US2125528A

US2125528A - Band strapping machine

Info

Publication number: US2125528A
Application number: US739734A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert E Twomley
Original assignee: Acme Steel Co
Current assignee: Acme Steel Co
Priority date: 1934-08-14
Filing date: 1934-08-14
Publication date: 1938-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-02

Description

Aug. 2, 1938.

H. E. TWOMLEY BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934' 10 SheetsSheet l Inventor HerbQrZl Z Tuomley Aug. 2, 1938.

Filed. Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 l r o 144 156 2- 2 14 o 11- I I -1 a S 0 17a Inventor HoibertEi Tuomley .iltorney 1938- H. E. TWOMLEY 2,125,528

BAND STRAPP ING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 2, 1938. H. E. TWOMLEY BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1954 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 HerbrzETuozzzZey Attormy Aug. 2, 1938. E. TWOMLEY BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 Inventor HQZ'bQZ'Z'E Tuomley zlllorney Aug. 2, 1938. H. E. TWOMLEY BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 Inventor HezzborzE'. Tuomiey 1938- H. E. TWOMLEY BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 ln-ventar firberzE Tuomley nor-nay Aug. 2, 1938. TWQMLEY 2,125,528

BAND STRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 Herbert E fliuomley Aug. 2, 1938. H. E. TWOMLEY BAND S TRAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1934 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 HerbefiEiTwomZeg 4Ilnrney Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mesne assignments, to Acme Steel ompany,

Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 14, 1934, Serial No. 739,734

20 Claims.

My invention relates to strapping machines and has particular reference to a machine adapted to apply a band or strip of material about at least two sides of a box or other container.

In certain packing industries boxes are required to be reinforced or have their parts secured together by the application about the box parts of a metal strap, which strap may be secured to the box parts by either forming driving [0 ends upon the strap material which are then driven into the box parts, or by means of nails which are driven through the strap material into the various box parts.

My present invention relates to that type of [6 strapping mechanisms which are employed by applying a band of flat strap material to the box parts by driving nails through the strap material and more particularly to the class of machines which apply such strap material across 0 the covers of boxes to secure or reinforce the covers upon the boxes. 1

In the citrus industry it has long been the common practice to pack oranges or other fruits in boxes in such a manner that the box is over- 25 packed, that is a greater amount of material is used than is necessary to completely flll the box, the over-pack of the material being forced under pressure down into the box so as to compensate for the natural shrinkageof the fruit during its 30 transportation and storage and for this purpose it is necessary that the covers applied to the containers shall be sufliciently flexible'to be bound down over the protruding contents of the box and shall be secured to the box in a tensioned relation so that the cover will follow the shrinking of the fruit and keep the same in tight packed relation during the shrinking period. The common practice, therefore, is to compress the central portion of the cover over the protruding or over- ]40 packed fruit and to apply a strap to such cover while the cover is held under compression, the strap being drawn sufficiently taut over the compressed cover that when pressure is released upon the cover the same will spring back against the 5 relatively tight strap and will be held by the strap in tensioned relation (that is in compressa ing relation upon the fruit).

In my application Serial No. 590,455, filed February 2, 1932, now U. S. Letters Patent No. 50 1,937,675, granted December 5, 1933, I disclosed a machine for applying straps to covers of boxes of this character, in which the band or strap material was fed from a suitable endless source of supply and directed across the covers of boxes 55 whereupon one end of the strap was secured to the box, the strap drawn taut, and the other end of the strap secured to the box, whereupon the length of strap material so secured to the box was cut of! from the supply of material.

It is an object of my present invention to pro- 5 vide a machine of similar character which will apply bands across the covers'of boxes and cut 1 the same from a. supply of material.-

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine for applying bands or straps across the covers of boxes, in which the covers will be compressed upon the fruit prior to the securing of the band thereon.

I Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of the character described, in which one end of the strap material is initially secured to the box by partially driving a nail through the band into the box and then the final driving of the nail occurring only when the opposite end of the strap is nailed to the box.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of the character described which is adapted to apply a band across the covers of boxes and to secure the same thereto, the two operations being performed in sequence permitting the interruption of the operation at the end of either one of the steps.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of the character set forth in which the ends of the strap or strip of material employed as the band will be driven into the material of which the box is formed so as to prevent extending edges thereon from liability of becoming caught on other boxes or other objects.

Another object of my invention is to provide a box strapping machine adapted to place a'strap across the covers of boxes irrespective of the amount of over-pack of the contents of the box and in which the length of strap material applied to each box will be only such length as is 40 required to extend adequately across the cover of the particular box being strapped, thereby automatically adjusting the length of the strap material used to the particular conditions existing on the box being strapped.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following specifications read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the opposite side of the machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the machine constructed in accordance with my-invention, looking in the direction of the arrow shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the manner of mounting a driving motor upon a machine ochstrut-ted in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 5 is a detail end elevational tdew of the motor and its mounting means as shown in Figure 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail end elevational view of the motor and its connecting means to the operating parts of themachine.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of Figurefi.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the feeding mechanism employed to feed strap material from a suitable source of supply.

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view of the strap feeding mechanism employed in the practice of my invention.

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view taken along the line X-=X of Figure 9.

' guide shown in Figures 3 and 12, enlarged to illustrate the detail of its construction.

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken along the line XIXI of Figure 9.

Fig. 12 is a detail partial sectional view, partly in end elevation, illustrating the strap feeding mechanism and nail driving mechanism employed in the practice of my invention.

Fig. 13 is a detail view of the strap feeding anvil employed on the strap feeding mechanism at the point of initial entry of the strap, looking in the direction of the arrow XIII of Figure 12.

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the strap anvii employed in the strap feeding mechanism at the opposite .or terminal end of the strap, looking in the direction of the arrow XIV of Figure 12.

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view of the strap Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of Figure 15.

Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view of one of the strap nailing mechanisms taken along line XVIIXVII of Figure 12.

Fig. 18 is a. side elevational view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a modified form of my invention. 1

Fig. 19 is a detail view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a motor cut-off mechanism employed with the modification shown in Figure 18.

Fig. 2G is a detail view of an operating mechanism which may be employed to operate my machine by manual power in place of electric motor means.

