Container and carrier assembling machine

Claim 1

A machine for assembling containers into packages held together by generally flat, somewhat elastic carriers having a longitudinal series of transverse pairs of container encircling bands, said machine including means for directing a procession of containers to a carrier and container assembly station, there being rotor means proximate to said assembly station and a guide system for receiving, folding and directing a succession of carriers to said rotor means at a location circumferentially spaced from said assembly station, said rotor means including a plurality of shoe assemblies on the periphery thereof for receiving successive carriers from said guide system and stretching and applying the carriers into embracing relations to containers in said assembly station, the improvement of said guide system comprising a unitary assembly of guide rails formed to fold the longitudinally central and outer sides of said succession of carriers before reception of said carriers on said shoe assemblies, and each of said shoe assemblies comprising a unitary assembly solely secured on the periphery of said rotor means by a pair of spaced apart fasteners and cooperating with said guide system to receive said carriers in said folded condition.