Abstract: Apparatus for continuously feeding a drum machine with compressible articles for the wrapping thereof, comprising structure for progressively and continuously compressing the packs 1 to be wrapped which are fed by a belt conveyer 10, and at the same time transferring them towards the revolver 2 of a wrapping machine by means of a pair of superimposed belt conveyers 4 converging towards the revolver 2 of a wrapping machine by means of a pair of superimposed belt conveyers 4 converging towards the revolver 2 and each being operated by a relevant driving roller 40 parallel to the axis 21 of rotation of the revolver 2. The packs 1 being interposed individually and in succession between the belt conveyers 4. A device is provided for cyclically varying the feeding speed of the belt conveyers 4, and another device is provided for driving each of the belt conveyers 4 into an alternative rotation of predetermined angular amplitude about an axis 41 parallel to the axis 21 of rotation of the revolver 2.

Abstract: An apparatus for enveloping successive groups of items in a plastic film as the items traverse a linear path. Items are gathered in a group, and the group of items is then inserted in a tubular packaging film as the items and the film are conveyed at the same linear velocity. After the items are completely enveloped in the film, the film is severed and sealed to fully encapsulate them in the film. A vacuum is used to eliminate excess air generated within the tube, and also, in one form of the invention, form side gussets as sealing dies are closed. A tight package made at speeds results, with no need for any holes in the film to relieve internal air pressure.

Abstract: A tree compressing and binding apparatus has particular usefulness in handling of Christmas trees, employs a hydraulic power system which utilizes the even stroke of one or a plurality of hydraulic cylinders to drive a tree through a loader funnel. The apparatus is capable of being used in harsh weather environments and provides a low cost mechanism for packaging trees either for point of sales use or for large scale harvesting and shipping jobs.

Abstract: An apparatus for compressing and containing a material in an elastomeric net(26). The apparatus comprises a compression chamber(12), a material compressor(16), a holding chamber(18), a net expansion and placement mechanism (42), and a bale advance mechanism (20). The material compressor is coupled to the compression chamber to compress a selected amount of the fibrous material in a direction transverse to the general lay of the material within the compression chamber to form a compacted bale (10). The holding chamber has an outlet and an inlet coupled to the compression chamber. The holding chamber also has an axis defined by a line extending between the center of the inlet to the center of the outlet. The net expansion and placement mechanism is for receiving the net, stretching the net to obtain a cross-sectional shape that is slightly larger than that of the holding chamber, and placing the net over the holding chamber with one end of the net slightly extending beyond the outlet.

Abstract: A pouch conditioner inverts a group of pouches, urges them together while conditioning the by vibrating them, reinverts them and deposits them into a confine container. Product is more evenly dispersed throughout the pouch, reducing the maximum pouch thickness and allowing packaging of a group of pouches in a smaller case than possible with pouches having product which is settled in the pouch bottom.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling two cylindrical canning containers with cylindrically compacted and shaped tuna chunks. The apparatus has a flared compression channel for relieving excessive compression in the compacted tuna chunks, a movable shaping wall for controlling the density of the tuna chunks by changing the volume of the channel, and a movable blade between two semi-cylindrical cavities in the shaping wall for splitting the relieved compacted tuna chunks into two streams which then flow easily into the cavities for forming semi-cylindrical ends prior to cutting the formed ends into cylindrical cakes for injection into the canning containers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging a plurality of cylindrical paper rolls in a compressed state. Rolls are conveyed in a side-by-side relationship and are first progressively compressed in the vertical direction to a partially compressed state. The compressed rolls are then rotated 90.degree. to orient their flattened dimension vertically, and are further compressed as they are further conveyed. The compressed rolls are then joined, wrapped in a plastic flim, and the film is sealed to package the rolls and retain the rolls in their compressed state.

Abstract: The invention concerns equipment for compacting compressible wastes such as paperboard, cardboard, wood wastes, household trash or the like and is designed in such a way to include a rotating drum and plunger combination so that the trash is moved at equal spacings through a segmented housing and into a receptacle or the like. During conveyance the conveyed trash does not give off foul odors.

Abstract: Improved reliability of packaging metered batches of difficult-to-pack products is achieved by a method which includes pushing the trailing end of each metered batch of product out of the bottom of a hopper by an extendible member operating in synchronism with a form-fill-and-seal packaging machine. The extendible member comprises a double-acting rodless cylinder moving a support for a double-acting rod cylinder along the slideway, the cylinder rod carrying the head of a compacting member. The extendible member is thus made small enough to be located in the upper part of the hopper, yet has sufficient stroke length to cause the compacting head to reach down through the lower end of the hopper.

