639,582. Packing. CONSOLIDATED PACKAGING MACHINERY CORPORATION. July 25, 1947, No. 20046. Convention date, Aug. 4, 1940. [Class 94(i)] A machine for closing and sealing slack filled paper bags having collapsed upstanding mouths, comprises means for forming spaced upper and lower crease lines below the end of the bag mouth, and means including an arcuately cross-sectioned folding blade 52 (Fig. 4) having an edge engageable with the end. portion of the mouth and projectable forwardly and downwardly over the upper crease line for folding the end of the mouth along the upper crease line. The Specification also des- . cribes means for collapsing and smoothing, and then trimming the bag mouths before creasing and forming the first fold, and means for applying adhesive means for forming the final fold and for bending the closure to the 'horizontal position. Collapsing and smoothing bag mouth (Fig. 2). After the bag mouth has been collapsed at station D, Fig. 1 (not shown) it is moved along a table 5 by an intermittently movable conveyer to a bag mouth smoothing station E, Fig. 2. This comprises a rod 18 carrying two pairs 19, 20 of depending arms maintained in spaced relation by rods 21, 22 adapted to engage in outwardly bowed portions 17 of spaced guideways 15 which depend from a projecting portion 14 of the main frame A. A strip 24 of canvas or similar material extends over a fixed bar 23 and around the surfaces of clamping plates 25 provided on the arms 19 and 20, the ends of the strip 24 being attached to tension springs 27, 28 fixed to the arms 19, 20. The rod 18 and therefore arms, 19, 20 are moved vertically by means of pivoted levers 13 attached by a link 12 to an arm 9 which is pivotally connected at 10 to the frame and oscillated by means of a rotating cam 8 and follower 11. When a bag arrives at station E the arms 19, 20 are in their raised position, and the clamping plates 25 and the associated portions of the strip 24 are spaced apart (by means of the springs 27, 28) to permit the bag mouth to enter therebetween. As the cam 8 rotates the forward ends of the levers 13 are lowered, the plates 25 sliding upon the outer surfaces of the canvas strip, until the rods 21, 22 engage the bowed portions 17 which results in a clamping of the bag mouth while continuously drawing together the sides of the bag end. Trimming, creasing, and forming first fold (Fig. 4). The bag is next moved to a station F where the end is trimmed bv means of a fixed blade 32 and a blade 35 carried by a reciprocable slide member 34 supported in guideways 33. A pair of creasing blades 67 and 68 carried by a member 65 pivotally mounted at 66 are then moved into creasing relation with the bag mouth (Fig. 3, not shown) the lower blade 68 passing through a slot 47 in a guide block 44 and into a groove 48 in an anvil 45. This blade 68 may be slotted to receive clamping bolts 70 and its position adjusted by means of adjusting screws 71. The upper blade 67 forms a crease in the bag mouth between the top of the anvil 45 and the arcuate folding blade 52 when in its retracted position. This blade 52 is adapted to be moved in an arcuate path, between arcuate surfaces 49, 50 by means of pivot pins 54 carried by the blade 52 and pivoted in blocks 58 slidably supported in a bifurcation 57 at the end of a lever 55. After the creasing blades have been retracted the blade 52 is moved to fold the end of the bag mouth along the upper crease line over the wedge-shaped top of block 44 as shown in Fig. 4. The operation of the trimming, creasing and first folding elements at this station is effected in turn through link mechanisms shown in Fig. 4 which are actuated by cam and follower mechanism illustrated in Figs. 19, 17 and 18 respectively (not shown) the cams all being mounted on the shaft 7 shown in Fig. 2. Gluing (Fig. 5). A strip of adhesive is next applied to the bag mouth by means of a wheel 87 in frictional engagement with a wheel 86 which is partly immersed in a container 84 holding a supply of adhesive. The wheel 86 is mounted on a shaft 85 driven by suitable means (not shown) and journalled in a bearing boss 83. A pressure bar 88 keeps the bag mouth in contact with the wheel 87 and a restraining rod 89 prevents the first fold from opening completely. Forming final fold (Figs. 7 and 10). The bag is next moved to station G the parts of which are then in the positions shown in Fig. 7. An upturned flange 92 on a fixed plate 91 forms a continuation of the bar 88 of Fig. 5. A cam on shaft 7 (Fig. 20, not shown) moves a rod 99 and bell crank 97 pivoted at 39 to project a rack 96 forwardly and thereby effect a partial rotation of a pinion 95 and crank discs 102 rigidly mounted on a shaft 94. A housing 98 pivotally mounted on the shaft 94 maintains the rack 96 in mesh with the pinion 95. The crank discs 102 are pivotally connected to a pair of spaced parallel arms 104 by means of crank pins 103 carried on the faces of the crank discs. The forward end of each arm 104 is provided with a depending finger 107 having a concavo-convex end surface 108 engageable with the crease line of the first fold of the bag mouth, and as the crank discs rotate, the fingers 107 will move this crease line forwardly and downwardly to form the final fold. A temporary creasing blade over which this fold is effected is provided by the edge of an inclined lip portion 113 of a plate 111 having a width at least equal to that of the bag mouth. The plate 111 is pivotally connected at 112 to an arm 110, and continued downward movement of the fingers 107 causes the plate 111 to swing downwardly about the pivot 112 and also causes the arm 110 to turn about a mounting shaft 109. The plate 111 is urged upwardly into contact with an adjusting screw 115 threaded through the arm 110, by a tension spring 116 extending between the arm 110 and an inclined lug 114 on the plate 111. At the position shown in Fig. 10 an adjustable abutment screw 125 carried by. the rack 96 engages the arm 110 so as to move it further forward and disengage the lip 113 from the bag mouth (Fig. 11, not shown). The fingers 107 are meanwhile being moved downwardly and rearwardly so as to clamp the formed closure against the flange 92 (Fig. 12, not shown). The plate 111 has slots in its forward edge to accommodate a pair of rigidly mounted spaced depending fingers 121, the lower parts of which are arcuately shaped as at 122 to control and position the first folded portion during this final folding operation. A rigid spacing bar 123 extends between the ends of the fingers 121. Further rotation of the cam (Fig. 20, not shown) retracts the rack 96 and returns the various parts to the positions shown in Fig. 7. Bending closure to horizontal position (Fig. 15). The bag is next moved to station H where a presser foot 129 secured to the lower end of an arm 128 pivoted at 109, is moved forwardly from the dotted to the full line position to bend the closure forwardly over a plate 127 firstly and then lightly apply pressure thereto. The arm 128 carries a lug 130 connected by links to cam and follower mechanism (not shown) similar to that in Fig. 17 (not shown), and the plate 127 is held by an arm 126 fixed to shaft 109. The conveyer then moves the bag beneath a horizontal plate 134 having an inclined lip 135 to maintain the closure in its bent-over position, and then to a drier wherein the closure is maintained in its tightly formed position until the adhesive has set.