Patent ID: 7390290

Claim:
An apparatus for the manufacture of different package types including a first package type and a second package type, comprising: a plurality of arms which are at substantially equal mutual spacing distributions of a circle and extending radially outwardly about a geometric axis and rotary in a common plane at right angles to the axis, each of the radially outwardly extending arms being adapted to receive a package sleeve, a plurality of treatment stations for manufacture of the different package types including the first package type in which a package sleeve and a prefabricated plastic top are joined to one another and the second package type in which a top is injection-molded on the package sleeve, the plurality of treatment stations including means for applying the package sleeve on one of the radially outwardly extending arms, and rotary means disposed to rotate the arms stepwise about the axis, the apparatus being configurable in both a first indexing state to manufacture the first package type and a second indexing state to manufacture the second package type, the apparatus, in the first indexing state, including a first arrangement of at least some of the plurality of treatment stations disposed a radial distance from the axis including the means for applying the package sleeve, and said rotary means rotating said arms between said first arrangement of treatment stations no more than one spacing distribution at a time in the first indexing state so that the arms stop successively at each successive treatment station of the first arrangement upon each stepwise rotation, and the apparatus, in the second indexing state, including a second arrangement of at least some of the plurality of treatment stations disposed a radial distance from the axis including the means for applying the package sleeve, and said rotary means rotating said arms between said second arrangement of treatment stations at least two spacing distributions at a time in the second indexing state so that the arms stop successively at every other one of the treatment stations of the second arrangement upon each stepwise rotation.