Abstract: An apparatus for forming a regular stack of folding boxes wherein each box has unequal thicknesses at the end portions thereof. The apparatus has a conveyor belt for feeding the boxes and an upper and lower stacking station situated on two different planes. The boxes are fed from the conveyor belt only to the upper stacking station to form a partial stack thereon with light thickness ends in superposition. The partial stack from the upper stacking station by disposing a turntable from the lower stacking station vertically beneath the upper stacking station, providing displaceable floors in the upper stacking station to enable passage of a partial stack vertically downwardly to the turntable and mounting the turntable for rotation about a vertical axis to effect the stacking of successive partial stacks thereon with unlike thickness ends in superposition.

Abstract: The invention relates to transport apparatus for transport containers in the area where blanks are loaded into a transport container of a carton filling machine. A plurality of first free-wheeling transport rollers are provided in the loading area and a plurality of rollers outside the loading area which are driven by a drive belt. The drive belt is raised to pass over a first diverting roller at the beginning of the loading area then returned at the end of the loading area by passing over a second diverting roller. A second free-wheeling transport roller is provided which is movable into and out of engagement with the drive belt.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lowering and pivoting rail mechanism for a carton filling machine for guiding and loading blanks into transport containers, in which the lowering rail can be lowered more or less vertically to the vicinity of the floor of the transport container or to a previously loaded layer of blanks and in which the pivoting rail can be moved into a position above the layer of blanks to be loaded.

Abstract: An apparatus for folding and closing to top of folding cartons prefabricated from cut boxboard stock having an inner thermoplastic-resin liner includes a stepwise conveyor for conveying the folding cartons in a row, upright, with the fillet seam of the cartons perpendicular to the direction of travel, and a single folding, pressing and welding station having ultrasonic welding means including a vibratable tip and a folding, pressing and welding tool. The tool includes a pair of jaws and the tip, which are mounted for movement toward each other in the manner of tongs, wherein one of said jaws includes a folding wedge and an anvil above said folding wedge, and the other jaw is configured as a folding and clamping wedge. The jaws and holder are mounted on a common holder for movement into and out of engagement with the fillet seam of each container on the conveyor.

Abstract: Switch apparatus for the positioning drive of a lowering and pivoting rail for the guiding of blanks into transport containers in a carton filling machine. With the pivoting rail and the aid of a belt running along the pivoting rail, previously imbricated delivered blanks are delivered to loading position in the transport container such as a carton. The lowering rail serves as a counter support so that the pivoting rail and lowering rail cooperate at the loading point of the blanks to guide and control the loading of the blanks as far as possible into their final position in the transport container.

Abstract: A labeling station has a rotating gripper cylinder having gripper elements equally spaced therearound to define label divisions and a carrier rotating in the same sense bearing pickup elements thereon mounted for either rotary or rocking movement in a contrary sense with respect to the carrier during the label transfer. The movement is controlled such that the receiving surfaces of the pickup elements roll at least in the forward area against the gripper cylinder surface when the gripper cylinder rotates. The arc length of the receiving surface of each pickup element is greater than the arc length of each label division of the gripper cylinder and the trailing portion of each label is lifted by at least one of the slip surfaces on the front edges of the pickup elements and blow nozzles associated with the gripper elements on the gripper cylinder.

Abstract: In a labeling machine including means for supplying labels to a pickup element supplied with adhesive, which element transfers the labels to a gripping cylinder, the improvement wherein such pickup element has a smooth convex take-up surface composed of a plurality of first areas spaced form one another by second areas, the first areas exhibiting good adhesion properties and the second areas being relatively non-adherent, whereby when an adhesive is applied to said surface it lays substantially exclusively on the good adhering areas while leaving the non-adherent areas substantially free of adhesive, whereby less adhesive is required. The adherent areas may be metal and the non-adherent areas polytetrafluoroethylene provided in recesses in the metal, the non-adherent areas being in the form of circles or stripes.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding material in web form into a roll lying upon two spaced apart driven support cylinders and having a cylindrical roll core. A stand-by roll core is supported between the roll and the supporting cylinders during the winding of the roll by a support member which defines a supporting surface thereon and which is mounted for movement from a non-supporting position to a supporting position wherein the supporting surface lies in a horizontal plane and extends into the area between the supporting cylinders and the roll to such an extent that only one supporting cylinder at a time can be contacted linearly by the stand-by roll core.

Abstract: In a labeling station for applying labels one above the other onto objects, having at least one pickup element mounted eccentrically on a rotating carrier for movement about an axis, a gripper cylinder is provided having a rotating carrier having eccentrically disposed gripping and pressing element for the upper and lower labels, which elements are tangent to the circulation path of the pickup elements approximately in synchronism. The labels are transferred by the gripping and pressing elements to objects moved along a transport path, whose areas to be labeled are at different distances from the gripper cylinder axis.

Abstract: A chuck for use with spools comprises a shaft and at least one inner wedge-shaped member mounted to one end of the shaft for axial movement and biased away from the shaft. A gripper comprises at least two outer members slidably mounted on the inner members to effect movement radially outwardly to thereby grip the inside of the spool. A first stop is connected to the gripper and engageable with the outer edge of the spool to limit the movement thereof with respect to the outer members and movable with respect to the inner member and a second stop is connected to the shaft for engaging with the outer members to limit their axial movement against the force of the bias.

Abstract: A labeling machine is provided to apply simultaneously two labels to different diameter portions of a bottle, e.g. the neck and belly. The structure for applying the belly label is conventional but above the usual affixing element there is provided a second affixing element which is operatively connected to a cam follower which senses a cam track opposite the labeling station. This causes the second affixing member to be projected radially outward at the time of label affixing so it reaches the narrow diameter portion of the bottle.

