Abstract: A conveying device with levers for wrapping machines for delicate products equipped with a gripping device for strips of material for wrapping products. The device has a supporting structure sliding on a radial guide which forms part of a carrousel conveyor revolving around a support placed on a supporting plate; a first operating lever for conveying the products, rotates around a first pivot supported by the supporting structure; a second operating lever for conveying the products rotates around a second pivot supported by the supporting structure; a limit stop for the movements of one of the levers is integral with the supporting structure, the purpose of which is to cooperate with one of the said operating levers, constitute a gripping device for the strips.

Abstract: A wrapping sheet is disposed on a roll so that marginal portions of the wrapping sheet extend beyond the respective side faces of the roll. A wrapping sheet winding apparatus for winding the wrapping sheet around the roll has a pair of chucks which are drivingly engaged with a core of the roll and rotate the roll to wind therearound the wrapping sheet. Each of the chucks is provided with suction holes formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

Abstract: The invention resides in winder for automatically winding sections of sheet material to form separate tubes. The winder comprises a base, a supply of sheet material and a material drive means on the base for advancing sheet material from the supply towards a station on the base located remotely thereof. A winding means is located at the station for winding a section of the sheet material about itself and about a rotational axis such that the involved section of sheet material is substantially wound in a tubular condition. A cutting means is provided and is located between the drive means and the second rotational axis for cutting the sheet material transversely of its length at points therealong corresponding to the end one section and the beginning of the next successive section to be advanced to the station.

Abstract: A hand held vacuum packing device, for use in the home in evacuating and sealing a plastic bag containing food, consists of jaws through which the edges of the bag are pulled to press fit the edges together and a nozzle and air extractor to withdraw air from the bag immediately before sealing is complete.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for disposing a sheet adjacent a flexible member. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for transporting the sheet to a loading position and a mechanism, located adjacent the loading position, for receiving and holding the sheet. The receiving and holding mechanism is capable of moving the sheet into juxtaposition with a surface of the flexible member so that the sheet contacts the surface of the flexible member upon being released by the receiving and holding mechanism. The apparatus further comprises a mechanism for wrapping the flexible member about itself with the sheet interposed between opposed surfaces of the flexible member.

Abstract: An unwrapping apparatus for unwrapping a palletized and stretch-wrapped load, including at the front side thereof lower grippers and upper grippers to grip the lower edge and upper edge of a stretchable film of the load, respectively, and a cutter unit for vertically cutting the stretchable film. The unwrapping apparatus includes at the rear side thereof a carriage having a platen to press the top of a load, a pair of swing arms carrying the upper grippers, and a pair of auxiliary film separating swing arms to separate the stretchable film from the rear corner portions of the load when the film is removed from the load by the main swing arms. The main swing arms and the auxiliary swing arms prevent the articles from being pulled and moved by the stretchable film in contact with the articles and thus falling down from the separate sheet in particular.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for uncuffing a bag in a case, forming the top of the bag into a neck, and taping the neck, operable on non-square rectangular cases as well as square cases of different sizes.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for wrapping a signature bundle by moving a wrapping sheet into the path of movement of a bundle, said sheet being maintained in self-supporting fashion by imparting a bend thereto as it is fed to the wrapping station. The bundle "crashes" into the sheet causing it to collapse and wrap itself about the bundle. When the wrapping operation is completed, the wrapping sheet is wrapped around three contiguous surfaces of the bundle. The sheet is automatically cut and a new wrapping operation is initiated. The wrapping sheet may be printed upon by an ink jet printing characters "on the fly". The characters are printed backwards and "bleed through" the wrapping sheet to appear in normal manner.

Abstract: A bag closing system which includes; a closer with a closing roll, a pick, and a closure break-off mechanism that are driven by stepper motors under the control of a central processing unit, fault detectors for sensing operating faults, read only memory for storing the operating program and historical data, a display that indicates the system status, I/O drivers for providing bi-directional communications with a remote processing unit, memory for driving the display and programmed messages to be printed, and; a printer that has a stationary dot matrix impact print head that prints, using a cold-foil ribbon driven by a stepper motor, on closures moved past the print head, an out-of-foil detector and a closure sensor for preventing printing without a closure in front of the print head, and a printer head driver for determining which impact wires must be driven to print the message and for driving the determined wires.

Abstract: A method and device for applying sealing strips to packages, whereby the strips are applied to the packages as these are transferred between respective transverse pockets on three conveyors traveling at the same speed and in the same direction, the first conveyor being a loop conveyor located between a feed conveyor and an output conveyor. The strips are supplied in such a position as to close the end of the pockets on the loop conveyor facing the feed conveyor, and the packages complete one full turn of the loop conveyor prior to being transferred on to the output conveyor.

