Apparatus for erecting folding boxes

Claim 1

Apparatus for erecting flat folding boxes each of which has a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls and folding tabs adjoining the latter, said apparatus comprising: a magazine defined by means for holding a substantially horizontal stack of a plurality of said flat boxes disposed in substantially vertical planes; a substantially horizontal discharge path, disposed below said magazine, defined by means for discharging erected boxes; a single pivotable and translatable elongated gripper arm means (33) having an initial position at or below said horizontal discharge path and having first suction means (34) for engaging and holding the front wall of a first flat box in said magazine; stationary holder means (37) carrying second suction means (38) for holding a side wall of said flat box and being disposed between said magazine and said discharge path; link means, including two guide rods (42, 43) and coupled to one end of said gripper arm means, for pivoting said gripper arm means upwardly out of said initial position so that said first suction means (34) engages and holds the front wall of a first flat box in said magazine, for translating said gripper arm means vertically downward until a lower folding edge of said first flat box is supported on said discharge path (32), and for then pivoting said gripper arm means until the held box abuts said stationary holder means and said second suction means holds a side wall of said flat box, and for then pivoting said gripper arm means downwardly toward said initial position so that said flat box is erected.