Abstract: A retractable window covering for arched or palladian style windows. The covering has a pair of shade members that can be remotely operated by an activator such as a pull cord for opening and closing the shades. The shade members are suspended from a carriage that is movable within an arched track. The shade members can be drawn along the track in opposite directions independently from a horizontal retracted position to an expanded position such that the shade members meet at the apex of the arched window. The present invention includes an embodiment that includes a shield to cover a portion of the drive assembly resting on the window sill or other horizontal surface.

Abstract: A machine and method for wrapping cylindrical workpieces such as rolls of bathroom tissue and paper towel. The machine includes a workpiece infeed conveyor, a wrapping paper feeder, a rotating carousel having a plurality of pockets, and a discharge conveyor. A piece of wrapping paper supplied by the paper feeder is perforated and burst into a single sheet. The sheet and a workpiece are directed into a pocket in the rotating carousel whereby the sheet is banded around the periphery of the workpiece by a clamping plate, underfolder plate, and brush. Next a pair of stuffer spindles driven by a barrel cam and a pair of rotating star wheels whose compound motion is derived from geneva wheels fold and tuck the wrapping paper around the parallel sides and into the center tube of each workpiece. The wrapped workpieces are ejected from the rotating carousel onto a discharge conveyor. Alternative folder mechanisms include folding fingers. The method of wrapping is also disclosed.

Abstract: A machine and method for wrapping cylindrical workpieces such as rolls of bathroom tissue and paper towel. The machine includes a workpiece infeed conveyor, a wrapping film feeder, a rotating carousel having a plurality of pockets, an oscillating exit conveyor, a discharge conveyor, and a sealing conveyor. A piece of wrapping film supplied by the wrapping film feeder is perforated and burst into a single sheet. The film sheet and a workpiece are directed into a pocket in the rotating carousel whereby the sheet is banded around the periphery of the workpiece by a clamping plate, underfolder plate, and brush secured by heat sealing the film sheet to itself. The banded workpieces are ejected from the rotating carousel onto an exit conveyor which passes the workpieces to a discharge conveyor which in turn conveys the workpieces through a sealing conveyor. Folding mechanisms for folding the wrapping film sheet extending beyond the ends of the workpieces are disclosed. The method of wrapping is also disclosed.

Abstract: An infeed conveyor for a packaging machine having a first squeezer conveyor including upper and lower belts spaced to receive workpieces in an end-to-end relationship. Upper speed-up rollers and lower speed-up rollers advance the workpieces further along the path of the first squeezer conveyor. A second conveyor being provided for receiving the workpieces from the speed-up rollers. A third conveyor being positioned above the second conveyor and operating at a lower rate of speed whereby when an upper leading edge of a workpiece engages with the third conveyor, the workpiece is rotated approximately ninety-degrees from its previous orientation. Flight bars rotate with the second conveyor at a rate faster than the second conveyor thereby bunching the workpieces into abutting groups of a predetermined size for entry into a packaging machine.

Abstract: A process and a machine for supplying paper to a machine for wrapping plastic wrap around workpieces. A glue is applied to the paper at a distance from the wrapping machine sufficient for the glue to dry before it is fed into the wrapping machine. Next, the wrapping machine wraps the paper around a workpiece such that the glue is located between at least two layers of the paper. Then heat sufficient to activate the glue is applied to one of the two layers of the paper. Then heat sufficient to activate the glue is applied to one of the two layers of the paper. The layers of the paper being held in place for a sufficient time to allow the glue to adhere to the layers of paper. The machine having a wrapping machine for wrapping a portion of the web around the workpieces to form a package and a glue application station for applying heat activated glue to an area of the web.

Abstract: A machine and process for wrapping workpieces, typically napkins. The machine having an infeed conveyor from which workpieces are feed to a poly film supply apparatus, via a conveyor assembly, that distributes a predetermined portion of the poly film supply apparatus around the workpieces to form a horizontally disposed U having a first tail and a second tail of poly film wrap. The conveyor assembly has two conveyor belts that are arranged so that the end of the first conveyor belt meets an end of the second conveyor belt. The second conveyor belt is mounted on a pulley system that allows the end of the second conveyor belt to move away from the end of the first conveyor belt after the workpieces have transferred to the second conveyor belt so that a gap between the two belts is presented. A folder folds down the first tail of poly film wrap. A second folder and a sealer bar come up through the gap and fold up the second tail against the first and seal it in place.

