And Reciprocatory Arm Like Tool Patents (Class 493/176)
  • Patent number: 10913231
    Abstract: A machine is provided that forms blanks of fiberboard material into containers. The machine includes a frame structure, a mandrel assembly, and a carriage assembly. One or both of the mandrel assembly or the carriage assembly can be easily removed from the frame structure such that another mandrel and/or carriage assembly having different dimensions can be easily installed in the place of the removed mandrel and/or carriage assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY
    Inventor: Nathan Marsh
  • Patent number: 10821698
    Abstract: A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank and lid blank includes a frame, a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, a pre-folding assembly, and a glue panel presser assembly. The mandrel assembly includes a first mandrel and a second mandrel positioned downstream from the first mandrel. The first mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container, and the second mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container. The pre-folding assembly is configured to fold a first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container. The glue panel presser assembly includes a first presser plate configured to form a first manufacturer joint, and a second presser plate configured to form a second manufacturer joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas D. Graham, Amer Aganovic, Claudio D'Alesio
  • Patent number: 10786964
    Abstract: A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank and lid blank includes a frame, a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, a pre-folding assembly, and a glue panel presser assembly. The mandrel assembly includes a first mandrel and a second mandrel positioned downstream from the first mandrel. The first mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container, and the second mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container. The pre-folding assembly is configured to fold a first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container. The glue panel presser assembly includes a first presser plate configured to form a first manufacturer joint, and a second presser plate configured to form a second manufacturer joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas D. Graham, Amer Aganovic, Claudio D'Alesio
  • Patent number: 9878512
    Abstract: A machine for forming a container from a blank assembly including a tray blank and lid blank includes a frame, a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, a pre-folding assembly, and a glue panel presser assembly. The mandrel assembly includes a first mandrel and a second mandrel positioned downstream from the first mandrel. The first mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container, and the second mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container. The pre-folding assembly is configured to fold a first portion of the blank assembly around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container. The glue panel presser assembly includes a first presser plate configured to form a first manufacturer joint, and a second presser plate configured to form a second manufacturer joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas D. Graham, Amer Aganovic, Claudio D'Alesio
  • Patent number: 9701087
    Abstract: A machine for forming a container from a blank of sheet material includes a frame, a mandrel assembly mounted to the frame, a pre-folding assembly, and a transfer assembly. The mandrel assembly includes a first mandrel and a second mandrel. The first mandrel has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a first portion of the container. The second mandrel is positioned downstream from the first mandrel, and has an external shape complementary to an internal shape of at least a second portion of the container. The pre-folding assembly is configured to fold a first portion of the blank around the first mandrel to form a partially formed container. The first portion of the blank corresponds to the first portion of the container. The transfer assembly is for transferring the partially formed container from the first mandrel to the second mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas D. Graham, Amer Aganovic, Claudio D'Alesio
  • Patent number: 7717838
    Abstract: A machine for forming a case from a blank of sheet material includes a body, a mandrel mounted on the body and having an external shape complimentary to an internal shape of at least a portion of the case, a member mounted on the body adjacent the mandrel for applying a force to the blank for at least one of folding a portion of the blank around the mandrel, moving the blank, and securing portions of the blank together, and a servomechanism operatively connected to the member for driving and controlling movement of the member to apply the force to the blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin D. Strong, Brian C. Lowe
  • Patent number: 7322919
    Abstract: A machine for forming tubular film lengths from a linear portion of film comprises: a unit (1) for feeding linear film portions (2); at least one forming roller (3) that revolves about an axis (7) transversal to the direction of film feed; means (14) for applying the film portion (2) to the surface of the forming roller (3) as it revolves, at least until opposite edges (4, 5) of the film portion (2) overlap; and means (11) for joining the overlapping edges (4, 5) to each other to form a tubular film length (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Aetna Group S.p.A.
