Abstract: A folded, substantially wedge shaped pack useful for holding thin, elongate products such as tobacco sticks includes a back panel, inner front panel, top panel and front closure panel, the front closure panel including a tab at a free end thereof engageable with a closure slot in the inner front panel. The closure tab slides into the closure slot by sliding along a bearing surface and the top panel establishes a raised fulcrum effect which tends to maintain the closure tab in the closure slot when the pack is in a closed condition.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging products in vacuum or in a modified atmosphere, comprising:

Abstract: A packaging machine for individual flat strip-like articles, in particular chewing gum strips (10), comprises means for cutting (110) and supplying (100), wrapping (300) and grouping (400; 500) of the individual articles. The packaging machine comprises a first fast section through which the articles pass continuously, i.e. substantially without retardations or accelerations. In this machine section the chewing gums are first cut from sheets (20) to strips (10) in a cutting device (110) and thereafter individually wrapped, a turning drum (340) possibly being employed. Subsequently, they are combined to groups in a grouping means (400; 500). In this second machine section the chewing gum groups are further conveyed intermittently in cycles with lower speed to a collective packing machine. By exchanging components in the grouping means of the fast machine section the articles can be combined to groups different in number and arrangement.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a package containing rows of stacked articles includes a bottom loaded spiral stacker for successively elevating individual articles to be packed, an article conveyor for feeding successive articles to the stacker, a stacking conveyor above the stacker for accumulating stacks of articles formed by the stacker and moving the stacks away from the stacker, a separator conveyor which moves in parallel relation with the stacker conveyor and receives U-shaped separators or partitions, a first transfer mechanism for moving each successive formed stack from the stacking conveyor to the separator conveyor, and a second transfer mechanism for moving successive rows of stacked articles from the separator conveyor to a carton set-up station. The spiral stacker operates in timed relation with the stacking conveyor which operates intermittently to move each successive stack formed by the spiral stacker in a direction away from the spiral stacker.