Patents Examined by Beth Bianca
  • Patent number: 4959948
    Abstract: A fiber baling press consists of a rugged machine frame with a press ram in most cases movable from the top toward the bottom, a press box being movable underneath the ram. The press box consists of a press box casing which should be closed all around. This press box rests on a press box bottom plate which, in this case, for the pressing step, is simultaneously the lower press platen. The press ram as well as, in particular, the press box bottom plate are to be fashioned in the manner of a trough in order to impart to a piece of packaging material for the upper and lower sides of the bale of fiber a preliminary orientation directed toward the bale, after the press box casing has been pulled off the bale. A special advantage resides in making the bottom plate have a trough-like opening of the press box casing so that overflowing of the compacted fiber material over the four lateral flanges of the trough is avoided after withdrawing the press box casing. The piece of packaging material, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1990
    Assignee: Fleissner Machinenfabrik AG
    Inventor: Gerold Fleissner
  • Patent number: 4959936
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting bean curd into pieces of the fixed size and packing them. This apparatus does automatically transporting, cutting and packing of bean curd under water in a water tank. Therefore, this apparatus requires no manual operation, is sanitary, involves high production capacity and is free from production of bean curd of broken shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1990
    Assignee: Sanyo Shokuhin Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Zenji Nagata
  • Patent number: 4956959
    Abstract: A mechanism for enveloping a large round bale with a surface wrap material such as plastic sheet or net includes a housing for holding a supply roll of the wrap material. The mechanism and, hence, the housing is mounted on the rear of a bale discharge gate. The housing includes a front wall, defined by an upright secured across the rear of the gate, and a bottom wall sloped upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall. The bottom wall and front wall converge toward a wrap material passage defined between a forward edge of the bottom wall and the front wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: George W. Rumph, Henry D. Anstey
  • Patent number: 4956960
    Abstract: A mechanism for enveloping a large round bale with a surface wrap material such as plastic sheet or net includes a housing for holding a supply roll of the wrap material. The mechanism and, hence, the housing is mounted on the rear of a bale discharge gate. The housing includes a front wall, defined by an upright panel secured across the rear of the gate, and a bottom wall sloped upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall. The bottom wall and front wall converge toward a wrap material passage defined between a forward edge of the bottom wall and the front wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Henry D. Anstey, George W. Rumph
  • Patent number: 4956964
    Abstract: A web is folded upon itself and transversely sealed. The web is cut into individual pouches which are fed into gripper units, on an endless conveyor, each having a fixed leading jaw and a movable trailing jaw which grip the leading and trailing edges of the pouches. To open a pouch, the trailing jaw is moved toward the fixed jaw by a cam and held in position by friction. Each opened pouch is carried around a filler unit where it is filled. Thereafter, a cam causes said jaws to spread apart, stretching the mouth of the pouch, where it is sealed in a heat sealer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: R. A. Jones & Co. Inc.
    Inventors: Wickliffe Jones, deceased, Eric W. Scarpa, Joseph D. Greenwell, Mark R. Nease, Robert M. Kalany, Michael E. Myers
  • Patent number: 4955184
    Abstract: Products to be formed into multiple packs are advanced, evenly spaced, towards a wrapper-forming zone and the flow of products is stopped cyclically within the zone so as to cause the formation of groups of products which are substantially packed together for insertion in respective packages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Cavanna S.p.A.
    Inventor: Renzo Francioni
  • Patent number: 4955178
    Abstract: An alignment apparatus is disclosed for aligning weighed batches or elongated objects, such as French-Fried potato strips. The batch of objects is weighed in a scale and discharged onto a moving conveyor belt which separates the objects and projects such objects from the conveyor into a vibrated alignment container including a first container means having a curved deflector wall and a second container means with a gated discharge outlet. The objects impact a vertically-curved rear deflector wall of the first alignment container means in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto and may fall into contact with a straight front deflector wall so that they are aligned substantially parallel to such rear wall when they fall into the supply inlet of a second container means. The second container means if a rectangular tube having a gate at its discharge outlet which is normally closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Lamb-Weston, Inc.
    Inventor: David Shroyer
  • Patent number: 4953344
    Abstract: For applying a covering to glass fibre insulation batts, the batts are deposited in succession into a vertically elongate batt stacking space to form a stack of the batts, and upper and lower compression plates each having a concave compression surface the shape of which compression surfaces correspond at least substantially to the shapes of convex upper and lower surfaces of the package, are displaced vertically by an amount sufficient to compress the stack between the upper and lower compression surfaces with a compression ratio of 6:1 to 11:1. A covering of flexible sheet material is then provided around the compressed stack to maintain the stack in a compressed state. The concave compression surfaces make possible a higher compression of the batts than was possible with the flat compression plates used in the prior art, without damaging the batts and therefore while allowing satisfactory recovery of the batts when released from their compressed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 4, 1990
    Assignee: Fiberglas Canada Inc.
