Abstract: Assemblies of collated film sections and related prints, each belonging to a customer, are fed seriatim into a tray at the right-hand side of a horizontal table in front of a seated attendant so that the attendant can remove an assembly with the right hand while the left-hand opens the corresponding customer pocket which is held in a position of readiness at the left-hand side of the table. The attendant can observe the collating operation by inspecting successive film frames while the frames move above an illuminated window below and in front of the web of photographic paper with exposed and developed prints thereon. The pockets are removed seriatim from a magazine and are transported to the left-hand side of the table where the rear panel of an oncoming pocket is held by suction to facilitate the task of opening the pocket by pulling the front panel away from the rear panel.

Abstract: A packaging machine in which a belt-shaped packaging sheet fed continuously is cut to a predetermined length while being guided and conveyed in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of articles to be packaged. Position detectors detect the arrival of the top end of said packaging sheet, detect the arrival of each article at a position before the position where said article crosses said packaging sheet and the arrival of the top end of the packaging sheet returned from the feeding limit position by being moved as said article abuts against said packaging sheet and is further conveyed, at a predetermined reverse return position. The detectors are used to generate the necessary control signals for feeding and cutting the packaging sheet.

Abstract: Cartons of the leakproof type comprising a rectangular sleeve each end of which is formed with crease lines to present four closure wall portions or flaps, two of said flaps being further provided with crease lines defining triangular portions to provide gussets, are closed by apparatus comprising means for holding a carton in position for closure, a pair of angularly movable pressure plates adapted to engage the triangular portions of the end wall flaps and to partially fold inwardly the end and side wall flaps, a pair of spaced pressure rods to further fold inwardly the end and side wall flaps so that the free ends of the side wall flaps are in overlapping engagement, and a pressure bar provided to engage the overlapping side wall flaps along a previously applied line of adhesive. A reaction plate may be provided to co-act with the pressure bar. The end closure apparatus may be incorporated in an installation for filling and closing cartons.

Abstract: An apparatus for making, filling, closing and boxing bags includes a vertically oriented hollow mandrel about which a hose of sealable sheet is continuously formed, a device for cylindrically providing a transverse seam on the hose; a cutting device for cyclically severing the hose at the transverse seam for providing precedingly filled, sealed bags; a base plate situated underneath the mandrel for supporting thereon serially positioned and advanced, upright-oriented bag-receiving boxes open at their top and bottom; an opening provided in the base plate and aligned with the mandrel; and a vertically displaceably supported bag grasping device for penetrating through the opening into a box positioned underneath the mandrel and for downwardly pulling a filled and closed bag into the box.

Abstract: An article retarding device for use with a grid set of a case loading machine for breaking the fall of articles as they are dropped through the grid set into a case. The grid set includes a trip-bar assembly which is shifted to drop the articles. Positioned below the trip-bar assembly are a plurality of pivotally supported downwardly extending fingers carried in the form of a matrix which guide the articles into the case as they are being loaded. A camming mechanism selectively forces the fingers of respective passages to the center of the passages for breaking the fall of articles into the case. Means is provided for retracting the camming mechanism to a second position so that the articles can be gently loaded into the case.

Abstract: A machine for packing objects into boxes comprises a platform comprising two horizontal flaps 15 on which an array of objects 11 to be dropped vertically into a box to form a layer therein is built up. When a complete array is sensed, a plunger 34 moves down to a position above or in contact with the array whereupon the flaps move first down to impart a vertically downward movement to the array and then flip quickly to a vertical position allowing the objects to fall past in their array with the plunger 34 maintaining position.The operation of the flaps and the plunger is controlled by a rotating cam that drives a con-rod connected to the plunger.

