US2900880A

US2900880A - Carton expanding and conveyer loading mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2900880A
Application number: US607132A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry E Engleson; Elmer D Sramek
Original assignee: Redington Co F B
Current assignee: F B REDINGTON Co; Redington Co F B
Priority date: 1956-08-30
Filing date: 1956-08-30
Publication date: 1959-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1976-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ET AL ,9

CARTON EXPANDING AND CONVEYER LOADING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 30, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmvzroks: HARRY E, ENGLESON 25 ELMER D. SRAMEK 3 BY 4 Aug. 25, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ET AL 2,900,880

CARTON EXPANDING AND CONVEYER LOADING MECHANISM Filed Aug. so, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

INVENTORSI HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D, SRAMEK ATT'YS Aug. 25, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ETAL 2,900,330

CARTON EXPANDING AND CONVEYER LOADING MECHANISM Filed Aug. so, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS: HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK BY W Mame/fa:

ATT'YS Aug. 25, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ETAL 2,900,880

CARTON EXPANDING AND CONVEYER LOADING MECHANISM HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D, SRAMEK United States Patent G 1 2,900,880 CARTON EXPANDING AND CONVEYER LOADING MECHANISM Harry E. Engleson, Chicago, and Elmer D. Sramek,

Cicero, Ill., assignors to F. B. Redington (10., Bellwood Village, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application August 30,1956, Serial No. 607,132

9 Claims. (Cl. 93-53) This invention relates to article packaging machinery for packaging articles in cartons made of cardboard, or the like. More particularly the invention relates to apparatus for expanding the cartons and placing them in successive buckets or pockets of a moving conveyer.

Each carton for packaging articles comprises a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels, and two sets of end closure flaps, one set of flaps being at each end of the carton, whereby a rectilinear enclosure is provided for the packaged articles. The cartons are in collapsed or folded flat position and stacked one upon the other, and a packaging machine is usually equipped with carton expanding apparatus which includes a magazine for holding the stacked cartons. The lowermost carton at the bottom of the stack is expanded by engagement with a member having suction cups, the carton being pulled downwardly by the member from the bottom of the magazine. Stationary guides between which the cartonmust pass, converge andimpinge upon the opposite edges of the collapsed flattened carton and gradually forces the carton to expand. To prevent the carton from doubling or folding longitudinally rather than expanding, a long thin member or finger is positioned to engage a long tuck flap at one end of the carton and to thence slide'into the carton. The finger exerts a restraining force upwardly against the upper panel of the carton while the lower panel is being drawn downwardly by the suction cups, and thus the upper and lower panels are caused to separate. Because of the desirability of inserting the finger into the carton at the beginning of the expanding operation, the cartons are stacked in the magazine with the flap side in up position i.e., each carton being placed in the magazine such that the tuck flaps at one end extend from the upper panel thereof.

Heretofore, cartons were expanded from a flat position in the magazine and were then moved laterally and placed in a conveyer bucket with the tuck flap extending from the top panel of, the expanded carton as it was positioned in the magazine. After the carton had been filled with articles, the flap would be folded downwardly over the end and thence tucked in at the bottom of the carton. This mode of packaging has proved satisfactorily, for packaging many articles, particularly those which have resilient or rounded edges such that no substantial restraint is offered to the tuck flap when it is tucked or inserted into the carton in a final closure operation. However, in packaging certain articles which are hard and have sharp edges, it has been found that such tucking operation is not accomplished smoothly since the tuck flap is prone to engage and be held by the sharp edges of the articles within the carton, the tuck flap in such cases being likely to buckle and become damaged with the result that the carton may not properly be closed.

This invention consists generally in a new and improved carton expanding apparatus wherein the cartons are passed downwardly and rotated substantially ninety degrees from the horizontal, and thence inserted into a conveyer bucket which is moving upwardly and around an end sprocket or other conveyer end support means. The bucket then moves with the conveyer around the end sprocket support and assumes a horizontal position;

ice

the carton is thereupon rotated an additional ninety degrees while in the bucket and its ultimate position on the conveyer is inverted from its position in the magazine.

