Abstract: Case blank magazine and feeder apparatus for picking up a case blank from a stack of case blanks on the magazine and feeding the blank into the case opening part of the machine, a pickup carriage mounted on a frame for reciprocal movement from a blank pickup position to a blank transfer position, vacuum cups mounted on pickup carriage for movement between a lowered pickup position and an elevated position, a belt conveyor assembly on the frame for advancing the picked up blank from the transfer position to a discharge position that the blank falls onto slide rails, a carriage mounted on the frame for reciprocal movement for advancing the blank to a blank opening station and control mechanism for vacuum cups and the pickup carriage.

Abstract: Case sealer apparatus for sealing filled cases that have their top flaps extending vertically and that includes flight bars on endless chains for first moving the filled case over frusto conical rolls to slightly open the bottom major flaps and permit the package plate to enter between the major and minor bottom flaps. A guide plate and a flap tucker assembly are provided above the package plate to close the leading and trailing top minor flaps respectively as the case moves forwardly. Glue guns then apply adhesive to the upper minor and lower major flaps. Thereafter as the case moves along the slide plate, the major flaps move into contact with closure members to close the major flaps, and then the flight bars move the case through a compression roller assembly. The package plate includes a hingedly mounted entry portion that is resiliently retained in an entry position while the drive mechanism for the chains includes adjustable stop mechanism to discontinue the chain drive to provide overload protection.