Abstract: Apparatus for loading carton blanks into a packing machine comprises a magazine containing a stack of flattened, tubular blanks, a dog chain driving the blanks out of the magazine into the nip of rollers and then into the nip of overdriven rollers which accelerate the blanks into respective pockets defined in transport holders carried on a wheel conveyor. The blanks are driven at a speed sufficient to carry them into their respective pockets which are moving away from the magazine on the wheel conveyor. A slipping clutch in the drive to roller allows the blanks to decelerate without damage when fully home in their pockets. Arms bearing suction heads travelling with the wheel conveyor open the carton blanks in the pockets and the opened blanks are transferred in their transport holders for bottom closing, filling and top closing operations on respective wheel conveyors.

Abstract: Objects such as cartons (16) supported in transport holders (110), are carried on a first conveyor wheel (140) and transferred to a second conveyor wheel in respective transfer operation. Each conveyor wheel has circumferential spaced recesses for carrying such objects, each recess containing a moveable magnet (156) for holding a said object. The wheels run tangentially to one another so that each object on the first conveyor wheel during each transfer operation is momentarily simultaneously in recesses of the first conveyor wheel and of the second conveyor wheel. Transfer is triggered by the timed withdrawal of the magnet holding the object in the recess of the first conveyor wheel by a cam (170) leaving the object held by the magnet of the second conveyor wheel. Cartons may be bottom sealed, filed and top sealed on respective conveyor wheels.

Abstract: Apparatus for heating and/or cooling a particulate material, e.g. vegetables, by heat exchange with a liquid comprises a horizontal tubular chamber of waisted internal cross-section containing a rotatable mesh cylinder having an auger blade corotatable therein. A row of inlets for heat exchange liquid along the bottom of the chamber are connected via external pipe work to a row of outlets for heat exchange liquid at the top of the chamber. Upward flow of heat exchange liquid causes suspension of particulate matter as it is conveyed through the chamber by the auger, thus minimizing rubbing contact on the particulate material. The apparatus includes a heating section defined by inlets A-D, a holding section defined by inlets E to L, and a cooling section defined by inlets M to Q, all within a common chamber. Within each section, each outlet is connected externally to the alphabetically preceding inlet except for the leftmost outlet which is connected to the rightmost inlet.

Abstract: A carton has an openable bellows folded top comprising opposed side panels (30, 32) and front (34) and rear (28) panels folded in and sealed between the side panels. The panels are sealed together to close the top in a liquid tight manner. The top-forming front panel has an upper sub-panel comprising a central portion (44) having an upper free edge for defining the rim of a pull-out pouring spout and first and second flanking portions (46, 48) of unequal width lying each on a respective side of the central portion. The central portion is of a lesser height than the flanking portions and is not sealed on its interior face to the overlying side panels or to the rear panel in sealing the top. A reliable seal is formed but there is no obstacle to the pulling out of the pouring spout once the wing portions have been peeled apart.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding items (10) such as flattened carton blanks from a magazine (12) for subsequent handling and treatment, comprises a transfer turret (16) mounted for continuous rotation adjacent the mouth (14) of the magazine, transfer stations (50) on the turret positioned to pass the mouth of the magazine and comprising means (6, 54, 56) for removing a said item (10) from the mouth of the magazine (12), erecting the item if it is a blank, and for carrying the said item as the turret rotates, an endless pocket conveyor (30), for receiving said items from said turrent, positioned adjacent said turret so as to be passed by the or each said transfer station as the turret rotates so as to produce a sequence of transfer station/conveyor interactions, and a globoidal cam indexing box (37) for driving said conveyor around an endless path in an intermittent motion in which said conveyor is halted for a period and is restarted in motion during intervals between at least selected sequential ones of said transfer s

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for erecting tubular carton blanks from a flattened to an open tubular state and includes two blank erection stations positioned sequentially along a conveyor for conveying a succession of blanks to the stations. In each station a suction head is attached to a blank and moves the blank through a cycle from a blank collection position, through a blank lifting phase, then through a blank erecting phase in which the blank is pressed against an abutment member into force the blank to an erected condition. When the suction head reaches a blank releasing position, suction head is returned. The suction heads are carried by a link arm driven in a parallel movement by cams via pivot arms.

