US3800677A

US3800677A - Apparatus for forming carton

Info

Publication number: US3800677A
Application number: US00139399A
Authority: US
Inventors: C Jones; D Stetler
Original assignee: XEPEX IND Inc
Current assignee: Pneumatic Scale Corp
Priority date: 1971-05-03
Filing date: 1971-05-03
Publication date: 1974-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-02

Abstract

Apparatus for forming a sealable carton for liquids accepts from a supply station a T-shaped blank of sheet material that is impervious to the fluid that the carton to be formed from the blank is to contain. The blank is pre-scored to represent the sidewalls and ends of the carton, and is further pre-scored to represent flaps by means of which the sealing of the carton is to be effected. One of the sidewall portions is cut in a pattern to produce a liftable flap-like appendage. At the point of introduction of the blank into the apparatus, a series of rolls bend the components of the blank along the several pre-scorings to assure that the folding of the blank into the form of a carton will occur along the scorings. A conveyor belt then receives the blank and carries it to a position at which a spot of adhesive material is applied to the surface of the flap-like appendage that will be inside the carton, after which a sipping tube or straw is brought into contact with the adhesive to effect attachment of the tube to the appendage. The conveyer belt next brings the blank to a position where overlying relation is established between a marginal portion of one sidewall and a marginal sealing flap of the most distant sidewall, and adhesive interengagement of the overlapping portions throughout tube. lengths is established, to form a tue. Thereafter the conveyer belt brings the tube to an endcapping position where the two ends are folded against marginal sealing flaps of the walls of the tube, marginal sealing flaps of the ends are folded against the outside walls of the tube and adhesive interengagement of all overlapping portions is established, thus producing a fluid-tight carton having as its only access orifice the opening afforded by the flap-like appendage.

Description

.United States Patent [191 Jones et al.

1 1 APPARATUS FOR FORMING CARTON [75] Inventors: Charles Wright Jones, Los Angeles; Dwight L. Stetler, South Gate, both [21'] Appl. No.: 139,399

52 us. Cl. 93/36 DA, 93/36 MM, 93/41, 93/49 R 51 Int. Cl B3lb 1/06, B3lb 1/42 58 Field of Search 93/36 R, 52, 53 R, 49 R,

93/41, 41.1, 36 DA, 55.1 R, 55.1 P, 39.1 R, 39.1 P; 53/183, 377, 388, 284, 383

References Cited -UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,379,920 7/1945 Peters 93/52 2,794,372 6/1957 Goss 93/36 R X 2,916,974 12/1959 Kucklinsky et al.. 93/53 R 3,122,069 2/1964 Lopez 93/52 3,122,070 2/1964 Kauffman et al. 93/52 3,137,424 6/1964 Finn et a1 93/36R X 3,203,324 8/1965 Gentry 93/52 X 3,333,514 8/1967 Jones 93/53 R 3,335,544 8/1967 Baker et al. 53/388 X 3,340,777 I 9/1967 Hittenbergcr et al.... 93/52 X 3,398,660 8/1968 Watrous 93/49 R 3,605,585 9/1971 Borders t 93/52 3,654,842 4/1972 Schwcnk 93/52 X 2,139,626 12/1938 Sidebotham 93/36 DA X 2,589,944 3/1952 Labombarde 93/52 2,844,927 7/1958 Warner 53/284 X 2,909,874 10/1959 Barr 53/284 X 3,187,483 6/1965 Steele et al. 53/383 X Attorney, Agent, or FirmFowler, Knobb e & Martens I 1 Apr. 2, 1974 1 1 ABSTRACT Apparatus for forming a scalable carton for liquids accepts from a supply station a T-shaped blank of sheet material that is impervious to the fluid that the carton to be formed from the blank is to contain. The blank is pre-scored to represent the sidewalls and ends of the carton, and is further pre-scored to represent flaps by means of which the sealing of the carton is to be effected. One of the sidewall portions is cut in a pattern to produce a liftable flap-like appendage. At the point of introduction of the blank into the apparatus, a series of rolls bend the components of the blank along the several pre-scorings to assure that the folding of the blank into the form of a carton will occur along the scorings. A conveyor belt then receives the blank and carries it to a position at which a spot of adhesive material is applied to the surface of the flap-like appendage that will, be inside the carton, after which a sipping tube or straw is brought into contact with the adhesive to effect attachment of the tube to the appendage. The conveyer belt next brings the blank to a position where overlying relation is established between a marginal portion of one sidewall and a marginal sealing flap of the most distant sidewall, and ad hesive interengagement of the overlapping portions throughout tube. lengths is established, to form a tue. Thereafter the conveyer belt brings the tube to an endcapping position where the two ends are folded against marginal sealing flaps of the walls of the tube, marginal sealing flaps of the ends are folded against the outside walls of the tube and adhesive interengagement of all overlapping portions is established, thus producing a fluid-tight carton having as its only access orifice the opening afforded. by the flap-like appendage.

