Carton setting-up machine

Claim 1

A SETTING-UP DEVICE FOR ERECTING CARTONS FROM FLAT BLANKS, SUCH CARTONS COMPRISING A BOTTOM PANEL, PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED SIDE WALL PANELS CONNECTED TO THE MARGINS OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL BY SCORE LINES, THE SIDE WALL PANELS OF ONE OF SAID PAIRS HAVING SLITS THEREIN ADJACENT THEIR RESPECTIVE OPPOSITE END PORTIONS, AND THE PANELS OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIRS HAVING FLAPS ADAPTED TO FOLD AROUND SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FIRST NAMED SIDE WALL PANELS AND BE RECEIVED THROUGH SAID SLITS TO INTERLOCK THE CORNER STRUCTURE OF THE CARTON, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A DIE STRUCTURE AND A MANDREL STRUCTURE, SAID MANDREL STRUCTURE INCLUDING A PLATE PORTION GENERALLY RECTANGULAR IN PLAN AND HAVING A BOTTOM SURFACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BOTTOM PANEL OF A CARTON BLANK WITHIN THE SCORE LINES DEFINING SAID PANEL, MEANS MOUNTING SAID MANDREL STRUCTURE FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT THROUGH SAID DIE STRUCTURE, SAID DIE STRUCTURE COMPRISING GUIDE BLOCKS HAVING SURFACES CONFIGURED TO FOLD SAID OPPOSITE PAIRS OF SAID WALL PANELS TOWARD POSITIONS AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID BOTTOM PANEL AS THE BLANK PASSES THROUGH THE DIE STRUCTURE, AND CERTAIN OF SAID GUIDE BLOCKS ADJACENT THE CORNERS OF THE BLANK HAVING SURFACES CONFIGURED TO IN-FOLD SAID FLAPS AROUND THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID SLITTED WALL PANEL; AND MEANS FOR SNAPPING TERMINAL PORTIONS OF SAID TABS THROUGH SAID RESPECTIVE SLITS AS ONE OF THE FINAL OPERATIONS IN ERECTING THE CARTON, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF ARMS HAVING THEIR PROXIMAL ENDS PIVOTALLY SECURED TO A PORTION OF SAID MANDREL STRUCTURE ONE ON EACH SIDE THEREOF, A TABSNAPPING MEMBER SECURED TO THE DISTAL END OF EACH OF SAID ARMS AND HAVING PRONGS EXTENDING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THEREFROM TO PRESS AGAINST AREAS OF THE SLITTED PANELS INWARDLY OF SID SLITS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY OPEN SAID SLITS FOR THE RECEPTION OF SAID TABS AND TO OVERLIE THE INCOMING TERMINALS OF SAID TABS AS THEY ENTER THE SLITS, AND FINALLY TO SNAP SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS THROUGH THE SLITS TO INTERLOCK THE CORNER STRUCTURE OF THE CARTON; AND COOPERATING MEANS ON SAID ARMS AND ON SAID DIE STRUCTURE FOR MOVING SAID TAB-SNAPPING MEMBER INWARDLY OF THE CARTON TO ACCOMPLISH SAID SNAP ACTION.