Carton unloading and erecting apparatus

In combination with

• a magazine holding a stack of flattened cartons with the cartons extending in respective parallel and generally vertical planes and the stack having an end formed by a frontmost carton, and
• a conveyor below the magazine and adapted to carry off erected cartons in a forward transport direction, an unloading and erecting apparatus comprising:
• a frame fixed to the magazine adjacent the conveyor;
• an outer horizontal guide on the frame;
• an outer horizontal slide horizontally displaceable on the outer horizontal guide in the forward direction and in an opposite backward direction and carrying two differently shaped and nonstraight outer vertical guides;
• drive means including a motor connected to the outer horizontal slide for horizontally displacing same on the outer horizontal guide;
• a vertical guide on the frame;
• a vertical slide vertically displaceable on the vertical frame guide in an upward direction and in an opposite downward direction;
• drive means including another motor connected to the vertical slide for vertically displacing same on the vertical frame guide;
• a shaft pivotal about a generally horizontal axis transverse to the forward direction on the vertical slide and fixed horizontally relative to the outer horizontal slide;
• a gripper fixed on and angularly displaceable with the shaft and engageable with the frontmost carton;
• and
• means including a lever on the shaft angularly coupled to the gripper and having offset from the axis two respective followers engaged in the vertical guides of the outer slide for, on vertical movement of the vertical slide, pivoting the gripper between a pick-off position engageable with the frontmost carton and a drop-off position directed downwardly above the conveyor.