US2987974A - Machine for opening and handling cartons of packaging machinery - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1961 E. RUSSELL 2,987,974

MACHINE FCR OPENING AND HANDLING CARToNs oF PACKAGING MACHINERY 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 19, 1957 June 13, 1961 L. E. RUSSELL 21,987,974

MACHINEv FOR OPENING AND HANDLING` cARIoNs oF PACKAGING MACHINERY 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 19, 1957 N mm lNvENToR LEE E. RUSSELL @KM ATTORNEY 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 M @uw HAN Rm n 4 j mw. mw mw m K g I /d//l//l /l/ M @#wumm ww. Nm M I /c/ ,l o o o o o o l\\\ e o June 13, 1961 L. E. RUSSELL MACHINE FOR OPENING AND HANDLING CARTONS OF' PACKAGING MACHINERY Filed NOV. 19, 1957 June 13, 1961 L. 4E. lRUSSELL MACHINE FOR OPENING AND HANDLING CARTONS lOF' PACKAGING MACHINERY 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 19, 1957 INVENTOR LEE E. RUSSELL June 13, 1961 L.. E. RUSSELL MACHINE FOR OPENING AND HANDLING CARTONS OF PACKAGING MACHINERY 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 19, 1957 INVENTOR LEE E. RUSSELL 6K0@ ATTORNEY June 13, 1961 L. E. RUSSELL MACHINE FCR OPENING AND HANDLING CARTONS OF' PACKAGING MACHINERY Filed Nov. 19, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR LEE E. RUSSELL ATTORNEY L. E. RUSSELL 2,987,974

MACHINE ECR OPENING AND HANDLING CAEToNs 0E PACKAGING MACHINERY June 13, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheetl '7 Filed Nov. 19, 1957 umm @WWW

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ATTORNEY June 13, 1961 l.. E. RUSSELL 2,987,974

MACHINE FOR OPENING AND HANDLING CARTONS OF' PACKAGING MACHINERY Filed Nov. 19, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet. 8

INVENTOR LEE E. RUSSELL ATTORNEY www nited States Patent O 2,987,974 MACHINE FOR OPENING AND HANDLING CAR- TONS F PACKAGING MACHINERY Lee E. Russell, Plant City, Fla., assignor to Crompton- Knowles Packaging rporation, Holyoke, Mass., a

corporation of Massachusetts s Filed Nov. 19, 1957, 'Sel'. No. 697,473 30 Claims. (Cl. 9353) This invention relates to packaging machinery, more particularly to the opening and handling of cartons, and it is the general object of the invention to provide improved means for opening a carton automatically and thereafter controlling it for presentation to a loading station.

The invention relates more particularly to that type of machinery in which flat folded cartons are stacked one over the other and in which a carton is converted from the flat folded form to open form for reception of various articles, such for instance as cans. In machines of this general type as now used an attendant working at the loading station removes a carton from the top of a stack of folded cartons and manually opens it and then holds it in position at the loading station for reception of articles to be loaded. It is an important object of the present invention to provide a machine which will eliminate all of the manual operations now performed by the attendant and provide means which will fully open the bottom carton of a stack `or group of cartons while it is still a part of the group. v

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for temporarily supporting a group of superposed folded cartons and acting on the bottom ply of the lov/ermost carton of the stack in such manner as to' move the lower ply downwardly while the lowest carton and those above it are supported by the temporary support.

It is another object of the invention to provide primary supporting means for supporting thev group at Vopposite sides thereof, then inserting the aforesaid temporary support which may be considered a secondary support between the plies of the lowermost folded carton, then moving the bottom ply down and movingthe primary supports to nonsupporting position so that at the completion of the opening operationthe ends of the lowest carton will both be below the primary supports, after which the Llatter can be returned to their normal group supporting position.

The folded carton will ordinarily have side and end forming panels with aps connected to them and it is a further object of the invention to provide opening means which first moves in one direction from a position under one flap to a position over the adjacent Hap? andthen moves in the opposite direction to a position over the first ap, after which the operation forr opening the car'- ton can proceed, the secondary support moving in said directions with` the opener and then moving inwardly under one of the side panels and the group to support the latter. The opener means has a corresponding' inward motion between top and bottom plies enabling it to lie over -part at least of a side forming panel of the bottom ply while the secondary support holds the top ply and the cartons above it. The opener means then kacts to move the bottom ply and a portion ofthe top ply downwardly away from said Agroup while the secondary support means remains stationary to support the group and another portion of the top ply. K

After the bottom ply has been moved :down to its lowest position it is desirable that at least one `of* the flaps be deflected to a position between opposite naps to keep the carton in open position and it is a further object of the invention .to effect deflection of a ap, such as that extending from an end-forming panel of the 2,987,974 Patented June .13, 1961 bottom ply of the lowest carton of the group by c'ooperation between the opener and a stationary folding means or element as the carton approaches open position. This operation preferably takes place while the secondary support is still in supporting position so that it holds a top flap up and while the bottom flap is held down 4as by a shoe moved into position for the purpose.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a ap folder for the ilap opposite the previously-mentioned deected ap to fold the iiap between the top and bottom aps and maintain it in that position as the carton is moved away from the opening station by advancing means, movement of the carton from the opening station completing the folding of the previously detlected flap. Thereafter continuing motion of the carton 'effects folding of the top and bottom flaps by cooperation with stationary inclined folding guides.

It is a further object of the invention to move the opened cartons by successive stages from the opener station to a loading station. In order that vthe carton may be loaded the aps on the side thereof opposite the flaps already mentioned should be flared or spaced slightly tov form a funnel, as it were, to receive the articles to be placed in the carton. -It is a further object of the invention to cause the bottom flap on said opposite side of the carton to be deflected downwardly into a guide by another shoe element and to cause the top flap to ride up over a stationary guide inclined in such manner as to bend the top ap way from the bottom flap.

It is another object of the invention to provide guiding gates or the like to bend the end naps intermediate the top and bottom flaps away from each other so that all of the flaps on the receiving side of the carton will in effect form a funnel to facilitate entry of articles into the carton. The gates act in such manner as to assist guiding the articles into the carton, after which they are returned to their normal position to permit `the loaded carton to continue in its path toward a guiding station.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate yby way of example the embodiments of the invention and in which:

FIG. l is a side elevation of that part of the machine showing the carton opener and the loading station, certain of the parts being broken away,

FIG. 2 is a slightly enlarged plan View partly in sec- -tion on line 2-2 of the left-hand part of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the right-hand part of the mechanism shown in FIG. l looking in the direction of arrow 3 of that figure,

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a detailed vertical section on line 5.-;5, FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section of the opener mechanism on line 6 6, FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed View looking in the direction of arrow 7, FIG. 4, certain of the parts being in section,

FIG. 8 is an end elevation partly in section looking in the direction of arrow 8, FIG. 4,

FIG.A 9 is a detailed plan view looking in the direction of arrow 9, FIG. l, showing the mechanism for operating. the advancers or pushers which move the opened carton along its path, p

FIG. lis an enlarged detailed section on line 10-7-10', FIG. ,2,

FIG. 11 is a detailed vertical transverse section on an enlarged scale, FIG. 1, certain of the parts being broken away, FIGS. 1243-1445 and 16 are detailed vertical sec,-

tions on lines 12-12, 1.3-13, 14-14, 15-15 and 16--16 respectively, FIG. 2.

FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 are detailed plan views partly in section looking in the direction of arrows 17, 18 and 19, FIG. 4, 4 i FIG. 2O is a detailed horizontal section on line 2020, FIG. 4,

l FIG. 21 is` a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the manner in which the opener and secondary supports opcrate,

FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic view showing the operation of the secondary support and opener in one of the movements which they have with respect to the lowest carton in the group.

FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic view showing thel manner of movement of the secondary support and opener to eect opening of the lowest carton in the group,`

FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic View showing the manner Y in which the secondary support holds up the top ply of the lowest carton and the cartons superposed above it when the opener moves down to push the bottom ply of the lowest carton to low position,

FIG. 25 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner of operation of' the ap holder which acts on one of the end flaps at the rear of the trailing side ofthe carton,

FIG. 26 is a diagrammatic view showing the operation of the previously-mentioned shoes.

FIG. 27 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the ap closer set forth in FIG. 25 and showing the primary pusher or advancer and secondary pushers or advancers for the opened carton,

FIG. 28 is a diagrammatic view showing the next stage of operation after that set forth in FIG. 27,

FIG. 29 is a diagrammatic View showing the relation between the various parts of the machine and how they are operated,

FIG. 30 is a plan view of the flat folded carton such as can be used with the invention,

FIG. 3l is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, showing one of the stops to prevent retrograde movement of one of the cartons,

FIG. 32 is a fragmentary elevation, parts being broken away, showing control means to stop the machine in the event the magazine is depleted of cartons, and

FIG. 33 is an enlarged view looking in the direction of arrow 33, FIG. l1, showing the means whereby the machine can be moved laterally.

The following description will set forth iirst a carton such as may be used with the invention, then the operations which are performed on the carton, after which a description will be given of the various means and mechanisms for carrying out the operations which are performed on the carton.

iIn the carton shown in FIG. 30 it is presumed that the general movement would be to the right so that the leading or right-hand end would be the front and the bottom of the gnre will be referred to as the righthand side of the carton. The carton is of the type which generally opens to a rectangular form and has `four panels which form the sides and ends of the n ished carton and there is extended from oppositeV sides of each of these panels a ap each attached to its respective panels but all of the aps being separate from each other. The carton has a top ply TP having a relatively long side forming panel a and a shorter end forming panel b. The bottom ply BP has a relatively long panel c to form a side of the finished carton and Y a shorter end forming panel d. The panels a and c are preferably the same length and panels b and d are also of the same length. All of these panels are connected to each other and have lines of scoring to permit them to be moved to open position.

The front end panel d of the bottom ply has a foldable right-hand end flap e and a left-hand `end flap f extending from opposite sides thereof. The bottom side forming panel Vc is formed with a right-hand flap g and a left-hand flap h. On the top ply the panel a is provided wit-h right and left-hand flaps k and m respectively and the panel b has right and left-hand Ailaps n and p re-v spectively. Flaps on the `right-hand side are separated by slots r and on the left-hand side by slots s.

The group or stack of folded cartons C as already described are normally supported by primary supports 1 and 2 at opposite sides of the group and the previously-mentioned secondary supports are designated at 3, there being a pair of each elements as shown in FIG. 2. Each opener 4 as` shown in FIG. 2 extends rearwardly and has a toe 5. Each opener is a thin at blade, as are the secondary supports 3, to facilitate entry thereof between top and bottom plies TP and BP as will be explained hereinafter.

Under normal conditions the lowest carton LCV has the primary 'supports 1 and 2 extending under it in nor.- mal stationary position so that these supports hold up not only the lowest carton but all of the cartons resting on it. When the lowest carton is to be acted on the secondary supports 3, which are normally out of vertical alignment with the stack, and the openers 4, which are normally under the stack, move inwardly far enough so that the temporary supports can enter a space 6 the presence of which is due to the fact that the bottom ply BP tends to hang down slightly from the top ply TP. When in normal position the toe of the opener is under the flap e and does not extend under the end forming panel d. The secondary support and toe will then move to the left, FIG. 30,v and inwardly so that both the secondary support andthe toe engage the bottom side forming panel c. The parts 3 and 4 then move in the opposite direction'to the right so that the opener, previously under ap e, can now pass over it but still have its toe 5 over the panel .c and under panel a. By this time the secondary supports have taken over the weight of the top ply TP and of the superposed cartons and the primary supports 1 and 2 which are movable can be moved to non-supporting position as shown in FIG. 24. The openers then swing downwardly simultaneously to move the bottom ply away from the top ply and cause the side forming panel c to approach a lower horizontal position.

The opener remains in contact with the panel cpandV is spaced slightly from the panel d and as the latter moves to its vertical position it is engaged by a deecting means and folder 7, FIG. 25, which pushes the flap e rearwardly between the Itop and bottom side flaps k and g. This movement of ap e between the side forming aps is possibly due to the fact that the top flap is held up by the secondary supports while the bottom flap g is depressed by the right-hand shoe 8, FIG. 26.v It will be noted that the openers move in a direction away from the group to fully open the lowest carton while it is still part of the `group of cartons.

By this time the side and end iforming panels have opened to a generally rectangular form and a folder or linger 9, FIG. 25, then -moves from the full to the dotted line position of that ligure to move the rear right-hand flap n to the position indicated in dotted lines, FIG. 25. The carton is then advanced by a primary pusher bar or -advancer 10 to the right, FIG. 4, the effect of which is to cause the folder 7 to complete folding of the tiap e in a rearward direction `and still further forward motion of the carton by a secondary advancer 11, see FIG. 28, causes side folding guides 12 to engage the top and bottom long flaps k and g to bend the former downwardly and the latter'upwardly. Y

During the time the carton is being moved from its position under the stack the left-hand shoe 8, FIG. 26. will guide the flap h into a stationary re-bent guide or holder 13, see FIG. 8, which holds said ilap h inclined downwardly and prevents rearward motion of the opened carton. Y Y

As the opened carton nears the loading station LS a lifter 14, FIG. 8, engages the top side flap m and deilects it upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 8. When the carton is in position at the loading station, gates 15, FIG. 3, then move into action to deflect the aps f and p away from each other so that these aps together with the aps h and m take the general form of the funnel to receive the articles which are to be inserted into the carton.

