Carton folding and filling machine

Claim 1

IN A PACKAGING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SETTING UP, FILLING AND CLOSING THE FLAPS OF A CARTON SUPPLIED INITIALLY FLAT AND HAVING FOUR SIDE WALL PANELS AND AN UPPER AND LOWER PAIR OF INNER AND OUTER CLOSURE FLAPS HINGED AT THE END OF SIDE WALL, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING WAY MEMBERS SUPPORTED ON A BASE AND DEFINING A LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL HAVING AN UPSTREAM INLET PORTION AND A DOWNSTREAM OUTLET PORTION, A PUSHER PLATE RECIPROCABLY SUPPORTED ON EACH OF SAID WAY MEMBERS, SAID PUSHER PLATES INCLUDING PORTIONS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY THEREALONG AND PROJECTING INTO SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL FOR ENGAGING AND MOVING CARTONS STEP-BY-STEP THROUGH SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL AS SAID PUSHER PLATES ARE RECIPROCATED, HOPPER MEANS ON SAID BASE FOR SUPPORTING VERTICALLY DISPOSED, FOLDED-FLAT CARTONS ON EDGE AND FEEDING THEM ONE-BY-ONE INTO SAID INLET, MEANS ON SAID WAY MEMBERS FOR ENGAGING A FOLDED-FLAT CARTON AND ORIENTING THE SIDE WALLS AS A RECTANGULAR TUBE BETWEEN SAID WAY MEMBERS, LOWER FLAP-FOLDING MEANS ON SAID WAY MEMBERS BELOW SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PUSHER PLATES FOR CLOSING THE LOWER FLAPS IN SEQUENCE AT THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID LOWER CARTON SIDE WALL PANELS, AND CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF SAID TUBE, CARTON FILLING MEANS DOWNSTREAM OF SAID LOWER FLAPFOLDING MEANS FOR FILLING SAID CARTON WITH A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT ON MATERIAL TO BE PACKAGED, AND UPPER FLAP-FOLDING MEANS DOWNSTREAM OF SAID CARTON FILLING MEANS AND ABOVE SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL FOR CLOSING THE UPPER CARTON FLAPS IN SEQUENCE; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID LOWER FLAP-FOLDING MEANS COMPRISING LOWER INNER CLOSURE FLAP-FODLING MEMBERS DISPLACEABLY MOUNTED ON SAID WAY MEMBERS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL FOR FOLDING THE LOWER INNER CLOSURE FLAPS INTO OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP, FIRST OUTER CLOSURE FLAP-FOLDING MEANS RECIPROCABLY SUPPORTED BENEATH SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL FOR ENGAGING THE LEADING, LOWER OUTER CLOSURE FLAP AND FOLDING IT OVER THE LOWER INNER CLOSURE FLAPS AND TRAVELING DOWNSTREAM WITH SAID CARTON AND RETAINING SAID INNER CLOSURE FLAPS AND LEADING OUTER CLOSURE FLAPS IN FOLDED RELATIONSHIP, AND SECOND OUTER CLOSURE FLAP-FOLDING MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BENEATH SAID LONGITUDINAL PATH OF TRAVEL FOR ENGAGING THE TRAILING OUTER CLOSURE FLAP AND FOLDING THE SAME IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID PREVIOUSLY FOLDED INNER CLOSURE FLAPS.