Abstract: Disclosed is a hygienic clamp attachable to conveying chains used in horizontal, form, fill, and seal, packaging machines. The clamp is used for holding the packing film, which is conveyed between various work stations of the machine. The clamp assembly comprises of three components: stanchion, gripper, spring. The clamp eliminates the use of a rivet, previously used for holding the spring, and guiding vertical moment of the gripper during the clamping process. The hygienic clamp replaces the rivet with a mortise and tenon connection. The mortise is located inside the stanchion and the tenent is located inside the gripper. The hygienic clamp also incorporates a ridge (attached to the stanchion) which interacts with the tenon (protruding from the gripper). The interaction between these two parts enables delayed closure of the clamp, independent of the cam's actions, which functions as the primary opening and closing mechanism for the hygienic clamp.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for mounting and unspooling a packaging film roll. The device is attached to a horizontal, form, fill, and seal packaging machine. The film is used to form the bottom portion of packages made by the machine. The device comprises of a shaft, sleeve subassembly, air chuck, adjuster subassembly, internal and external housing subassemblies, brake, and film roller subassembly. The sleeve subassembly along with the chuck is used for holding the packing film roll. The adjuster subassembly is used to aligning the packaging film roll with the machine's conveying chain. The conveying chain pulls the film into the machine, resulting in unspooling of the packaging film roll. The brake is used to controllably stop and restart the unspooling of the film roll, which allows the film roller subassembly to keep the packing film entering the machine is flat and properly tensioned.

Abstract: Disclosed is a packaging film perforating system used in commercially available, horizontal, form, fill and seal packaging machines. The packing film perforating system is attached to a packaging machine via a mounting module. The system is designed to create perforation lines in the packaging film, housing pre-packaged product, being moved by a conveying chain between various functional stations located on said packaging machine. The perforating system is positioned as the last automated station of the packaging machine, and is typically preceded by a plurality of other automated stations designed to fully complete the packaging process. The stations preceding the location of the perforation system may include stations designed to feed both the bottom and the top layers of the packaging film, product fill station, and both the bottom and the top package forming stations.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cross-cut stabilizer. The stabilizer prevents uncontrollable movement of the existing cross-cut stations, which are used in packaging machines to make long cuts designed to separate a strip of multiple, pre-packaged products from the rest of the packaging film. The movement created by the machine's vibration, causes the cutting blocks, along with the blades making the cross-cuts, to move unpredictably. The movement is compounded by the rack and pinion system which supports the cutting blocks of the cross-cut station. The cross-cut stabilizer, incorporates a mounting base, which holds pushing combs and manual clamps. The stabilizer is mounted inside the cross-cut station, allowing the pushing combs to straddle the existing cutting blocks. The pushing combs enable unison, manual adjustment of the cross-cut station with the cross-cut stabilizer. By using clamps, the pushing combs urge down on the cutting blocks of the cross-cut station, eliminating any movement of the station.

Abstract: Forming and sealing tool assemblies, utilized in conjunction with the commercially available, horizontal, form, fill and seal packaging machines, manually interchangeable with other forming and sealing tools assemblies, modifiable to accommodate the varying product shapes and sizes. 1. The forming tool assembly, designed to form the bottom portion of the package, is sub-divided into two sub-assemblies, the top and the bottom. a. The top sub-assembly, comprises of a forming chamber, and a forming heater. The bottom sub-assembly, releasably attached to a forming base containing a nozzle directing the vacuum and vent cycles, comprises of a forming o-ring tool base, a forming tool and a plurality of forming tool inserts. b. When utilizing the forming tool assembly, the packaging machine feeds into the forming station the first layer of the packaging film, where said packaging film is engaged by the top and the bottom sub-assemblies of the forming tool assembly, wherein i.

Abstract: An interior mailbox, hard-mounted to the exterior door or window, designed to capture and to hold the mail dropped by the mail carrier from the outside in, through the cutout in said exterior door or window, comprising of two primary components, the container and the adjustment part, made to adjust the width of the bottom of the mailbox to accommodate the varying mounting surfaces and to prevent the mail from falling out of the mailbox.