After the carton has been filled as with empty cans, the gates 15 then move back to their normal or closed position out of the path of the flaps f and p and the loaded carton moves onto a roll conveyor to move down to a gluing station GL, FIG. 3. When the carton reaches the station GL the right-hand llaps which were previously folded will be on the bottom of the carton while the aps f, h, m and p will extend upwardly. The gluer folds and glues these latter aps after which the carton moves along a conveyor to a discharge station where an attendant inverts the carton so that the glued flaps will be ldown and the unglued flaps will be up. The latter aps will then be either taped or tied down for shipment.

In the particular `form of the invention set forth herein the articles will Ibe empty cans to be shipped to a customer who will then take the cans out of the cartons -and proceed with them in usual manner and reinsert them into the carton at which time the previously unglued flaps will be glued. The invention, however, is not limited to the insertion of empty cans into the opened carton.

Referring more particularly to the means and mech- -anisms for carrying out the foregoing operation, the machine has a framework 20 on which the various mechanisms are mounted and has also a source of compressed Vair (not shown) connected through pipe 21 to various :electrically controlled valves.

Supported on the framework is an electric motor 22 connected through a gear reducer 23 to a chain 24 which drives an upright shaft 25 journaled on the framework 20 and on a vertically adjustable frame 20a. By means -of a variable pulley 26 the speed of shaft 25 can be varied, and one rotation of this shaft corresponds to a -carton opening operation, a4 carton advancinU operation and a loading operation. A speed of 26 r.p.m. may be mentioned as the rate of turning of shaft 25 but the machine is not limited to this speed. The machine will handle cartons at about twice the speed Whichis attain- :able by manual operation under previous practice.

Equal bevel gearing 27 connects shaft 25 to a hori- 4zontal shaft 28 journaled on the frame 20a to which are secured four cams 29, 30, 31 and 32 shown respectively 'in FIGS. l5, 4, 14 and 13. The vertical shaft 2,5 has secured thereto cams 35, 36, 37 and 38 shown respec- 'tively in FIGS. 17, 18, 19 and 20. The cams 29, 30, 31, 32, 3.5, 36, 37 and 38 effect opening and closing of electric switches 29a, 30a, 31a, 32a, 35a, 36a, 37a and 38112 respectively, and these switches control air valves 29h, 30h, '31b, 32b, 361;, 37b and 38b respectively. Valves 2911, 30h, 31b 'and 3-2b are supplied with compressed air from pipe 40 connected through cut-off valve 41 to supply pipe 2l, and valves 3511, 36b, 37b and 38k are supplied with compressed air from pipe 42 connected through cut-off valve 43 to supply pipe 21, see FIG. 29. The valves, except -41 and 43, and their electric controls are all the same and are commercially available, the valves being preferably of the 4-way electro-pneumatic type, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this type of valve.

The eight valves on shafts 25 and 28 pneumatically control various mechanisms which will now be described.

A magazine generally indicated at M contines -the folded cartons. The group or stack of folded cartons C is lguided by upright rods 50 and 50 spaced to confine the cartons and guide them downwardly as they descend by gravity `and permit them to extend downwardly. These guide rods are on frame 20a which is supported by a platform 51 the vertical position of said frame and rods being vertically adjustable by screws 52 on the platform 51 to adapt the machine for cartons of different sizes. Supported pivotally on the frame 20a is primary support 1 having a vertically extending arm 53 and which swings around pivot 55, primary support 2 having an arm 54 which swings around pivot 56, see FIG. 4, each support having their lower ends shaped to extend under opposite sides of the group to support the latter at the beginning of a carton opening operation. A pneumatic cylinder 57 is operatively connected to primary support arm 53 and a second cylinder 58 operates a lever 59 pivoted on the frame 20a at 6G. Both cylinders 57 and 58 are xed with respect to the frame 20a and when air is introduced into cylinder 57 support arm 53 rocks counterclockwise, FIG. 4, to release the right-hand side of the group, and lever '59 rocks clockwise and allows support arm 54 to swing down around pivot 56 to release the left-hand side of the group.

Referring to the diagrammatic FIG. 29, cam 32 is in position to enable valve 32b to pass air under pressure to junction 32C via pipe 32d. Air under pressure in this junction corresponds to the normal stack holding position for the primary supports. Air via pipe 57a to cylinder 57 pushes the piston of the latter to the right, FIG. 29, and air via pipe 58a to cylinder 58 pushes its piston to the left, FIGS. 4 and 29, to lift lever 59 to hold primary support arm 54 in stack supporting position. When cam 32 has made a partial turn from the position shown in FIG. 19 it causes valve 32b to disconnect junction 32e from, the air source and-connects the source to junction 32e via pipe 32j. Air from this latter junction via pipe 57b moves the piston in :cylinder 57 to the left, FIG. 29, to move primary support arm 53 to stack releasing position, and air via pipe 58h pushes the piston in cylinder 58 to the right, FIGS. 4 and 2.9', thus lowering lever 59 so that primary support arm 54 can swing down to stack releasing position.

The secondary supports 3 and openers 4 have movements lengthwise of the machine and also transverse movements, the openers in addition having angular movements in a direction away from the group of cartons. To provide for the longitudinal and transverse movements of the parts 3 and 4 which move together between the plies of the lowest carton, the machine has a rectangular open slidable frame designed generally at 64 including right and left- hand members 65 and 66 respectively joined at their rear ends by a cross member 67 and joined near their forward ends by a rod 68. The members 65, 66, 67 and 68 forming the frame 64 are moved back and forth by air cylinders 69 and 70 mounted in lixed position on framework 20 and under control of the cam 29. The pistons of these cylinders are connected to the members 65 and 66 and when frame 64 is to be moved rearwardly, to the left in FIG. 29, cam 29 will cause valve 29h to introduce compressed air into junction 29e and air pressure communicated via pipes 69a and 70a will push the pistons in cylinders 69 and 70 rearwardly. When the frame 64 is to be moved forwardly cam 29 causes compressed air to pass from valve 2% to junction 29d and air pressure communicated therefrom via pipes 69h and 70h to cylinders 69 and 70 cause the pistons of the latter and frame 64 to move forwardly.

The frame 64 has mounted thereon for transverse movement with respect thereto right and left- hand carriers 72 and 73 respectively. The rear end of each carrier has a roll 74 thereon movable along a guide track 75 on member 67. The forward end of each carrier has a hub 76 slidable along rod 68. Mounted on frame 64 are right and left- hand air cylinders 78 and 79 respectively each connected to one of the hubs by a piston rod 80. These cylinders are controlled by cam 31 and when the latter causes valve 3112 to be in one position compressed air is introduced into junction 31e and via flexible pipes 78a and 79a air is introduced into cylinders 78 and 79 to cause their pistons 80 to move the carriers away from asevera each other, When cam SI-moves to cause compressed air to pass lfrom valve 31b to junctionv 31d air pressure is communicated from the latter via flexible pipes 78b and 79b to cylinders 78 and 79 respectively to cause the pistons 80 to move the carriers 72 and 73 toward each other.

