE RECIPROCATION OF THE RODS, SAID PORTIONS EXTENDING ENDWISE FROM THE ARTICLE AND TRANSVERSELY OF THE PATH, GUIDE MEANS ALONG THE PATH BEYOND THE FOLDING MEANS HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING PARTIALLY OVER THE ENDS OF THE ARTICLE FOR REDUCING THE TENDENCY OFF TH FOLDED ENDS TO RE-OPEN, AND MEANS ALONG THE GUIDE MEANS FOR HEATING AND PRESSING THE FOLDED ENDS TO SEAL THEM.