Fig. 21 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 18 illustrating the manual operation of my machine.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the general assembly of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, such machine comprising a suitable base formed of longitudinal rails I and 2 connected in spaced relation to each other by means of cross bars 3 to form a rectangularbase frame from which rise two sets of uprights, one being formed of

bars

4 and 5 attached to rml I and the other comprising identical upright bars 9 and I attached to rail 2 and extending upwardly therefrom. The upper ends of the groups of uprights 4-5 and 6-1 are connected together by a casting 8 so as to form a substantially rigid vertically extending truss upon which is mounted a. crosshead 9 for reciprocation vertically along the uprights 4-5 and 5-I.

Between the casting 8 and the base I-2--3 is mounted a box supporting table Ill preferably secured at a convenient level upon a plurality of upright legs I I attached to and extending upwardly from the base |2-3. The box supporting table is preferably constructed of a pair of longitudinal rails 12 interconnected at each end by cross bars l3 and having spaced along the longitudinal extent of the rails l2 a plurality' of rollers l4. constituting a roller conveyor over which boxes l5 may readily be passed longitudinally cf the machine.

The reciprocating crosshead 9 constitutes the arrier for a press shoe l6 (Figs. 3 and 121: connected to the crosshead 9 by toggie levers i1 and I8 interconnected by means of springs l9 so that as the crosshead 9 is moved downwardly toward a box on the supporting table l3 the press shoe l5 will engage the cover 20 of the box and press the same downwardly upon the over-packed fruit to compress the cover and the fruit during the application of the strap to the box. The press shoe I6 is preferably formed of two reiatively narrow plates, the lower edges oiv which are formed in arcuate shape to assist in shaping the fiat boards, of which the cover 29 is constructed, in an arcuate contour laterally of the box, the two plates It being interconnected at their ends by means of a fiiler casting 2| which constitutes the mounting for guide rods 22 extending upwardly and through the crosshead 9 to hold the press shoe IS in vertical alignment with the crosshead 9 irrespective of variations in the contours of covers 20 encountered by the press shoe. With the corn truction of the press shoe and its connection to the crosshead 9, as described, it will be apparent that a predetermined amount of movement may be given the crosshead 9 upon each strapping operation and that the press shoe IE- will be moved downwardly into engagement with the cover 20 of the box and compress the same with a predetermined pressu e, deter= mined by the tension of the spring l9, and further that irrespective of the fact that the cover 20 on different boxes may extend a different distance above the box, the press shoe [6 will only be moved down until the desired pressure is exerted upon the box, thereafter the crosshead 9 being capable of downward movement independent of the press shoe IS without exerting further pressure upon the cover. Thus, the crosshead 9 may be moved a predetermined distance upon each operation and the toggle and spring connections of the press shoe will compensate for difierent levels 01' pack of the fruit within the boxes.

The crosshead 9 is drawn downwardly by means of a crossbar '23, the ends of which are connected through

vertical bars

24 and 25 to the crosshead 9 as. indicated at '26 and 21. Thus, downward movement of the crossbar 23 wiil draw the crosshead 9 downwardly, while upward movement of the crossbar 23 will return the crosshead 9 to its normal'uppermost position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3; As will be hereinafter pointed out, the crossbar 23 may be reciprocated either by power or manually.

Strap feeding mechanism Since the machine is adapted to apply to the covers of boxes, straps formed from a length of strapping material, preferably an elongated fiat band, a supply of such band material may be supplied to the machine from a reel 28 (Figs. 3

and 8) which, if desired, may be supported upon the machine though I prefer to rotatably support the same in a suitable frame 29. The strap material 30 from such reel may be fed into themachine over a suitable guide roller 3| Journaled upon a vertical axis 32 mounted between the side uprights 6-1 upon the left hand side of the machine as viewed in Figure 3. The band 38 may then extend over a suitable take-up pulley 33 (Figs. 2 and 8) mounted upon vertically extending arm 34 rigidly connected to a shaft 35 to which a lever 36 is also connected and is normally urged toward the rear of the machine by means of aspring 31. The band 38 then extends between a pair of

strap feeding rollers

38 and 39 which are so mounted upon a bracket 40 as to present their peripheries to the surface of the strap or band 30 with just sufficient space for the band to pass therebetween. Thus, by rotating the strap feeding rollers 38 and 39 (Fig. 2) in one direction, the strap or band material 30 will be drawn from the reel 28 and passed upwardly into a strap feed tube 4| while rotation of the

strap feeding rollers

38 and 39 in the opposite direction will draw the strap material 30 down through the feed tube 4| where the material so drawn willv be kept taut by the action of the take-up pulley 33.

' By referring particularly to Figures 9. 10 and 11, it will be seen that the

strap feed rollers

33 and 39 are arranged to operate at exactly the same peripheral speed by rigidly connecting to each of these rollers a

gear

42 and 43, respectively, which gears are so selected in size and pitch that when the gears are intermeshed and one of them is rotated the other will be rotated at the same peripheral speed, since it is necessary to feed from the reel 28 a length of strap sufficient to extend across the cover of the box and then it is necessary to retract the strap to tighten the same upon the box. During the latter movement, however, a lesser length of material will be retracted than was moved forwardly and it is, therefore, necessary that the driving mechanism for the

rollers

38 and 39 shall be connected to these rollers by a suitable slip connection, which is illustrated herein as comprising a pair of

friction discs

44 and 45 rot'atably mounted upon a drive shaft 46, the disc 44 engaging the feed roller 39 through the medium of a disc of friction material 41, while the disc 45 engages the gear 43 through the medium of a similar disc 48 of friction material. The two

discs

44 and 45 are pressed toward each other by means of a suitable compression spring 49 on the shaft 46 so that rotation of the shaft 46 will rotate the discs 45 and thus frictionally rotate the gear 43 and roller 39. The two

discs

44 and 45 are illustrated as being interconnected for simultaneous rotation by means of a pair of

pins

50 and 5|, between which extends a cross-pin 52 rigidly secured to the drive shaft 46. Thus, upon rotation of the drive shaft 46 through a predetermined number of revolutions in one direction the

feed rollers

38 and 39 will be rotated a sufficient distance to draw a predetermined length of strap from the reel and feed the same over the cover of a box while upon reverse rotation of the shaft 46 and similar number of revolutions the strap will be retracted until it becomes taut, thereupon the

friction discs

44 and 45 will slip on the feed roller 39 and hold the strap taut without further retraction of the same. It will also be observed at this point that rotation of the drive shaft' 46 in a counter-clockwise direction, as

thus providing a slight lag between the reverse rotation of the shaft 46 and the reversemovement ofthe feed roller '39. This lag will, as will be hereinafter described, provide for a cutting operation by which the length of strap which has been secured to the box may be cut from the supply and the cutter therefor will be withdrawn out of the path of the strap prior to the subsequent feeding movement to feed a second strap into the machine.