    Inventor: Massimo Malini
  • Patent number: 6887191
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming the bottom end wall of a carton from a rectangular carton blank having oppositely disposed scored end panels and oppositely disposed unscored end panels includes a rotating mandrel assembly adapted to receive an open-ended carton blank through an open top end of the carton blank, a heating station, a folding station and a sealing station. The folding station has a pair of oppositely disposed reciprocating break fingers to contact and fold inwardly the scored bottom end panels and biasing means for folding inwardly down the unscored bottom end panels. The folding station is rotatable 90° between two functional orientations, a first orientation wherein the break fingers are aligned in the direction of mandrel movement, and a second orientation in which the break fingers are perpendicular to the direction of mandrel movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: International Paper Company
    Inventors: Allen Bressler, Lyle Knutson
  • Patent number: 6626810
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming the bottom end wall of a carton from a rectangular carton blank having oppositely disposed scored end panels and oppositely disposed unscored end panels includes a rotating mandrel assembly adapted to receive an open-ended carton blank through an open top end of the carton blank, a heating station, a folding station and a sealing station. The folding station has a pair of oppositely disposed reciprocating break fingers to contact and fold inwardly the scored bottom end panels and biasing means for folding inwardly down the unscored bottom end panels. The folding station is rotatable 90° between two functional orientations, a first orientation wherein the break fingers are aligned in the direction of mandrel movement, and a second orientation in which the break fingers are perpendicular to the direction of mandrel movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: International Paper Company
    Inventors: Allen Bressler, Lyle Knutson
  • Patent number: 5876319
    Abstract: A machine for forming a variety of different sturdy, stackable three-part fiberboard containers having a depth dimension greater than their width dimension, and which are suitable for holding bags filled with liquid. The machine includes a slidable, removable mandrel which cycles between a fiberboard hopper area and a container forming compression area. Each of two side bins provides a fiberboard end panel which comes into contact with independently slidable edge picks on the mandrel. Just before the mandrel cycles forward, the edge picks push the fiberboard end panels forward where they are bent by the action of two folding elements. Meanwhile, a fiberboard body matt is brought into position in front of the retracted mandrel from an overhead feed unit. Adhesive material is sprayed onto selected parts of the body matt as it is placed into position in front of the mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventor: David B. Holton
  • Patent number: 5613933
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a shipping and display box of the type having diverter tabs that extend outwardly from the box walls is provided that has a guide plate for supporting a blank used for forming the shipping and display box, a catcher plate used for holding the blank on the forming apparatus, a diverter tab lever for extending the diverter tabs outwardly from the box walls, and an actuator for urging the diverter tab lever against the diverter tabs, the actuator allows the catcher plate to be released after the diverter tabs have been extended from the box walls so that the blank can be removed from the forming apparatus. A method of forming the blank into the shipping and display box is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignee: Advanced Container Corporation
    Inventors: Chester J. Pierce, Jr., Ronald E. Heiskell, Ezra E. Theys
  • Patent number: 5584789
    Abstract: In a non-round container forming machine having a device for receiving and delivering flat container wall blanks to a wrapping station, at which the blanks are wrapped around a non-round mandrel. The non-round mandrel has a front end facing the blank. The blank is aligned substantially tangential to the mandrel when delivered to the wrapping station. A wing slide assembly, within the wrapping station, moves linearly along opposite sides of the mandrel in a wrapping direction substantially perpendicular to the blank to fold the blank along opposite sides of the mandrel. A forward wing clamp assembly, within the wrapping station, is mounted proximate a rear end of the mandrel to move pivotally to engage and direct outermost portions of opposite ends of the blank in an overlapping relation against the mandrel to form a side seam. The containers are removed from the mandrel with an extractor plate which physically engages the containers upper edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Sealright Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald D. Robertson
  • Patent number: 5549537
    Abstract: In the production of hinge-lid packs with especially rounded longitudinally edges (11, 12) a blank (14) is pre-shaped in the region of a shaping station (18). To this end, the regions of the longitudinal edges (11, 12) of the blank (14) are pressed against shaping margins (23, 24) of a shaping plate (20) by shaping rollers (21, 22). To increase the performance of the shaping station (18), the shaping rollers (21, 22) are moved back into the starting position along a path of movement (29) which is located at a distance from the shaping plate (20). During this movement back into the starting position, the pre-shaped blank (14) can be discharged and a following blank can be moved into position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Helmut Granz
  • Patent number: 5291721
    Abstract: A cover forming apparatus for forming a flower pot or flower pot cover from a sheet of material by engaging a sheet of material about the outer surface of a mold, die or pot. The cover forming apparatus includes a plurality of pivotable forming members resting in a surface which supports a sheet of material upon which is positioned a flower pot mold or flower pot. When the forming members are pivotally moved from the storage position to an extended position, the forming members cause the sheet of material to be appressed to or engaged with the mold or pot. The article formed in accordance with the present invention may be separable from the mold or pot and usable as a flower pot or flower pot cover or may be more or less securely attached to the pot by adhesive, cohesive, barbs, friction pinches or other securing means thereby forming a decorative cover connected to a flower pot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Assignee: Highland Supply Corporation