17 Claims, 34 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDAPR 21914 3.800.677

MET w n; a

,4 TTOFA/E/Z ATENTEDAPR 21974 3'800'77 WED I l HF 17 BY :44 Fan 45,6 161/0556 PATENTED APR 2 I974 sum 17 nr 11 'insert'ing and affixing a sipping straw.

, t APPARATUS F OR FORMING CARTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Kalajian US. Pat. No. 3,259,297 discloses a carton for milk, fruit juice, or other potable liquids which is provided with a self-contained sipping tube or straw. The container or carton itself shown in the patent will be recognized, apart fromthe provision of the straw, as being of a type in wide use by dairies and suppliers of fruit juices and having as acharacteristic feature a crimped sealing construction at both ends and a liftable corner flap with a circular depressed portion that closes the orifice through which the-carton is filled and from which the contents are poured in the case of cartons of the size used in households.

Another type of carton that is in wide use by suppliers of potable liquids is characterized by a flat bottom and a top having panels sloping away from a central ridge toward two sides of the carton so that is resemblesa roof. The ridge is arranged to be torn apart along a portion of its length to reveal a folded-in pouring spout. For situations in which liquid is to be taken directly from this type of carton into the mouth, rather than the normal household usage involving the pouring of the liquid from the self-contained spout into another vessel, the top of the carton is sometimes provided with a knock-out disk which may easily be punched through to reveal an orifice into which a sipping straw may be inserted. In this case as well as in the case of the flat top carton, with the liftable flap but without the selfcontained straw, it isnecessary that a supply of straws by available to accommodate those persons, particularly at places of arn'use'ment or in school lunch room facilities, who desire to drink directly from the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As an implementation of the invention of the Kalajian patent, there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a novel blank from which a flatended carton may be formed, and completely automatic apparatus forforming therefrom a carton and for Ablank froin'which a' carton is to be formed is of paper, rendered impervious to liquids by a coating, preferably of polyethylene, on at least one face and preferablyon both faces, which enables seals to be produced between surfaces of the blank solely through the agency of heat and pressure.

Preferably the carton blank is T-shaped, the head of the T representing one wall of the carton and the two ends, andthe body of the T representing the remaining walls of the carton. Scorings or linear deformations in the blank serve as demarcations of the wall and end members of the carton and provide flexure lines where the blank will be bent into carton configuration. Along the edges of the T-shaped blank, there are scorings defining flaps to be brought into overlapping relation with wall portions of the carton and sealed to make the carton fluid tight.

One of the carton wall portions of the blank has integral therewith a flap-like appendage produced by cutting through the wall or into the wall a sufi icient depth that a slight pressure applied to the appendage will cause it to bend away from the wall.

tion, it is expanded from its flattened condition to sub- The apparatus for forming the carton includes a hopper structure for storing in stacked relationship a supply of the carton blanks. The blanks are transferred one at a time to the carton forming apparatus, in which conveyor mechanism transports them from one to another of plurality of scoring line breaker instrumentalities by means of which, progressively, flexing of the constituent carton wall portions of the blank and also the flap portions of the blank, towardor into the positions that they will occupy relative to one another in the completed carton, takes place.

The conveyor next brings the blank to the exit orifice of a hopper that contains a supply of sipping straws that are proportioned to the transverse dimension of the carton and to the length of the flap-like closure appendage in accordance with the teachings of the Kalajian patent. A spot of adhesive fluid is applied to the appendage on its surface that will be inside the carton adjacent to its point of joinder to the carton wall, and the wall of the carton at the point to which the adhesive-has been applied is pressed against the straw at the exit orifice of the hopper to cause the straw to adhere to the appendage and to be carried along with the carton.

