US3381447A - Apparatus for filling and closing envelope-type containers - Google Patents

Description

May 7, 1968 A. H. AsH E'rAL 3,381'447 APPHTUS FOR FILLIN AND CLKOSING ENVELOPE-TYPE CONTAINERS Filed March 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 1, 1968 A. H. ASH ETA.. 3,3s1,441

APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING ENVELOPE-TYPE CONTAINERS Filed March 2, 1966 5 Sheets-She'et z FIG-2 May 7, 1968 A. H. ASH ETAL 3,381,447

APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING ENVELOPE-TYPE CONTAINERS Filed March 2, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG-10 '70 I /ao /ee 193' 182, m6 x l I /92 FIG-11 ma United States Patent O APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND CLOSING ENVELOPE-TYPE CONTAINERS Albert H. Ash, South Vienna, and Orville A. Morley,

Dayton, Ohio, assignors to McCall Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 531,196

11 Clairns. (Cl. 53-188) This invention relates to an apparatus for handling envelope-type containers, and more particularly, to an apparatus for inserting articles or materials and then tucking an extending flap down into the open end of the container.

The apparatus of the invention is particularly suited for a high volume operation and is adapted to receive a continuous flow of successively arranged folded paper sheets or similar material, insert the sheets into envelopes having a generally rectangular shaped flap extending from the open end, and then tuck the flap down into the envelope for retaining the contents. A typical application of the apparatus, and one which is used for purposes of illustrating the invention, is for the high-speed inserting of printed dressmaking patterns and instruction sheets into paper envelopes and then closing the envelopes so that the patterns and sheets are eifectively retained there- Within. For convenience to the customer, it is desrable that the envelope be closed without sealing so that it may later be opened and reclosed without tearing the envelope.

It is to be understood, however, that the apparatus according to the invention has other applications. For

example, -the apparatus could 1be constructed to handle envelope-type containers of many different configurations simply by proportioning the size of the components appropriately. Also, the apparatus could be constructed with adjustable components in order to handle similar type envelopes of different sizes. Another particular application of the apparatus may be for handling bulk rate mail, where due to postal regulations or for economic reasons, the flap commonly is tucked into the envelope rather than being sealed to the outside of the envelope by adhesive. While paper is most generally employed for envelope-type containers, it is, of course, recognized that the container could be formed from other materials, such as flexible plastic film or the like, and still be readily acceptable by the apparatus of the invention.

Accordingly, it is -a primary object of the invention to provide a novel apparatus for high-speed handling and closing of a flap-type envelope container.

As another object, the present invention provides an apparatus for inserting sheet material or the like into envelope-type containers and then closing -the same, and includes an indexing wheel member which receives an empty container at one station, quickly advances the container to another station Where the material is inserted, then to a station where an extending flap is tucked into the container, and then advances to a further station where the container is removed from the rotary member.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus adaptable for receiving a high-speed flow of successively spaced packets or sheets of material and inserting the packets individually into envelope-type con- ICC tainers having a flap extending from an edge and to tuck the flap into the open end of the container while the opening is made to conform to a predetermined contignration.

An additional object is to provide a novel apparatus as outlined a-bove for enlarging the open end of a relatively flexible envelope having a closure flap and then tucking the flap into the opening to close the envelope and retain the material within.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatus for receiving a continuous flow of successively arranged sheets of paper or the like, insert the sheets into flexible envelope-type containers having a flap extending from one side sheet, and then tuck the flap into the container while the side sheet retaining the flap is held substantially flat for easy folding of the flap and the opposite side sheet is curved to provide for easy insertion of the flap.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for nserting sheet material into an envelope, and including a feed device for increasing the speed of the material immediately before it enters the envelope to overcome frictional resistance between the inside surface of the envelope and to reduce the time for inserting.