Each of the openers 4 is mounted for pivotal movement on its carrier. FIG. 6 shows the mounting for the opener on carrier 72, which will be described, but it should be understood that a similar mounting is provided for the opener on carrier 73.

Hub 76 is formed with a horizontal plate 82 and a vertical plate 83. Plate 82 is secured to carrier 72 by screws 84 and plate 83 has a lever 85 pivoted thereto at 86. The opener 4 is fastened to lever 85 and the latter is connected by link 87 to a reciprooable actuator 88 passing through plate 82 and connected to piston rod 89 of a cylinder 90 secured to plate 82. Rolls 91 on plate 83 guide the actuator 88 and limits its movements to the right, FIG. 6.

The cylinders 9G are under the control of cam 30 which when in one position cause valve 30b to turn to introduce compressed air into junction 30C and from the latter via pipes 90a to the bottoms of cylinders 90 to raise the pistons in the latter and by means of links 87 swing the openers 4 down. When cam 30 moves valve 30b to its other position it introduces compressed air into junction 30d and via pipes 90b to the tops of the cylinders to depress the pistons and raise the openers 4.

When the carton has been opened as already described it will rest on support means generally indicated at SM which includes right and left- hand rails 95 and 96 respectively. At this time the previously mentioned shoes will be up as indicated in dotted lines FIG. 7 and full lines FIG. 26. These shoes move about ixed pivots 97 and are operatively connected to the piston rods 98 of air cylinders 99 and 100 at the right and left-hand sides respectively of the carton. These cylinders have the ends thereof opposite their pistons pivoted on lixed studs 101, see FIG. 7, and they are controlled by cam 37 on upright shaft 25. l

When cam 37 is in one position it causes valve 37b to transmit compressed air to junction 37e and thence via pipes 99a and 11Min to the piston rod ends of the cylinders 99 and 16() to hold the shoes up. When cam 37 moves to turn valve 37b compressed air will pass to junction 37d yand thence to the opposite ends of the cylinders 99 and 100 via pipes 99h and 1Mb respectively to cause the latter to move their respective shoes down around their pivots 97. This down motion occurs about at the time the opened carton is on the support means. The left-hand shoe pushes iiap h down so that it will align with guide l13, see FIG. 7, and the right-hand shoe pushes ap g down to make room for ap n when it is folded by 9.

Folder 9 is at the right-hand side of the machine, the lower part of FIG. 2, and is not duplicated on the other side. 'Ihe folder includes a iixed upright tube 165, FIGS. l, 2 and 25, in which an upright shaft 106 is rockable. The upper end of pin 1% has secured thereto two folding fingers 107 of U-shaped form the rounded parts of `which engage the flap n. The bottom of shaft 106 has secured thereto an arm 108, FIGS. l and 2, pivoted to la link 109 which in turn is pivoted to arm 118. The latter is secured to a second upright shaft 11.1 rockable in a tube l 112 held in xed position on frame Ztl. This second shaft has secured to the upper end thereof a retainer 113 which overlaps the two lingers 107 when in the dotted line position shown in FIG. 25.

Arm 116 is pivoted to a link 115 which is also pivoted to a lever 116, FIG. l. This lever is pivoted at 117 to frame 2% and has rotatable thereon a roll 118 held against a face cam 119 by a tension spring 120 one end of which is held by frame 28 and the other end of which is connected to link .115see FIG. 2. Cam 119 ishorizontal and Vis secured to upright shaft 121 extending from rgear reducer 23. Shaft 121 has secured thereto asprocket wheel 122 which by the chain 24 drives upright shaft 25. Cam 119 has a high dwell 124 and a low dwell 125. When roll 118 is on the high dwell link 115 is to the right, FIG. 2, and the folder 9 and'retainer are in their nonworking position shown in full lines' in FIG.' 25. When roll is on the low dwell the folder and retainer are in the working position shown in FIG. 25 Shafts 25 and 121 turn at the same rate. v

After the folder 9 has folded flap n advancing mechanism comes into action to move the carton away from the opening station toward the loading station. This mechanism includes a carriage slidable lengthwiseof the vmachine on frame 20. This carriage has pivoted thereto at 1311 the primary pusher 10 an arm 133 of which is connected to the piston rod 134 of an air cylinder 1735 mounted on the carriage. The carriage is reciprocated by means of a crank arm 136 secured to shaft 121, see FIG. 9, and link 137.

Air'to cylinder 135 is controlled by cam 38 and valve 38b and without a junction such asis used `with other valves already described, since there is only one cylinder 135. As the carriageV movesrearwardly, to the left in FIG. 29, valve 38b will be in position to introduce air under pressure via flexible hose or pipe 135a to hold piston rod 134 in its in position, thereby holding the primary pusher in the position shown in FIG. 4. After the folder 9 has operated tofold flap n between aps g and k, valve 38b will have its position changed by cam 38 so that compressed air via pipe 13515 will push the piston rod out to rock pusher 10 clockwise, FIG. 4, to engage the rear end of the carton. Thereupon crank 136 will move the carriage and carton to the iight, FIG. 4, for a distance equal preferably to a little more than the length of the carton.

The carriage is at a level somewhat below that of the support means Ialong which the primary pusher moves the carton so that on its return stroke the carriage will not drag on the carton and tend to move it rearwardly. It is desirable however to provide a stop to engage the rear end of the carton to positively prevent retrograde movement of it. This stop 139, shown in FIG. 3l, comprises a thin sheet metal strip 140 having an inclined part 141 and a vertical turned down end 142 which engages the rear end of the carton. The other end of the strip extends into a recess 143 cut into the top surface 0f one of the support `rails and held therein by a screw 144 ltapped into the rail and permitting limited up and down motion of the stop under the `action of a coiled spring 145 received in a pocket 146 in the rail and action of the carton. A series of rolls 147 rotatable on the frame 20 in position to engage the top of the carton, preferably the right-hand side of a side forming-panel thereof, prevent upward displacement of the carton by spring 145. The machine as shown has three of the stops 139. A carton passing over a stop will depress it andthe stop will rise to stoppingl position as the carton passes beyond it due to movement of the carriage.

The auxiliary pushers or advancers 11 are mounted on the carrier 130 and are pivoted theretoat 150. Each advancer 11 has a forwardly and upwardly inclined part 'i151 and-a down bent end 152 for engagement with the rear part of a carto-n. A stop screw 153 is tapped into .the carriage and passes through each` advancer `11. to limit upward movement of the latter by action of a spring 154. The auxiliary kadvancers can be depressed readily when 4passing under a carton as the carriage has a return or nonadvancing stroke due to turning of crank 136.

