Abstract: An exemplary pocket spring assembly comprises a plurality of elongate fabric tubes disposed adjacent each other. Each fabric tube has a plurality of pockets, with at least some of the pockets of adjacent fabric tubes being welded together at midpoints on the adjacent pocket. Further, a spring is disposed in each of the pockets.

Abstract: An apparatus to charge and seal in contents is provided with a supporting portion for containers, holding portions for seal plugs, airtight chambers, a pressure gas supplier and a vacuum pump. The container has a receiving chamber and it is to be put on the supporting portion being the chamber is charged with contents and being the chamber's opening portion faced upward. The seal plug is for sealing the opening portion. The airtight chamber is composed of a main portion and a cap portion. The main and cap portions freely move relatively and freely contact tightly, then they surround the supporting and the holding portions in airtight condition. Further, the supporting portion and the main portion freely move relatively in airtight condition, so as the holding portion and the cap portion do, and the supporting portion and the holding portion are freely separated from each other.

Abstract: A method of making an easy-open end for a container includes steps of forming first and second grooves in a panel of a can end blank, the grooves extending below the level of the panel to form inner and outer beads and forming a central bead in the panel between the first and second grooves so that the central bead extends above the panel. A score is then formed along the central bead by simultaneously forming the score and compressing the central bead, so that the depth of the score and the thickness of the central bead are both positively controlled. The inner and outer beads are then forced toward each other and then toward the panel, and the central bead is forced toward the panel. A pull-tab is then fixed to the end. This process permits the score residual to be controlled to a greater tolerance than the conventional processes, and is also more material efficient.

Abstract: An airtight pouch or packaging (10,20) made of synthetic material for the preservation of food products (12) is obtained by sealing (13, 14, 15) and cutting said synthetic material by an automatic packaging machine with a horizontal or vertical motioning of the product. The packaging (10,20) is constituted by a single peelable type film (11) consisting of an oriented polyamide layer coupled with a coextruded peelable polyethylene layer, the film being folded once on the polyethylene layer side in order to form the inner part of the packaging.

Abstract: A system for creating and dispensing cushioning dunnage is small and permits flexible installation configuration options for a single or multiple packing stations. A compact apparatus of the system is capable of being pivotally mounted as a unit on a stand and includes a motor and a material feeding arrangement driven by the motor for pulling material from a supply roll of the material supported on a stand of the system, and feeding it through the apparatus. A plurality of material shaping members upstream of the feeding arrangement shape the material in the apparatus to convert it into a continuous strip of cushioning product.

Abstract: A portable rock crusher (10)is adapted for attachment to a boom (16) of an earthmoving vehicle (14). The crusher has a hopper (32) with a material inlet (49) and a material outlet (44) spaced from the inlet. A pair of jaws (46,48) is located within the hopper and positioned between the inlet and outlet. The jaws are movable relative to one another to vary the spacing therebetween and an actuator (68) is provided to control relative movement between the jaws. Material moving from the inlet to the outlet thereby passes between the jaws and is crushed upon relative movement of the jaws to provide an aggregate at the outlet.

Abstract: Method and device for packing bags filled with product in a box. The bags are made gas-permeable and after the bags have been filled with product the residual volume of gas therein is removed by drawing off the gases present in the bag by means of suction. This is achieved by conveying the bags over a belt on which vacuum is acting. Prior to this step the bags can be subjected to a vibratory treatment in order to optimise the position of the product in the bags.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a shipping container for holding an object has a base for receiving the article is described. A plurality of corner posts is affixed to the base. Each post has a first end affixed to a portion of the base and a second, opposed end in a spaced apart relationship to the base. A flexible material is positioned over the base and corner posts. The flexible material is capable of being removed from the base and corner posts without being torn or destroyed. The object is positioned in a shipping container by positioning the object on the base and positioning the posts adjacent corners of the object. The base with the corner posts affixed thereto is placed in a flexible material having an open end and a closed end. A removable top is secured to the corner posts.

Abstract: A slicing machine has a main housing having a horizontal conveyor surface and a subassembly in the main housing for cutting slices from a foodstuff and depositing them on the conveyor surface. A supply housing immediately upstream of the main housing carries a supply roll of flexible strip and mechanism for feeding the flexible strip downstream toward the main housing. A cutter on the supply housing can sever a sheet from a leading end of the flexible strip. A gripper above the surface is displaceable between an upstream and downstream positions of the surface. The gripper is closable to grip and openable to release the leading end of the flexible strip so as it moves into its downstream positions it pulls the strip downstream above the surface and, once the cutter has operated, the gripper opens to drop the sheet severed from the strip down onto the surface.

Abstract: The invention comprises an insert delivery system for use with an automated packaging machine. Preferably, the system is used to include coupons and the like with products being automatically packaged, such as sliced loaf bread. The system may comprise an insert delivery tray or card conveyor, a feeder mechanism, and an insert placer configured to select an insert from the tray or conveyor. Preferably, the delivery placer includes an arm having a holder which comprises a vacuum system. Additionally, the feeder mechanism may be used to feed an insert onto a scoop assembly at various points along the path of the scoop. In certain embodiments of the invention, the insert has multiple folds to allow it to be folded around the product prior to packaging. The invention also comprises methods of using the system.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for individually bagging bundles into stretchable open bags. The apparatus comprises a bag stretching structure about which a bag can be turned inside out for wrapping an underlying bundle in response to continuous downward movement of the bag stretching structure once the closed end of the bag opposite the open end thereof has engaged the top surface of the bundle.