Still another object is to provide an apparatus as outlined above, wherein the envelope is automatically pinched along its edges during insertion of both the sheet material and the flap to enlarge the open end and provide for insertion with less resistance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus according to the invention and illustrates generally the feeding of the envelopes and the sheet material which is inserted into the envelope;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic elevational end view looking at the right end of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a typical envelope and sheets of material which are inserted into the envelope;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational section view of the indexing wheel member showing its internal compartments adapted to be positioned at the several stations for the different operations performed lny the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of a compartment positioned directly below the speed up rollers located at the top center station;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detailed radial view of the wheel member in FIG. 5 and showing the open end of a typical compartment Which receives and supports an envelope;

FIG. 8 is a section view of the Wheel member as viewed along the line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view in part section of a typical compartment within the wheel member;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary elevational view in part section showing the speed up rollers and] movable guide chute mounted at the top center station as shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the speed up rollers shown in FIG. 10, as viewed along the line 11-11 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view along the line 12-12 of FIG. 5 and showing the inserting or tucking members which fold the extending flap down into the envelope-type container;

FIG. 13 is an elevational section view as would be seen in part viewed along the line 13-13 of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a view along the line 14-14 of FIG. 5 showing the operation of the corner tucking members.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elevational view of FIG. 1 shows generally the overall arrangement of the major components of the apparatus which are mounted on a base member 20 from which extends a frame member 22 for supporting a vertically positioned mounting plate 24. A set of rollers 25 are rotatably mounted on the plate 24 and extend on a horizontal axis for guiding and driving an endless belt conveyor 27 which cooperates with another endless belt conveyor 29 guided and driven by the set of rollers 31 to feed a series of prearranged and successively spaced packets or sheets of inserting material between the adjacent sections of belts as illustrated at 33. When the apparatus of the invention is used in Conjunction with an automatic Collector and folder for dressmaking patterns, the packets of material may include folded patterns or sheets 34 (FIG. 4) and an instruction chart or sheet 35 both of which are folded to such predetermined size for easy insertion into an envelope 36 having a generally rectangular shaped flap 38 extending from one side.

Another endless belt conveyor 42 which is guided and driven by the set of rollers 43 is also mounted on the plate 24 and cooperates with a fourth endless belt conveyor 44 guided and driven by the set of rollers 47 to receive a sheet 35 (FIG. 4) fed from the feeding mechanism 50 which successively feeds the bottom sheet from a stack supported thereon. In conjunction with the folded patterns 34, the sheet 35 may typically be a guide or sew chart which is provided with the patterns to serve as instructions for using them. It is to be understood, however, that while a packet of folded patterns 34 and instruction sheet 35 is employed herein for illustrating the operation of the apparatus according to the invention, the apparatus could be easily set for use with other packets and/or sheets of materials.

The feeding mechanism 50 for the instruction sheet 35 is preferably operated |by a chain drive 55 from a horizontally extending drive shaft 57 which is driven by a suitable drive means 59 (FIG. 2) in timed relationship with the operation of the pattern folding machine supplying the successively spaced folded patterns 34. The drive shaft 57 is normally driven at a constant speed and thus serves to drive the endless belt conveyors 27, 29, 42 and 44 at a constant rate by a suitable positive drive arrangement (not shown). Furthermore, the constant operation of the feed mechanism 50 by the drive shaft 57 also feeds the instruction sheets 35 at a uniform successive rate into and between the conveyors 42 and 44 Where the belts are spaced adjacent to one another as shown at 60. The instruction sheet 35 is then fed over the guide plate 62 where it joins with the folded patterns 34 in the converging zone 64. The patterns 34 and instruction sheet 35 are then carried together side by side between the adjacent sections of the conveyor belts 27 and 44 and are distributed downwardly between the end guide rollers 66.

Another feed mechanism 70 is mounted on the plate 24 and is provided with a constant drive from the shaft 57 by chain drive 72. The feed mechanism 70 which is substantially the same as the feed mechanism 50 is adapted to feed the |bottom envelope 36 from a stack in a uniform successively spaced relationship into and between the endless belt conveyor 74 and 75 guided and driven by the sets of rollers 77 and 78, respectively.

Referring to the plan view of FIG. 2, a chain drive 79 powers the input shaft 81 of the gear box 33 from which extends two output shafts 84 and 85. The constant rotation of the input shaft 81 provides a uniform indexing rotary output on the shaft 84 causing the shaft to index in increments of 45. A shaft extension 86 is rotatably supported in a frame member 87 and a pair of hub members 88 are mounted on the shaft extension 86 to support a drum or wheel member 90 which is driven through a suitable Couplng 92 Connecting the shaft extension 86 to the output shaft 84. The wheel member 90 is provided with a series of eight uniformly spaced and radially extending compartments 95 which are adapted to be advanced uniformly and progressively positioned at each of the five Operating stations A through E (FIG. 5).

