Abstract: An apparatus and method for transferring plural articles from a shipping carton to a receptacle from which such articles are orderly removed to a machine for further processing is described. The apparatus is constructed from a shuttle box adapted to receive the shipping carton, a pusher bar adapted to load the shipping carton into the shuttle box and for withdrawing the carton such that the articles remain within the shuttle box, and an ejector blade adapted to reciprocally remove articles from the shuttle box to be conveyed to machine for further processing.

Abstract: A tube shaping device is described for shaping the deformed end of a flexible tube, for example, toothpaste tubes, medicine tubes, paint tubes and the like. Such shaping device is constructed from a cylindrical body having an opening at one end thereof and a conical shaping member arranged within the opening extending outwardly therefrom. The conical shaping member is adapted to increasingly be received within the open end of the tube until the shape of such tube end is conformed to the circumferential shape of the base of the shaping member.