Abstract: A method and product relating to a thermal insulation package wherein a container made from laminated sheet material including an inner layer of kraft paper, an outer layer of aluminum foil and an intermediate layer of fiberglass webbing is provided; the three layers are adhesively secured together and the inner surface of the kraft paper is coated with a heat-activated adhesive; the sheet material is formed into a tubular section by overlapping opposite edges of the sheet material and heat sealing the edges together; the tubular section thus formed is subsequently cut into tubular sections of smaller length, the bottoms of each of the smaller sections are then heat sealed, the containers thus formed are filled with polystyrene pellets and a hydrate compound is added; the open end of each of the containers is then closed and heat-sealed to form the completed package.

Abstract: In a packaging apparatus, articles are collated and formed into a module on a carriage assembly and are transported into a draped wrapping film and to means for sealing the wrapped module. Common movement of the sides of the carriage assembly are provided so as to ensure the stability of the collated article pattern. The draped wrapping film is under tension and is aligned with respect to the direction of travel of the carriage assembly. Side and transverse rear sealing of the wrapped module is provided, and the means for rear sealing the module also cuts the wrapping film and splices the unused wrapping film for return to its draped position. The wrapped and sealed module is transferred by a conveyor means from its wrapping position to a means for shrinking the wrapping film over the article module.

Abstract: The specification describes a cartoning apparatus adapted to carry out a plurality of cartoning steps which in the past have been carried out by individual independent machines. The cartoning apparatus includes a set-up station for the opening of flat carton blanks, a conveyor for advancing the opened carton blanks along the apparatus, and closure means downstream of the set-up station for closing the bottom and/or top of the carton. The closure means is adapted to both fold and tape the carton and automatically apply the required amount of tape to each carton. It includes means for applying the strip of tape extending between adjacent spaced apart cartons and a plunger member for plunging between the cartons to sever the extended strip of tape and to apply the thusly provided free tape ends to the opposing end walls of the adjacent cartons.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming bags about hanger mounted garments using heat sealable wrapping material from a continuous flattened tubular web supplied on a roll. When a hanger mounted garment is placed on the apparatus, a sufficient length of tubing is drawn over the garment, cut free, and sealed at one or both ends. When the wrapped garment is removed, the apparatus returns to starting position.

Abstract: A filling machine for valve bags as a plurality of filling caps for filing bags supplied thereto from a magazine, and includes a rotating structure which carries a plurality of articulated delivery arms which grip the bags at the magazine and deliver them to the filling caps where the bags are filled with product. The delivery arms are constructed and guided in their movement such that they have a very slow approach to the bags and thus are enabled to accurately grip the bags.

Abstract: In an improved machine wherein a plurality of component dispensers transversely deposit individual axial-leaded components on a moving conveyor belt in a preferred sequence for subsequent taping of the leads to form a belt of sequenced components, the rate of component deposition is increased although the linear velocity of the conveyer is decreased. Component leads are received in conveyor notches having a pitch distance which is a submultiple of the spacing between the component dispensers.

Abstract: Containers having their bodies made from laminate material, such as paper board/plastic foil/metal foil laminates, readily tend to distort and this results in unreliable application of metal foil closure caps used to seal the mouths of the containers. The present invention provides apparatus for successively advancing cylindrical containers of this type beneath a cap-applying device and for restoring distorted containers to their true circular cross-sectional to enable correct application of the caps to the container mouths. The apparatus comprises two star wheels, having equal pitch circle diameters, which are mounted side-by-side with their axes of rotation parallel and spaced apart by a distance less than the common pitch circle diameter of the two wheels. The latter have equal numbers of part-circular recesses in their peripheries for engaging containers.

Abstract: A coin packaging machine in which different kinds of coins are packaged is provided. The coin packaging machine is provided with means for supplying coins, means for transporting the supplied coins while selecting the desired kind of coins during transportation, means for accumulating transported coins, delivery means for receiving accumulated coins and delivering the coins from a receiving position to a packaging position, means for supplying a web of paper within packaging zone and means for clamping the packaged coins. The coin packaging machine includes means for making various adjustments of the above means in accordance with the thickness and the width of the coins to be packaged. The coin packaging machine is also provided with a packaging paper confirming device which functions to remind the operator to change the packaging paper when made necessary by a change in the kind of coin being packaged.

