Flap folder
First Claim
1. A flap folder comprising a pair of spaced parallel rails, a carton passage between said rails, a control bar mounted on each of said rails for axial movement relative to its respective rail, means for moving said bars in a first direction downstream of a direction of movement of a carton along said passage during a flap folding operation and then in a second direction opposite to said first direction, a pair of flap folding levers, each said flap folding lever having a first cam means, one of said flap folding levers being mounted on each of said bars, a pair of first cooperating cam means, one of said first cooperating cam means being fixed to each of said rails in a position to engage its adjacent said first cam means when said bars and said levers are moved in said first direction relative to said rails to move each of said levers from a retracted position to a flap folding position and maintain said levers in said folding positions during further movement of said bars in said first direction, and to return said levers to said retracted positions when said bars and said levers are moved relative to their respective said rails in said second direction opposite to said first direction.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A flap folder is formed by a pair of parallel rails which define a carton package there between. Each of the rails mounts for relative reciprocal motion a control rod on each of which is mounted a flap folding lever positioned to cooperate with a cam on its adjacent rail to move the lever into a flap folding extended position and return it to a retracted position when the bar is moved relative to the rail. A side flap folding plough is mounted on each of the rail at the downstream end thereof and is formed with a cam surface that cooperates with a cam mounted on its adjacent bar. After the lever has folded the rear flap each plough is moved from a retracted position to an extended position by the movement of the bar relative to the rail. Similarly, a stop mechanism is mounted on the rail and is movable to an extended position stopping movement of a carton into the passage by movement of the bar from its starting position and to a retracted position when the bar return to its initial position. Preferably, the conveyor for moving the carton through the folder is a chain drive wherein a pair of sprocket are adjacent one side of the machine on opposite sides of a line or projection thereof interconnecting the axis of two driven sprockets and wherein a chain wraps the sprockets in a manner to form the chain into a pair of internested U shapes.
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Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A flap folder comprising a pair of spaced parallel rails, a carton passage between said rails, a control bar mounted on each of said rails for axial movement relative to its respective rail, means for moving said bars in a first direction downstream of a direction of movement of a carton along said passage during a flap folding operation and then in a second direction opposite to said first direction, a pair of flap folding levers, each said flap folding lever having a first cam means, one of said flap folding levers being mounted on each of said bars, a pair of first cooperating cam means, one of said first cooperating cam means being fixed to each of said rails in a position to engage its adjacent said first cam means when said bars and said levers are moved in said first direction relative to said rails to move each of said levers from a retracted position to a flap folding position and maintain said levers in said folding positions during further movement of said bars in said first direction, and to return said levers to said retracted positions when said bars and said levers are moved relative to their respective said rails in said second direction opposite to said first direction.
Specification