Abstract: A wrapping material of the horizontal form, fill and seal type has, positioned between a horizontal tube former which forms a web of wrapping material into a tube with a longitudinal bottom joint and an infeed conveyor which advances articles to be wrapped at regular intervals towards the tube former, a platform on which the articles are temporarily supported until pushed off it into the tube former by succeeding articles delivered by the infeed conveyor.

Abstract: A sweet wrapping machine includes a continuously rotating feed disc (12) having regularly pitched sweet-receiving pockets (13), a continuously rotating wrapping wheel (44) having pockets (43) spaced at a greater pitch than the pockets in the feed disc, and a continuously rotating transfer wheel (16) including pockets (15) which receive the sweets from the pockets in the feed disc and transfer them to the pockets of the wrapping wheel. The pockets (15) are on the ends of arms (25) which are shifted during rotation of the transfer wheel from a spacing conforming to the pockets in the feed disc to a spacing conforming to the pockets of the wrapping wheel.

Abstract: A machine for packaging tea includes a rotary dispensing drum having rows of circumferentially spaced pockets into which tea flows by gravity through outlets at the bottom of a hopper. The tea is deposited in piles from the pockets on a web of packaging material which travels in contact with the periphery of the drum. The portion of the hopper containing the outlets is movable in relation to the drum so as to vary the effective area of the outlets and therefore the size of the deposited piles of tea.

Abstract: The feed of a sheet of biscuit dough via gauge rollers to cutting apparatus is automatically adjusted to compensate for variations in the thickness of the sheet emerging from the gauge rollers, by measuring the power consumed by or the torque applied to an electrical drive unit driving the gauge rollers, producing an electrical signal proportional to the measured power or torque, and utilizing the signal to adjust the feed of the sheet and correct over- or under-feed to the gauge rollers.

Abstract: The invention relates to confectionery moulding apparatus through which moulds, each containing at least one mould cavity having minute holes in its base, are traversed successively by a conveyor. After filling with confectionery and subsequently cooling the moulds pass in inverted relation beneath a demoulding unit which blows air through the holes in the bases of the mould cavities to eject the confectionery from the cavities. To reduce the force required for demoulding each mould has a backing plate spaced from the perforated base of the mould cavity or each mould cavity to define an air chamber and the demoulding unit includes an air pipe which is brought into sealing engagement with a hole in the backing plate of each mould to deliver air into the chamber and so effect demoulding.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring batches of biscuits (11) in succession from a magazine (10) to the infeed conveyor (28) of a wrapping machine which includes a transfer unit which includes a platform (15), a support (17) for the batch (12) of biscuits to be transferred, a jaw (21) and side clamps (24). After transfer of a batch of biscuits to the transfer unit at a loading station, the jaw and the clamps are applied to the batch. The transfer unit then moves to a discharge position at which the jaw and the clamps are withdrawn to allow the biscuits to fall onto a deadplate (26).

Abstract: In order to improve the thermal efficiency of a multi-zone, indirect-heated, travelling baking oven, with a closed-circuit gas heating system which heats at least the major part of the length of the oven and which includes at least two heaters which are spaced apart in the direction of gas flow in the heating system, the gas flow is passed along the bottom of the oven to adjacent the delivery end of the oven and then back along the top of the oven, the temperature generally falling throughout the circuit so that the maximum bottom heat is adjacent the input end of the oven and the maximum top heat is adjacent the delivery end of the oven.

Abstract: A processor has a working receptacle with a part-spherical internal wall. There is a working element which can execute either simple rotary motion about a single axis or planetary motion about two axes which intersect at the geometric center of the part-spherical internal wall. There are control means for enabling simple rotary motion or planetary motion to be effected.Dough is worked by hydrating the mix and then completing development at a substantially greater energy input rate. The hydration stage can be considered as being carried out at such an energy input rate that substantial relaxation of the dough occurs, the development completion stage being considered to be carried out at an energy input rate at which no substantial relaxation of the dough occurs. Alternatively, in a more specific idea, the hydration stage is carried out using a working element with a planetary motion and the development completion stage is carried out using a working element with simple rotary motion.

Abstract: In the manufacture of sweets from a continuous rope of toffee or like confectionery material and the wrapping thereof in suitable wrapping material, it is customary to ensure that the feed of the rope is interfered with in the event of any interference with the supply of wrapping material. The present invention provides such interference by substantially instantaneously removing driving contact between the rope and the rope-driving surface, thus substantially preventing unwrapped sweets from coming into contact with the wrapping elements.

Abstract: A sweet-forming and wrapping machine includes feed rollers for feeding a rope of candy to a cutting mechanism and mechanism for transferring sweets cut from the leading end of the rope to a wrapping wheel, a wrapper being fed into the path of transfer of each sweet to the wrapping wheel. A detector operates in response to failure of the wrapper feed to stop the machine and also to divert the rope instantaneously out of its normal path of travel towards the cutting mechanism.

