Abstract: A dough cutting and packing apparatus capable of processing and packaging dough products of differing dimensions includes a plurality of cutting plates supported adjacent one another to form an endless cutting unit. A container positioning mechanism positions a plurality of containers relative to the openings to receive the dough pieces after they are removed by the reciprocating packing mechanism. A servo motor drive actuation of both the cutter bar indexing drive system and the container advancement system allows for accurate positioning by reprogramming the servo drive for a particular product dimension rather than mechanically changing over to alternate equipment. A self-contained container advancement module can be removed and replaced with another container module suitable for delivering containers of different dimensions.

Abstract: A residual product removing apparatus which can prevent a liquid food (12) from flowing out even when a seal portion (S) is cut at its center. A pair of cutting rails (31, 32) are disposed in a cutting jaw (15a), and a cutter (21) is disposed in a clearance (33) formed between the cutting rails (31, 32) to be movable in advancing and retracting directions. A packaging material is cut at opposing portions (11a, 11b) when the cutter (21) is advanced. Dollies (31a, 32a) are disposed along the cutting rails (31, 32). A pair of heating bodies are disposed in a heat sealing jaw (15b) so as to squeeze and seal the opposing portions (11a, 11b) of the packaging material in cooperation with the dollies (31a, 32a). A groove (38) is formed between the heating bodies. The tip of the cutter (21) enters the groove (38) when the cutter (21) is advanced, and the tip of the cutter (21) presses the packaging material when the cutter (21) is located at its retracted position.

Abstract: A hollow heating head for insertion into an open, spouted, top end closure of a carton comprises an interior chamber with slot-form outlets for hot air supplied to the chamber. The slots include a U-shaped, narrow slot, or its equivalent, extending generally horizontally around two lateral vertical walls and an end vertical wall of the head. Each limb of the U-shape includes horizontal, upper and lower sections and a vertical intermediate section. The base of the U-shape is adjacent the lower sections, is at substantially the same level as the lower sections and is of a shallow V-shape in a vertical plane. The slots also include several vertically extending slots above each of the base and the lower sections of the U-shaped slot.

Abstract: Suture dispensers for retaining armed sutures are disclosed. The dispenser disclosed is comprised of two flat panels of material that each have a central opening. A needle park is provided so that the needle is visible in and accessible though the central openings. In preferred embodiments, the needle park is made of a thin sheet of clear material. Several alternate needle park designs are also disclosed. The two panels are preferably locked together using edge locks in the form of corresponding slits and tabs formed on the panels themselves. In addition to being inexpensive, easy to manufacture and easy to fill, the disclosed dispensers is much thinner than current designs and thus requires less storage and shipping space. Methods of loading dispensers are also disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatus for opening an envelope having a front panel, a back panel and a closing flap. The apparatus includes: a device for supporting the envelope in a substantially horizontal plane wherein the back panel is situated above the front panel; a device for holding the closing flap below the back panel; an opening horn for separating the back panel from the front panel, the opening horn being pivotable in a vertical plane; and a device for causing the horn to initially contact the closing flap and to pivot the horn into the envelope between the front and back panels, and to raise the horn inside the envelope, whereby the front and back panels are separated.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are providing for shredding and loading pre-portioned quantities of products, typically food products such as cheeses. The food product or the like is shredded at an on-line location which is a component of a filling and sealing line by which a plurality of pockets of packaging components are filled and then sealed under vacuum or gas-flushed conditions. The resulting pre-portioned shredded or grated product is moved into one of the pockets of the packaging component prior to the sealing operation. This movement is coordinated and in timed sequence with a conveyor assembly which properly positions the pocket under the fixture through which the grated product flows. Tamping equipment can be provided by which the grated product is leveled off while it is within the pocket and prior to sealing. Multiple pocket filling is also addressed.

Abstract: A device for sealing bags or packages in a heat-sealable plastic material containing a predefined portion of product, wherein a tubular strip is longitudinally fed and filled while said sealing device, by welding the opposite edges of said tubular strip, defines a plurality of packages individually containing said predetermined portion of product, said sealing device comprising two welding plates or elements transverse to said strip and opposite one to the other and which are carried by a respective mobile support element.

Abstract: A method of packaging thermoplastic hot melt adhesive compositions in a continuous process. The process is especially suited for hot melt pressure sensitive adhesives to provide convenient handling of such. The process includes the steps of: dispensing a thermoplastic composition into a hollow sleeve of thermoplastic film, wherein said film is submerged in a heat sink bath; sealing the molten thermoplastic composition filled composition; allowing the molten thermoplastic composition to cool and solidify while submerged in the heat sink bath.

Abstract: In the production of packs with an outer wrapping of plastic film, a continuous forced guiding of a web of material (13) and the blanks (12) produced therefrom is important. The web of material (13) is fed to a knife roller (20). In the region thereof, the blanks (12) are produced by severing. The web of material (13) or each blank (12) is fed to upright suction belts (25, 26) via a transfer roller (39) with suction bores (42). The suction belts (25, 26) are movable up and down relative to the knife roller (20) and transfer roller (39) for carrying out a change of format.

Abstract: A platen seal for a vertical form fill and seal machine which uses unsupported polyethylene films to wrap products which require absolute seal integrity. The platen includes a set of lateral seal members in the form of wings on the top and bottom of the platen to seal gaps between platen segments without causing burn through of the film.