Rotation of the shaft 46 is accomplished by rigidly connecting to the shaft 46 two small pinions 53 and 53' engageable with gear racks 54 and 54', respectively, to the drive bars 21 and 26 which, as hereinbefore described, connect with the crossbar 23 and the crosshead 9. 'Thus, whenever the crosshead 9 is drawn downwardly, the downward movement of the drive bars 2621 will cause the shaft 46 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction while upward movement of the crosshead 9 will cause the shaft 46 to be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2.

Strap guide By referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 12, it will be observed that a pair of vertically extending carrier bars 55 and 56 are mounted between the

uprights

4 and 5 at one side of the machine while a similar pair of carrier bars 51 and 58 are likewise mounted between the

uprights

6 and 1 at the opposite side of the machine.

The lower ends of the

uprights

55 and 56 are pivoted upon a shaft 59 which extends from a bracket 68 secured to the side rail 2 of the box supporting table, the opposite end of the shaft 59 engaging the upright 5. Carrier bars 51 and 58 are likewise pivoted upon a similar shaft 6| upon the opposite side of the machine so that the carrier bars 5556 and the carrier bars 5153 may move inwardly of the machine. The carrier bars 55 and 56 constitute supports or carriers for a nail chuck 63 and an anvil 64. By referring particularly to Figures 12 and 17, it will be observed that the nail chuck 63 comprises a horizontal base 65 bolted as at 66 to a casting 61 extending between and secured to both of the carrier bars 55 and 56. A nail chuck body 68 is bolted directly to the base 65 and has a pair of jaws 69 and"! pivoted thereto, between which a nail 1| may rest and be pressed outwardly by a reciprocating nail driver 12.

Secured directly to the casting 61 is the anvil 64 against which the forward or free end of the strap 30 may abut, the anvil 64 comprising a block of metal particularly shown in Figure 14. Immediately above the nail chuck is a strap terminal guide 13 comprising a block of metal-having a recess 14 extending vertically down the face of the block. The recess 14 constitutes a seat in which the right hand end of a strap guide is secured, this guide being constructed of a relatively narrow resilient band of metal placed in the recess 14 and heldtherein by means of a filler block 16 secured to the terminal guide 13 by means of a screw 11. The strap guide 15 extends in an arch across the box supporting table and has its opposite or left hand end secured, as at 18, in a similar terminal guide block 19 mounted upon the carrier bars 51 and 58 on the left hand side of the machine.

Similarly a casting 80 extends between and is mounted upon the carrier bars 51 and 58, to which is secured the base 8| of a nail chuck assembly, including jaws similar to the jaws 69 and '10, through which a nail 82 may, be driven by a nail punch 83.

A second strap anvil 84 is secured to the front end of the casting 80, into which the strap guide tube 4| extends, the strap guide tube being supported at its lower end and being free to telescope relative to the casting 80.

Thus, the strap material 30 when fed by the

feed rollers

38 and 39 will pass upwardly through the guide tube H to strike the strap guide which, by reason of its arcuate shape, will guide the incoming strap in an arc across the box supporting table until the free end of the band or strap material 30 strikes against the anvil 64 on the right hand side of the machine as viewed in Figures 3 and 12. I 7

It will be apparent, therefore, that cycle of operation of the

machine f

38 and 39 must be rotated tlir .lg e

distance in order to insure tha his' ful length, of strap will be fed into the machineandiacross' the box supporting table and hence for this purpose it is necessary that the drive bars 24 and 25 shall operate through the same amount of vertical travel upon each operation of the machine entirely independent of the total amount of travel afforded the cover press shoe I6.

By referring particularly to Figures 12, lband 16, it will be observed that a box like guide housing is provided over the strap guide 15, this housing comprising a pair of

plates

85 and 86 connected together at their outer ends by means of a cross strap 81. It will be noted that the

plates

85 and 86 extend approximately one-half of the distance between the two sides of the machine, there being a similar set of

plates

88 and 89 likewise connected at their outer ends by a cross strap 90. The inner ends of the two sets of plates 85-86 and 88-89 are pivotally connected together as by passing a short shaft 9| through suitable aligned-openings in the plates, the shaft 9| preferably extending also. through a tube 92 welded at the approximate center of the strap guide 15. The strap guide 15 also has secured thereto a pair of lugs 93 to form a sliding engagement with the cross straps 81 and 90 so that the entirestructure is supported upon and operates with the strap guide 15 as a unit. By referring particularly to Figures 12 and 15, it will be noted that when the carrier bars are in their extended position (the positions shown in Figure 3), the strap guide 15 will be somewhat stretched out while when the carrier bars are in their inner positions (as shown particularly in Figure 12) the strap guide will be more sharply arched and the plates 85--86 and 88-89 will have been moved slightly toward each other. Thus, in both the extended and the contracted positions of the strap guide 15 the plates 8586 and 8889 will constitute side guiding plates preventing the incoming strap from being deflected away from the strap guide.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the incoming strap will tend to follow a straight line instead of following the curve of the guide 15 and it is, therefore, necessary to provide some means for guiding the end of the incoming strap, not only in an are over the box supporting table but also to flex or bow the portions .of the strap adjacent the end so that the body portion of the strap will extend in the arcuate shape desired to follow the contour of the strap guide 15. For this reason, I have provided along the strap guide 15 a plurality of deflectors 94 preferably formed of short strips of spring steel against which the free end of the incoming strap may ride and which will from up m wh- Y partially described'hereinbefore with reference to; the nail-chucks and nail chuck assemblies. 'The nail driving mechanisms, however, differ this construction insure that the strap will follow the contour of the strap guide 15 but it will insure that the end of the strap will abut the relatively narrow anvil 64 instead of deflecting inwardly and possibly failing to contact the anvil 64.

