Apparatus for feeding cartons from a magazine

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH AN UPSTANDING MAGAZINE RECEIVING A STACK OF FLATTENED CARTONS WITHIN UPSTANDING FRONT, BACK AND SIDE GUIDE MEANS, MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY FEEDING THE LOWERMOST CARTON FROM THE MAGAZINE BENEATH THE FRONT GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING, AN ENDLESS CONVEYER BENEATH THE MAGAZINE HAVING A DIRECTIONAL PATH OF MOVEMENT FROM THE BACK GUIDE MEANS TO THE FRONT GUIDE MEANS, MEANS FOR ARRANGING A PLURALITY OF THE LOWERMOST CARTONS IN STEPPED RELATION TOWARD THE FRONT GUIDE MEANS OF THE MAGAZINE WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LOWERMOST CARTON PROJECTING AHEAD OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE NEXT LOWERMOST CARTON, SAID ARRANGING MEANS INCLUDING A BUMPER ANGULARLY POSITIONED AND RECIPROCABLY DRIVEN AGAINST THE TRAILING EDGES OF A PLURALITY OF THE LOWERMOST CARTONS, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SUPPORTING A PORTION OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LOWERMOST CARTON ABOVE THE ENDLESS CONVEYER WHILE THE TRAILING EDGE THEREOF RESTS UPON SAID ENDLESS CONVEYER, MEANS FOR PUSHING DOWNWARD A PORTION OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LOWERMOST CARTON ONTO THE ENDLESS CONVEYER AND SUPPORTING THE NEXT LOWERMOST CARTON AND STACK IN THE MAGAZINE, SAID PUSHING AND SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A WEDGE SHAPED MEMBER RECIPROCABLY DRIVEN INWARD AND DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE STEPPED LEADING EDGES OF THE CARTONS TO SEPARATE A PORTION OF THE LOWERMOST CARTON FROM THE NEXT LOWERMOST CARTON AND URGE IT DOWNWARDLY AGAINST THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND TO SUPPORT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE NEXT LOWERMOST CARTON AND THE STACK DURING REMOVAL OF THE LOWERMOST CARTON FROM THE STACK, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS TO LOWER THE SAID SUPPORTED PORTION OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE CARTON ONTO THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR SO THAT THE CARTON MAY BE DELIVERED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE MAGAZINE BY THE ENDLESS CONVEYER.