Abstract: A preassembled unit for a sewage nitrification field has minimum outward dimensions of loose, lightweight plastic aggregate material enveloped and bound by a plastic sleeve around a horizontal conduit. In one embodiment, the unit takes a bag form with an aggregate-filled netting sleeve concentrically surrounding and fastened to the ends of corrugated plastic vent pipe. In another form, the sleeve is a plastic extrusion of rectangular cross-section and the conduit can be formed integrally with the sleeve. Cross-webbing is added for strength. In ground installation, conduitless units make up the insufficiency of aggregate dimension. Mating male and female end caps are used to interconnect the conduit of adjacent units end-to-end. Apparatus for manufacturing the concentric netting sleeve/vent pipe version has a hopper that discharges aggregate into the top of a mandrel and an annular disc or helical auger blade that pushes the aggregate forward into the sleeve.

Abstract: In a packaging technique for resiliently deformable articles (such as paper diapers or sanitary napkins), a stack of the articles are packed into a shell-like, inner cassette having an open top and bottom, the inner cassette is wrapped from above with a sheet of film having cardboard flaps extending from respective opposite side margins thereof and the stack of articles is ejected from the inner cassette through the open top, together with the sheet of film into an outer cassette which maintains the partly packed profile. Lower, trailing, flap-form ends of the wrapping extend below the stack on two opposite sides of the cassette, forming flaps that are subsequently folded in overlapping relation to cover the exposed bottom of the stack of articles and heat-sealed together and transversely extending margins of the sheet of film are folded and heat-sealed against the cardboard ends to form a package of predetermined shape.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically feeding and packing surimi of fish or shellfish, including a feed hopper having a top inlet for feeding the surimi therefrom and a bottom outlet for discharging the surimi therefrom. A screw feeder connected to the bottom outlet of the fed hopper has two screws for passing the surimi through the screw feeder. A feed pump feeds a predetermined quantity of the surimi flowing out from an exit of the screw feeder in which the predetermined quantity of the surimi is formed into a desired shape by a forming tube. A wrapping tube forming device forms a plastic film into a continuous wrapping tube to be packed with the surimi.

Abstract: A preserved forage crop, such as grass or lucerne, is cut and allowed to wilt to a given dry matter content, it is then conventionally baled and bales (1) are subsequently compacted in one direction only and sealed into airtight bags (31) before the compacted bale can fully re-expand; preferably the bale (1) is cut longitudinally (z) and each part-bale (8) is compacted longitudinally to produce flat-sided, oblong bagged bales of stackable proportions and forage crop sealed under compaction in the bag and layered in planes (y) or (z) transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bag.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for applying covers to seat cushions and the like includes means to maintain the cushioning material under compression within the cover as the cushioning material is moved into the cover.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for packaging a plurality of individual packages containing fluent material is disclosed.

Abstract: An in-line strapping system which is particularly adaptable for strapping a compressible stack of sheet material includes a stack feeding mechanism which captures and holds the stack with its vertical side faces squared through the strapping cycle. A pair of vertically disposed compression belts captures the stack fed from an upstream squaring mechanism and feeds the stack into a strapping station to partially encircle the stack with a strap disposed in the path of movement. Only one lateral side of the stack is captured between the compression belt such that the stack is held in cantilevered fashion in the strapping station with the opposite lateral side unsupported. A rotary strap arm supports the partially wrapped strap and carries it around the unsupported rear portion of the stack to a sealing position overlapping the free end of the strap beneath the stack.

