Abstract: A method for transporting pairs of packs (100) comprising arranging a first pair of packs on a horizontal transport device (50), transporting the first pair of packs in a horizontal direction, arranging a second pair of packs on the horizontal transport device (50), therein, for each of the first pair and the second pair of the pair of packs, spacing a first pack of the pair of packs and a second pack of the pair of packs vertically from each other and further spacing the first pair of packs and the second pair of packs horizontally from each other on the horizontal transport device.

Abstract: A method and a coding line (128) for serializing a plurality of products in a coding line (128), wherein each product is packed in a cuboid box (114), is disclosed. Herein, the coding line (128) comprises at least one slide (132) and at least one main pusher (130) being adapted for jointly moving the boxes (114) on the slide (132) in a row of the boxes (114) through the coding line (128), wherein the coding line (128) further comprises at least one printing system (118) designed for printing a serial code onto each of the boxes (114), wherein the serial code comprises at least one unique serial number, and at least one camera (120) designed for reading the serial code printed on each of the boxes (114).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for horizontally shifting an article group or article layer, composed of a plurality of articles, from a first position and/or from a conveying movement into a second rest position while largely maintaining the relative positions of the articles in the article layer or group to each other, said transfer being effected by at least one first pusher bar engaging with the articles located at the back of the article group or article layer, as considered in relation to the conveying or feed direction. A support bar, which is at least temporarily allocated to the articles located at the front of the article group or layer, as considered in relation to the conveying direction, moves ahead at a slight distance from or abuts on the foremost articles of the article group or layer at least immediately before or on reaching the rest position.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically loading a fuel pellet for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod is provided. The apparatus includes a tray transfer unit that horizontally transfers the tray, a fuel pellet alignment unit that aligns fuel pellets arranged in the tray, a measurement unit that measures an entire length of the fuel pellets arranged in a row on the tray, a controller that compares an accumulated measured length with a set length, a waiting table located adjacent to the tray transfer unit to store a redundancy fuel pellet, and a fuel pellet movement unit that is driven by the controller and moves the fuel pellets between the tray and the waiting table.

Abstract: A system for automatically packaging prescription orders composed of one or more prescription containers. The system includes a printer for generating literature associated with each order and a packer for packing the prescription containers and the associated literature into a package. The packer has a scale or other means for determining the weight of the prescription containers. A packer controller calculates package weight information based on the container weight information. The package weight information is transmitted to a mail manifest system, which generates shipping information comprising postage. A labeler applies the shipping information to the package. The packer also includes a loading mechanism for inserting the prescription containers and the literature into the package.

Abstract: A system for automatically packaging prescription orders composed of one or more prescription containers. The system includes a printer for generating literature associated with each order and a packer for packing the prescription containers and the associated literature into a package. The packer has a scale or other means for determining the weight of the prescription containers. A packer controller calculates package weight information based on the container weight information. The package weight information is transmitted to a mail manifest system, which generates shipping information comprising postage. A labeler applies the shipping information to the package. The packer also includes a loading mechanism for inserting the prescription containers and the literature into the package.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a container for packaging of the type that comprises a containment structure that is basically composed of a base wall (2) to which a rear wall (3), a pair of lateral walls (4) and a front wall (5) are attached and a closing element (6) where to the front wall (5) a valve (9) is attached that, in turn, is connected to an inflatable element (10) designed to contain dry ice (11). The container is designed to be operated from a rest condition, when it is inactive and no products are accommodated in the container, to a first operative condition in which there are some products in the container and in the front wall (5) there is the valve (9) with the inflatable element (10), and to a second operative condition in which the container is closed by the closing element and the dry ice expands, thereby enlarging the inflatable element that fills the remaining empty space inside the container, thereby blocking the closing element.

Abstract: Packages of varying dimensions are loaded into a plurality of electrical package tubes. A guide arrangement is provided, which is programmable to receive the electrical packages by automatically configuring to accommodate the varying dimensions of the electrical packages, the configuring being performed without manual intervention, and a receiving arrangement is provided to receive the electrical package tubes and configured to individually align the electrical package tubes with the guide arrangement to receive the electrical packages. Upon application of a feeding force to the electrical packages, the guide arrangement guides the electrical packages into the electrical package tubes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a trayless close packed array of cans locked together in a heat shrunk sleeve. The packaging machine includes a marshalling station for marshalling the cans in arrays in which there are unequal numbers of cans in each row and a collation station in which the array of cans in rows and columns are collated into close packed formation. A wrapping machine wraps a plastic sleeve around the close packed array and a sealing station seals and heat shrinks the sleeve around the array to lock the array into its formation.