Nail driving mechanisms The nail driving mechanisms have been slightly on the opposite sides of the machine,

' the nail driving mechanism employed upon the right hand side of the machine as viewed in (see Figures 3 and 12) including the nail punch 12 connected at its outer end to a slide block 95 slidably mounted upon the horizontal base 65. The slide block 95 is connected through a suit- I able clevis 96 to a crank 91 pivoted upon a short shaft 98 extending through a filler block 99 welded or otherwise secured to the uprights 4 and By referring particularly to Figure 3, it will be observed that when the drive bar 26 is in its uppermost position the vertical arm of the bell crank I02 will beengaged in a notch .I03 upon the lower side of the arm I00 so that the arm I00 will be lifted to the position shown in Figure 3 and held in this elevated position as long as the drive bar 26 is elevated. Upon downward movement of the drivebar 26, the bell crank I02 will be moved downwardly away from the arm I00 and will permit the arm I00 to descend.

However, since'it is desired to start the nail into the side wall of the box I5 prior to the time that the strap is drawn taut, I arrange for the initial downward movement of the drive bar 26 to cause a small amount-of movement of the nail punch 12 and employ the full downward movement of the drive bar 26 to finally drive the nail completely. This initial driving of the nail is accomplished by providing a tension spring I04, connected to the casting 99 and to the crank 91, normally exerting a sufficient tension on the crank 91 to press a nail through the strap material and g into the box material a distance of approximately 7 one-fourth of an inch. However, when the drive bar 26 is in the elevated position, the crank 91 and its arm I00 are prevented from such driving movement and the inner surface of the arm I00 I04 when the crank 91 is cocked" or moved out;v

wardly to its extreme position will exert a force upon the pivot shaft I01 tending to swing the upper end of the trigger I06 outwardly into engagement with the shoulder I05. Thus, as the initial downward movement of the drive bar 26 occurs, the arm I will be prevented from descending by the trigger I08 and shoulder I even though the bell crank I02 has been moved entirely away from engagement with the arm I00. By referring particularly to Figures 3 and 12, it will be observed that the drive bar 26 has, upon its outer edge, a short cam I09 arranged to engage the lower end I I0 of the trigger I06 upon'a short distance of travel of the drive bar 26 so that after this short distance of travel has been accomplished the cam I09 will press the trigger I06 out of engagement with the shoulder I05, thereby releasing the arm I00 and permitting the tension spring I04 to "snap" the nail punch I2 inwardly initially driving the nail to the desired depth.

- As will be understood from the foregoing de scription of the strap feed mechanisms, the downward movement of the drive bars 26 and 21 will, by their gear racks 54, rotate the feed shaft 06 to cause the

feed rollers

38 and 39 to retract the strap 30, now secured by the nail on the right hand side of the machine, and the strap will be drawn taut across the cover 20 of the box I5.

It may also be of importance to note at this point that if, upon the initial downward movement of the drive bars 26 and 21, the strap is retracted by its

feed rollers

38 and 39 too rapidly a time delay mechanism, such as is illustrated in Figures 2 and 11, may be employed comprising ,a dog I53 engageable with the teeth of the gear 53 pivoted upon the side rail I0 oi' the box supporting table and urged by means of a spring I50 into engagement with the teeth of the gear 53. Thus, the gear 43 will be locked against rotation to tighten the strap until the dog I53 is removed from the gear 43. This may be accomplished by providing an arm I55 on the dog I53 engaging with a cam I56 carried by the inner edge of the drive bar 26 and arranged at such level and of such length that it will not engage the dog I53 until after such amount of downward movement of the drive bar 21 has occurred as will be necessary to allow'the strap to be thoroughly secured to the right hand side of the box.

However, due to the location and mounting of the cover press shoe I8, the cover press shoe will engage the cover 20 of the box and depress the same down upon the protruding contents of the box prior to the time that the strap is drawn completely taut so that the strap is in fact drawn taut upon a portion of the cover which has been over-compressed, .that is compressed beyond the normal level to which it is-desired to hold the cover when the strapping operations are complete.

In order that the return upward movement of the drive bar 26 shall recock the nail punch I2, the bell crank I02 is pivoted at III upon the drive bar 26 and has upon its outer arm a friction disc II2 which bears upon a plate II3 rigidly secured to the filler block 99, the friction disc II2 acting on the plate II3 as a friction drag. Thus, upon downward movement of the drive bar, the friction .disc II2 drag upon the plate I I3 will tend to swing the bell crank I02 out of the notch I03 and when the drive bar 26 has moved down sufliciently to separate the bell crank I02 from the arm I00, this bell crank I02 will be moved out of the path of downward movement of the arm I00. However, upon return movement of the drive bar 26, the bell crank I02, now disposed below the arm I00, will by the friction disc II 2 be swung to the right as viewed in Figure 12 to reposition the bell crank I 02 below the notch I03. Then upon continued upward movement of the drive bar 26 the bell crank will engage the arm I00 and lift the same to its extreme position, allowing the trigger I06 to again engage the shoulder I05 to hold the nail punch I2 cooked for a subsequent operation.

The nail driving mechanism upon the opposite orleft hand side of the machine includes the nail punch 83 secured to a slide block I I4 mounted for sliding movement upon the base 8I. The slide block I I0 is connected by a clevis I I5 to the end of a crank II6 fixed to a short shaft II'I pivoted in a filler block II8 similar to the casting 89. The shaft II! has rigidly connected thereto a forwardly extending arm II9 the outer end of which is in the path of a drive roller I20 (Fig. 3) 'on the drive bar 21 and also in the path of movement of a lift roller I 2| mounted upon the drive bar 21 so that when the drive bar 21 is inits uppermost position the lift roller I2I will lift the arm I I9 and hold the nail punch 83 in its extreme outward position.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the nail 82 must not be driven by its punch 83 until the cover has been fully compressed and the strap has been drawn taut, which will occur just prior to the completion of the downward movement of the drive bar 21.