Abstract: Automated apparatus for filling of a bag with a loose commodity comprises a bag filling station for dispensing commodity into a bag; a wicket for feeding a stacked and interconnected array of empty bags; and a conveyor for removing filled bags from the filling station. Reciprocating clamps grip the open mouths of the filled bags, and transfer the filled bags away from the filling station, with a subsequent bag being drawn into appropriate position for filling by means of the connection formed between the contacting bags.

Abstract: A system of dividing an endless, wide multi-layered web of packing material into a plurality of individual webs of equal width and aseptically processing the individual webs comprises laser-cutting elongated slits into the endless wide multi-layered web at a distance corresponding to the width of the individual webs to produce the individual webs, the slits extending through all layers of the web except for a web layer remote from the laser, which is only notched at least at selected distances, whereby the notched remote web layer holds the individual webs together, then sterilizing the laser-cut multi-layered web in a sterilization station, and conveying the sterilized, laser-cut multi-layered web in a sterile chamber to a number of tube-shaping elements corresponding to the number of individual webs, the notched remote web layer being torn by the tube-shaping elements to separate the individual webs from each other.

Abstract: A powered tool constructed to drive a fastener into a workpiece includes a nosepiece assembly including a back plate and a front plate combining to define a path for a driver blade, the front plate being pivotally movable relative to the back plate between a closed position, in which the front plate and the back plate are in contact with each other, and an open position. The front plate is movable to an interim deflecting position between the closed position and the open position. A handle portion has an outer surface at least partially defining a grip, and an inner surface at least partially defining a chamber. The handle portion includes a substrate having at least one aperture, and an overmold configured for forming a gripping surface on the outer surface and for extending through the apertures into the chamber for forming a resilient mounting point.

Abstract: An apparatus (50) for securing a fastening strip (58) to a web (18) of packaging material comprises an anvil (100) which defines a support surface for the web. The support surface has an elongate recess (104) for receiving the fastening strip. There is a moveable sealing device (116) disposed opposite and below the support surface and a retractable support element (130) disposed between the support surface and sealing device. A feeding arrangement feeds the fastening strip along the recess and between the support element and the support surface arrangement. Suction is applied via a vacuum chamber (102) to hold the fastening strip in the recess and permit the support element to be retracted to a position which permits the sealing device to move the web into engagement with the support surface and the fastening strip with the fastening strip received in the recess to permit sealing of the fastening strip to the web.

Abstract: A build cell is utilized to manufacture computers and load data into the computers according to customer orders. The build cell may include a build station at which components are assembled into a computer and a first network connection that links the computer with an on-site server. The build cell may also include a supplemental network connection that links the computer with an off-site server. Data from the on-site and off-site servers can be transferred to the computer via the first network connection and the supplemental network connection, respectively.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming the bottom end wall of a carton from a rectangular carton blank having oppositely disposed scored end panels and oppositely disposed unscored end panels includes a rotating mandrel assembly adapted to receive an open-ended carton blank through an open top end of the carton blank, a heating station, a folding station and a sealing station. The folding station has a pair of oppositely disposed reciprocating break fingers to contact and fold inwardly the scored bottom end panels and biasing means for folding inwardly down the unscored bottom end panels. The folding station is rotatable 90° between two functional orientations, a first orientation wherein the break fingers are aligned in the direction of mandrel movement, and a second orientation in which the break fingers are perpendicular to the direction of mandrel movement.

Abstract: A sleeve-type half package is closed by applying two beads of glue on each of two flaps on each end of the sleeve, folding those flaps inwardly by engagement with a nonglued strip between the beads and then folding the other two flaps at each end inwardly to engage a bead of glue on each of the two first-folded flaps at each end. The folding is done by thrust members as the half package is displaced linearly along a transport path.

Abstract: A tamper-indicating closure of integrally molded plastic construction that includes a base wall having a peripheral skirt with internal threads for engaging external threads on a container finish. A tamper-indicating band is connected to the edge of the skirt by a plurality of circumferentially spaced integral frangible bridges. A stop flange extends axially outwardly and radially inwardly from an edge of the band remote from the skirt for inversion and engagement with a bead on the container finish. The stop flange is in the form of a circumferentially continuous base of uniform thickness circumferentially of the band, and either uniform or increasing thickness radially and axially of the band. A plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs are integral with and extend from the base. The lugs widen uniformly from zero thickness at the band to a maximum thickness at the free edge of the flange.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for automatically packaging fish at high speeds into horizontally oriented cans. Speeds of approximately 600 cans per minute may be obtained with the preferred configuration of the present invention, wherein two incoming streams of fish are split into eight lanes, to achieve canning speeds of approximately twice the speed of prior art machines. Each incoming stream of fish is split into four separate processing streams or channels, primarily to reduce the operational speeds of the equipment components. Each incoming stream of fish is split by a first dividing knife into two forming chambers carried by an intermittently moving turning wheel. The fish is split again by knives located at second and third work stations of the rotating turning wheel. Four fish cakes are formed simultaneously at the second and third work stations and simultaneously discharged downwardly into horizontally oriented cans.