Abstract:
A machine and method for producing beverage container holders of consistently high quality at high production rates and at an economical cost is disclosed herein. Beverage container holders ( 500 ) can be produced on the machine using the method disclosed herein at a rate of 50,000 beverage container holders per hour. The initial step of introducing the blanks  810 ) into the machine&#39;s conveying mechanism assures that the blanks are properly aligned and have a predetermined spacing there between, which avoids jamming of the machine and the resulting work stoppage (FIG.  2 ). The process includes steps for pre-breaking or pre-folding the flaps (FIG.  5 ) which enable the final folding of the flaps to be performed with the necessary reliability and speed. All except the final step of the manufacturing process are performed while the blanks are being conveyed at a constant high rate along the length of the machine.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A recyclable corrugated beverage container holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473. The beverage container holder disclosed in this prior art patent if formed from a flat blank of material having a convex arcuate shape along a top edge portion and a concave arcuate shape along a bottom edge. The flat blank can be formed from a variety of corrugated materials, including corrugated cardboard. The material can have a single or multiple linerboards and the corrugations can be sinuous or angular. The side edges of the blank are generally radially extending from the center of the arcuate top and bottom edges. The flat blank is folded about a pair of folding axes to form a flat structure with overlapping edges that are secured to each other. The flattened structure can then be opened and has the shape of a frustum of a cone. Although this patent discloses steps for manufacturing this beverage container holder. It does not disclose a manufacturing process or method for producing the holders at high quality and at high volumes at an economical cost. Since this is a product that is intended to be used only once and then discarded along with the beverage container, the production cost must be minimized. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of this invention is to produce beverage container holders at consistently high quality in large volumes at an economical cost. Beverage container holders can be produced on the machine using the method disclosed herein at a greatly increased rate. The beverage container holders produced with this machine and method are of high quality and are very useful products. The initial problem that was encountered in the development of this invention was the proper introduction of the blanks into the processing machine. It was found that, unless the blanks are initially properly aligned in the machine&#39;s conveying mechanism, the blanks would cause the machine to jam which would require stopping the machine, cleaning up the jam and restarting the manufacturing process. The machine and process disclosed herein have overcome that problem. To produce this product at this greatly increased rate, it was necessary to develop a process in which all of the operations of the process are performed while the blanks and the products in the manufacturing process are moving. The time necessary to decelerate and then reaccelerate in bringing the blank to a stop to perform a single operation would have made it impossible to achieve the improved rate. Another critical challenge that had to be overcome was that a heat-activated adhesive was to be applied to the inner surface of the beverage container holder which must be crystallized during the manufacturing process to prevent the inner surfaces of the product from adhering to each other. This was solved by applying streams of freezing air at precisely the right place and moment during the process. 
     Both flaps of the blank must be folded over during the manufacturing process. A procedure was developed that includes the steps of pre-breaking or pre-folding the flaps which enabled the final folding of the flaps to be performed with the necessary reliability and speed. 
     As a result of this invention, the beverage container holders disclosed herein can be reliably produced in a continuous machine process. In the process disclosed herein, an operator loads stacks of blanks at the beginning of the production line and a second operator picks up groups of the completed products that are in an imbricated formation and places the group in shipping cases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the vertical containment apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of the feed gate area of the machine; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the feed gate and the mouth of the machine areas of the machine; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the skiving station; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the mechanism for pre-breaking the left flap of the blank; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the mechanism for pre-breaking the right flap of the blank; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the work station at which the heat-activated adhesive is applied; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the work station at which cold air is applied to the heat-activated adhesive; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the work station at which the left glue flap is folded flat over the central section of the blank; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the work stations at which the hot melt seam adhesive is applied and the right overlap flap is folded over and pressed against the area where the adhesive has been applied; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the pressure applicator; 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of the finished product as it is being fed into the mouth of the pressure applicator; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view from the back of the pressure applicator showing the finished product exiting the pressure applicator; 
         FIG. 14  is a plan view of an isolated blank as it starts through the processing machine with the corrugated or fluted side up; 
         FIG. 15  is a plan view of an isolated blank as it is being skived; 
         FIG. 16  is a plan view of an isolated blank as the heat adhesion glue is applied to is fluted surface; 
         FIG. 17  is a plan view of an isolated blank as cold air is applied to the heat adhesion glue that was applied to is fluted surface; 
         FIG. 18  is an isolated plan view of a blank after the glue flap has been folded along one of the folding axes; 
         FIG. 19  is an isolated plan view of the blank after the left edge has been folded up along a folding axes and glue is being applied to the surface of the linerboard; 
         FIG. 20  is an isolated plan view of the blank after the right edge has been folded up along a folding axes such that it overlays the portion of the left edge upon which glue has been applied to the surface of the linerboard; and 
         FIG. 21  is an isolated plan view of the blank while pressure is being applied to secure the overlapped portions of the right and left edges together. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The blanks  10  used in the process and on the machine of this invention are produced by printing and die-cutting operations that are performed by a mechanism not included in this invention. Blanks of other designs and raw material substrates could be used in practicing the method of this invention and processed with the machine of this invention. However, the blanks disclosed herein and used in the preferred embodiment of this invention have a single linerboard and a single fluted corrugation. Although beverage container holders of other final designs could be produced using the method and machine disclosed herein, the final product disclosed herein has the fluted surface in contact with the beverage container and the linerboard side on the exterior. Indicia can be provided on the outer linerboard surface. As will be presently discussed, each blank will be folded along predetermined fold lines. Perforations are produced in the blank along these fold lines in the production of the blanks. Perforations are also produced during the production of the blanks in the area where the free ends of the blanks are secured together by adhesive. These perforations are formed in the linerboard surface to allow the adhesive to penetrate this surface. 