Abstract: A high speed linear bagging machine and method of bagging a product with such machine is described. The machine has a reciprocating linear bagger assembly which has a straight drive member with a carriage connected thereto. A drive having a pair of coils is used to drive the straight drive member to displace the carriage. A stroke controller is used to control the coils dependent on a desired forward and rearward displacement stroke of a carriage along the drive member. A product receptacle is secured to the carriage and displaceable to a bagging station. A bag engaging member is connected to the carriage and a product arresting member is displaceable for abutting relationship with an end of a product at the bagging station.

Abstract: A unit and method for forming a group of products on a wrapping machine, whereby a continuous supply conveyor feeds a succession of products to an input of a group-forming screw device; and a step-operated supply device, located at an output of the screw device, is controlled by a sensor for detecting the length of each group, to only feed complete groups to a wrapping unit of the wrapping machine.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an easily adjusted device for packing cartons or uniformly sized packages into a larger container for shipment. The device includes a telescoping stacking chamber with a telescoping base plate member having sensors for detecting a full layer, a raising means for lifting the telescoping base plate member, telescoping retaining clips for retaining a lifted layer, a sensor for determining when the stacking chamber is filled, a telescoping pushing plate assembly for ejecting the stack of cartons to a waiting case, and a telescoping outflow port. The apparatus may be mechanically individually adjusted in each of the foregoing aspects to accommodate cartons and cases of various sizes, or may be centrally controlled for adjustment by servomotors to preset measurements at the push of a button. A control device oversees operation of the entire unit.

Abstract: A compact disc (CD) is inserted into a sleeve as the sleeve is continuously advanced past a load position at which the CD is removed from a vertical spindle by a pivotally mounted lift arm and inserted into an open edge of the sleeve with the arm moving at the same linear speed as the sleeve. Each of the sleeves is supplied from a magazine by timing belts to a conveyor belt. The pivotally mounted arm picks up the CD through an arcuate groove on its bottom surface having a vacuum applied thereto. The arm also has a pressurized air hole for insuring that the open edge of the sleeve is sufficiently open to receive the CD. After the CD is inserted into the sleeve, two linearly spaced push-in units complete full insertion of the CD into the sleeve. If the sleeve does not have a CD inserted, it is automatically removed from the conveyor belt after passing the first push-in unit. The sleeve is held on the conveyor belt by a vacuum and is held by the vacuum against a straight surface of a guide edge.

Abstract: An automatic baler for bundling together small, individual food bags that have been previously formed and filled in automatic packers, designed to be arranged in line with the outlet of a packer machine with individual bags sequentially transferred by a moveable piston onto the top of a stacking hopper and arranged firstly in layers of several bags disposed side by side, and secondly to be stacked by superimposing every layer over another, and finally to introduce, again by way of a moveable piston, the stack of layers thus made into a larger bag or box attached to an open mouth of the stacking hopper, allowing in this way a plurality of individual packages to be placed in a condition for ease of handling.

Abstract: Packets of cigarettes are delivered from a packing machine to a cartoner in the form of arrays each of which contains a predetermined number of packets. The packing machine discharges discrete packets which are advanced to a gathering station where the packets are assembled into arrays in successive compartments of a stepwise operated first endless conveyor. The first conveyor delivers freshly accumulated arrays into the pockets of a stepwise operated second endless conveyor which delivers a series of arrays to a second station adjacent the cartoner. The second conveyor is set in motion during a first stage of each cycle of the cartoner, and a pusher transfers successive arrays from the respective pockets of the second conveyor during second stages of certain cycles of the cartoner. The frequency of cycles of the cartoner at least equals but normally exceeds of the frequency at which arrays of packets are assembled in the compartments of the first conveyor.

Abstract: A bottle bagger (10) for bagging a plurality of bottles (12) in a plastic bag (14) comprises an upstream part (16), a downstream part (18), a table assembly (20), a pusher assembly (22), a sealing assembly (24) and a bag holder assembly (25). In operation, the bag (14) is first placed on the bag holder assembly (25) with the open end of the bag facing the upstream part (18) of the bagger (10). Bottles (12) are fed seriatim by a conveyor (44) onto an infeed table (26) of the table assembly (20) and are thereafter pushed downstream into the plastic bag (14) and onto an outfeed table (76) of the table assembly (20) by a pusher paddle (132) of the pusher assembly (22). Subsequently, the bag (14) is sealed and excess plastic from the bag is severed upstream of the seal by upper and lower sealing jaws (198, 192) of the sealing assembly (24). The bagged bottles (14) are then ready for storage or shipment.