    Inventor: Keith Wallace
  • Patent number: 4949531
    Abstract: A system for packing containers into trays for transport and/or storage. First and second conveyor tracks are provided for transporting the containers and the trays, respectively, along substantially the same transport axis. The second track is disposed beneath the first track and is inclined upwardly so that the first and second tracks converge at a predetermined location adjacent to the downstream end of the first track. The inclined portion of the second track includes a flexible spring member, which cooperates with a guide member positioned on an undersurface of the first track to position each tray as it moves along the inclined portion of the second track so that the leading end of each tray clears the downstream end of the first track. Positioned downstream of the first and second tracks is a support member for journally supporting at least a portion of each tray as the containers are being packed into that particular tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Keith A. Langenbeck
    Inventors: Keith A. Langenbeck, Andrew P. Devine, Joseph M. Howsden
  • Patent number: 4949527
    Abstract: A tray for foodstuffs or the like having a continuous edge rim and a flexible cover placed over the top of the tray and sealed to the rim with an elongate continuous interlockable separate rib and groove profile on strips sealed to the surface of the cover wherein upstanding pull flanges above the rib and groove profiles may be pulled apart and the cover severed between the profiles for access to the contents so that the cover may be opened and closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Zip-Pak Incorporated
    Inventors: Hugo Boeckmann, Steven Ausnit
  • Patent number: 4945708
    Abstract: The invention provides a package and associated method for packaging of products which enhances the resistance to tampering with or adulteration of the product, and which also permits a readily visible indication that any such tampering or adulteration has occurred. The invention in one form provides an inner container which is in turn provided with an outer protective layer of epoxide resin. The outer layer is cured and it becomes extremely brittle such that any physical penetration of the outer layer will cause the entire outer layer to shatter. Such shattering will provide a clear indication that penetration of the protective layer has occurred. Also there may be provided an associated dye which will exhibit a color change when the outer protective layer is shattered. A warning message may be provided on said packaging underlying the outer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: TSL Incorporated
    Inventor: Yoram Curiel
  • Patent number: 4945714
    Abstract: A form, fill, seal and separate packaging machine for reclosable containers is accomplished by a plurality of stations disposed along a path of travel of a thermoplastic web including a pair of mated, resealable closure strips present on the base web. The machine is intermittent in its operation, with movement of the web through the machine controlled so that the various steps of forming, filling, sealing and separating the reclosable containers are performed during periodic stops of the machine. The machine is further characterized by its use of two pairs of web belts to move the web through the machine. A first pair of web belts initially receive the folded web stock and partially form and completely fill the containers. The second pair of web belts overlap with the downstream end of the first pair of belts, but are disposed lower than the first belts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Package Machinery Company, Bodolay/Pratt Division
    Inventors: William A. Bodolay, Richard W. Smith, Gregory A. Ward
  • Patent number: 4945713
    Abstract: Objects are packeted in bags (5) by means of a chain (1) of flat, flexible bags being conveyed, open at the top, through a filling station (12). Each bag in the chain has a rear main wall with a lip protruding from the opening, out past the edge of the front wall (51). In the station the lip is allowed to run along a support line which, seen in the general direction of feed of the chain of bags, diverges therefrom both horizontally and vertically so that the opening of the bag (5) can easily be opened by a jet of air without creasing the chain of bags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: New Pac Systems AB
    Inventor: Ralph Widenback
  • Patent number: 4945710
    Abstract: This invention pertains to a reclosable package having a body member, a base, a hermetic seal between the body member and base and snap locking projections in the side walls of the body member and base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 4946040
    Abstract: A method and a device for sealingly fitting a connecting nipple on a pouch by means of an adhesive layer and opening the pouch at the location of the nipple. The nipple is fitted on the exterior of a wall of the at least partly filled pouch, after a cover layer has been removed therefrom. A pusher member having a piercing element is also fitted on the exterior of the pouch wall. The pusher member is used to force a passage in the wall of the pouch adjacent the connecting nipple by pushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Chemische Industrie Filoform B.V.
    Inventor: Willem Ipenburg
  • Patent number: 4944132
    Abstract: The invention describes an apparatus for the sterile packaging of flowable substances, comprising a conveyer belt (4), from one end of which open packages (5) can be passed by an intermediate conveyer means (21-23) through a sterilizing chamber (7) and to a second conveyer belt (13) disposed in a sterile chamber (15) enclosed in a housing (14), filling means (17) and sealing means (18) being disposed in this sterile chamber (15) while an outlet sluice (24) is disposed in a wall of the housing. In order to simplify and so further improve such an apparatus that a more effective sterilization process is achieved, it is according to the invention envisaged to construct the sterilizing chamber (15) as an inlet sluice (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1990
    Assignee: AB Tetra Pak
    Inventors: Lars C. Carlsson, Sven O. S. Stark, Ulf Bengtsson
  • Patent number: 4944133
    Abstract: An apparatus for preparing a bait sack includes a pair of plates that define a bait sack containing opening. The plate members are pivotally attached to a base member so that when preparing the bait sack, the plate members may be rotated to a position that facilitates access to the underside of the plate members so that the bait sack may be tied or sealed at a point substantially adjacent the bait.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1990
    Inventor: James V. Mause
  • Patent number: 4944134
    Abstract: This invention pertains to a reclosable package having a body member, a base, hermetic seal between the body member and base and snap-locking projections formed in the side walls of the body member and base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1990
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Paul E. Grindrod, Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 4942717
    Abstract: A process for the preparation of sterilized plant matter consisting of the steps of; treating coarse chopped plant matter with heat to achieve dehydration, compression filling airtight fiber reinforced plastic bags with dehydrated plant matter, injecting high pressure steam into the dehydrated plant matter while in the bag and sealing the bag. A product consisting of steam sterilized coarse chopped plant matter under vacuum in air tight fiber reinforced plastic bags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1990
    Inventor: George Kozub
  • Patent number: 4942718
    Abstract: The process according to the invention relates to the packaging of lids cut out in a press combined with a stacker. According to the process, the guide rods of a delivery magazine are covered by a substantially cylindrical casing which simultaneously surrounds the stacked lids while at the same time immobilizing the stack transversely to itself with a slight clearance therebetween, the casing comprising support means for resting on the moving supports at the bottom of the stack of lids and stop means for retaining the bottom of the stack borne by the casing. The retaining means are optionally completed by one or more associated retaining means. The stack of lids covered in this way is then removed from the delivery magazine and the casing is sealed with caps which offer an added measure of protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1990
    Assignee: Cebal
    Inventors: Michel Courtois, Jacques Fillon