Abstract: A skin package wherein an article is enclosed between layers of thermoplastic film joined by heat sealing around the perimeter of the article and including at one side a strip, enclosed between the layers and projecting from them, which is heat sealed to one layer only and is non-adherent or only lightly adherent to the other layer.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding a number of wrapping machines with chocolate bars or the like, produced continuously and advancing end-on in a procession in more or less regular files and rows comprising a series of successive modules which feed the individual wrapping machines. The modules are preceded by a separator which channels the procession into separate lanes. The modules form part of a conveyor system which advances the articles continuously along a horizontal path. The modules operate in succession to lift the articles in the associated lane from the horizontal path and deliver them to an intermittently travelling cross conveyor leading to one of the wrapping machines. When any packaging machine is unable to accept articles, the articles lifted by its module are returned to the horizontal feed path and the cross conveyor of that module is stopped.

Abstract: A depositor deposits cooked toffee into a series of advancing moulds by means of a pump which pumps the toffee through the outer nozzle of a pair of concentric nozzles. After each discharge stroke of the pump, a pulse of heated compressed air is blown through the inner nozzle to separate the deposited portion of toffee from the toffee remaining in the nozzle.

Abstract: Center-filled bars of confectionery are made by making successive deposits of shell and filling materials into adjoining cavities of moulds moved in succession beneath coaxial depositing nozzles. The cavities in each mould are separated by webs over which shell material overflows so that successive deposits join together to form in each mould a bar having a flat base.

Abstract: A wrapping machine comprising an intermittently rotating wrapping wheel having individual pockets for receiving in succession an article to be wrapped and a wrapper, the wrapping wheel being operative during its rotation to fold the wrappers partially around the articles and to bring the pockets, each containing a partially wrapped article, in succession to a transfer station, and a continuously moving conveyor carrying a series of pushers, said pushers being arranged to move through the pockets of the wrapping wheel in succession as they reach and while they are stationary at the transfer station, to withdraw the partially wrapped articles from the pockets and traverse them in succession through a final wrapping station at which the wrap is completed.

Abstract: A wrapping machine having feed rollers for introducing a web of wrapping material into a wrapping mechanism and including a reel changing device comprising a support mounted on the machine frame, mountings on the support for two reels of wrapping material, guiding means on the support for guiding the webs from the two reels to respective separate draw-off points, the support being movable with respect to the machine frame between alternative positions, in one of which the draw-off point of one web is close to the feed rollers and in the other of which the draw-off point of the other web is close to the feed rollers, and means for locking the support to the machine frame in each of its two alternative positions, the mountings for the reels and the guiding means for the reels being so disposed that, when one reel is feeding wrapping material, a replacement reel placed on the other mounting is accessible to enable the web thereon to be fed through its guiding means to its draw-off point.

Abstract: A method of inhibiting the gross build up of a cold setting foundry sand mixture in a mixing machine in which a fluid inhibitor is discharged into the machine while the machine is substantially empty to prevent or retard the setting of the foundry sand mixture.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of lollipops or like sweets directly from a rope of toffee or the like which briefly comprises feeding the toffee rope into register with successive pockets of a forming conveyor for a leading portion of the rope to be severed and received by each pocket in turn to form an individual sweet, sticks being inserted successively into the sweets thus formed to complete the individual lollipops. An object of the invention is to ensure that the positional relationship between the stick and the sweet is accurately maintained during the various steps in the formation of the lollipop. This object is achieved according to the invention by resiliently nipping each stick against a guiding surface at each stage in the formation of the lollipop from the stick-inserting position to the delivery of the completed lollipop.

Abstract: A rotary moulding machine for biscuit dough of the kind comprising a pair of co-operating rolls defining the bottom of a dough hopper, one roll having an embossed surface for feeding dough downwardly and into contact with the surface of the other or moulding roll which is formed with moulding recesses, and a scraper blade mounted to bear against the surface of the latter roll so as to press dough into the moulding recesses and remove excess dough from the remainder of the surface, includes the improvement that the scraper blade is carried by a pivoted mounting capable of infinitely variable adjustment along a path which guides the mounting in a direction having at least a substantial vertical component and a biasing arrangement is provided which exerts a turning moment on the mounting about the pivotal axis so as to press the scraper blade against the surface of the moulding roll.

Abstract: A skin packaging machine for the continuous production of air-free skin packages comprising a suction box, a perforated conveyor for traversing over the suction box an imperforate lower web of thermoplastic material carrying spaced articles to be packaged, means for feeding a heated imperforate upper web of thermoplastic material towards the lower web and guiding its edges into contact with the upper surface of the lower web as the latter travels over the suction box and a thermoforming unit, disposed between a supply reel for the lower web and the conveyor, which is operative to impose a dimpled upper surface on the lower web, said thermoforming unit being constituted by a heated drum and an adjoining thermoforming drum around both of which the lower web is passed, and the thermoforming drum having an air-permeable and dimpled peripheral surface and including means for applying suction to the interior thereof.