US2573324A - Automatic carton feeder - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 30, 1951 J. FERGUSON AUTOMATIC CARTON'FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29. 1946 Oct. 30, 1951 J. FYERGUSON 2,573,324

AUTOMATIC CARTON FEEDER Filed March 29. 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 30, 1951 E i J. 1.. FERGUSON 2,573,324

AUTOMATIC CARTON FEEDER Filed March 29. 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 30, 1951 J. L. FERGUSON 7 AUTOMATIC CARTON FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 29. 1946 Oct. 30, 1951 J. FERGUSON AUTOMATIC CARTON FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 29. 1946 Patentecl Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED, STAT AUTOMATIC cAn'r n-Fnnnnn John Ferguson; Joliet, 111,, assignor to r Ferguson Company, J oliet, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 29, 1946, Serial Nb. 658,061

signed to the same assi nee as the instant appli:

cation) and has for its object the moi 1 1911 f automatically operated safety mechanisms which positively prevent certain shortcomings which have been found to exist in-the operation or" the apparatus of said patent.

Apparatus ,ofpthis character squaresout flat; toned carton blanks and positions said squaredout cartons with both ends thereof open en a holding block. The holding block is progressed beneath mechanism for sealing the flapson one end and the thus-far-completed cartons are then filled as desired.

The present invention contemplates certain improvements in such carton-handling machine tothe endthat- (-1.) The mechanism which feeds the. unopened cartons .to the opening device is automatically so controlled that :breakageor failure thereof under extraordinary conditions is prevented;

4(2) The unopened cartons are .positivelyjoscillatedibetween somewhat less than full open position and something more than full open position, thereby positively to eliminate the tendency to close exhibited by carton blanks .due to their .having been stacked in closed position, said oscillation being caused by a forwardly and backward,- 1y movable spring-controlled obstruction which also so cushions the initial impact of the unopened cartons that the dislodgment of sthe cartonablanks-from their carriers is prevented; and

(3) The thusprocessed opened blanks are positioned on carrying blocks in'such manner-that an incorrectly deposited blank positively operates control-mechanism to eliminate the damage ar-is- :ing from the carrying of-such in'correctly'positioned carton'on said block. s

The advantages of the-above outlined mechanisms and the manner-in which they-are combined in a carton-feeding apparatus to -produce the indicated results will bemore fully hereinafter discussed in connection with adeseription of an apparatus embodying said mechanisms, the

- latter being illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

-In-the following description of the hereinafter claimed-invention, only so-much of the apparatus has been illustratedas will be-=necessary-to--understand the relationship ot the mechanisms com.- prising such improvements when incorporated in a ma'chine of .the character shown :ins'PatentNo.

'z-goicpi i. ;I n other' wordsgit'hasnot beendeemed elements ;of .the =Eig. 1 structure;

4 Claims. (01. 93 -53) nec ssary :fl 'l qillus rate a l of he QIl-neetias p r ons the ap ratus Wh e- .Pat tNa- 291 5.1. is. mad a t he e i by r fere e and should b read nv en eet en th he sre eat specifieat on A a matte .0? ee Whe e QQ E- Si ly, h a paratus etlatent No 2, been re erred t y fi ure nu b r. nd so that he. area-w t in wh ch th invent rs he in deser ed andte aime ar us d will in? ful y unde stood. There ore. it is int ed as; if ny question rises as 29 he one machine (in wh h theher n dese t ed 1 ments ar used) as .a whole, rei ren e to the specifica ion and dr win o he. more-en. the trimm n new erence is had to the accom anyin draWinss which Fig. 1 is a side elevational .o thecart ma azine and the me hanism :f r .fee insc therefrom inanapparatussimll t th 1 in perspective inifiig. 11.01 .Bat n No. 2,0. Fi '2 .is a .planyiew .of the mechanism shown inFig. .1; a

Fig. 3 ;is.an. end (firom the right side) elem.- tionaltview of the structure .of Fig. 1;

Fig. A is a perspective .view .of certain criti a Fig. 5 isa lfragmentaryyiewdf certain declutclhing elements in the Eigl structure; 1 FigJSisa :Eragmentaryplanwicw of the mechanism for oscillatably squaring out the eartqns drom less than .full square .openingto more than full square opening; p s

Fig. 7 is a diagram of a number of changed positions-of one orsthemechanisms.offligtfi; I

