US1452604A - Wrapping machine - Google Patents

Description

Apr. 24, 1923. 1,452,604

A. E. HOPKINS WRAPPING MACHINE lFiled April 2, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet l n O "10J @y '/07 l \1/ l l" I I l l' g .l #INI 5,0 0 l. v l 551i 1| f04- 4/00 75 55'; 3V/ o' I l I y g I o. "72

72' o ooI E. =-ff-ff o l Y a v Z0 O 7g4 57 ya I a 50' 6l y l A I L m .I l 35 7 l' IIl' I @e n Apr. 24, 1923. 1,452,604

A. E. HOPKINS WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1920 5 'Sheets-Sheet 2 Apr. 24, 1923. 1,452,604

` A` E. HOPKINS WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Apr; 24, 1923.

1,452,604 A. E. HOPKINS WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Api. 24, 1923. A 1,452,604

A. E. HOPKINS WRAPPING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 24, 1923.

UNITED STATESrk PATENT oFFicE.

ARCHIBALD E. HOPKINS,l OF MIDDLETOWN. NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BORDEN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

WRAPPING MACHINE.

Application led April 2. 1920. Serial No. 870,738.

My invention relates to that class of well known machines by aidof which various articles are automatically and relatively smoothly and stably enfolded in wrappers of paper, foil, or other appropriate ma terials. The objects of my invention coinprise particularly provision of novel means i whereby such machines are, for the first time as I believe, enabled to so operate on articles which are in the form of a truncated pyramid, such for example as those well, but

but geometrically inaccurately, known in the market as chocolate cubes, these articles bing bounded by a square major-surface,

or base, by a therewith parallel square minor surface, or truncated end, and by four intervening sides, two of each of whichpa-re mutually inclined towards each other.

I attain the above, vand other useful ob jects, by aid Qt my mechanisms as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-k Figure 1 isa front elevation of the machine, some few parts being shown in vertical-cross section;

Figure 1a is a .diagrammatic sketch indicative ot' the turrets and their pockets and of the relative pgsitions, at different stages, of the articles and arts of their wrappers, the latter being in icated in central vertical cross section;

Figure 2 is a front, largely diagrammatic, view illustrative of most of the devices and means employed in actuating the operative elements of the machine, some elements be ing shown in `vertical section, owing tothe parts thereof, and of other elements, intervening between the section and the observer being omitted;

Figure 3 is, on enlarged scale, a fragmentary sectional view, taken on li-ne` 3 3 of Figure 2, illustrative more particularly of the feed belt and of the plunger which advances the article from said belt .into the first turret wheel:

Figure 4 is, on enlarged scale, a detail view of the second turret wheel showing the also diagrammatically showing' va part of one of the slide actuating arms;

Figure `6 is a rear view ofthe turret wheel shown in Figure 4;

Figure 7 1s a detail view of the brake plate shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is, onV still more enlarged scale, 65 a diagrammatic detail view indicative of the respective positions of the article, parts of its wrapper, the pocket and other adjacent elements immediately after the article and its wrapper have been fed'into the rst turret wheel, the part of the wrapper and the article being shown in central vertical section;

Figure 9 shows similarly the same article and part of its wrapper as they appear shortly after the turret wheel begins to rotate from its temporary stationary positionl indicated in Figure 8;

Figure 10 indicates the relative positions at the moment when the first turret wheel pauses, after it has rotated 180 from the position shown in Fi ure 8, and also indieating at vthe left of t e figure, the relative positions of the article and arts of itsl wrapper after they have been ed from the first into the second turret wheel; Fi ure 11 similarly indicates the relative positions at the stage when the folding fingers have descended to make the first endfolds of the wrapper and before the 'second turret wheel has begun to rotate from its position shown in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is, on'reduced scale compared tol that of Figure 11, a detail front view iilustrative of one member of the pair of the irst-end-fold making ngers and of the connections with actuating parts.

Figure 13 is, on same scale as Figure 12, a detail view ofthe fingers and their connections illustrated in that figure, but viewed at right angles to the latter, and showin some of the parts in verticalv section, inclu ingr an article and parts of its wrapper.

igure 14 is a diagrammatic fragmentary detail view illustrating, and partl in cross section, the partly wrapped artic e and its wrapper just rior to the descent thereon of the iirst-endold making fingers as shown in Figure 11, and also showing the disposition of the operative ends of the fingers just prior to their descent.

