Method and apparatus for assembling tubular sleeve preforms and containers

Combined apparatus for assembling tubular shrinkable thermoplastic sleeves telescopically onto hollow containers comprising a rotary turret mounted on a vertical axle, a series of pairs of juxtaposed vacuum heads with confronting faces, first means for mounting each of said pairs of vacuum heads for independent vertical movement on said rotary turret, said pairs of vacuum heads being mounted on said turret in equi-spaced radial arrangement, second means mounting at least one member of each pair of said vacuum heads on said first mounting means for independent pivotal movement in a substantially horizontal plane and about a substantially vertical pin while maintaining the confronting face of each of said vacuum heads in a substantially vertical plane, conveyor means for moving said hollow containers in upright spaced-apart alignment through an arcuate substantially horizontal path coincidental with a portion of the orbital path of the vacuum heads on said turret, means for rotating said turret in timed relation with said conveyor means to thereby move said vacuum heads in a circumferential path of a constant radius, holding means for retaining a plurality of preformed tubular sleeves in flattened condition nested in a stack held radially and adjacent to said turret, means for serially removing the outermost sleeve from the stack and introducing same radially in substantially vertically disposed axial orientation with one open end lowermost into said circumferential path intermediate at least one pair of juxtaposed open vacuum members on said head to be engaged thereby, first stationary horizontal annular cam means, means connecting said first annular cam means to said second mounting means for serially horizontally pivoting said at least one member of each of said pairs of vacuum heads about its vertical pin towards the other member of each of said pairs of vacuum heads to grasp said interposed sleeve and for moving said one of said members of said pair of juxtaposed vacuum members positively away from said other member of said pair of vacuum members along said substantially horizontal plane while maintaining the faces of said heads in substantially vertical planes to fully open the tubular sleeve therebetween during each complete rotation of said rotary turret, second stationary annular cam means, and means connecting said second annular cam means to said first mounting means for serially moving each of said pairs of vacuum heads downwardly and upwardly during each complete rotation of said rotary turret to move each opened sleeve telescopically downwardly in coaxial alignment with an individual container conveyed on said conveyor means for its placement thereon and then withdraw each of said pairs of vacuum heads upwardly.