Abstract: The present invention is a modular system for packaging articles for shipment. In particular, a potted plant is sorted according to a grade, placed in a decorative cover, then automatically deposited into a protective sleeve. The potted plant thus packaged is ready for containment within a shipping carton. Various components of the system may be adapted for various packaging needs and circumstances.

Abstract: For the transportation of articles or of groups of articles between a fixed, predetermined receiving position (20) and a likewise predetermined, fixed set-down position (19), in particular within a folding carton (11) which is open at the top, use is made of a lifting conveyor (21) which transports a lifting head (18) back and forth exclusively along a predetermined inverted U-shaped movement path. The movement path is provided by: two upright vertical movement legs, namely in the set-down position (19), on the one hand, and on the other hand, in the receiving position (20); and a top, horizontal conveying section which interconnects the top of the two vertical movement legs and which is of unchangeable horizontal length.

Abstract: A machine for packing groups of cigarettes, wherein a step-operated first conveying device, having a pocket conveyor belt, a transmission pulley rotating about an axis of rotation, and a number of first conveying pockets, receives a given number of groups of cigarettes during a stop period, and feeds the groups, during a transfer period, to a continuous second conveying device having second conveying pockets and, for the second conveying pockets, a conveyor drum rotating about the axis of rotation; the first and second conveying pockets being aligned with each other and moving at the same speed during the transfer period.

Abstract: A wrapping apparatus is provided including a shuttle for orbital movement around an object to be wrapped, the shuttle carrying a feed roll from which a web of plastic film is drawn to wrap the object, the shuttle including a pre-stretching mechanism including: a braking roller mounted on the shuttle for rotation about an axis that is fixed relative to the shuttle; a stretching roller mounted on the shuttle for rotation about an axis which is fixed relative to the shuttle, parallel to the braking roller axis and spaced therefrom, the web being drawn directly from the feed roll around the stretching roller; drive transmission means connecting the rollers such that the surface speed of the stretching roller exceeds that of the braking roller; mandrel means for the rotational support of a feed roll of stretch wrap film mounted on the shuttle by guide means allowing the mandrel to move freely towards the braking roller under the influence of tension in a web of film drawn directly from the feed roll and passing ar

Abstract: An automated packaging system that can simultaneously process a single case or a plurality of cases and can be adjusted to accommodate packages and cases of various sizes. Individual packages are fed to the packaging system on the package conveyor. The packages are recognized by the system when they energize an electric eye which causes the package to be elevated above the conveying surface of the package conveyor and stopped below a pick and place mechanism. The individual packages are elevated by plates having upper surfaces that extend through slots in the conveying surface and are stopped by vacuum cups carried by the upper surfaces of the plates. The upper surfaces of the plates are inclined which causes the packages to climb the incline which functions to decelerate the movement of the package.

Abstract: A packaging device is disclosed for forming packaging cushions of the type that include a plastic bag filled with a solid foam, and wherein the cushions are initially formed of a plastic bag filled with a foamable material that reacts and then hardens to form solid foam. The device comprises means for advancing a sheet of plastic film material that has been center-folded to form a doubled web with one closed edge defined by the center fold and one open edge defined by the adjacent edges of the sheet. Means are included for injecting a foamable composition into the center-folded web between the two folded portions of the sheet, as are means for forming a substantially linear seal along the open edge and substantially parallel to the open edge to thereby longitudinally seal the open edge of the web.

Abstract: A method and unit for feeding collars for packets of cigarettes to a continuous packing line, whereby the collars, picked up successively and in steps by a transfer device, are transferred rapidly by the transfer device to a continuously-moving supply assembly, which feeds the collars successively to the packing line after squarely folding two lateral wings of each collar; the collars being fed on to the packing line with the lateral wings crosswise to a traveling direction of the line.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing bags on an automatic forming, filling and sealing (FFS) machine (100) wherein a tube (20) capable of forming walls (38, 40) of a bag is sequentially cut into portions by a cut which is approximately transverse with respect to the direction of movement of the tube (20). A fastener assembly (50) is attached to the cut end of that part of the tube (20) that is below the filling chute (110) of the FFS machine.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for accumulating specified weights of objects, such as apples, and delivering them to a plurality of off-load conveyors, the off-load conveyors delivering the apples to chutes which can then guide the apples into a single bagging apparatus. The flow of the apples on the chutes is controlled by a gate overlying all the chutes and a speed control brush that rotates at a desired speed to control the flow rate of the apples down the chute into the bagger. The apparatus and method are controlled by the interaction of a computer and a programmable logic controller.

Abstract: A method and apparatus automatically process currency documents. A stack of loose bank documents are placed on a feeder having a feeder arm which pushes the documents toward a continuous vacuum belt. The feeder arm is controlled by a lever arm connected to a potentiometer. The vacuum belt pulls documents from the stack, and moves the documents past a vacuum separator head and to a transport conveyor. The vacuum belt and the vacuum separator head are connected to the same vacuum supply. The transport conveyor moves the documents through inspection and sorting stations, and to various stacking units which stack the documents on platens. A strapping tape is curved to bend in a direction transverse to its length, and then a terminal end portion of the strapping tape is pushed through connected channels to direct the terminal end portion around three sides of a stack of the documents.

