Patent ID: 7389723

Claim:
A strap joint rotating assembly for use with a strapping machine of the type for feeding a strapping material around a load, positioning, tensioning and sealing the strapping material around the load, the strapping machine having a feed head for feeding the strapping material into strapping machine, a strap chute through which the strapping material is passed and a sealing head to seal overlapping courses of the strapping material onto itself to define a strap loop having a seal and defining a strap loop plane, the strap traversing from the feed head, through the strap chute and sealing head to define a strap path, the strap joint rotating assembly, comprising: a driven wheel having an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the sealed strap loop; a first drive operably connected to the driven wheel for rotating the driven wheel; a pinch wheel having an upper platen for compressing the load, an axis of rotation parallel to and spaced from the driven wheel, the driven wheel and the pinch wheel moveable toward one another and engageable with one another and moveable away from and disengaged from one another; and a second drive operably connected to the driven wheel and the pinch wheel for moving the driven wheel and the pinch wheel parallel to their axes of rotation into the strap loop plane and out of the strap loop plane, wherein the driven wheel and the pinch wheel are moved into the strap loop plane, the driven wheel and the pinch wheel are engaged with one another to pinch the strap therebetween and the driven wheel is actuated to rotate the strap loop around the load and to reposition the seal around the load.