Figure' 15 is on much enlarged scale a perspective view of the article and its wrapper as they appear after being fed into.the pocket of the second turret wheel, 1. e. into the position in which they will be operated upon by the first actuating pair of first-endfold making fingers.

Fi ure 16 is, on similar scale, a detail, large y diagrammatic, front view of the operative ends of one member ofleach of the two pairs of coacting pairs ofvsecondend-fold making fingers just prior to their being actuated toward each other to make those folds and showing also an elevation of an article and its wrapper at this stage of the operation; also parts of elements constituting the article and wrapper holding pocket;

Figure 17 illustrates the same parts as in Figure 16 after the fingers have been actuated toward each other;

Figure 18 is, on somewhat reduced scale, a top plan view of the parts as shown in Figure 17 and also of the rock shaft and thereon mountings of the fingers and of the means for maintaining their operative ends normally apart and for intermittently actuating them towards each other, the actuating arm being shown partly in cross section.

Figure 18, is a diagrammatic detail view illustrating the means whereby the operative ends of the second-end-fold making ngers are normally held apart.

Figure 19 is, on enlarged scale, a detail,l

diagrammatic. view illustrating the then completely wrapped article and adjacent parts just prior to its transference by an ejector from a pocket of the second turret wheel to the removal belt.

Figure 20 is a diagrammatic-end view of the operative ends of the spring tensioned plates in the act of finally pressing to ultimate place the end folds of the wrapper as shown in Figure 19.

Figure 21 is a similar View of an article and the final end folds just prior to their compression as shown in Figure 20.

Figure 22 is, on enlarged scale, a perspective view of an article a-nd its wrapper after the first end folds have been made as per what is 4shown in Figure 13.

Figure 23 is a similar view after the second end folds have been made as per what. is shown in Figures 16, 17 and 18.

Figure 24. is a similar view after the final end folds have been made and the wrapping has been completed.

The rapid automatic wrapping of an article which is, specifically, in the form of a. truncated pyramid, or the frustum` of a pyramid, and 1n such manner that the wrapper, often fragile, sha-11 be, andremai-n, in

jriphery of the turret as shown in. Fi

its final disposition, smoothly and intactly folded upon, and in conformity with, the exterior surfaces of the article, has long involved hitherto, I believe, insurmountable difiiculties due to its above specified shape and. it is to the overcoming of these that my hereinafter described novel automatic treatments of the article and wrapper, and my utilizations and remodellings ofold instrumentalities, and my combinations of the latter with my novel devices, has been .especially, and successfully, addressed as hereafter claimed.

To the end that my improvements may be described in such Jr'ull, clear and exact terms as to enable those-skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I embrace in this specification and the above referred to drawings a description of onesubstant-ially complete type of organized, machine utilizable for the purpose.

This machine comprises a pair of closely approximated article-carrying wheels, 25, 26, hereinafter referred to as turrets, and rotatable in the same vertical plane, and in opposite directions (as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1), b aid 'of thereto secured mutually parallel s afts, 25', 26', respectively. Each of these turrets contains not less than a pair, in this instance two pairs, i. e. four, alike, receptacles, or pockets, 27, 28, 29, 30 in turret 25, and 27', 28', 29' and 30 in turret 26, for reception therein of an article, a, and its wrapper, w. The pockets of each pair are oppositely disposed and each of these pockets is open toward the pcre 4, and each comprises, as a constituent t ereof, a relativel rigid side, i. e. a plate, 31, and opposite t creto a resilient, or relatively yielding, side, i. e., a spring plate, 31. Between these plates the article land its wrapper are, automatically inserted, as hereinafter described, and thereafter suiiciently held by the thereagainst yielding pressure of the spring plate, 31. he units of each pair of mutually oppositely disposed pockets of each turret are, of course, constantly in alignment with each other at locations 180 apart, and four of said pockets, i. e.-

two in each of the turrets, are, when the turrets are normally stationary, also in alignment with each other, as indicated in Figure 1a. The turrets carr longitudinally extended ejectorsl 32, 33, w ich are reci rocatable between oppositely disposed poc ets of their respective turrets, in paths extending across the axes of rotation of the turrets. In the present instance each turret carries a pair of these ejectors which are therein radially so slidable at right angles to each other, i. e. turret 26 carries two ejectors, 32 and 32', and turret 25 two ejectors, 33` 33'. The ejectors are thus slidably carried in suitable slots, or guideways, 34, 35, as indicated in Figure 4, and are so conformed relatively to each other, as by one of'them being cut away as indicated at 47 (Fig. 5), that they remain in mutual sliding contact with each other during Vtheir respective reriprocations. Each ejector carries, equidistantly from its longitudinal center a pair of alikev lugs, 36, 36, I(Fig. 5), enga-geable in turn by oneof a pair `of alike pins, 37, one of which, (to serve the ejectors of turret is carried by an actuating arm, 38, 'carried by a rock shaft, 3S, (Figs. 1 and 2) suitably mounted in stationary parts, and the other, 38', (to serve the ejectors in turret 26) is oscillatably mounted on a shaft, or'pivot, 38", carried bya stationary part. The arms,