Abstract: A system and method for order packing forms a mixed pallet or a mixed multi-pack. In this system, a first embodiment utilizes a high volume module, a low volume module, a sorting and packing module, a prepackage module and a mixed palletizer module for picking, sorting, packaging and palletizing articles. In a second embodiment of the present invention, a bulk load can be fed via a carrousel to a bank of elevators. A transfer device will load different levels of the elevators which can then be moved adjacent a discharge conveyor. A lane is provided in this discharge conveyor for each of the elevators in the bank of elevators. The different levels of the elevators are positioned adjacent the lanes and can discharge articles onto the conveyor in order to form groups of the same or different types of articles. Many different types of articles including beverage containers such as cans, bottles or beverage boxes can use this system.

Abstract: An orientation device for vertically orienting products in a vertical form, fill and seal machine. It includes a product receipt station for receiving a plurality of unoriented products and a product discharge station for discharging a plurality of oriented products. The products are indexed in discrete groups from the product receipt station to the product discharge station, during which the products of each group are oriented with their longitudinal axes being essentially vertical.

Abstract: Systems and methods reorient head-to-head aligned leading and following articles to from an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. The leading and following articles are initially captured at their respective head portions, and thereafter laterally shifted relative to one another. The laterally shifted leading and following articles may then be pivoted so that their respective tail portions swing towards one another to thereby form an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. A moveable transfer tray may be brought into a position below the captured array of head-to-tail oriented articles so that upon their release, the array of a head-to-tail oriented articles falls by gravity and into the awaiting tray therebelow. The tray may then be retracted so as to carry the array of head-to-tail articles to a remote site, preferably above a transfer conveyor.

Abstract: A machine and method for packaging smoking articles provides an essentially hermetic enclosure of a barrier material around a charge of such articles in an open (incomplete) frame, by driving on the articles themselves to push them through a temporary wall of the barrier material with the previous imposition on them of the open frame at a framing station. Preferably the driving is by means of an indexing conveyor which is stationary immediately before the collection of the charge from a hopper, during the imposition of the frame and immediately before pushing the frame and charge through the temporary wall.

Abstract: The present invention may be utilized as a single station integrated with a standard form, fill and seal machine wherein at least two containers are conveyed along the machine simultaneously. The present invention is able to retrieve fitments from a source, apply the fitments to the containers, and seal the fitments to the container at a single station. The design of the present invention requires only minimal space on a form, fill and seal machine. In practicing the present invention, at least two anvils retrieve fitments from a source and then undergo offset rotation into the interior of two containers. The anvils, with the fitments attached, are then moved translationally to insert the fitments through incisions in the respective containers. Once the fitments are positioned therethrough the incision, sealers permanently attach the fitments to the containers.

Abstract: A process and apparatus are described for producing drawstring packets. The packets are produced by forming thread loops (L) with tags (T) attached to their ends and placing the packet web material (W) onto the portions of a the loops further from the tags. After securing the loops in their shaped form temporarily to one face of the web, the tags and the remaining portions of thread are placed on the other face of the web to be attached there releasably. In subsequent processing the secured loop portions lie inside the packets and the tags outside. The process allows relatively precise location of the loops so that packets can be produced with the loops in a peripheral channel (P) sealed from the contents of the packets but able to move to contract the package when the ends of the loop are pulled.

Abstract: A method is provided for selecting a predetermined number of articles from a plurality of articles and grouping the selected articles into an ordered group for delivery to an article packaging machine. The articles are moved at an infeed speed in series progressively along a path of travel and toward a pair of rotatable selector wheel assemblies located on opposite sides of the path. The articles are directed to the rotating selector wheel at a position where the velocity component of fingers attached to the wheel in the direction of the path of travel is equal to the infeed speed of the bottles. The fingers on the selector wheel engage selected ones of the bottles at this location and accelerate them smoothly and progressively to a machine speed that is greater than the infeed speed. The bottles are thus grouped together in separated groups and delivered to the packaging machine at the machine speed.

Abstract: A straw attaching apparatus for attaching straws to beverage-filled sheet bags, the apparatus comprising a transportation means for transporting the beverage-filled sheet bags, a supply means for supplying a straw stripe to the beverage-filled sheet bags, and a pressing means for respectively pressing a straw to a beverage-filled sheet bag, and a corresponding method. A second supply means is provided for supplying a second straw stripe, with a control unit matching the speeds and operational sequences of the transportation means of the first and second supply means such that the first supply means attaches straws to the first, third, fifth . . . sheet bag supplied, and the second supply means attaches straws to the second, fourth, sixth . . . sheet bag supplied.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing and packaging compressible materials. The compression is carried out continuously between parallel plates which come closer to each other as they advance. As the plates advance, the materials are accompanied by a lower packaging film and an upper packaging film which are joined at the sides of the compressed materials at the end of compression.

Abstract: A plate to facilitate the application of leverage forces onto the upper portions of a top line seal on a cereal bag in a carton, for example, whereby separating the upper bag portions and rupturing the seal can be effected by persons of limited manipulative strength as well as by those who encounter difficulty in opening such seals, whereby use of sharp implements is avoided. The plate includes a narrower slot for receiving the bag upper portions communicating with a wider central aperture whereat separating forces are applied. The plate is of sufficient width to permit the knuckles and fingers of the hand to bear against the plate for leverage when tearing the seal.