Patent ID: 7040078

Claim:
Apparatus for placing stretchable sleeves on containers in the form of substantially prismatic cartons which can be stacked, the opening of which is at least partially surrounded by a rim projecting out towards the exterior, characterised in that it comprises a sheath feed which unreels a stretchable sheath into a sleeve cutting device, a transfer drum equipped with transfer elements picking up each sleeve at the output of the cutting device in order to open it and transfer it to a placing unit, a placing turret equipped with placing units having at least two placing elements, each with a stretching tool and a clamping block to pick up a sleeve from a transfer element, stretch the sleeve and clamp it against the stretching tool with the clamping block, a container feed, the container feed being able to place the container in a placing zone, in steps in synchronisation with the placing elements, the base of the container being turned towards the placing elements in the placing zone, a set of control means managing the relative motion of the placing elements with respect to the container in the placing zone, the placing elements being controllable to place the sleeve on the container by moving it from above the base of the container in the direction towards the rim until the sleeve sits on the container in the intended position, and to release the sleeve by retracting the stretching tools relative to the sleeve from a gap between a wall of the container and the sleeve, the clamping block remaining in position set back from the stretching tools.