Abstract: An improved transfer device for transferring soft cake-shaped products, and soap cakes in particular, from one conveyor to another conveyor, which device comprises a sliding member reciprocatingly moved along a horizontal guide parallel to said one conveyor, and an oscillating arm associated to said sliding member to cause a vertical and reciprocating movement of sucker means carried by said sliding member. A locking device is provided for locking said oscillating arm in its upwardly directed position when sensing means, positioned near the drawing area of said one conveyor, detects an irregular sequence of products. An intercepting bar means, positioned at the end of said one conveyor and near said drawing area, is cyclically moved from an intercepting to a disengaging position, and viceversa, to intercept the irregularly supplied products and to hold them in the sucker means drawing area so as to be correctly sucked by said sucker means during the next machine cycle.

Abstract: A method of mechanically packing a slaughtered bird, including poultry, comprising opening an inlet of an envelope resting on a support, pushing a bird resting with stretched legs on a support into the envelope by exercising a force on the body of the bird, then pressing the legs upwardly to locate the legs in a folded position on both sides of the body and thereafter sealing the envelope.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing lasagne noodles from the stripper of a high production pasta oven and packaging the noodles in a continuous processing line. The output of the stripper is split and directed along separate paths whereby the rate at which product is discharged to each path is reduced in half, as compared to conventional strippers. Conveyors transfer the respective split components of the stripper output away from the stripper and through successive accumulator, inspection and sawing stations. After departing from the sawing stations, the noodles are shingled into sub-components of a predetermined number of noodles and these sub-components are then displaced into containers for final packaging.

Abstract: A photoelectrically controlled garment bagger. The bagger comprises a support frame for the bagger housing and for a roll of translucent sequentially detachable bags. The roll is provided with transverse perforations along which individual bags may be detached. Each bag is provided with an opaque spot located a predetermined distance from the perforations. The bags travel over a roller assembly.A photoelectric light responsive control unit employing a retroflector is mounted in the housing above the path of travel of the opaque spots on the bags. When an opaque spot on a bag interrupts the light beam of the control unit, a clamp bar in the housing is actuated to halt the movement of the roll of bags for a length of time sufficient to enable an operator to detach a bag and spread it on a garment, using a spreader device secured to the housing.

Abstract: A paper padding press is disclosed comprising a support base and a tiltable rack having stacking and working positions for aligning a stack of pads and gluing and edges of the pads, respectively. The tiltable rack includes a planar stacking table having a pair of upstanding posts disposed at a right angle to the stacking table. The upstanding tubular posts support a pair of guide doors providing a surface disposed at a right angle to the stacking table for aligning the edges of the pads to be glued. The upstanding tubular posts also support a clamp bar and a pair of pipe clamps for clamping a stack of pads between the stacking table and the clamp bar. Means are provided for securely latching the doors closed for the stacking operation and open to the side of the stacking table for the gluing operation. The tiltable rack is latched in a working position and gravity secured in a stacking position by a stop rod pivoted on the underside of the stacking table.

Abstract: A clamping device for a dental tool consists of a tubular body whose bore has two coaxially cylindrical, terminal portions and a reduced, slightly eccentric, cylindrical, central portion. A clamping sleeve is conformingly rotatable in one of the terminal portions. Its slightly eccentric bore is of uniform cross section equal to that of the central portion of the body. The sleeve can be turned in the body between a position in which the bore of the sleeve and the central bore portion of the body member are aligned for insertion of a dental tool, and another position in which they clamp the tool.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for continuously and automatically packaging preferably particulate food in successive fixed amounts by using a ribbon-like film, preferably of a synthetic resin. The film is continuously payed out from a roll and is progressively wrapped around a cylindrical forming chute with the help of a plate, while longitudinally heat sealing the overlap of the opposite lateral edges of the wrapped film, to change it into a tubular form, charging the food thereinto from above the chute, heat sealing the top and bottom of a food receiving region of the tubular film, and cutting off that region from the continuous tubular film. The apparatus allows the continuous production of bags or enclosures, from the initial ribbon-like and later tubular film, charged with the food, in a simple cyclical operation.

Abstract: An enlarged print book is produced by microfilming the front and back pages or sides of each sheet of an original book, preparing an enlarged print of each page from the microfilm, severing each page approximately in half on a separation line compatible with the printed matter thereon for subsequent binding at the separation, preparing printing plates of the bottom of one page and the top of the succeeding page in the book with the separation lines registered for subsequent binding, printing on one side of a quantity of sheets the bottom of said one page and on the other side of the quantity of sheets the top of the succeeding page, collating the sheets, and binding them together with the separation lines at the binding and the printed matter registered to form a book which, when opened, exposes the enlarged top half of each page of the original book above the enlarged bottom half of the same page of said original book.

Abstract: The apparatus for transporting an article includes a conveyor and a means for driving the conveyor synchronously and intermittently at least two driving positions along a path having a plurality of work stations. The apparatus will intermittently move the article from one work station to another with the conveyor being substantially completely driven without any drive function being associated therewith. A further feature of the invention includes the vertical adjustment of the transporting mechanism with respect to a moving package to be wrapped in conjunction with a wrapping machine. Another feature is directed to the specific sprocket construction used in a closed loop means. The flat turret transporting mechanism includes a plurality of pockets for receiving packages to be wrapped between an input and an output work station.

