Abstract: A liquid impregnating system for impregnating, with a liquid, absorbent, compressible product maintained at least in part within the interior compartment of a tub or other container. The impregnating operation is carried out by compressing the product to increase the residence volume in the tub for the impregnating liquid, and directing the liquid into engagement with the product while it is maintained in its compressed condition. Most preferably, the product is a stack of absorbent sheets and the compressing operation is carried out by pressing downwardly on the uppermost sheet of the stack in localized areas intermediate end margins to cause end margins of at least some adjacent sheets in the stack to fan apart. This increases the accessibility of absorbent surface area within the stack to the impregnating liquid.

Abstract: A fish-canning method using a machine having two adjacent parallel rotary turrets each having a fish-receiving pocket in the periphery thereof. The turrets are positioned to align the pockets with each other to form a single combined pocket which is then filled with fish from a correspondingly large size feed chute of increasing cross-sectional area. The fish in the pockets is severed between the turrets and the turrets are rotated by different amounts to move the filled pockets laterally out of alignment with each other. The fish in both filled pockets is formed into the shape of a can and ejected endwise from the pockets into two separate cans.

Abstract: A machine is disclosed for filling capsules having first and second sections that are telescoped within each other and which define an enclosed volume in the assembled condition. At least one and preferably a plurality of capsule filling stations are provided in a rotatable table. Each capsule filling station includes a first portion that is rigidly fixed to the table within a bore formed therein. The first portion receives the capsule section having the smaller transverse dimension. A second portion of the capsule filling station is D-shaped and is positioned within the same bore as the first portion. The second portion is selectively rotatable and is arranged to receive the capsule section having the larger transverse dimension.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging compressible fibrous batts and a package of same are provided. The batts are formed by severing a longitudinally-extending strip of compressible fibrous material into batts of discrete lengths with the batts then being collected in end-to-end relationship. The batts are then moved into a loop of a packaging machine, which loop is formed by a belt maintained under controlled tension. The batts are fed longitudinally in abutting, end-to-end relationship into the belt loop which places them under compression as they are wound into a package, with the loop gradually expanding in diameter as the package size increases. Tapes are placed directly around the outermost batt to hold the package in the compressed state and the completed package is then discharged from the machine.

Abstract: In a method for packing of powder formed goods in a container which is hermetically sealable under vacuum, a container blank is formed into an open topped container and a predetermined amount of powder formed product is deposited into the container. The product is slightly compacted by a piston which moves relatively slowly down into the container and presses the product at a relatively low pressure, the piston being then removed. In a second step, the product is compressed by a piston at a relatively high pressure so that the surface of the product is compressed to a level which is below the intended final level of the container. Thereafter the product is subjected to a relatively slight compression by means of a piston which, with a relatively low pressure, is pressed onto the surface of the product. In this third compression step, the relatively low pressure may be followed by a momentary thrust of the piston at a higher pressure.

Abstract: A method for use in packaging compressible material in flexible-walled containers. The method comprises loading the container in a holding means having rigid means for confining the container to a desired, filled shape and then moving the holding means in sequence past work stations where the container is filled with compressible material, the material is compressed, the filled container is closed and the closed, filled container is removed from the holding means.The invention also includes apparatus for carrying out the method.

Abstract: An apparatus and method according to which articles such as pickles are packed into open top containers such as jars and concurrently with operation of a compacting device filled with a desired liquid. By way of example while pickles are pressed into jars brine is filled into the jars, thereby avoiding the necessity of brining means separare from the pickle packing apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for wrapping commodities, which may be compressible, and a corresponding method, in which a commodity is conveyed along a fixed path, a pair of opposed lengths of wrapping material are fed in an opposed relationship and in registry, the commodity is inserted between the opposed lengths of the wrapping material which have a leading end which has been sealed to form an open-sided and open-trailing end envelope, the lateral sides of the wrapping material are then sealed, and thereafter, a bag length is severed from the pair of lengths of wrapping material and sealed. Preferably, the commodity is fed under compression in between the opposed lengths of wrapping material, maintained under compression while the wrapping material is side-sealed and is vacuum-packaged while also under compression.