Abstract: A system is provided comprising a carton conveyor and a bypass carton accumulator adjacent to, and interfaced with, the carton conveyor. The bypass carton accumulator may comprise: a carton pick apparatus comprising a carton pick head; at least one stop device comprising a stopper movable between a first and a second position; and a storage apparatus. When in the first position, the stopper does not interfere with the flow of cartons along the conveyor and when in the second position, the stopper engages with a carton to stop a flow of cartons along the conveyor. The carton pick apparatus may be configured to pick up via the carton pick head a set of cartons from a pick-up zone of the carton conveyor after the stopper has moved to its second position and place the set of cartons in the storage apparatus.

Abstract: A device for supplying lids to a can seamer includes a destacking screw for conveying lids that are fed in via a lid feed, for transferring the correctly separated lids to a downstream transport and/or treatment device, and for interrupting the supply of the lids to the downstream transport and/or treatment device in the event of an interruption of production. Methods for supplying lids to a can seamer are also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for inserting articles into boxes has a frame positionable by a side of a first conveyor, a first thrust plat, a first abutting blade, and a first hinged member. The apparatus has second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth hinged members. First and second linear motors are borne by the fifth hinged member. A first rod fixed to the first thrust plate is moved by the first linear motor a horizontal and perpendicular direction. A second rod fixed to the first abutting blade is moved by the second linear motor in a horizontal and perpendicular direction. The first hinged member and the third hinged member are rotated to move the fifth hinged member in synchrony with the first conveyor and with a second conveyor (6), to move the first thrust plate and the first abutting blade to introduce an article into a box.

Abstract: A system for reducing power consumption of a packaging machine, including a processing device performing a predetermined process on supplied processing objects and discharging them, and a packaging machine packaging the objects discharged from the processing device. The packaging machine includes a centralized control unit controlling the operation of the packaging machine. The control unit operates the packaging machine in a power-saving mode when an insufficient supply of the processing objects is in or is likely to be in the processing device.

Abstract: A packaging method and apparatus wherein each product is packaged by capturing the product in flexible packaging material. The packing apparatus includes a product detector for detecting the presence or absence of a product to be packaged. The detection of the product may cause the advancement of packaging material and the product through a nipping station to form a package. The failure to detect a product may cause the advancement of the packaging material to stop and conserve packaging material until a product is detected. The product detector may be a color sensor trained to detect a color of the first web, a luminescence sensor trained to detect a luminance of the first web, or a light-sensitive sensor trained to detect a difference in light passing through the first web. Also, a luminescence additive may be joined with the lower web to provide a distinct luminance.

Abstract: A vertical sealing device for a packing machine includes a pair of feed units for feeding a cylindrical-formed packaging material and a center heat sealer for the heat-sealing of a vertical seam of the packaging material. When the operation of the machine is halted, the feed units feed the packaging material from a steady speed mode to a deceleration mode. During this deceleration mode, the operation of the center heat sealer is stopped. On the other hand, when the operation of the packing machine is restarted, the feed units feed the packaging material in an acceleration mode, and during this acceleration mode, the center heat sealer starts operating.

Abstract: A device for applying adhesive bands to packets, whereby an annular conveyor feeds the bands along a path having a first portion extending along a portion of the path along which the packets are supplied, a second portion extending between the output of the first portion and a loading station where the bands are loaded on to the conveyor, and a third portion extending between the loading station and the input of the first portion and past a gumming device; the conveyor being a suction conveyor having at least a first suction chamber wherein a selective vacuum is formed and extending along the first and second portions of the path along which the bands are fed, and a second suction chamber wherein a constant vacuum is maintained and extending along the third portion of the path along which the bands are fed.

Abstract: Packets of cigarettes are directly singly and in succession along a conveyor into a cellophane wrapping machine, and thereafter to a packaging machine which is driven, together with the wrapping machine, by one main motor and incorporates a feed unit supplying wrapper blanks, and a wrapping unit by which each blank is folded about a corresponding group of packets. In the event of an interruption in the supply of packets to the conveyor, the feed unit is decoupled automatically from the main motor and the wrapping unit then allowed to complete a further cycle in which a blank already gummed and positioned by the feed unit can be fashioned as usual into an outer wrapper around a relative group of packets before the main motor is finally shut off.

Abstract: A plurality of clamps arranged in equally spaced relation on an endless track are intermittently advanced at a pitch equal to the distance of each two adjacent clamps. A switch reactive only to the passage of a sufficiently heavy or filled bag which has been filled with an article is disposed downstream of a filling station, one of the stop positions for clamps. When the passage of a bag is not responded by switch, that is, when an empty or unfilled bag has passed near the switch, the particular clamp by which the empty bag is held is caused to pass through the final stop position and, in turn, through the first stop position before it can again reach the filling station, with the empty bag being held by the clamp all the while.