     In the following discussion of the method and machine  100  for producing beverage container holders from blanks  10  into a final product  500 , directions, such as forward, left and right, are determined from a position in front of the machine  100  looking in the direction that the blanks advance during the processing steps. The machine  100  extends longitudinally over a considerable length and includes a number of work stations along its length. In the subsequent discussion, work stations along the left and right sides will be discussed. When discussing work stations on the left side of the machine  100 , the direction of movement of the blanks  10  will be indicated by the direction of an arrow A and, when discussing work stations on the right side of the machine, the direction of movement of the blanks  10  will be indicated by the direction of an arrow B. In the preferred embodiment, there is an operator at the starting end of the machine who loads stacks of blanks into the machine  100  and a second operator at the finishing end of the machine who loads the finished product  500  into shipping cartons. In the preferred embodiment of the machine, the steps of converting blanks into the finished products are automatically performed by the machine as the blanks are conveyed by the machine  100  along its longitudinal length. The conveyors for conveying the blanks  10  along the length of the machine  100 , as well as the mechanism for performing the processing steps on the blank, are all carried by or supported by the machine frame  102 . 
     There is a vertical containment apparatus  30 , see  FIG. 1 , at the starting end of the machine that receives a stack of blanks  10 . The blanks  10  are then sequentially released onto a set of introductory belts  50 , see  FIG. 2 , that conveys them into the mouth  101  of the conveying mechanism of the machine  100 . The speed of producing beverage container holders has been greatly increased as a result of the machine and method disclosed herein. 
     The vertical containment apparatus  30  includes side-bars  32 , connected to the machine frame  102  that function to prevent the blanks  10  from moving to the left or right, and a pair of back braces  36  that function to hold the stack of blanks perpendicular to the mouth  101  of the machine  100  and prevent the stack from falling. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the vertical containment apparatus  30  includes back brackets  34  having curved surfaces  35  along their bottom edges. Curved surfaces  35  function to guide the blanks  10  as they are sequentially conveyed forward from the bottom of the stack by the introductory belts  50 . The back brackets  34  are supported by the machine frame  102 , see  FIG. 3 , through L-shaped mounting bars  104 . The back brackets  34  are connected to the L-shaped mounting bars  104  through a mechanism that allows the front brackets  34  to be finely adjusted in the vertical direction. This adjustment is to accommodate for the thickness of the blanks. When a shipment of blanks are received, they are generally of a uniform thickness. However, occasionally within a shipment of blanks as well as batches of blanks from a different manufacturer, there are blanks of a slightly different, general thickness. When this occurs, the back brackets  34  must be adjusted relative to the upper surface of the set of introductory belts  50  such that a single blank  10  can pass under the back brackets  34  when supported on the introductory belts  50 . 
     The height of the vertical containment apparatus  30 , as well as the supporting brackets  32 ,  34 ,  36 , were custom designed to introduce blanks into the machine at the high rate that this machine has the capacity to produce finished products. The speed of the machine has dictated that the vertical containment apparatus has in excess of 200 blanks in it at all times. An operator is continuously adding blanks to the stack to insure that the vertical containment apparatus  30  always contains a minimum of 200 blanks. The brackets  32 ,  34 ,  36  also function to prevent the blanks from bending as they enter the mouth  101  of the machine  100 . 