Abstract: A power operated chuck in which an actuator, such as a fluid pressure actuator, causes clamping or unclamping movement of the jaws in dependence on the position of a control member, in which the power for operation of the actuator is derived from rotation of the chuck or one of two chuck body parts on a shaft of a machine tool, the power source being housed within the chuck which is thus self contained and does not require a separate power source. The power source is in the form of a plurality of fluid pressure pumps worked by a swash plate carried by the rotating chuck or a rotating chuck body part. Fluid pressure built up by the pumps is stored in a fluid pressure reservoir and used to drive the actuator. As fluid pressure is built up the swash plate is displaced to a position where, when maximum pressure has been generated, it lies perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the chuck or the rotatable chuck body part so that no further pressure is generated as the chuck continues to rotate.

Abstract: A machine for packaging chickens in plastic bags comprising tong-like gripper means which engage the legs of a chicken as it comes from a conveyor, a hopper into which said gripper means force the chicken so that its legs come to lie at the side of the body, the hopper having a bottom adapted to be withdrawn in transverse direction, a plastic bag mounted below the hopper, being adapted to be inflated and held by supporting means to receive said chicken, the top of the filled bag being clamped by transporting clamps which guide it into means for gathering the top of the bag and closing it by a clip.

Abstract: A reverse flow cooled dynamoelectric machine if provided with cooling gas passages extending through a fan ring and a portion of the rotor spindle to the end turns of the rotor winding in a direction substantially corresponding to the direction of flow of the cooling gas as modified by a tangential component imparted to the gas by the rotation of the fan ring. This direction is the vector sum of the longitudinal component of the velocity of the gas as it approaches the passages and the tangential component imparted by the rotation of the fan ring. The exit end of each passage is circumferentially displaced from the inlet end opposite to the direction of rotation. The centerlines of the gas passages lie in planes spaced around the axis of rotation of the rotor and parallel to this axis.

Abstract: Air is flushed from containers by surrounding the container open tops with a layer of flushing gas and directing a high velocity jet of flushing gas downwardly through the layer into the open top containers.

Abstract: Wire-mesh webs formed from interengaged flattened spirals, especially chain-link fencing, upon manufacture coiled by twisting the planes of the spirals so that they fit tightly together and almost coincide with axial planes of the roll. During the coiling process, one to three tension elements are introduced into the corresponding troughs of the successive undulations formed by the successive spirals to maintain the latter in their substantially erect condition. The result is a highly compact roll.

Abstract: A wrap around cover for enclosure of mechanically bound papers is disclosed. More particularly, the cover fully encloses all four sides of a booklet or stack of bound papers in a single wrap around sheet to provide enhanced protection and aesthetic appearance. The cover comprises an integral blank of foldable material, the blank being scored and punched if necessary at predetermined locations prior to binding to accommodate both the type of binder and the size and number of pages being bound.

Abstract: A machine which drops flat articles such as flattened cartons into a case. The articles are delivered to a basket having a floor which can be opened. The basket is mounted for up and down movement. The case is mounted below the basket with its top open and can be held in position by vacuum cup means. When the stack has been formed, the flow of articles is halted and the basket can be lowered into close proximity to the open top of the case. The basket floor is opened to drop the stack into the case. If desired, two stack sections can be formed and dropped into a single case one after the other. When the stack has been dropped into the case, the basket is raised to free the basket from the case. The vacuum is released, and the case is then advanced laterally out of alignment with the basket. The case can then be raised by a lift table to a convenient height for inspection and, following inspection, can be discharged.

Abstract: A combination processing machine and stacker for papered food patties and like layered objects comprising an endless belt conveyor for transporting the previously assembled layered objects through a processing station; for hamburger patties the processing station may be a cuber, a garnish or seasoning applicator, or a cheese applicator. The discharge end of the conveyor belt is a stacking station at which the belt engages a nose sprocket and an idler sprocket both mounted on a shuttle reciprocably movable parallel to the conveyor path; when each layered object reaches an alignment stop at the end of the stacking station, the shuttle is shifted rapidly toward the input end of the conveyor, abruptly shortening the discharge end of the conveyor and dropping the object onto a stack accumulator below the shuttle with no change in orientation.

Abstract: A bag filling and weighing machine including an endless conveyor with bag holding means carried thereby and releasably suspending pliant bags in open condition. The machine includes an intermittently actuated endless conveyor for stopping the bag holding means at a main feed station and dribble feed station for two-stage filling and weighing. Weighing means are located adjacent to, at one side of, and at the approximate level of the endless conveyor means. One side of each bag-holding means is connected to the endless conveyor means and rotatable disc means concentric with conveyor sprocket means are provided for supporting bag-holder means as the bag holder changes direction around the end of the endless conveyor means. A novel driving and mounting connection for a bag holder to a single drive chain.

Abstract: A stretch wrap packaging machine packages articles received on trays, and can handle various different article geometries and tray sizes without modification. In an initial phase of a wrapping operation film is sleeve wrapped around an article and tray by elevating the article and tray upwardly against a horizontally stretched length of film to draw the film over the article and tray and downwardly along and beyond both ends of the article and tray, and by then joining the downwardly extending film portions below the tray and cutting them from the film supply through the use of a heat-seal and cut-off device having a heated wire which supplies heat to the film, to perform the heat-seal and cut-off functions, by radiation and without engaging the film.

Abstract: A packaging machine for thermoforming plastic packages, filling them with the desired contents, and sealing them under vacuum or gas if desired, wherein a train of packages move through the machine in a horizontal path at substantially constant speed, the machine including reciprocating interacting package forming and sealing elements with support means acting simultaneously on the upper and lower side of the train of packages as they move through the machine. In an alternate arrangement, lids may be applied to package portions preformed by separate apparatus.