Container set-up apparatus

Claim 2

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons, or like objects having successive flexibly articulated panels, to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of grippers mounted to rotate in the same rotative direction about fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with different panels of the carton in said phase, and means to rotate said engaged grippers individually about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 3

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of suction grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with oppositely facing and nonsuccessive panels of the carton and means to rotate said engaged grippers simultaneously, individually and unidirectionally about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 4

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of suction grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with oppositely facing and nonsuccessive panels of the carton and means to rotate said engaged grippers simultaneously, individually and unidirectionally about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 5

The mechanism of claim 2, in which said rotating means comprises a parallel arm-type linkage operatively connected to said grippers to so rotate the same about said axes.

Claim 6

The mechanism of claim 2, in which said rotating means comprises a linkage operatively connected to said grippers to so rotate the same about said axes, and further comprising means operable in another phase of operation to rotate at least one of said grippers about an axis paralleling the first-named gripper axes.

Claim 7

Apparatus for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads each having a pair of grippers mounted to rotate in the same rotative direction about fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past said magazine, with one gripper of each thereof in a position in which it may grippingly engage an endmost carton in the magazine in the removal of that carton from the magazine, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 8

Apparatus for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads each having a pair of grippers mounted to rotate in the same rotative direction about fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past said magazine, with one gripper of each thereof in a position in which it may grippingly engage an endmost carton in the magazine in the removal of that carton from the magazine, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 5, in which, prior to said rotation of the grippers about said axes, the gripped flat carton is moved to lie in a plane at 90* to the plane occupied by it in the magazine.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 5, in which said rotating means comprises a parallel-arm-type linkage operatively connected to said grippers to so rotate the same about said axes.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 6, in which said rotating means comprises a parallel-arm-type linkage operatively connected to said grippers to so rotate the same about said axes.

Claim 16

The method of claim 10, in which the gripped flat carton is shifted, during transport and prior to said rotation of said panels about said axes, to lie in a plane at 90* to the plane occupied by it in said stacked carton supply.

Claim 17

The method of claim 11, in which said shifting of the flat carton is a purely rotative one about an axis paralleling said fixedly spaced axes.

Claim 18

The method of claim 11, in which the carton, as thus shifted, is gripped by only one of said grippers.

Claim 19

The method of claim 12, in which the carton, as thus shifted, is gripped by only one of said grippers.

Claim 20

Apparatus for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads, said gripper heads each having a pair of grippers, said grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past one end of said magazine, means to move an endmost carton from said magazine, means to urge said carton toward and into engagement with one of said grippers, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to said polygonal outline.

Claim 21

Apparatus for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads, said gripper heads each having a pair of grippers, said grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past one end of said magazine, means to move an endmost carton from said magazine, means to urge said carton toward and into engagement with one of said grippers, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to said polygonal outline.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said magazine comprises walls to confine said cartons and the means to move an endmost carton from said magazine comprises an end portion extension on one of said walls, said extension being positioned at an angle to said one wall to direct the movement of said carton away from said magazine and toward said one said gripper.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means to move said endmost carton from said magazine comprises an arm supporting one said gripper with a rod extending from said arm support, said rod having a downwardly extending finger for engagement with a carton in said magazine when said one said gripper is moved across one end of said supply magazine.

Claim 26

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons, or like objects having successive flexibly articulated panels, to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with different panels of the carton in said phase, and means to rotate said engaged grippers individually about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 27

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons, or like objects having successive flexibly articulated panels, to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with different panels of the carton in said phase, and means to rotate said engaged grippers individually about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 28

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of suction grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with oppositely facing and nonsuccessive panels of the carton and means to rotate said engaged grippers simultaneously, individually and unidirectionally about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 29

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of suction grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with oppositely facing and nonsuccessive panels of the carton and means to rotate said engaged grippers simultaneously, individually and unidirectionally about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 30

Apparatus for erecting tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads each having a pair of grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past said magazine, with one gripper of each thereof in a position in which it may grippingly engage an endmost carton in the magazine in the removal of that carton from the magazine, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 31

Apparatus for erecting tubular cartons having successive flexibly articulated panels to an outline of polygonal cross section, comprising a plurality of gripper heads each having a pair of grippers mounted to rotate on fixedly spaced, parallel axes and in rotative paths of equal radii and the same rotative direction in an erecting phase of operation, a supply magazine to contain the flat cartons, means to transport said heads in succession past said magazine, with one gripper of each thereof in a position in which it may grippingly engage an endmost carton in the magazine in the removal of that carton from the magazine, the other gripper being in a position, in passing the magazine, to physically clear the latter, and means acting with the grippers in engagement with opposite sides of the carton to rotate said engaged grippers about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 32

The mechanism of claim 1, in which said grippers simultaneously and continuously maintain contact with said engaged panels of the carton of the latter from flat condition to a desired and completed polygonal outline.

Claim 33

The mechanism of claim 2, in which said grippers simultaneously and continuously maintain contact with said engaged panels of the carton of the latter from flat condition to a desired and completed polygonal outline.

Claim 34

The mechanism of claim 19, in which said grippers simultaneously and continuously maintain contact with said engaged panels of the carton of the latter from flat condition to a desired and completed polygonal outline.

Claim 35

The mechanism of claim 20, in which said grippers simultaneously and continuously maintain contact with said engaged panels of the carton of the latter from flat condition to a desired and completed polygonal outline.

Claim 38

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons, or like objects having successive flexibly articulated panels, to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of grippers mounted to rotate in the same rotative direction on substantially equal radii about fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with different panels of the cartons in said phase, and means to rotate said engaged grippers individually about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.

Claim 39

In mechanism for erecting flat tubular cartons, or like objects having successive flexibly articulated panels, to an outline of polygonal cross section, a pair of grippers mounted to rotate in the same rotative direction on substantially equal radii about fixedly spaced, parallel axes in an erecting phase of operation, said grippers being grippingly engageable with different panels of the cartons in said phase, and means to rotate said engaged grippers individually about the respective axes thereof to move the panels of the carton to form said polygonal outline.