Progressive carton handling mechanism for cartoning machines

Claim 1

A CARTON HANDLING MECHANISM FOR A CARTON LOADING AND SEALING MACHINE, SAID CARTON HANDLING MECHANISM ADAPTED TO EJECT FLAT COLLAPSED CARTONS AND TO PROGRESSIVELY ERECT THE SAME DURING CONTINUOUS ADVANCEMENT OF THE CARTONS, SAID CARTON HANDLING MECHANISM COMPRISING, A CARTON MAGAZINE ADAPTED TO CONFINE FLAT COLLAPSED CARTONS IN STACK FORMATION AND HAVING AN OPEN LOWER END, A PLURALITY OF CARTON RETAINING ELEMENTS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE OPEN LOWER END OF THE MAGAZINE, SAID RETAINING ELEMENTS NORMALLY RESIDING IN A CARTON RETAINING POSITION AND ADAPTED TO BE SHIFTED TO A CARTON RELEASE POSITION, A RECIPROCATING SUCTION MECHANISM MOUNTED ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THE MAGAZINE AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND WITHDRAW THE END CARTON OF THE STACK FROM THE MAGAZINE WHEN THE RETAINING FINGERS SHIFT TO SAID CARTON RELEASE POSITION, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING EJECTION MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE OPEN LOWER END OF THE CARTON MAGAZINE AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE CARTON WHICH IS WITHDRAWN FROM THE MAGAZINE BY THE SUCTION MECHANISM AND TO SHIFT THE COLLAPSED CARTON LONGITUNDINALLY FROM THE MAGAZINE IN A DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION, AN ELONGATED CARTON SUPPORT ELEMENT EXTENDING LONGITUNDINALLY IN THE DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION FROM THE OPEN LOWER END OF THE MAGAZINE AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE CARTON UPON EJECTION FROM THE MAGAZINE, A CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING BLADE ELEMENT MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY AT THE SAME RATE AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE COLLAPSED CARTON WHICH IS EJECTED FROM THE MAGAZINE, SAID BLADE ELEMENT HAVING A COMPONENT OF TRANSVERSE MOTION ADAPTING THE BLADE ELEMENT TO BE INSERTED ENDWISELY INTO THE ADVANCING COLLAPSED CARTON, SAID BLADE ELEMENT ADAPTED TO PARTIALLY ERECT THE CARTON AND TO HOLD THE CARTON DOWNWARDLY UPON SAID CARTON SUPPORT ELEMENT DURING LONGITUDINAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE CARTON, AND CONTINUOUSLY MOVING CARTON ERECTION MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE PARTIALLY ERECTED CARTON DURING LONGITUNDINAL ADVANCEMENT THEREOF AND TO PROGRESSIVELY ERECT THE CARTON.