Skin packaging apparatus

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION IN AN APPARATUS FOR SKIN-PACKAGING AT LEAST ONE ARTICLE POSITIONED ON AN AIR-PERVIOUS CARD BY APPLYING VACUUM ACTION TO DRAW A HEATED THERMOPLASTIC SHEET ATOP SAID LADEN CARD, A FRAME, A VACUUM BOX HAVING A PERFORATED TOP WALL AND AN INLET FOR CONNECTION TO A VACUUM SUPPLY, MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, SHEET HOLDING MEANS ON SAID FRAME, FOR RECEIVING AND RELEASABLY SPANNING A HEATED THERMOPLASTIC SHEET, OPPOSITE AND DIRECTLY ABOVE SAID VACUUM BOX, TWO ENDLESS CONVEYOR BLETS POSITIONED IN SPACED VERTICAL PLANES ON WHEEL MEANS ON THE FRAME AND ARRANGED FOR SIMULTANEOUS IDENTICAL MOVEMENT ON SAID WHEEL MEANS; SAID VACUUM BOX BEING INTERMEDIATE SAID BLETS AND FREE FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, PERFORATED TRAYS SPANNING SAID BELTS, EACH ADAPTED TO HOLD A CARD THEREON HAVING AT LEAST ONE ARTICLES THEREON WHICH IS TO BE SKIN-PACKAGED; SAID TRAYS BEING EQUI-SPACED ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID BELTS; ONE OF SAID TRAYS BEING DIRECTLY INTERMEDIATE AND SPACED FROM SAID VACUUM BOX AND SHEET HOLDING MEANS; SAID BELTS AND EACH TRAY HAVING COOPERATIVE MEANS LOCATING AND RELEASABLY HOLDING THE TRAY; EACH TRAY BEING LIFTABLE OFF SAID BELTS WHEN ON THE UPPER FLIGHTS OF SAID BELTS; SAID VACUUM BOX HAVING A HORIZONTAL CHANNEL THEREACROSS IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE PLANES OF SAID BELTS; ENTRANCE DOWN INTO SAID CHANNEL BEING FROM THE TOP SURFACE OF THE VACUUM BOX, AN ELEMENT EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TRAY INTO SAID CHANNEL, MEANS ON THE VACUUM BOX WITHIN SAID CHANNEL ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID ELEMENT UPON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID VACUUM BOX, WHEREBY THE TRAY IS LOWERED; SAID ELEMENT BEING FREE FOR MOVEMENT INTO, ALONG AND OUT OF SAID CHANNEL UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR BELTS, MEANS TO RAISE THE VACUUM BOX WHEREUPON THE TRAY IS LIFTED OFF THE BLETS AND RAISED UPWARDLY A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE PAST THE SHEET-OCCUPYING PLANE IN SAID SHEET HOLDING MEANS AND TO THEN LOWER THE VACUUM BOX TO ITS INITIAL POSITION WHEREBY DURING SUCH DESCENT OF THE VACUUM BOX, IT WILL RESTORE THE TRAY IT RAISED OFF THE BELTS, BACK ONTO SAID BELTS, AND MEANS TO MOVE SAID CONVEYOR BELTS A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE EQUI-SPACING OF THE TRAY LOCATING MEANS ON SAID BELTS.