38 and 38', are so oscillatable in unison, be-v ing mutually conected by a therewith pivotally connected link 39. Each ejector has 'two alike, oppositely disposed operative ends, or heads, 40, 40', (Fig. 1)-transversely bevelled, as is important, at an angle corresponding with that of the inclined. sides ofthe article to be wrapped. The said endsl 'of each ejector are insertable into the respectively proximate pocket, andthe beveled surfaces thereof are similarly inclined, that is. to say, in the same direction in the one turret; but said inclinations of the ends of the ejectors in one of the turrets are the reverse of those in the other turret; The

length of the ejectors is such that when at the limit of their outward strokeone end enters a pocket suicientl to eject therefrom a therein contained artic e, andthe opposite end is simultaneously proportionately withdrawn from the opposite pocket, and vice versa, at each,l reci rocation of the e'ector.

It follows from t e above describe construction that, in the present instance, the.

ejectors are vnot reciprocatable until four of the pockets, i. e. two in each turret, have been rotated into alignment in this instance igs. 1 and 2),`

horiontal as indicated in and that during such'alignment of the pockets the two ejectors, i. e. one in each turret, which are thenalso inalignment can be simultaneously advanced, the one into a pocket of its own turret so as to eject therefrom an article, and insert it into a pocket of the other turret, and the other ejector' can be simultaneously withdrawn from saidlast mentioned pocket andi eject an article from an opposite pocket of its own turret by aid of means hereafterdescribed for so imparting' through said pins and actuatin arms reciprocation to the ejectors.

The above described opposite inclinations of the operative ends of the ejectors result in their underlying, and upholding the article during its transit from a pocket in one turret to a pocket in the other as indicated in Figure 1a.

I provide means for unabruptly, as is important, constantly restraining momentum limparted to the ejectors by the strokes of the pins 37, and thereby ensure regulated movement of the ejectors without jar to the article, and without undesirable centrifugal for other displacement of the. latter, or of the ejectors, during rotation of the turrets. To this end, 41 is a constantly spring-impelled plate, or brake, member, movably carried by each turret in frictional contact with one, preferably a plane, side'of the ejectors,

one or more, carried in such turret. This brake plate is in the rear of its turret held in placeby aid of an annular plate 43,carried by a hub 44, carried by the shaft (25 or 26 as the case may be) on which the turret is rotated. An expansile spring 42 con-- tained in a recess countersunk in the hub and shaft, bearsagainst the brake plate 41 to constantly yieldingly force it against the therewith contacting ejector qnejectors, the

proximity to the latters centre. It follows that the ej ectors are, during all of their reciprocations, constantly subjected to a'uniform yielding friction, or drag, applied to each on either m'de of lits centre whereby the ejectors are moved and held in required position during all stages of the operation.

The plate 41 is, when two ejectors are employed,1preferably, inthe form of a crossfas shown in "Figure 7, the four radially, quadrentially, extending arms of which are po,-

ksitioned in parallelism with the pathsuof the ejectors duringtheir reciprocation, it being thereby rendered more operative when most needed, and it'is located in recesses 45 of correspondingshape, countersunk in the rear of the turret(Fig. 5) It will be understood that the plate 43 does not, normally, bear'against the brake plate 43. The'turrets are removably secured to their respective platesv 41 by setscrews 46. I provide means for imparting to the turrets simultaneous intermittent rotation through arcs of at each advance, as follows: Their respective `shafts i 25'., 26?,

-carry respectively one of the intermeshed vgears 48, 49. l ries also a Geneva star wheel 50, actuated (Fig. 2). The shaft 26 vcarby a pin 51, carried by a gear dise 52, with which meshes a pinion 53 carried by the main driven shaftr 54 of the machine. The geardisc 52 is carried by a rotatory shaft 55 which ralso carries a Geneva lock 56, which engages in turn the concavities 57 in the periphery of the Geneva star wheel 50.