When the primary advancer 110 is up and the crank pulls the carriage forwardly or to the right, FIGS. l, 4 and 3l, the carton will be moved until its trailing end is ,slightly beyond the rst, of the stops 139, whereupon Vthe latter will springuptoholdthe carton and the crank will then Vpush the carriage rearwardly or to the left, FIGS. 1, 4', and 3l, the lirst of the advancers'll therepon being depressed and the rolls 147 preventingv up motion of the carton. When the carriage has been moved rearwardly a suicent distance the. previously depressed advancer 1^1 will spring up behind thel carton and will advance the carton to the next stop 139 on the next forwa-rd motion of the carriage. In this way the cartons are moved one at a time to the loading station. As the carton advances its top and bottom right-hand flaps are folded by the guides or folder rods 12, and a stationary at plate `155 held iny fixed position holds the folded end flaps in folded position until the folders 12 begin to depress the top and bottom flaps.

The carriage 130 has rolls 156 which roll along the rails 95 and 96 as suggested in FIG. 11. Atthe loading stationrail 95 has a relatively low inclined surface 160 and rail 96 has a relatively higher inclined surface 161. At about the time the right-hand auxiliary advancer (FIG. 1)V delivers the carton to the loading station a backingup support generally indicated at 162 comes into action to prevent the front of the carton from descending to the inclined surface 160. The support 162, see FIGS. 1, 3' and 1l, includes two bearings 165 held on the frame in transversely adjusted position and an upright arm 166.

pivoted on each bearing. A cross rod 167l joining arms 166-is connected to the piston rod 168 of an air cylinder 169 mounted pivotally on the frame at 170. A flap engaging ilat plate 171 is secured to the arms 166 and is normally to the right, FIG. l1.

Cylinder 169 is under control of cam 175 on'shaft 2S. This cam opens and closes on electric switch 176 from which two electric wires 177 and 178 lead to another switch 179 (FIG. l) closed by an arm 180 when a carton arrives at the loading station. Switches 176 and 179 are in series and when both are closed an electrically operated air valve 181, see FIG. 29, passes air under pressure from pipe 182 connected to supply pipe 21 to the righthand end of cylinder 169 (FIGS. ll and 29) via pipe.

183 to move plate 171 against the previously folded flaps and move then into closefolded position to support the carton against right-hand movement (FIG. l1) during the loading operation. After the loading operation cam 175 effects opening of switch 176 and valve 181 then automatically moves to introduce air via pipe 184 into the left end of cylinder 169 to return the piston rod and plate 171 to their normal nonsupporting position. When piston rod 168 is out the plate 171 holds the carton above rail 95 but allows the carton to rest on rail 96. As plate 171 moves away from its supporting position after the loading operation the carton-drops onto inclined surfaces 160 and 161 and is tilted forwardly as it is moved onto the. angularly disposed rolls 185 (FIG. 3) by the next carton to reach the loading station.

Referring particularly to FIG. 8, frame 20 supports an air cylinder 191 pivotally at 192 and a piston. rod 193. is pivoted at 194 to flap lifter. 195 pivoted at 196 to frame 20. The previously mentioned lifter plate 14 is part of the lifter for the flap m. Cylinder 191 is controlled by cam 36 and valve 36h. When cam 36 is in one position it causes valve 36b to introduce air under pressure to the top of cylinder 191 via pipe 191a to holdsthe piston rod 193 down in its normal position. When a carton arrives at a point adjacent the loading station, cam 36 then causes valve 36h to pass air through pipe 191b to the bottom of cylinder 191 to raise the lifter to elevate the flap m` to the position shown in FIG. 8.

The prevoiusly mentioned gates 15 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 29. A frame generally indicated at 190 receives the articles to be loaded and has rockably mounted thereon two vertical shafts 200 each having secured thereto an arm 201 and a flat plate 202 which forms a ilap engaging gate 15. Each arm 201.is connected to a' piston rod 203 of a cylinder 204 pivotally connected to frame 190 at 205. The cylinders 204 are jointly controlled by cam 35 and its valve 35b. When the latter is in its normal. posi# tion it introduces'. compressed air into junction 357e andv air'via pipes 204a and 204b pushes the piston rods in to keep the gates-in closed position, that is, out of the path of aps f and p. as the carton moves to the loading station.Y When the carton reaches the loading station cam 35 moves the valve 35b to introduce compressed air into junction '35d to enable air via pipes 204C and 204d to push the piston rods 203 outwardly and cause the gates to push flaps f and p away from each other so that the flaps f, h, m and p are ilared to form a funnel-like guide-for the articles to be pushed into the carton. After the plungers 206 have pushed the articles into the carton cam 35 acts to return the gates to their normal position and the carton, having moved to its tilted position on surfaces and 161 is moved toward the rolls 185 and by gravity moves on to the gluing station GL.

The plungers 206, see FIGS. A11 and 29, are under control of the previously described air valve 181, and when the latter operates to permit passageofair through pipe 183 to move plate 171 to supporting position, it also permits passage of air to cylinder 210 via pipe 211 to effect loading of a carton by plungers 206.. After the loading operation cam effects opening of switch 1716, and valve 181 then moves automatically to let air into cylinder 210 via 'pipev 212 to return the plungers to nonoperating position as plate 171 moves to nonsupporting position;

The magazine'M. has a pair of vertical bars 215, see FIGS. '1, 2 and 32, at the front end thereof, one of which supports an actuator 216 pivoted as at 217. The actuator ismoved and held to the right, FIG. 32, by the fiattened cartons C to actuate a button 218 to close a switch 219 supported by the bars 215. If the magazine is depleted of. cartons, actuator 216 will move to the left,` FIG. '32, by gravity to openswitch 219. Switch'219 on frame 20a is in series with another switch 220, see FIGS. 3 and 29, on the frame 190. Switch 220 has a lever 221'A which depresses a button 222 to close the switch. Closure of switch 220 is effected by the lowermost row of cans which hold lever 221 down as the cans progressively move down frame toward the plungers 206. Wheny both switches 219 and 220 are closed, as above explained, the machine will continue to operate, but if either of the switches open due to depletion of the magazine' or the absence of cans respectively, initiation of stoppage of the machine will occur. Both switches 219 and 220 are timed by a cycling switch 225 operated by a cam 226 on shaft 28, see FIGS. 1, 2 and 29, such that stoppage will not occur until switch 225 is opened by its cam 226 and one or the other of switches 219 or 220 is also opened. By cyclmg or timing the switches 219, 220 and 225, as described above, stoppage of the machine will occur at the end of the rearward stroke of advancer 10 andI before the plungers 206 can move to have a loading operation. As long as both switches219-and 220 remain closed, opening of switch 225 will have no effect in stopping the machine.. Referringito FIGS. 2, 16 and 29, shaft 2S rotates a: cam 229 thereon to depress a button 230 on a switch 231'.

