Mechanism for taping cartons

Claim 1

IN A CARTON TAPING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION WITH A CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING, CARTON DRIVING CONVEYOR, OF MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TRAVEL OF THE CONVEYOR-DRIVEN CARTON, AUTOMATICALLY TO FEED OUT, MOISTEN AND CUT A LENGTH OF TAPE WHILE APPLYING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE TAPE TO A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FACE OF THE CARTON WITH AN END PORTION OF PREDETERMINED LENGTH PROTRUDING BEYOND THE FRONT FACE OF THE CARTON, A ROCK AND ROLL DEVICE COMPRISING A FRAME SUPPORTED FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH IS DISPOSED OUTSIDE THE CARTON PATH, PARALLAL TO THE PLANE OF CONVEYANCE, AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE DIRECTION OF CONVEYANCE, A ROLLER CARRIED BY THE FREE END OF THE FRAME AND DISPOSED IN PARALLELISM WITH THE FRAME AXIS, AND SPRING MEANS CONSTANTLY URGING THE FRAME TOWARD AND AGAINST A STOP OR LIMIT MEANS, THE SAME CONSTITUTING A NORMAL POSITION IN WHICH THE ROLLER IS HELD IN THE PATH OF CARTON ADVANCE, ACROSS THE PLANE OF CARTONCONVEYOR ENGAGEMENT, AND IN A POSITION WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE FRAME AXIS, THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT THE CARTON FORCES THE ROLLER BEFORE IT, CAUSING THE ROLLER FIRST TO FOLD IN THE TAPE LENGTH WHICH PROTRUDES BEYOND THE LEADING FACE OF THE CARTON FACE THEN TO ROLL IN AND OUT ALONG THE LEADING CARTON FACE WHILE PRESSING SAID TAPE LENGTH AGAINST THE FACE, THEN TO BEAR AGAINST THE ADJACENT LONGITUDINAL FACE OF THE CARTON FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CARTON, AND FINALLY TO RETURN THE ROLLER QUICKLY AGAINST SAID LIMIT MEANS UPON THE CLEARING OF THE ROLLER BY THE CARTON, THE CONVEYOR INCLUDING A MULTIPLICITY OF EVENLY SPACED, CONSTANTLY DRIVEN ROLLER SHAFTS, ONE OF SAID SHAFTS SERVING TO SUPPORT THE FRAME WITH FREEDOM FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT, ROLLERS DRIVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME, AND DRIVEN ROLLERS FIXED ON THE NEXT FOLLOWING CONVEYOR SHAFT AND SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER TO PROVIDE CLEARANCE FOR SAID FRAME AS IT ROCKS FORWARD.