' The conveyor next transports the blank past a depresser that bends inwardly the two outer wall panels and flattens them toward other wall panels so that a sealing flap along an edge of one of the outer wall panels and the free edge of the other outer wall panel of the blank'are in superposed relation.'The conveyor then causes these superposed portions of the blank to traverse a heating element, which melts the polyethylene coatings in those areas, after which pressure is applied 7 to the heated areas to cause them to adhere together.

The blank has thus been formed into an open ended tube.

The partially formed carton is next transported by the conveyor in close proximity to heating elements which melt the polyethylene coating on the sealing flaps at the ends of those of the carton wall panels that do not carry the end closure panels, and on the sealing flaps on the free edges of the two end closure panels.

While the components of the semi-finished carton that areto be sealed together are in the heated condistantially its final cross-sectional form and the end panels are brought down into closure relation to the partially formed'carton, with their inner surfaces pressed down against the sealing flaps of the wall panels and with the sealing flaps of the end panels brought down into contact with the outer surfaces of the wall panels. In this condition, the carton, now fully formed, is held a sufficient length of time for the melted polyethylene to cool, thereby efiecting adhesive interengagement and liquid-tight sealing of both ends of the carton.

The apparatus that effects the closure of the ends of the carton is also provided with an instrumentality for engaging and lifting the free end of the flap-like appendage, in preparation for the filling of the carton with liquid. The orifice that is now exposed by the lifting of the flap-like appendage is the only point of access to the carton, and with the flap-like appendage and the attached straw now lifted to reveal the orifice the carton is ready for delivery to the apparatus for filling it with liquid.

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description to be interpreted in the light of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. Us a top plan view of apparatus for forming cartons in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view ofa portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, this being the portion between boundary lines designated: (FIG. 3);

FIG. 42 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the-line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, in skeletal form, of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6; 7

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 9-9 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 10-10 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 11-11 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged top plan view of the portion of the apparatus in FIG. 1 between the boundary lines designated: (FIG. 12);

FIG. 13 is an enlarged top plan view of the portion of the apparatus in FIG. 1 between the boundary lines designated: (FIG. 13);

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 14-14 of FIG. '12;

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 15-15 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 16-16 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17is a vertical sectional view taken the line 17-17 of FIG. 12;

8 FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 18-18 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 19-19 of FIG. 13;

' FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 20-20 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged top plan view of the portion of FIG. 1 between the boundary lines designated: (FIG. 2

FIG. 22 is a side elevational view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 23-23 ofFIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 24-24 of FIG. 23 and showing heater apparatus;

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary top plan view of the heater apparatus shown in section in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 26-26 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 27 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 27-27 of FIG. 26;

generally on 4 FIG. 28 is a vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 28-28 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 29 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 27 but taken on a different plane and showing a different operating condition;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a component of FIGS. 28 and 29, namely an end-capper die;

FIG. 31 is a schematic progressive showing of the changing of a carton from flattened to rectangular cross-sectional status;

FIG. 32 is a schematic progressive showing, in perspective, of the steps by which a carton is derived from blanks;

FIG. 33 is a plan view showing a blank from which the carton is formed; and

FIG. 34 is a schematic circuit diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, in accordance with the present invention, of an apparatus for forming a carton to contain potable liquids, and provided with a straw in accordance with the teachings of the Kalajian patent. However, the carton itself, and the blank from which it may be formed are entirely different from the carton shown in the Kalajian patent, and are the subject of an application for patent, Ser. No. 139,502 entitled CARTON, AND METHOD AND BLANK FOR FORMING CARTON, filed by Charles Wright Jones on the same day as this application and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

The supporting frame work for the carton forming apparatus is comprised of a beam 41 supported by legs 42. The beam 41 may be an I-beam or a channel iron or may be a hollow tube, preferably of rectangular cross-section.