A typical compartment 95 is shown in FIGS. 6-9, and is defined at the outer periphery of the wheel member 90 by a pair of spaced apart guide blocks or members 97 and 98 which are rigidly mounted on their ends to the Circular side plates 101 and 102 (FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 7, the guide block 98 is provided with a generally radially extending curved surface 104 and a top surface 106 (FIG. 9) having a central portion spaced inwardly below the end portions. A passageway 109 (FIG. 7) is provided within the block member 98 and is connected by a series of ports 111 with the surface 104. The passageway 109 and ports 111 are connected to a suction Chamber 113 (FIG. 8) formed within the arcuate shaped bland member 115 (FIG. 1) which engages the outer peripheral side surface of the Circular side plate 102 of the wheel member 90, as shown in FIG. 1.

A suction is provided within the chamber 113 by a conduit 117 leading to a suitable suction source (not shown). Preferably, the side plates 101 and 102, blocks 97 and 98 and stationary gland member 115 are formed from a plastie material such as nylon which provides for low frietion between the sliding outer surface of the plate 102 and the gland .member 115. Furthermore, the plastic material is desirable for the entire construction of the wheel member 90 -to minimize its Weight and reduce its inertia and thus enable more rapid indexing with lower power requirements and less wear on the support bean'ngs. Each of the guide block |members 97 is provided with a fiat radial surfa-ce 119 and a passage 120 and ports 121 which are also in fluid Communication with the suction chamber 113.

A pair of pinch members 125 are pivotaly mounted between the ends of the block members 97 and 98 and are adapted to pivot about the pins 127 (FIG. 8) extending through the side guide plates 129 and *130 (FIG. 6). The opposing surfaces of the pinch members 125 are provided with a V-shaped configuration 132 and a narrow longitudinally extending slot 135. The upper end-s of the pinch members 125 are normally bi-ased apart by the compression Springs 138 (FIG. 8) carried within the side plates 101 and 102 radially inwardly of the pins 127 and engaging the inner ends of the pinch members. Mounted axially within the side plates 101 and 102 are a pair of aligned actuating pins 140 which Iare adapted to pivot the pinch members '125 when the outer ends of the pins 140- engage correspon-ding arcuate cam members 142 (FIGS. 1 and 18) ri-gidly mounted on the frame 87. As a result of length of the cam members 142, the outer ends of the pinch ymembers 125 are moved Close together during the rotation of the corresponding compartment through the stations B, C and D (FIG. 5).

Connecting the inner edge portions of the compartment guide plates 129 and 130 (FIG. 6) are a pair of V-shaped bottom support members 145 which are spaced apart to define an open space 148 therebetween. Operable Within the space 148, as shown in FIG. 8, are a pair of discharge or ejecting members 150 which are pivotally mounted on pins 152 extending through the inner Corners of the side plates 129 and 130. Each dischar-ge member 150 includes a U-shaped wire y154 (FIG. 6) the ends of which are carried within a Swinging block member 155 .(FIG. 8). Movement of the discharge members 150 is controlled by the axially extending pins 157 slidably mounted within the side plates 101 and 102. The ends of the pins 157 are adapted to engage a cam member 159 (FIGS. 1 and 8) mounted on the inside of the frame member 87 -at station E and thereby cause the wires 154 to push radially outwardly against the bottom edge of a container 36.

In operation, an envelope 36 is fed by the endless conveyor belts 74 and 75 at station A into a compartment 95 within the wheel member 90 with the flap extendinlg radially outwardly as shown in FIG. 5. The envelope is orientated so that the flap extends from the leading side of the compartment so that the flap can be simply folded at a subsequent station by the advancement of the wheel member 90.

The wheel member is then indexed 45 by the indexing gear box 93 (FIGS. 2 and 3) until the compartment is positioned at the top center station B. However, during the movement of the compartment from station A to station B, the Suction gland member 115 (FIG. 7) introduces a Suction into -the passages 109 and 120 causing the upper side portion of the envelope to be pulled against the surfaces 104 and 119 of .the block members 90 and 97, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7, the surface 119 is essentially flat so (that the flap can be easily folded. On the other hand, the surface 104 is provided with a uniform curve so that the opposite side of the envelope is held in such a position to provide the maximum area at the open end of the envelope. To assistant the Suction within the ports 111 and 121, the cam members 142 (FIGS. 1 and 8) are positioned -to cause the pinch members 125 to press against the edges of the envelope thereby causing the sides of the envelope to bulge and conform to the flat and curved inner surfaces of the respective block members 97 and 98.

