Carton closing machine

Claim 1

IN A CARTON CLOSING MACHINE OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO OPERATE WITH A PLURALITY OF BOTTLES HAVING CROWN CAPS, AND A CARTON THEREFOR HAVING RESPECTIVE TOP, BOTTOM AND END PANELS, SAID BOTTOM PANEL HAVING RESPECTIVE SIDE FLAPS TO OVERLAP THE LOWER ENDS OF THE BOTTLES, AND TOP PANEL HAVING APERTURED SIDE PANEL PORTIONS HINGED THERETO AND HAVING SIDE FLAPS, THE APERTURES OF SAID PANEL PORTIONS EMBRACING THE NECKS OF SAID BOTTLES BELOW THE CROWN CAPS THEREOF, AND SAID END PANELS HAVING RESPECTIVE SIDE FLAPS TO OVERLAP THE RESPECTIVE SIDE FLAPS OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PANELS AND TO BE ATTACHED THERETO BY GLUE, A FRAME, A SINGLE FILE CONVEYOR ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FRAME FOR CARRYING A SINGLE FILE OF BOTTLES IN ABUTTING RELATION THEREALONG, A CARTON CONVEYOR FOR CARRYING A CARTON OF THE ABOVE TYPE IN ERECTED FASHION ALONG A PATH, MEANS ADJACENT SAID PATH FOR FEEDING A GROUP COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SAID BOTTLES INTO AN OPEN SIDE OF SAID CARTON, MEANS ADJACENT SAID PATH FOR HOLDING A LOWER SIDE FLAP OF SAID CARTON IN HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEREBY THE GROUP OF BOTTLES CAN BE FED THEREOVER, MEANS ADJACENT SAID PATH FOR HOLDING A TOP SIDE PANEL PORTION OF SAID CARTON IN A POSITION TO PERMIT THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BOTTLES THEREIN WITH THE NECKS OF THE BOTTLES ENGAGED WITH THE APERTURES OF SAID SIDE PANELS AND WITH THE CROWN CAPS SPACED AT LEAST PARTIALLY ABOVE SAID SIDE PANEL, MEANS OPERATIVE DURING THE TRAVEL OF THE CARTON WITH THE BOTTLES THEREIN ALONG ITS PATH FOR CLOSING THE SIDE FLAPS OF THE END PANELS, MEANS FOR APPLYING SPOTS OF GLUE AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM RESPECTIVELY OF EACH OF SAID END PANEL FLAPS, MEANS FOR THEREAFTER FOLDING THE SIDE FLAPS OF THE BOTTOM PANEL UP INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GLUE-CARRYING PORTIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID END PANEL SIDE FLAPS, AND MEANS FOR BENDING THE TOP SIDE PANEL PORTIONS DOWNWARDLY SO THAT THEY ENCOMPASS THE BOTTLES AROUND THE NECKS THEREOF BELOW THE CROWN CAPS, AND THE SIDE FLAPS THEREOF ARE BROUGHT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GLUE SPOTS AT THE TOP OF THE END PANEL SIDE FLAPS, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING THE RESPECTIVE OVERLAPPING SIDE FLAPS CONTAINING THE GLUE THEREBETWEEN IN TIGHT ENGAGEMENT AS THE CARTON TRAVELS.