Fig. 8 is asideeleyational View ofccertain-of the mechanism employed .in insuring that an improperly positioned opened car on will n abl .carried through the machine with consequent structure .withanopened partcn blank i lim -Q positionzon the block; and

(the opened .blankgisimproperly positioned-p its associated ablock, the .variqus elemnts thereiiorge being shown .i positio t stop lo a ec ;throu ;the.;flap.seal n Zo n-1 the mes l spr e :0: ab ve re erred in mind ;o.n nr .QI

With. the basicstruc Patent No. 2.01.6;

embodie means tap r. Mns marten push ate-ass;

plates 2| from destructively engaging vertical members 22 when the chains (all as fully described in said patent) have soadvanced the pusher-plates that the supply of cartons between the right-hand pusher-plate 2| and the take-off mechanism (see patent) at the right-hand end of the magazine is almost exhausted. While, as described in said patent, it is intended that an attendant shall observe the possibility of the near-future exhaustion of the carton supply, stop the operating machinery, and renew the supply of carton blanks, nevertheless the automatic features of these machines have not been fulll effective because of the possibility that said attendant will not make the necessary observation. If he does not so do, then the bracket 21a upon which the pusher-plates are mounted will be forced positively against the vertical members 22 with consequent damage to the machine parts.

The herein described and claimed apparatus includes an arm 23 against which the portion 21b of the pusher-plate carrying bracket contacts a predetermined time before said bracket engages the vertical members 22. A pair of said members 23 is provided, one on each side of the machine, thereby to provide that the alternate pusher-plate carrying brackets (see Patent No. 2,016,814) shall be properly obstructed to suspend the machine operation and the positive forward drive of the chains carrying the cartons and the pusher-plate brackets, before the latter shall destructively engage portions of the machine, due to the near exhaustion of the carton blank supply as above discussed. The arms 23 are mounted on a shaft 24 journaled in members 24'24 desirably secured to the under bed plate portion of the carton supply container.

At the near side of the machine, an arm 25 is keyed to the shaft 24 and oscillates with said shaft as the latter is turned by contact of one or the other of bracket parts 2112 against the upper end of one or the other of arms 23. oscillatory shaft 26 extends across underneath the mechanism, being journaled in properly positioned journals secured to the frame of the machine. A short arm 21 is mounted on said shaft 26 in position to be slidably engaged by arm 25, so that when the latter is rotated in clockwise direction following the conditions hereinbefore described, the shaft 26 will be turned in a counterclockwise direction.

A hand lever 28 carrying a weight 29 at its outer end is also fixed to the end of the shaft 26. The weight 29 on the outer end of the lever 28 insures that the shaft 26 shall remain in either an on or off position according to the operation of the hereinabove described instrumentalities when said shaft is moved to either of said positions. A stop finger 28a, movable between stops 28b and 280 limits the oscillatory movement of shaft 26.

Declutching member 30 is so mounted on shaft 26 that, upon movement of said shaft in a counterclockwise direction, said member 39 is moved in front of a clutch dog 3!. Said dog 3! is part of the usual clutch mechanism 32 (not necessary herein to be described) whereby a vertical shaft 33 is normally rotated by the combined action of said clutch and sprocket 34. The sprocket 34 is engaged by chain 35 extending from the other rotating assemblies of Patent No. 2,016,814 to be constantly rotated along with said other rotating assemblies driven by the continuous chain and described in said patent.

However, when'the carton blank supply is about 4 to be exhausted and the bracket 2 la (particular ly part 2lb thereof), threatens to be destructively positively forced against vertical members 22, it is desired that the step-by-step feed of the pusherlates 2| cease. The step-by-step progression of said plates 2! is accomplished by a ratchet device 36 which cooperates with the carton magazine chain driving sprockets 31, this movement being similar to that described in Patent No. 2,016,814. It is accordingly not deemed necessary fully to describe all of the mechanism qwhereby this step-by-step progression of the chains carrying the cartons and the carton pusher-plates is accomplished. However, the shaft 33 has mounted thereupon a crank arm 38 which rotates with said shaft to move link or connecting arm 39. An oscillating crank arm 40 is secured to the end of the link 39 and its oscillating motion is communicated, through vertical shaft Al, to bevel gear and pinion connection 42, so to move said ratchet device 36 and its indicated associated intermittent driving mechanism ultimately to produce the step-by-step carton magazine chain motion comparably to the manner in which the mechanism best shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 of Patent No. 2,016,814 produced the same chain drive. It is not thought necessary to elab-- orate on said mechanism since the hereinafter claimed invention resides particularly in the manner in which arms 23, 25, 21, shaft 26 and declutching member 36 eventuate the stoppage of the carton-feeding mechanism under the conditions hereinbefore described, i. e. when the bracket 2 lb contacts and moves the upper end of arm 23.

