Abstract: An improved packaging apparatus includes a linear conveyor belt above which there is mounted an automatic reciprocating turning device which turns flat elements moved by the conveyor. At the end of travel of the conveyor, there is a clamp loader which presses the flat elements and transfers them from a horizontal position to a vertical position, dropping them in this position onto a horizontal dual conveyor, whereby they are displaced with an intermittent forward movement. The elements are faced in pairs and grouped in quantitatively scheduled packages, until they are deposited on a roller table to group various laterally faced packages and to obtain a scheduled volume for the packaging thereof. The upper belt of the horizontal dual conveyor moves at the same speed as the belts below it and maintains the members forming the package in a vertical orientation.

Abstract: Panel packs, made available cyclically at the outlet of a dividing machine and arranged side by side, are transferred to a station from which they are discharged simultaneously, either into a conventional stacking unit of the wedge and lifting platform type, or, after a 90.degree. rotation, into a composite transport runway where the packs are arranged either side by side or in sequence. Laterally of the runway are parallel rows of lifting platforms on which are stacked the packs of panels coming from the transport runway, so that panels of the same size will be stacked on each platform. Finally, the stacks of panels are discharged from the various lifting platforms and transferred to conveyors and sorters.

Abstract: A transfer unit for serial re-orientation of plural items comprising an item supply train and a rotatable drum within a cylindrical housing. The items are provided serially to an inlet to the housing by a chain ladder or other mechanical means, and are longitudinally and axially re-oriented in the housing for transfer out of the housing. The drum is rotatable about its axis to provide further re-orientation of the items. All internal components of the rotatable drum are synchronously driven by mechanical means, and positive mechanical control of the serially supplied items is maintained at all times.

Abstract: A "no-lift" container trailer is disclosed having a vertically movable roller tray with parallel rollers thereon which when tangent to the roll plane, and solely support a container thereon allow the container to be moved onto or off the trailer. A vertically movable caster tray of the trailer has fixed caster wheels thereon with their axes of rotation intersecting a vertical axis near the center of the trailer. When the wheels provide sole support for the container at the roll plane the container may be rotated about the vertical axis to any desired position. Manually operated cams are provided to sequentially move only the rollers tangent to the roll plane for supporting the container only on the rollers to move both the rollers and wheels tangent to the roll plane, and to move the rollers below the roll plane for supporting the container only on the wheels thus transferring the containers between the rollers and the wheel at the roll plane without lifting the container.

Abstract: A system for the handling of lightweight plastic containers into and through a case-packing operation wherein the containers are moved in a single line onto a conveyor where a diverting guide will move the containers into a multiple lane receiver. The multiple lane receiver is rotatable about its longitudinal axis through a 90.degree. angle, either with the container bottoms facing to the left or facing to the right. On the left side of the receiver, a carton-handling arrangement tips a carton toward the containers which are held in the receiver. A pusher mechanism moves the containers, as a group, from the receiver into the carton, and the carton is then returned to its original position.

Abstract: An apparatus for changing the direction of motion of rectangular pieces of mail from a path parallel to a long edge of the pieces of mail to a path parallel to the short edge thereof, comprises a first conveying segment having an end section which moves the pieces of mail in a direction parallel to their long edge but displaceable so that the pieces of mail can be moved in addition by another mechanism. At the end of the first conveying segment, a first deflecting device is provided for engaging a leading edge of the pieces of mail and deflecting them for movement into a second direction but, at the same time, holding the pieces of mail so their edges remain parallel throughout the operation. A second conveying segment is provided for receiving the pieces of mail from the first deflecting device and conducting the pieces of mail along the second direction to a second deflecting device.

Abstract: A de-palletizer for removing articles such as kegs or drums from a pallet utilizes a conveyor to move the pallets, one at a time, to an unloading station where a mechanism pushes the articles from the pallet on to a discharge table. The unloaded pallet is removed from the unloading station before another loaded pallet is moved into that station. To enable the articles to be easily pushed off the pallet, a tilting mechanism causes the articles to tilt on edge as the articles are pushed toward the discharge table, with the articles tilting away from the discharge table. The tilting mechanism is mounted on a reciprocating carriage carrying a pusher plate. When the carriage moves toward the discharge table, articles on the pallet are pushed by the plate toward that table. To cause the articles to tilt away from the table, the pusher plate has a protruding bar that engages the lower portion of the articles.

Abstract: For the transport of packs in packaging systems, especially for vertical transport, an efficient elevator conveyor system which transports the packs carefully is proposed. These are supplied alternately from two different sides to a common elevator conveyor which has engaging pieces (supporting arms) movable up and down for the packs.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for developing and handling stacks of web material and, more particularly, to such articles as towels (folded or unfolded), tissues, impregnated non-woven sheets and other relatively flimsy webs which are either normally or desirably provided in the form of a rectangular stack.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for continuously distributing parallelepipedic loads which comprises a conveyor constituted by power-driven rollers whose axis is perpendicular to that of the push-bars of an endless chain conveyor arranged above the rollers, whereas an element for guiding the objects driven simultaneously by the rollers and the push-bars is arranged obliquely between the roller conveyor and the push-bar conveyor, the push-bars being provided with stops for transverse positioning of the objects on the roller conveyor.

