Packaging machine

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR HANDLING FLAT PACKAGES OF AT LEAST A PREDETERMINED WIDTH, THE COMBINATION OF, A FRAME, A CARRIER ON SAID FRAME MOVABLE ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH TO A TRANSFER STATION, CLIPS EQUALLY SPACED ALONG SAID CARRIER FOR GRIPPING THE TOPS OF A SUCCESSION OF SAID PACKAGES AND RELEASING THE SAME AT SAID TRANSFER STATION, MECHANISM FOR DRIVING SAID CARRIER CONTINUOUSLY AT A SPEED VARYING INTERMITTENTLY BETWEEN RELATIVELY RAPID AND RELATIVELY SLOW TO ADVANCE SAID PACKAGES TO SAID TRANSFER STATION, A ROTARY TRANSFER WHEEL JOURNALED ON SAID FRAME BELOW SAID TRANSFER STATION AND IN A PLANE PERPENDICULR TO SAID PATH WITH THE PERIPHERY OF THE WHEEL ADJACENT THE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE PACKAGES AT THE TRANSFER STATION, A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY PROJECTING ARMS NARROWERS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID PACKAGES AND EQUALLY SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID WHEEL TO DEFINE A SERIES OF RADIALLY AND AXIALLY OPENING POCKETS, SAID ARMS PROJECTING UPWARDLY WHEN ON TOP OF THE WHEEL TO STRADDLE SAID PATH, MECHANISM FOR ROTATING SAID WHEEL CONTINUOUSLY IN ONE DIRECTION TO SWING SUCNG CESSIVE POCKETS THROUGH SAID TRANSFER STATION, THE STEPS IN THE SPEED OF SAID CARRIER BEING CORRELATED WITH THE ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL WHEREBY EACH PACKAGE IS MOVED AT THE RAPID RATE BETWEEN EACH PAIRS OF ARMS PASSING SAID TRANSFER STATION AND DEPOSITED IN THE POCKET WITH THE OPPOSITE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE PACKAGE PROJECTING BEYOND THE ARMS, A LOADING DEVICE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME APPROXIMATELY NINETY DEGREES IN SAID ONE DIRECTION FROM SAID TRANSFER STATION AND INCLUDING TWO ELEMENTS MOVABLE HORIZONTALLY AND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY CLOSELY ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF SAID ARMS TO ENGAGE SAID PROJECTING EDGE PORTIONS OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ADJACENT PACKAGES AND REMOVE THE PACKAGES RADIALLY FROM THE WHEEL, AND MECHANISM FOR DRIVING SAID LOADING DEVICE IN TIMED RELATION WITH THE ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL.