Abstract: An article metering device, and a method of metering articles, is disclosed. The article metering device is positioned along a path of travel at a downstream end of a feed conveyor, and at an upstream end of a take-away conveyor of an article handling and packaging system. The article metering device is constructed and arranged to accumulate a first queue of articles on the feed conveyor, to accumulate a second queue of articles on the take-away conveyor, to space the respective articles within the second queue of articles from one another, and to then selectively advance selected ones of the articles within the second queue of articles along the path of travel for being carried on the take-away conveyor toward an infeed conveyor of a downstream packaging machine.

Abstract: An improved article packaging machine, and method of using same to prevent the formation of empty or defective packages is disclosed. The rotational position of the drive axis (45) of a film feed drive (44), and the drive axis (53) of a cutting head drive (52) are mapped with respect to one another in a base rotational position relationship, whereupon both of these drive axes are mapped to the rotational position of the drive axis (41) of an infeed conveyor drive (40) in a slave/master relationship, respectively. A machine controller (34) then calculates at least a first position control trajectory profile, and establishes a first rotational position relationship of the drive axes with respect to one another.

Abstract: An end seal wrapping machine (10), and method of forming an end seal in a spaced series of articles (A) moved therethrough, is disclosed. The wrapping machine has a first rotating shaft (40) on which at least a first upper sealing and crimping head (41a, 41b) is positioned, with a spaced second counter-rotating shaft (81) on which a second opposed sealing and crimping head (82a, 82b) is positioned. The wrapping machine is supplied with a regularly spaced series of articles which are substantially enclosed in a continuous tube (27) of packaging film (20) upstream of the sealing and crimping heads. The articles in the tube of packaging film are passed between the sealing and crimping heads for being wrapped within the film. The first sealing and crimping head includes an elongate knife (43) formed as a part thereof, with an elongate platen (92) formed as a part of the second sealing and crimping head, and opposed to the knife.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming groups of work products from a row of closely spaced, aligned, and a vertical edge standing work products is disclosed. A separator knife (37) is inserted into the row of edge standing work products (25) in timed relationship with the movement of the row of work products on a feed conveyor (9) and along a path of travel (P) at a speed and direction substantially the same as the speed and direction of the work products. The separator knife is stopped at a home position (53) fixed along the path of travel for accumulating at least a portion of the row of work products on the feed conveyor upstream of the home position, as the remainder of the row of work products is moved along the path of travel away from the separator blade thus forming a first group (G) of work products. The apparatus includes a spaced series of knife assemblies (36), each knife assembly having separator knife (37).

Abstract: A rotary motion feeder for use in placing work products into one of the flights of a feed conveyor of a packaging machine is disclosed. The rotary motion feeder includes a planetary feeder assembly supported on a framework, the planetary feeder assembly being moved in timed relationship with the feed conveyor. The planetary feeder assembly includes a plurality of upwardly extending planetary shafts, each planetary shaft having a feed paddle mounted on the end thereof, the feed paddle being constructed and arranged to at least partially extend through a comb plate formed as a part of a feed magazine for stripping work products therefrom, and moving the work products through an arcuate path into one of the flights of the feed conveyor as it moves along the path of travel through the packaging machine. The rotary motion feeder is also constructed and arranged to move horizontally stacked work products into the flights of the feed conveyor.

Abstract: A temperature measurement and control apparatus (7) and a packaging film loading apparatus (9) for use in a horizontal packaging machine (5). The packaging machine includes a pair of counter-rotating sealing and crimping head assemblies (22, 23), each of which includes a plurality of sealing and crimping heads (32, 36), respectively, which are rotated past a first infrared sensor assembly (57) or a second infrared sensor assembly (61), respectively, for measuring the temperature thereof Each sealing and crimping head includes a generally arcuate sensing arc (80) mounted at the first end (77) thereof, the sensing arcs being rotated past either an upper infrared sensor (59) or a lower infrared sensor (63).

Abstract: A cookie tray loading machine (5) constructed and arranged to divert a single file lane of cookies (12) moved along an infeed conveyor belt (9) into a plurality of separate and generally parallel lanes (34) of cookies, which are formed as rows (44) of cookies on a plurality of alignment belt assemblies (36) and spaced apart from each preceding row of cookies, each row of cookies being placed onto a tray loading conveyor belt (46) and moved toward a tray loading station (60) for placement directly into a packaging tray (62), is disclosed. The loading machine includes a sweep arm diverter assembly (20) having a sweep arm diverter (21) directly driven by a sweep arm servomotor (23), a first lane alignment arm assembly (26) and a second and opposed lane alignment arm assembly (30) for aligning the cookies into the separate lanes of cookies, and an alignment belt assembly (36) for each lane of cookies.

Abstract: A temperature measurement and control apparatus (7) and a packaging film loading apparatus (9) for use in a packaging machine (5). The packaging machine includes a pair of counter-rotating sealing and crimping head assemblies (22, 23), each of which includes a plurality of sealing and crimping heads (32, 36), respectively, which are rotated past a first infrared sensor assembly (57) or a second infrared sensor assembly (61), respectively, for measuring the temperature thereof. Each sealing and crimping head includes a generally arcuate sensing arc (80) mounted at the first end (77) thereof, the sensing arcs being rotated past either an upper infrared sensor (59) or a lower infrared sensor (63).

