Armstrong, Westerman, Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Carton blank erecter and feeder
 A blank feeder is used for feeding blanks to a bottom forming mandrel. The blanks are initially in a flat form and are unfoldable to a form of square cross section. The feeder includes a magazine for the flat blanks, and a transport arrangement having a path of transport extending from the delivery opening along a circular arc having a central axis parallel to the widthwise direction of the blank in the delivery opening. The transport arrangement includes a suction member, a transport arm carrying the suction member on a forward end, and a shaft rotatably supporting the transport arm and having an axis aligned with a central axis of the circular arc. The suction member has suction cups at different distances from the central axis for gripping one side of the blank, so that the blank is unfolded by movement of the suction member along the circular arc causing a greater separation of a gripped side of the blank at the furthest end of the blank from the central axis than at the nearest end of the blank. An unfolding arrangement is also provided, for unfolding each blank while the blank is being transported, the unfolding arrangement having first and second blank unfolding claws at edge portions of the delivery opening so as to individually engage with opposite ends of the blank in the delivery opening. 
Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd.
B B B B B B
B31B B31B B65B B65B B31B B31B
additional additional inventional inventional additional inventional
Yasuji Shigeru Shoji Shoji
Fujikawa Wakabayashi Hirose Nishioka