Patent ID: 8246290

Claim:
A carton feeder for an article packaging machine comprising: a magazine having an upstream end and a downstream end and being configured to receive a stack of carton blanks and to convey a received stack toward the downstream end of the magazine; a selector adjacent the downstream end of the magazine configured to select and remove individual carton blanks from a forwardmost end of a stack of carton blanks at the downstream end of the magazine; a support shaft positioned at the downstream end of the magazine, the support shaft being positioned to support a stack of carton blanks with the forwardmost carton blank of a supported stack in position for selection by the selector, the support shaft being rotatable at a rate of between 1000 and 2000 revolutions per minute and having a surface that oscillates toward and away from the upstream end of the magazine as the support shaft rotates, and wherein the support shaft comprises an elongated generally cylindrical body defined about a support shaft body axis and extending across the downstream end of the magazine, the generally cylindrical body being rotatable eccentrically about an axis offset from the support shaft body axis.