Abstract: Apparatus for the feeding of packaging blanks to a folding unit. In the production of (film) packs, especially for stacks of paper handkerchiefs, blanks are severed from a continuously supplied web of material and fed to a folding member, especially a folding turret (11) for wrapping the paper handkerchiefs and folding the blank (10). When there is a momentary interruption in the feed of articles to be wrapped to the folding turret (11), the production and conveyance of blanks (10) are also to be interrupted. For this purpose, a fixedly located counter knife (22) of a severing station (16) is temporarily movable out of the operative or cutting position, so that, despite the fact that a knife roller (21) with cutting knives (23, 24) continues to run, a severing cut is not made in the stationary web of material (12). For this purpose, a support for the counter knife (22) is equipped with an adjusting mechanism acting in a pulsatory manner.

Abstract: Apparatus for the feeding of packaging blanks to a folding unit. In the production of (film) packs, especially for stacks of paper handkerchiefs, blanks are severed from a continuously supplied web of material and fed to a folding member, especially a folding turret (11) for wrapping the paper handkerchiefs and folding the blank (10). When there is a momentary interruption in the feed of articles to be wrapped to the folding turret (11), the production and conveyance of blanks (10) are also to be interrupted. For this purpose, a fixedly located counter knife (22) of a severing station (16) is temporarily movable out of the operative or cutting position, so that, despite the fact that a knife roller (21) with cutting knives (23, 24) continues to run, a severing cut is not made in the stationary web of material (12). For this purpose, a support for the counter knife (22) is equipped with an adjusting mechanism acting in a pulsatory manner.

Abstract: A vacant package-proofing control device for use in conenction with a packaging machine includes a first motor for driving a conveyor for feeding articles to be packaged, with a predetermined spaced defined therebetween, and a second motor for driving a series of rolls which deliver packaging material, formed into a tube, into which the articles are to be inserted for packaging. A third motor is also provided for driving a pair of end-sealing mechanisms. An absence detecting sensor is disposed at a predetermined position upstream of the end-sealing mechanisms for detecting the absence of any packaging article from its predetermined position upon its conveyor. A reference timing pulse generator is also provided for generating predetermined reference timing pulses in connection with the timing of the feeding of the packaging articles.

Abstract: Discrete cigarette packets which are supplied by a packing machine are assembled into arrays in successive compartments of a first endless conveyor at a first station, and the pockets of a second conveyor accept arrays from successive filled compartments for stepwise transport to a second station where the arrays are draped into blanks in a wrapping machine to form cartons. The second conveyor is moved stepwise during successive intervals of idleness of the first conveyor, and the first conveyor is normally moved stepwise when the second conveyor is idle. The two conveyors cross each other at the first station. The arrays in the compartments extend transversely of the first conveyor, and the arrays in the pockets extend longitudinally of the second conveyor.

Abstract: During the wrapping of articles (stack 10) in blanks (11), the latter are severed from a web of material (21) and fed to a folding turret (13). When the delivery of articles (10) to be wrapped is interrupted, the severing of blanks (11) and the feeding of these to the folding turret (13) are also interrupted. For this pupose, while knife rollers (26, 29) continue to run, the web of material (21) is stopped after it has been conveyed beyond the severing point an amount corresponding to a follow-up portion (44). The knives (severing knives 30) of the knife rollers (26, 29) rotating further are moved out of their cutting position.

Abstract: Device for detecting the presence or the absence of an article in the recesses of the feeding disc of a wrapping machine for candies, comprising a nozzle emitting an air jet directed against the portion of said disc carrying the recesses. Opposite to the nozzle emitting the air jet, there is provided a target member which is operatively connected, through a mechanical connection or equivalent means, to an electrical sensor located in a protective housing. If a recess which cyclically moves across the air jet contains an article, the latter intercepts the air jet so that the target member and sensor will be left at rest. If a recess does not contain an article, the air jet will impinge against and cause the displacement of the target so as to change the status of the sensor.

Abstract: A system for synchronizing the operation between a filling unit for filling desired contents into bottles and a capping unit for capping the thus filled bottles in a bottle handling line is provided. The present synchronized driving system includes separate driving motors for separately driving the filling and capping units. The timing of operation of each of the filling and capping units is detected and its information is supplied to a micro-computer which then, after carrying out predetermined calculations, controls the operating conditions of the driving motors to keep the filling and capping units synchronized.

