403,873. Wrapping-machines. HESSER MASCHINENFABRIK AKT.-GES., F., 99, Olgastrasse, Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany. May 17, 1933, Nos. 14230 and 14231. Convention dates, June 4, 1932 and Oct. 1, 1932. [Class 94 (i).] In a machine for wrapping oranges, lemons, apples, &c. a sheet of paper is cut from a web, moistened, folded about the article in the form of a tube, and the projecting portions are folded and twisted, and the twisted portions are spirally wound. The oranges &c. 1, Fig. 1, roll down a trough 2 on to a support 3, in which position the foremost is held by a resiliently mounted arm 4. Gripping members 5, 6, Fig. 3, now approach and seize the article and convey it, with a wrapper, into one of a series of pockets 65, 66 mounted for intermittent rotation on a shaft 60. The grippers comprise blocks 5, 6 of truncated conical form having end cavities 5<1>, 6<1> to form engaging surfaces corresponding to those of the article. The blocks are mounted on arms 11, 12 by means of sliding bolts 7, 8 resiliently held in engaging position by springs 13, 14. The arms 11, 12 are carried by sleeves 15, 16 longitudinally movable on a shaft 17 but locked against rotation by a key 18, Fig. 1. Longitudinal movement is imparted by levers 23, 24 and the shaft 17 is rocked by links 31, 32. Plates 45, 46 are mounted on levers 41, 42 to co-operate with the holders, and are prevented from moving outward beyond the position shown in Fig. 1. The paper web is fed from a roll 81 by feed rolls 82, 83, the former of which rotates in a water-tank 84, excess of water being removed by a roll 85. The web now passes over a long path defined by rollers 86, 87 to allow the water to be properly absorbed, and is inteumittently fed downwards by rolls 88, 89 between guides 90, 91. A length a is severed by a knife 92 and is carried into the pocket by the article 1 and holders 5, 6, during which movement the press plates 45, 46 clamp the wrapper against the peripheries of the holders and assist in the formation of a U-shaped fold with outstanding ends a', a<11>. The sides 65, 66 of the pockets, which are enclosed in yielding covers 77, 78, are rocked about their pivots 67, 68 to close upon the article, and the edge a<1> is folded up by a blade 97. The holders 5, 6 disengage from the ends of the wrapper and the pocket is now rotated to positions II, a plate 96 folding down the flap a<11>. The tubular ends of the wrapper are pressed together by two pins of angularly shaped folding members 100, 101, the sides of which are of comb-like formation, and the individual prongs are displaced so that on approaching they interengage and pass through each other and press the ends up into the centre line a<111>. The article is now conveyed to position III. Where the preliminarily folded ends are in position to be engaged by twisting tongs, one of which is shown in Fig. 4. Each tong comprises legs 117, 118 furnished with angular tongues 119, 120 and pivoted at 127 on the driving shaft 126. Strips 121, 122 are mounted at the front end, so that a bore of flattened hexagonal form is formed as shown in Fig. 5. The tongs are moved inwards, closing and rotating at the same time to produce a twisted cord like structure of the ends of the wrappers. The pocket moves the article to position IV, where the ends are seized by a second pair of grippers 150, 151, Fig. 9, which curl the twisted ends into a spiral and lay them flat against the article. The grippers, which approach the article as the curling proceeds, are provided with plates 154, 155 forming the pressing surfaces, and outwardly extending arms for centering the twisted ends if they have been deflected. The wrapped article is fed. to position V at which point the wares of the pocket open and allow it to pass down a discharge shoot 185. An alternative form of end pressure, for carrying out the operations at position II, is illustrated in Fig. 10. Plates 100', 101<1>, mounted on arms 104<1>, 105<1>, approach and press the open tubular ends into the form shown in Fig. 13. Folds a<5> are formed by ridges 242 and grooves 241 to ensure increased stiffness of the ends and to facilitate the subsequentoperations. Perforations 217 in the plates allow escape of the air in the folds of the paper. After moving to position III, the ends are twisted by tongs 117<1>, 118<1>, Fig. 15, which when closed together form a cone. The tongs are first moved towards the article in the open state and then closed and twisted, after which the tongs are moved backwards for some distance without being opened. In the open condition a ball 212 on a sleeve 1341 on the driving shaft 126<1> is pressed into a notch 220 by a spring 214, and the shaft and sleeve move together to the left under the influence of an arm 1391. When a collar 226 abuts a ring 228, the longitudinal movement of the shaft is stopped but the sleeve continues to move, the ball 212 is sprung out of the notch 220 into a notch 221 and the resulting movement of links 128<1>, 1291 closes the jaws. On retraction, the jaws are opened in a similar manner by the action of a collar 225.