As indicatedjwhen the clutch operates to disconnect driving sprocket 34 from the shaft 33, the oscillatory movement of arm 40 ceases. Thereupon arm 28 is thrown from on to off position and the attendant is thereby visually advised concerning the reason for the stoppage of the forward feed of the carton pusher-plates. The weight 29 insures that the shaft 26 shall remain in said position with the member 30 in declutching position until said attendant shall have moved whichever of the plate brackets 21a is contacting the arm 23 rearwardly away from contact with either of said arms 23. Only after he has so done, can the lever 28 be moved by hand to remove the member 36 from in front of member 3| to permit the shaft 33 again to operate the link 39 with ultimate forward step-by-step feeding of the cartons.

Thus a mechanism automatically responsive to the threatened exhaustion of the carton supply back of the furthest-to-the-right pusher-plate 21 is provided to stop the forward feed of said plates until the condition causing the automatic operation is rectified. If the attendant wishes to stop the machine, he can so do by moving the arm 28 from on to off position to effect the same sequence of declutching operations as is secured from the contact of one or the other of the pusher-plate bracket parts 2lb with one or the other of the levers 23.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, the improvement whereby the carton is patentably differently over-scored or back-folded will be described.

Patent No. 2,016,814 will frequently be referred to in connection with this description since ithas not been considered necessary to include in the instant application a complete showing of the cage which carries the cartons during their openings (the rotating assembly 25-Figs. 1, 8, 9 and 10 of the patent) or of the assembly which transfers the opened cartons downwardly onto the iseases blockswhich carry said cartons the sealiing' mechanism (rotating transfer assembly 2.6 Figs, 1', 8 and 12 or the patent) For convenience, however, as: much of these rotating assembli'es. as may be necessary fully-to illustrate the novel inventive combinations hereinafterclaimed will be illustrated and described inthe. instant application, and. in so doing, the said rotating: as.- semblies will be designated by different reference numerals than were used in. said patent; (concordance between the patent structure and; the less; fully illustrated corresponding structures: in the instant application will; however, be. indicated). Finally, inasmuch as: Patent. No'. 2,016,814 is. available for reading in. connection with the present application, I. will describe the structure. of the latter: with thepatentxbeing read asapart thereof.

Carton. blanks C are supplied as indicated in the patent. from a magazine I:00', each. carton aseit is fed therefrom. being picked: up: by'a vacuum. cup IOI mounted one; rotating; assembly I02 (the:- latter corresponds to rotating opening. device assembly 25 of the patent, to which latter reference should be had for an amplified description).. As indicated inthe patent. the. forwardvertical edge of. an unopened car-tom blank is; by reason of the rotation f the; member: upon which: the vacuum cupisi mounted, moyed'against the. hooklike member. Thereafter continued movement. of. the blank on the vacuum cup results, in. said. blank being opened; (said opening being assisted by the vertically moving knife more fully described: in thepatentl. Ithas been found, however, that the. shock of moving. the. for:- ward vertical edge of" the carton. blank. against the; hook I93 of the patent-is.frequently so great that. the carton. blank is dislodged. iromthe vac:-

uum cup,

One of the important improvements: described herein, therefore, is a cartonisquaring and over.- scoring mechanism which. eliminates the just described shock and potentialdislodgment. The

hookof the priorart (PatentNo. 2 ,0l'6.,'8L4).-' is so arranged that the long: dimension of said; hook is substantially parallelyto: the; face oi the: un-

opened. blank. There is, therefore, ncr opportu-.- nity for the hook to engage theiforwardeedgesof the; blank with a. cushioningz effect-as is necessary to prevent. the hereinbefore: describedzsliack; It: was thought that extension-oi the-arm: I94 of thepatent rearwardly (tail I95); and theeprovie sion ofspring- I96 would permit: a sufiicientcmoyement of. arm. I94; to prevent the: aforesaid occur;- rence. However, the-latter dilficulty haspersistr ently; been met with. through; the years; and; it was not until the novel construction described in. the instant application, waszproposect thatthe above referred to frequent. dislodgment' of the blanks from the vacuum; cup was. prevented:;