Abstract: Method of automatically changing reels (17,20) of strip material (15-21) in packaging machines, especially packaging machines (1) for cigarettes, equipped, along a feed line (2), with an ejection device (9) adapted for ejecting from said line (2) those objects (5) to be packaged that are defective and for determining a corresponding arresting of said strip material (15-21), the method providing for the utilization of said ejection device (9), in response to an end of reel signal emitted by a sensor (26,27), for determining the arresting of the associated strip material (15,21) so as to permit the changing of the reels (17,20) with strip (15,21) stopped and the subsequent recommencing of the feed of the strip (15,21) in perfect synchronism with the packaging line (2).

Abstract: A product line is provided for forming a sheet product composed of products such as bacon slices resting on a pre-cut thin substrate such as a sheet of paper. The substrate sheets are pre-cut to a predetermined length, and a flow of individual products and a flow of pre-cut sheets are coordinated such that the products deposit onto the pre-cut sheets in a predetermined pattern. The line may also include an assembly for reducing the flow rate of the thus formed sheet products, after which the reduced flow is conveyed to a stacking assembly for forming stacks of sheet products of a preselected size.

Abstract: Coiling and binding of telephone cordage is accomplished by rotating a turntable of an apparatus to coil a predetermined number of convolutions of cordage thereon. The coiling occurs while a deformable tie is wrapped about a previously coiled length of cordage which has been removed from the turntable and moved to a binding position. The coiled, bound length of cordage is removed from the binding position and ejected from the apparatus. At the same time, the cordage which has just been coiled is severed from a supply, is removed from the turntable in the coiling position, and is moved to the binding position to facilitate another cycle of operation in which the coiled cordage which has been moved into the binding position is bound and ejected while the leading end of a supply of cordage is secured to the turntable.

Abstract: The machine is disclosed for banding skeins or balls of bunched or wound material such as wool thread. The machine includes a banding apparatus comprised of a plurality of individual banding units connected in a closed loop chain. Each banding unit includes a closed loop endless belt driven by guide rollers. A pocket for receiving the skein or ball of material is formed by a portion of the endless belt. An entrance to the pocket is opened and closed by use of a movable guide roller. The skein or ball to be wrapped is placed into the pocket. A printed band is also placed into the pocket between the skein or ball and an edge wall of the pocket. The pocket is then closed as the belt is rotating. One end of the band has glue thereon so that as the pocket rolls the skein or ball and band, the band is wrapped around so that opposite ends of the band are glued to one another. The banding unit then continues around the closed loop as the glue dries.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is an apparatus for removing an irregular stack of coins for use in a coin packaging machine in which a packaging paper is wrapped around the peripheral face of a columnar stack of a predetermined number of accumulated coins and both the upper and lower ends of the packaging paper are inwardly bent to package the coins. In this irregular stack of coins removing apparatus, an electromagnet for operating a gate disposed on a discharge opening of a guiding spout for guiding coins to a packaged coin store box is actuated synchronously with discharge opening of a shutter device of an accumulating cylinder for accumulating a predetermined number of coins, which shutter device actuated in response to a detection signal emitted from a detector device disposed on the accumulating cylinder or a clear signal indicating the shortage of the number of coins, whereby irregular stacks of coins are not discharged into the coin store box.

Abstract: A package making machine of the vertical form, fill and seal variety has an electrical control system allowing the length of the package or bag made during each machine cycle to be controlled easily by manual adjustment of a control knob. In particular, the folded web tube from which packages are made is moved through the machine by a tube feeder driven during only a portion of each bag making cycle, the length of time during which the tube feeder is operated during each such cycle being varied to vary the package length. In addition to this control of package length via control of the tube feed time per bag making cycle, the electrical control circuitry may also include circuitry for controlling the package length in response to photoelectric detection of registration marks printed at regularly spaced points along the length of the web from which the tube is made.

Abstract: A loading machine and a method for loading small chip capacitors into apertures on an elongated plastic carrier strip are disclosed. The carrier strip is fed along a guide channel which supplies chip capacitors to a feed station. Below the feed station a punch punches apertures in the carrier strip and a gripper engages the strip to index it upwardly to the level of the feed station. A pusher arm at the feed station pushes each chip through the aperture in the carrier strip against a micrometer adjustment member behind the strip. A chip unloading machine is also disclosed in which a loaded carrier strip is fed through a guide channel to a pusher member which is cam operated under the control of an electrical timing mechanism that allows the pusher to push the chip capacitors out of their respective apertures at the proper time.