Abstract: A vacuum packaging apparatus is provided for use in evacuating the air in an open package and sealing the evacuated package. The apparatus includes a chamber and a lid movable between an open position exposing the chamber and a closed position sealing the chamber. A sealing assembly is provided for sealing the package after air in the chamber has been evacuated. The sealing assembly includes a seal bar movable between a retracted position removed from pressing engagement with the package and an extended position in pressing engagement with the package. A piston of a piston and cylinder assembly is attached to the seal bar in a manner providing an electrical circuit through a sealing wire extending across the seal bar. The piston and seal bar are connected together in such a way as to permit the seal bar to be detached from the piston and removed from the apparatus.

Abstract: A high speed multiple conveyor packaging system having product separating bars that separate a product into specific sized groups on moving opposing conveyors. Two product streams diverge to meet the separating bars, and subsequently reconverge after separation for loading into a carton or package. Separated conveyed product is channeled from opposing conveyors into another conveyed product carton from opposing carton ends. A tight package is formed by sets of formed guide bars which cause the package flaps to be stretched or formed to the position of maximum tightness about the product.

Abstract: A method for packaging a liquid to semi-solid substance under a vacuum inside a variable-capacity container closed by a dispenser member that prevents ingress of air, includes at least a stage in which the dispenser member is fixed in sealed manner on the container filled with the substance. The fixing takes place while the container is inside an enclosure in which an air vacuum is maintained. Apparatus for implementing the method includes, for example, a ring suitable for bearing downwards in sealed manner on the open top of a socket containing the container, thereby enabling the enclosure to be established. A device is provided therein for sucking out the air, and also for fixing on the dispenser member. It is possible to obtain like this dispensers that are particularly advantageous, particularly when the dispenser member is a precompression pump.

Abstract: A multiple bag forming and filling apparatus and method utilizes a plurality of filling tubes which have a cross-sectional width in the range from one-third to one times the width of the tubular preform between the vertical seals at the filling tube means. There is also disclosed the directing of horizontally adjacent vertical tubular bag preforms to opposite sides of a center sealing bar prior to forming transverse seals by movable seal bars on the opposite sides. The horizontal displacement of the horizontally adjacent bags prevents the adjacent bags from being sealed together.

Abstract: A device for filling boxes, especially at the output of a machine sorting flat objects, particularly postal items, has at least one inclined support plate for diverted letters, a jogging member and a sliding plate subject to a restoring force. The device includes at least one bar retractable through at least one aperture in the box. Each bar is formed by two arms, of which a first arm is freely pivoted to the frame of the machine at its first end. A scrod arm extending the support plate in its operative position is freely pivoted on the second end of the first arm and rests with its first end of the bottom of the box.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for the production of packages each comprising a unit of product having opposite ends and a wrapper wrapped around the unit, the wrapper being wider than the length of the unit from end-to-end and initially extending outwardly beyond the ends of the unit, each end of the wrapper being folded over on said end of the product to form four closure flaps overlying said end, a first flap constituting a first side flap, a second flap constituting a first end flap, a third flap constituting a second end flap, and a fourth flap constituting a second side flap, the method of folding over the second end flap, wherein packages are fed forward one after another with the ends of the wrapper extending laterally outwardly at opposite sides of their path of travel, and the second end flaps are folded over at both ends of the package by flexible folding members which are brought into engagement with the trailing side of the trailing portion of each extending end of the wrapper and moved forward at hig

Abstract: Frozen dessert cones made from a cooked batter capable of having lower and higher moisture contents, which respectively cause the cone to assume dimensionally contracted and expanded states, are provided with sanitary jackets while in their dimensionally contracted state. When the cooked batter forming the cone attains a higher moisture content, the cone will dimensionally expand against the walls of the sanitary jacket thereby exerting a restraining force against removal of the jacket from the cone. The sanitary jacket is applied to an interior handle region of a cone so that the sanitary jacket will nest with the exterior surface of a downstream cone handle when stacked therewithin. A chute is provided so as to align and direct the sanitary jacket with respect to the interior handle region of the cone. A stream of pressurized fluid (e.g., air) is then preferably directed against the sanitary jacket so as to propel the same into a seated relationship with the interior handle region.

Abstract: A novel method for the packing of decorative lighting strings comprises forming an intermediate section of conductor wire between each pair of adjacent light bulbs into an independent loop and hiding under the unutilized space available behind the light bulbs where stacking rack is optionally provided so that the space originally required to accommodate the conductor wire in the aisle between two parallel rows of string stored can be substantially reduced. The invention relates also to the structure of the package developed based upon said method as well as fastening means for steadily stacking up or extending sidewise of said packages.

Abstract: In a method or filling paste tubes and apparatus therefor, the ointment is filled into a plastic skirt designed for once-only use and then introduced into the tube by means of this plastic skirt. During the filling of the ointment into the tube, a part of the plastic skirt not moistened by the ointment is made to cover the inner parts of the bottom end of the tube, so that these parts are protected against being moistened by the ointment. The method and apparatus may be used for the manual filling of tubes with a pasty mass, especially when making up prescriptions.

Abstract: The present inventin is an apparatus and method for inserting articles into packages. The apparatus includes a dispensing assembly and a feeding assembly; and the dispensing assembly, in turn, includes a dispenser body, a gate and an actuator. The dispensor body defines a loading chamber for holding the articles, an inlet for conducting the articles into the loading chamber, and an outlet for dispensing the articles from the loading chamber. The gate is connected to the dispenser body for movement between a closed position, wherein the gate extends across the outlet of the dispenser body to hold the articles in the loading chamber, and an open position to allow the articles to pass through the outlet of the dispenser body. The actuator of the dispensing assembly is provided to move the gate from its closed position to its open position to dispense articles into the packages from the dispenser body.