     The vertical containment apparatus  30  also includes a pair of vibrators  38  including flat pads  39  that bear against the back surface of the stack of blanks near the bottom of the stack. Horizontal vibratory motion is conveyed to the flat pads  39  from vibration producing mechanisms  40 . 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic side view in which some structure, such as the side bar  32  and the machine frame  102 , has not been shown to better illustrate the relationship between the back bracket  34  and the set of introductory belts  50  that function as a feed gate for the individual blanks  10 . It should be noted that individual blanks  10  are fed from the bottom of the stack of blanks  10  held in the vertical containment apparatus  30 . In  FIG. 2 , the left back bracket  34  is shown and it should be understood that an identical right back bracket  34  is hidden in this view by the left bracket  34 . The front surface of the stack of blanks  10  is in engagement with the rear surface of the front brackets  34 . The back brackets  34  have curved surfaces  35  at their lower ends. The vibrators  38  cause the blanks  10  at the bottom of the stack to move forward following the curved surfaces  35  of the back brackets  34 . Below the stack of blanks  10  is a set of spaced introductory belts  50  that are driven, in the direction of arrow A in  FIG. 2 , by a drive drum  43 . The set of drive belts  50  extend across the entire width of the blanks  10 . There are a plurality of rollers  44  below the drive belts  42  and a take-up roller  45  for maintaining the belts taut. The bottom blank  10  in the stack rests on the upper surface of the set of drive belts  50  and is conveyed forward thereby. The back brackets  34  are adjusted relative to the upper surface of the set of drive belts such that there is a gap there between sufficient to permit one blank  10  to pass under the bottom tip of the back brackets  34 . When a blank  10  emerges from under the back brackets  34 , It encounters a central hold down roller  46  carried by a mounting rod  47  as well as banks of roller wheels  48  at the right and left ends of the blank  10 . The central hold down roller  46  and the bank of roller wheels  48  are supported by the machine frame  102 , see FIG.  3 . In  FIG. 2 , the left bank of roller wheels  47  is visible which hides the right bank of roller wheels  47 . The central hold down roller  46  and the right and left banks of roller wheels  47  exert a downward pressure on the top surface of the blanks  10 , holding the blanks  10  into engagement with the set of introductory belts  50 . This positive control of the blanks  10  as they are about to be fed into the mouth  101  of the machine  100  is critical to the proper operation of the machine  100 . If a blank  10  is fed into the mouth  101  of the machine  100  in a crooked or twisted condition, the machine  100  will become jammed. This necessitates stopping the machine to remove the jam and involves down time which is highly undesirable. 
     The blanks  10  are placed in the vertical containment apparatus  30  with their fluted or corrugated side facing up and the concave arcuate bottom edge  11  being the leading edge as it enters the mouth  101  of the machine. The speed of the set of introductory belts  50  can be adjusted to thus control the rate that the feed gate introduces blanks into the mouth  101  of the machine. This allows the spacing between the blanks  10  as they proceed through the machine to be adjusted. In the preferred embodiment, a spacing of about ¾ of an inch is maintained. 
     After the blank is received in the mouth  101  of machine  100 , it is continuously advanced through the machine  100  at a constant speed or rate until the completed product  500  reaches the final stage at which its forward speed is reduced and the finished product  500  assume an imbricated formation. In this imbricated formation, the trailing edge of each finished product overlies and is supported by the finished product  500  that is trailing it. Thus, the series of steps or processes that are performed on the blank to produce the finished product are performed while the blank  10  is moving at a constant speed. The blank  10  never stops its forward movement as it advances through machine  100 . 
     The set of introductory belts  50  are relatively short and feed the blank into the mouth  110  of the machine which includes sets of upper  52  and lower  53  belts. Each set of belts  52  and  53  include two relatively narrow ribbon-shaped belts that are horizontally spaced from each other. The belts of the upper set  52  overlie the belts  53  of the lower set. As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the sets of belts  52  and  53  are narrower than the blanks  10  and, thus, the right and left ends of the blanks  50  extend in cantilevered fashion from the sets of belts  52  and  53 . The sets of belts  52  and  53 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , do not extend the entire length of the machine. Rather, a series of sets of upper and lower belts cooperate to convey the blanks along the length of the machine  100 . However, throughout the length of the machine, all upper belts will be identified by reference number  52  and all lower belts will be identified by reference number  53 . The upper surface of the lower rung of upper belt  52  is engaged by a series of freely rotating rollers  54  that function to exert a downward pressure on the blanks  10  and insure their constant movement along with belts  53 . The lower surface of the upper rung of lower belt  53  is supported by a series of freely rotating rollers  55  that extend normal to the direction of travel of belt  53 . The sets of belts  52  and  53  are narrower than the blanks  10  and the blanks  10  rest on lower belt  53  such that both ends extend in cantilever fashion from the longitudinal edges of the belts. This arrangement allows access to the free ends of the blanks by the various processing devices as the blanks advance along the length of the machine while the belts  53  and  54 , as well as the subsequent sets of upper and lower belts, maintain positive control of the blanks  10 . The speed of the belts  52  and  53  can be adjusted through the belt drive mechanisms. 