Thev improvement includes a: membersv compriseing the, arms I03 and I04, the member being pivotally mounted at I05 on an arm- I505 is-mounted on a block: I01 forming partcofithe frame of the apparatus; The arm I03 carries'ia vertically-extending notched carton edges engaging member I03a, the latter. being. substantially equal in length to the'forward ed'geiof the-um opened carton blank. A squeezer'pla-te-I0.8iis;also mountedon. the block I01. as sho.wn-..- The: meme hen I0 3I 04 is; permitted to; swingiabontzthes pive. ot--I-05,,.-under'restraint of. spring; we so: thata when the leading vertical edge of the unopenedicarton blank; carried by vacuum cup I10.I.meets the: notch portion I03a, thelatter can move (-tozthezrighth flndrtension the. spring. I09. The. opening.;asse m;-.i

bly or the instant invention arranged so that the leading. edge of. the unopened blank. contacts the: part I03. substantially normally thereto, i. e; the. contact first occursv when the carton blank and the arm I03 are at about degrees to each other I Thisengagementthe length of the arms, the-manner of mounting the same, and the potential. cushioning efiect thereof. differ markedly from the structure shown in the patent and eventuate a wholly unexpected and patentably distinguishing opening operation.

A number of successive positions of the opener I03I0'4, the carton blank, and the vacuum cup carrying the carton blank. are shown in Fig. 7, whence it. will be clear how said member functions cushionably to obstruct the carton: blank and cause the latter to open. Moreover, the formation of the opener assembly, the manner'of' its mounting and the use of the spring as shown permits the squared-out blank (position 3'- in. Fig; 7) to be moved past. the hook and be over-scored or over-folded as shown in position 4 of said. Fig; 7,, thereby insuring. that as the blank is: rubbed past the squeezer plate I08 it shall be in said over-scored position. All of this is efiected without the potential dislodgment of the blank from the carrying vacuum cup by reason of. an: uncushioned shock. It was. not appreciated that the mere connection of the spring to the tail I would not solve the difficulties inherent in the Fig. lfi structure. All of theother changesswhich are described herein must be made in order to secure the advantages of the present invention.

When the over-scored carton blank (one wherein the-narrow panels have been moved degrees from'the positions they occupied inthe unopened carton blanks) emerges from: the channel formed by the squeezer plate. I08, the blank then springs into. substantially square position. As described in the patent, the thus squared-out blank is then embraced by grippers I20 (corresponding to hooked. members 2 I3. of the patent). The squared-out carton is then in a cage whence it may be moved downwardly onto the: block more fully described in the patent. We will: not hererepeat the manner in which theseblocks arecarried through the sealing apparatus or the manner in which-the opened cartons are moved down over the blocks for such carrying through the; bottom flap sealing zones.

However, operation of the patented machine: revealed still another shortcoming: which" it is: the purpose of. the invention herein described to overcome. While. the protective device ofFig. 18 of". the patent was provided in the patented machine, the contingency that a high speed auto-- matic machine of this character might have the cartons fed down onto the blocks improperly was not anticipated and protection thereagainstw-as not provided. It has, however, been foundthat an opened carton will now and then be supplied to the block in an improper manner, i. e; not fed far enough down to be properly positionedto permit correct operation of the bottom fla-p sealing'devices. It isaccordingly necessary that this failure of the open carton properly to be seated upon the associated block shall immediately be detected and" the further progress of such improperly seated carton through the machine be prevented;

Mechanism for providingthe just referred toprotection as the cages on the-rotating assembly [6' feed the opened cartons onto; the blocks is illustrated in Figs-.- S te-12; In view of the patent 7-5 illustratiomit has: been deemed necessary to'dl' lustrate only one ofthe blocks'and thefmecha nism which functions to discontinue operation of the complete carton. sealing machine. and; automatic carton feeder. when a carton is not properly registered on a carrier block. Incidentally, it has been found that this nonregistry is'usually due to the distortion of the carton as it is placed in the magazine feeder or some damage to the unopened carton soon thereafter. "The importance of this invention resides in the fact that when the carton-is not fully seated on the block, the various sealing mechanisms, i. .e. the flap Spreaders, the innerflap closers, the glue applicators and the outer flap. closer mechanisms all may be damaged by the protrusion in improper relation thereto of the upper portion of the improperly seated carton.

