Abstract: A plant carrier for cultivating plants, seedlings, seeds, or the like, has at least one layer of plant-growing material, an upper layer of natural fiber, and a lower layer of natural fiber sandwiching the plant growth layer in between, and thread means for stitching and sewing the upper and lower natural fibers layers together is improved by natural fiber layer means combining the upper and lower fiber layers along at least portions of their edges to produce a hose-like cover that is filled with said plant layer of plant growing material.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for forming loops on a stuffed-casing-product sealing machine. For this purpose a loop former is provided which, in conjunction with a line guide and a deflector, forms loops, which can be subsequently tied and separated by a known tying head. The apparatus can easily be fitted in situ to a sausage clipper.

Abstract: A cover for covering cultures so as to improve soil conditions and plant growth includes a first, top layer of biological material such as straw, bark, peat, wood shavings, etc., a lower layer of UV-degradable synthetic material sewn to the first layer to thereby establish stitch holes which are water permeable, and another perforated layer of synthetic material e.g. a fleece is welded or bonded to said lowest layer, such that its perforations do not optically align with the stitch holes, but water can flow in between the two synthetic layers.

Abstract: To increase the carrying capacity of foil bags, for example plastic foil bags, in which the mouth (2) of the bag is surrounded by seams (3, 4) forming ducts through which pull cores (9, 10; 11) are passed, openings (14) formed in the seams are so shaped that the edges of the openings adjacent a fold line (13) of the seams have mutually approaching or converging or projecting regions (17) which, when the pull string or cords are pulled out of the openings, cause the approaching regions to fold back and form reinforcing collars, thus preventing tearing of the seams by preventing occurrence of a notch effect, and, by accumulating material upon corrugating or pleating of the material when a load is being placed in the bag, to provide an accumulation of material at the highest stress point.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for encasing drainage pipes, using fibrous or particulate loose filler material guided onto the drainage pipe by means of a hollow screw and held there with a permeable envelope material preferably wound round with a filament. The pitch or number of threads on the screw, the height thereof and the speed at which the screw rotates determine the amount of filler material applied to the drainage pipe per unit of area. The apparatus comprises a machine consisting of a guide tube carrying an internal hollow screw, the drainage pipe being guided in the interior of the screw, the encasing envelope material being placed externally upon the said guide tube and preferably being wound around with a filament at the end of the screw.

Abstract: In order to provide for the secure and orderly storage of flat objects on a carrier web, in particular unfilled plastic bags on a plastic carrier web, the invention provides a method and an apparatus for the sequential delivery of preformed plastic bags having a unilaterally extending attachment flap. The bags are delivered onto a moving carrier web also made of plastic film. Various alignment and positioning devices place the plastic bags seriatim on the carrier web while a heat-welding mechanism attaches the flap of each bag to the carrier web in a predetermined region. A tear line or perforation line permits subsequent removal of the bag from the web while the flap remains attached thereto. The apparatus includes power sources for the cyclic actuation of the alignment and welding mechanism in synchronism with the speed of delivery of the bags to and from the machine. The apparatus also includes a reciprocating storage container permitting the zig-zag layered stacking of the web with the attached bags.

Abstract: In order to provide for the secure and orderly storage of flat objects on a carrier web, in particular unfilled plastic bags on a plastic carrier web, the invention provides a method and an apparatus for the sequential delivery of preformed plastic bags having a unilaterally extending attachment flap. The bags are delivered onto a moving carrier web also made of plastic film. Various alignment and positioning devices place the plastic bags seriatim on the carrier web while a heat-welding mechanism attaches the flap of each bag to the carrier web in a predetermined region. A tear line or perforation line permits subsequent removal of the bag from the web while the flap remains attached thereto. The apparatus includes power sources for the cyclic actuation of the alignment and welding mechanism in synchronism with the speed of delivery of the bags to and from the machine. The apparatus also includes a reciprocating storage container permitting the zig-zag layered stacking of the web with the attached bags.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the automatic filling of plastic bags with, for example, elastic, soft and deformable contents. In order to provide for the automatic handling of empty bags without intermediate, especially manual, steps, the invention provides that the empty bags are attached by extending flaps to a plastic carrier web across a tear line. The apparatus of the invention places a quantity of goods into the bag by means of an axially moving filling piston which passes between spreadable jaws that hold the bag open. The continued motion of the filling piston eventually exerts a force sufficient to cause fracture along the tear line and separation of the filled bag from the flap which stays attached to the carrier web. The piston then moves the filled bag into position for sealing. A number of embodiments is presented.