Abstract: A heat-sealable foil is shaped around a shaping pipe to form a tube and during removal from the shaping pipe is provided with transverse seams by means of transverse heating jaws. The resulting bags are filled by means of a fill pipe and a dosaging worm or auger. A conduit leads from the lower end of the shaping pipe to a bellows and to a bottle of protective gas. The bellows forms a closed chamber whose volume is periodically increased and reduced in the operating rhythm of the bag forming apparatus by means of drive members. Thus the pressure conditions at the end of the shaping pipe can be influenced periodically, so as to avoid that the filled or sealed bags contain undesirable air inclusions or, when filling under protective gas, so as to avoid greater losses of protective gas from leaking into the open air.

Abstract: A pneumatically operated stone-working tool has a tool drive, a spraying device for spraying the work area with a liquid and a control assembly for opening and closing the pneumatic line. The control assembly includes a valve plunger rotatably and linearly displaceably received in a chamber which is in the path of a pneumatic line feeding the tool drive and a liquid line feeding the spraying device. The plunger has a first linear position in which it maintains the pneumatic line closed regardless of the angular position of the plunger and a second linear position in which it maintains the pneumatic line open solely when the plunger is manually rotated into an "open" angular position. A force-exerting arrangement continuously urges the plunger towards its first linear position. The plunger has a work face so oriented that it is continuously exposed to a pressure of the liquid in that part of the chamber which is in communication with the liquid line.

Abstract: A separator device for separating from a succession of objects in a conveying path those objects having less than a desired length in the conveying direction, including an input channel via which the objects are conveyed to the separator device, an abutment member located downstream of the input channel for limiting movement of each object leaving the channel, a discharge path located below the input channel for conveying objects away from the device, and a mechanism which transfers each object in turn from the input channel to the discharge path while separating out each object which immediately follows an object being thus transferred and which has less than the desired length.

Abstract: An apparatus for making a container having an inner bag and an outer stiff box of prismatic shape and rectangular cross section. The apparatus includes a rotatably supported mandrel wheel having a plurality of radially extending mandrels of rectangular cross section. The mandrel wheel is intermittently advanced to sequentially introduce the mandrels into a plurality of work stations positioned about the mandrel wheel for sequentially working on the containers carried by the mandrels. In one work station each mandrel is provided with a circumferentially closed inner bag; in a successive work station a rigid blank is folded on each mandrel about the inner bag for forming the outer box. Each blank has four lateral sides, a large closing flap extending from one end of each side in the same direction, and a small right-angled flap extending from an opposite end of each side in the same, opposite direction.

Abstract: A system for feeding spaced, serially arranged articles to a plurality of article processing machines operatively connected to the system and including a plurality of normally, simultaneously operating article processing machines and a standby article processing machine for assuming the operation of a non-operating normal machine. Upstream of each normal article processing machine there is arranged an article aligning (row aligning) apparatus each provided with a deflector which directs, via conveyors, the articles either to the associated, normally operating machine or to the standby machine.

Abstract: A conveyor system for advancing groups of edgewise positioned flat articles includes a first conveyor having an outlet end; a second conveyor disposed at the outlet end of the first conveyor and being oriented transversely thereto; and a transfer apparatus including a transfer pusher for sequentially moving the article groups from the outlet end of the first conveyor onto the second conveyor; and an article group accelerator engaging and accelerating the article groups on the second conveyor along the conveying direction thereof prior to engagement and conveyance of the respective article groups by carriers of the second conveyor.

Abstract: In a twin packaging machine composed of two packaging units each including a folding device, an inlet path for feeding objects to be packaged to the device, a member storing a sheet of packaging material, a device for cutting successive packaging foils from the sheet, and an outlet path for the finished packages, the longitudinal axes of the inlet and outlet paths lying at least approximately in a common vertical plane, the sheets of packaging material are arranged in juxtaposition between the outlet paths of the units and are disposed to enter into the devices from the side opposite that at which the objects to be packaged enter the devices, the machine is provided with a support, and the inlet and outlet paths and the sheets of packaging material of the two units are symmetrically arranged relative to the longitudinal axis of the support.

Abstract: An apparatus for making, filling, closing and boxing bags includes a vertically oriented hollow mandrel about which a hose of sealable sheet is continuously formed, a device for cylindrically providing a transverse seam on the hose; a cutting device for cyclically severing the hose at the transverse seam for providing precedingly filled, sealed bags; a base plate situated underneath the mandrel for supporting thereon serially positioned and advanced, upright-oriented bag-receiving boxes open at their top and bottom; an opening provided in the base plate and aligned with the mandrel; and a vertically displaceably supported bag grasping device for penetrating through the opening into a box positioned underneath the mandrel and for downwardly pulling a filled and closed bag into the box.

Abstract: An article packing system includes a first conveyor for advancing a series of flat articles; at least two stack-forming devices for consecutively forming stacks of variable length from the articles received from the first conveyor; a second conveyor extending from the stack-forming devices for carrying away the stacks; a packing machine for packaging the article stacks received from the second conveyor and a scale for weighing the stacks of articles. The scale is in the conveying path of the second conveyor and is located downstream of the stack-forming devices and upstream of the packing machine as viewed in the direction of article advance on the second conveyor. The latter includes a mechanism for successively advancing the article stacks from the stack-forming devices towards the scale in a direction parallel to the plane of the flat articles. Further, the mechanism sequentially introduces the article stacks into the scale and subsequently advances them from the scale to the packing machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for the division-true, intermittent feed of a sheet of indeterminate length has a sheet supply roll; a table for receiving the sheet from the supply roll; a sheet tensioning device disposed between the supply roll and the table; an advancing device for advancing the sheet in each operational cycle through a forward feed stroke that is greater than the divisional distance defined by spaced markings on the sheet; a cutting device for cyclically severing a length from the sheet subsequent to the forward feed stroke; a reversing device for retracting the sheet in each operational cycle through a centering stroke subsequent to the forward feed stroke.