to open the latter to effect stoppage of the machine when a carton'fails to close switch 179 due to faulty stitching or' taping .of panels aand b which prevents proper opening of the carton necessary to close switch 179, see FIG. 29. The circuitry forswitches 176, 179 and 231 is such that when switches 176 and 179 are closed by cam 175 and carton C, respectively, opening of switch 231 will be in-l effective to cause stopping of the machine. Y

When'itv is desired to adapt the' machine for cartons of` dilferentisizes, the` screws 52, described above, are turned ontheir axes in one direction or another to raise or lowerframe 20a to provide the proper space underneath the YmagakiiiieMforcartons ofvarious sizes. It is to be-understood; of course, that only one size of carton will be used atajtirn'e.v

Referring'to' FIGS. 1', 2, and'4, `the screws 52 havetheir' assword `1 l lower ends conventionally journaled in framework 20 and their upper ends threaded into bearings 240 fast `on frame 20a. Intermediate the ends of each screw a sprocket wheel 241 is fastened such that the lower surface 242 of each wheel rests on platform 51 of framework 20. A continuous chain 243 operatively Iconnects a pair of screws 52 on the right-hand side of the machine and a chain 244 operatively connects a pair of screws 52 on the left-hand side of the machine, see FIG. 2. Each front `screw at the bottom thereof, FIGS. l and 4, has fixedly mounted thereon a worm wheel 245 each of which abuts part of the framework 20 and meshes with a worm gear 246. A shaft 247 etxends across the machine to connect both worm gears and when the shaft is turned the Wormswill rotate to revolve screws 52 via the worm gears and chains 243 and 244. Frame 26a is guided between a pair `of channels 248 which is part of the framework 20. A pair of plates 250 on frame 20a has vertical guide bars 251 fast thereon and these plates and bars moveV up or-V down to guide the frame when the screws 52 are turned.

After frame 20a has been vertically adjusted to accommodate a selected carton size the various mechanisms above described, such as one of the shoes 8, folders 7 and 9, folding guides 12, rolls 147 and backing-up support 162, are adjusted toward or away from rails 95 and 96V to compensate for the selected carton size.' These said various mechanisms are supported by a long plate 252, see FIGS. l-3, which have threaded hubs 254 and 255 through which screws 256 and 257 respectively pass.y Another long plate 253 supports mechanisms above deV scribed, such as one of the shoes 8, rebent guide 13, and lifter 14. Plate 258 has thereon hubs 259 and 261 which receive screws 256 and 257 respectively, the latter being journaled on the framework 20. A continuous chain 262, FIG. 4, meshes with sprocket wheels 263 and 264 onV screws 256 and '257 respectively to operatively connect screws 256 and 257, and when screw 256 is turned, the plates 252 and 258 and the mechanisms supported thereby will move toward or away from each other depending in which direction the screw is turned. The various mechanisms on plates 252 and 253 are mounted thereon for vertical adjustment by usual bolt and slot connections, as can be readily seen in the drawings.

Upright rods 50 of the machine M are supported by a pair of upper and lower left- hand hearings 266 and 267 respectively, while upright rods 50 are supported by a pair of upper and lower right- hand bearings 268 and 269 respectively, see FIGS. l, 2 and 4. Bearings 266 and 268 are slidably mounted on upper rods 276 and 271 respectively, and lower bearings 267 and 269 are threaded to receive screws 272 and 273 respectively. Rod 27d-and screw 272 are supported by a pair of plates 274, and rod 271 and screw 273 are supported by a pair of plates 275. Turning of screws 1272 and 273 will cause rods 50v and 50 respectively to move toward or away from each other to accommodate various widths of cartons. Plates 274 and 275 are adjustably mountedl on frame 20a but it is only necessary to move plates 274 to the left or rightFIG. 4, to compensate for various lengths of cartons.

vReferring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 10, the hubs 76 of the carriers 72 and 73 are slidably mounted on rod 68 and each hub has xed thereto a rigid member 277 connected to a threaded hub 278 which receives a screw 279 rotatably mounted on frame 20a. Turning of screw 279 will cause movement of carriers 72 and 73, supports 3, openers 4, plates 82 and cylinders 90 thereon, and cylinders 79 and 78 toward or away from each yothers to allow for various widths of cartons. The supports 3 and openers 4 are adjustably held on the carrier and can be placed at various points along the carriers when different lengths of cartons are used.

After the component parts of the machine have been adjusted for a particular size carton, the machine itself must be adjusted laterally vw'th respect to the loading station LS. Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, 23 and 33, a stub shaft 280 journaled on framework 20 has at one end thereof 75 a sprocket wheel 231 meshing with a chain 282 trained 'around another `sprocket Wheel 283 fast on a screw 284 rotatably supported on frametwork 20. A sprocket wheel 285 on the other end of stub shaft 280 mashes with a chain 286 trained around a sprocket wheel 287 fast on a screw 289 rotatably supported on framework 20. Screws 284 and 289 are threaded through ' bearings 291 and 292 respectively, see FIG. 33. Bearings 291land 292 are rigid with respect to floor plates 293 and 294 respectively, and pass through a slot 295 on framework 20, the latter being fastened to the oor plates by screws 296. These screws pass through slots 297, FIG. 33, and when it is necessary to shift the machine laterally bolts 296 are loosened and stub shaft 280 is turned. Turning of shaft 280 causes chains 282 and 286 to effect rotation of screws 284 and 289 which thread themselves into or out of bearings 291 and 292, depending upon which direction shaft 280 is turned, to cause lateral movement of the entire machine toward or away from vthe loading station. After the machine has been accurately placed in position the screws 296 are tightened and the machine is ready to operate.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides simple carton opening mechanism which elfects opening of the carton while the latter is still a part of the stack of superposed folded cartons in the magazine. Bythis arrangement the carton can be opened directly under the magazine and thereby save space as distinguished from those openers in which the carton is first removed from the magazine and then opened. It will be seen that the invention includes opener blades at each end of the group of cartons and which enter between the top and `bottom' plies of the lowest carton and then by downward motion lowers the bottom ply while the top ply is still a part of the group of cartons. The primary supports engage the panels only and move away from carton-supporting position as the secondary supports move between the plies of the bottommost cartons, thereby facilitating downward motion of the bottom ply. The primary supports return Vto group supporting position before the secondary supports which are at each end of the group are removed from the group supporting position by withdrawing means. Furthermore, adjusting means are provided for varying theY distance between the carriers 72 and 73 to adapt the opening mechanism to cartons of various widths. An initial folding operation of one of the forward aps is effected by the opener means during the latter part of the down motion of the latter and this folding is completed when the opened carton is moved toward the loading station. The folding .means for the trailing ap on one side of the openedcarton swings into position to move this ap between top and bottom llaps which are temporarily spread apart slightly to receive the end tlaps. Also, shoe means are provided vfor effecting control of the aps. The majority of the operations are carried out Apneumaticallyrby means of cams and electrically operated` air valves controlled by the cams, and the air cylinders which are required tomove are connected by flexible hosesl to their respective valves. At. the loading station asupport temporarily comes into operation to back up previouslyV folded flaps land, resist movement of the carton in the direction of loading. Also, gates at the loading station operate due to control means on certain of the flapsAto deflect them to form a funnellike entrance for the material to be loaded into the carton, after which meansract to cause reversal of the control means toV effect movement'of the gates to closed or normal position to enable the loaded carton to movev away from the loading station without interference by the gates with the end flaps.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, whatis claimed is: f, Y a

