Patent ID: 6018930
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
An elevator for a packaging machine, movable from a bottommost position at which the elevator is loaded with an article to be packaged to a top position at which the article is wrapped inside a packaging, said elevator comprising a plurality of brackets (5), some of which may not be required to support the article, mounted on and projecting from a support shaft (4), at least one of said brackets being mounted so that it can oscillate on said shaft and said bracket carrying a retaining member (10-11) which, when the bracket is in an article supporting position, interacts with a fixed cooperating member (12, 112) to keep said bracket in said supporting position in an active position, while when the retaining member is removed from the fixed cooperating member said bracket oscillates out of said supporting position and is brought into an inactive position as soon as the elevator rises, characterized in that it comprises means of selectively and automatically disabling the retaining means (10, 11) of the brackets not required to support the article to be packaged, while the elevator is still in the bottommost position.