Tape applying mechanism of carton sealing machines for feeding pressure sensitive tape having an uncoated back side and an adhesively coated face and to apply the latter to end panels of an advancing carton and lap it over the opposed longitudinal edges of folded-in side flaps of such carton.
It includes means to guide the tape along a path extending toward and for lap against a wipe-on applicator cylindrical roller that is movably supported for swing toward and away from a carton travel path with the adhesively coated face exposed outward away from this roller.
This invention is chiefly concerned with means immediately preceding the wipe-on roller for guiding the tape to and lapping its back side against this roller with shaping of the tape by transverse bowing to provide a longitudinal stiffening mid-rib in its adhesively coated face for substantially flop-free guidance of the tape to said roller cylindrical surface with the latter smoothing out the tape to substantially flat disposition by the lap thereagainst for substantially flat application to opposed carton surfaces against which this roller is rolled.