Abstract: An envelope handling system for removing envelopes from an upper level conveyor, placing them in stacks on a lower level bucket conveyor, removing the stacks from the bucket, conveyor and side-loading them into cartons, sealing the cartons, conveying the cartons to a packing area, and forming the cartons into a horizontal column for placement into shipping containers. The system includes a spider feeder for removing the envelopes from an upper level conveyor and discharging them downwardly in a vertical direction, pivoting bottom fingers for receiving envelopes from the feeder and collecting them into a stack, hold back fingers for intercepting envelopes in a second stack above the bottom fingers, and transfer fingers for compressing a stack collected on the bottom fingers and urging the bottom fingers downwardly to place the stack onto the conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously making a mixture of viscous material with solid material segments, which utilizes a pair of spaced mixing rolls (26, 28) for dragging the viscous material (42, 44) and the solid material segments (66, 68) into a gap (34) between the mixing rolls to permit the material to be mixed together to form an impregnated compound (82). Each roll has a hopper (36, 38) having an opening (54) and an associated coating blade (46,48) for depositing of layer (42, 44) of desired thickness of the viscous material on the mixing rolls. A solid material cutter (70, 72) is located above and associated with each mixing roller, to provide distinct stream (66, 68) of solid material segments in a uniform rainfall onto the layers of viscous material as the layers emerge from the coating blades. Both the thickness of the viscous layer applied to the rolls and the gap between the rolls are adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of recipes and to produce a variety of useful compounds.

Abstract: A machine and process is provided for sinuously folding a batt of bulky non-woven fibrous material such as glass fiber and inserting the folded batt into a container such as a bag. The machine has a support table having first and second sections separated by an intermediate section, and the intermediate section has a first series of stationary, transversely extending rotatable rollers arranged along it, and a second series of movable, transversely extending rotatable rollers supported by vertically movable mountings which allow the movable rollers to be moved from an initial raised position, in which they are raised above and separated by a gap from the stationary rollers, to a lowered position in which they are below the stationary rollers so that the stationary and movable rollers are over-lapped.

Abstract: An improved tree baling apparatus. A tree gripping mechanism is attached to a motor driven pulley chain. A horizontal beam of the mechanism has an elongated vertical actuator pivotably attached at an intermediate point on horizontal beam. The beam supports a pair of jaws to penetrated and drag the tree trunk. The jaws are clamped shut by an abutment pressing a first contact on the lower region of the actuator and by a linkage coupled to the horizontal beam and vertical actuator. A second contact on the upper region of the vertical actuator presses another travel limiting abutment to urge the jaws to release the tree by use of the same linkage. A funnel allows the traveling elements to drag a tree through the funnel whereupon the tree branches are compressed together ready for baling.

Abstract: A bag packing center accepts either open mouth bags or valve bags, particulate material to be contained in such bags and pallets upon which filled bags are to be stacked in planned layer configurations and automatically produces full pallets of filled bags stacked in such layer configurations. The packing center utilizes a novel unitary frame structure suitable for transport on a flatbed truck or rail car without any substantial disassembly to permit portability and virtually immediate operation at the user's facility without the usual specialized design, engineering and structural interface problems of the prior art. Bag placing, filling, flattening, turning, layer forming and palletizing are all accomplished automatically in a unitary, two-level integrated structure uniquely designed to occupy a minimum amount of floor space.

Abstract: Conifers and other plants, in particular, those are to be used as Christmas trees, are advantageously packed securely and in a space-saving manner, using an apparatus that has a U-shaped frame which has on one side one or a plurality of funnels with associated net tubes and nets and other side has a gripper that can be moved on the frame, this gripper having a scissors joint with gripper jaws that are configured as blades and which can be opened and closed automatically when the gripper is moved back and forth.The gripper jaws have a closing lock that can be released when the trunk of the tree is introduced into the mechanism and at one end has a withdrawal mechanism that acts on the tube and which opens the gripper jaws when this is done.FIG. 2 is intended for this disclosure.

Abstract: A first body has a cylindrical section that is adjacent a conical section so as to form a constricted passage through which granular solids are forced under pressure. Passage through the constriction results in the application of shear forces to the granular solids which degrades some of the particles to create fines to fit between the larger particles and which induces interparticle motion that facilitates the compaction process. After passing through the constriction, the compacted solids are received in a cylindrical receiving chamber, into which a piston can be inserted for the application of direct compression forces. In a preferred embodiment, the granular solids are forced through several constricted passages in sucession, resulting in several stages of compaction prior to the final stage of direct compression.

Abstract: A machine for parallel processing a group of clips of stacked interfolded paper sheets having a base, a reciprocating table carrying projectable pins for advancing the group of clips, a clip spreading station for increasing clip-to-clip spacing transverse to the direction of advance of the reciprocating table, a pre-compression station for compressing the clips to a uniform height, a rotation station for selectively rotating each clip 90.degree. length to width, and a folding station having selectively operable opposed blades parallel to the width for forming each clip into a generally U-shaped configuration to fit within a cube-like package.