It is an object of this invention to provide new and improved carton expanding and inserting apparatus, wherein the cartons are removed from a horizontal position in the magazine and are placed on a conveyer in a horizontal position inverted from the positioning in the magazine; thereby the cartons may be positioned flap side up in the magazine to facilitate expansion by insertion of the finger, and may be positioned fiap side' down in the conveyer to facilitate closure of the fiaps.

A further object is to provide an improved apparatus for transferring successive cartons from a magazine to buckets of a conveyer; the cartons being removed from the magazine by a first pivotal member having suction cups for engagement with a panel of the carton; the carton being passed, or relayed, by further pivotal members, from the first pivotal member to the conveyer bucket which moves upwardly by the conveyer around an end sprocket support of the conveyer.

A more complete understanding of the present invention, its mode of operation and its advantages, may be gathered from further reading of this specification, to-

gether with an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

in which:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a part of a packaging machine of the invention, the view partioularlyillustrating the transfer members for passing cartons from the magazine to the conveyer buckets;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a single carton as it would be positioned on the conveyer prior to filling;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view upwardly looking along the line 3-3 of Fig. l and showing the cartons as they are stacked in the magazine and the finger member for insertion into eachcarton to facilitate the expanding thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a carton as it would be positioned on the conveyer after having been filled with articles and during the closure. operation wherein the flaps are being tucked into the carton;

Fig. 5 is a simplified diagram showing progressively the expanding and transfer of cartons from the positioning of the magazine to a positioning on the conveyer;

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the magazine, a portion of the conveyer, and the transfer members illustrated generally in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view similar in part to Fig. 6 but illustrating the transfer arms at a time subsequent and in different positioning from that shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figs. 6 and 7 but at another time subsequent, and with different positioning of the transfer arms;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 99 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of a single article bucket of the article carrying conveyer of the machine;

Fig. 11 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 11--11 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 12 is a vertically inclined sectional view on the I line 1212 of Fig. 8; and

2 of the conveyernl into. the cardboard cartons 4 on the conveyer 3. The cartons 4 are initially stacked in a magazine 5, Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and will be removed therefrom by a first-transfer member 6 having a pair-of suction cups 7 thereon. Thesuctionfcups. 7 constitutera means:for gripping the bottom carton stacked inthemagazine 5.' The first transfer member6 is mounted to pivot about a point 8 and thereby to transport a carton 4 in, an arc downwardly. A second transfer member 9 will receive the carton/4 from the first transfer member 6 and will pivot about an axis 11? thereby transporting the carton 4 downwardly along a second arc. A third transfer member 11 mounted to pivot about .a

point 12 willreceive the carton4 from the second trans-.

fer member 9 and will move the carton into a bucket .or pocket 13 on the conveyer 3. The conveyer 3 consists of a chain 14 which is supported by a sprocket 15 on a shaft 16, Fig. 5. The sprocket 15 rotates in a clockwise direction, as illustrated in Figs. 1 andS, and therefore the buckets 13 move from the left, upwardly around the sprocket 15, and thence to the right over the upper reach of the chain 14, Fig. 5.- A stationary arcuate band 17, Fig. 5, extends over the buckets at a portion of the conveyer 3 tosecure the cartons 4 therein. Subsequently to the arcuate band 17, the cartons 4 are held'within the buckets 13 by a rail 18 resiliently urged against the cartons 4 by a plurality of springs 19 and supported by a rigid bracket 20.

The movementof cartons 4 from the magazine to the conveyer 3 may be best understood with reference to Fig. 5. Each carton 4 is removed from the bottom of the stack of cartons in the magazine and transported downwardly through an arc illustrated by an arrow 6' by the first transfer member 6, shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 7. The carton. 4 is thence moved through a second are 9' by the second transfer member 9. The carton 4 then moves through a third arc indicated by the arrow 11' by the third transfer member 11. Movement of the carton 4 along the conveyer 3 is indicated by the arrows 3, Fig. 5. It, will be noted by progressively following the movements of the cartons'4 in Fig. 5 that each carton is rotated from a horizontal position in the magazine 5 to a substantially vertical position whereupon the third transfer member 11 inserts the carton in the conveyer 3, and thence the carton continues to be rotated until it assumes an inverted position on the conveyer 3.

