Carton bottom forming method and apparatus

An apparatus for forming a bottom end wall of a carton from a retangular carton blank having open top and bottom ends, first, second, third and fourth body panels adjoining first, second, third and fourth bottom end closure panels, respectively, with first and third bottom end closure panels oppositely disposed and scored to fold inwardly when the second and fourth bottom end closure panels are folded inwardly down to form the bottom of the carton, comprising:

• a) a mandrel adapted to receive said carton blank through said open top end of said carton blank, with said bottom end closure panels extending beyond a distal free end of said mandrel, said distal free end indexable through a plurality of carton processing stations;
• b) a heating station;
• c) a folding station including:
• i) a pair of oppositely disposed reciprocating break fingers to contact and fold inwardly said first and third bottom end closure panels;
• ii) a reciprocating hooder unit having first and second angled surfaces and a direction of movement along a longitudinal axis of said mandrel at said folding station such that said angled surfaces contact and fold inwardly down said second and fourth bottom end closure panels as said hooder unit moves toward said mandrel;
• and
• iii) a J-flap pull finger recessed within said hooder unit and extending acutely past the plane of said first angled surface, said J-flap pull finger oriented to catch and fold a scored J-flap region of said second bottom end closure panel;
• d) a pressure sealing station for sealing together said folded bottom end closure panels;
• and
• e) wherein said distal free end of said mandrel sequentially indexes through said heating station, said folding station and said pressure sealing station, with said first body panel facing forward relative to the direction of mandrel movement.