Abstract: A wrapper for a floral grouping comprising a first and a second sheet of material. The first sheet of material is constructed of a polymer film, metal foil, fabric, denim, cellophane or burlap. The second sheet of material is constructed of a paper. At least one of the first and the second sheets of material includes a closure bonding material on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of such sheet of material. The second sheet of material is disposed adjacent the first sheet of material and the two sheets of material then are wrapped about the floral grouping with the closure bonding material bondingly engaging a portion of at least one of the first and the second sheets of material for cooperating to secure the first and the second sheets of material in a wrapped condition about the floral grouping to form the wrapper.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading an article into a bag. The apparatus comprises a loading station which is positioned adjacent a conveyor carrying the articles to be filled in the bags. The loading station comprises a bag delivery plate, a bag bottom opening plate, a bag opening plate and a pusher arm. The bags are folded flat and stored in a hopper. The bag delivery plate retrieves a bag from the hopper and holds the bag in the loading station. The bag bottom opening plate engages the bottom panel of the bag, while the bag opening plate engages a facing panel of the bag. The bag is opened by actuating the bottom and opening plates. When the bag is open, the pusher arm pushes the article from the conveyor into the opened bag. The filled bag is then moved to another conveyor for packing.

Abstract: An apparatus for folding the minor flaps of an unfolded sleeve around an item to be packaged, thereby minimizing the amount of handling required. The apparatus folds a sleeve around the item to be packaged. The sleeve has four walls, each wall having a lower edge defining a lower perimeter, and further having a first and second unfolded panel extending downwardly from the walls. The apparatus comprises a first fold bar located upstream of the box, and a second fold bar located downstream of the box. Each fold bar has a folding portion located at substantially the same height as the perimeter, such that when the fold bar is moved into contact with an unfolded panel, the fold bar contacts and folds an unfolded flap into the plane of the perimeter. In a preferred embodiment, the first fold bar is moved into contact with a first panel, and the sleeve is moved downstream to cause the second fold bar to contact the second panel.

Abstract: A sticky element, comprising a sticky element having an insect-attracting color and an insect-attracting scent, the sticky element comprising sufficient sticky qualities to cause an insect to become permanently attached to the sticky element when any portion of the insect contacts with the sticky element, the sticky element adaptable to being disposed upon a surface. The surface may comprise a wrapping material, a flower pot cover, a flower pot, a floral arrangement, or other surface. When the sticky element is disposed on a wrapping material, the wrapping material is used to wrap a floral arrangement or decoratively cover a flower pot.

Abstract: A hopper assembly for feeding literature to a literature dispenser. The literature dispenser and a label dispenser are positioned on opposite sides of a conveyor on which products being furnished with literature and labels are transported. The hopper assembly includes a chute which is designed to have an upstream chute portion adjacent the conveyor. The upstream chute portion is positioned within the reach of an operator who is stationed on the same side of the conveyer as the label dispenser, and a single operator can load both the hopper assembly and the label dispenser without moving from one side of the conveyor to the other. The hopper assembly also includes a literature escapement having a plurality of retaining members mounted on a pair of support elements. The retaining members engage a forward facing surface of a piece of literature and are arranged in spaced relationship to provide an opening through which the piece of literature is removable from the hopper assembly in the forward direction.

Abstract: The machine comprises rotating elements associated with a rotating shaft and adapted to guide the bottles, keeping them mutually spaced, along a first circular-arc path; a plurality of pneumatic heads which are also associated with the rotating shaft and follow the bottles along the circular-arc path, moving from a position for picking up individual disks from a corresponding stack contained in a disk magazine located to the side of the rotating elements, to a position for depositing the disks on individual and corresponding bottles which are fed continuously by a conveyor belt; and a pair of fixed slotted cams interacting with the pneumatic heads to keep each head temporarily stationary above the stack of disks in order to pick up each one of the disks by suction and to make the heads follow each bottle along the corresponding path in order to pneumatically deposit the disk on the bottle.

Abstract: A method for forming a decorative cover about a floral grouping from a sheet of optical effect material having at least one hologram such that the hologram is visible and constitutes at least a portion of the decor of the decorative cover. The sheet of optical effect material may include printed matter and/or embossed pattern to provide at least a portion of the decor of the decorative cover.

Abstract: An arrangement for an endless belt includes an endless belt having an inside adapted to be driven by a transport wheel and an outside. Elastic fingers are attached to the outside of the endless belt. The elastic fingers are substantially evenly spaced from one another. Each elastic finger has a free end and another end that constitutes a fastening point to the endless belt. Each elastic finger has a curved shape between the free end and the fastening point and presents a clamping region between the free end and the fastening point.

Abstract: A fully automated apparatus and operating system for supplying, transferring, filling, and sealing bags, utilizing a clam shell type of filling spout is provided in combination with apparatus for sealing each filled bag in close proximity to the spout. The bag sealing apparatus incorporates heat sealing bars mounted on a carriage movable between a first position adjacent to the filling spout for receiving filled bags and sealing them, and a second position wherein filled and sealed bags are released. The same carriage supports clamping bars movable between open and closed positions to clamp a filled bag while it is still being held on the filling spout, and to support the bag, after removal from the spout, while the bag mouth is being sealed by the heat sealing bars.