The cartons on the conveyer 3 move to the right and in spaced relation to the buckets 2 on the conveyer 1, as illustrated in Fig. 9. A pusher member 21-engages and moves the successive cartons 4 somewhat transversely of the conveyer 3 to place the carton 4 closely adjacent to the article containing buckets 2 to permit the articles to be loaded into the cartons 4 from the buckets 2 as both conveyers l and 3 move synchronously. Fig. 11 illustrates the relative positioning of the article carrying buckets 2 and the carton 4 positioned to receive articles therefrom. The article carrying bucket 2 rests upon and slides along a pair of rails 22 and is moved by a chain 23, Fig. 11. The buckets 13 of the conveyer 3 likewise rest upon and slide along a pair of rails 24 and are similarly moved by the chain 14. Each of the cartons 4 has a pair of side flaps 25 and a tuck flap 26 at each end thereon. At the end to be loaded, the flap 26 is depressed beneath a part of the article bucket 2, and at the other end the flap 26 is depressed beneath a rail 27. Thus, both of the tuck flaps 26 of the carton 4 are depressed and held clear during the loading operation wherein the articles are transferred from the buckets 2 to the cartons 4. After the articles have been transferred from the buckets 2 to the cartons 4, the side flaps 25 are folded inwardly and the tuck flaps 26 of, each carton are folded upwardly to be inserted into the carton, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The operation ofremoving and expanding the cartons 4 from the magazine 5 is initiated as the first trans member 6 is pivoted upwardly such that the suction cups 7 engage the bottom carton of the stack, Fig. 6, and at such time, a vacuum is applied to the suction cups via a flexible hose 28 and a tubular duct 29 passing through the transfer member 6. to :the suction cups 7. With vacuum applied, the suction. cups 7 grip the lower lying panel 30 of the;.carton 4, as indicated by dashed circles 7, Fig. 3. Simultaneously, a thin member or finger 31 engages the tuck flap 26 extending from the upper panel of the carton 4 and moves inwardly such that the finger is inserted into the carton as the expanding operation is commenced. The. transfer arm 6 and suction cups 7 pull the bottom panel 30 downwardly, while the finger 31 exerts a restraining force tending to hold the upper panel 32 upwardly thereby separating the upper panel from the lower panel. The finger 31 is mounted to be resilient such that it is capable of moving downwardly with the carton 4 while offering an upwardv force thereagainst.- After thecarton has descended a predetermined distance from the stack'of cartons 4 and has begun to expand or open, the finger 31 is withdrawn permitting the carton 4 to descend further without interference therewith. As the carton 4 is pulled downwardly from the-magazine 5, an inclined guide rail 33 fixed in a stationary position cooperates with a 'pair of upstanding'lugs 34, Fig. 1, whereby the extreme edges or corners of the carton 4 are impinged and forced to assume a lesser dimension thereby causing expansion of the carton 4.

The second transfer member 9 pivots to a position for receiving the carton 4 from the first transfer memben as shown in Fig. 7. The second transfer member 9 includes a pair ofspaced apart head elements 36 between which the first transfer member 6,'with the lugs 34 and suction cups 7, may descend. Fig. 7 shows the positioning of the parts at the time of transfer when-thesecond transfer.

member 9 receives the carton 4 from the first transfer member 6. The firsttransfer member 6 with. the suction cups 7 thereon pivots between spaced apart jaws 36 of the second transfer member 9, and the'carton 4will be secured near each end. by anupstanding guide part 37 and a second upstanding guide part 38 having a protuberance 39 spaced to hook over one corner edge of the carton The carton 4 is thereby held between the upward extending

stud parts

37 and 38 of the spaced apart jaws 36. The transfer arm- 9 is pi-votally mounted at a point 10 and has a rearward extension 41) which is pivotally connected to a link 41 and thus is drivirigly coupled to a rotatable crank 42. As the crank 42 rotates on a shaft 43,.the connecting rod or link 41 causes the transfer arm 9 to reciprocate or rock. about the pivot point 10, Figs. 1, 6, 7 and.8.

