Method and apparatus for side seaming carton blanks

Claim 1

A METHOD OF FORMING THE SIDE SEAM OF A FLAT CARTON BLANK OF FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD OR THE LIKE HAVING FOUR PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL SCORE LINES DIVIDING THE BLANK INTO FOUR SIDE PANEL AREAS AND A GLUE FLAP, THE LATTER BEING SITUATED AT ONE MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID BLANK, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MOVING THE CARTON BLANK LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SCORE LINES THEREIN AND ALONG A SUPPORT, SUBJECTING SAID BLANK TO A PREBREAKING STAGE WHEREIN THE GLUE FLAP IS BENT AGAINST THE FACE OF SAID BLANK THROUGH AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 180* AND THE TWO SIDE PANEL AREAS REMOTE FROM SAID GLUE FLAP ARE BENT AS A UNIT THROUGH AN ANGLE OF AT LEAST 90* ABOUT THE SECOND SCORE LINE, SUBJECTING SAID BLANK TO A SECOND PREBREAKING STAGE WHEREIN SAID GLUE FLAP IS BENT BACK THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 90* TOWARD ITS ORIGINAL POSITION AND THE SIDE PANEL AREA ADJACENT SAID GLUE FLAP IS BENT AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TIME OUT OF THE PLANE OF THE BLANK THROUGH AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 90* INTO SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR RELATION WITH SAID GLUE FLAP AND SAID TWO SIDE PANEL AREAS PREVIOUSLY BENT UP ARE FOLDED BACK SO AS TO APPROACH THE PLANE OF THE BLANK, SUBJECTING SAID BLANK TO AN ADHESIVE APPLICATOR FOR THE ACTIVATION OF ADHESIVE ON SAID GLUE FLAP WHILE THE LATTER AND ITS ASSOCIATED SIDE PANEL ARE APPROXIMATELY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE BLANK, THE SIDE PANEL AREA REMOTE FROM SAID GLUE FLAP BEING CONCURRENTLY BENT THROUGH AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 90*, FOLDING SAID SIDE PANEL AND GLUE FLAP AGAINST THE FACE OF SAID BLANK THROUGH AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 90* AND THEN FOLDING SAID REMOTE SIDE PANEL AREA TOWARD THE FACE OF SAID BLANK AND INTO SEALING CONTACT WITH SAID GLUE FLAP, SUBJECTING SAID BLANK TO PRESSURE TO FACILITATE SEALING AND BONDING OF THE ADHESIVE, AND DELIVERING SAID FLAT FOLDED BLANK IN THE FORM OF A COLLAPSED TUBE FOR SUBSEQUENT PRESENTATION TO FORMING, FILLING, CLOSING AND SEALING EQUIPMENT.