Apparatus for opening and oversquaring cartons

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND OVERSQUARING FLATTENED CARTONS HAVING LEADING AND TRAILING SIDEWALLS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY CONVEYING HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED FLATTENED CARTONS ALONG A RECTILINEAR PATH IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CARTONS, A FIRST ROTARY WHEEL POSITIONED BELOW THE RECTILINEAR PATH OF SAID CONVEYING MEANS ROTATING ABOUT AN AXIS NORMAL TO THE PATH OF THE CARTONS AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND HAVING ITS PERIPHERY INTERSECTING SAID PATH AND RECEIVING THE CARTONS THEREON, SUCTION MEANS ON THE PERIPHERY OF SAID WHEEL AND SAID WHEEL BEING SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID CONVEYING MEANS SO THAT THE SUCTION MEANS GRIPS THE LOWER TRAILING SIDE WALL OF A CARTON, A SECOND ROTARY WHEEL ADJACENT SAID FIRST ROTARY WHEEL AND ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE FIRST WHEEL, A PLURALITY OF EXPANDER ARMS EXTENDING ABOVE AND PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID FIRST ROTARY WHEEL AND BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ON SAID SECOND WHEEL, EACH EXPANDER ARM MOVABLE IN SYNCHRONIZED RELATION TO A SUCTION GRIPPING MEANS AND FREELY ENGAGING THE LOWER LEADING SIDE WALL OF A CARTON GRIPPED BY SAID SUCTION MEANS TO COACT THEREWITH AND OPEN EACH CARTON, AND AN OVERSQUARING WHEEL ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE WHEEL AXES AND ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST WHEEL TO ENGAGE THE LEADING CORNER OF A CARTON GRIPPED BY SAID WHEEL AND COACT WITH SAID WHEEL TO OVERSQUARE THE CARTON.