Abstract: A rolled food item is fabricated by advancing food (14) and a sheet of support material (16) between the rollers (18, 20) of a strip sheeter (12) where the food (14) fills grooves (24) of the first roller (18) to deposit the food (14) in continuous strips on the support material (16). After passing through a cooling tunnel (58), the support material (16) is also cut into strips between the strips of food (14) in a first cutting section (62). The multiplicity of strips are then cut to lengths in a second cutting section (64). Labels (68) are secured to the trailing ends of the strips and the trailing ends of the strips are pressed by a label presser (70) to adhere the labels (68) to the strips. The strips are simultaneously rolled in a roll-up section (74) including a rotatable fork (76). Specifically, after the leading ends of the strips are inserted between the legs (78, 80) of the fork (76), the fork (76) is rotated to roll the strips on the fork (76).

Abstract: An apparatus for the packaging of articles with pieces of sheet of heat-shrinking material includes three coplanar feed, wrapping and product delivery conveyors, a conveyor for delivering sheets of the wrapping material and wrapping device for wrapping the products to operate in a continuous operation, a device is provided for operating the machine continuously and the device for supplying the sheets with at least two aligned conveyor members of which the downstream member is equipped with a device which cyclically differentiates the drive transmission speed.

Abstract: A machine for packaging articles of any size with sheets of material comprising a wrapping conveyor, conveyor for delivering and receiving articles to and from the wrapping conveyor and endless wrapping conveyor with a bar moving along a track which passes around the wrapping conveyor in which the wrapping conveyor and the conveyor for receiving the articles have structured conveying surfaces with ends which can be positioned adjacently but at a distance and adjusted in a complementary movable way in two directions and the conveyor and wrapping conveyor with a bar is supported by a supporting structure which is in turn rotatably supported so that it can be adjustably positioned about a horizontal axis.

Abstract: A pillow filling apparatus includes an enclosed housing having an inlet chute for receiving polyester fiber material used as stuffing for the pillow. A pair of pincher rollers feed the fiber material into the housing, and a large fine-toothed roller is mounted adjacent the pinchers such that roller teeth pull and loosen fibers being fed by the pinchers. The large roller rotates at a speed great enough to throw the fibers from the roller into an air chamber. A fan is mounted to one side wall of the housing and produces an air current which is introduced into the air chamber of the housing through an inlet portal and exits the housing through an outlet portal. Fibers thrown by the roller into the air chamber are carried by the air current out of the housing through the outlet portal. A pillow tick is located at the outlet portal of the housing to receive the loosened and fluffed fiber materials.

Abstract: After plastic bowls have been filled with soup they are conveyed to a cleaning station. At this station downward needle-like jets of ambient air specifically conforming to the bowl flange surfaces blow contaminants off of the flnages and away from the containers, in either continuous or intermittent operations. Lids are then heat sealed to the cleaned flanges, and the sealed containers sterilized.

Abstract: After plastic bowls have been filled with soup they are conveyed to a cleaning station. At this station downward needle-like jets of ambient air specifically conforming to the bowl flange surfaces blow contaminants off of the flanges and away from the containers, in either continuous or intermittent operations. Lids are then heat sealed to the cleaned flanges, and the sealed containers sterilized.

Abstract: Apparatus for inserting one or more documents into a waiting envelope. The apparatus includes: a supporting frame; a device mounted in the frame for holding the envelope; a movable, endless belt rotatably mounted in the frame for transporting one or more documents into the waiting envelope; and a datum guide plate secured to the frame above the movable belt. The movable belt includes an upper reach which is biased toward the datum guide plate.

Abstract: A method for automatically filling a plurality of containers with products arranged therein in rows in one layer or a plurality of superposed layers in a pre-programmed geometric pattern. Empty containers are delivered in N rows to a container-filling station. The products to be contained in respective containers are automatically delivered one-by-one to supports equidistant from a vertical axis at the station. A vacuum suction is applied to the products on supports and they are raised above a level of the containers and held raised in fixed relative positions. While raised the products are rotated jointly about a vertical axis. Simultaneously during successive raisings of the products the containers are automatically positioned incrementally in a longitudinal direction and transversely thereof preparatory for lowering of the products vertically into the containers after each raising thereof.

Abstract: A pallet unit consisting of a stack of articles on a pallet is wrapped both vertically and horizontally with a foil band by orbiting a wrapping satellite in a vertical plane while the unit is supported on a pair of support arms which pass through the orbit for vertical wrapping and the orbit is swung into a horizontal position and raised and lowered for horizontal wrapping of the unit. The vertical wrapping is only effected along two vertical sides of the stack and the foil wrap passes between the skids of the pallet.

Abstract: Article wrapping apparatus, particularly for wrapping cigarette packets in wrapper film, includes separate cutters (34A,14) respectively for severing a wrapper web into separate sections and for cutting the leading end of a tear strip attached to each section. Drive means (24) is provided for varying the path length of the web between the cutters. Separate drives (12,30) are provided respectively for the cutters and for the web, these being synchronized with a further separate drive for the articles. An air mover (32) assists feeding of the web towards the main cutter (34A); a further air mover (50) assists feeding of wrapper sections across and beyond the path of an article to be wrapped. Opposed belt conveyors (43,44) may be clamped together under action of air cylinders for feeding of wrapper sections without loss of timing.