Ablock I 38 is carried on one of the conveyor chains, more fully described in the patent. This block is novelly contoured, being provided with an upper decreased circumference or periphery I3I and a bottom indentation I32. Feeler disks I33 and I34 are rotatably mounted at opposite ends of member I 35 which latter is pivoted on horizontally extending member I36. Member I36 is in turn fixedly mounted on the longer arm I31 of a yoke member I38. The member I38 also includes a short arm I39 which is pivotally mounted on member I40; the latter is secured to the vertically extending plate of a 90 degree angle member I4I fixed to the frame of the apparatus. I

The tail portion I38 of the yoke member extends between a stop nut I42 and an upper end of spring I43 so that the pivotal movement of the yoke around I48'is limited upwardly by nut I42 and downwardly by the compressibility of spring I43. The nut I42 iscarried by threaded stem I 44 which latter also provides a mounting for the spring I43. Nut I45 provides means for adjusting the normal length of spring I43 and nut I43 cooperates with nut I42 to hold the latter in its adjusted position. Arm I41 is carried by the member I35 wherefrom tilting of I35 about pivot member I38 moves the left-hand end of arm I47 downwardly into contact with a microswitch operating arm I48, the latter pressing downwardly against member I49 to make or break a switch relay contact as may be desired, it being understood that the movement of I49 causes a discontinuance of the operation of the apparatus as a whole.

An angle bracket I50 is mounted on member MI and carries a positionably adjustable stop II and a spring supporting stem I52. The member I5I is adjustable vertically on member I58 to provide a positive adjustable stop for the arm I41 when the latter moves downwardly, thereby to insure that said arm will not damage the delicate operating instrumentalities I48 and I49 of the micro-switch. The member I52 is embraced by spring I53, the bottom of which latter is adjustably positionable by movement of nut I54 along stem I52. Said spring I53 thus provides an adjustable cushioning means against which arm I41 bears as the latter tends to move downwardly. I

Referring now to Figs. 11 and 12, two situations are illustrated. In Fig. 11, a carton is properly seated on the block I30. Being so properly seated, it will be observed that the surface of the carton'prevents either of the feeler disks I33 or I34 from entering the grooves into which said feeler disks protrude when no carton; is on theblock. It will be understood that they disks I33 and I34 are mounted for'rotation to cause as little-drag as possible on a properly positioned-carton, it being necessary that .a perceptible linear" contact be maintained between the carton surface and the feeler disks in the operation of the mechanism.

When the situation as illustrated in Fig. 11 exists, the pivot point I35 is displaced directly horizontally to the left with respect to the position of thispoint as shown in Fig. 8.. This arises from the fact that the edges of both feeler disks I33 and i34 are displaced equally to theleft. Therefore the member I35 is not tilted but is laterally displaced unitarily in a vertical position. .When this occurs, the yoke member neces: sarily rocks about the pivot I46 to provide for such lateral. displacement of the point I36. However, since the member I35 is not tilted during such displacement, the left-hand endof arm I41 .does. not move downwardly to contact; arm I48. Thus the correct placement of an opened carton on the blocks does not vary the position of the disconnectingelements of the now-beingdescribed protective device. When, however, (see Fig. 12) an opened carton is incorrectly positioned on the block so that it does. not fully encase said block, the positioning of the elements will be as shown. While the lower feeler disk I34 remainslthrough the various provided spring actions) in the concavity I32, the edge of feeler I33 is forced to the left. This results in tilting of the upper end of the feeler mounting member I35 to the left with consequent downward movement of the lefthand end of arm I4I against the spring I53. I The adjustments are so made that upon such occurrence the left-handend of arm I41 makes sufficient contact with arm I48 to operate the microswitch to effect the dicontinuance of operation of the conveyor chains upon which the blocks and other carton-carrying mechanisms are mounted. Stop I5I, however, prevents more than the desired further slight contact between the arms I41 and I48, irrespective of how grossly distorted the carton may be on the block.

The just described protective mechanism is located (see Fig. l of Patent No. 2,016,814) sothat the feeler disks cooperate with a block immediately following the presumed proper positioning of an opened carton on the block, that is, at a point in the travel of the blocks after the down-feeding plates (see patent) have moved the carton from the cage downwardly onto the block; the stoppage of the machine if a carton does not properly encase the block is thus insured before the affected block and carton are moved into the flap sealing zone of the apparatus.

