Abstract: A bulk product feeding system includes a product hopper, having a sloped bottom, a front side, and an outlet located at a lowermost confluence of the sloped bottom and the front side, the hopper being configured to receive and hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product. A first sloped ram is reciprocally disposed in the bottom of the hopper, and configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet. A second, substantially vertical ram is reciprocally disposed on the front side of the hopper, and configured to reciprocate toward and away from the outlet and the first ram. Motion of the first and second rams is coordinated to controllably discharge the product through the outlet.

Abstract: A bulk product feeding system includes a product hopper, and a reciprocating ram, positioned in the bottom of the hopper. The hopper has substantially vertical sidewalls, and the ram has a width substantially equal to the width of the hopper. The hopper is configured to hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product, and the sidewalls are spaced apart a distance sufficient to resist bridging of the product. The ram is configured to selectively reciprocate to controllably discharge product through the outlet. The bulk feeding system can include additional features such as a stepped ram, a flexible finger gate, and an oscillating finger gate.

Abstract: A bulk product feeding system includes a product hopper, and a reciprocating ram, positioned in the bottom of the hopper. The hopper has substantially vertical sidewalls, and the ram has a width substantially equal to the width of the hopper. The hopper is configured to hold a bulk quantity of sticky or fragile product, and the sidewalls are spaced apart a distance sufficient to resist bridging of the product. The ram is configured to selectively extend to push product out of an outlet of the hopper, and to retract to allow product to drop down to the bottom of the hopper.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dividing a single stream of long, sticky product into a plurality of product streams, comprising a product input conduit for providing a single stream of product, and having a rough portioner disposed therein for dividing the stream of product into discrete portions. The discrete portions are then dropped into a first diverter mechanism comprised of a reciprocating slide block mechanism, which selectively directs the discrete portions into two outlet streams. Additional diverter mechanisms may be disposed in the outlet streams to further divide and redirect the product into any number of final outlet streams, such as four, eight, etc. The final outlet streams are directed toward container filling machines which precisely measure the product and place it into containers as desired.

Abstract: A container following system for use with a particulate product measuring and dispensing machine having a discharge opening for allowing measured quantities of particulate product to drop therefrom into a moving container. The container following system comprises a following pocket disposed below the discharge opening of the particulate product measuring and dispensing machine and above a conveyor for moving containers to be filled. The following pocket comprises a reciprocating body having a generally vertical aperture through which particulate product drops from the discharge opening before landing in the container to be filled.