Abstract: The maximum acceptable operating current of an electrode immersed in an electrically conductive liquid is increased by providing at least one shield member in front of the electrode and serving to reduce the current density at the part or parts of the electrode where current density would otherwise be highest.

Abstract: A rotary packaging machine advances carton sleeves stepwise through a series of stations at which various operations are performed in relation to the sleeves. At certain earlier ones of the stations operations are performed upon the bottoms of the sleeves at a desired common level. At certain later ones of the stations operations are performed upon the tops of the sleeves at a higher desired common level. At one station intermediate the earlier ones and later ones, the sleeves are lowered by an amount dependent upon their heights, so as to bring their tops to that higher desired common level.

Abstract: A valve device for use in filling cartons includes a tubular housing containing a valve member comprising a closure part co-operating with a valve seat at the lower extremity of the housing, and a driving part movably received with clearance in the housing. During the latter part of the opening movement of the valve member against a spring, the clearance increases smoothly and considerably, and the driving part reaches a force equilibrium position at which the clearance is considerable. Two grooves formed in the housing and the valve member immediately below the annulus of sealing bound an annular enclosed space for receiving liquid squeezed out downwardly at the valve seat.

Abstract: A filling device for cartons comprises a row of vertical ducts arranged along a path of the cartons. Each duct includes, progressing downwardly, an upper bellows, a ducting section incorporating an inlet valve, a lower bellows, and a fixed nozzle incorporating an outlet valve. The section is vertically reciprocated by a ram. The nozzle comprises a tubular housing containing a valve member comprising a closure part co-operating with a valve seat at the lower extremity of the housing, a stem, and a driving part of inverted cup shape fixedly received with clearance on the stem and movably received with clearance in the housing.

Abstract: An aseptic packaging machine includes a chain conveyor conveying cartons along a path in an aseptic chamber including an advance leg and a return leg each along the machine. Ultra-violet germicidal lamps extend over at least a major portion of the advance leg. Aseptic liquid is fed into the cartons by a filling device comprised of, in turn, an expansion chamber, a non-return inlet valve, a reciprocatory bellows and a non-return valve. After filling, the cartons are top-sealed. The only non-aseptic matter deliberately introduced into the chamber is the cartons. The chamber is cleaned internally by cleaning fluid from spray nozzles. The carton entry to and exit from the chamber have aseptic air curtains.

Abstract: A gable-topped, flat-bottomed carton has a side seam which, in a fin of the gable top closure, fits in a gap between respective junctions of two pairs of internal sub-panels of the fin. Two opposite external sub-panels of the fin have tabs for pulling to open the closure to form a spout. The seam edge of one oblique sealing sub-panel of the closure has a tab, with scorelines from the tab into that sub-panel, while the seam edge of the other oblique sealing sub-panel has a corresponding recess covered by the one oblique sealing sub-panel, so that pulling of the tab tears back the sub-panel portion between the scorelines to expose the recess. The flat bottom closure has at the free edge of its widest sub-panel a sealing projection of a width of about one third of that of the sub-panel to facilitate interdigitation of the blanks.

Abstract: Blank sleeves for forming gable-topped cartons are fed to an opening-out station and a bottom-sealing station. They are then advanced stepwise through pre-folding, filling, heating, panel-turning, and heat-sealing stations. At the panel-turning station, two panel-turning devices turn about fold axes of respective top panels on mountings disposed unilaterally from the respective axes. These devices bring the panels into face-to-face condition obliquely inclined to the carton axis. With the panels in this condition, the carton is forwarded to the heat-sealing station at which water-cooled jaws seal the panels together.