Carton taping machine

Claim 1

A CARTON TAPING MACHINE FOR FORMING A TAPE JOINT BETWEEN A SIDE AND THE ADJACENT OUTER FREE MARGIN OF A FLAP WHICH FORMS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE CLOSURE OF AN ERECTED CARTON COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CARTON CON VEYOR, A TAPING HEAD DISPOSED ABOVE THE CONVEYOR AND INCLUDING MEANS AUTOMATICALLY RESPONSIVE TO THE CARTON FOR FEEDING OUT, MOISTENING AND CUTTING A STRIP OF TAPE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE CARTON LENGTH AND APPLYING IT IN SUBSTANTIALLY COTERMINOUS RELATION TO THE CARTON, MEANS GUIDING THE CARTON AND TAPE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER BEFORE AND DURING APPLICATION OF THE TAPE SO THAT THE TAPE IS CAUSED THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH TO BE APPLIED TO THE CLOSURE FLAP ALONG A PREDETERMINED SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE TAPE WIDTH AND TO PROTRUDE BEYOND THE ADJACENT SIDE OF THE CARTON THROUGHOUT ANOTHER PREDETERMINED SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE TAPE WIDTH, MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY ARRESTING THE CARTON AT A FOLDING AND PRESSING STATION, AND AUTOMATIC ROLL-DOWN MEANS AT SUCH STATION RECIPROCABLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF THE CONVEYOR TRAVEL BUT AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF THE CONVEYOR AND RESPONSIVE TO THE CARTON, AND INCLUDING A ROLLER NOT SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTER THAN THE CARTON FORO ROLLING IN AND THEN OUT OVER THE PROTRUDING TAPE PORTION AND PRESSING THE SAME AGAINST THE CARTON SIDE AS IT MOVES INWARD AND AGAINST AS IT MOVES OUTWARD.