Patent ID: 6978587

Claim:
An apparatus for automated wrapping of a bundle, and comprising: a table having a top surface; a dispensing roll of resilient stretchable film adjacent a first end of said table; gripping means translating on said top surface of said table for pulling said film from said dispensing roll to an extended position, wherein a desired length of said film is disposed on said table; sealing and cutting means at said first end of said table for sealing and cutting said film in said extended position from said dispensing roll, whereby said film forms a collapsed tube; at least first and second jaw means for grasping corresponding side edges of said collapsed tube in said extended position and displacing them apart, whereby said tube is in an opened position; said first and second jaw means disposing said tube on an expandable frame; winding means on said expandable frame, for pulling said tube from said opened position to an accumulated condition, wherein at least a portion of said tube is accumulated in folds around said expandable frame; means to displace said expandable frame to a film expanding position to stretch said tube in said accumulated condition; and means to move said expandable frame towards the bundle whereby an upper portion of said tube covers the bundle and said tube is gradually released thereon in a stretched resilient condition to generally cover at least four faces of the bundle.