Apparatus for packaging articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTMOATICALLY PACKAGING ARTICLES COMPRISING A HOLDER ARRANGED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT THEREON A SINGLE UNITARY FOLDABLE PACKAGING CARD COMPONENT OF THE TYPE HAVING AN OPENING IN IT AND HAVING A STRETCHABLE AND SHRINKABLE PLASTIC MEMBRANE SPANNING SAID OPENING, SAID HOLDER HAVING A RECESS FORMED THEREIN ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH THE SAID OPENING, A TURNABLE DIAL FOR EFFECTING REPETITIVE TRAVEL OF THE HOLDER IN A PREDETERMINED CIRCULAR PATH PAST A PLURALITY OF OPERATION-PERFORMING STATIONS LOCATED ROUGHLY IN A CIRCLE ABOUT SAID DIAL, POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DIAL AT A PREDETREMINED RATE, AUTOMATIC MEANS FOR HEATING THE MEMBRANE OF THE PACKAGE COMPONENT AS HE HOLDER MOVES PAST A HEATING STATION IN SAID PATH, AUTOMATIC FORMING MEANS INCLUDING AN ARM ROTABLY JOURNALED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID DIAL, A PUNCH MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID ARM AND RENDERED OPERATIVE FOR FORMING A POCKET IN SAID HEATED MEMBRANE BY FORCING THE SAME INTO THE HOLDER RECESS AS THE HOLDER MOVES PAST A FORMING STATION IN SAID PATH, A LOADING STATION FOR INSERTING AN ARTICLE INTO THE PACKET FORMED IN SAID MEMBRANE, AUTOMATIC MEANS COMPRISING A STATIONARY ARM ENGAGEABLE WITH THE CARD COMPONENT FOR FOLDING SAID COMPONENT ONTO ITSELF WHILE ON THE HOLDER AND WITHOUT TILTING OF THE HOLDER TO CLOSE OVER