Patent ID: 9422071
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: B31B,B65B

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for automatically erecting, from a t-fold, multi-panel, carton blank that serves as the input for said apparatus, a carton for the insertion of a to-be-packaged product and then the folding, sealing and mailing address labeling of said carton, and with each of said panels having a proximal and distal surface that are named such that the proximal side of any panel is the one which is closest to the product once said product has been inserted into said carton, said apparatus comprising: a frame having a front, rear, top, bottom, right and left side surfaces that form the boundaries for said apparatus, and a configuration that enables said frame to hold a plurality of said t-fold, carton blanks on the top surface of said frame, said frame also having a defined orthogonal set of axes with a x-axis that extends from said left to the right side of said frame, a y-axis that extends from the bottom to the top of said frame, and a z-axis that extends from the rear to the front of said frame, an intake mechanism having a distal end that has a configuration that enables said distal end to grasp the distal side of said t-fold, carton blank when said blank is located on said frame top surface and then to move said carton blank into said apparatus, a plurality of guides that fold upwards a plurality of the panels of said carton when said carton blank is being moved into said apparatus so as to create a partially-erected carton for the insertion of the product which said carton is to package, a rotatable platform having a configuration that enables said rotatable platform to rotate, after said to-be-packaged product has been inserted into said partially-erected carton, said partially-erected carton and said inserted product so as to further fold one or more of said carton panels, a glue applicator situated in said frame and having a configuration that enables said glue applicator to apply glue to one of said carton panels, a mailing label applicator having a vertically movable head and a configuration that enables said vertically movable head to move downward to come into contact with the distal side of one said carton panels and affix a mailing label to said distal side of said carton panel, and a control system having a plurality of sensors and a programmable controller, said system having a configuration that enables said system to control the motion and coordination of the actions of said intake mechanism, the distal end of said intake mechanism, rotatable platform, glue applicator and mailing label applicator.