Abstract: The package to be wrapped is moved during a first step towards a foil section which is extended under tension transversely relative to the direction of movement of the package. During a further course of movement of the package the aforementioned foil section is applied to three sides around the package in a substantially U-shape. Subsequently, a loop is formed from the web-like foil by entraining means which act on the web-like foil. The two runs of the loop are releasably held at their ends by related holding means. These two loop runs of the foil are separated from each other using a cutting knife. The foil section thus produced, which runs along the rear side of the package, has a length which is greater than the height of the package. An end section of this foil section of greater length and which protrudes past the package is now displaced towards and against the underside of the package.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for netting meat products wrapped in an edible collagen film. The apparatus includes a receiving surface into which the meat products are deposited and wrapped with the film. The wrapped meat products are then forced through an extrusion device and into a netting. The apparatus includes a lubrication distribution system for lubricating the surfaces which contact the wrapped meat products. Also associated with the apparatus is a container for storing edible collagen film pieces trimmed to selected lengths and stacked therein.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging radially expansile articles by passing a succession of such articles in generally coaxially aligned engaging relation with each other through a tubular guide which retains the articles against expansion, sequentially discharging the end most article into a second tubular guide sized to permit limited radial expansion of the received article, extending an engaging member into the second guide to displace each successively discharged article away from the first guide to enable unobstructed discharge and expansion of the next end most article, and engaging the last discharged article to displace it and a predetermined number of previously discharged articles out of the second guide for bagging.

Abstract: A fully automatic bundling machine forms a bundle of stacked compressed rows of rolled tissue product and wraps the bundle with thermoweldable material which is taken from a single roll. For larger rolled products such as household paper towels, the individual product rolls are not upended at any point during bundling, but always remain horizontal. The single roll of thermoweldable material is bundled around a selected number of stacked rows of product after compression thereof, so as to form a tunnel which is open at one end. The compressed product rolls are inserted into the tunnel and the wrapped bundle is advanced to a welding and cutting station which simultaneously closes the open end of the bundle and cuts the thermoweldable material along the weld line such that the wrapped bundle is completely sealed and one end of the thermoweldable wrapping for the next bundle is closed.

Abstract: The invention includes a method and apparatus for baling a standing tree in situ. An adjustable tree collar is placed around the tree trunk below the tree branches. The collar is then raised along the trunk to press the branches inward toward the trunk. As the branches are pressed inward, they are bundled to the trunk. The collar is variable in size, being adapted to expand and pass downward over the tree branches to contract below the branches to encircle the tree trunk. It comprises a plurality of yoke members that are urged apart to straddle the tree and then drawn together below the extended branches to encircle the tree at the tree handle. The yoke members are mounted on a hoist which lowers them over the tree and then raises them along the trunk of the tree. A twine dispenser including a twine canister and a feed boom are rotatably mounted adjacent the yoke members to wrap twine around the pressed branches as the members are raised along the trunk to bundle the branches to the trunk.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging snuff ready for use in the form of portions enclosed, for example, in a paper sachet (3,9) from a snuff store. The apparatus is characterizing in that the portioning means (3,9) is arranged to compress the snuff portion in a portion pocket (9), wherewith each portion pocket comprises a through-passing opening in a portion conveyor (4). The compressed snuff portions are blown by pneumatic means (11,14) to an intended position in a packaging band (16).

Abstract: Apparatus for providing resiliently compressible articles, which by being compressed have been lended a considerably reduced volume, with a casing formed of heat sealable pliable sheet material preventing the articles from regaining their original volume. The articles are first precompressed to a volume which is smaller than said reduced volume. The precompressed articles are thereafter introduced into a tube which is formed of a lengthy web of pliable sheet material by heat sealing overlapping longitudinal margin portions of the web so as to unite them. The articles introduced into the tube are prevented from expanding to said reduced volume, in which they fill out the tube, until the heat sealing seam of the tube has attained sufficient strength. The tube can be closed between the introduced articles by transverse heat sealing seams.

Abstract: Radial compression of a cylindrical body made of compressible material, is achieved by axially leading the body through a rotationally symmetrical space, which tapers in the transport direction and whose smallest diameter is smaller than that of the body to be compressed, the envelope of the rotationally symmetrical body being generated by roller shaped bodies which rotate in the same direction and cross the axis of rotation of the space at an angle of between 5.degree. and 45.degree. but do not intersect it. During such passage, the body performs a helical movement relative to the envelope of the rotationally symmetrical space and is compressed, the compression being made permanent by wrapping at the narrowest point of the space.

