Gate mechanism for carton erecting machine

Claim 1

In a carton erecting machine having frame means mounting a magazine supporting a stack of vertically oriented, flat folded cartons arranged one beside the other along an axis, the magazine including means to move and guide the cartons one after another to a take-down station, improved gate mechanism to releasably retain a carton in the take-down plane comprising; a first pair of spaced apart restrainer means, said spacing providing for the pair to be respectively disposed on opposite sides of said stack; for each first restrainer means, means mounting the first restrainer means on the machine frame for movement as between an open and closed position; means to move said first restrainer means simultaneously to the open position or to the closed position; in its closed position, each first restrainer means extending in front of the lead carton of the stack whereby to restrain motion of same and to locate the lead carton in a take-down plane at said take-down station; in its open position, each first restrainer means being spaced away from the lead carton so as not to intefere with the movement of the lead carton out of the take-down plane for the erection operation; a second pair of restrainer means respectively disposed adjacent said first restrainer means on opposite sides of said stack; for each second restrainer means, means mounting the second restrainer means on the machine frame for movement as between an open and a closed position; means to move said second restrainer means simultaneously to the open position or to the closed position; in its closed position, each second restrainer means engaging the stack whereby to restrain the carton next to the lead carton from popping out of said stack; in its open position, each second restrainer means being spaced away and the disengaged from said stack; and mechanism connected between said means to move said first restrainer means and said means to move said second restrainer means, the mechanism providing for said second restrainer means to move to the closed position when said first restrainer means commerces to move to the open position and for said second restrainer means to move the open position when said first restrainer means has moved substantially to its closed position.