The main driving shaft 54 also carries a disc, 59, containing in one face thereof a cam race 60, and in the other a cam race 61.

` j By aid of the cam race 60 I rock a therewith for making the first end folds of the Wrapper, as hereafter described.

By aid of the cam race 61, I rock a therewith cooperating bell-crank lever 68, connected by a link 69, with one of the arm-s 64 of a bell crank lever mounted on a shaft, or

pivot, 74, carried by a stationary part, and the other arm 70 of which is operatively connected by aid of an adjustable link 73, with any convenient type of wrapper-cutting devices (diagrammatically indicated by 7 2, Fig. 2), these being, I believe, too well known to require further description here.

I provide means for charging an article together with its wrapper-into a pocket of the turret 25 synchronously with the Withdrawal of an ejector from such pocket, viz: I connectthe actuating arm, 38, by a link, 77, to an arm, 78, oscillatably mounted on a shaft, or pivot, 78', carried by a stationary part, and pivotally connected by a link, 79,

with a reciprocatory plunger, S0, the operative end, 80', of the plunger being, as is important, bevelled to correspond with the incline, or bevel, of the thereto opposed side of the article. The plunger is advanceable in alignment with the openingof the pocket so far as to enable it to push the article from off a feed belt, 81, and, thereafter, together with the wrapper, into the pocket (Fig. 8). The endless feed belt, 81, mounted on a pair of usual pulleys, one of which is not shown, is continuously propelled transversely of the direction of reciprocation of the plunger by aid of the other of said pulleys, 82, carried by a shaft, 95, carrying a gear, k94C, meshing with a gear, 83, carried by a shaft, 84, carrying a spiral gear, 86, meshing with a -spiral pinion, 87, carried by a shaft, 88, carrying a gear 89, meshing with the gea-r disc, 52, (Fig. 2). I provide another endless belt, to remove the completely wrapped articles after their eject-ion from the turret 26.

This belt, 93, likewise mounted on a usual pair of pulleys, is propelled continuously by aid of a gear, 90, intermeshed with the gear, 89, and carried by the rotatory shaft, 91, of the other of said last mentioned pair of pulleys, 92.

The plunger, 80, is, as usual, reciprocated in a slideway comprising a bottom,` 96, and vertical sides, 96.,.96" (Figs. 2 and 3). The side 96 is cut away at 97 to afford an opening for passage therethrough of the feed belt, 81, and of the thereon carried articles,

a, a, (Fig. 3) and in the side, 96" (Figs. 2 and`3) is a slot, 97', of aperture such as to afford passage therethrough of the feed belt only, from which it follows that an article, when it has been carried into the path of the plunger in the slideway, i-s stopped there by the side 96, or before that by the plunger when the latter has been advanced as shown broadside over the opening of the pocket, .and thus in the articles path theretowards,

and is, therefore, forced into the pocket by, and simultaneously with, the article, while by its progressive contact with the plates, or sides, 31, 31', and the constant uniform pressure thereon of the bevelled face of the withdrawing ejector, and simultaneous pressure on the article of the bevelled face of the plunger, the ywrapper is folded and pressed into position required for it to smoothly envelop a portion of the base, also all of the truncated top, and one, (the then inmost) of the inclined sides of the article by the time the latter has arrived at its ultimate position in the pocket. It will be understood that coincidently with inception of its entry into the. pocket, the strip of wrapper material is automatically severed, by the usual means referred to, and at such distance above the pocket as to provide enough wrapper to somewhat more than cover th three last referred to surfaces of the article, and also one more of its inclined sides. The means for so automatically feeding the strip, like those for cutting it, are. I believe, too well known to require other explanation than that 99 and 100 (Fig. 2) are usual rollers. which. as per well known actuating devices, intermittently feed the as yet unsevered continuous strip of wrapper material, w', downwardly and vbeyond the above referred to usual cutter, or

Vfrom a reel` 107. from thence under an adjusting pulley, 107, and from thence over anothery pulley, 108, to pass between the feed rolls, 99, 10() (Fig. l).