     The first processing station encountered by the blank  10  is the skiving station  110 , which is shown in FIG.  4 . This station is located on the left side of the machine  100  and the bottom surface of the left glue flap  19  is processed at this station. The blanks  10  are being carried between upper belt  52  and lower belt  53  in the direction of arrow A. The left glue flap  19  of a single blank  10  is shown in  FIG. 4  extending outwardly in cantilever fashion from between belts  52  and  53 . It should be noted that, when the machine  100  is operating, there would be a series of blanks  10  rather than a single blank as shown here for illustrative purposes. There is, at this station, a motor  111  that drives a rotating wire brush wheel  112 . The motor  111  is supported by a motor mount  113  that extends from the machine frame  102 . A guide and back-up member  114  is supported by a support  115  carried by the machine frame  102 . The support  115  allows the guide and back-up member  114  to be vertically adjusted to accommodate for the thickness of the blanks  10 . The guide and back-up member  114  is formed from an elongated strip of rigid sheet metal that has an upwardly curved guide section  116 . The guide section  116  functions to guide the left glue flap  19  of the blanks  10  below the guide and back-up member  114 . The guide and back-up member  114  also include a back-up section  117  that is located above the wire brush wheel  112 . As the blanks  10  are conveyed through the skiving station  110 , the wire brush engages the lower surface of the left glue flap  19  of the blank  100 . The wire brush wheel  112  rotates about an axis that is normal to the direction that the blanks are advancing. The back-up section  117  of the guide and back-up member  114  is located above the wire brush wheel  112  as the blank is conveyed through this station  110 . The top surface of the blank  10  is thus supported by the back-up section  117  when the wire brush wheel  112  is skiving the under surface of the glue flap  19 . The skiving operation produces dust and a vacuum system can be employed in this area to maintain good working conditions for the machine operators as well as for the machine  100 . 
     The blanks  10  continue moving from the skiving station  110 , seen in  FIG. 4 , in the direction of arrow A, to the pre-brake station illustrated in FIG.  5 . This station is located on the left side of the machine  100  and the left glue flap  19  is processed at this station. The left glue flap  19  is pre-folded along the perforated radial fold line  16  at this station. A brake bar  24 , that is mounted on the machine frame  102 , extends upwardly toward the machine and to the left, as seen in FIG.  5 . The lower surface of the horizontally extending left glue flap  19  encounters the brake bar  24  and rides up on the bar causing the flap to bend or brake upwardly toward a vertical position along the perforated radial fold line  16  and then fold downwardly toward a folded over horizontal position. A belt  206  underlies the free ends of blanks  10  that are being transported between belts  52  and  53 . After the folded left glue flap  19  moves past the brake bar  24 , it is free to unfold back toward a horizontal attitude. 
     The pre-braking operation for the right overlap flap  20  is shown in FIG.  6 . This operation occurs on the right side of the machine  100  and the blanks  10  are moving in the direction of the arrow B. The right overlap flap  20  is folded along the perforated radial fold line  17  at this station. A bend bar  27  that is mounted on the machine frame  102  extends horizontally along the upper surface of the blanks  10  over the central section  18  of the blanks  10 . Bend bar  27  functions to maintain the central section  18  horizontal as the right overlap flap  20  is bent along perforated radial fold line  17 . A first, relatively short brake bar  28 , that is mounted on the machine frame  102 , extends upwardly toward the machine and to the right, as seen in FIG.  6 . The lower surface of the horizontally extending right overlap flap  20  encounters brake bar  28  and rides up on the bar causing the flap to bend or brake upwardly toward a vertical position along the perforated radial fold line  17 . A second, longer brake bar  29  is then encountered by the right overlap flap  20  which causes the right overlap flap  20  to begin folding downwardly toward a folded over horizontal position. The folded down right overlap flap  20  then encounters a freely rotating press roller  31  that functions to continue pressing the flap  20  toward the horizontal position. The freely rotating press roller  31  is carried by a holder  33  that is supported on the machine frame  102 . The folded over right overlap flap  20  then encounters a creasing member  37  that creases the fold along perforated radial fold line  17 . After the folded right overlap flap  19  moves past the creasing member  37 , it is free to unfold back toward a horizontal attitude. 
     A station for applying the heat-activated adhesive  22  to the blank  10  is shown in FIG.  7 . The view seen in  FIG. 7  is on the right side of the machine and the blanks  10  are moving from left to right in this view. In this view of a station for applying the heat-activated adhesive  22 , the heat-activated adhesive  22  is applied to the fluted or corrugated central section  18  of the blank  10 . The mechanism seen in  FIG. 7  is duplicated and, thus, not illustrated on the left side of the machine, and the heat-activated adhesive on the left side of the machine is applied to the fluted or corrugated side of the left glue flap  19 . A holder mechanism  60 , that is supported by the machine frame  102 , is located above the blanks  10  at these stations. Electric eyes  62  are carried by the holder mechanisms. The electric eyes  62  sense the leading edge  11  of the blank  10  and sends a signal to the machines control mechanism which, in turn, sends a signal to a mechanism that causes the heat-activated adhesive  22  to be dispensed through the dispensing mechanisms  63  carried by the holders  60 . As a result, two lines of heat-activated adhesive  22  are deposited on the fluted surface of the blank  10 . This adhesive will soften in response to the hot beverage in the cup and cause the holder to adhere to the cup. This adhesive is at a temperature of about 295° F. when applied. The adhesive used for this purpose in the preferred embodiment of this invention is an industrial adhesive identified as  191 - 10  and from AABBIT Ade. of Chicago Ill. 