l. In vcarton opener mechanism for a group of folded cartons arranged one overthe other and each having top and' bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, support means moving between said plies of the lowest carton to support said group, and opener means movable with said support means between said plies and eifective while the lowest carton in the group is supported by said support means and is part of said group to move the bottom ply and a portion of the top ply of said lowest carton downwardly away from said `group to fully open said lowest carton while said support means remains stationary to support said group and another portion of said top ply.

2. The carton opening mechanism set forth in claim l wherein folding means in cooperation with said opener means act on part of said lowest carton as the latter approaches open position to cause said part to move between parts of said plies to maintain the carton open independently of the opening means,

3. In carton opener mechanism for a `group of folded cartons arranged one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, a pair of supporting elements entering between the plies of the lowest carton to support the group, and a pair of openers also entering between the plies of the lowest carton in the group effective to simultaneously exert a downward force on part at least of the bottom ply of said lowest carton to move the bottom ply away from the top ply to fully open said lowest carton.

4. In carton opener mechanism yfor a machine having a group of folded cartons arranged one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, support means moving between the plies of the lowest carton and beneath one of said side panels eiective to support the top ply of said lowest carton and all the cartons thereabove, and opening means moving between the last named plies operative while the support means is supporting all of said cartons to engage the opposite said side to fully open said lowest carton by downward motion of part of the bottom ply thereof.

5. The carton opener mechanism set `forth in claim 4 wherein the opening means includes a thin flat blade which enters between said plies of the lowest carton and exerts a downward force on one of the panels in said bottom ply by having a movement away from the group to fully open said carton while the lowest carton is still part of the group.

6. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, movable primary support means at opposite sides of the group normally iu stationary position to engage the under sides of the panels in the bottom ply of the lowest carton to support said group, movable secondary support means moving into group supporting relation between the plies of said lowest -folded carton while said primary support means is in normal stationary position, actuating means thereafter effective to move the primary support means away from said group while said secondary support means is held stationary to support said group, fully opener means eifective thereafter to open said lowest carton while the top ply of the latter and the cartons there above are being supported by said secondary support means, the actuating means thereafter returning the primary support means to Vnormal position to support the cartons above said lowest carton, and means thereafter to withdraw the secondary support means from group supporting position.

7. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 6 wherein the opener means is a blade which first enters between the plies of the lowest carton and then moves in a direction away from saidl group to exert a downward force on the bottom ply of the lowest carton to fully open the latter while it still is part of said group. 8. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 7 wherein a plurality of controllers act in such order as to cause source of pneumatic power to move the secondary support means between the plies and move the blade between the plies, then operate the actuating means to move the prim-ary support means to nonsupporting position relative to said group, then move the blade to open the carton, and then return the primary support means to normal position.

9. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having aligned end and side forming panels from which extend end and side lateral flaps separated from each other by slots, movable primary support means at opposite sides of the group normally in stationary supporting position to engage certain panels of Ithe lowest carton to support all of the folded cartons, opener blade means at opposite ends of the group, operating means for the blade means acting to move the blade means simultaneously from a position under one of ythe flaps on the bottom of said lowest folded carton to a position over an adjacent ilap and then over said one liap, other operating means lthen acting to move the blade means simultaneously downwardly to swing `the rst flap toward a vertical position to fully open said lowest carton, a movable secondary support at each end of and intermediate the sides of said lowest carton above said one and said adjac ent flaps to support all of the cartons, means moving the primary support means away from said lowest carton while the secondary support is supporting all of said cartons and then return the primary support means to normal position to support the cartons of the group above said lowest carton, and advancing means thereafter effective to move the open carton from under the group whereupon egress of said secondary supports from the open carton is effected through certain of said slots while the carton is being moved by said advancing means.

10. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 9 wherein` the primary support means engages certain of the panels only and is out of engagement with the flaps and the latter due to their weight sag intermediate the primary support means to open a space above said one and said adjacent flaps for entry of said blade means and said secondary supports.

1l. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded' cartons stacked one over the other and each Yhaving top and bottom plies comprising scored connected aligned end and side forming panels each having a ap connected thereto, primary support means at opposite sides of the group normally in position to support the group, blade opener means at opposite ends of the group, operating mechanism acting to move the blade means between the plies of Ithe lowest `cartone-ver the side forming panel of the bottom ply of said lowest carton and then move the blade means downwardly against the side forming panel of said bottom ply to move the adjacent end panel of the botom plyk toward a vertical position to fully open the carton, secondary support means moving to a position within the lowest carton and supporting all of the cartons of the group while the yblade means is moved downwardly, and actuating means moving the primary support means away from the group while the secondary support is supporting the group and thereafter returning the primary support means to normal position to support all of the cartons above said lowest carton.

12. The carton opener mechanism set forth in claim 11 wherein a shoe depresses the iiap of said side forming panel of the bottoni ply and means thereafter cooperating with the blade means deflect the liap of said end formfing panel of the bottom ply over the depressed ap.

13. The carton opener mechanism set forth in claim 2 wherein the secondary support means holds the flap of the side forming panel of the top ply up to enable said ap of the end forming panel to pass thereunder as said ap is deflected.

n 14. The carton opener mechanism set forth in claim 13 wherein folding means folds the ilap of the Yend forming panel of the top ply between the aps of the side forming panels of the top and bottom plies.

l5. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected aligned end and side forming panels from which extend lateral flaps separated from each other, primary support means capable of supporting the panels out of engagement with the aps, the flaps on the bottom ply of the lowest carton hanging away from the top ply of the lowest carton to define a space between said plies, opener blade means, operating mechanism forthe blade means effective to hold it against the under side of one of said flaps of the bottomV ply to raise the latter with respect to an adjacent flap of the bottom ply to close part of said space, then move the blade means into the remaining space over said adjacent bottom ply apand away from said one flap to enable the latter -to assume its hanging position and then move the blade means into said space over said one flap, other operating mechanism thereafter effective to move the blade means downwardly to :lower said bottom ply and move said one ap toward a vertical position to fully open said lowest carton, and support means engaging the under side o-f said top ply of said lowest carton to support the latter and the cartons thereabove while said other operating mechanism is moving said blade means downwardly.