The construction, operation and timing of the respective parts and devices above described is lsuch lthat the turrets will, intermittently, be simultaneously rotated in opposite directions through arcs of 900, and intermediate each such rotation will remain stationary in presentations in which four of the pockets are in alignment with each other, and also with the `plunger and the articleremoving belt. During each such pause the plunger will push an article and its wrapper into the then therewith aligned pocket, and, simultaneously, the two then therewith aligned ejectors will be synchronously advanced in the same direction as is the plunger, thereby moving an ejector from the pocket then facing the plunger into the opposite pocketof the one turret and similarly moving another ejector as regards two of the pockets of the other turret, thereby trans-v ferring an article from one of the turrets to the other, and ejecting another article from a pocket onto the removal belt shown in Figure l1. Soon after the ejectors have been thus advanced, and while they and the turrets continue stationary, my respective endfolding devices will simultaneously begin and complete their'respective operations as will now be described.

The above described charging by the plunger, 80, of an article and its accompanying modicum of wrapper material into a pocket, 27. of the turret, 25, wraps the material smoothly and in its final position upon a portion of the base, also upon the whole of the frustrated top, and also upon the whole of onev of the inclined sides, of the article, as plainly shown in Figure 8, this successful application of the wrapper to said inclined side being due to the above noted bevel of the operative end of the simultaneously withdrawing ejector, 32, and also, in part, to the corresponding bevel of the plunger, and the yielding property of the side 31 of the pocket. It will be understood that the width of the strip of wrapper is such as to provide sufficient material to ultimately enfold two other mutually opposite inclined sides of the article hereafter referred to as the ends, and the length of the strip is such as to provide material sufficient to cover the remaining, fourth, inclined side and also substantially all of the base of the article,

thus overlapping the thereon already folded part of the wrapper. j

At this stage, as shown in Figure 8, an as yet unfolded part of the wrapper wz, (Fig. 8.) is left projecting from the truncated top of the article, and also, laterally therefrom, such parts of the wrapper as will be required to therewith enfold the as yet uncovered ends of the article. The turrets are then rotated 90 in opposite directions, as 'indicated by the arrowsin Figures l and l", pause for purposes hereafter described, and are then further similarly rotated another 90. During the first of said rotations thepart w2 of the wrapper remains unfolded and projecting from the periphery of the turret 25 as indicated in Figures la and 9; but, during the second of .said rotations said part, wz, is bent down `in order to, under the conditions, avoid unduly straining the wrapper during transference of the article from one to the other turret as hereafter described. A t this stage the article and wrapper will, by their above -described rotations through an arc of 180,

have been turned upside down, i; e. lthe base of the article will be uppermost, as indicated in Figure 10. kDuring this last mentioned pause, the ejectors then in alignment will be simultaneously advanced toward the left as viewed in Figure-10, whereby the ejector 93 will be withdrawn from the pocket 27 1n turret 26 to the position shown by dotted lines in Figure `10, and, during this withdrawal. the article and wrapper will be 'ejected from the pocket 27 in the turret,

25, and charged into the pocket 27 by the said advance of the ejector 33. During this transfer of the article and its wrapper from the pocket 27 to the pocket 27 it will be noted that, as is important, the bevelled,

then operative, ends of both ejectors simultaneously exert a positive restraining and smoothing pressure against those parts of the wrapper which, by then, are 'in contact with two of the mutually opposite, oppositely inclined, or bevelled, sides of the ar-Y ticle, and that the hitherto unfolded end, wz, ofthe wrapper is by aid of said pressures and of its progressive contact with the spring plate 31', folded smoothlv backwards into its final position'upon the base of the article and a thereon, las it were, ironing pressure exerted on'it by the said plate. As regards the wrapping of an article of the truncated pyramidal form described, I am satisfied that the thus perfectly smooth enwrapping of its base, top and two oppositely inclined sides cannot as well` if at all, be thus automatically effectedwithout my, thus organized, novel combina# tion of the bevels on vthe operative ends of the ejectors,the reversal in presentation of the article during its wrapping, and the action of the yielding plates referred to.