    Inventors: Donald E. Weder, Joseph G. Straeter, Franklin J. Craig
  • Patent number: 5184998
    Abstract: A corrugated cardboard or chipboard carton forming machine including a first portion having four corner defining members which are adjustable to define the base of a carton to be constructed. The corrugated cardboard or chipboard carton forming machine also includes a fold generating portion having four adjustable fold generting members, each of which is adapted to pass over the corresponding corner defining member so as to fold a corrugated cardboard or chipboard blank, positioned on the first portion, over the corner defining members to thereby define the sides of the carton to be constructed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignee: Volk Packaging Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Volk, Douglas A. Volk, Paul Voccia, William D. Lewis
  • Patent number: 5160307
    Abstract: A pack made of sheet material such as card or corrugated card has rectangular side faces that are interconnected in pairs by respective fold lines, said fold lines being mutually parallel and said side faces forming a rectangular parallelepiped. According to the invention this pack is remarkable in that it includes other side faces that form a pyramid whose base coincides with a face of said parallelepiped. The pack is obtained from a blank of sheet material that includes trapezium-shaped or triangular panels hinged to rectangular panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Otor
    Inventors: Jean-Yves Bacques, Guy Coalier
  • Patent number: 5147271
    Abstract: A case, made from a sheet material such as cardboard or corrugated board, having rectangular lateral faces connected in twos by a fold line. The fold lines are parallel to each other. Such a case comprises at least five lateral faces. It may be obtained by wrapping a sheet material blank about a mandrel in cooperation with a pressure plate whose profile corresponds to that of two or three consecutive faces of the mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Otor
    Inventors: Jean-Yves Bacques, Guy Coalier
  • Patent number: 5113638
    Abstract: In the production of packs made of (thin) cardboard such as cigarette packs, complex folding processes may cause problems when blank portions are moved to the proper pack position, especially when blank portions are "too long" for the folding process. To remove this problem, the respective blank portion is, during the folding process, temporarily deformed in a way which shortens its effective length, i.e. curved in an arched manner. In the production of hinge lid packs having a collar (11) attached to a front wall (12) thereof in a single piece, this blank portion is, while being folded from an upright to a horizontal position, temporarily curved by a folding lever (58) applying pressure until the blank portion reaches the horizontal folding position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Assignee: Focke & Co., (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Kurt Liedtke, deceased
  • Patent number: 5092107
    Abstract: A carton (11) with parallel flat front and rear surfaces joined by curved sides and a flip-top lid (10) hinged to the carton. The carton is composed of two superimposed layers adhesively secured at a joint line at lapped edges. The outer layer is slit along its front surface parallel to the carton ends and along upwardly extending curves around the sides to a fold line parallel to and raised above the front slit and the inner layer (12) has a cutout in its front surface above the front slit of the outer layer. The cutout curves upwardly short of the sides where tags (13) are cut out of the sides of the inner layer and the outer layer overlaps the inner layer at the carton ends. Top and bottom closures are adhesively secured to the outer layer at the ends of the carton.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Tobacco Research & Development Institute Limited
    Inventor: Klaus P. Lamm
  • Patent number: 4945748
    Abstract: Apparatus for making tapered four-sided sheet metal containers comprises a tapered four-sided mould 42 and a folding mechanism 26.1 for folding a sheet metal blank onto the mould. The folding mechanism comprises a carrier 28 and four folding elements 30, 32 pivotally mounted on the carrier. When the mould and the folding mechanism is displaced towards one another with the sheet metal blank 10 disposed between them, the folding elements pivot about their pivotal mountings and fold peripheral portions of the blank onto the sides of the mould.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Marsden (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Leslie A. Worship, Peter Isaacs, Steven Bain, Kenneth J. D. Bain
  • Patent number: 4932930
    Abstract: A method and machine for forming a case with polygonal section from a blank of sheet material. There is an assembly of panels. The assembly of panels is wound about a mandrel with polygonal section. The tongue is fixed to the free edge of the endmost panel. The flaps situated on the same side of the panels are folded. The flaps thus folded are fixed together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignee: Embal-Systems
    Inventors: Guy Coalier, Jean-Claude Serre
  • Patent number: 4805380
    Abstract: A rotary packaging machine advances carton sleeves stepwise through a series of stations at which various operations are performed in relation to the sleeves. At certain earlier ones of the stations operations are performed upon the bottoms of the sleeves at a desired common level. At certain later ones of the stations operations are performed upon the tops of the sleeves at a higher desired common level. At one station intermediate the earlier ones and later ones, the sleeves are lowered by an amount dependent upon their heights, so as to bring their tops to that higher desired common level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1989
    Assignee: Liquipak International B.V.