Abstract: An assembly and method for the guided threading of a wrapper for the wrapping of cylindrical objects, including a two-part frame (2, 3), a belt-like element (8, 9) for guiding the wrapper, and elements (4, 5, 6 and 7, 10, 11) attached to the frame, suitable for transferring the belt-like element (8, 9) to rest against the roll (1). The wrapper is guided by means of a roller chain (8, 9) comprised of a plurality of freely rotating rollers (17) which are linked to each other. The assembly incorporates two pairs of support arms placed to function in opposing directions with respect to rotating direction of the roll (1), the arm pairs comprising a lower support arm (5, 7) and an upper elongated support arm (4, 6), both pivotally mounted to the frame (2, 3), crank levers (10) attached to the pivotally mounted end of each support arm, and pneumatic cylinders (11) connected to each crank lever (10), capable of rotating the support arms (4, 5, 6 and 7) via the crank levers (10).

Abstract: Improved dunnage made from spiral coils of paper that are recyclable and biodegradable, or from other thin, flexible, resilient strips. The coils are cylindrical or cylindrical with a transverse fold, and are randomly oriented in a container to provide cushioning for packaged articles. The coils are formed at the time of use by modifying the material used to cause it to coil and forming strips from the material. This eliminates the need for storage of bulky dunnage. Paper used to form the coils is stretched to cause it to coil. Apparatus concurrently forms plural coils from a web.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of packaging an adhesive composition, especially a thermoplastic or thermosetting hot melt adhesive. The method comprises the steps of providing one substantially uniform separate portion of the adhesive composition; sufficiently solidifying said portion for packaging; substantially completely surrounding said sufficiently solidified portion with a plastics packaging material. The packaging material being meltable together with the adhesive composition and blendable into said molten adhesive composition, the kind and amount of said packaging material being chosen so as not to disadvantageously affect the properties of the adhesive composition when blended into same. Preferably, the packaging material is a net, a wrap, a sack or a bag. Packagings made of plastic film are advantageously voided of air, to prevent problems in melting. The packaged adhesive can be melted as it is.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously filling tubular casings with a fibrous material such as wood fibers. The tubular casings are closed at one end have plurality of holes in the cylindrical side to allow air to flow therethrough. The apparatus further includes supports for the tubular casings so that a mixture of air and the fibrous material may be suctioned into the tubular casing to form a fiber cake. The apparatus further includes the ability to control the mixture of air and fibrous material to ensure the fiber cake formed has a homogeneous density and the ability to change the mixture of air and fibrous material so that fiber cakes with varying densities may be formed. Further, a binder is applied to the fiber cake and the fiber cake is cut into units.

Abstract: A filling and closing machine for the packaging of comestibles in plastic cups having different wall thicknesses has, in addition to the sterilizing chamber in which the cups are subjected to contact with H.sub.2 O.sub.2 vapor followed by hot sterile air for the final sterilization, a presterilization chamber in which the cups are contacted with H.sub.2 O.sub.2 -containing air from the sterilizing chamber.

Abstract: A device for feeding and stuffing envelopes opens the flap (2) of the bottom envelope (3) of a stack (1) with a rotating opener claw (5, 6, 7 ). As soon as the flap is sufficiently open, it is seized by two rotating transport elements (8, 9) and pressed against two conveyor rollers (10, 11). The opener claws (5, 6, 7) and the conveyor elements (8, 9) are disposed on the same shaft (4), but are supported and driven independently of each other. The opener claws are only operated from a coupling (12) when a packing operation is to be carried out. The conveyor elements (8, 9) and the conveyor rollers (10, 11) run continuously. Two pairs of conveyor rollers (17, 18, 19, 20) convey the envelope towards a packing trap (13). As soon as the flap (2) of the envelope (3) is positioned below a hold down roller (21), the latter begins to descend. Simultaneously, the packing trap (13) begins to pivot towards the envelope and the envelope (3) is drawn onto the packing trap (13).

Abstract: A method of hot filling a plastic container includes the steps of introducing a heated product into the container at a temperature of about 190.degree. F., introducing liquid nitrogen into the container and sealing the container before any significant thermal distortion occurs and cooling the container to room temperature, while maintaining a positive pressure within the cooled container.

Abstract: A heat sealing device adapted for the clamping jaws of form, fill and seal machines. The heat sealing device in a single operation produces a transverse seal in thermoplastic film, tubular containers and severs the tube to simultaneously close the top of a filled container and create the bottom of a next-to-be-filled container. The base, upon which the heat sealing element is mounted, has slots that cause any product on the inner surfaces of the films in the area to be sealed to be removed, thereby producing consistently effective heat seals. The heat sealing device is particularly suitable for packaging flowable materials including, for example, chocolate sundae topping, thick sauces and dressings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for applying a pair of continuous narrow interengageable strips of reclosable fastener material to a web of film material in line with horizontal form, fill and seal apparatus to provide a reclosable package. The fastener material is secured within a longitudinal fold in the web of package film material, and the web then proceeds directly into a form, fill, seal machine in which the web is oriented horizontally, and the product is placed on the web.

Abstract: Articles, such as small plastic bottles, or six packs consisting of such bottles, are moved by line pressure down an inclined ramp into a load station where plastic trays are continuously filled with these articles. The trays are indexed by a flight bar conveyor that raises each tray, to be in position to index the next tray, and driven separator discs above the articles have lugs that move between selected article rows to index groups of the articles as they are loaded into the tray.