Lid mounting apparatus

An apparatus for mounting lids having a given thickness on containers comprising a frame having a substrate, a container hoist mounted on said substrate,

• post means extending upward from said substrate,
• a lid magazine for holding a stack of lids supported by said post means, said magazine defining a vertical axis,
• opposed hatches supported by said post means between said container hoist and said magazine cooperably radially movable toward and away from said axis between first positions in which hatches block vertical movement of the lowermost lid from said magazine toward said container hoist to second positions in which they allow such lid movement,
• a first plate and lug means, said plate and lug of said means being vertically separated from one another by a distance slightly less than said lid thickness, and being connected together, said plate and lug means supported by said post means at a height at which said plate means is immediately below the next lowermost lid and said lug means is at a height between said next lowermost lid and the next higher lid and adapted for horizontal movement from a first position in which said plate is in engagement with the next lowermost lid to a second position in which said plate and lug are out of contact with any of said stack of lids,
• a second plate and lug means at the same height as said first plate and lug means movable between similar first and second positions and cooperable with said first plate and lug means to provide support for the next lowermost lids contacted by said plates,
• bosses centrally depending from said hatches,
• and actuating means for said plate and lug means and said hatches whereby said plate and lug means can be maintained in their first positions while said hatches are moved from their first to second positions to allow said lowermost lid to fall toward a container on said container hoist, said hatches can be moved back to their first positions, said container can be hoisted by said container hoist to press said lid onto said container against said bosses to depress a central portion of said lid and then to engage said lid on said container by continued hoisting of said container against said hatches, said plate and lug means can be moved from their first to second positions to allow said stack of lids to drop down onto said hatches, and said plate and lug means can be returned to their first positions.