Patent ID: 6067773
Filing Date: 2000-05-30
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
A box or carton sealer comprising:a frame having opposite inlet and outlet ends and a generally horizontal axis extending between said ends;a conveyor mounted on said frame for moving boxes along said axis toward said outlet end;first and second elongate centering bars;centering bar mounting means for mounting said centering bars on said frame on opposite sides of said axis for movement in directions transverse to said axis between inner and outer positions to afford engagement of the centering bars on the opposite sides of different width boxes moved along said axis between said centering bars, said centering bars including centering portions generally parallel to said horizontal axis and entry portions diverging from said centering portions toward said inlet end of said frame for helping to center the boxes between said centering bars;bias means for biasing the centering bars toward said inner positions and into engagement with the opposite sides of various width boxes moved along said longitudinal axis between said centering bars;a head; andhead mounting means for mounting said head on said frame above said centering bars for movement between lower and upper positions relative to said centering bars;said head being adapted to have a box top flap attaching device mounted thereon and for spacing the box top flap attaching device at a predetermined vertical position with respect to the top surfaces of boxes of various heights moved along the axis at which predetermined vertical position the flap attaching device can attach the top flaps of the boxes in closed positions; andsaid head including an entry ramp portion at the end of said head adjacent said inlet end of the frame, a conveyor belt moveably mounted on said entry ramp with a portion of said conveyor belt having a bottom surface inclined downwardly from adjacent said inlet end of said frame, and means for driving said conveyor belt so that said portion of the belt moves downwardly and toward said outlet end of said frame so that said portion of the conveyor belt will engage a box moved along said axis between said centering bars and draw the box under the floating head while lifting the head upwardly to said predetermined vertical position.