Abstract: A bi-directional carton opening system for opening cartons in left hand or right hand configuration. The system utilizes apparatus having a Y axis rail with a first X axis rail fixedly mounted thereto and a second X axis rail mounted moveably thereto. A carton is gripped by a carrier on the first X axis rail and a carrier on the second X axis rail. The carrier on one of the X axis rails is moved along the respective X axis rail while the carrier on the other X axis rail is held in place and the moveable X axis rail is moved along the Y axis to open the carton to a rectangular tubular shape.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for setting up bottle carrier baskets from a flat folded configuration to an expanded and locked condition. The carrier basket is picked from a magazine storage location by a pick up head with vacuum cups and transferred to a pair of opposed opener heads with vacuum cups. The opener heads move along divergent paths to expand the carrier basket and a linear brake slows the carrier handle to cause the body to move past the handle, positioning a notch in the bottom panel to engage a hook in the central wall. A rotating kicker raises the bottom panel, engaging the hook and the notch as the vacuum is released from the opener vacuum cups.

Abstract: A method for simultaneously creating a pair of inner packing and then simultaneously placing them into side-by-side cartons by pulling the lead inner packing from two sets of inner packings, moving the pulled inner packings towards each other until they are positioned side by side, gripping the inner packings and opening them and finally, while being gripped, moving the inner packings into the side by side cartons.

Abstract: In a dividable shipping carton, there are abutting C-shaped dividers which angled or chamfered to provide a space adjacent each side wall, each being dimensioned to receive the blade of a severing knife and to continue to receive the blade even with substantial deviation of the blade from the guide line and thereby prevent cutting of plastic bottles, etc. inside the carton.

Abstract: In an integrated, continuous, container packing machine, where a constant supply of filled containers are moved along an axis and separated into discrete groups with each group fed to an insert station wherein a partition is inserted between containers of the group and then the group with the partition is fed to an operation to be placed or packed in a shipping medium, improvements which permit the machine to be rapidly changed for running a new batch of containers where the physical characteristics of the group and/or the physical characteristics of the containers in the group are different from the corresponding characteristics in the previously run batch.

Abstract: Gate has two carton restrainers. First restrainer holds the lead carton in magazine stack while the second is inoperative. For take-down of the lead carton, first restrainer is moved away while at the same time the second restrainer engages and holds the carton next to the lead carton to prevent the same (and the cartons behind it) from popping out of the gate.

Abstract: Taking a four panel carton and inserting a divider having end tabs coated with adhesive into the carton and pressing the tabs against the pair of opposite panels to secure the panels and tabs together.

Abstract: Dividers and cartons are intermittently fed into the machine which automatically assembles the same by inserting one or more dividers into the carton and gluing tabs on the dividers to opposite panels of the carton. The machine has a magazine to feed in the dividers, a carton transporter to feed in the cartons, die means to bend edges of the divider to form the tabs, means to apply glue to the tabs, means to develop bonding pressure between tabs and panels together with a divider transporter. The divider transporter picks-off a divider from the magazine, deposits it in the die means for tab forming and then moves the formed divider into a carton while the tabs are sprayed with glue and then pressure bonded to opposite carton panels.