Wrapping machine

Claim 1

A WRAPPING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A WRAPPING STATION, CONVEYOR MEANS CONNECTED TO TRANSPORT ARTICLES TO BE WRAPPED ALONG A PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINAL PATH PAST THE WRAPPING STATION, THE WRAPPING STATION INCLUDING SHEETS OF FLEXIBLE WRAPPING MATERIAL POSITIONED TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE PREDETERMINED PATH WHEREBY THE MID-PORTIONS OF THE SHEETS WILL BE ENGAGED BY ARTICLES TRANSPORTED BY THE CONVEYOR MEANS, THE CONVYOR MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED BELT CONVEYORS ARRANGED WITH THEIR ADJACENT ENDS SPACED SUFFICIENTLY CLOSELY TO TRANSPORT ARTICLES THEREACROSS IN A CONTINUOUS FASHION BUT SPACED SUFFICIENTLY APART TO PERMIT TRANSVERSE POSITIONING OF THE SHEETS OF FLEXIBLE WRAPPING MATERIAL THEREBETWEEN, MEANS CONNECTED TO CONTROL THE FIRST AND SECOND BELT CONVEYORS FOR INTERMITTENT OPERATION TO TRANSPORT ARTICLES TO BE WRAPPED WITH A STEP-BY-STEP MOTION ALONG THE PREDETERMINED PATH, THE CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A STOP BAR MOUNTED FOR SHIFTING MOTION BETWEEN OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, THE BAR BEING EXTENDED IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION INTO THE PREDETERMINED PATH TO ARREST MOTION OF ARTICLES ON THE CONVEYORS AND THE BAR BEING RETRACTED IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION FROM THE PREDETERMINED PATH TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF ARTICLES ON THE CONVEYORS, POWER DRIVEN MEANS AT THE WRAPPING STATION LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PREDETERMINED PATH TO FEED WRAPPING MATERIAL LATERALLY TOWARD ARTICLES TO BE WRAPPED AT A PREDETERMINED RATE COORDINATED WITH THE RATE OF ARTICLES TRANSPORTED BY THE CONVEYOR MEANS WHEREBY AS ARTICLES ENGAGE THE MID-PORTIONS OF THE TRANSVERSELY POSITIONED SHEETS OF WRAPPING MATERIAL AND MOVE THE MIDPORTIONS LONGITUDINALLY THE SHEETS ARE ARRANGED IN TWO LAYERS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF ARTICLES, AND SEALING MEANS CONNECTED TO ATTACH THE TWO LAYERS OF WRAPPING MATERIAL TOGETHER ADJACENT THE ARTICLES TO FORM PACKAGES WHICH COMPRISE ARTICLES WRAPPED IN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.