16. ln a carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels from which extend corresponding lateral flaps separated from each other, primary support means at opposite sides of the group normally in position to engage said panels of the lowest carton but not the flaps to support all of the cartons, an opener blade for the lowest carton in the group normally in a position under one of the flaps of thek bottom ply but spaced from the panelsof the bottom ply, operating means for the blade effective to slide the blade from its normal position in one direction along the under side of one of the lateral flaps on the bottom ply of the lowest carton away from said one flap and over the adjacent flap and inwardly over the panel corresponding to said adjacent flap, a. secondary support between said plies supporting all of said cartons, actuating means moving the primary support away from said group, other operating means moving the blade downwardly against said panel to open the carton and lower part of the carton previously under said primary support means, said actuating means thereupon returning the primary support means to normal position above the lowered part of said lowest carton to support the cartons above said `lowest carton, said other operating means thereupon raising said opener blade, and the first operating means returning the blade to its normal position.

17. in carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels from which extend corresponding lateral flapsV separated from, each other, primary support means at opposite sides of the group normally placed to extend under the lowest carton in the group, secondary support means between the plies of the lowest carton between said `opposite sides of the group, opener means for fsaid lowest carton, operating means causing the opener means to move downwardly against the bottom ply of the lowest carton to lowersaid bottom ply, actuating means moving the primary support means from under said lowest carton, the operating means thereafter causing the opener means due to downward force on said bottom ply to bend the top ply of said lowest carton downwardly, and the actuating means thereupon returning the primary support means under the folded carton next above said lowest carton andY over the latter.

18. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels from which extend corresponding lateral flaps separated from each other, support means between the plies of the lowest carton effective to support all the cartons, a flat opener blade between said plies, operating means moving the blade down against the bottom ply of the lowest carton to open the latter and then move the blade to a position substantially parallel to the top ply of said lowest carton, and

advancing means moving the opened carton to cause said blade to pass between adjacent but separated flaps of the top ply.

19. ln carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels from which extend corresponding lateral flaps separated yfrom each other, support means between the plies of ythe lowest carton effective to support all the cartons, a flat opener blade between said plies, operating means moving the blade down against the side forming panel of the bottom ply of the lowest carton to open the latter, folding means effective to move a flap corresponding to an end forming panel between the flaps corresponding to the side forming panels to enable said one flap to hold the carton open independently of the opener blade, and advancing means moving the open carton from under said group while said one flap holds the carton open, said operating means moving the opener blade away vfrom said side forming panel and lifting the opener blade to a position enabling it to pass between certain aps of the opened carton.

20. The carton opener mechanism set forth in claim 19 wherein said advancing means includes a reciprocating bar to engage one end of the carton to move the open carton in a direction from said opener blade toward said one flap when said bar moves in one direction.

2l. The carton opener mechanism'set forth in claim 19 wherein said advancing means includes a reciprocating carriage and a bar pivoted thereon to move the open carton in a direction from the opener bladeV toward the flap between said flaps corresponding to said side forming panels when said carriage moves in one direction.

22. The carton opener mechanism set forthV in claim` 19 wherein said folding means includes `pivotally mounted fingers which act 'to fold said flap after the opener blade has completed opening of the carton and before the advancing means moves the open carton.

23. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons stacked one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming. panels from which extend corresponding lateral flaps separated from each other, support means between the plies of the lowest carton effective to support al1 the cartons, a flat opener blade between said plies, operating means Vmoving the blade down'against the bottom ply of the lowest carton to open the latter, a folding element cooperating with the opener blade as the latter Ymoves down to initiate folding of a flaprcorresponding to an end panel and move it to a position between the flaps corresponding to the side panels `to enable said flap to hold the carton open independentlyrof the opener blade, kand advancing means moving the open carton from under the group in a direction to enable the element to complete folding of said flap. Y

24. In a machine having a group of folded cartons and a loading station, rail support means under the group leading to the loading station, means having an operation to open the lowest carton in the group and deposit it on the rail support means, means partially folding certain flaps on one side of the carton incident to opening the carton, advancing means having an operation moving the open carton along the rail support means toward the loading station, other means arranged along the rail support means partially folding the remainder of the flaps on said one side incident to movement of the carton by operation of the advancing means, loading means having an operation to load the carton from the open side thereof when it is at the loading station and on said support means, and bracing means at the loading station engaging the folded flaps prior to operation of the loading means to prevent displacement of the carton and opening of the aps in the direction of loading during the loading operation and means synchronizing said operations to cause an operation of the advancing means and an operation of the loading means for each operation of the opening means.

25. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons arranged one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, support means at each side of the group moving between the plies of the lowest carton effective to support the top ply of said lowest carton and all the cartons thereabove, opening means at each side of the group operative while the support means is supporting all of said cartons to open said lowest carton by downward motion of part at least of the bottom ply thereof, a carrier at each side of the group for the corresponding support means and opening means, and means effective to cause relative movement of the carriers toward each other to cause the support means and opener means to move between said plies.

26. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 25 wherein the opening means at each side of the group is movably mounted on the corresponding carrier and the latter supports means to move the opening means to open the carton.

27. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 25 wherein the carriers are parallel and adjusting means to vary the distance between the carriers independently of the lastnamed means includes two screw means transverse of and operatively connected to the carriers, and means causing said screw means to rotate in unison to move the carriers toward or from each other.

28. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 25 wherein said panels have foldable aps connected thereto and shoe means are provided to depress at least one of said flaps while the opening means is in opening position and adjusting means are provided to move the shoe means to different positions to accommodate the aps of cartons of different widths.

29. The opener mechanism set forth in claim 25 wherein said panels have foldable iiaps connected thereto and ilap folders are provided to engage and fold certain of said flaps while the opening means is in opening position and means are provided to move said folders to different positions to cooperate with flaps of cartons of different widths.

30. In carton opener mechanism for a machine having a group of folded cartons arranged one over the other and each having top and bottom plies comprising scored connected end and side forming panels, a platform supporting said group determining the vertical position of the lowest carton in the group, rail support means below the platform, opening means mounted on the platform entering between the plies of the lowest carton effective to move part of the bottom ply of the lowest carton down to said rail support means and open said lowest carton,

and adjusting means to vary the height of the platformr above said rail support means to adapt the opening means for use with cartons having dierent open heights.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,719 Milmoe Apr. 4, 1916 1,489,134 Ladd Apr. 1, 1924 2,171,131 Milmoe Aug. 29, 1939 2,324,401 Kimball July 13, 1943 2,601,481 Williams June 24, 1952 2,619,882 Rohdin Dec. 2, 1952

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