Abstract: A machine for packaging objects such as rolls of paper comprises a direction changing loading wheel to feed objects and groups of objects into closely grouped orientation in the wrapping machine for high speed passage through the machine in a continuous motion generally in a single direction and substantially at a single speed. A wrapper supply mechanism feeds sheets of wrapping material to lie between conveying belts above the article to be wrapped with the leading edge of the wrapper substantially ahead of the article or group of articles to be wrapped. A pair of vacuum wheels alongside the path of the article on axes skewed slightly outwardly from the article path pull the wrapper down in front of the article and allow it to pass underneath as the article passes so that the wrapper becomes wrapped around the top, front and bottom of the articles.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with a machine for drawing yarn hanks from advancing hank carrying supports and doffing the drawn hanks on a carriage or container or conveyor belt. The machine comprises a pliers holder head wherein the pliers, each formed of two or more rods movable near one another, can be adjusted in spacing for adaptation to various dimensions of hanks. The head is rotatable about a horizontal axis to arrange the hanks in horizontal direction and is tiltable or upsettable about a further horizontal axis. Furthermore, the head is mounted to be movable parallel to the extension of the hank carrying supports, and preferably also parallel to the advancement or feeding of the hank carrying supports.

Abstract: For feeding billets into a forging press in either an upstanding or recumbent attitude, a selective loading mechanism is mounted between the exit end of a chute and an infeed mechanism thereunder. The selective loading mechanism comprises a vertical loader assembly including a tubular guide for permitting the passage therethrough of each billet onto the infeed mechanism, and a horizontal loader assembly including a pair of pivotable gripping jaws for loading each billet on the infeed mechanism after turning the billet through an angle of 90 degrees. The vertical and the horizontal loader assemblies are mounted on a carriage for selective movement to and away from their working position. The infeed mechanism comprises a vertical billet carrier for receiving and carrying the successive billets vertically, and a horizontal billet carrier for receiving and carrying the billets horizontally.

Abstract: In a bag-making machine comprising a tube-making device and a device parallel thereto for forming bases on flattened individual tube sections fed longitudinally from the tube-making device, an apparatus for deflecting the tube sections comprises spaced parallel double belt conveyors respectively leading to and from a transverse double belt conveyor. A first turning device transfers the tube sections from one of the parallel conveyors to the transverse conveyor so that they continue to be fed longitudinally and a second turning device ensures that the tube sections are fed transversely to the base-forming device.

Abstract: Apparatus for turning over a procession of articles of generally rectangular shape and having opposite longer and shorter sides, comprises a feed conveyor including pushers which engage successive articles in the procession to advance them in an upright condition along a dead plate, a support platform, disposed beyond the end of the dead plate, for supporting the undersurfaces of the articles as they leave the dead plate and continue to be advanced by the pushers, the support platform and the pushers having a relative movement effective to cause the articles to topple forwardly in succession from the support platform, and a support positioned to receive in a lying condition the articles toppling forwardly from the support platform at a level permitting further conveyance along it of the articles by the pushers.

Abstract: A conveyor accumulates collapsed, flexible flat tubes into roughly aligned stacks which are transferred to a collator comprising an inclined tray-like receptacle mounted for multidirectional movement. The receptacle is simultaneously rotated and pivoted from a loading station to a discharge station while being rapidly reciprocated to vibrate the roughly stacked tubes. The combined effects of gravity and vibration urge the tubes to shift relative to each other into engagement with adjacent sidewalls of the tray to align the stack. A pallet mounted for multidirectional movement at the discharge station is automatically indexed to allow the aligned stacks to be deposited at preselected locations on the pallet.

Abstract: Transferring rigid glass sheets from a first conveyor where the sheets are conveyed in end to end relation along a first conveyor through a first treatment apparatus where the sheets are suspended by tongs to a second conveyor where the sheets are conveyed in a broadside relation along a path parallel to and beyond the first conveyor. Such a conveyor system utilizes plant space efficiently.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for forming a liquid-tight container having a rectangular cross-section formed from a one-piece, T-shaped blank of paperboard material. The carton preferably includes an access flap and straw element on one side thereof which, when manually lifted, exposes an end of the straw element from which the contents of the carbon may be consumed by a user. The apparatus is compact in nature, possessing relatively few transport mechanisms which advance the T-shaped carton blank through a plurality of work stations. A novel method and apparatus for serially applying the straw element and access panel to the carton blank is disclosed, wherein the straw element and a length of polyethylene coated Mylar tape is automatically bonded to the carbon blank upon a rotating heat sealing and alignment drum.

