Apparatus for producing cartons

Claim 1

The combination with a magazine for holding a stack of blanks, of a conveyor having a horizontal run and curved end runs for moving blanks deposited thereon through successively arranged stations for application of adhesive and folding to form knockdown cartons, means supporting the magazine in a rearwardly inclined position with its lower end inclined upwardly toward the receiving end of the conveyor in a plane tangent to the curved run at the receiving end, means at the lower end of the magazine movable in frictional engagement with the lower sides of successive lowermost blanks and in said inclined plane for initiating movement of the blanks from the magazine toward the conveyor, means at the lower end of the magazine at the forward side defining an opening through which the lowermost blanks are adapted to be moved by said means for initiating movement of the blanks from the magazine comprising spaced guides at the forward side, and rollers spaced therefrom at a distance such as to permit only one blank at a time to be moved from the lower end of the stack through said opening, means for arranging the blanks at the lower end of the stack in shingled relation such that the leading end of the lowermost blank is foremost and in registration with said opening, comprising forwardly and downwardly inclined surfaces at the inner side of the guides and a forwardly and downwardly curved surface at the inner side of the rear side of the magazine, the latter supporting the lower end of the stack at the rear side above the plane of the lower end, feed rolls situated between the guides and the conveyor for gripping the upper and lower sides of the leading ends of the blanks in said inclined plane and advancing the blanks upwardly in said inclined plane toward the receiving end of the conveyor, and transfer rolls at the receiving end of the conveyor for receiving the leading ends of the blanks delivered thereto by said feed rolls and drawing them on the horizontal run of the conveyor.