Abstract: A cartoner for elongated articles including a source of a series of unshaped bundles thereof, a first conveyor having first article buckets thereon with a first reach adjacent to the source of articles so that each first article bucket receives an unshaped bundle of articles therein, a second conveyor having a set of second article buckets each having at least one wall shiftable between receiving and shaping positions with a first reach of the second conveyor adjacent to the first reach of the first conveyor so that each of the second article buckets receive an unshaped bundle of articles from one of the first article buckets, a leveling plate for leveling the contents of the second article bucket with the wall in the shaping position thereof, a set of filler members on the second conveyor for pushing the elongated articles from the second article bucket into a carton on an adjacent carton conveyor, and suitable control mechanism for causing the proper interaction of the various conveyors and parts thereof.

Abstract: A machine for applying a bag to the discharge spout of a bag-filling machine comprises a suction pick-up device for lifting the top bag from a stack of flat bags and turning the bag into a vertical position with its mouth disposed along one vertical edge of the bag, and a suction transfer device for engaging the bag held by the pick-up device, swinging the bag from the pick-up device to the discharge spout and, at the same time, opening the bag mouth so that it slips over the spout. The transfer device comprises opposed suction fingers which engage the bag, when held by the pick-up device, adjacent the upper end of its mouth and are pivotally mounted so as to be rockable apart, and opposed auxiliary suction members which are pivoted to arms rockably mounted on the pivot axes of the suction fingers and which engage the bag adjacent the lower end of its mouth.

Abstract: An apparatus of high capacity is provided for simultaneously filling a plurality of individual containers into a predetermined number of empty cases. The containers are conveyed to two staging areas disposed in adjacent relation to a first station and then are simultaneously moved from each staging area to the first station. When the containers are disposed at the first station, they are arranged in a predetermined pattern which is compatible with the interior configuration of the cases into which they are to be loaded. A second station is provided which is disposed beneath the first station and is adapted to receive a predetermined number of empty cases to be filled by the container positioned at the first station. A means is provided which releasably engages the containers at the first station, lowers said containers into the empty cases at the second station, and then releases the containers in the cases and returns to its initial position.

Abstract: Sausages or other articles having initial lengths several times longer than their final, packaged lengths are automatically severed to their proper dimensions, accumulated into multisausage clusters and then inserted into awaiting containers, all automatically. Each long initial length of material is initially severed into separate lengths, then gathered into side-by-side relationship with other severed lengths, then severed a second time into the final length. The final lengths are then arranged into generally cylindrically configured clusters for axial packing into the awaiting containers. Special handling techniques are used throughout the process so as to render the system fully automated without damaging the materials or failing to pack the prescribed number of materials into each container.

Abstract: The device is conventionally associated to a cigarette packaging machine and comprises a hopper for successively distributing individual layers of adjacently disposed cigarettes into transferring means which successively transfer each layer into compartments intermittently moved in front of said transferring means. A plurality of layers are superimposed in each compartment to form a bundle to be fed to the wrapping means of the packaging machine. During the transferring, the layers are compelled to pass through a passage delimited by side guiding members and by an upper and a lower light-transparent guiding plate, said passage having a width substantially equal to the width of a layer and a height substantially equal to the diameter of a cigarette. The upper plate has a slot in the direction of the transverse dimension of the passage and this slot is subjected to the light rays generated by a light source transversely disposed relative to said passage and above said slot.

Abstract: An aseptic packing machine comprising an enclosure defining a space swept through by a stream of sterile air and means for producing said stream of air. A station for producing containers, a filling station, a closing station and a transfer device cooperating with said stations are disposed inside the enclosure. The moving mechanical parts of said stations and said transfer device which are capable of being contaminating are located outside the part of said space which is maintained non-contaminating by said stream of sterile air.