Automatic wrapping machine

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES IN A COMPARATIVELY NARROWER INNER WRAPPER AND A COMPARATIVELY WIDER OUTER WRAPPER, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF FIRST STOCK REEL MEANS FOR CARRYING AND SUPPLYING A FIRST TYPE OF WRAPPER STRIP OF A FIRST PREDETERMINED WIDTH SUITABLE FOR SERVING AS MATERIAL FOR THE INNER WRAPPER; A PAIR OF SECOND STOCK REEL MEANS FOR CARRYING A SECOND TYPE OF WRAPPER STRIP OF A SECOND PREDETERMINED GREATER WIDTH SUITABLE FOR SERVING AS MATERIAL FOR THE OUTER WRAPPER; MAIN FEED MEANS ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID STOCK REAL MEANS AND A WRAPPING STATION FOR JOINTLY UNWINDING SAID FIRST TYPE AND SAID SECOND TYPE OF WRAPPER STRIP FROM THE RESPECTIVE STOCK REEL MEANS AND FOR FEEDING BOTH SAID TYPES OF WRAPPER STRIP JOINTLY TO SAID WRAPPING STATION IRRESPECTIVE OF WHICH OF SAID STOCK REEL MEANS THE RESPECTIVE STRIP IS UNWOUND FROM; FIRST SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS LOCATED ALONG THE PATH OF SAID WRAPPER STRIPS BETWEEN SAID STOCK REEL MEANS AND SAID MAIN FEED MEANS FOR SUPERIMPOSING UPON ONE STRIP OF SAID FIRST WIDTH BEING UNWOUND FROM ONE OF SAID FIRST STOCK REEL MEANS ANOTHER STRIP OF SAID FIRST WIDTH UNWOUND FROM THE OTHER ONE OF SAID FIRST STOCK REEL MEANS AND FOR FEEDING SAID TWO SUPERIMPOSED STRIPS OF SAID FIRST WIDTH TO SAID MAIN FEED MEANS, SAID FIRST SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A NORMAL IDLE POSITION IN WHICH SAID OTHER STRIP OF SAID FIRST WIDTH IS PERMITTED TO EXTEND IDLY INTO THE AREA OF SAID FIRST SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS ALONSIDE SAID ONE STRIP OF SAID FIRST WIDTH, AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER STRIP OF SAID FIRST WIDTH ARE SUPERIMPOSED THEREBY UPON EACH OTHER AND JOINTLY FED INTO SAID MAIN FEED MEANS; SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS LOCATED ALONG SAID PATH OF SAID STRIPS BETWEEN SAID STOCK REEL MEANS AND SAID MAIN FEED MEANS FOR SUPERIMPOSING UPON ONE STRIP OF SAID SECOND WIDTH BEING UNWOUND FROM ONE OF SAID SECOND STOCK REEL MEANS ANOTHER STRIP OF SAID SECOND WIDTH UNWOUND FROM THE OTHER ONE OF SAID SECOND STOCK REEL MEANS AND FOR FEEDING SAID TWO SUPERIMPOSED STRIPS OF SAID SECOND WIDTH TO SAID MAIN FEED MEANS, SAID SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A NORMAL IDLE POSITION IN WHICH SAID OTHER STRIP OF SAID SECOND WIDTH IS PERMITTED TO EXTEND IDLY INTO THE AREA OF SAID SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS ALONSIDE SAID ONE STRIP OF SAID SECOND WIDTH, AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER STRIPS OF SAID SECOND WIDTH ARE SUPERIMPOSED THEREBY UPON EACH OTHER AND JOINTLY FED INTO SAID MAIN FEED MEANS; AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY MOVING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY FEED MEANS, RESPECTIVELY, BETWEEN SAID IDLE AND OPERATIVE POSITIONS THEREOF, SO THAT WHEN THE SUPPLY OF EITHER ONE OF SAID TWO TYPES OF WRAPPING STRIP AVAILABLE ON ANY ONE OF THE RESPECTIVE STOCK REEL MEANS IS EXHAUSTED, A NEW SUPPLY FROM THE OTHER STOCK REEL MEANS OF THE RESPECTIVE PAIR THEREOF CAN BE INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED MEANS AND THE WRAPPING PROCEDURE CAN BE CONTINUED WITHOUT INTERRUPTION.