Abstract: A cookie flipping apparatus (23) for conveying a series of cookies (31,33) along a processing path from an upper level surface conveyor (51) to a main lower level surface conveyor (24), and for inverting, or flipping, selected cookies of the series with a flip plate (54) as they drop from the upper level surface conveyor to the lower level surface conveyor, so that a predetermined quantity of cookies can be packaged in an edge-standing upright stacked relationship with the top surface of the endmost cookies facing outwardly from the quantity of cookies.

Abstract: A metering device is provided that is able to engage and release food stuff items that are being conveyed on a conveyor belt such that the relative positions of the multiple food stuff items on the conveyor belt are spaced at a predetermined interval. In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the metering device is used in combination with a sensing device that is located upstream of the metering device. The sensing device is able to detect the presence of a food stuff item upstream of the metering device such that the sensing device is able to control the engagement and release of the downstream food stuff items.

Abstract: Cookies (30) of uniform but irregularly shaped perimeter are received from the cookie oven in a horizontal as-baked attitude onto a first surface conveyor (19). As the cookies are passed to successive surface conveyors 920) and (21) operating at successively decreased velocities, the cookies are raised to an edge standing attitude abutting one another. Laser detecting means (24-26) are positioned above the conveyors (19-21), and measure the height of the edge stacked cookies and adjust this height by varying the speed of the successive conveyors (19, 20 and 21). A counting means (28) at the discharge end of conveyor (21) counts out a predetermined number of cookies to be placed upon the loader (16) for loading into a cookie tray (104), and a pair of separator blades (42, 43) separates these cookies on the loader from the cookies remaining on surface conveyor (21). A cookie tray (104) is positioned under the loader (16) by a cookie tray conveyor (18).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for diverting lines (19) of cookies (11) being carried on an automated processing line (12) to a standby cookies processing station (18) when the primary processing station (14, 16 or 17) for the cookies (11) has become inoperable. When a primary processing station (14, 16 or 17) breaks down, the vertical diverter conveyors (33, 34 and 36) over which the lines (19) of cookies (11) are moving toward the inoperative primary processing station (14, 16 or 17) are tilted downwardly to divert the cookies (11) from their normal path of movement. A plurality of lateral diverter conveyor system (46) is moved into alignment with the downwardly tilted vertical diverter conveyors (33, 34 and 36). The lateral diverter conveyor system (46) receive the cookies (11) from the downwardly tilted vertical diverter conveyors (33, 34 and 36) and route the cookies (11) toward a standby processing station (18 ).

Abstract: Cookies (15) are carried in random spaced series on a surface belt conveyor (11) toward the delivery end of the conveyor. The cookies are diverted by diverter (18) to one side of the conveyor until a predetermined number of the cookies has been counted, whereupon the diverter diverts the cookies to the opposite side of the conveyor. The group of cookies on one side of the surface conveyor moves downwardly about the delivery end of the conveyor belt, between the overhead conveyor belts (25) and (26), so as to change the cookies from a horizontal attitude to an edge standing attitude, and the groups of cookies are received in edge standing attitude in the receptacles (58) or (59). The receptacles progressively move outwardly beneath the delivery end of the surface conveyor as the cookies are counted by photocells (28) or (29), and air nozzles (65) or (66) direct a stream of air toward the last received cookie to hold the cookie in an edge standing attitude.

Abstract: Cookies 20 having irregularly shaped upper surfaces are received in an as-baked, horizontal attitude from the cookie oven first on a slick top belt conveyor 10, then on an edge abutment belt conveyor 11, where the cookies are delivered in edge abutment relationship to a timing belt 12. The timing belt delivers the cookies to cookie loading wheel 14 which reorients each cookie in series from the as-baked, horizontal attitude to an edge standing attitude and aligns each cookie with the preceeding cookie in the cell 56 or 57 of a turret 15. Once the cookies have been properly aligned in an edge standing attitude, the cookies are urged by the loading wheel into the cell, and after a predetermined number of cookies have been properly loaded, the turret is inverted so as to drop the cookies into an awaiting cookie tray 65.

Abstract: Cookies (18) and the like are moved in a horizontal, as-baked attitude from an oven and are automatically loaded in edge standing attitude in the semicylindrical cavities of a tray (146). The cookies are received in series from the cooling belt (19) that leads away from the oven onto a slick top belt, then moved in sequence to a backlog belt conveyor (22), to a timing belt conveyor (24), to a pin conveyor (12), to a loading wheel (13) and into a loading cell (106) of a turret. The slick top belt operates at approximately the same speed as the cooling belt leading away from the oven, and the backlog belt operates at a slower speed as necessary than the slick top belt so as to accumulate the cookies in edge-to-edge relationship. When the supply of cookies on the backlog belt has accumulated to the point where they are backing up on the slick top belt, the operational speed of the system is increased so that the speed of operation matches the operation of the oven.