Also the nail punch 83 when actuated to drive the final nail in the strap may also have associated therewith a cutter which will sever the attached strap from the source of supply and this cutting operation also must not occur until after all of the pressing and tightening operations have been completed.

the anvil 84 and will cut the strap 30 from the.

remainder of the supply.

By referring particularly to Figure 1'7 it will be observed that the opening 200 in the anvil 84, through which the strap is fed from the guide tube 0 I, is disposed at a considerable angle to the advancing end of the cutter blade I 23, thus forming an opposing cutter blade assisting in the rapid and clean cutting of the strap material.

In order to insure, however, that the nail punch 83 and its cutter I23 will not operate until the final downward movement of the drive bar 21 occurs, a trigger I25, similar tothe trigger I08, is employed to engage a shoulder I26-on the arm I I9, this trigger being arranged to be actuated by a cam I21 mounted upon the drive bar 21 but, as will be observed from an inspection of Figure 3, arranged at a considerably higher level than the cam I09. Thus, the trigger I25 will not be released until after the initial movement of the right hand nail driving apparatus has started the right hand nail into the box and until the strap has been drawn taut upon the box. Then the nail punch 83 is released ready to perform its nailing operations on the engagement of drive roller I20 with the arm II9.

It will be observed from an inspection of Figure 3 that the drive roller IOI on the right hand side of the machine and the drive roller I20 on the left hand side of the machine are arranged at approximately the same level so that the final downward movement of the drive bars 26 and 21 will positively engage the drive arms I00 and I I9 to complete the nail driving operations simultaneously. a j,

When the nailing operation has been completed and the drive bars .26 and 21 start their return upward movement, to feed a new length of strap into the machine, it is desirable that the nail punch 83 and the cutter I 23 shall be im mediately'ietracted so as not to interfere with the irieoming length of strap. This may be readily accomplished by providing a compression spring I22 surrounding a bolt I 22a slidably supported upon the casting 80, the head of the bolt I 22a being bifurcated as indicated at H211 to engage a pin I22c on the nail driver crank I I6. The length of the bolt I 22a is such that when the nail punch 83 and the cutter 123 are projectedto their inneri the cover upon'the box, drawing the strap tight most positions, the pin I2-2c will have engaged the bolt I22a and moved the same inwardly against the force of the spring I22. Thus upon the initial upward movement of the drive bar i121, re-

leasing the engagement of roller I26 from the arm I I9, the spring I22 will instantly retract the crank II6, drawing the nail punch 83 and the cutter I23 outwardly to a sufiicient distance to uncover the passageway for the incoming strap end as the drive bar I21 continues its upward;

movement the roller I2I will engage the arm II9 to fully retract the cranks I I6.

As pointed out hereinbefore, the carrier bars -56 and 51-58 are pivotally mounted so that they may swing outwardly and inwardly relative to a box placed upon the supporting table I0. It will also. be observed that the upper ends of the carrier bars' are formed with an inwardly extending cam surface I28 engageable by rollers I29 mounted upon the press shoe I6. The press 351108 I6 when in its elevated position, representnail chucks will press tightly against the sides of 51 and 58 with a similar cross casting I3I.

the box even though the box may vary slightly in its width. This inward movement or the carrier bars with their nail chucks is accomplished by connecting the carrier bars 55 and 56 with a cross casting I30 and by connecting the carrier bars The cross casting I58 has secured to its face a pair of longitudinally extending fruit flushing blades I32 and I33, the outer ends of which are connected respectively to vertically extending bars I34 and I35. Bar 134 is pivoted upon the same shaft 59 which pivots the carrier bars 55 and 56 while the bar I35 is pivoted upon a similar shaft I36 aligned with the shaft 59. At the opposite side of the machine the cross; casting 3| is connected to' a pair of longitudinally extending blades I31 and I38 connectectrespectively to upright bars I 39 and I46, e-f whichbar I4ILis pivoted upon the shaft 6I which pivots the carrier bars 51 and 58, while upright bar I39 is pivoted upon a shaft 5 4I aligned with shaft 6|. g Upright bars I34 and I46 are connected across the machine by means of a relatively heavy tensioned spring I42 (Eig. 12), while a spring I43 similarly connects upright bars I35 and I 39 (Fig. 3). Thus, as soon as the press shoe I6 starts downwardly, the carrier bars will be swung inwardy by the springs I42 and I43 to serve pct only the purpose of drawing the nail chucks tight against the box but alse serving the purpose of centering the box I5 upon the supporting table I8. Further, the blades: I32I33 and I3I--I38 may be arranged at such a level that they will just clear the upper edges of the sides of the box and their inward movement toward the box may ;be employed as a fiusher for engaging any overhanging contents of the box and pressing the same inwardly of the box prior te the compression of the cover by the press shoe I6;

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided a strapping machine for placing straps across the covers of boxes by drawing a length of strap from a source of supply, passing the same over the cover of the box; attaching the free end to the box, compressing upon-the box, nailing the opposite end of the strap to the box, then severing; the strap so applied from the source of supply, and then returning the operating parts of the machine to their initial position; releasing the box, and feeding a new length of strap into the machine ready for the succeeding box.

Therefore, the operation of the machine thus far described is as follows. A' box? I5 to be strapped is fed into the machine upon the rollers of the box supporting table hand is drawn into such position upon the supporting table as will align the approximateicenter of the box with the uprights 4-5, and 6-3 of the machine;where the box may be held by any suitable box stop mechanism illustrated at I44 and I45, the construction of which maybe substantiallyidentical with any of the well known box centering or stopping mechanisms employed on box nailing ,and strapping machines common in this industry.

Aswming that at this time the machine is in its normal position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the press shoeI6 willbe elevated out of the way of the incoming box, the carrier bars 55-56, 5'I;;'=8 willbe retracted to allow plenty of space for the box to enter, and the drive bars 26 and 21 will be in their elevated position. By virtue of which, the shaft- 46 will; have been previously rotated to feed into theemachine a. length of strap 30 from the; supply so that the free end of the strap is new resting upon the anvil 64. Also, by reason of the elevated position of the drive bars 26 and 21, both of the nail driving mechanisms will be retracted, the nail punch 12 being cocked, and the nail punch 83 being also in its fully retracted position with the cutter blade I23 retracted.