       FIG. 8  shows the work station at which cold air is applied to the heat-activated adhesive  22  that has been deposited on the fluted surface of the central section  18  of the blank  10 . The view seen in  FIG. 8  is on the right side of the machine  100  and the blanks  10  are moving from left to right. In this view, the heat-activated adhesive  22  was applied to the fluted or corrugated central section  18  of the blank  10  and, thus, cold air is directed to this area of the blank  10 . The mechanism seen in  FIG. 8  is duplicated and, thus, not illustrated on the left side of the machine. The only difference in this device on the left side of the machine is that the heat-activated adhesive  22  that is being chilled was deposited on the left glue flap  19  rather than the central section  18 . Pressurized air is received at these stations through tubes  64 . The pressurized air is cooled and streams of freezing air, at a temperature of about 20° F., is directed on the heat-activated adhesive  22 . This step crystallizes the heat-activated adhesive  22  sufficiently that it loses its ability to adhere or tack to the other side of the blank when the glue flap  19  and overlap flap  20  are folded over and pressed down in the area at which the heat-activated adhesive  22  was applied. In the preferred embodiment, ambient air that has been pressurized is fed through a vortex tube that converts a portion of the ambient air into a cold stream of air. In a vortex tube, the compressed air is throttled through nozzles that divide the air into hot and cold fractions that flow from opposite ends of the vortex tube. By controlling the relative dimension of the parts, the proportions of the hot and cold fractions can be adjusted. Reference can be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,273 for a more complete disclosure of the method of operation of a vortex tube. The vortex tube is located in the cylindrical-shaped section  65  which is close to the point where the chilled air functions to crystallize the adhesive  22 . An orifice of the vortex tube can be opened and dosed by a knob  59  which enables the temperature of the air being dispensed to be maintained at the desired temperature regardless of the surrounding air temperature. The hot air is exhausted through ports  66 . Of course, a refrigeration unit could be used to supply freezing air for this cold air dispenser. The cooled air flows through a main branch  67  of a plastic air dispensing tube which then splits into first dispensing section  68  and second dispensing section  69 , each of which terminates in a nozzle. The first dispensing section  68  discharges cold air on the heat-activated adhesive  22  which then receives a second blast of cold air from the second dispensing section  69 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 8 , the right overlap flap  20  of the blanks  10  are folded up when they enter this work station. This is a result of the pre-braking of this flap that occurred at the work station illustrated in FIG.  6 . As seen in  FIG. 8 , an L-shaped bar  70  is mounted on the machine frame  102  just past the location at which the cold air is dispensed. The generally horizontal leg  71  of the L-shaped bar  70  extends at an angle across the path of the upturned overlap flaps  20 . As a result, the right overlap flaps  20  are returned to the horizontal attitude. This allow the blanks  10  to be received between another set of upper belts  52  and lower belts  53  which will take over the task of transporting the blanks along the length of the machine. This is necessary because, at the next work station, the left glue flap  19  will be folded flat against the central section  18  of the blank  10  and then seam adhesive  23  will be applied to the surface of the left glue flap  19  that was skived. 
