Wrapping apparatus with rotary horizontal lift

Claim 1

A wrapping apparatus for soap bars and the like comprising an endless arrangement of product-holders operatively arranged for movement from above into a work station, two spaced-apart rotary members bounding opposite sides of said work station, a separate rotary axis for each said rotary member located a prescribed operative distance from each other, a cooperating pair of bearing mounting means operatively arranged said same prescribed operative distance from each other on each said rotary member at the same angular relation and distance from said rotary axis of each, a lift platform in straddling relation between said rotary members supported at said bearing mounting means, prime mover means for simultaneously driving said rotary means in rotation to thereby lift a product supported on said lift platform into holding engagement with one said product-holder, means dispensing wrappers, one at a time, in covering relation over each product during said lifting thereof into said holding engagement with one said product-holder such that said wrapper leading and trailing edges extend beyond opposite ends of said product in depending relation therewith, means urging said wrapper-covered product in feed movement through a wrapping station, a conveyor belt adapted to engage said wrapper-covereD product from below moving at a speed exceeding said feed movement effective to cause folding of said wrapper depending trailing edge against said product, and a folding abuttment located in the path of movement of said wrapper depending leading edge effective to cause the folding thereof against said product.