It now remains to fold the wrapper. over the hitherto remaining unwrapped mutually opposite inclined sides, or ends, of the arv 22).. To. that end I provide means as fo ticle. This I accomplish as follows: After the article and wrapper have been, as above described, positioned in the pocket, 27 of' the turret 26, those arts, w8, of the wrapper, designed to ultimately enfold the said ends, extend 'transversel outwardly therefrom as indicated in t e central vertical sectional diagrammatic view thereof shown in Figure 14. While the turrets still rem-ain stationary, I impart to these parts, w3, what I'term the first end fold w, (Fig. lows: The lower end of the link 66, carries a vertically reciprccable block, 118, (Figs. 12, 13) slidable in a guideway, 118 therefor in a bracket, 123, carried by a stationary part. The block 118 carries a pair of ivots, 119, on which respectively are osci latably mounted one of m alike pair of simultaneously cooperating rst-end-fold forming members, 115 116. Each of these members comprises, above its said pivotal connection with the block, 118, one of a pair of. alike extensions or shoes, 120, a straight edge` of each of which normally bears against a thereto opposed stop, or roller, 122, carried by the bracket and by 'reason of which en agement the operative' lower ends, or fol -forming fingers, 115', 116 of said members are normally held apart, in their inoperative position against the stress of an expansile spring, 124, carried by and between the said shoes. The shoes also comprise inwardly inclined prolongations, 120 of their above referred to roller-contacting edgeswhich thus act as passive cams, the inclination of said rolongations being incorrespondence wit that of the sides of the article. The fin ers, 115, 116', are, as is important, provide with inw-ardly inclined operative surfaces disposed in planes the angles of which are c omplementary to those of the bevels of the inclined sides, or ends,of the article with relation to which these fingers function. From this construction it follows that when the arm 64 of the lever 65 is rocked (in the present instance downwardly) the said endfolding members are correspondingly moved towards the article (in the present instance lowered), and that when this has progressed so far as to carry the straight edges of the shoes beyond (in this instance below) contact with the rollers, the spring 124 yieldingly forces the fingers 115 and 116 toward each other; the above referred to camlike portions of the edges of the shoes meanwhile bearing. progressively against the rollers whereby the angle of inclination of said cam edges being appropriately plotted, the stress of the spring is constantly controlled, jars and irregular, or untimely, movements ofthe fingers are prevented, and there is imparted'to, the latter during their operations on the wrapper, due to their said reiasaeee ciprocations and oscillations, movements in directions parallel with the inclinations of the said sides of the article.

Before the downward stroke of the lever arm, 64', begins, the wrapper, as follows from the foregoing, will have been disposed to cover the upward base of the article and will have two therefrom laterally extending, as yet unfolded, ortions. When the limlt of saidA downwar stroke has been reached, the said portions will, by the fingers 115, 116 have been pressed down against two mutually opposite inclined sides of the article as indicated in Figure 13, thus making the fold indicated by lw4 in Figure 22.

. The lever arm 64 then rises and fthe fingers are withdrawn from contact with the wrapper and free and clear of the article. It will be noted that during their withdrawalfrom, as well as during their application to, the wrapper, the fingers are, by virtue of the construction described, both yieldingly im elled and positively prevented from undu y pressing against the wrapper and its underlying article, and thereby, as it were, smoothly iron the fold lw4 into Place- After the fold w4 has thus been made, the unfolded parts of the wrapperwill each comprise two parallel, therefrom transversely projecting, alike portions applicable to the makin therefrom of what I term the second end olds and, connecting these, a therefrom angularly extending portion, applicable to the making of the final end fold.