' The third transfer member 11 is. mounted to. pivot about the point. 12 and has fixed thereto a drive extension arm 44 containing a slideway 45. Another crank 46 rotatable on a shaft-47 includes a crank pin 48 slidably positionedin theslideway. 45'such thatrotation of the crank. 46 will cause. a pivotal or rocking motionof the second transfer arm 11 about the point. 12.. The third transfer .arm 11 also contains a pair of spacedapart jaws 49. The jaws 49 are spaced apart at a distance greater than the spacement betweenthe jaws. 36 such that the jaws 36 of the transfer arm 9-may move between the jaws 49 ofv the transfer. arm- 11, Fig. 12. Fig. 8. illustrates the positioning of the transfer parts atthe moment when a carton 4. is being received in the jaws- 49 of the third transfer arm 11 from the jaws 36 of the second transfer arm ,9. It will. be appreciated that the jaws 49 consist of a straight extended part 50 of the arm 11 and a transverselycxtending jaw part 51 having an upwardly extending protuberance 52 forming a hook to secure the corner edge of the carton-4. As shown. in Fig. 8, the guide part 38 moves downwardly below the positionof the jaw part 51 and, therefore, the carton 4 is impinged betweenthe guide part 37 of the-second transfer arm 9 and the jaw part 51 of the third transfer arm 11 and thereby the carton is further expanded at the time when the carton is received by the transfer arm 11.

The transfer arm 9 with the guide part 37 thereon forms a guide surface for the upper edge corner of the carton 4 as the third transfer arm 11 begins to pivot forwardly toward the conveyer bucket 13. A stationary guide member 53 is positioned to form an extension of the guide part 37, when the second transfer arm 9 moves to an extreme downward position and, at such time, the third transfer arm 11 moves the carton 4 across the guide part 37, thence across the guide part 53, Fig. 1. The third transfer arm 11 continues to move the carton 4 whereupon the canton is seated in a bucket 13 of the conveyer 3 moving upwardly and being secured therein by the arcuate band 17, as is shown in Fig. 6. An arcuate skirt member 54 is positioned to engage and guide a side flap 25 of the cartons 4, should such flaps tend to fold backwards during the carton transferring operations.

A principal feature of the carton expanding apparatus of this invention not found in the carton expanders heretofore used is the inversion of the carton as it is removed from the magazine 5 and positioned in the buckets 13 of the conveyer 3. As is shown in Fig. 3, the cartons 4 must be placed in the magazine 5 such that the tuck fiap 26 extends from the top panel thereof in order that the finger member 31 will properly intercept the tuck flap 26 and may be inserted into the carton 4 when the carton is drawn downwardly from the magazine 5. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the carton 4 must be placed in the conveyer 3 with the tuck flap. 26 extending from the lower panel thereof such that the tuck flaps 26 may be folded upwardly and tucked into the carton 4 in a space above the articles contained therein. In the flap closure operation, an auxiliary blade (not shown) may be inserted and withdrawn to create sumcient space for the subsequent insertion of the cardboard tuck flap 26. With the carton 4, as positioned in Fig. 4, the weight of the articles exerted downwardly away from the space created by the blade will tend to preserve that space permitting the proper insertion of the tuck flap 26. Therefore, it may be appreciated that the cartons may best be expanded from a position with the tuck flap up in the magazine 5, and may be best filled and closed in a position with the tuck flap down in the conveyer 3. By use of the carton expanding mechanism as taught by this invention, the proper positioning of the cartons 4 may be maintained in both the magazine 5 and in the conveyer 3 since the carton expanding and transferring mechanism of this invention causes the cartonsto he inverted.

A further feature of this invention resides in the fact that the carton expanding and inserting apparatus is relatively simple, both in its structure and in its mode of operation. Because of its simplicity, the operation of the carton expanding and inserting apparatus of this invention will be relatively trouble-free and inexpensive to operate.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a packaging machine having a conveyer movable about a rotatable end support means, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into buckets carried by the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for containing a stack of flat cartons, a first transfer member pivotally mounted in spaced relation with the magazine and operable to engage and pull a single carton downwardly from the magazine to a first position, a second transfer member mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the first transfer member and operable to receive the carton from the first transfer member at the first position and convey it to a second position, and a third 6 transfer member mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the second transfer member and with the rotatable end support means of the iconveyer, the third transfer member being" operable to receive the carton from the second transfer member at said second position and to insert the carton into a conveyer bucket as the bucket is moving around the rotatable end support means. I i

