Adhesive tape applicator

An adhesive tape applicator, comprising:

• an adhesive tape supply means for supplying an adhesive tape having adhesive on one side;
• a foil tape supply means for supplying a foil tape having a foil on one side;
• a hammer anvil positioned below a package carrying path and a hammer positioned in opposed relation to said hammer anvil and hammer drive means for intermittently causing said hammer to strike said hammer anvil;
• a tape supplying means located below the package carrying path for intermittently feeding adhesive tape from said adhesive tape supply means and foil tape from said foil tape supply means over said hammer anvil with the adhesive on said adhesive tape and the foil on said foil tape against each other for being struck by said hammer for transferring hit portions of said foil on said foil tape onto the adhesive of said adhesive tape;
• a tape feeding means for feeding said adhesive tape having said foil portions thereon vertically upwardly through said package carrying path;
• cutting means along a path along which adhesive tape is fed by said tape feeding means for cutting said fed tape at a boundarys between said foil portions and adhesive on said tape;
• and
• a tape application roller along said package carrying path downstream relative to the package movement direction from the position at which said adhesive tape has been fed upwardly through said package carrying path and movably mounted for movement between a tape application position in which it is above said package carrying path and a retracted position in which it is retracted below said package carrying path, said adhesive tape with a foil portion thereon projecting above said package carrying path being struck by a package moving along said package carrying path and carrying said projecting adhesive tape against said tape application roller for causing said tape application roller to roll down the front of the package and along the bottom of the package as the package passes the position of the tape application roller for rolling the adhesive tape against a corner of the package.