Laminating Technologies, Inc.

Robert L Dover

Rodney K Calvert

Lelia H Francisco

William Max Rynor

Laminated baking tray

The present invention provides an apparatus that can erect a tray from a generally flat, rectangular blank. The tray erector incorporates an inventory section, a transfer section, a construction section and an exit section. The inventory section has a hopper with flanges and tab stops, which hopper stores an inventory of stacked, flat blanks that will eventually become the trays. In the transfer section, a blank is transferred from the inventory section to the construction section of the present erector. The construction section includes a setup assembly and a locking assembly. The setup assembly folds the pre-cut and scored end and side panels of the tray blank up into approximately perpendicular planes in relation to the plane of the bottom panel of the blank. The end and side panels are folded up from the plane of the bottom panel of the blank in preparation for the locking of the corner webs. While the end and side panels are folded, the corner webs begin to extend out from the tray due to the actions of folding the end and side panels. The locking assembly of the construction section completes the remaining tray folding and locking steps, and an erected tray is produced. This includes folding the web corners against the end panels, and locking the web corners to form the finished tray. The erected tray then drops from the construction section to the exit section, where the tray is guided onto a conveying device, preferably a moving delivery conveyor belt.

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Marietta, GA, United States of America

Robert L Dover