Automatic carton handling machine

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR CLOSING AND SEALING CARTONS EACH HAVING AN OPEN SIDE BOUNDED BY HINGED, GENERALLY ERECT SIDE AND END FLAPS WITH OUTER AND INNER SURFACES ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED TO OVERLAPPING CLOSED POSITIONS WHEREIN THE FLAPS CLOSE SAID OPEN SIDE AND SAID END FLAPS OVERLIE SAID SIDE FLAPS WITH THEIR INNER SURFACES CONTACTING THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID SIDE FLAPS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A FRAME HAVING INFEED AND OUTFEED ENDS, CONVEYOR MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR SUCCESSIVELY TRANSPORTING SAID CARTONS ALONG SAID FRAME FROM SAID INFEED END TO SAID OUTFEED END WITH SAID SIDE FLAPS OF EACH CARTON FACING GENERALLY LENGTHWISE OF SAID FRAME, THERE BEING A FLAP FOLDING STATION ALONG SAID FRAME THROUGH WHICH EACH CARTON TRAVELS, POWER DRIVEN CYCLICALLY MOVALBE FLAP FOLDING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME WITHIN SAID STATION AND OVER SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY ENGAGING THE END FLAPS AND TRAILING SIDE FLAP OF EACH CARTON TRAVELING THROUGH SAID STATION IN SUCH MANNER AS TO INITIALLY FOLD THE END FLAPS OF THE RESPECTIVE CARTON LATERALLY OUTWARDLY TO GLUING POSITION WHEREIN THE LATTER FLAPS ARE DISPOSED LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE SIDE FLAPS ON THE RESPECTIVE CARTON AND THEREAFTER FOLD THE TRAILING SIDE FLAP OF THE RESPECTIVE CARTON FORWARDLY TO ITS CLOSED POSITION OVER THE OPEN SIDE OF THE CARTON, SIDE FLAP CLOSING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME OVER SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOLLOWING SAID FOLDING MEANS RELATIVE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID CARTONS ALONG SAID FRAME FOR FOLDING THE LEADING SIDE FLAP OF EACH CARTON TRAVELING THROUGH SAID STATION REARWARDLY TO ITS CLOSED POSITION OVER THE OPEN SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE CARTON AFTER FOLDING OF THE END FLAPS OF THE RESPECTIVE CARTON TO SAID GLUING POSITIONS, END FLAP CLOSING MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOLLOWING SAID FOLDING MEANS FOR FOLDING SAID END FLAPS OF EACH CARTON TO THEIR CLOSED POSITIONS OF OVERLAPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDE FLAPS OF THE RESPECTIVE CARTON, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND FOLDING MEANS IN TIMED RELATION IN SUCH MANNER AS TO EFFECT SUCCESSIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CARTONS THROUGH SAID STATION IN TIMED RELATION TO THE CYCLIC MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLDING MEANS.