The operator may now draw the drive bars 26 and 21 downwardly, as will be hereinafter described, either by manual power or by the operation of suitabie motor'mechanism. Downward moyement of :the drive bars 26 and 21 will first move the press shoe I6 downwardly toward the box past the cam surfaces I28 (Fig. 3), thus allewing the springs I43 to move the carrier bars 55- -56 and 5'I--58 inwardly toward the box engaging the

anvils

64 and 84 with opposite sides of the box to. insure proper'centering of the box upon the supporting table and to insure flush alignment of the anvils with the sides of the box.

Further, this initial inward movement of the carrier bars 55-56 and 5158 also moves the fiushers I32-I33 and I31-I,38 toward the box the engageiany overhanging contents of the box and press the same inwardly of the edges of the and trigger II cause initial driving of the nail on the right hand side of the machine through the free end of the strap and partially into the box; further movement will compress the cover of the box and draw the strap tight thereon by the engagement of the press shoe I6 and by the reverse rotation of the shaft 46.

Continued downward movement of the drive bars 21 will drive both of the

nail punches

12 and 83 inwardly to drive the nails home, while the cutter I23 will be actuated to' sever the now attached strap from the supply.

At this point it might be noted that the nail punch 12 may have associated therewith a. crimping blade I46, the outer end of which will engage the free end of the strap when the right hand nail is finally driven and will crimp or tuck the free end of the strap into the wood of the side wall of the box I5, thus preventing any edge of the strap from protruding where it may injure the hands of persons thereafter handling the box. Also the shape of the cutting end of the cutter I23 on the left hand side of the machine is such that after the completion of the cutting,

which is accomplished by the operator's elevation of the drive bars 26 and 21 (either by power or manual operation ashereinafter described), which will cause retraction of the

nail punches

12 and 83 with their crimping and cutting blades I46 and I23 and which will also reversely rotate the shaft 46 to feed into the machine a new length of strap.

At this point it should be noted that due to the coupling of the shaft 46 with the feed roller 39 through the agency of the pin 52 engaging one or the other of the spaced pins -5I aslight time lag will be produced between the retracti-ve movement of the cutter blade I23 and the start of the feeding in of the new length of strap so that the cutter blade will be retracted away from the upper end of the guide tube 4I before the upward feeding of the strap .is started.

The final upward movement of the drive bars 26 and 21 will recock the nail punch 12 and will insure final and complete retraction of the nail punch 83. i

The nails employed may be fed into the nail chucks from a suitable nail pan I41 mounted upon the upper end of the uprights 4-5, 6-1, from which the nails may be fed through suitable nail pick mechanism I48 similar in construction to the nail pick mechanisms commonly employed in this industry. The nails so selected may be fed through nail tubes I49 and I50 to their respective nail chucks, though I prefer to connect the lower ends of the nail tubes to a block I5I resting upon the nail chucks and held in place thereon by means of suitable spring actuated plungers I52 so that they may be readily removed when desired.

As hereinbefore stated, the operation of the machine may be either by power or by the manual force exerted by the operator thereof. I have illustrated the machine as power 'driven in Figures 1 to 19, in which an electric motor I51 is mounted upon the motor plate I58 which, in turn, is secured to the base of the machine as by trunnion bearings I58. By referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, it will be observed that the end of the motor mounting plate I56 opposite to the trimnion bearings I58 is formed with a pair of lugs I60 thereon which extend over a pair of upstanding bolts I6I around each of which is coiled a compression spring I62. Thus, when the motor is operated to drive the operating parts of the machine, the motor will exert a suificient force to operate the press shoe I6 and to operate the

nail drivers

12 and 63 but in the event that a box happens to be more overpacked than normal, the motor base will yield upon the springs I62 to prevent damage to the ,box or the fruit of such abnormal pack.

Further, the motor I51 (Figs. 3, 6 and 7) is connectedv to the crossbar 23 through acrosshead I63 which is slidable upon the bar 23 and is engaged by a crank pin I64 mounted upon the driven plate I65 of a friction clutch, of which the driving member. I 66 is keyed directly to either the motor shaft or to the shaftof a reduction gearsuflicient pressure will always be exerted to move the drive bars 26 and 21 of the machine to their normal full length of travel, any undue resistance to the movement of the drive bars 21 being compensated for by the slipping oi the clutch I 65-I66. However, it must be observed that in order to insure the full driving of the nails in the sides of the box, the drive bars 26 and 21 must be moved downwardly to substantially the same level upon each operation of the machine and for this reason the clutch I65-I66 must be adapted to exert sufflcient pressure to accomplish this full travel of the drive bars.

By reason of the connection of the motor I51 to the crossbar 23, through the crosshead I63, one complete rotation of the disc I 65 will first draw the drive bars 26 and 21 downwardly during one-half of the revolution of the disc I65, while during the last half'of the revolution the drive bars 26 and 21 will be elevated to their normal position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. In order to insure that the; motor I51 will stop when the the drive bars 26 and 21 have been completely elevated, I provide a motor control which preferably includes a switch I 61 arranged to be closed by actuation oi. a control pedal I68 (see Figure 3). The control pedal I68 is preferably formed upon the end of a lever I 69 rigidly secured to a shaft I 10 to which is also rigidly secured a lever "I connected to the switch I61 by connecting rod I12. Thus, depression of the pedal I68 will close the switch I61 and start the motor. By referring particularly to Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, it will be observed that the periphery of the disc I65 is provided with a notch I13 into which a roller I14 is mounted upon an upstanding lever I15 may rest when the notch I13 is aligned with the end of the lever I15. The lever I15 is likewise rigidly secured to the shaft I10 so that once the pedal I68 has been depressed and the motor started,

rotation of the disc I65 will present its greatest periphery to the roller I14 and will hold the shaft I10 in its depressed position, maintaining the circuit closed for the motor until the disc I65 has traveled through one complete revolution to again present the notch I13 to the roller I14.