Abstract: A process for filling seven rod-shaped objects into a cylindrical container wherein a group of seven parallel rod-shaped objects supported in two adjacent rows of four and three respectively and having a substantially trapeziform configuration in cross-sectional outline, is forced lengthwise through a funnel whose internal wall defines a longitudinal fin and is suitably profiled to undergo a gradual transition in cross-sectional outline from roughly trapeziform at the inlet to roughly hexagonal at the outlet so as to guide longitudinally and rearrange the rod-shaped objects to have substantially the configuration in cross-sectional outline of a regular hexagon, the longitudinal fin positioned to contact, and shaped to guide the middle rod-shaped object of the row of three to the center of the hexagon while simultaneously the outer rod-shaped objects of the row of three are guided to form the adjacent corners of the hexagon on either side of the fin, the two inner rod-shaped objects of the row of four are guid

Abstract: A meat packaging apparatus comprises a horn having an inlet thereto intermediate the ends thereof. A knife is located adjacent the inlet for severing meat locating partly in the horn, and a ram locates normally in the rearward part of the horn for extruding meat in the horn into a casing therefor mounted on the forward portion of the horn.

Abstract: A method for the preparation and packing of food products, in particular fish products of long keeping quality, includes disintegrating and sterilizing the fish and allowing the sterilized fish mass to coagulate under pressure in a forming and filling pipe. An inside cross-section of the filling pipe corresponds to the cross-section of the packing container wherein the product is to be packed. The forming and filling pipe is provided, moreover, with cut-off elements and flaplike shut-off elements to make possible the separation and feeding out of the product from the forming and filling pipe to the packing containers.

Abstract: A multistage piston assembly is provided in apparatus for stuffing large meat articles in flexible tubular food casing. The piston assembly is mounted in longitudinally axial alignment with the article-loading chamber and stuffing horn and includes a first stage piston and a second stage piston coaxially mounted inside the first stage piston. During the first stage of operation, the two pistons move together to force the meat article through the article-loading chamber and into the stuffing horn. The second piston is then actuated to force the meat article through the stuffing horn and into the food casing. In order to prevent loss of liquid from the meat article during the stuffing operation, the two pistons are constructed so that they fit snugly inside the loading chamber and stuffing horn with minimum clearance and also are made to be substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with both the chamber and horn.

Abstract: A device for packing poultry with means (7) for supporting an opened bag (9) and means (12,13) for pushing a fowl into said bag, a pushing member (12) having a vertical central baffle (26) oriented in the pushing direction to guide the legs of the fowl in order to prevent a twisting movement of the pushed fowl, which otherwise at times could happen and provoke irregularity or even disturb of the pushing operation.

Abstract: A roller chute apparatus for packaging a flexible plastic bag filled with liquid in a box has four stacks of rotatably supported vertically spaced rollers. The four stacks extend a substantial depth into the box around the inside of the box sidewalls forming two pair of mutually opposing stacks. A first pair extends above the open top of the box and cooperates with the second pair in guiding the bag into the box. The second pair extends above the top of the box with opposing stacks being mutually spaced a greater distance than opposing sidewalls of the box, thereby forming a funnel-like opening with the first pair. A driver roller is substantially located above and adjacent to the top of the box forming an angular transition between each of the portions of the second pair extending above and below the top of the box.

Abstract: A machine and method of packaging loose fill material such as fiber insulation into a rectilinear bag is described consisting of a storage tank above a trough enclosing twin counter rotating augers which forcibly drive the loose fill material into a passageway over which the bag is stretched, forcing the bag off the stretcher as it is filled. A hinged can assembly contains the bag and is guided along a track as the bag is filled and forcibly moved off the stretcher, presenting the filled bag to an operator who removes it and seals the bag.

Abstract: Poutlry dropped from a moving conveyor is loaded into bags through a nozzle assembly that expands each bag in advance of bird entry by means of a two-stage motion. A ram packs each bird fully into the bag during the second stage of nozzle operation followed by detachment of the bag and drop onto a receiving surface.

Abstract: Double leg suspended poultry dropped from a moving conveyor and guided into bags by a nozzle assembly that effects limited expansion of each bag in advance of entry of each bird into the bag. A ram packs each bird fully into the bag after partial entry resulting in tight fit packaging upon withdrawal of the ram and nozzle assembly from the bag as it is detached and dropped onto a receiving surface.