When the compartment reaches station B, the enclosed envelope 36 is positioned so that its open end is provided with a maximum open area. At this station, the packet of folded patterns 34 and instruction sheet 35 is fed into the envelope from between the conveyor belts 44 and 27 through the .speed up rollers 165 and 166 (FIG. 5) which are adapted to run continuously at a substantially faster speed than the belts 27 and 44. It has been found that the speed up rollers 165 and '166 are desirable to assure that the packet is completely inserted into the open container retained Within a compartment positioned at station B. Otherwise, the friction between the insert material and the inside of the container can sometimes result in a portion of the mtaerial extending beyond the periphery of the wheel member.

As shown in FIGS. and 11, the speed up rollers 165 and 166 are adapted to be adjustably spaced in relation to one another to accommodate packets or other materials of different thickness. This is accomplished by drive pulley 175 mounted on shaft 168 which is rotatably mounted in the frame member 170 by a belt drive system 172 (FIG. 3) connectin-g the shaft 168 (FIG. 11) to the motor 177 (FIG. 3). The shaft 180 Which carries the speed up roller 166 is driven through a gear train 182 (FIG. 6). This drive system enables the speed up roller 166 to be adjustably positioned by adjusting a pair of spacing screws 184 which position :a pair of bearing support blocks 186 supporting the shaft 180. A pair of compression springs 188 are spaced between the support blocks 186 and the frame member 170 to bias the support blocks 136 against the adjusting screws 184. Furthermore, the springs 133 enable the speed up roller 166 to move backward slightly, as for example, if the insert material had not been properly folded or creased which resulted in a thickness greater than normal.

Positioned directly under the speed up rollers 165 and 166 is a guide chute 190 (FIG. 6) which is rotatably supported by the shaft 192 and the stub shaft 193 (FIG. 10)

mounted on the frame 170. The ends of the shafts 192 and 193 are rigidly connected to the guide chute 190, as for example, by spot welding at 194. As shown in FIG. 10, the end portions 195 of the guide chute 190 are formed at right angles to the main portion 196 and are converging to serve as a guide for the folded patterns 34 and instruction sheet 35 as they are directed into the envelope 36. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide chute 190 is positioned to serve tas .a counterpart of the envelope flap 38 and is positioned substantially adjacent the oluter periphery of the wheel member 90 during insertion of the materials 34 and 35. Thus, the chute 190 must be rotated clockwise during each indexing movement of the wheel member 90 so that it does not interfere with the envelope flap 38. For this movement, mounted on the outer end of the shaft 192 (FIG. 10) is a lever 197 which is actuated through an adjustable link 199 (FIG. l) connecting the lever 197 to a control arm 201 whi-ch is operated by a shaft 202 (FIG. 12) and .a connecting cam and follower mechanism (not shown) mounted within the housing 204 (FIG. 3) and driven by the drive shaft 206. A chain drive 208 (FIG. 2) connects with the end of the drive shaft 206 to the output shaft 210 of an .auxiliary gear box 212 driven by the output shaft of the gear 'box 33 through a coupling 214.

When the wheel member is indexed another 45 the compartment moves from station B to C (FIG. 5). I-Iowever, during the movement of the compartment from station B to C, the outwardly extending flap of the envelope 36 engages the plate 216 which serves to fold the fiap 90 so that it lies substantially tangential to the wheel member 90 directly under the end portion 218 of the plate 216. The upper end of the plate 216 is mounted rigidly on a shaft 220 rotatably supported within the f frame 87 (FIG. 12) and on the shaft is mounted an actuating arm 222 extending horizontally therefrom.

Mounted on the frame 37 (FIG. 5) is a control switch 225 which is operated in response to the movement of the arm 222 as shown in FIG. 5. By this arrangement, the pivotal support of the plate 216 and the arm 222 provide a safety control, if for example, an envelope 36 is not completely inserted within a compartment at station A or the insert material such as the folded patterns 34 were not completely inserted within the envelope 36 at station B. That is., the portion extending beyond the periphery of the wheel member 90 Would engage the sloping portion of the plate 216 causing it to rotate counterclockwise thereby lifting the arm 222 and .actuating the switch 225. The switch 225 serves to control the main power supply of the drive shaft 57 (FIG. 1) and thus, serves to stop the entire operation of the apparatus.