It will thusbe observed that a momentary depression of the pedal I68 will cause the disc I65 to rotate through one complete revolution and it follows that the crossbar 23 will be moved through one complete cycle of operations,

namely, first drawn downwardly to its fullest extent and then raised upwardly to again assume its normal elevated position as shown in Figure 3.

If desired, a brake I16 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) may be mounted upon a crank I11 also rigidly secured to the shaft I10, the brake I16 engaging a brake drum I18 on the motor shaft so that depression of .the shaft I by the pedal I68 will withdraw the brake I16 from the brake drum I18 until the roller I14 is again received in the notch I13 allowing spring I10 to move the shaft I10 to again place the brake against its drum and insuring rapid stopping of the motor without over-travel.

In view of the fact that with my machine the operation and control thereof consists merely in first drawing the drive bars 26 and 21 downwardly to perform one-half of the. cycle of operations and then returning the drive bars 26 and 21 to their uppermost position to perform the last half of the cycle of operations, the machine is readily adaptedto manual operation as shown in Figures 20 and 21, in which the shaft 46 is illustrated as'being providedwith a sprocket I80 over which passes a chain I8I, one end of thechain being secured to a depressing lever I82 while the other end of the chain is connected to an elevating lever I83. Thus, to manually operate the machine, all that is necessary is for the operator to first step upon the pedal I82 operating the shaft 46 which, through the pinions 53 and gear racks 54 on drive bars 26 and 21, will draw these drive bars downwardly in the same manner asthough they had been drawn by the application of force to the crossbar 23. Then when the pressing and nailing operations on the strap' have the purpose of placing lids upon the boxes and for clamping them in place while the ends of the cover are nailed to the'ends ofthe. box.

In order to so adapt the machine, a pair of press frames I84 and I85 (Fig-"18) may be' socured to the press shoe I6, ,one of the press frames I84 being secured to: one of the plates forming the press shoe I6 while the other press frame I85 is secured to the opposite plate forming the press shoe I6. The outer ends of-the.

press frames may be formed with laterally extending feet I86 adapted to engage the cover to be applied to boxes at a point spaced inwardly a short distance from the extreme ends of the cover. Thus, when the machine is operated to draw the drive bars 26 and 21 downwardly and to draw the press shoe J6 downwardly, the press frames I84 and I85 will engage the ends ofthe cover and spring the same down over the protruding over-packed fruit until thecover ends have engaged the box. ends ready to be naile thereto. With this adaptation of my machine; however, it is necessary that the cycle ,of operations of the machine be interrupted at the point at which the drive bars 26 and 21 are at their lowest level and for thispurpose the disc I65 may be provided with two notches I 13 arranged at diametrically opposite points upon the disc so that when the disc has rotated through one-half of a" revolution, representing the travel of the drive bars 26 and 21 from their uppermost to their lowermost position, one of the notches I13 will be pressed opposite the roller I14 and will allow the switch I61 to be opened and the brake I16 applied to stop the motor and hold the motor stopped with the drive bars in their lowermost position and requiring a subsequent operation of the pedal'I68 to again start the motorito complete the cycle.

. During the interval, *the cover ends may be nafled to the box ends by hand or, if desired, suitable automatic nail driving apparatus may be incorporated in the machine (not shown but which will be readily understood by those skilled 5 in the art), to automatically nail the cover to the box.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to any of the details shown or 20 described herein except as defined in the appended claims. a

I claim:

1. In a machine for applying straps to boxes,

a supporting table for supporting boxes ready 5 the strap feeding means to draw said strap taut 30 upon said box, means for nailing the strap to the opposite side of said box, and means for completing the nailing of said free end of said strap to said box.

2. In a machine for applying straps to boxes,

a box supporting table, means for feeding a predetermined length of strap across said supporting table to position a strap'across a box thereon and for retracting said strap to draw the same taut upon the box, nailing means for nail- 40 ing the free end of said strap to. said box, and means controlled by said'nailing means for, preventing said feeding means from retracting said strap until the free end thereof is nailed to said box.

a box supporting table having uprights at opposite sides thereof, and means for feeding a strap across said nailing table between said uprights 3. In a machine for applying straps to boxes,

including an arcuate strap guide extending between said uprights and means on said strap guide for deflecting the free end of the incoming strap downwardly to bow said strap above said supporting table.

4. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a box supporting table, a pair'of drive bars, one on each side of said table, means mounting said drive bars for vertical reciprocation relative to said table, nailing means actuated by movement of said drive bars for nailing a strap to opposite sides of a box on said supporting table,- means for supporting a supply of strap material, means for feeding material from said supply across said table .and for retracting said material to draw the strap taut upon a box on said table, and

ment of said drive bars for retracting saidstrap material to draw the same tight upon a box.

5. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a supporting table for boxes to be strapped, a pair of nailing means mounted on opposite sides of said supporting table, means supporting a supply of a continuous length of strap material,strap feeding means engageable with said strap material for feeding said material in a direction from said source of supply and in a direction toward said source of supply, a pair of vertically reciprocating drive bars for actuating said nailing means, means for reciprocating said drive bar and means operable by movement of said drive bars to drive said strap feeding means to feed strap from said supply when said drive bars are moved in a direction to retract said nailing means and to feed strap material toward said supply when said drive bars are moved in a direction to nail said strap to said box.

6. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a supporting table for boxes to be strapped, a pair of nailing means mounted on opposite sides of said supporting table, means supporting a supply of a continuous length of strap material, strap feeding means engageable with said strap material for feeding said material in a direction from said source of supply and in a direction toward said source of supply, a pair of recited means including means for delaying the action of said feeding means to feed strap toward said supply until said nailing mechanism has been actuated to secure the free end of said strap material to said box.