Abstract: A case loader for articles in which the articles are received in a straight line extension from the article conveyor and in which they trip a first sensor when a case load is received, and the cases are directed to a loading station below and beside the article receiving station, the cases themselves tilted to receive the articles from an inclined chute the articles falling down the chute, the chute being arranged to reorient the bottles from a straight line into the rows and columns for the case, the case falling back onto the conveyor when filled and being removed from the case loader by the conveyor chain.

Abstract: A case loader for articles in which the articles are received in a straight line extension from the article conveyor and in which they trip a first sensor when a case load is received, and the cases are directed to a loading station below and beside the article receiving station, the cases themselves tilted to receive the articles from an inclined chute the articles falling down the chute, the chute being arranged to reorient the bottles from a straight line into the rows and columns for the case, the case falling back onto the conveyor when filled and being removed from the case loader by the conveyor chain.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) is mounted on a briquetting press (12) and receives briquettes (14) in a magazine (18) which consists of two side rails (22, 24) and a smoothly polished base (28). A sensor (30) determines when the magazine (18) is full and operatively effects, through a programmable controller or microprocessor (not shown), the actuation of a motor (40) to withdraw the base (28) and discharge vertically the row of briquettes (29) from the magazine (18) onto one of a series of pallets (82, 84, 86, 88) transported transversely at a location below the surface of the magazine (18). Pallet position is sensed automatically so that briquettes (29) discharged from the magazine (18) are disposed at a preferred location on the pallet (82, 84, 86, 88). The operations of loading the magazine (18), detecting the magazine (18) as being fully loaded, and discharging the briquettes (29) from the magazine (18) onto a pallet, are coordinated with the movement with the pallets so that loading occurs automatically.

Abstract: A load of filled containers to be cased is assembled into a caseload by moving the containers in a column to a loading station at one end of a normally stationary conveyor. A control device determines when a complete caseload row is accumulated at the loading station and causes a platen to sweep such row laterally onto the conveyor and to thereafter permit a second row to accumulate at such loading station. A second control device determines when an appropriate number of rows of containers have accumulated on the conveyor to form a caseload and then causes the conveyor to be driven to carry the completed caseload away from the loading station and in spaced-apart relation to other caseloads so that the operator may easily and quickly fit an open case over the caseload.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inserting filled bag-like containers into despatch or display boxes, cartons or the like, comprising the steps of feeding the containers to a conveying system which has a plurality of compartments for receiving the containers, each compartment extending transversely to the conveying direction conveying the containers to an ejector station, ejecting a preselected number of containers at the ejector station from said compartments to a buffer store where initially the containers are loosely arranged, subsequently pressing the containers in the buffer store closely against each other, moving the tightly packed containers into a position directly in front of the opening of a carton to be filled and loading the tightly packed containers into the opened carton.

Abstract: A machine for packing objects into boxes comprises a platform comprising two horizontal flaps 15 on which an array of objects 11 to be dropped vertically into a box to form a layer therein is built up. When a complete array is sensed, a plunger 34 moves down to a position above or in contact with the array whereupon the flaps move first down to impart a vertically downward movement to the array and then flip quickly to a vertical position allowing the objects to fall past in their array with the plunger 34 maintaining position.The operation of the flaps and the plunger is controlled by a rotating cam that drives a con-rod connected to the plunger.

Abstract: An apparatus of high capacity is provided for simultaneously filling a plurality of individual containers into a predetermined number of empty cases. The containers are conveyed to two staging areas disposed in adjacent relation to a first station and then are simultaneously moved from each staging area to the first station. When the containers are disposed at the first station, they are arranged in a predetermined pattern which is compatible with the interior configuration of the cases into which they are to be loaded. A second station is provided which is disposed beneath the first station and is adapted to receive a predetermined number of empty cases to be filled by the container positioned at the first station. A means is provided which releasably engages the containers at the first station, lowers said containers into the empty cases at the second station, and then releases the containers in the cases and returns to its initial position.