Formed within the end portion 213 of the guide plate 216 (FIG. 12) are a pair of slots 220 through which operate a pair of long tucking fingers or members 230 which are rigidly mounted on a shaft 232 rotatably supported by the frame 87. These tucking members 230 serve to engage the central portion of the flap when the shaft 232 is rotated in order to tuck the flap down into the envelope 36 as shown in FIG. 13. The shaft 232 is rotated in timed relationship through a suitable cam and follower system (not shown) located within the housing 204 (FIG. 2) .and driven by the shaft 206. Spaced adjacent to the outside surfaces of the long tucking members 230 carried by the shaft 232 are a pair of short tucking fingers or members 235 which are free to rotate on the shaft 232 but are limited in their movement relative to the members 230 by the pins 237 (FIG. 12) extending through corresponding slots 238 formed within the outer side of the shorter tucking members 235.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 13, the outward ends of the pins 237 are connected by tension Springs 240 to the upper ends of pins 242 rigdly mounted in the ends of the short tucking members 235. This relativ'e movement between the short tucking members 235 and the long tucking assrirz members 230 is desirable to enable the flap to be completely inserted within the envelope 36.

The wheel member 90 is indexed another 45 so that the compartment moves from station C to station D. At station D, a pair of corner tucking members 250 are rotatably carried by the shafts 252 to move in a horizontal plane as shown in FIGS. and 14 from the normally retracted position shown by the dotted lines to the fully extending position where the leading corners 254 of the members 250 serve to wipe the corners of the flap down into the envelope and thereby assure that the flap is not folded or creased. This synchronous movement or rotation of the corner tucking members 250 is provided by a gear train 256 (FIGS. 5 and 14) which is driven through the gear box 258 connected (not shown) to the drive shaft 206.

The envelope with the material inserted therein and the fiap completely tucked down into the open end is then transferred from station D to E where the discharge or ejecting members 150 (FIG. 8) are actuated by the pins 157 engaging the inner surface of the cam blocks 159. This causes the wire member 154 to move into the opening 148 to engage the bottom edge of the envelope or container 36. In this manner, the envelope is ejected radially outwardly and downwardly into the space between the discharge roller 266) which is driven continuously by suitable drive means (not shown). Slightly before a compartment arrives at station E the suction to the passages 199 and 129 is cut off due to the end of the gland member 115 (F-IG. 1), and also the outer ends of the pinch members 125 are separated as a result of the Stopping of the cam members 142 (FIG. 1). Thus, the envelope 36 can be ejected swiftly at station E with minimum friction and resistance. The continuously running discharge roller 260 then conveys the filled and closed envelope onto a continuously Operating cndless conveyor belt 263 (FIG. 1) between the top surface of the belt and the pressure roller 265 so that the successively fed envelopes can be collected and distributed as desired.

It can be seen that from the drawings and the above clescription, that the apparatus according to the present invenion provides several distinct features and advantages. For example, by providing a rotary indexing wheel member having a plurality of radially extending compartments, a separate operation is performed at each station where a compartment dwells momentarily. Thus summarizing, an empty enevlope is inserted into a compartent at station A, the contents are inserted into the envelope at station B, the extending flap is tucked into the open end at station C, the corners of the flaps are wiped flat into the envelope at station D and the closed enevelope is ejected or discharged at station E. This sequence has been found to provide high speed .and dependable operation which enables the handling of over 150 envelopes per minute.

Also, the suction means for holding apart the open end portion of an envelope while the pinch members are pressing against the edges of the envelope serve to assure that the operation at each station is performed completely and dependably. Furthermore, to assure that the wheel member 90 indexes quickly and accurately, as mentioned above, it is preferred that the movable components of the wheel member be formed from a light weight plastic material having a low coet'ficient of friction.

In addition to the above features it has been found that the speed up rollers 165 and 166 are exceedingly helpful in assuring that the folded patterns, which are usually made from an extremely light weight paper material, and the instruction sheet 35 are completely inserted into the envelope at station B. Without the speed up rollers, it has been found that the friction between the inside surface of the envelope and the outside surface of the patterns sometimes prevents the complete insertion of the material and thus is an operation which is not dependable.