7. In a machine for applying straps to Boxes, a supporting table for boxes to be strapped, a pair of nailing means mounted" on opposite sides of said supporting table, means supporting a supply of a continuous length of strap material, strap feeding means engageable with said strap material for feeding said material in a direction from said source of supply ,and in a direction toward said sourceof supply, a pair of vertically reciprocating drive bars for actuating said nailing means, for reciprocating said drive bars, and means operable by movement of said drive bars to drive said strap feeding means to feed strap from said supply when said drive bars are moved in a direction to retract said nailing means and to feed strap material toward said supply when said drive bars are moved in a direction to nail said strap to said box, said last recited means including means for delaying the actuation of said feeding means to feed strap from said supply until said nailing means has been retracted.

' 8. ,In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a box supporting table, a pair of nail driving mechanisms, one mounted on each side of said box supporting table, means for initially actu- 9. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a box supporting table, a pair of nail driving mechanisms, one mounted on each side of said box supporting table, means for initially actu-' ating one of said nail driving mechanisms to partially nail one end of a length of strap material to one side of a box, means for drawing said strap material taut across said box, means for then actuating said nailing means on the opposite side of said box to secure said taut strap to said box and means for then actuating said first named nailing means to complete the nailing of said first named end of said strap to said box.

10. In a machine for applying straps to boxes,

nailing means for securing one end of a length of strap material to a box, means for partially actuating said nailing means to partially secure one end of said strap to a box, means for completing the actuation of said nailing'means to completely secure said end of said strap to said box, and means for drawing said strap taut across said box between said partial operation and said completed operation of said nailing means.

11. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, a box supporting table, a pair of nail driving mechanisms, one mounted on each side of said box supporting table, means for partially actuating one of said driving mechanisms for partially securing one end-0f a strap to a box, and means for thereafter simultaneously actuating both of said nailing mechanisms to simultaneously complete nailing operations on both sides of said box.

12. In a machine for strapping boxes and the like, the combination of means for feeding strap material along its own axis across the top of a box in a plane disposed transversely of said box; nailing mechanisms at opposite sides of said box; means mounting said mechanisms for movement toward and away from said box; and a flexible strap guide means having its opposite ends mounted on said nailing mechanisms and shiftable therewith, the flexible character of said guide means causing the latter to automatically adjust its contour so asto properly'guide said strap regardless of the positions of said nailing mechanisms.

13. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, the combination of: a table for supporting a box;

means for feeding a strap into position across said box to permit said strap to be nailed to said box; nailing mechanisms positioned opposite those portions of said box to which said strap is to be nailed, said nailing mechanisms being disposable away from said box when the latter is re ceived in said machine and toward said box facilitate said strap nailing operation; and gathering members mounted for inward movement with said nailing mechanisms to gather produce inwardly from over upper edges of the sides of said box prior to said strap being nailed to said box.

14. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, the combination oi: a table for supporting a box; means for feeding a strap into position across said box to permit said strap to be nailed to said box; nailing mechanisms positionedopposite those portions of said box to which said strap is to be nailed; arms disposed on opposite sides of said box, said nailing mechanisms being mounted on said arms, the pivots of said arms being spaced substantial distances vertically from said nailing mechanisms; and gathering members mounted on said arms, said arms being swingable inward towards said box to bring said nailing mechanisms into their proper positions for nailing the said strap to said box and to bring said gathering members into position to gather produce inwardly from over upper edges nailed, said nailing mechanisms being disposable away from said box when the latter is received in said machine'and toward said box to facilitate said strap nailing operation; gathering members mounted for inward movement with said nailing mechanisms to gather produce inwardly from over tipper'edg'es of the sides of said box prior to said strap being nailed to said box; arid flexible strap guide means having its opposite ends mounted on said nailing mechanisms and shiftable therewith,,the flexible character of said guide means causing the latter to automatically adjust its contour so as to properly guide said strap regardless of this positions of said nailing mechanisms. 7 i

16. in a ma' hine for applying straps to boxes, the combination of: a table for supporting a box; means for feeding a strap into position 'across said box to permit said'strap to be nailed to said box;

nailing mechanisms positionedjopposite those portions of said box to which said strap is to be nailed; arms disposed on opposite sides of said box, said nai ing mechanisms being mounted on said arms, the pivots of said arms being spaced substantial distances vertically from said nailing mechanisms; gathering members mounted jon said *arms, said arms being swingable inward towards said box to bring saidnailing mechanisms into their proper positions for nailing the said strap; to said box and to bring said gathering members into position to gather produce inwardly from over upper edges of the sides of said box prior to said strap being nailed to said box; and flexible stra r'guide means having its opposite ends mounted on said nailing mechanismsand shiftable therewith, the flexible character of said guide meanscausing the latter to antornatically adjust its contour so as to properly" guide said strap regardless of the positions of said nailing mechanisms.

17. In a machine for applying straps to boxes, the combination oi: a frame; a table on said frame for supporting a box with a cover disposed thereover; means for ieeding a strap into position across said box to permit said strap to be nailed to said box; nailing mechanism positioned on said frame opposite those portionsof said box to which said strap is to be nailed; means slidable vertically on said frame for shaping said cover transversely; and means on said slidable means for 1 actuating said nailing mechanisms when said cover is thus shaped,

18. In a machine for applying straps to the combination of a frame; a table on said frame for supporting a box with acover disposed thereover: means for feeding a strap into position across said box to permit said strap'to be nailed to said box; nailing mechanisms positioned on said frame opposite those portions of saidbox to which said strap is to be nailed; means slidable vertically or said frame for shaping said cover transversely; and means on said vertically slidable means for actuating said strap feed means.

19. In a machine for applying straps to boxes,

the combination of a table for supporting a box l with a cover disposed thereover; means for feedinga strap into position across said box to permit said strap to be naiied to said box; vrtically slidable means operatively connected to said strap feed means to actuate the latter; nailing mechaniszns positioned opposite those portions oi said Y bogs to which said strap is to be nailed; and means on'said vertically slidable means :for actuating said nailing mechanisms.

20. In a machine for applying straps to boxes.

the combination of a table for supporting a box, with a cover disposed thereover; means for feeding a strap into position across said box to permit said strap 'to be nailed to said box; vertically slidable rackfmeans for operating said strap feed 49 means; nailing mechanisms positioned opposite those portions of said box to which said strap is to be nailed; and means on said s ertically slidable means for actuating said nailing mechanisms. ,7

7 HERBERT E."I'WOMLEY.