Abstract: In a cutting device of the shearing type comprising two circular blades one of which is in the form of an elastic disc displaceable on a bracket by pressure from a pressure element engaged by a lever, the cutting edge of said blade in the form of an elastic disc being disposed against the cutting edge of the other blade, the improvement wherein said bracket is disposed within a bearing sleeve which in turn is disposed within a bearing of said disc, said bearing sleeve being connected to said lever in an axially inflexible manner, said pressure element disposed adjacent to the cutting area of said blade in the form of an elastic disc and passing a moment into said bearing sleeve and said bearing which is opposed to the moment of any reaction force imposed on said disc in its cutting area.

Abstract: A labeling station of a labeling machine for bottles or the like having a gripping cylinder rotatable in one direction. The station includes a rotatable carrier and at least one glue segment mounted on the carrier for oscillatory rotational movement about an axis of rotation disposed between the center of curvature of its cylindrically curved pickup surface and the pick up surface, to dispose the center of the pickup surface tangential to the gripping cylinder at the center of the oscillatory movement. The rotational movement of the gluing segment is accelerated and retarded to effect rolling of the pickup surface on the gripping cylinder, by rotating the carrier and gripping cylinder in the same direction and rotating the gluing segment in the opposite direction during the rolling contact.

Abstract: In a labeling station for applying labels one above the other onto objects, having at least one pickup element mounted essentially on a rotatable carrier for movement about an axis a gripper cylinder is provided having a rotating carrier having eccentrically disposed gripping and pressing elements for the upper and lower labels, which elements are tangent to the circulation path of the pickup elements approximately in synchronism. The labels are transferred by the gripping and pressing elements to objects moved along a transport path whose areas to be labeled are at different distances from the gripper cylinder axis. The carrier of the gripping and pressing elements comprises two parts disposed one over the other and eccentrically to one another, which carry upper and lower gripping and pressing elements at different radii and revolve at equal angular velocity.

Abstract: A labeling machine has a plurality of successive stations whereby a rotating pickup member on a revolving carrier picks up a label at one station, carries the label to a glue applicator station and transfers it to a gripping cylinder at another station. The invention provides a drum at the label supply station which rotates with the carrier and contacts the pickup member. A strip of labels passes about the drum into the nip between drum and pickup member and means, such as a steep helical thread and follower, are provided to speed up the pickup member so as to tear off the foremost label from the rest of the strip. Knives can be positioned inside the drum and cams and/or stops provided to project the knives out through slits in the drum so as to pre-score or perforate the label strip to facilitate tearing.

Abstract: A method for flat pressing and sticking down of a fillet seam of a roof-shaped folding closure of a package whose outside surface is provided with a thermoplastic material, comprising transporting the package in a direction transverse to the fillet seam, heating a first area of the side surface of the fillet seam rearward of the seam relative to the direction of transport and heating a second area of the outside surface of the package complementary with the first area, and transporting the heated package past a stationary member positioned so as to press the fillet seam and cause it to stick down to the outside surface of the package. A third and fourth area respectively on the side surface and on the package and respectively spaced from the first and second areas can also be heated to form two spaced stuck down areas. By pulling upward therebetween, the seam can be raised for opening the package.

Abstract: A bottle labeling machine is provided with a rotating support which carries a pickup element past a gluing station, a label magazine to pick up a label and a label transfer station. Supplementary means are provided to rotate the pickup element either clockwise or counterclockwise so as to speed it up or slow it down relative to the stations for matching its speed to that required at each station to effect a smooth pass at each station. A pair of cam followers are provided operating on two independent tracks with two lever arms connecting them to the supplementary means for rotating the pickup element. The lever arms may be rigid as one and have an intermediate axis about which they pivot or they may be independently pivoted at one end about one of the cam followers, the other end of one arm being connected to the second cam follower and the other end of the second arm being connected to the supplementary rotating means.

Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the mutual distance of several movable elements placed side by side wherein control means are provided to insure that the various movable elements move in a transposition operation, the same distance as determined by measuring means which measure the distance which a first movable element moves. The device includes means for repositioning the relative position of the movable elements such that following the repositioning operation, the various movable elements are maintained at a fixed relative distance from one another, the repositioning being conducted by measuring the distance by which a first movable elements moves and moving the related movable elements in response.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and apparatus for pre-folding and unfolding of a closure on a folding box of rectangular cross-section, which closure is formed of the creased unslotted end portion of the walls of the box of which two opposite closure panels are each provided with a pair of creases running from the corners and converging toward the center of the margin so as to form triangular pockets upon folding. The device comprises two pairs of folding tools at 90.degree. to one another and means for displacing them. One of the pairs corresponding to the creased panels each is bifurcated with a folding tine which engages its panel at substantially one location during folding while the other tine in inactive and an unfolding tine which engages the opposite face of the same panel during unfolding while the folding tine is inactive.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the flat advancement of one or more running webs of paper between two guide rollers and/or for combining two such webs, the apparatus comprising a pair of guide rollers between which a web is to be passed, a table having a guide surface positioned along the path of the web between the guide rollers, and an air removal body in tandem with the table to form a vacuum zone between the web and the surface thereby drawing the web toward the surface while the web moves therealong, the air removal body having a sharp edge directed against the direction of movement of the web. Advantageously the air removal body has a sharp edge positioned adjacent one of the guide rollers so as to form therewith a narrow gap through which the supply web is carried, the active surfaces of the air removal body and guide table lying in a common plane.