     The next work station, illustrated in  FIG. 9  of the machine  100 , is where the left glue flap  19  is folded flat over the central section  18  of the blank  10 . As seen in  FIG. 9 , the left glue flap  19  is moving from right to left. As the left glue flap  19  enters this work station, they are elevated a bit from the horizontal position. This is a result of the pre-braking of this flap that occurred at the work station illustrated in  FIG. 5. A  folding sword  200  is mounted on the machine frame  102  such that it overlies the blank  10  in the area of the perforated radial fold line  16 . The folding sword  200  functions to hold down the central section  18  of the blank  10  and provide an edge along which the left glue flap  19  will be folded. A break bar  202 , that is mounted to the machine frame  102 , extends inward and over the tip of the folding sword  200  such that the leading edge of the folded up glue flap  19  encounters the break bar  202 . The break bar  202  extends inwardly from the point where initial contact is made with the flap  19  to its free end  203 . The leading edge and the bottom surface of the glue flap  19  slides along the break bar  202  causing the glue flap to pivot further toward the horizontal position. A carrier belt transition guide  201  is secured to the machine frame  102 . The carrier belt transition guide  201  has three freely rotating, vertically orientated rollers through which the belt  206  is threaded. The location of belt  206  is also seen in the preceding work station that is illustrated in FIG.  5 . Thus, belt  206  is twisted from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude. As a result, at the free end  203  of the break bar  202 , belt  206  is vertically oriented and is functioning to orientate the glue flap  19  in a vertical orientation. The glue flap  19  continues to advance to the left, as seen in  FIG. 9 , to the position where the conical-shaped folding assist wheel  204  is located. The folding assist wheel  204  actually engages the upper or outer surface of belt  206  which, in turn, engages the glue flaps  19  as they move past this location. The conical-shaped folding assist wheel  204  causes the belt  206  to move from its vertical attitude to about a 45° angle and, in turn, causes the glue flap  19  to assume this attitude. The belt  206  next encounters the folding hold down wheel  207  that engages the upper surface of belt  206  causing it to move to a horizontal attitude. At this location, the glue flap  19  is folded flat over the central section  18  of the blank  10 . During the above discussed process, illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the lower surface of the central section of the blank  10  has been supported by a bottom belt  205  which can be seen at the far left of FIG.  9 . After the glue flap  19  leaves, the location of the folding hold down wheel  207 , the flap is retained in the flat folded down attitude by a hold down mechanism  208  that sandwiches the flap  19  between belt  206  and the bottom belt  205 . The hold down mechanism  208  provides positive control of the blank  10  after the left glue flap  19  has been folded flat on the central section  18  of blank  10 . Hold down mechanism  208  includes a first roller  214 , an upper sheave  209  and a second roller  213 . Upper sheave  209  is mounted to freely rotate at the top of a mast  210 . The belt  206  extends under roller  214 , up and around sheave  209  and then down and around roller  213 . The belt  206  is at this point horizontal and is moving from right to left as indicated by arrow A. 
     In  FIG. 10 , the blanks  10  are being conveyed by an upper belt  52  and cooperating lower belt  53  from left to right. At this stage of the process, the skived area  21  of the left glue flap  19  that was produced on the linerboard which was the under surface of the blank at the skiving location is exposed on the top of the blank  10 . The next step in the process is to apply the seam adhesive to the area that has been skived. The left glue flap  19  is held in the folded over attitude by the upper  52  and lower  53  belts with the area that was skived exposed to allow adhesive to be applied. As seen in the left most portion of  FIG. 10 , the hot melt seam adhesive  23  is being applied to the linerboard surface of the folded over left glue flap  19  that was skived. The hot melt dispenser  300  is supported on the machine frame  102  by a support bar  301 . The hot melt dispenser  300  receives the hot melt adhesive through a flexible tube  302 . An electric eye  304  senses the presence of a blank  10  and sends a signal to the machine processor through line  306  which, in turn, sends a signal back through line  306  to the dispenser  300  telling it when adhesive is to be dispensed. After the hot melt  23  has been deposited on the skived area of the left glue flap  19 , the right overlap flap  20  is folded over and pressed down against the area where the adhesive  23  was applied. A carrier belt transition guide  308  is carried by the machine frame  102 . The carrier belt transition guide  308  has three freely rotating vertically orientated rollers through which the upper course  311  of a belt  310  is threaded. The belt transition guide  308  functions to twist belt  310  from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation as it moves there through. The right overlap flap  20  was overlying the upper course  311  of horizontally orientated belt  310  as the blank  10  approached the area shown in FIG.  10 . As the upper course  311  of belt  310  begins to transition, prior to entering the belt transition guide  308 , from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation the right overlap flap  20  is pivoted upwardly about its perforated radial fold line  17 . The upper course  311  is at a vertical orientation as to exits the belt transition guide  308  and has raised the right overlap flap  20  to the vertical attitude. As the blank  10  continues to move to the right, as seen in  FIG. 10 , it reaches a conical shaped folding assist wheel  314  that engages the outer vertical surface of belt  310  causing the belt  310  to move back toward the horizontal attitude and fold the right overlap flap  20  toward the horizontal folded position. As the blank  10  continues to move to the right, as seen in  FIG. 10 , the belt  310  encounters the folding hold down wheel  316  which is a puck-shaped wheel that presses the overlap flap  20  down into the folded over horizontal attitude over the skived area where the hot melt adhesive has been applied. At this point in the process, the blank  10  has been formed into the finished product  500  with the exception of a final step of continuing to press the right overlap flap  20  into contact with the left glue flap  19  for a sufficient time to allow the adhesive to set. 
