Strap feeding apparatus

Claim 1

STRAP FEEDING APPARATUS COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A DOUBLE FACED PALLET AND ITS LOAD IN STRAPPING POSITION, UPPER AND LOWER STRAP GUIDE CHUTES, SAID LOWER CHUTE EXTENDING BENEATH THE PALLET SUPPORTING SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING STRAP GUIDING CHUTE COMPRISING A FIXED SEGMENT AND A RELATIVELY MOVABLE SEGMENT, CURVED STRAP GUIDES INTERCONNECTING SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING GUIDE CHUTE WITH SAID UPPER AND LOWER GUIDE CHUTES, A FRAMEWORK CARRYING SAID UPPER AND EXTENDING STRAP GUIDE CHUTE, SAID FRAMEWORK HAVING A MOVABLE SECTION CARRYING THE RELATIVELY MOVABLE SEGMENT OF SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING GUIDE CHUTE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID MOVABLE SECTION FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, SAID MOVABLE SECTION BEING LOCATED IN ALIGNMENT WITH A PALLET RESTING ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS, A LANCE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRAP GUIDE SUPPORT HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION, FLANGED WHEELS ENGAGING THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF SAID STRAP GUIDE SUPPORT AND MOUNTING SAID SUPPORT FOR HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATTION, SAID LANCE FURTHER COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING STRAP GUIDE CHUTE SECURED TO ONE SIDE EDGE OF SAID STRAP GUIDE CARRIED BY SAID STRAP GUIDE SUPPORT AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OUT OF VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FLANGE WHEELS, A CURVED STRAP GUIDE CARRIED BY SAID STRAP GUIDE SUPPORT ADJACENT TO AND ALIGNED WITH ONE END OF SAID LAST MENTIONED STRAP GUIDE CHUTE, SAID LANCE BEING HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED WITH THE MOVABLE SECTION OF SAID FRAMEWORK, DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LANCE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION TO A POSITION EXTENDING THROUGH A PALLET RESTING ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SAID LANCE ENGAGING AND SWINGING OPEN THE MOVABLY MOUNTED SECTION OF SAID FRAME WORK DURING MOVEMENT TO SAID LAST MENTIONED POSITION, AND SAID LAST MENTIONED CURVED STRAP GUIDE BEING ALIGNED WITH THE VERTICALLY EXENDING STRAP GUIDE CHUTE WHEN SAID LANCE IS IN SAID LAST MENTIONED POSITION.