Abstract: A transport indexing chain for a food-packaging machine is made of two different materials in order to provide the most optimal result of a drive chain that resists wear and tear and thus reduces elongation of the chain over time, and which also provides a drive indexing chain that resists bacterial infection. In order to satisfy the first objective of providing a chain that resists wear and elongation of the drive chain, the parts thereof that remain exposed to greasing or lubrication, and thus are resistant to rusting, are made of the same prior-art material of nickel-plated carbon steel. These parts are: The bushings, the rollers, and the pivot rods or pins. The remaining parts, namely the links or side plates and the clamping attachments, are made of stainless steel, whereby prevention of bacterial infection is substantially achieved without increased wear.

Abstract: An improved indexing vacuum-packaging machine more accurately positions and aligns the upper film relative to the lower film at the sealing station. A video camera replaces a conventional photocell, whereby the braking and concomitant stretching of the upper film at the sealing station need only be performed only every few indexing cycles, whereby shaking and jerking of the machine is negated as compared to a conventional vacuum-packaging machine. The video camera may use any portion of the printed matter on the upper film as a target for determining when to brake the upper film for the subsequent stretching thereof, without having to rely solely upon the hithertofore-used one black target-box imprinted on the upper film.

Abstract: An improved indexing vacuum-packaging machine more accurately positions and aligns the upper film relative to the lower film at the sealing station. A video camera replaces a conventional photocell, whereby the braking and concomitant stretching of the upper film at the sealing station need only be performed only every few indexing cycles, whereby shaking and jerking of the machine is negated as compared to a conventional vacuum-packaging machine. The video camera may use any portion of the printed matter on the upper film as a target for determining when to brake the upper film for the subsequent stretching thereof, without having to rely solely upon the hithertofore-used one black target-box imprinted on the upper film.

Abstract: A device for manufacturing a frusto-conical shaped meat product using mold casing that receives ground meat under pressure. The mold casing has an inner wall, a first lateral end, and a second lateral end. The mold casing has a frusto-conical shape, for forming the meat product into a desired shape and cross section. An end fitting is secured to the discharge end of a meat stuffer. The end fitting includes a plurality of pivotable, flexible, adjacent, partially overlapping fins. The fins pivot as they are moved relative to the mold casing, and in that way maintain contact with the inner wall of the mold casing.

Abstract: A piston-cylinder arrangement is provided for mounting and actuating the lower tool of an indexing packaging machine, which has an annular piston head that has a ratio of outer diameter to inner diameter that is less than two, and which drives a relatively oversized hollow piston rod having a protruding mounting portion that projects upwardly and outwardly from the main cylinder, to the upper end of which is mounted an upper mounting plate connected to the lower tool of a station of the packaging machine. The oversized piston rod or shaft ensures stable and tilt-free mounting of the lower tool that ensures the parallelism thereof with the upper stationary tool, while providing more than the necessary force for activating the lower tool.

Abstract: An improved sealing gasket for a vacuum-sealing station of a vacuum packaging machine which is made such that the outer perimetric portion thereof is made of a greater hardness than the rest of the sealing gasket, whereby the sealing heat-elements of a reciprocal heating element only substantially contacts against the softer material of the sealing gasket, allowing this softer material to conform to the uneven or non-level condition of the heating element. In the preferred embodiment, the outer-most perimeter of the sealing gasket is made of a greater hardness in the approximate durometer-hardness range of between 60-85 Shore A, while the remainder of sealing gasket is made of less hardness in the approximate durometer-hardness range of between 30-50 Shore A.

Abstract: An improved sealing gasket for a vacuum-sealing station of a vacuum packaging machine which is made such that the outer perimetric portion thereof is made of a greater hardness than the rest of the sealing gasket, whereby the sealing heat-elements of a reciprocal heating element only substantially contacts against the softer material of the sealing gasket, allowing this softer material to conform to the uneven or non-level condition of the heating element. In the preferred embodiment, the outer-most perimeter of the sealing gasket is made of a greater hardness in the approximate durometer-hardness range of between 60-85 Shore A, while the remainder of sealing gasket is made of less hardness in the approximate durometer-hardness range of between 30-50 Shore A.