     As the product  500  continues to advance along the machine  100 , it reaches the pressure application station of the machine  100 . There is a pressure applicator apparatus  400 ,  FIG. 11 , at this station. The pressure applicator apparatus  400  includes an upper continuous belt  406  and a lower continuous belt  408  that forms a receiving mouth  401 . The products  500  are fed by the upper belts  52  and lower belts  53  into the mouth  401  of the pressure applicator  400  and advance along the length of the pressure applicator  400 . The upper belt  406  extends over a large drive drum  402  located near the end of the machine, and below a series of freely rotating rollers  404  that engage the internal surface of the lower rung of belt  406 . The series of freely rotating rollers  404  includes an initial roller  405  that also engages the internal surface of the belt  406  along its forward edge. A lower belt  408  extends over an initial roller  409  that is followed by a series of adjustable rollers  409 , all of which engage the underside of belt  408 . An adjustment mechanism is provided for raising and lowering the series of rollers  409 . By adjusting the lower belt  408  upward, the pressure exerted by the lower belt  408  on the finished product is increased. Thus, if, for example, when the operator performs a quality test on the product, he finds that the adhesive holding the two flaps together is not adequately securing the ends together, he can then adjust the location of the set of lower rollers. 
       FIG. 12  is an enlarged view of the products  500  being fed by an upper belt  52  and a lower belt  53  into the mouth  401  of the pressure applicator  400 . It should be noted that belt  406  of the pressure applicator is driven at a slower speed than the belts  52 ,  53  and, thus, the spacing between the blanks  10  that existed when the product was being propelled by belts  52 ,  53  disappears once the products  500  enter the mouth  401  of the pressure applicator  400 . The products thus enter and egress from the pressure applicator  400  in an imbricated formation with the leading edge of the product  500  supporting the product that precedes it. An electric eye  420  counts the products  500  as they feed into the mouth  401  of the pressure applicator  400 , sending a signal to the machine&#39;s operating system as each product  500  is recognized. There is a kicker mechanism  422 , having a kicker arm  423  pivoted thereto located slightly forward of the electric eye  420 . The pivot axis of the kicker arm is such that, when it is pivoted, it will strike the last finished product that was counted by the electric eye  420  and displacing it from its usual orientation between belts  52  and  53 . When the electric eye  420  has counted  134  products and sent these signals to the operating system, the operating system will send a signal to the kicker mechanism  422  causing the kicker arm  423  to pivot and displace a product  500  from its normal position in imbricated formation. 
     As seen in  FIG. 13 , when the finished products  500  exit the pressure applicator  400 , they are in an imbricated formation with their leading front edge  11  under the trailing back edge of the preceding finished product  500 . An elongated longitudinally extending metal bar  416  rests along the center of the line of finished products. Metal bar  416  is located at a point before the area where the finished products are picked up and placed in shipping cartons. A finished product  501  is shown in  FIG. 13  that is not aligned with the other products  500 . This is a product that was a 134 th  product and was kicked out of its normal position by the kicker arm  423 . The number  134  is arbitrary and could be other numbers, for example,  100  or  150 . The number  134  is used in the Applicant&#39;s preferred embodiment because  133  finished products fit in a row of the shipping carton into which they are packaged after exiting from the pressure applicator  400 . An operator uses the kicked out finished product as a marker to pick up the next group of  134  finished products. Having the finished products arranged in an imbricated formation greatly facilitates picking up a row of  134  products by grasping the first and the 134 th  products, compressing them such that they assume a vertical attitude, and each finished product  500  lies flat against the adjacent finished products. With the finished products  500  having been compressed into a stack of finished products, the stack is then placed into a shipping carton. 
     The process for forming a beverage container holder from a blank  10  after it is fed out of the vertical containment apparatus  30  will now be discussed with reference to  FIGS. 14-21 . It should be noted that. In  FIGS. 14-21 , the blanks  10  are shown isolated from the machine  100  and its component parts are not shown in an effort to more clearly illustrate the beverage container holder manufacturing process. The blank, as fed from the vertical containment apparatus  30  and in the production process, as well as in the finished product form, are all seen in plan or top view in the  FIGS. 14-21  series. Further, a single blank will start in FIG.  14  and progress step-by-step until the final manufacturing step shown in FIG.  11 . Thus, the manufacturing process progresses step-by-step downwardly from the tops of the drawing sheets. 
     As seen in  FIG. 14 , the blank  10  is shown as it would appear when supported on the introductory belt  50  after it has been kicked out of the vertical containment apparatus  30  with the linerboard side down and the corrugated or fluted side up. As seen In this series of Figures, the concave edge  11  of the blank  10  is the leading edge and the convex edge  12  is the trailing edge. The side edges  13  and  14  extend in a generally radial direction if the edges  11  and  12  are considered to be arch&#39;s of concentric circles. The corner at the intersection of concave edge  11  and side edge  14  has been trimmed off at  15  for a purpose to be discussed. Also seen in  FIG. 14 , two perforated radially folding lines  16  and  17  divide the blank  10  into a central section  18 , a left glue flap  19  and a right overlap flap  20 . As the blank  10  is fed through the machine  100 , the blank  10  is supported on its central section  18 , and the flaps  19  and  20  protrude outwardly therefrom in cantilevered fashion. 