At one end the beam 41 supports a supply hopper, designated generally by the reference numeral 43. and preliminary blank processing apparatus, these being the components that are indicated in FIG. 1 as being shown in detail in FIG. 3. To the right of the preliminary blank processing apparatus the beam 41 supports apparatus for attaching to the blank asipper, this being the portion indicated in FIG. 1 as being shown in detail in FIG. 12. Next at the right is apparatus for forming the blank into an open ended tube, this portion being indicated in FIG. 1 as being shown in detail in FIG. 13. To the right of this is apparatus for completing the formation of the carton by closing the ends. This portion is indicated in FIG. 1 as being shown in detail in FIG. 21. Continuing rightwardly in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rectangle 44 represents any suitable apparatus for filling the completed cartons with liquid. One embodiment of apparatus for accomplishing this is shown in copending Application Ser. No. 138,623 filed Apr. 29, 1971 by Charles Wright Jones for APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND SEALING CARTONS FOR HOLDING LIQ- UIDS assigned to the assignee of the present application. Finally, at the extreme right hand end of FIGS. 1

and 2, there is shown a motor 46 for driving a conveyor belt and other components as will be more fully set forth hereinafter, the conveyor belt being adapted to transport the carton as it is being formed and, if desired, to deliver it to carton filling apparatus indicated as stated above by the rectangle 44.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends and overlap sealing flaps associated with the ends; means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for advancing said blanks with a predetermined spacing between them; means for flexing each blank at each of the scorings; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means for arresting each blank while those following it continue to advance; means at the point of arrestment of the blank for presenting the container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube with the flaps of said continaer ends overlapping the sides of said tube to form a closed container; and means for effecting the release of the arreSted blank before it is overtaken by the immediately following blank.

2. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends and overlap flaps associated with the ends: means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for advancing said blanks with a predetermined spacing between them;; means for flexing each blank at each of the scorings; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means for arresting each blank while those following it continue to advance; means at the point of arrestment of the blanks for presenting the container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube with flaps of said container ends overlapping the sides of said tube to form a closed container; and means controlled by the immediately following blank for effecting the release of the arrested blank before it is overtaken by the immediately following blank.

3. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends and overlap sealing flaps associated with the ends, and having in one of said sides a liftable closure flap, means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for storing a supply of sippers of a length to be containable in said container; means for attaching one of said sippers to the inner surface of said closure flap extending longitudinally of said flap and container side and in a position to be usably exposable by the lifting of the flap; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means for presenting the container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube with the sealing flaps associated with said container ends overlapping the sides of said tube to form a closed container; and means for sealing to the sides of said tube the overlapping flaps of said container ends to seal off the interior of the container.

4. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides, and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends, and overlap sealing flaps, associated with the ends, with the container ends being extensions of one of the sides at both ends of said side, means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for transporting said blank in an orientation in which one of said container ends is leading and the other is trailing; means engageable by the blank as it is transported for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means comprising a pair of rolls driven at different speeds and disposed on opposite sides of said transporting means and in the path of movement of the tube to have their peripheries fictionally engaged by the tube for reorienting said tube relative to said transporting means to an extent of substantially 90* to dispose said container ends on opposite Sides of said transporting means; means positioned on opposite sides of said transporting means for separately and simultaneously imparting an adhesive condition to the two container ends and their associated overlap flaps; means for presenting the adhesively conditioned container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube with flaps of said container ends overlapping the sides of said tube to form a closed container; and means for sealing to the sides of said tube the overlapping flaps of said container ends to seal off the interior of the container.

5. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends, and overlap sealing flaps associated with the ends, with the container ends being extensions of one of the sides at both ends of said side and one of the sides having a liftable closure flap, means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for transporting said blank in an orientation in which one of said container ends is leading and the other is trailing; means for storing a supply of sippers of a length to be containable in said container and with their axes parallel to the direction in which said transporting means transports the blank; means for attaching one of said sippers to the inner surface of said closure flap extending longitudinally of said flap and container side and in a position to be usably exposable by the lifting of the flap; means engageable by the blank as it is transported for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means for reorienting said blank relative to said transporting means to an extent of substantially 90* to dispose said container ends on opposite sides of said transporting means; means positioned on opposite sides of said transporting means for separately and simultaneously imparting an adhesive condition to the two container ends and their associated overlap flaps; means for presenting the adhesively conditioned container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube with flaps of said container ends overlapping the sides of said tube to form a closed container; and means for sealing to the sides of said tube the overlapping flaps of said container ends to seal off the interior of the container.

6. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends and overlap sealing flaps associated with the ends: means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; means for presenting the container ends of said blank in closure relation to said tube and for folding the overlap sealing flaps associated with said container ends into overlapping relation and surface contact with the outer surfaces of the sides of said tube to form a closed container; means for sealing to the sides of said tube the overlapping sealing flaps of said container ends to seal off the interior of the container; conveyor means for moving said blank into and out of registry with the means for presenting the container ends into closure relation to the tube; and means For arresting said blank in the position of registry with said container end presenting means.

7. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container sides and overlap sealing flaps associated with the sides, and scorings defining container ends and overlap sealing flaps associated with the ends: means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container sides and a sealing flap associated with another of said container sides; means for sealing together the overlapping container side and flap to form a tube; normally retracted means moveable into engagement with the entire surface of the container ends for pressing the container ends into closure relation to the tube; means for flexing the overlap flaps of the container ends into surface engagement with the sides of the tube; and means for sealing to the sides of said tube the overlapping sealing flaps of said container ends to seal off the interior of the container.

8. Container forming apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein: said blank advancing means is a continuously operating belt conveyor disposed in relation to the blank arresting means to move blanks into and out of arrestment relation with said arresting means and having operative association with an arrested blank tending to advance it from the position of arrestment.

9. Container forming apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein: said blank advancing means is a continuously operative conveyor engaging and seeking to advance an arrested blank and effective to advance the blank on release thereof from its arrestment.

10. In an apparatus for forming a sealed container from a blank in the form of a sheet having scorings defining container side panels and overlap flaps associated with the side panels, and scorings defining container end closure panels and overlap flaps associated with the end closure panels: means for storing a supply of said blanks; means for removing blanks from the storing means one at a time; means for flexing the removed blank at each of the scorings; means for presenting in relative overlapping relation one of said container side panels and a flap associated with another of said container side panels; means for sealing together the overlapping container side panel and flap to form a tube; means for creating a condition for adhesive interengagement of the overlap flaps of the closure panel at each end of the tube with the outer surfaces of the side panels of said tube: means comprising movably mounted die members having a cavity proportioned to confine an end closure panel; and means for moving the die members to cause them to move the end closure panels into closure relation to the tube and the flaps into overlapping relation to the side panels of the tube to form a closed container.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 including: means for supporting the open-ended tube to afford it freedom of endwise movement; and means for concurrently operating the moving means for both die members to cause the carton to adjust its position to the die members and equalize the pressures on the two ends.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the movably mounted die member has a cross-sectional area decreasing from the mouth of the cavity to a polygonal configuration matching that of the tube and terminating in a portion of cross-sectional area and depth dimensioned to enclose end portions of the tube and press the sealing flaps into firm engagement with the outer surfaces of the side panels of the tube.

13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the movably mounted die members are pivotally mounted in confronting relation with a spacing bEtween them matching the distance between the scorings defining the end closure panels of the container blank; and the means for moving the die members causes the die members to sweep the end closure panels about the scorings defining those panels and into closure relation to the tube.

14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including conveyor means for conveying the blanks uninterruptedly past said sipper attaching means and wherein: the means for storing a supply of sippers includes a sipper dispensing chute having its dispensing end disposed immediately adjacent to the path of travel of the inner surface of the closure flap of the blank.

15. Apparatus in accordance with claim 14 wherein the sipper attaching means includes: means for applying a spot of adhesive substance to the inner surface of the closure flap; means for establishing contact between the adhesive coated portion of the flap and the sipper exposed at the dispensing end of the chute; and means for timing the establishment of contact to occur upon arrival of the spot of adhesive substance on the closure flap of the blank at a predetermined point along the length of the sipper.

16. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein: the contact establishing means is an impact instrumentality positioned to strike the closure flap on its outer surface and drive the adhesive coated area into contact with the sipper.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein: the timing means senses arrival of the blank at a predetermined point in its travel and activates the impact instrumentality.