Patent ID: 6910314

Claim:
A case sealer comprising: a frame having a longitudinal axis and including an entrance conveyor for moving boxes entering the case sealer along the axis; a pair of longitudinal spaced-apart, lateral conveyors located to receive boxes from said entrance conveyor; linking means for linking the lateral conveyors together for movement inwardly and outwardly to match the width of a box passing therethrough; said lateral conveyors including converging centering conveyor belts forming a throat to center a box therebetween, and means actuatable upon a box contacting both centering conveyor belts for moving the lateral conveyors outwardly while maintaining said box in contact with both centering conveyor belts; said lateral conveyors also including parallel first advancing conveyor belts for receiving a box from the centering conveyor belts, and means for urging the lateral conveyors inwardly for engagement of the first advancing conveyor belts with said box; a floating head spaced above the lateral conveyors, said floating head including an upwardly inclined entry ramp adapted to engage and fold inwardly a forward end flap on a box; means for lifting the floating head upwardly; the entry ramp including a sensor switch mounted therein and operatively connected to the means for lifting the floating head upwardly, said switch being activated to raise the floating head whenever a top of said box engages said inclined entry ramp, and deactivated when the floating head is clear of the top of the box; said floating head including a pivoting arm assembly including a pivot arm pivotable downwardly after said box passes thereunder to fold inwardly a rearward end flap on said box, said floating head further including diverging side bars for engaging and folding inwardly side flaps on said box after the rearward end flap has been folded inwardly; a seal dispensing platform located downstream of the first advancing conveyor belts, the seal dispensing platform including holding means for holding box flaps shut and means for locating said holding means adjacent to said box flaps, the seal dispensing platform being adapted to mount a seal dispenser centrally thereon for sealing said box flaps shut, the seal dispensing platform including spaced-apart, parallel second advancing conveyors located to receive boxes from the first advancing conveyor belts, and means for urging said second advancing conveyors into engagement with a box for passing said box under the seal dispensing platform and out of the case sealer.