Apparatus for folding carton blanks

Claim 1

IN A CARTON-MAKING MACHINE OF THE KIND COMPRISING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MOVING ALONG A STRAIGHT PATH A FLAT CARTON BLANK HAVING A MAIN PANEL TO WHICH FLAPS ARE ATTACHED AND WHICH IS POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEANS SUCH THAT FRONT AND REAR FLAPS ARE LOCATED AT EACH END OF THE PANEL, AS CONSIDERED IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, AND INDIVIDUAL MEANS FOR FOLDING EACH FLAP ON A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID FOLDING MEANS CONSISTING OF A RIGID BLADE HAVING A STRAIGHT EDGE ABOUT WHICH SAID FLAP IS FOLDED, MEANS FOR MOVING THE BLADE TO POSITION SAID EDGE ON THE LINE ABOUT WHICH THE FLAP IS TO BE FOLDED, MEANS FOR KEEPING THE EDGE ON THE LINE, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE BLADE AWAY FROM THE LINE AFTER SAID FLAP HAS BEEN FOLDED THROUGH AN ANGLE SUFFICIENT TO DEFINE THE BENDING LINE ACCURATELY AND SHARPTLY, A BAR FOR FOLDING SAID FLAP, MEANS FOR MOVING SID BAR IN A CLOSED PATH TO ENGAGE SAID FLAP AND MOVE IT BODILY IN A ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAID EDGE SUCH THAT ALL PARTS OF THE FLAP EXECUTE THE SAME ANGULAR MOVEMENT SIMULTANEOUSLY, SAID MEANS FOR MOVING EACH BLADE AND BAR COMPRISING VARIABLE VELOCITY GEARING, WHEREBY THE BLADE APPERTAINING TO SAID REAR FLAP IS ACCELERATED TO A SPEED GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID BLANK AS SAID BLADE IS MOVED AWAY FROM ITS LINE AND SAID BLADE APPERTAINING TO THE FRONT FLAP IS DECELERATED TO A SPEED LESS THAN THE SPEED OF THE BLADE AS SAID BLADE IS MOVED AWAY FROM ITS LINE.