Abstract: A device for manufacturing a frusto-conical shaped meat product by means of a mold casing that receives ground meat under pressure. The mold casing has an inner wall, a first lateral end, and a second lateral end. The mold casing has a frusto-conical shape, for forming the meat product into a desired shape and cross section. An end fitting is secured to the discharge end of a meat stuffer. The end fitting includes a plurality of pivotable, flexible, adjacent, partially overlapping fins. The fins pivot as they are moved relative to the mold casing, and in that way maintain contact with the inner wall of the mold casing.

Abstract: A flight control device is described for a flying object assembly. The assembly has a plurality of fins symmetrically disposed thereabout. Each of the fins is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. A support is provided for the flight control device. The flight control device further includes a frame for each fin which is connected to the fin by a pivot and is freely movable with respect to the support. The fin can be angularly displaced about the pivot. A main shaft is rotatably supported on the support and is coaxial with the axis about which the frame is movable. Also provided on the support, is a motor having a motor shaft. Included, are rotating means connecting the motor to rotate the main shaft. A guide is actuated by the main shaft and a follower which is carried by the fin engages the guide to angularly displace the fin about the pivot when the guide is actuated by the motor.

Abstract: A vacuum-packaging machine is provided with a drive mechanism for each of the tools at the forming and sealing stations that not only vertically reciprocate the tools, but which also horizontally reciprocate the tools. Before the next section of the film being processed reaches the forming or sealing station, the respective tool at each station is moved in the same direction as the film, while being simultaneously lifted up toward the film. As that section comes to a halt at the station, the tool is already raised into close juxtaposition to the film for performing its work. The tool is then raised the final quantum amount in order to start either the forming or the sealing process. As soon as the forming or sealing process has been completed, both the conveyer chain and the tools are actuated for forward, downstream movement. The tools, in addition to their forward, horizontal movement, also drop down, in order to clear the packages to allow unobstructed passage of the film.

Abstract: A dual-section nozzle-head for use in a vacuum-packaging machine. The first section of the nozzle-head is provided with an interiorly-located manifold, that fluidly connects a series of first orifices, the exit-ends of which are located at the tip of the nozzle-head, so that these orifices may be fluidly coupled to the interior of packages at a sealing station of a vacuum-packaging machine for evacuating the packages via a vacuum source to which the orifices are connected. Interspersed between these first orifices are second orifices, which also have their exit-mouths at the tip of the nozzle-head. The second orifices are spaced apart, one from the other, along the length of the nozzle-head, and are coupled to a second manifold that is positioned exteriorly of the housing of the nozzle-head. The second manifold is coupled to a supply of protective inert gas.

Abstract: A package that is unreusable and reclosable, which package may be repeatedly used by the consumer for storing the contents therein even after multiple openings of the package, with such package protecting the contents thereof in a closed-package-like manner. The package is provided with at least one strip of resealable glue, which strip is located interiorly of the peripheral heat-seals, so that, after the package is cut open by cutting away the heat-sealed edge in close juxtaposition to the glue-strip, the two facing plastic-film layes of the package may be pulled apart, thereby separating the glue-strip, and, thereby, allowing access to the interior of the pocket. A package forming apparatus for making the package of the invention is also disclosed.

Abstract: A new computerized control system designed for packaging machines. This control system can be installed on any dieless packing machine. The advances achieved by this control system are: High speeds are achieved by synchronizing the machine index cycle and tooling controls, permitting the prestart of tooling before the end of the index cycle; because the motor speed is monitored and profiled by the computer continuously, faster machine speeds can be achieved while maintaining the minimum machine jerk; total index time savings; diagnostics which dramatically reduce machine down time as a user friendly hard-copy print out is produced describing and pinpointing locations of malfunctions in the timers, tooling, and motor performance; access to all timer control settings through easy to use thumbwhell switches. In addition, a new arrangement of the tooling stations is used, allowing for the increase of per cycle capacity several times the capacity of the prior art.