2. In'a packaging machine having a conveyer movable abouta rotatable end support means, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for holding a stack offcartonswherein each of the cartons are folded flat and are stacked horizontally with a flap extending from an upper panel thereof, a first transfer member movably positioned to move into engagement with. the carton at the bottom of the stack, said first transfer member having means thereon for holding and pulling the lower panel of the carton downwardly, a finger member movably mounted to engage the flap and to insert into the carton, said first transfer member and said finger cooperating to initially expand the carton as the first transfer member moves downwardly, a second transfer member, movably positioned to move into spaced relation with and to receive the carton from the first transfer member, and a third transfer member movably positioned to move into spaced relation with and to receive the carton from the second transfer member, said third transfer member being furtherpositioned to move into spaced relation with the rotatable end support means for transferring cartons tothe conveyer, said transfer members being operable to rotate the carton from the horizontal positioning of the stacked cartons inthe magazine, said conveyer being operable to further rotate the carton to a position inverted from the positioning in the magazine.

3. In a packaging machine having a conveyer movable around a sprocket supporting one end thereof, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into buckets carried by the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for containing a stack of cartons, each carton to be flattened and positioned in the magazine horizontally with a tuck flap extending from an upper panel thereof, a first transfer member mounted to pivot into engagement with the bottom carton of the stack in the magazine, said transfer member having means thereon for gripping and pulling the carton downwardly from the the magazine, a means operatively associated with the magazine and with the first trans-fer member for partially expanding the carton as the carton is pulled downwardly from the magazine, a second transfer member mounted to pivot into spaced relationship with the first transfer member for receiving the carton therefrom, and a third transfer member mounted to pivot into spaced relation with the second transfer member and with the sprocket of the conveyer, said third transfer member being operable to receive the carton from the second transfer member and to pass the carton into a bucket of theconveyer as said bucket moves upwardly around the sprocket, the transfer members being further operable to rotate the carton from the horizontal positioning in the magazine to a substantially vertical positioning, the conveyer being operable to further rotate the carton to an inverted horizontal positioning wherein the tuck flap extends from a bottom panel thereof. i

4. In a packaging machine having a conveyer movable around a sprocket supporting one end thereof, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into buckets carried by the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for containing a stack of cartons each of which being positioned horizontally with a tuck flap extending from a top panel thereof, a first transfer arm mounted to pivot into engagement with the bottom carton of the stack, said transfer. arm having at least one suction cup thereon for gripping the carton, a guide rail positioned below the magazine and in spaced relation with the first transfer arm for impinging upon a corner of the carton and for thereby expanding the carton as the transfer arm pulls the carton downwardly, a second transfer arm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the first transfer arm, said'second transferarm' having a pair of'spaced apart jaws. attached thereon for receiving a carton from the first transfer arm, and a third transfer arm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the second transfer arm and with the sprocket of the conveyer, said third transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jawsattached thereto for receiving the carton from the second transfer arm and for carrying and seating the carton in a bucket moving upwardly around the sprocket of the conveyer, the jaws of the second transfer arm cooperating with the jaws of the third transfer arm tofurther impinge upon and expand the carton as the carton is being received by the third transfer arm.

5. In a packaging machine having a conveyer movable around a sprocket supporting one end thereof, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into buckets carried by the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for containing a stack of cartons each of which being positioned horizontally with a tuck nap extending from the top panel of each carton, a first transfer arm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the magazine and with the cartons therein, said first transfer arm having a pair of suction cups for engaging and gripping the bottom carton of the stack, a finger member positioned to engage the tuck flap of the bottom carton and mounted to slide into the carton to exert an upward restraining force against the top panel thereof, a guide rail extending downwardly from the magazine in spaced relation with the first transfer arm for impinging upon and expanding the canton as the carton is pulled downwardly from the magazine by the suction cups, a second transferarm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the first transfer arm, said second transfer arm having apair of spaced apart jaws attached thereon for receiving a carton from the first transfer arm, and a third transfer armmounted to pivot in spaced relation with the second transfer arm and with the sprocket of the conveyer, said third transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws attached thereto for receiving the carton from the second transfer arm and for carrying and seating the carton in abucket moving upwardly around the sprocket of the conveyer, the jaws of the second transfer arm cooperating with the jaws of the third transfer arm to further impinge upon and expand the carton as the carton is being received by the third transfer arm.