Abstract: A sand bagging system is adapted to fill and seal a multiplicity of sand bags in a rapid fashion. Bags are extracted from a cassette of interconnected bags, positioned at a charge station. At the charging station, a charge of bulk material is collected and discharged into the bag, which is subsequently closed and discharged. The sand bagging system is particularly adapted to be used during emergency flooding situations.

Abstract: Method and continuous casting line for the continuous casting advantageously, but not only, of long products such as billets or blooms, whereby the solidification of the cast product (16) is completed at a position downstream of the outlet of the mould (13) and whereby the cast product (16) leaving a continuous casting machine (11) curving at a speed of at least 4 mts/min.

Abstract: A bag forming, filling, and sealing machine (10) for producing bag packages (1) has a tube forming device (7) comprised of a forming shoulder (18) and a forming tube (19) connected to it. In order to permit a bag forming, filling, and sealing machine (10) of this kind to produce bag packages (1) out of a single sheet of packaging material (15), with two longitudinal seams (11, 12) and two lateral seams (13, 14), the forming tube (19) has two sections (24, 25) connected to each other. The one section (24) connected to the forming tube (19) is inclined in relation to the incoming sheet of packaging material (15) by an angle (.alpha.). In addition, an element (28) for forming the one longitudinal seam (11) is connected to the forming tube (19). The tube forming device (17) cooperates with two diametrically opposed longitudinal seam sealers (33, 34) and a lateral seam sealer (41).

Abstract: A bag filling machine of the type having a discharge spout with clamps to hold a bag mouth on the spout is disclosed as incorporating gusset pleat gripping assemblies on opposite sides of the spout. Each of those assemblies has a pair of cooperatively actuable gusset gripping members operable between open and closed positions to selectively and independently grip each of the two gusset pleats on opposite sides of a gusset bag and to pull those pleats apart to fully open positions. This increases the effective, material-receiving area of the bag mouth as it is opened with the opening of the spout to dispense granular material into the bag. A gusset tucker is also utilized on each side of the discharge spout in cooperative juxtaposition to the gusset pleat gripping assemblies. The gusset tuckers are moved inwardly towards each other and towards the bag to engage in the fold between the two gusset pleats on each side of the bag as the bag top is flattened to a closed position after being filled on a spout.

Abstract: An automatic apparatus is provided for automatically performing the steps of filling a pill card or capsule with a desired pill or capsule, folding the pill card, heat sealing the pill card, and, if desired, printing a label directly onto the pill card.

Abstract: A continuously operating machine is provided for wrapping articles with a heat shrinkable plastic film automatically and sequentially. Articles are continuously, transferred along a horizontal pathway to a plurality of processing stations. At a first station, articles are tubularly overwrapped and sealed along a side edge thereof with excess film material being automatically trimmed away. Next, the articles are separated one from the other at a second station and at a last succeeding station, the resulting wrapped articles are subjected to thermal film shrinking. The side seal and trim apparatus includes a heat seal and trim unit which engages free side edges of the film tube to one another and trims excess away, the unit being sandwiched between drive and alignment members.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming capsules provides novel processing flexibility including dies which are independently movable, even during capsule formation, the ability to vary the speed of the dies even during the formation of a single capsule, independently controlled drums and dies. Advantageously, at least one and most preferably a plurality of independently actuatable pumps are provided for greater control over the dispensing of fill material. For example, the fill rate can be varied during the filling of a single capsule. Preferred embodiments provide electric/electronic signals to actuate the f fill material dispensers, provide for the independent control of rotatable drums, rotatable dies and the dispensers.

Abstract: A metallic sheath for an electric cable with a ratio of inner diameter Di to outer diameter Do of at least 0.9, comprises a lengthwise welded, annularly or helically shaped corrugated tube whose wall thickness is in a range between 0.005 and 0.009 of the outer diameter, and where the distance p between two neighboring corrugation crests is in a range between 0.08 and 0.12 of the outer diameter. In addition, a method of making the above described electric cable is described.

Abstract: A machine for applying toggle strap fitted lids to open container bodies comprising a lid holding station (1), a container body holding station (2), a lid working means (3) adapted for movement between said lid holding station and said container body holding station and a toggle closing means (21) wherein said lid working means is adapted to pick up a single lid and attached toggle strap from said lid holding station, move from said lid holding station to said container body station, release the toggle strap from said lid while retaining both lid and released toggle strap in substantial juxtaposition, position said lid and released toggle strap onto the open end of a container body positioned on said container body holding station, wherein said toggle closing means closes the released toggle and thereby applies said toggle strap fitted lid to said open container body.

Abstract: A method for wrapping a floral grouping or flower pot or both wherein a sheet of material constructed of paper and having a pattern embossed thereon and a printed pattern in register with the embossed pattern printed on the embossed pattern is wrapped about at least a portion of the floral grouping or the flower pot or both. The sheet of material may be provided in the form of a pad of a plurality of sheets of material or a roll wherein the sheets of material are separated from the roll of material.

Abstract: A form-fill-seal machine in which the cross sealing jaws move in the direction of the moving film during the sealing operation with the continuously moving tube. The drive for the cross sealing jaws include a pair of gear cases on opposite of the sealing jaws, each having two sets of spaced drive shafts. The drive shafts include cranks that impart rotary motion to a pair of link bases for the front and rear sealing jaw. Pairs of parallel links are pivotally connected at one end to the link bases and at the other end to the sealing jaws. The pivot connections of the parallel links include pressure or torsion members which bias the sealing jaws toward engagement.