Carton clamping and guiding means in an automatic carton closing machine

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIC CARTON CLOSING MACHINE FOR FOLDING DOWN AND INWARD THE UPWARDLY-EXTENDING FRONT AND REAR FLAPS OF A SERIES OF SUCCESSIVE OPEN-TOP CARTONS TO CLOSED LATERAL POSITIONS, INCLUDING THOSE OF RELATIVELY SHALLOW DEPTHS, THE COMBINATION WITH (A) LATERAL CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND A DISCHARGE END AND DEFINING A PATH OF FORWARD CARTON TRAVEL ALONG WHICH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TRANSPORTS EACH CARTON, (B) A CARTON SENSING AND FLAP FOLDING STATION LOCATED AT A POINT ALONG SAID PATH, (C) A MOVABLE FRONT AND REAR FLAP FOLDING SUB-ASSEMBLY MOUNTED FOR MOTION ALONG A PATH AT AN ANGLE TO SAID CARTON TRAVEL PATH TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OPEN TOP OF A CARTON AT SAID STATION, (D) CARTON SENSING MEANS LOCATED ALONG SAID CARTON TRAVEL PATH RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF AN OPENTOP CARTON AT SAID STATION TO DICTATE ADVANCE OF SAID FLAP FOLDING MEANS TOWARD THE UNFOLDED AND UPWARDLY-EXTENDING FLAPS THEREOF AND TO FOLD THE FRONT FLAP BACK AND INWARD TO CLOSING POSITION, (E) CARTON HEIGHT CONTROL MEANS AT SAID STATION RESPONSIVE TO THE TOP OF SAID CARTON TO STOP THE ADVANCE OF SAID FLAP FOLDING SUB-ASSEMBLY UPON INWARD FOLDING OF THE FRONT FLAP DOWN UPON THE CARTON TOP, (F) MOVABLE REAR FLAP FOLDING MEANS ALSO CARRIED BY SAID FLAP FOLDING SUB-ASSEMBLY TO FOLD THE REAR FLAP FORWARD AND INWARD TO CLOSING POSITION, (G) MEANS TO CAUSE EACH OPEN-TOP CARTON TO PAUSE AT SAID STATION FOR PERMITTING ADVANCE OF SAID FLAP FOLDING SUB-ASSEMBLY TO THE TOP OF SAID PAUSING CARTON AND AFTER PERFORMANCE OF A FLAP-FOLDING OPERATION THEREON TO RELEASE SAID PAUSING CARTON FROM SAID STATION FOR TRANSPORT BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO THE DISCHARGE END, (H) A PAIR OF OPPOSED, LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING, CARTON CLAMPING AND GUIDING MEMBERS FLANKING OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID STATION WITH AT LEAST ONE MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY RELATIVE TO THE OTHER FOR RELATIVE APPROACH TEMPORARILY TO CLAMP THEREBETWEEN A CARTON PAUSING AT SAID STATION AND FOR RELATIVE RETRACTION TO PERMIT RECEPTION THEREBETWEEN OF A SUCCEEDING CARTON, AND