Machine for forming, filling, closing and sealing plastic coated paperboard containers

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR FORMING GABLE TOP CARTONS FROM THERMOPLASTIC SURFACE BLANKS HAVING CERTAIN TOP CLOSURE PANELS WHICH ARE HEAT SEALABLE AND OTHER TOP CLOSURE PANELS DEFINING A POURING SPOUT WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO BE HELD IN ADJACENT RELATION WITHOUT BEING SEALED TOGETHER IN A CLOSED COMPLETED CARTON, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A CARTON CONVEYOR ALONG WHICH FILLED OPEN TOPPED CARTONS ARE MOVED, A GAS HEATER HAVING A HOLLOW HEAD WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL UNDERWALL OVERLYING SAID CONVEYOR AND DISPOSED ALONG A PART OF THE PATH THEREOF IN INTERMEDIATE JUXTAPOSITION WITH TOP CLOSURES OF CARTONS MOVED ALONG SAID CONVEYOR, MEANS DEFINING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND A PLENUM CHAMBER FOR SUPPLYING HEATED AIR TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID HEAD, SAID HEAD UNDERWALL HAVING MEANS THEREIN DEFINING ONE GROUP OF PASSAGES ARRANGED TO DIRECT STREAMS OF HEATED AIR FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID HEAD THROUGH SAID ONE GROUP OF PASSAGES AND TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID CONVEYOR AGAINST TOP CLOSURE PANELS ADAPTED TO BE SEALED, AND HAVING OTHER MEANS IN SAID HEAD UNDERWALL DEFINING ANOTHER GROUP OF PASSAGES ARRANGED TO DIRECT STREAMS OF HEATED AIR FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID HEAD THROUGH SAID ANOTHER GROUP OF PASSAGES AND DIVERGING FROM THE CENTER OF SAID CONVEYOR TOWARD THE LATERAL EDGES THEREOF AWAY FROM THE POURING SPOUT DEFINING TOP CLOSURE PANELS AND TOWARD THE TOP CLOSURE PANELS ADAPTED TO BE SEALED, AND MEANS INCLUDING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID PLENUM CHAMBER AND SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR PERMITTING SAID PLENUM CHAMBER AND SAID HEAD TO BE TILTED UPWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID CONVEYOR SO AS TO REST ON SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER.