US2187190A

US2187190A - Machine for applying closures of thin flexible material to containers

Info

Publication number: US2187190A
Application number: US177582A
Authority: US
Inventors: Isaac L Wilcox
Original assignee: Oswego Falls Corp
Current assignee: Oswego Falls Corp
Priority date: 1937-12-01
Filing date: 1937-12-01
Publication date: 1940-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1957-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1940. 1, L, WILCOX MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES 0F THIN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TO CQNTAINERS Filed Dec. 1, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BY Baacji Mica/Y W rfi dm ATTORNEYQ:

Jan. 16, 1940. I. 1.. WILCOX 2,187,190

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES 0F THIN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL T0 CONTAINERS IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEY5 l. L. WILCOX MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES OF THIN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TO CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 1, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEY-7.

fiaac L wzw Jan. 16, 1940. i w cox 2,187,190

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES OF THIN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TO CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 1, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 II E g I H W I W W "#2.,"

Isaac L; M100)! BY gmzz 9P @z ATTORNEYS T INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. l6, 1940 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR Elk-V; LEXBLE Isaac L. Wilcox, Fulton, N.

PATENT OFFICE APPLYING MATERIAL TQ CONTAIN- CLOSURES Y.. assignor to 0|- wego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y.. a corporation of New Y ork Application 1, 1937, Serial No. 177,582

scum.

The invention has as an type referred The invention has as a further object a particu larly simple and efficient means for preliminarily separating or buckling the top disk in the stack formation preparatory to its removal from the stack and its transfer to the container.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of bodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a central sectional view of the machine.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the stack suDPOrting mechanism, sheet buckling means and contiguous portion of the a machine emdisk transfer member illustrating the sheet buckling means in operative position.

Figure 5 is a view, similar to Figure 4, with the sheet buckling means in inoperative position and illustrating the transfer of the top sheet of the stack to the transfer plate.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on lines 6-6, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the sealing head.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the sealing head with parts broken away.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of one of the sealed containers.

The machine comprises a bed plate Ill supported by a plurality of posts or columns ii and at its ends-by legs ll etxending downwardly to the floor.

A conveyor belt is is arranged along one side of the deck or top plate I2 and operates over drums l6 journalled at each end of the top structure, one of the drums being mounted in adjustable bearings l1 to eflect proper tension of ,the conveyor belt IS. The conveyor belt moves in the direction of the arrow Figure 1.

The containers are placed on the left end of the conveyor l5 Figure 1, and are moved forwardly until they engage with a plate 2| forming a part of an operating mechanism for the clutch which connects the operating parts of the machine with a motor 22. The motor 22 is mounted on the bed plate i0 and is connected to or provided with a speed reducing device 23. As here shown, the motor 22 is connected to the speed reducing device by belts 24 trained over a pulley 25. The driven shaft 28 of the speed reducing device is connected to the conveyor l5 by means of chain 21, and also connected to a main shaft 28 by chain 29 operable over a sprocket secured to the clutch section 30 freely mounted on shaft 28 and held from endwise movement.

The movable section 3| of the clutch is slidably connected to the shaft 28 and is controlled by a rod 32 pivotally connected to a bar 33. The bar 33 is pivotally mounted at 34 to the bed plate It and extends upwardly througha slot 35 in the top plate i2, and is connected to the plate 2| by rods 36, 31. The clutch is normally in dis engaged position as shown in Figure 3, at which time the lever 33 is maintained yieldingly in forward position by spring 39, see Figure 2. As the containers 20 are moved to the right Figure 1, they engage the plate 2| moving the lever 33 rearwardly about its,pivot 34 eifecting an engagement of the clutch. The clutch is of the one revolution type, and a single revolution of the shaft 28 effects operation of the machine through a cycle. The shaft is journalled in bearings l0 adjustably mounted on post II.

The shaft 23 is provided at one end with a cylindrical cam 42. The cam 42 operates mechanism to move the container 20, which has just previously engaged the plate 2| and operated the clutch, inwardly off from the conveyor belt l5. This mechanism comprises a U shaped plate 43 secured to a shaft 44 slidably mounted in blocks 45 carried by a bracket 43 secured to the top plate l2 and extending outwardly from the flush with the top side of the machine. The shaft 44 and plate 48 are reciprocated by a lever 41 pivoted at its lower end to the base plate It, as at 46, and being pivotally connected at its upper-end to the shaft 44. The lever 41 is provided with a roller 49 arranged to engage the outer edge of the cylindrical cam 42. The lever 41 is urged outwardly by the high portion of the cam 42 and yieldingly urged inwardly'by a spring 50. Upon rotation of the shaft 28 and cam 42, lever 41 together with shaft 44 anad plate 43 are moved inwardly by spring 50, and the container is moved inwardly onto a container support 5| secured to the upper end of a rod 52 slidably mounted in the base plate Ill.

The container support 5| is formed with slots to receive rails 53 fixed in spaced apart relationship in the top plate I! and extending parallel with the conveyor belt i5 with the u per edges of the rails flush with the upper run of the belt I5. The top surface of the inner side of the container support 5| is provided with two spaced apart projections 54. The shaft 52 is reciprocated vertically, and the mechanism that effects this movement is so timed relative to the position of cam 42 that the top surface of the container support 5| is arranged flush with the upper edges of the rails 53 during the inward movement of the plate 43. That is, the projections 54 are positioned in the path of the movement of the container 26 by the plate 43, and the function of the projections 54 is to locate the container in a predetermined position on the container support. After the closure has been secured to the top of the container, the container support 5| is moved downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3, with the top surface of the container support below the top edges of the rails 53 and the tops of the projections 54 edges of the rails 53. Additional mechanism, to be hereinafter described, is then subsequently operable to move the closed container to the right in Figure 1 off from the container support 5|.

As here shown, the closures consist of separate sheets or disks arranged in a stack formation 56 positioned on a disk 51 secured to the upper end of a shaft 58 also slidably mounted in the frame of the machine for vertical movement. The stack formation 56 is encircled by a cup member 59, the bottom portion 60 of which is arranged beneath the disk 51 and includes a hub portion 6| slidably mounted upon shaft 56. The cup member 59 is yieldingly held upwardly in engagement with the disk 51 by a helical compression spring 62, the lower end of which abuts against a collar 63 secured to the shaft 58. The side wall of the cup member 59 is provided with a plurality of axially extending slots 64 for convenience of inserting and removing the stack formation 56.

Transfer mechanism is provided for selecting the topmost disk of the stack formation and transferring the same to a position over the top of the container 26 resting upon the container support 5|.

As here shown, this transfer mechanism includes a plate member 66 journalled on a vertical axis intermediate the stack formation and the container support 5|. The plate 66 is formed with a depending hub portion .61 and with a plurality of radially extending arms. In the structure here shown, the plate is formed with two arms, the outer ends of which are connected by an arcuate portion 66 which acts in the nature of a guard during rotation of the plate to le the likelihood of injury to the operator. The hub portion 61 is mounted on and secured to a sleeve 66, the lower end of which is provided with an integral gear 10. The sleeve 66 is rotatably mounted on a tubular member II, the lower end of which extends through a flanged member 12 to which it is secured by a shrink or press fit. The flange I2 is bolted, or otherwise firmly secured, to the top plate II. The sleeve 66 extends upwardly beyond the top surface of the plate 66, and the tubular member 1| extends upwardly an appreciable distance beyond the upper end of the sleeve 66.

The outer end of each arm is formed with a circular aperture 13, and the lower marginal surface about the aperture I3 is recessed to receive an annular member 14, see Figures 4 and 5, which is secured in place as by screws 15. The plate 66 is so formed that the apertures 13 are arranged in axial alinement with the stack formation 56 and with the container arranged on the container support 6|. When the stack support is in down position, as shown in Figure 5, and the-container support 5| is also in down position, as shown in Figure 3, the arms of the transfer plate 66 pass over the stack formation and the top of the container when the transferplate is rotated about the tubular member II. The plate 66 is intermittently rotated, and with the plate provided with two diagonally arranged arms as here shown, the rotation is through an arc of Mechanism is provided for frictionally securing the topmost disk of the stack formation to the arm or annular member 14 then positioned over the stack and the plate 66 then rotated to position the selected disk over the container 20 on the container support. The container support is then elevated, moving the top of the container through the aperture 13, removing the disk from the annular member 14 and upon further upward movement of the container the same is moved into a sealing member which secures the disk to the top of the container. The'contalners particularly referred to herein consist of an outer fibrous casing formed of paper-board, or like material, into which a liner bag of thin, flexible material, such as Cellophane, is inserted and the open end of the bag folded outwardly over the upper edge of the casing. Such containers are particularly desirable for use in connection with products or commodities requiring a light weight, liquid and/or gas tight, receptacle. Frequently, it is desirable that these containers be closed and sealed with Cellophane. By using a Cellophane closure, the advantages of the Cellophane liner bag are retained and the transparency of the closure affords a ready means of the customer examining the contents of the container without breaking thev seal thereof.

To those familiar with the handling of Cellophane, it will be appreciated that considerable difficulty is encountered in handling individual sheets or disks of Cellophane, particularly by any automatic mechanism or machine. Generally, the Cellophane closure disks are formed by cutting a plurality of such disks from a stack of Cellophane sheets with a hollow circular knife. This method of cutting has atendency to compress the disks tightly together and to partially roll or bend the peripheral edges of the disks into overlapping relationship. This in additiomto the fact that the Cellophane sheets are extremely thin, flexible and smooth; make it extremely difficult to separate one sheet from a plurality are-1,100

of disks arranged in stock formation However. I have devised a mechanism for accomplishing this result and which mechanism I iind functions with great efficiency. The top sheet of the disk formation 88 is frictionally secured to the annular member 18 by means of vacuum. However. I have found that it is dimcult. if not impossible, to separate the'top' disk of the stack formation by vacuum. I have also found that it is not possible todo this by preliminarily using any of the conventional forms of sheet bucklingdevices. It will be understood that the surface of the Cellophane is extremely smooth and slippery, and that the inherent characteristics of the sheet are entirely different from that of paper or other sheet material.

ranged inspaced apart relationship and means operable to move these pads into engagement with I the topmost disk of the stack and to effect a spreading action of the pads during such engagement. More specifically this mechanism, as here shown, includes a semi-elliptical spring member 18, to the ends of which are secured friction pads 11 of rubber or like material. The spring member 18 is secured intermediate its ends to a rod 18 extending upwardly and adjustably secured to one end of a cross member 18, the opposite end of which is adiustabiy secured to a rod 88 extending downwardly through a guide sleeve 8| carried by the frame of the machine. The lower end of the rod 88 is attached to a heiical'tension spring 82, the lower end of which is attached to the base plate l8. Accordina y, the rods 18, 88 are yieldingly urged downwardly. A lever 88 is pivotally mounted at one end in a post 88 extending from the base plate l8 to the top plate l2. The opposite end of the lever 881s plvotally connected to the lower end of rod 88, as at 88. Intermediate its ends, the lever 88 is provided with a follower roller 88 engagingv the surface of a cam 81. Upon rotation of the shaft 28, the lever 88 is moved upwardly and eifects upward movement of rods 18, 88 to position the pads 11 above the member 88, see Figure 5. When the follower roller 88 engages the low portion of cam 81, the rods 18, 88 are moved downwardly by spring 82, bringing the pads 11 into engagement with the disks of the stack formation and under the tension of spring 82. The tension of spring 82 is sumcient to cause a flexing of the spring member 18 which, in turn causes a spreading movement of the pads 11.

In conventional sheet buckling mechanisms, one or more friction pads are used. However, these pads are moved toward each other to buckle up the intervening portion of the sheet, or one pad is used in connection with a stationary member. Due to the characteristics of the Cellophane sheet, I have found that such mechanisms will not operate on this material. However, I find that the spreading movement of the pads 11 causes opposite sides of the top disk to curl upwardly as indicated at 88, Figure 4. This permits air toenter under each side of the disk and after the pads 11 are elevated out of engagement with the stack formation, the topmost disk remains preliminarily separated from the stack formation, and the vacuum means connected with the transfer plate 88 is then operable to secure this separated disk to the transfer plate or annular member 18.

. The vertical movement of the spring .18 and pads 11 is through the aperture 18 in plate 88. That is, the operating mechanism of the machine,

ferred out of shaft 28 and tobeheminafterdescribedissuchthatduring trated in Figure 8. This upward movement of the shaft 88 is under tension of spring 88, the lower end of which is secured to the rod 88 and the upper end to the under side of the deck plate l2. Downward movement of the shaft 88 is positive, and is effected by a cam 8| also mounted on shaft 28, the periphery of which engages a roller 82 mounted intermediate the ends of a lever 88. One end of the lever 88 is pivoted on a pin 88 carried by a short post88 mounted on the base plate The opposite end of the lever 88 is pivotally connected to shaft 88. The cams 81, 8| are so arranged on shaft 28 as to effect the buckling operation, or the preliminary separation of the topmost sheet from the stack, and subsequently to elevate the stack into engagement with the annular member 18. The spring 88 compensates for the movement of shaft 88 as the sheets are transthestack formation 88. The cup member 88 is pressed into engagement with the under side of the plate 88 by spring 82.

The upper side of annular member 18 is formed with an annular recess 88, and the annular member 18 is formed with a plurality of small holes or apertures 88 extending from the underside of said member to the annular recess 88. The plate member 88 is formed with passages l88,-the outer ends of which communicate with the annular recess 88, and the inner ends communicate with an axially extending passagel8l formed in the hub Portion 81. It is to be understood that the outer end of each arm of the plate 88 is provided with an aperture 18, an annular member 18 and passages I88, I81. The hub member 81 .and the sleeve 88 are formed with passages I82 extending radially inwardly and communicate with an arcuate groove I 88 formed in the tubular member 1| intermediate its, ends. This member is also formed with an axially extending passage I88 extending downwardly from the arcuate groove I88 and opening through the bottom end of said member and to which a conduit I88 is connected and which extends from a vacuum pump I81 operatively connected to the motor 22.

The semi-arcuate passage I88 is so arranged that vacuum is produced in the apertures 88 of both annular members 18 while plate 88 is stationary in the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, but during rotation of plate 88, vacuum is supplied only to the annular member moving from the stack 88 to the container on the container support II. p

As previously stated, the rotary movement of plate 88 is intermittent. Any suitable mechanical movement may be employed to effect the intermittent movement of the transfer plate 88. As here shown, this movement is effected by a Geneva motion consisting of the conventional driving member H8 and driven member III to which a gear H2 is secured, as by screws 8. The gear "2 is arranged to mesh with the gear 18 on the bottom of sleeve 81. The driving member H8 is secured to the upper end of a vertically arranged shaft 8 journailed in a bearing member H5 depending from the under side of the top plate l2. A beveled gear 8 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 8 and meshes with a similar gear 1 secured to the shaft 28. The gears between the sleeve 81, and the Geneva motion, are so proportioned and arranged asto eifect intermittent movement of the transfer plate 88 at the proper time relative .to the operation of the other movable members of. the machine previously referred to. I

Upon rotation of the transfer plate '88 through an arc of 180 the disk, frictionally secured thereto by the vacuum system previously described, is transferred to a position over the top of the .con-

tainer 28 resting upon the support 8I. While the movable parts of the machine are in this position, the container support 8| is elevated or moved axially toward the end of the transfer plate 88 causing the upper end of the container to pass through the aperture 13 and remove the closure disk from the member 14 and fold the peripheral margin of the disk downwardly about the upper edge of the container. The upward movement of the rod 82 is effected by a lever I I8 pivoted at one end to a short postI I8 on the base plate I8 and connected at its opposite end to the rod 82. A helical tension spring I28 is connected at its upper end to the under side of plate I2 and at its lower end to the lever II8.

The lever H8 is provided with a follower roller I2I arranged to engage the periphery of a cam I22 mounted on the shaft 28; The lever I I8 is urged upwardly by spring I28 and is moved downwardly by cam I22. I

Th sealing of the peripheral margin of the closure disk to the top of the container is preferably accomplished by use of a suitable adhesive which has been previously applied to the overlapping portion of the liner bag, or on the peripheral surface of the top of the container. As previously stated, the peripheral margin of the closure disk is folded downwardly aboutthe peripheral surface of the top of the container as the same is moved upwardly through the aperture 13 and transfer member 88. When the adhesive used is of the thermo-plastic type, or for 3 any other reason it is desired to apply heat to the closure disk, the machine is provided with a sealing head or member arranged above the transfer member 88 and in axial alinement with the container support II.

The sealing head is secured to and carried by a bracket I38 which, in turn, is secured to a sleeve I3I which, in turn,.is adjustably secured to the tubular member 1I, this adjustment being effected bymanipulation of the screw I32, see Figures l and 3.

The sealing head proper consists of a plurality of sections or quadrants I33 having depending arcuate flanges I34, the lower inner surfaces of which are beveled as at I38, and the upper side of the members are likewise beveled as at I38. The arcuate members I33 are mounted between upper and lower plates I31, I38, and these plates are secured together by screws I33. The members I33 are slidably mounted between the plates I31, I38, and are formed with radially extending projections I48 which extend outwardly through slots arranged in the plates I31 and I38, and the arrangement is such that the membars I 33 have a radially sliding movement relative to the plates I31, I38. The members I33 are, normally maintained in inward or contracted position by means of a coiled spring I secured at its ends to plates I31, I38 by means of brackets I43, and whichspring encircles the periphery of the plates and engages the outer ends of the projections I48, see Figure 8. The plates I31, I38 are secured to the bracket I33 by studs I48.

, After the topmost disk of the stack formation 88 has been transferred to a position over the a container on the container support II, and the container support has been moved upwardly moving the top of the container through the aperture 13 of' the transfer member 88 and thereby removing the disk from the transfer member, further upward movement of the container support 8I moves the top of the container into the arcuate members I33. The members I33, through the action of spring I, yieldingly iron or press the peripheral margin I28 of the closure disk against the outer surface of the top of the container, or the overfolded portion of the liner bag, see Figure 9, and to aid in the completion of the seal between the closure disk and the container or bag the segments I33 are heated by heating coils I48 arranged in the plates I31, I38. The heating coils I43 are energized by conductors I 49 connected to a suitable source of current. At this time, the container support 8I has moved downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3, so that the bottom of the container is supported upon the rails 88 and the projections 84 are arranged beneath the bottom of the container.

The sealed container is then moved forwardly onto the desk plate I2 by a pusher member I88 secured to a shaft I8I slidably mounted in bearings I82 and which is reciprocated by a bar I83 pivotally mounted at its lower end at I84, see Figures 2 and 3, and, which is provided with a cam follower I85 cooperable with a cam I88. The bar I83 and the pusher member I88 are moved forwardly by spring I81, and these members are returned to normal position, see Figures 1 and 2, by actionof cam I88. As here shown, the deck plate is provided with an arcuate guide member I88 which directs the sealed containers I88 onto the conveyor belt I 8 and the angular guide member I18 in turn directs the sealed containers to the available storage space on deck plate I2 from whence they may be removed to the packing case.

In order to insure downward movement of the container out of the sealing head and downwardly through apertures 13 in the transfer plate, the machine is provided with a presser plate I88 mounted on the lower end of a rod I8I, the upper end of which is adjustably secured to one end of a transversely extending member I82, the opposite end being adjustably secured to a vertically arranged shaft I83 slidably mounted in the tubular member H. The shaft I83 is urged upwardly by spring I84, the upper end of the spring being secured to the under side of the deck plate I2, and the opposite end to the lower end of the shaft I83. The shaft is moved downwardly by action of a cam I88 secured to the shaft 28, and which is cooperable with a link I88 arranged in the same manner as the links 83, H8 previously referred to. The cam I88 is arranged on shaft 28 to effect downward movement of the presser plate I88 until the top of the sealed container is positioned below the transfer plate 88, whereupon the presser plate is returned to its up position, see Figure '7.

In order to prevent the possibility of the adhesive or any spilled contents of the container from sticking to and accumulating upon the seg ments I33 of the sealing head, I form the presser plate I88 with one or more circumferential grooves, I H and the lower end of the presser plate I88 is provided with a radially extending flange I12, the top and bottom edges of which are beveled to conveniently effect the opening or outward movement of the segments I33 upon retainer support ll, As the presser plate I" trav els downwardly through the segments I33 and flange I12 passes out of the sealing head, the members Ill contract and any accumulation of adhesive or other material is removed by the grooves I'll, thus permitting the machine to be operated over long periods of time without the necessity ofstopping the same except for the replacement of the disk stack formation It. However, inasmuch as the Cellophane disks are extremely thin, a stack formation containing several hundred disks may be inserted in the cup member I! at one time. In connection with cup member 58, I call attention to the fact that the disk 51 which supports the stack formation is secured to the upper end of shaft 58 in such manner as to have a slight universal movement relative thereto, see Figures i and 5. This permits the stack to properly face with the lower edge of annular member 14 when rod 58 is elevated and accordingly, permits the vacuum system to operate efficiently in securing the topmost disk to the transfer member.

I also desire to call attention to the fact that the machine may be quickly and conveniently adjusted to accommodate containers of different heights, this being accomplished by adjusting shaft I i axially relative to shaft I 53, and in adjusting member III to which the supporting bracket I30 for the sealing head is secured axially of tubular member II, the maximum height of the container being controlled by the distance from the bottom of the transfer member 68 to deck plate l2.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a frame, a movable member arranged to support a plurality of disks in stack formation, an annular member, a container support arranged to support the container in axial alinement with said annular member, a transfer member 'movably mounted on the frame and operable to transfer the disks from said stack formation to a position over the top of the container on the container support, means operable to preliminarily separate the topmost disk from the stack, means subsequently operable to move said movable member to bring the top of the stack into engagement with said transfer member, vacuum means connected to said transfer member and operable to secure said topmost disk to the transfer member, means operable to move said transfer member to position the disk over the top of the container, and means for moving said container support toward said annular member to move the top of the container with the disk thereon into said annular member, and said member being operable-to secure the peripheral edge of the disk to the container.

2. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a frame, a stack support slidably mounted in the frame and arranged to support a plurality of said disks in stack formation, a cylindrical member encircling the stack formation and being yielding- 1y movable relatively thereto, an annular member mounted on the frame, a container support arranged to position a container in axial alinement with said annular member, a transfer member iournalledonthe frameandbeingprovidedwith a radially extending arm. the outer end of which is movable from a position over said stack formation to a position over the container on the "container support, means operable to move said cylinder and the top of the stack into engagement with said arm, and vacuum means connected to said arm and operable to secure the topmost disk of said stack to the arm, means operable subsequently to effect movement of said arm to position said disk over the top of the container, means for moving the container support axially toward said annular member to move the top of the container and said disk into the annular member, and said annular member being operable to secure the peripheral margin of the disk to the container.

- 3. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a frame, a stack support slidably mounted in the frame and arranged tosupport a plurality of disks in stack formation, a sealing member, a container support arranged to support the container in axial alinement with said sealing member, a transfer member Journalled on the frame and being provided with a plurality of radially extending arms successively movable from a position over the top of the stack formation to a position over the top of the container on the container support, means operable to preliminarily separate the topmost disk from the stack, and means subsequently operable to move said stack support to bring the topof the stack into enj gagement with the arm of the transfer member positioned over thestack, said arm being provided with means for securing the topmost disk of the stack to the arms upon engagement of the stack with the arms, means operable to move said transfer member to position the arm with the disk secured thereto over the 'top of the container, means for moving said container support towards said sealing member to bring the top of the container with the disk thereon into engagement with said member, and said member being operable to seal the peripheral edge of the disk to the container.

4. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a suitable frame, a container support, a closure sealing head arranged above said container support, a presser plate positioned above said sealing head, said container support, sealing head, and presser plate being arranged in axial alinement, and means for suspending a closure disk between the top of a container on said support and said sealing head, including an annular series of radially movable segmental members operable, upon relative axial movement between the container support and said sealing head, to yieldingly press the margin of the closure disk against the top of the container, said presser plate being operable, upon axial movement relative to said sealing head and during reverse movement between said containersupport and the sealing head, to expand said segmental members and move the container out of said sealing head.

5. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a suitable frame, a container support, a closure sealing head arranged above said container support, a presser plate positioned above said sealing head, said container support, sealing head, and presser plate being arranged in axial alinement, and means for suspending a closure disk between the top of a container on said container support and aaidsealing head, saidsealingheadlncludingan annular series of radially movable segmental members operable, upon relative axial movement between the container support and said sealing head, to yieldingly press the margin of the closure disk against the top of the container, means operable to move said presser plate into said sealing head during reverse relative movement between the container support and said head, said presser plate being operable to expand said segmental members and to move the container out of the head, and said presser plate being operable during the 'retum movement thereof to remove any foreign matter from the face of said segmental members.

6. A machine for applying closure disks of thin flexible material to the tops of containers comprising a suitable frame, a container support arranged in the frame and being movable vertically, a plate arranged above said container support and being operable to suspend a closure disk over the top of a container on said support, a sealing head positioned above said plate and including a plurality of radially movable segmental members, and means for heating said members, said members being operable, upon movement of the container=support upwardly, to yieldingly press the margin of the closure disk against the top of the container, a presser plate normally positioned above said sealing head and being movable downwardly through said head, said presser plate being operable, upon downward movement, to expand said segmental members and move the top of the container out of the same, the upper portion of said plate being of cylindrical formation and being provided with a circumferential groove and being operable to remove any foreign material from the face of said segmental members upon the return movement of the presser plate.

7. A machine for applying closure disks of thin, flexible material to the tops of containers comprising a frame, a cup-shaped member, a plate arranged to support a plurality of closure disks in stack formation in said cup member, a container support, a closure sealing head arranged above the container support and being operable, upon relative axial movement between the container support and said head, to secure a closure to the container, a transfer member movably mounted on the frame, and means for positioning said transfer member over said cup member, means operable to move said cup member vertically into engagement with the under side of said transfer member, and to subsequently move said plate to bring the top of said stack formation into engagement with the underside of said plate, vacuum means connected to said transfer member and operable to secure the topmost disk of said stack formation to the transfer member, means operable to subsequently move said stack formation and said cup downwardly from said transfer member, and to move the latter to position the disk over the top of the container on said support, and means for moving said container support towards said sealing head to move the top of the container with the disk thereon into said head, and to subsequently remove the container from the head.

8. A machine for applying disk closures formed of thin, flexible material to containers comprising a suitable frame, an annular member formed with an aperture to slidably receive the top of the container, a container support arranged to position the container in axial alinement with said annular member, a tubular member arranged to support a plurality of said disks in stack formation, a transfer member journalled in the frame and having a radially extending arm portion provided with an aperture at its outer end arranged in axial alinement wtih said stack formation and being movable to a position in axial alinement with said container, a support arranged above said stack formation, a pair of friction pads secured to the lower end of said support and arranged in spaced apart relationship, said support being normally arranged to position said friction pads in alinement with the aperture in said arm and above the same, means operable to move said support downwardly to move said pads through the aperture of the arm and into engagement with the top of the stack and to effect a yielding spreading action of said pads during such engagement, and to subsequently move said support upwardly to normal position, means operable to elevate said stack support to move the stack into engagement with said