Abstract: A device for shaking packages each positioned with a downwardly oriented, recessed end face on an intermittently advanced conveyor (equipped with carrier elements for engaging and advancing the packages) has at least one vertically displaceable platform which is situated underneath the conveyor and which has a discrete outline dimensioned for engaging the recessed end face of the individual package. The platform is shifted into a raised state for thereby lifting the package off the respective carrier element by the recessed end face and then the platform is vertically reciprocated for shaking the package as it rests on the platform by the recessed end face.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes a first conveyor for advancing serially arranged, contacting articles; a second conveyor adjoining the first conveyor and including article pusher members for advancing the articles individually or groupwise spaced from one another; a circulating article advancing device for separating individual articles or article groups from the article series on the first conveyor and transferring them from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The motion of the circulating article advancing device is synchronized with the motion of the article pusher members of the second conveyor for effecting a take-over of the conveyance of the transferred articles by the article pusher members from the circulating article advancing device. The circulating article advancing device has article abutting members and article accelerating members arranged to engage simultaneously into a gap between a first article to be transferred and a second adjoining article contacting the first article.

Abstract: Apparatus for reducing the accumulation pressure between succeeding items being conveyed in succession along an accumulation path to a receiving device, composed of a device for controlling the advance of items along the accumulation path in a manner to produce gaps between successive items in the conveying direction along the accumulation path, and a sensing unit disposed for monitoring the length of each gap and connected to the control device for causing the rate of supply of items to the outlet end of the accumulation path to be higher than the rate at which items are being conveyed from the accumulation path to the receiving device for a selected time period following each occurrence of a gap length exceeding a selected value, and to be lower than the rate at which items are being conveyed from the accumulation path to the receiving device at all other times, whereby a cyclic variation in gap length is produced between successive gaps.

Abstract: An apparatus for stacking filled flat bags advanced thereto in at least one coherent row forming a bag web of indeterminate length, comprises an advancing arrangement for feeding the bag web vertically downwardly; an orienting arrangement for imparting a back-and-forth oscillating motion on the downwardly advancing bag web; a collecting arrangement situated below the orienting arrangement in the path of the bag web for receiving the bag web in zigzag-folded layers; and a synchronizing arrangement for coordinating the operational speed of the advancing arrangement with that of the orienting arrangement for determining the length of the zigzag-folded layers deposited on the collecting arrangement.

Abstract: Stacks of flat items, such as cookies, are formed by conveying the items in successive pockets along a conveying path and moving vertical rod assemblies parallel to the conveying path but at a different speed from the pockets so as to cause the rods to engage items in each pocket and push them onto items in an adjacent pocket, whereby each rod assembly forms a stack of progressively increasing height as the pockets and rod assemblies travel along a common path.

Abstract: A conveyor system for charging at least two processing machines with flat items includes a trunk conveyor belt; at least eight parallel, spaced channels oriented in the conveying direction of the trunk conveyor belt for guiding the items on the trunk conveyor belt in at least eight rows; and a separate feeder aligned with each channel for receiving the items from the associated channel and for depositing identical groups of items on at least two conveyor tracks arranged above and transversely to the trunk conveyor belt for advancing the item groups to the processing machines arranged at a respective discharge end of the conveyor tracks. With each feeder there is associated a separate ramp; each ramp has an inlet end adjoining the trunk conveyor belt for receiving the items from the associated channel and an outlet end operatively coupled with the associated feeder for introducing the items thereinto from the associated ramp.

Abstract: An apparatus for cyclically dosing bulk goods for filling sequentially advanced receptacles has a dosing auger; an electric disc rotor motor connected to the auger to rotate the same and arranged to be electrically braked; a blocking device having an actuated state in which it prevents rotation of the auger and an idle state in which it permits rotation thereof; and a control device for setting the blocking device in the actuated state for blocking rotation of the auger after being brought at least approximately to a standstill by electric braking and thereafter maintaining the blocking device in the actuated state until the beginning of a successive dosing cycle.

Abstract: A sealing shoe assembly for forming a seam, by application of heat and pressure, on face-to-face arranged sheets disposed between a backup support and the sealing shoe assembly cooperating with the backup support has an elongated carrier and a sealing shoe supported on the carrier. The sealing shoe is formed of at least two sealing shoe parts which are arranged on the carrier in longitudinal alignment with respect to one another and which are individually and resiliently secured to the carrier.

Abstract: An apparatus for sealing and cutting a hose-like wrapper having serially arranged filled pockets and transverse zones therebetween includes oppositely rotating, cooperating clamping shoes between which the wrapper passes for pressing together and transversely sealing opposite wrapper walls in the transverse zones by providing a seam therein. A knife is secured to one of the clamping shoes and a backup support is secured to the other of the clamping shoes. The knife has a first cutting edge cooperating with the backup support for transversely separating wrapper packages from one another by providing a severing cut in each transverse zone. The knife further has at least one second cutting edge adjacent the first cutting edge for providing a cut in each transverse zone adjacent the severing cut to facilitate a manual tearing-open of the seams.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the speed of operation of a machine for packaging objects, such as cookies, in groups, in order to assure a sufficient supply of objects to the machine while preventing an undue accumulation of objects in front of the machine intake. The apparatus includes sensors providing signals indicating the passage of objects past selected points along the input path to the machine. It also includes a signal processor for receiving those signals and producing output signals which act to stop the machine when an insufficient number of objects is present in front of the machine intake and to increase the machine processing speed when the accumulation of objects in front of the machine intake increases above a selected magnitude.