Abstract: Cardboard packing cases, which have been loaded with bottles or the like, are fed to apparatus for severing the top flap connecting tabs at diagonally opposite corners of the case. These tabs are provided to hold the top flaps of the case in place during loading, but must be severed prior to closing and/or gluing of the top flaps at a succeeding stage in the packaging of the product. The apparatus includes an infeed station where the cases are separated, by slowing each case on a flight bar conveyor having its flights spaced less than the length of the case, and side belts accelerate the case to match the speed of a pocket chain conveyor. The case has its forward end lifted, and opposite corners tilted, on this pocket chain conveyor to spread the top flaps at the two corners of the case without connecting tabs. Guide plates on either side of the pocket chain conveyor serve to guide the case so that fixed knives cut both tabs without necessity for turning the case through 90 degrees.

Abstract: In a case packer lanes are provided for advancing articles into a grid structure where they are segregated for packing into upwardly open packing cases positioned on a lift table associated with the packer. A line brake assembly is provided to interrupt the flow of articles during the actual packing step, and the line brake disclosed is conveniently adjustable in height to accommodate articles of different size. Individual brake subassemblies clamp the endmost articles in several side-by-side lanes, and all of these are driven by a single air cylinder. Down bottle detectors determine when an article falls down, and these detectors are mounted in the same vertically adjustable line brake assembly. The lane defining structure is adjustable to accommodate articles of different diameter, and the detectors themselves are also movably mounted for convenient adjustment to accommodate articles of different diameter.

Abstract: A finger assembly includes a finger holder supported in depending position on a horizontal rail for adjustable positioning therealong. Flexible fingers extend downwardly and outwardly from the holder and are clamped thereto by a retaining member, received within a downwardly opening cavity in the holder, and a single clamping screw, secured to and extending upwardly through the retaining member and engaging the holder. The fingers are releasably retained in depending position on the retaining member so that the fingers, the retaining member, and the clamping screw may be inserted into and removed from the holder as a unit. The clamping screw is accessible from and a position below the assembly.

Abstract: A finger assembly includes a finger holder supported in depending position on a horizontal rail for adjustable positioning therealong. Flexible fingers received in associated slots in the holder extend downwardly and laterally outwardly from the holder and are clamped thereto by a retaining member, positioned below the holder, and a single clamping screw, extending upwardly through the retaining member and engaged with and secured to the holder. Different size retaining members may be used to vary the lateral pitch of the fingers. A single finger may be removed from the holder for repair or replacement by loosening the clamping screw which is accessible from the position below the holder.

Abstract: Cases are accumulated in end-to-end relationship on a continuously driven infeed conveyor and stop means is provided adjacent the downstream end to selectively advance several cases in a group onto a pusher conveyor of the endless chain type. A lift table at the downstream end of the pusher conveyor raises these cases upwardly at a packing station where they are loaded with slugs of articles appropriately segregated for being dropped into the upwardly open packing cases in accordance with conventional practice. The packer accommodates the cases in each group in indexed relationship to one another and means is provided for so indexing the end-to-end cases. The endless pusher conveyor is spaced downwardly of the level of the cases on the infeed conveyor such that the second case in a group of two cases is received in a canted configuration with its leading edge supported on the top of the pusher associated with the first case.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting and clearing a jam of articles at the entrance to an article lane divider is provided which includes a plurality of parallel guides defining lanes for articles and conveyor means operative to advance articles toward the entrance to the lanes and to move the articles in the lanes. Detecting means are also included for detecting a jam of articles at the entrance to the lanes along with means for moving at least one of the parallel guides transversely to the direction of travel of the articles in response to the detection of a jam of articles at the entrance to the lanes by the detecting means, thereby breaking up the jam and permitting the articles to proceed into the lane divider.

Abstract: An apparatus for straightening cell-forming partitions within a carton or the like is provided by a mandrel in a partition straightening station having cones disposed thereon which project towards the open top of the carton. The mandrel is moved towards the carton and the cones enter the carton; at least one of the cones is longer than the other cones and is adapted to enter an inner cell formed by the partition; the shorter cones then enter the outermost cells formed by the partition. The partitions are thus aligned to receive products in the cells formed thereby.