It is not intended that the description heretofore given of the invention and/or the showing thereof set forth in the drawings is limiting in any respect of the monopoly claimed by applicant. It is on the contrary intended that all claims hereinafter allowed, whether made initially or to be added (assuming that they are properly supportable by the drawings and/or specification and/ or claims originally made herein), shall be the measure of the scope of the invention herein set forth. Accordingly, and with the foregoing in mind, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is (remembering that claims broader than those now included may hereafter be found properly includible herein) 1. In. a carton-feeding, opening and flap-gluingv apparatus adapted to open carton blanks and place opened cartons on adjacently moving car-*- ton-supporting blocks for movement through :i flap-gluing zone, a carton blank magazine, means for withdrawing unopened carton blanks from said magazine and carrying them into juxtaposition with said carton-carrying blocks, means for opening said carton blanks during said latter movement, means for detecting any improper positioning of said opened cartons on said blocks and means responsive to said detection to stop movement of the block towards the gluing zone, said detection means comprising upper and lower feeler members unitarily movable horizontally when an unopened carton is properly positioned on the blocks but individually tiltably movable with respect to each other when an opened carton is improperly positioned on the block to render the block moving mechanism inoperative.

2. In a carton-feeding, opening and flap-gluing apparatus adapted to open carton blanks and place opened cartons on adjacently moving carton-supporting blocks for movement through a flap-gluing zone, a carton blank magazine, means for withdrawing unopened carton blanks from said magazine and carrying them into juxtaposition with said carton-carrying blocks, means for opening said carton blanks during said latter movement, means for detecting any improper positioning of said opened cartons on said blocks and means responsive to said detection to stop movement of the block towards the gluing zone, said detection means comprising upper and lower feeler disks adapted tov enter associated concavities in said block when a carton is not positioned on said block, to be movable horizontally equally away from said block when an opened carton is properly positioned thereupon and to be unequally tiltably movable away from said block when an opened carton is improperly positioned on said block.

3. In a carton-feeding, opening and flap-gluing apparatus adapted to open carton blanks and place opened cartons on adjacently moving carton-supporting blocks for movement through a flap-gluing zone, a carton blank magazine, means for withdrawing unopened carton blanks from said magazine and carrying them into juxtaposition with said carton-carrying blocks, means for opening said carton blanks during said latter movement, means for detecting any improper positioning of said opened cartons on said blocks and means responsive to said detection to stop movement of the block towards the gluing zone, said detection means comprising a feeler unit including a feeler disk supporting member having feeler disks at opposite ends thereof, the feeler unit being mounted to move unitarily when an adjacent block is properly occupied and to tilt when an adjacent block is improperly occupied, a switch operating mechanism adapted to be contacted when said detector device is tilted and circuits for rendering inoperative the block movement when a block is improperly associated with an opened carton.

4. In a carton-feeding, opening and flap-gluing apparatus adapted to open carton blanks and place opened cartons on adjacently moving carton-supporting blocks for movement through a flap-gluing zone, a carton blank magazine, means for withdrawing unopened carton blanks from said magazinerand carrying them into juxtaposition with said carton-carrying blocks, means for opening said carton blanks during said latter movement, means for detecting any improper positioning of said opened cartons on said blocks and means responsive to said detection to stop movement of the block towards the gluing zone, said detector mechanism comprising a substantially vertically extending feeler carrier and mounting member, feeler disks mounted on the ends thereof, a Y member having one of its arms providing a pivotal mounting for said feeler carrier member and the other of its arms providing a mounting for said Y, and switch operating means positioned on said feeler mounting member, said Y moving about its pivotal mounting to permit the movement of said feeler disk mounting member directly horizontally without tilting thereof when a carton properly occupies the block adjacent said detector member and said Y permitting tilting movement of said feeler mounting member to operate said switching mechanism when a blank is improperly positioned on the block adjacent said detector mechanism.

JOHN L. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,593,827 Howard July 27, 1926 2,016,814 Ferguson Oct. 8, 1935 2,138,306 Patrick Nov. 29, 1938 2,251,883 Hartmann Aug. 5,1941 2,252,469 Nyberg Aug. 12, 1941 2,399,934 Monroe May 7, 1946

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