Machine for erecting, filling and closing flat-foldable cartons

A machine for erecting, filling and closing a rectangular carton having hinged top, bottom and side walls which is flat-foldable for stacking before erection and which has a side flap hinged to each side wall and a top cover flap hinged to at least one of the top or bottom walls at each end, comprising a magazine for storing a plurality of flat-foldable cartons in a stack and having a bottom discharge opening, a support member located below said discharge opening, deflection means between said support member and said magazine for deflecting a side wall of the carton upwardly so as to erect the side walls and top above the bottom, an engagement member movable to engage each carton in succession and to move it past said deflection means and deposit it on said support member, a shifting member movable backwardly and forwardly over said support member and having a top surface engageable over the top of the carton and a side surface engageable with one side of the carton and being movable against the side of the carton to move the carton upwardly to an upright position and hold it in an erected condition, the position of said carton on said support member, held in an erected condition by said shifting member, comprising a first station, product stuffer means at said first station including a product magazine for storing a stack of individual products to be filled into said carton located alongside said support member and including a movable product support member carrying the lower portion of the stack of products and being movable away from the stack to transport the lower portion away from the stack and to support the remaining portion of the stack, a product pusher means engageable with the removed portion of the stack of products to push them into the erected container from an end thereof, cooperative second station forming members including a receiving member having a top receiving surface on which the filled carton is supportable and a top engagement member engageable over the top of the filled carton being movable with the engaged carton to position it in a second station, a pusher member movable behind the filled carton at the first station to position it on said receiving member, said receiving member and said top engagement member being articulated so that they move through a path in which said top engagement member moves over the container to hold it in position and to locate it at a second station, and flap closing means at said second station engageable with said side and cover flaps to first fold the side flaps to a closed position and then to fold the cover flap thereover, said folding means including a side flap deflector engageable with one side flap for deflecting it into a closed position, a slide member movable to engage the other side flap and fold it inwardly from the other side to a closed position and lifter members for lifting the cover flap from a horizontal position and swinging it upwardly over the side flaps into a closed position.

A machine for erecting, filling and closing a rectangular carton, having hinged top, bottom and side walls and which is flat-foldable for stacking before erection and which has foldable end flaps at each end for closing it, comprising a magazine for storing a plurality of flat-folded cartons in a stack and having a discharge opening, a support member defining a first station support located in spaced relationship to the discharge opening, deflection means between said discharge opening and said support member for deflecting a side wall of the carton upwardly so as to erect the carton, an engagement member movable to engage each carton in succession to move it past said deflection means and deposit it on said support member, a shifting member movable backwardly and forwardly over said support bar to engage a side of the carton and to move it to a fully upright position, said support bar having means on the opposite side from said shifting member engagement side providing a stop against which the carton is moved, said carton being held in the erected position on said support member in a first station, a product stuffer located alongside said first station including a product magazine for storing a stack of individual products to be filled into said carton, said magazine including a lowermost tray portion for containing the lowermost products in the stack, means for moving the product support tray laterally of said stack to remove the lowermost ones of said products, said tray having means for retaining the remaining products when said tray is moved, said tray being moved into the product stuffing position, a product pushing member located in said product stuffing position aligned with an opened end of said erected carton, said pusher member being movable to push the products into the carton, cooperative second station forming members including a receiving member alongside said support member and a top engagement member engageable over the top of the carton, said pusher for pushing the filled carton from said first station onto said receiving member, said receiving member and said top engagement member being movable through paths to cause the top engagement member to move over the carton after it is placed on the receiving member and together to move said carton to a second station at which the carton is held by said receiving member and said top engagement member, and flap closing means at said second station for folding said foldable end flaps to close said carton.