Abstract: An automatic tumble dumper for automatically removing the electrolyte from lead-acid storage batteries and particularly batteries intended for automotive use is disclosed. The device comprises carrier means adapted to transport the batteries through the system. Once the batteries are inside the unit, upset means automatically turn them first onto their side and then invert them so that the bulk of the electrolyte passively drains out. To achieve complete electrolyte removal, the batteries are jostled via a jostling means which cooperates with said carrier to actively shake the batteries as they travel through the device. At the conclusion of this shaking, now drained batteries are returned to an upright position and travel out of the machine for further processing.

Abstract: Apparatus for arranging and transporting articles comprises a conveyor for transferring articles to a first position, a first rotation wheel having a plurality of recesses around the outer periphery thereof for consecutively receiving the articles in the recesses from the conveyor at the first position and transferring the articles to a second position angularly displaced from the first position with respect to the axis of the first wheel, and a second rotation wheel having a plurality of recesses around the outer periphery thereof. The second rotation wheel is arranged normal to the first rotation wheel to consecutively receive the articles supported in the recesses of the first wheel at the second position and to transfer the articles to a third position angularly away from the second position with respect to the axis of the second wheel.

Abstract: A device for automatically taking off elements drawn or formed on pieces carried by a moving support and for displacing and depositing the taken off elements on a take-up conveyor, wherein said device comprises at least one arm mounted to rotate on a shaft located between the support for the elements to be taken off and the take-up conveyor on which the taken off elements must be deposited, said arm bearing a taking off member, in principle a suction disc, mounted so as to be able to be oriented and displaced with respect to said shaft, means for driving said shaft in rotation, means for orienting and displacing the taking off member with respect to said shaft and means for controlling these latter drive means provided and arranged to ensure, in synchronism with the movements of the piece support and of the conveyor taking up the taken off elements, the taking off of all the elements formed on each piece and the deposit thereof in parallel and regular arrangement on said take-up conveyor.

Abstract: Flat, rectangular items are, in a contacting series, conveyed by an input conveyor to an output conveyor, on which the items are to be further advanced by pusher members such that those sides of the items which were transversely oriented with respect to the advancing direction on the input conveyor are parallel to the advancing direction on the output conveyor and further, that the items are spaced from one another on the output conveyor. The angle defined by the directions of advance on the two conveyors is less than 90.degree.. In the zone of reorientation each item is engaged by a pusher member from behind and is pushed off laterally from the input conveyor onto the output conveyor. At the same time, a moving reorienting member engages a frontal part of the item and, while a diametrically opposite item corner is in engagement with an abutment, the reorienting member moves the item into alignment with a guide oriented parallel to the direction of advance of the output conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving a plurality of tiers of poultry coops containing live birds at an unloading area and automatically handling the coops to unload the birds therefrom at a location outside the hang room. A lay down unit accepts the coops one tier at a time and tilts it from an upright disposition to an inclined disposition, laying the coops down on an inclined conveyor that moves the coops to the end of the incline. The lead coop falls over the end and into a coop unloading unit having a saddle adapted to catch the coop and hold it suspended above an auxiliary conveyor, permitting the coop door to freely open and discharge the birds. A mechanism within the unloading unit moves the coop out of the saddle and onto a coop elevator, causing the coop door to automatically close. A coop elevator takes the coops to a coop inverter which turns each coop over. The coops move to a restack station provided with an outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: A pan inverting apparatus comprises an input endless belt and an output endless belt, between which a revolving pan wheel is positioned. The pan wheel includes a plurality of transverse pan receivers opening radially outward to define the circumference thereof. Each pan to be inverted is guided into engagement with the input endless belt and against a movable stop. The stop is synchronized with rotation of the pan wheel to selectively release each pan for chambering into one of the pan receivers for rotation by the pan wheel. After approximately one-half revolution of the pan wheel, the inverted pans are individually engaged by the output endless belt for advancement out of the pan receivers. In the preferred embodiment, cushioning within the pan receivers helps to secure the pans and reduce noise. Preferably, magnets are located subjacent to the input and output endless belts to promote positive frictional engagement with the pans.

Abstract: A transfer device for a printing machine transfers an object to be printed, for example a bottle, from a feed conveyor to a printing station. The device comprises a transfer member carried by a sleeve mounted on a shaft, and means for moving the sleeve and thereby the transfer member in a movement which is partially along the shaft and partially rotational about the axis of the shaft. The transfer device may be provided on a machine for printing a succession of objects, comprising a printing station, such as a silk-screen printing station, and a feed conveyor adapted to present the objects to be printed in sequence to the printing station. The transfer device transfers the objects one by one from the feed conveyor to the printing station.