6. In a packaging machine having a conveyer movable around a sprocket supporting one end thereof, apparatus for expanding and inserting cartons into buckets carried by the conveyer, said apparatus comprising a magazine for containing a stack of cartons, a first transfer arm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the magazine, said first transfer arm having a suction cup thereon for engaging and gripping the bottom carton of the stack, a first stationary guide rail extending downwardly from the magazine in spaced relation with the first transfer arm for impinging upon and expanding the carton as the carton is transported downwardly from the magazine, a second transfer arm mounted in spaced relation with the first transfer arm, said second transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws attached thereon for receiving a carton from the first transfer arm, each of said jaws having a guide part extending therefrom and integral therewith, a third transfer arm mounted to pivot in spaced relation with the second transfer arm and with the sprocket of the conveyer, said third transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws attached thereto for receiving a carton from the second transfer arm and for carrying and seating the carton in a bucket moving up wardly around the sprocket of the conveyer, said guide parts of the jaws on the second transfer arm cooperating with the jaws of the third transfer arm to further impinge upon and expand the carton as the cartonis received in the third transferarm, and a second stationary guide member positioned in spaced relation with the third transfer arm, said guide ,parts on the jaws of the second transfer arm being further operable to move into spaced relation with the second'stationary guide member to retain the carton inthe'third transfer arm as the third transfer arm pivots in spaced relationwith the guide parts and with the second stationary guide member.

7. In a carton expanding and transferring mechanism for a packaging machine, apparatus comprising a first movable transfer arm and a second movable transfer arm, each of said transfer arms having a pair of spaced apart jaws for holding a carton, the jawsof one transfer arm being spaced to move between the jaws of the other transfer arm whereby the carton may be passed from the first transfer arm and received by the second transfer arm, the jaws of the first transfer arm cooperating with the jaws of the secondtransfer arm to expand the carton when the carton is passed from the first transfer arm to the second transfer arm.

8. In a carton expanding and transferring mechanism for a packaging machine, apparatus comprising a first pivotal transfer arm and a second pivotal transfer arm, said first transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws for holding a partially expanded carton, each of the jaws of the first transfer arm having at least one upstanding guide part, said second transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws with a guide extension part thereon, the jaws of one of the transfer arms being adapted to pass between the jaws of the other transfer arm whereby the carton will be received from the first transfer arm by the second transfer arm, said upstanding guide parts of the jaws of the first transfer arm and said guide extension parts of the jaws of the second transfer arm moving into close space relation as the transfer arms pivot whereby the carton is impinged from opposite edges thereof to cause the carton to be expanded as the carton is received by the jaws of the second transfer arm.

9. In a carton expanding and transferring mechanism for a packaging machine having a conveyer movable around a sprocket supporting one end thereof, apparatus comprising a first pivotal transfer arm for transporting a carton, a second pivotal transfer arm mounted in spaced relation with the first pivotal transfer arm and in spaced relation with the sprocket, and a stationary guide member positioned in spaced relation with the second transfer arm and with the sprocket, said first transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws for holding a carton, each of the jaws of the first transfer arm having at least one upstanding guide part, said second transfer arm having a pair of spaced apart jaws thereon for receiving the carton from the first transfer arm, the jaws of the first transfer arm being adapted to pass between the jaws of the second transfer arm whereby the carton will be passed from the first transfer arm to the second transfer arm, the upstanding guide parts of the jaws on the first transfer arm cooperating with the jaws of the second transfer arm to impinge upon and cause expansion of the carton when the carton is passed from the first transfer arm to the second transfer arm, said upstanding rguide parts being further operable to move into close spaced relation with the stationary guide member to form a continuous guide path for the carton as the second transfer arm moves the carton from the jaws of the first transfer arm, past the stationary guide member and into the conveyer moving upwardly around the sprocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,991,223 Ledig Feb. 12, 1935 2,573,324 Ferguson Oct. 30, 1951 2,601,481 Williams June 24, 1952 2,762,274 Kerr Sept. 11, 1956