rovide means for folding the second end fo ds, w, w5 (Fig. 23) as follows: Immediately after completion of the first end fold, w, as above described, the turrets are rotated another 90, thereby bringing the pocket, 27, and its therein contained'article and partly folded wrapper, in osition for operation on the latter, of my' evice, comprehensively designated at 103 (Fig. 1), for making the second end folds. This device comprises a rock shaft, 126, (Fig. 18) suitably journaled in stationary parts of the machine, 127, and carrying thereto suitably secured, as per set screws, s, s, (Fig. 18), a pair of alike members, 129, each comprlsing at the front end thereof, projecting substantially radially from one side of the shaft` a second-flap-folding finger 129` the operative surface of which is, as shown in Figure 1S. inclined at an angle corresponding with that of the inclinedside of the article, to which the finger will be addressed. Each member, 129, comprises also an extension, or arm, thereof, 129, extending rearwardly and substantially radially from the otherside of the shaft 126. The shaft also carries a thereon partially rotatable sleeve` 130, carrying another pair of alike members, 131. each comprising, at the front end thereof to one side of the shaft a second-fiap-forming finger, 131 ,having an operative surface similar to that of the fingers 129', and each member, 131, comprises also an extension, or arm, thereof, 131, projecting rearwardly and substantially radially from the opposite side of the, shaft, and in the general'direction of, and relatively proximate to, the aforesaid arms, 129 of the members 129. The respective pairs of members, 129 and 131, are so shaped and disposed that the operative fingers of the one are thus at all times oscillatable towards and from the corresponding fingers of the other in substantially the isame planes, as indicated in Figure 18, their action, in this regard, being comparable to that of the ends of the blades of a pair of shears. The respectively, to each other, oppositely disposed fingers of the respective pairs are normally held ino eratively apart in the positions indicatedin igure 16 by the tension of a retractile spring, 132, connecting one of the rearwardly extending arms, 129, of the one pair with one of the similarly extending arms, 131, of the other pair as indicated in Figures 18 and 25. To impel the respective, mutually oppositely disposed, fingers of each pair of members toward each other to make the second-endfolds (as indicated in Figure 17 I provide a cam, 128, of wedge-like form, carried by the oscillating actuating arm, 38, and disposed so as to, when advanced by its forward movement, intervene between the rearward extensions, 129 and 131, other than those connected by the spring 132, and pry them apart against the tension of said spring, thus simultaneously forcing the fingers to approach each other as above described. The respective pairs of fingers of each member are disposed so as to, when thus moved toward each other, straddle the article `in its last above described position and in close approximation to two of the inclinedA sides thereof. The construction and operation are such that this, as it were shearing, action of the fingers operates to fold down, against the said inclined sides of the article, the second folds, w, of the wrapper, the position of these at the end of this stage of the operation being as indicated in Figure 23. It will be observed that my construction is such that both of the second end folds on each of the two as yet incompletely wrapped inclined ends 0f the article are thus simultaneously bent, or folded, into substantially final position during a single forward stroke of the actuating arm, 38, and that the operation is performed with practically no strain upon, or disturbance of, the article, or of other parts of the wrapper, this being due Cil not only to the shearing action ofthe oppositely coacting fingers, but also to their operating uniformly and simultaneously on both sides f the article and to their inclination in parallelism with the thereto proximate inclined sides thereof.

It now remains only to bend down and compress into final folds against the said sides those parts of the wrapper which, at this stage, still project laterallyfrom two opposite inclined sides of the truncated top of the article, as indicated by we, in Figures 18, 21, 23, etc. This I accomplish, during rotation of the turrets another 90", and as is important, progressively, i. e. initially, or to a cert-ain extent, by aid of a pair of relatively rigid oppositely disposed plates, 133, each relatively proximate to one side of the path. of the article and mounted on a stationary part of the machine. The entrance ends of these plates with which the remaining laterally projectin portions, ws, of the wrapper are first broug t into Contact by the rotation of the turret, are curved outwardly so as to project convexly into. the path of said portions, as indicated in Figure 18, the result being that during the advance of the latter they are, as they round the curves, gradually folded backward towards the article, thus guarding, at this stage, in which there are several underlying `folds against rupture of the wrapper. As the rotation progresses the final folds thus bent down to about the positions indicated in Figure 21 are gradually settled by their pro ressive frictional contact with the stralght inner sides, or surfaces, of the plates 133, and thus prepared to better resist the strains incident to their subsequent more forceful compression into the final and permanent position, by the next pair of plates, 134. These plates, or compressors, are also suitably mounted upon stationary parts of the machine, one on each side of the path of the, by now, almost finally wrapped article, and each presenting an integrally relatively rig-id part, 134, having its operative surface normally impinging into the path of the article during rotation of the turret, this surface being, as is important, disposed at an inclination corresponding with that of the inclined side of the article to which it is' addressed. These parts of the plates are spring-tensioned in any convenient manner so as to bear yieldingly, though forcibly,

uppn the final fold, fw, and thus exert required pressure not only thereon but also upon the plurality of underlying previously made folds, we, Q05, w. I obtain this yielding pressureby making the plates out of resilient material, such as sheet steel, andI extending the same between each operative surface, 134', and its point of mounting sufficiently to thus provide a part of the element, 134, capable of performing functions akin to those of a leaf spring.

The operation of my second end folding device, 103, having been completed as above described, the turrets are again rotated 90.

lll

During this rotation the final folds, w are, by the plates, 133, initially bent in as above described, and thereafter the article and its wrapper are forced by the turret to pass between the plates, 134, and the final folds, 106, are thereby from their position as indicated in Figure 21, firmly, though yieldingly, pressed home into their ultimate permanent Places, as indicated in Figure 24. At the end of the last referred to rotation of 900, the turrets again pause. At this stage the now completely wrapped article will be in alignment with the unloading belt, 93, (as indicated in Figure 19), and during this pause the ejector, 33', being advanced as usual, the article is thereby pushed out of the pocket, 27', onto said belt, and the wrapping op'eration is thus, as above described, completed.