Abstract: An improved trimmer section is provided for use in a sawmill, together with method and means for automatically selecting timbers and the like to be trimmed, and for automatically routing trimmed timbers to a preselected one of a plurality of different storage and loading points in the sawmill. In particular, the operator is required to select which of several stations is to receive each timber after it has been cut to a designated length. Thereupon, the timber is automatically transferred through several stages of mechanical manipulation to the designated station while, simultaneously therewith, another un-trimmed timber is promptly conducted to the trimming saws. Actuation of the entire operation is effected by merely selecting the station to receive the trimmed timber, since the cycle will repeat as long as there are timbers to be trimmed.

Abstract: An arrangement using C-shaped track having inwardly directed flanges and mounted upon a rotatable base is provided such that objects conveyed in the track can be separated, fixed in position, rotated or indexed, and recombined in the track.

Abstract: Multi-cavity molds, comparatively small in size and stick-like in shape, are passed through mold inspection station, mold locking station, preheating station, a first orientation station, a molding station, a second orientation station, a curing station, an unlocking station, a molded product ejection station, an insert loading station, and to the inspection station again. The molding station provides means for temperature control of a runner and shothead, facilitating use of thermoset materials, with provision for easy cleaning thereof. Insert loading apparatus is employed where the molded product is to include an insert or inserts.

Abstract: Transfer apparatus for receiving a printing plate from a first station in a first horizontal orientation and for transferring the plate to a second station in a second orientation which is both vertical and rotated 90.degree. relative to the first orientation. The apparatus comprises a receptor bin for supporting the plate, which receptor bin is, in turn, supported solely by a single rotatable shaft. By mounting the shaft to the receptor bin at a precise angular orientation, rotation of the shaft about its own axis will carry the receptor bin and the plate supported on it from the first orientation to the second orientation to transfer the plate to the second station.

Abstract: The encasing apparatus of this invention comprises a feed mechanism, a turnabout mechanism, and a slide mechanism, and may be additionally provided with a partition sheet feeder depending upon the type of articles to be packed. The turnabout mechanism receives articles delivered from the feed mechanism with a tray, allows each prescribed number of such articles to line up successively in a first direction of the tray so that the articles lie in the same direction, and, after turning the tray around a vertical shaft through a fixed angle, inclines the tray to move the articles in a second direction at an angle of 90.degree. to the first direction, thereby delivering the articles to the slide mechanism. Subsequently, the slide mechanism lines up the articles so as to true up the ends of the articles in the second direction, and then introduces them regularly into the packing box.

Abstract: Bottle orienting apparatus for orienting successively advancing bottles of shoulder-and-neck construction with at-random neck-leading and neck-trailing dispositions into a train of bottles of only neck-trailing disposition, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a guide system for advancing the bottles in the at-random neck-leading and neck-trailing dispositions and a discriminating system for inverting each of the bottles of neck-leading disposition to a neck-trailing disposition, the guide system being upstream of and communicating with the discriminating system. Associated with the discriminating system is a system for accelerating the bottles away from the discriminating system toward a bottle processing station at which the bottles are filled or otherwise treated.

Abstract: Hot slabs to be carried to a soaking pit by a railborne transporter, provided with two sets of vertical guide bars flanking an array of vertically reciprocable gripper arms, ride prone on a first roller conveyor to a pickup area where they are erected by a first group of swingable prongs for engagement by the gripper arms as the transporter moves over that area. Cooled slabs coming from the soaking pit are delivered by these gripper arms to a receiving area alongside the pickup area where they are transferred to a second group of swingable prongs subsequently depositing them prone on a second roller conveyor for removal to another destination.

Abstract: An automatic conveyor system wherein identical carriers that have coaxial circular and non-circular surfaces and axially oriented pockets to receive articles to be moved from one work station to another, roll along track sections that connect the several work stations and, upon arriving at the successive work stations, are presented thereto in predetermined rotary orientation established by coaction between a surface thereof that is part of their non-circular portion, and an adjacent track section. At certain of the work stations the carriers enter transfer mechanism by which the carriers are tipped from axially horizontal to axially vertical disposition and back to the horizontal orientation.

Abstract: A transfer device for transferring articles from the delivery end of a first conveyor to the receiving end of a second conveyor, which conveyors are so arranged that they convey articles in two directions which lie in an at least approximately horizontal plane and form with each other an angle that is other than 180.degree.. The transfer device is provided with a shaft which is mounted for rotation on a stationary component about an axis which at least approximately bisects the angle formed between the two conveying directions. A carrier arm is fixedly connected to the shaft and is arranged between the delivery end of the first conveyor and the receiving end of the second conveyor. A pick-up is connected to the carrier arm and has a pivotable axle carrying supports which are adapted to engage the underside of an article which is at the delivery end of the first conveyor.