    Inventor: Richard W. E. Mosse
  • Patent number: 4713048
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for production of containers for packaging liquids. Plastic-coated supporting material is drawn as a web from a supply roll in a first direction along a web path. At a first position, the web is cut into sheets. The sheets are conveyed along a transport path in a second direction transverse to the web path. At a second position, each sheet is partially shaped into a tube, and an edge of the sheet is folded over and sealed. At a third position, shaping is completed to cause the side edges of the sheet to join, and the tube side is sealed. A plastic lid is molded onto the top of each tube, and the bottom end is folded and sealed into a quadrilangular bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1987
    Assignee: Tetra Pak Finance & Trading S.A.
    Inventors: Wilhelm Reil, Ulrich Deutschbein
  • Patent number: 4708704
    Abstract: Process and apparatus for forming cigarette packs having rounded or beveled longitudinal edges includes forming the contoured edges on a flat blank at a shaping station as a preliminary shaping step. The shaping station includes a shaping mandrel or plate having rounded or beveled edges and shaping rollers or strips for wrapping the blank about the plate to produce the desired longitudinal edges contours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1987
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Hugo Mutschall
  • Patent number: 4661091
    Abstract: Various configurations of boxes of a corrugated or fiberboard material are manufactured by a machine and process in which scored marginal flaps of the preformed box blank material are laterally wrapped around forming mandrels or fingers to define corner and/or intermediate posts integral with a wall portion of the resulting box, with at least a portion of each flap laminated to the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1987
    Inventor: Lenard E. Moen
  • Patent number: 4657527
    Abstract: Various configurations of boxes of a corrugated or fiberboard material are manufactured by a machine and process in which scored marginal flaps of the preformed box blank material are laterally wrapped around forming mandrels or fingers to define corner and/or intermediate posts integral with a wall portion of the resulting box, with at least a portion of each flap laminated to the side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Inventor: Lenard E. Moen
  • Patent number: 4636185
    Abstract: The invention features an apparatus for fabricating a box-like article or slipcase. The apparatus feeds a box blank from a hopper containing stacked blanks to a work station. The work station comprises a forming block about which the panels of the box blank are folded and bonded together, and clamping, folding and heating apparatus. The complete box is removed from the forming block and conveyed away which causes the fabricating cycle to process a new blank into a box-like article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1987
    Assignee: Book Covers Inc.
