Abstract: An automatic pallet assembling system which includes a pair of conventional nailing machines for separately nailing each side of a pallet and conveying means for carrying the half-finished pallet between the nailing machines. The stringers and deck boards are automatically fed to the first nailing machine in the proper sequence for nailing. After nailing, the half-finished pallet is automatically turned over and offset with respect to its direction of movement before being fed to the second nailing machine where the final set of deck boards are automatically fed into position for nailing. With five personnel (including two inspectors) operating the assembly system, a production rate of up to eight pallets per minute can be achieved.

Abstract: Pitted olives are stuffed with an edible food that has been dried to facilitate its handling, and the dried food is reconstituted within the pitted olives by packing the stuffed olives in an aqueous solution. Drying an edible food, such as pimiento, is carried out to cause an increase in stiffness and a drying of the surface texture to permit gripping of the food without slipping. Also, a reduction in size will accompany the drying of the food particularly if air drying is used. With this reduced size condition of the food, greater clearance can be allowed between the walls of the olive pit cavity and the sides of the food to be inserted since the food will swell to a tight fit within the pit cavity upon subsequent reconstitution. The stiffness of the dried food will be greater than that of the olive adjacent the walls of the pit cavity so that the walls of the pit cavity will deflect outwardly to receive the dried food if the dried food is somewhat oversized or slightly out of alignment.

Abstract: Means for automatically positioning light sensing means relative to a linear series of light sensitive areas, e.g., apertures, on a longitudinally moving conveyor belt which is monitored by the sensing means. Rollers are used to receive the side edges of the belt, such rollers being freely rotatable so as to reduce the tendency of the belt edges to fray or otherwise degrade. The light sensing means and rollers are both mounted on a suspended frame means which moves transversely in response to transverse movements of the belt, whereby the sensing means is always aligned with the linear series of light sensitive areas on the belt.

Abstract: An improved coiled brush strip for a rotary broom of the type which might be used in a street sweeper. The broom generally comprises a cylindrical core and a coiled brush strip with the ends of the brush strip being secured to the opposite longitudinal ends of the core to securely tighten the brush strip upon the cylindrical face of the core. The brush strip includes a metallic channel element which receives a plurality of closely bunched, radially extending bristles throughout its length. The underside of said channel element, which engages the cylindrical face of the core, is provided with spaced protrusions which act to slightly space portions of the channel element from the core face.

Abstract: A container filling apparatus includes a system for flushing air from a container during the filling of the container with a liquid such as a carbonated beverage. The filling apparatus includes a chamber having a filling valve at the lower end thereof which chamber is adapted to be filled with the beverage and lowered into the container before release of the beverage through the filling valve. A gas passage is associated with the chamber and is controlled so as to direct a volume of inert gas into the container prior to the opening of the filling valve to purge the air from within the container. During the actual filling of the container with the beverage, the gas passage is blocked; however, just prior to the termination of the filling cycle, the gas passage is opened to create a slight amount of foam at the surface of the beverage in the filled container and to place a layer of gas at the very top of the container to prevent the subsequent contamination of the beverage.

Abstract: A conveyor advances an egg carton to an egg receiving station located beneath an egg delivery conveyor which is arranged to individually drop eggs into the carton pockets until one row of pockets in the carton is filled. The conveyor then indexes the carton forward, allowing the succeeding row or a succeeding carton to be filled in a similar manner. The conveyor is arranged to carry cartons made of thin plastic material, such material being very flexible and resilient and requiring special support upon the conveyor in order to absorb the shock of an egg dropped into a carton pocket. The conveyor includes a plurality of spaced carriers with each carrier supporting one egg carton and with each carrier including a plurality of support posts projecting upwardly from the body of the carrier for supporting the carton so that each egg pocket in the carton is suspended above the carrier by a distance that exceeds the downward deflection of the pocket when an egg is dropped therein.

Abstract: Particles flowing in a stream can be arranged in an order of classification extending transversely of the stream according to physical characteristics of the particles by self-screening and stratification which occur in response to a continuous vibratory feeding of the particles in a direction laterally of the direction of flow of the stream. Particles having similar physical characteristics will flow from a specific portion of the stream into a collecting receptacle having a plurality of compartments arranged in a line transversely of the stream for separately collecting as many stream portions as required to obtain the desired degrees of separation. Further particle assortment from each stream portion can be made in accordance with the particles trajectory of fall from the stream bed.

Abstract: A selective discharge mechanism for gently, yet positively, ejecting fruit or other damageable articles from a conveyor comprised of a spaced pair of thin supporting belts. The discharge mechanism includes a pair of rotary spiders which are positioned closely adjacent to and just inside of the upper runs of the supporting belts with each spider including three relatively flexible and radially extending arms equiangularly spaced 120.degree. apart and projecting from a central hub mounted for controlled rotary movement. A rubber abutment member is provided at the distal end of each of the arms for resilient contact with the undersurface of a fruit on the conveyor. The discharge mechanism is selectively triggered by signals which signify the approach of a fruit, and such signals may cause one of the spiders to be rotated through 120.degree.

Abstract: The cotton module builder comprises a mobile, open-bottomed rectangular frame structure into which field cotton can be deposited. A compacting mechanism is mounted at the open top of the frame structure in order to compress the cotton therein into a compact, self-supporting stack (or module) which can be left in the field when the module builder is moved to a new location. The stack can then be picked up later and transported to a cotton gin.An improved side frame structure for the module builder increases the structural rigidity thereof and includes a continuous side wall beam of triangular cross sectional configuration interconnecting the side wall struts. This beam provides high torsional resistance and minimizes the horizontal deflections at the base of the vehicle, especially when the rear door of the module builder is open as when the stack or module of cotton is being deposited in the field.

Abstract: A supply of hose-shaped wrapping material is pleated axially and fits telescopically about the outer surface of a forming tube. A portion of the wrapping material extends over the upper rim of the tube and downwardly through the tube bore to a position below the lower rim of the tube where it is fastened in a tightly gathered together manner. A gate, positioned below the lower rim of the tube, supports articles fed into the wrapping material in the tube bore. This gate is movable to a position which allows the articles and wrapping material to drop downwardly through the bore to a position below the gate. Such downward movement of the wrapping material draws another portion of wrapping material into the bore of the forming tube.