Abstract: The seed packaging machine of this invention is mounted on a conventional plot combine. The harvested seed is blown to a receiving compartment where the seed is weighed and tested for moisture. A bag roll comprising a plurality of bag portions is fed through power rolls to a seed deposit station. A blower blows open the endmost bag and the seed is deposited in the bag portion. A sealing pressure bar is pivoted toward a thermal bar with the top of the bag portion therebetween to seal the bag. The bag is then released to drop into a storage bin. Bar codes are imposed on the bags and are scanned as they approach the deposit station. A computer is connected to all operating components to coordinate the sequential operation thereof. The range and row numbers of the harvested field are imposed on the computer memory, and the computer associates each bag containing harvested seed with the range and row from which the seed was harvested. The bags are perforated to facilitate subsequent drying of the seed.

Abstract: An umbrella fitting device permits a wet umbrella to be inserted into an umbrella sack by simple handling, enabling a visitor to utilize an umbrella sack free of charge. The device has a top open portion 6 and a vertically elongate front open portion 4, two shafts 9, 9 fixed in position on the interior of the device at a rear side thereof and extending to a location adjacent the front open portion, and pivot members 16, 17 arranged at opposite sides of the front open portion 4 for pivotal movement within a horizontal plane. The pivot members 16, 17 are normally maintained in a position such that the pivot members lie across the front open portion by elastic elements. Locking elements 14, 14 are operative to block the front end portions of the shafts 9, 9 when the pivot members lie across the front open portion 4 and to release the front end portions of the shafts 9, 9 when the pivot members 16, 17 pivot outward. An umbrella sack assembly has one-side open, elongate umbrella sacks A.sub.1, A.sub.

Abstract: An apparatus for unfolding a bifolded mailpiece comprises a pair of pivotable receiving wall for receiving a bifolded mailpiece, a pair of receiving wall cylinders for pivotally moving the receiving walls and a pair of spreader walls for spreading the bifolded mailpiece received between said receiving walls, the spreader walls being pivotally mounted and actuated by a pair of spreader wall cylinders, a ram being provided for moving the spreader walls along a vertical axis to cooperate with the receiving walls to unfold the mailpiece.

Abstract: A storage device for wrapping long and narrow items, such as loaves of French bread, green onions, umbrellas and other articles of similar dimensions, including a device body into which a plurality of wrapping bags are stored and means for opening such wrapping bags, one after the other, positioning an item to be stored therein and for removing such wrapping bag, with such item wrapped therein from such storage device.

Abstract: A sealing device for a packaging material tube has a pair of pressure arms 13 supported by a lift frame 11 each at a lower portion thereof and pivotally movable about respective parallel horizontal axes. A pair of sealing jaws 14 are fixed to the respective pressure arms 13 each at an upper portion of the arm so as to be opposed to each other. A high-frequency heating coil 18 is provided on one of the sealing jaws 14 for induction-heating an aluminum foil layer of the tube T present between the sealing jaws 14 as closed. A transmission-side primary coil 21 is fixedly disposed at one side of the path of vertical movement of the lift frame 11. A receiving-side secondary coil 22 is so disposed as to form a closed electric circuit along with the heating coil 18. The primary coil 21 and the secondary coil 22 are electromagnetically connected when the sealing jaws 14 are closed, and are electromagnetically separated when the jaws 14 are opened.

Abstract: Described is a yarn packaging station and method. Yarn spools are fed to an inclined table where they slide down into a predetermined configuration. A moveable yarn bagging station is adjacent the inclined table and between the inclined table and a boxing station. The apparatus and method are designed such that a yarn spool can be bagged and boxed in one fluid movement of the human operator's arm.

Abstract: A container apparatus and method of manufacture for same, in which the container includes an inner tube formed of plastics material, and an outer tube of one or more plies of material. The container is generally configured to lie flat, when in its unfilled condition. The container has a flat first end formed from flap members configured from one or more plies of the outer tube. The container is advantageously configured to enable opening of the first end of the outer tube to provide access to the inner tube.

Abstract: A sealing apparatus for packaging containers includes an anvil (23) for supporting a sealing fin portion (21), a horn (35) composed of a columnar portion and a converging portion (35b), and means for pressing said sealing fin portion (21) against the anvil (23) through the tip of the horn (35) and for transmitting ultrasonic vibration to the sealing fin portion (21). Ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the packaging material through the horn (35) so that each pair of opposing sealant layers is fused and sealed. In addition, means for absorbing ultrasonic vibration is disposed between the tip of the horn (35) and an edge portion (25) of the sealing fin portion (21) so that ultrasonic vibration is absorbed. When the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the sealing fin portion (21), the sealing fin portion (21) is excited to transmit the vibration toward the edge portion (25).

Abstract: An automatic packaging system closes and seals a hybrid box having end flaps with a narrow paper strip sealed to and around an inside perimeter of the box. A projecting edge of the narrow strip extends out of the box approximately as far as the outer edges of the end flaps. First, the end flaps are folded away from the narrow paper strip. A pair of spreading fingers move in synchronism with boxes while they are being carried by a conveyor. The spreading fingers are moved toward the boxes and inserted into a "bag" opening formed by narrow strip. The spreading fingers move apart for closing the projecting edges of the narrow strip and bringing the sides of the strip into face-to-face confrontation. There the sides are gripped and stretched to prevent puckers or pleats. While the projecting edges are so gripped in a face-to-face confrontation, they are sealed in order to close the "bag" opening formed by the paper strip.

Abstract: Guide blocks (20) having guide ribs (22) are moved by an endless chain (30) above and in synchronization with conveyor systems (11, 13) carrying groups (1) of containers. The guide blocks (20) and guide ribs (22) form channels for engaging the tops of containers in rows of an uncovered array (3) of respective groups (1) of containers as each group (1) of containers is pushed laterally across the conveyors (11, 13) into cartons (9) which are transported by a third conveyor system (15) which is also synchronized with the other conveyor systems (11, 13).