It will be understood, from the foregoing, that in the present instance there being four pockets in the periphery of each turret, during eac-h pause in the quadrential rotation of the turrets four ockets, i. e. two in each turret, will be in alignment with each other and with the plunger and the removal belt, and also with two of the ejectors, and that during each such pause the plunger, and said ejectors, will be simultaneously advanced in the same direction, and also that during such pause the first and second end folding devices will be operated, the result being that my machine can, as long as the supply of wrapper and of articles holds out, have four of the latter at the same time in progress of being wrapped. It is also notable that my construction is such that the ejectors have to be actuated, or pushed, always and only in one and the same direction, the semi-rotation of the turret through an arc of 180o bringing each ejector after its such actuation, into a reversed position in which repetition of the actuation in the same direction as at first enables it' to perform all of its above described functions, this being of importance, and economy, on several accounts.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following viz:

1. In a machine for wrapping an article of truncated-p-yramidal form, a vpair of alike opposite] y disposed pivoted tucking fingers; means to reciprocate them relatively to the article, and means to simultaneously, progressively, impart to their operative ends movements in paths inclined to the direction of reciprocation, and in parallelism with respectively adjacent inclined opposite sides of the article.

2. In a machine for wrapping an article of truncated-pyramidal form, a pair of alike oppositely disposed pivoted tucking fingers;

means to reciprocate them relatively to the article, and mea-ns to simultaneously, progressively, impart to their operative ends movements in paths inclined to the direction of reciprocation, and in parallelism with respectively adjacent inclined opposite sides of the article, said last mentioned means comprising a spring and a thereto counteractin cam.

3. 'n a machine for wrapping an article of truncated-pyramidal form, means to hold the article stationary, a pair of alike oppositely disposed pivoted tucking fingers, means to synchronousl reciprocate said fingers transversely of t e base of the article so held and respectively alongside olf' one of the opposite inclined sides thereof, and

lmeans to move said fingers towards each other while advancing, and from each other while retracting, in paths respectivelyparallel with the respective inclinations of said sides.

4. In a machine for wrapping an article of truncated-pyramidal form, a pair of alike oppositely disposed pivoted coacting tucking fingers having inwardl inclined operative surfaces disposed in planes, the angles of which are respectivel complimentary te those of opposite inclined sides of the article; means to reciprocate said fingers relatively to said sides, and means to move said fingers inwardly towards said sides while ad vancing, and from each other while retracting.

5. In an article-wrapping machine a rotatory member, or turret, containing adjacent its periphery a pair of oppositely disposed pockets for articles, and carrying an article-ejector reciprocable between said pockets in a path extending across the axis of rotation of the turret, and also carrying a plate extending radially from opposite sides of said axis in parallelism with said path, and means to constantly yieldingly press said plate into simultaneous frictional contacts with surfaces of the ejector which are located on opposite sides of said axis.

6. In an article-wrapping machine a rotatory member, or turret, containing adjacent its periphery two pairs of e ually spaced-apart pockets for articles, an carrying two article ejectors each reciprocatable in sliding Contact with each other and between oppositely disposed pockets in paths extending angularly to each other across the axis of rotation of the turret` and also movably carrying a plate also extending across said axis and contacting with each of, said ejectors on opposite sides of said axis, and means to constantly yieldingly impel the plate towards said contact, whereby an identical, or uniform, retarding, or braking, pressure is simultaneously applied through the plate to both ejectors and te each upon sur-` faces thereof located on opposite sides of said axis.

7. In a machine for wrapping an'article of truncated pyramidal form having oppositely inclined sides, a pair of turrets rotatable proximately to each other in the same vertical plane and each containing for said articles a pair of oppositely disposed pockets opening towards its periphery; a longitudinally extended reciprocatory article-ejector carried by each turret and having bevelled pocket-insertable operative ends similarly inclined, the inclinations of said ends of the one ejector being the reverse of the inclina- ,tions of said ends of the other ejector; means to rotate said turrets in opposite directions;

means to hold them stationary when allofv their said respective pockets are in mutual alignment; and means to then simultaneously advance in the same direction both of their ejectors whereby an article contained in a pocket of the one is therefrom transferred into the proximate pocket of the other turret and meanwhile upheld between the underlyingoppositely bevelled ends of the respective ejectors.`

8. Means for wrapping an article of trun cated pyramidal form, the said means com# prising a pair of spaced a art article-receptive pockets having mutua ly opposite open-

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