Abstract: An infeed conveyor for a packaging machine holds a first squeezer conveyor having upper and lower belts spaced to receive workpiece rolls in an end to end relationship between them. The lower accelerating rollers and the upper accelerating rollers advancing the workpiece rolls further along the path of the first squeezer conveyor. At least one upper accelerating roller having a drive for driving it at a higher speed than the other accelerating rollers. A second conveyor being provided for receiving the workpiece rolls. The receiving end of the second conveyor either being at or below the level of the lower accelerating roller. When the receiving end of the second conveyor is below the level of the lower accelerating rollers the workpieces are rotated 90 degrees away from their original endwise advance by the action of the upper accelerating roller that has a drive for driving it at a higher speed than the other accelerating rollers.

Abstract: A stacking packaging machine and a process for stacking and packaging resilient workpieces. The workpieces are usually rolled paper products. The machine is comprised of an input conveyor, an elevator, cams, workpiece holders, a packaging film feeder and an output conveyor. A first group of workpieces is placed upon the elevator by the input conveyor and the elevator is lowered. The workpiece holders are brought into place. A second group of workpieces are fed into the holders and held above the first group. The elevator begins to rise and the second group of workpieces are released. The stacked workpieces rise on the elevator toward the output conveyor. Packaging film is fed over the stacked workpieces. The film drapes over the workpieces as they rise preventing any workpieces from falling off the stack. The workpieces enter the output conveyor and are moved to final processing. The timing of the whole sequence is controlled by the cams.

Abstract: A machine for packaging objects such as rolls of paper comprises a direction changing loading wheel to feed objects and groups of objects into closely grouped orientation in the wrapping machine for high speed passage through the machine in a continuous motion generally in a single direction and substantially at a single speed. A wrapper supply mechanism feeds sheets of wrapping material to lie between conveying belts above the article to be wrapped with the leading edge of the wrapper substantially ahead of the article or group of articles to be wrapped. A pair of vacuum wheels alongside the path of the article on axes skewed slightly outwardly from the article path pull the wrapper down in front of the article and allow it to pass underneath as the article passes so that the wrapper becomes wrapped around the top, front and bottom of the articles.

Abstract: A machine for packaging objects such as rolls of paper comprises a direction changing loading wheel to feed objects and groups of objects into closely grouped orientation in the wrapping machine for high speed passage through the machine in a continuous motion generally in a single direction and substantially at a single speed. A wrapper supply mechanism feeds sheets of wrapping material to lie between conveying belts above the article to be wrapped with the leading edge of the wrapper substantially ahead of the article or group of articles to be wrapped. A pair of vacuum wheels alongside the path of the article on axes skewed slightly outwardly from the article path pull the wrapper down in front of the article and allow it to pass underneath as the article passes so that the wrapper becomes wrapped around the top, front and bottom of the articles.

Abstract: Products, accumulated on a supply conveyor having low-friction belts, are transferred to a flight conveyor with an intervening single level infeed conveyor system which includes a high-friction belt squeezer conveyor that accepts products at its inlet end from the supply conveyor and releases them for synchronous arrival in the flight conveyor. Means are provided for keeping the squeezer conveyor filled with a column of abutting products at all times during a production run so there is no speed change and, hence, no abrasion of products as they advance from the low-friction supply conveyor to the squeezer conveyor inlet.

Abstract: Apparatus for packaging items in plastic bags, wherein plastic bags are formed with seams at both sides, but open at the corners at the bag mouth, whereby each wall of the bag has a flap at its mouth end, each bag being fed forward sidewise to a loading station where the flaps are clamped and separated to open the bag and the item to be packaged is pushed into the bag, after which the bag mouth is spread for being sealed, and then sealed.