     In  FIG. 15 , the blank  10  is shown after being fed from the introductory belt  50  into the mouth  110  of the machine  100  and is at the skiving location  110 . At this location, a skived area  21  is created on the linerboard surface of the glue flap  19 , preferably along its free edge  14 . Skiving is performed by a rotating wirebrush wheel  112  that is adjustably mounted such that the edge of the brush wheel  112  is in engagement with the undersurface of the glue flap  19 . The wirebrush wheel  112  is mounted such that its peripheral edge engages the linerboard surface of the glue flap  19  which causes the wire tips of the brush wheel to come into contact with the smooth linerboard surface of the glue flap  19 . Skiving serves two purposes, first it removes any corrugated dust and/or other particles created in the printing and die-cutting operations that are utilized to form the blanks  10 . Second, the brush wheel removes the top layer of fibers from the outside of the blank. This important step causes inside fibers of the outside linerboard to stand up, thus rendering the surface more porous so that the seam adhesive can penetrate these inside fibers. 
     A pre-breaking or pre-folding operation is next performed on both free ends of each blank. In these operations, the left glue flap  19 , as well as the right overlap flap  20 , are folded up along the perforated radial fold lines  16  and  17 , respectively. This pre-breaking or pre-folding operation functions to assure the proper operation of later steps in the process in which the flaps are completely folded over to a horizontal attitude. 
     The blank  10 , as seen in  FIG. 16 , is at the location where heat-activated adhesive  22  is applied to the corrugated surface of the blank  10 . Two beads of heat-activated adhesive  22  are applied to the surface that will become the inside surface of the beverage container holder. One of the beads  22  is applied to the central section  18  of the blank  10  and the other bead  22  is applied to the left glue flap  19 . When a coffee purveyor fills a container with hot coffee, this heat-activated adhesive  22  will soften and function as an adhesive to prevent the beverage container holder from slipping down or off the container. The heat-activated adhesive is applied from a glue head that is pointing down from a holder mechanism  60  that is supported on the frame  102  of the machine  100 , such that the adhesive beads  22  extend across a number of flutes at a slight angle extending from the leading edge  11  to the trailing edge  12 . The two beads of adhesive  22  need not be applied simultaneously but both must be performed prior to the next step of chilling the adhesive. 
     One of the difficult problems that must be overcome in this manufacturing process is to prevent the heat-activated adhesive that has been applied to an inside portion of the beverage container holder from sticking to the other panel of the blank when the blank is folded over and then compressed. This phenomenon is called “blocking.” If the heat-activated adhesive tacks the inside panels together, then the beverage container holder will not open and cannot be placed on a cup. 
     After the heat-activated adhesive has been applied to the fluted surface of the blank  10 , the blank proceeds to its location shown in FIG.  17 . At this location, the machine frame  102  supports a cold air dispensing mechanism  63  for each of the beads of adhesive  22  that was applied to the blank. The cold air dispensing mechanisms  63  direct streams of freezing air on the beads of heat-activated adhesive  22 . This step crystallizes the heat-activated adhesive sufficiently that it loses its ability to adhere or tack to the other side of the blank and, thus, prevents “blocking.” 
     After the heat-activated adhesive has been crystallized, the blank moves into the folding sections of the machine  100 . As seen in  FIG. 18 , hold down mechanism  208  and its cooperating components have caused the left panel, called the glue flap  19 , to fold over onto the fluted section of the blank  10 . In the manufacturing process of the blank  10 , prior to placing the stack of blanks into the vertical containment apparatus  30 , a perforated radial fold line or score  16  was formed in the blank which defines this fold line of the blank  10 . As seen in  FIG. 18 , the skived area  21  formed on the surface of the linerboard is visible. 
     In  FIG. 19 , the seam adhesive  23  has been applied to the skived area  21  of linerboard surface. At this station of the machine  100 , there is a hot melt dispenser  300  that dispenses hot melt or seam adhesive  23  to the skived area of the left glue flap  19 . 
     In  FIG. 20 , folding hold down wheel  316  and its cooperating components have guided the right panel, called the overlap flap  20 , such that it has been folded along the perforated radial fold line  17  such that its free end overlies the skived area  21  of the glue flap  19  where the seam adhesive  23  was deposited. 
     In  FIG. 21 , pressure is being applied by the pressure applicator  400  to the overlapped area of the overlap flap  20  and glue flap  19  which results in securing the free ends of the blanks  10  to each other. At this location of the machine  100 , there is pressure applicator  400  in the form of a belt  406  that is driven by a large driven drum  402  and extends over a freely rotating roller bar. Pressure is applied at this station and the product is now completed and ready to be packaged for shipment. 
     The process for producing the finished product has now been completed. Since the finished product is flat, it can be conveniently packaged in containers and shipped to the locations of the beverage purveyors. When the final products are opened they have the shape of frustum of a cone that coincides with the conical frustum of the beverage containers.