Another feature which is provided by the rotating drum or wheel 90 is that the compartments 95 are positioned -radially with the material inserted and discharged into the compartments in a radial direction. This construction cooperates with the rapid indexing of the Wheel member to assure that the material inserted within the envelope is held radially outwardly by centrifugal force so that when the flap is tucked into the open end of the envelope, the insert material is confined between the underneath side of the flap and the adjacent side Wall of the envelope, as shown in FIG. 13. Furthermore, the rotary movement of the radially extending compartments assures that neither the envelope nor the material within the envelope will not be shifted from side to side and thus also helps to provide for smooth operation of the apparatus.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for receiving and closing an envelope-type container having side sheets defining an open end and a flap extending therefrom, comprising a rotatably mounted wheel member having a plurality of peripherally spaced compartments, means for rotating said wheel member so that each compartment is positioned in a successive manner at a plurality of Operating stations, feed means located at a feed station for supplying a container to each said compartment with the open end and fiap positioned near the periphery of said Wheel member, means for spacing apart the side sheets of each container adjacent the open end, tucker means positioned at a tucking station for folding the flap into the open end while the side sheets are spaced apart, and means for removing the container from each said compartment at a discharge station.

.2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for spacing apart the side sheets of each container include means for applying a Suction to said side sheets, and means for releasing said suction at said discharge station providing for removal of the container from each said compartment.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 including a pair of spaced apart pinch members in each compartment, and means for moving said pinch members toward each other simultaneously with the operation of said Suction means to assure said open end conforms to the configuration of said compartment.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said wheel memer is positioned on a horizontal axis, a suction gland in slidable relative contact with said wheel member for providing Suction adjacent the outward open end of each said compartment for spacing apart the side sheets of the container near the open end, and including rotary tucker means positioned at said tucking station.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 including drive means for rotatably indexing said wheel member so that each said compartment dwells momentarily at each said operating station, a pair of corner tucking members movably supported at a second tucking station for assuring that the corners of the flap are completely tucked in after the main portion of the fiap is inserted by said rotary tucker means, and said means for removing the container from each said compartment being positioned below the axis of said wheel member and free of said Suction.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 including second feed means located at a second feed station and adapted to supply and to insert material into said container while the side sheets are spaced apart and said flap extends outwardly.

'7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 including a pair of spaced apart pinch members positioned in each said compartment, and means for moving said pinch members to- Ward each other to engage the edges of the container for cooperating with said suction means to shape the open end of the container into a predetermined configuration for readily receiving said insert material.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 including means for rotatably indexing said Wheel member to cause each compartment to dwell momentarily at each said station, and Wherein said wheel member is formed from a light Weight plastic material for reducing the inertia of said Wheel member during indexing.

9. Apparatus as defined in clam 6 including accelerating means for quickly inserting the material into the container to overcome resistance due to friction.

10. Apparatus as defined in clam 6 including guide chute means positioned at said second feed station, and means for rotating said chute means to provide clearance for the flap when the wheel member is rotating.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,133 5/1883 Hill 53-187 1,421,835 7/1922 Russ 53-188 X 1,477,198 12/1923 Wainwright 53-188 TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner. R. L. SPRUILL, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND CLOSING AN ENVELOPE-TYPE CONTAINER HAVING SIDE SHEETS DEFINING AN OPEN END AND A FLAP EXTENDING THEREFROM, COMPRISING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED WHEEL MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERALLY SPACED COMPARTMENTS, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID WHEEL MEMBER SO THAT EACH COMPARTMENT IS POSITIONED IN A SUCCESSIVE MANNER AT A PLURALITY OF OPERATING STATIONS, FEED MEANS LOCATED AT A FEED STATION FOR SUPPLYING A CONTAINER TO EACH SAID COMPARTMENT WITH THE OPEN END AND FLAP POSITIONED NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF SAID WHEEL MEMBER, MEANS FOR SPACING APART THE SIDE SHEETS OF EACH CONTAINER ADJACENT THE OPEN END, TUCKER MEANS POSITIONED AT A TUCKING STATION FOR FOLDING THE FLAP INTO THE OPEN END WHILE THE SIDE SHEETS ARE SPACED APART, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING THE CONTAINER FROM EACH SAID COMPARTMENT AT A DISCHARGE STATION.

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