    Inventors: Leewood C. Carter, Robin P. Neary, Robert Mullen
  • Patent number: 4626234
    Abstract: A rectangular tray-type carton formed from a blank of plastics-coated board has a peripheral flange for attachment of a closure lid. The flange is formed after the erection of the carton side wall in a punch and die arrangement, by folding down elongate panels carried along the free edges of the side wall and by subsequently joining the panels together at their ends by means of overlapping tabs which are heat-sealed together. In order to avoid damage to the tabs during formation of the side wall the uppermost tabs are folded out of the plane of the blank before it enters the punch and die arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1986
    Assignee: Metal Box Public Limited Company
    Inventor: Bernard H. Oxborrow
  • Patent number: 4596542
    Abstract: A mandrel has its face formed to define a negative impression of reinforcing elements to be formed into the walls of a Bliss box. The reinforcing elements may comprise tubular corner posts and/or intermediate hollow ribs or posts. The mandrel is mounted in a machine frame for reciprocation along its axis so that upon full extension of the mandrel it is disposed within a die cavity in which the Bliss body panel is formed around a pair of upstanding end panels. When fully retracted, the mandrel is positioned beneath and adjacent to a pair of magazines for holding supplies of flat end panel blanks, positioned on opposite sides of a superstructure frame of the mandrel. The superstructure is fitted with spaced pairs of feed pawls, a first set of which strips the flat end panels out of the supply magazines to deliver them to an arrested position, corresponding to the retracted position of the mandrel, as a result of extension of the mandrel. Concurrently, the flaps of each end panel are partially shoed inwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Inventor: Lenard E. Moen
  • Patent number: 4581004
    Abstract: A paper pressing device has a pair of presser plates being positioned opposite the lateral faces of an arbor. The opening and closing operation of the presser plates is conducted by a lever which is engaged with an oscillator by a spring. The oscillator adjusts the length of the spring so that the pressing force of the presser plates is constant irrespective of the force of inertia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1986
    Assignee: The Japan Tobacco & Salt Public Corporation
    Inventor: Tomizo Nagata
  • Patent number: 4498895
    Abstract: A jig construction having adjustable spacers which may be positioned to accommodate various sizes of pre-cut paperboard or cardboard sheets from which folded pallets are formed. The jig includes manually and semi-automatically actuated mechanisms for adjusting the size of the cardboard pallet formed thereon, and to facilitate bending and creasing sections of the paperboard for forming the pallet construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1985
    Assignee: J. M. Huber Corporation
    Inventor: Herbert V. White
  • Patent number: 4349345
    Abstract: A machine for making non-cylindrical paper container, including wings for wrapping a container blank around a non-cylindrical mandrel. The wings each have a supplement wing portion pivotably attached thereto, and as the wings are moved into the mandrel-engaging position, a mandrel-contacting part of the supplement wing portions that abuts against the mandrel causes those portions to swingingly approach the mandrel. In this manner, the wing portions may move unobstructively past the mandrel as the wings and wing portions wrap the blank against the mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1982
    Assignee: Paper Machinery Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond E. Bodendoerfer
  • Patent number: 4342562
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing a package from a package blank which includes a series of lateral surfaces and end wall sections connected by fold lines are disclosed. The method disclosed includes folding the package blank along fold lines between the lateral surfaces, moving such partially formed package blank along a predetermined path, and rotating the package blank while it is moving along that path while at the same time sequentially folding the end wall sections along a second set of fold lines at one end of the package so as to form an end wall surface at that end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1979
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1982
    Assignee: Molnlycke Aktiebolag
    Inventors: Tor A. Froidh, Leif U. R. Widlund
  • Patent number: 4311476
    Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for forming a liquid-tight container having a rectangular cross-section formed from a one-piece, T-shaped blank of paperboard material. The carton preferably includes an access flap and straw element on one side thereof which, when manually lifted, exposes an end of the straw element from which the contents of the carton may be consumed by a user. The apparatus is compact in nature, possessing relatively few transport mechanisms which advance the T-shaped carton blank through a plurality of work stations. A novel method and apparatus for serially applying the straw element and access panel to the carton blank is disclosed, wherein the straw element and a length of polyethylene coated Mylar tape is automatically bonded to the carton blank upon a rotating heat sealing and alignment drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1982
    Inventor: Eric A. Williams
  • Patent number: 4308023
    Abstract: A process and machine for manufacturing a tubular element, for example for use in forming boxes, in which a strip of material is wound around a mandrel having a cross-section corresponding to that of the tubular element to be formed. The strip of material is arranged to extend in a plane and the mandrel is applied against the strip in a direction perpendicular to said plane to cause lateral parts of the strip to lift up on either side of the mandrel and to define two flaps projecting above the mandrel. A force is then exerted on each of the flaps in a direction parallel to said plane to fold the flaps down onto the mandrel and to bring their free edges into abutment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1981
    Assignee: EMBADAC
    Inventor: Georgy Bidegain