Abstract: A light source device includes: a light source lamp; and a housing, wherein the housing includes: a pair of openings formed, along a top and bottom with direction of a luminous flux emission of the light source device; a duct member provided so as to cover the pair of openings, and having an intake which outside air is introduced from the pair of openings to an air flow channel upstream side; a first air flow guide member provided inside the duct member, and causing the air introduced from the intake to circulate to either one of the pair of openings via the duct member by pivots under its own weight; and a second air flow guide members provided in positions in the housing corresponding to the openings, and causing the air introduced from the openings to circulate toward the light source lamp.

Abstract: A packaging method and apparatus wherein each product is packaged by capturing the product in flexible packaging material. The packing apparatus includes a product detector for detecting the presence or absence of a product to be packaged. The detection of the product may cause the advancement of packaging material and the product through a nipping station to form a package. The failure to detect a product may cause the advancement of the packaging material to stop and conserve packaging material until a product is detected. The product detector may be a color sensor trained to detect a color of the first web, a luminescence sensor trained to detect a luminance of the first web, or a light-sensitive sensor trained to detect a difference in light passing through the first web. Also, a luminescence additive may be joined with the lower web to provide a distinct luminance.

Abstract: A system for inspecting seal integrity of a sealed package including a visual inspection system and a medical packaging system having an integral peel testing device.

Abstract: For the production of (cigarette) packs of different configurations, for example standard pack (13), round-edged pack (14) or octagonal pack (15), subassemblies and elements of the packaging machine are exchanged and/or uncoupled from the drive. For this purpose, a pack-specific operating element is provided with a drive which has a coupling and/or uncouplable gear-mechanism parts. These, in turn, are assigned operable handling elements which allow adjustment for coupling or uncoupling or removing sub-elements.

Abstract: A typical product overwrap machine includes a crossfeed conveyor, a pusher bar for transferring bread products to a lifting table which moves upwardly to wrap the bread product with a sealing wrap, and the wrapped bread product is sealed by heated rollers. The present invention provides a sensor and control systems operating servomotors or AC drives so that the crossfeed conveyor is operated only when product is detected at a conveyor inlet, and the pusher bar is actuated to move the product from the crossfeed conveyor when product is detected. The control systems detect the width of a pusher bar plate and adjust the separation of flight bars in the crossfeed conveyor to match the size of the installed pusher bar plate, thereby preventing damage to the crossfeed conveyor if there is a mismatch in sizes. Other control systems may be provided to adjust both the width of the pusher bar and the separation of flight bars in the crossfeed conveyor.

Abstract: A tablet packing apparatus in which there is no risk that next tablets will be mixed into tablets previously discharged. The packing apparatus includes a plurality of feeder vessels (36) containing the tablets, a plurality of mounting bases (32) on which respective feeder vessels (36) are mounted, and a tablet reserving member (200) disposed below the mounting base (32) and reserving the tablets fed from the feeder vessels (36) and a shutter (203,300) which is movable to open and close the lower opening of the tablet reserving member (200). The apparatus further comprises a LED (201) which is turned on when the tablets are fed to the tablet reserving member (200) and a sensor (206, 301a, 301b) for detecting opening or closing operation of the shutter (203), whereby when the sensor (206, 301a, 301b) detects the opening operation of the shutter (203,300), the LED (201) is turned off.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for confirming the presence of contact lens packages in a secondary carton is disclosed, where a sensor that detects the presence or absence of metallic lidstock of the packages through the secondary carton.

Abstract: A capsule filling apparatus which fills capsules with tablets having the same cylindrical shape as the capsules, wherein each tablet is fed from a hopper in an upright posture and wherein the filling of tablets into the capsules is secured by detecting a pressure varying depending on the presence of tablets in delivering holes.

Abstract: Discrete cigarette packets which are supplied by a packing machine are assembled into arrays in successive compartments of a first endless conveyor at a first station, and the pockets of a second conveyor accept arrays from successive filled compartments for stepwise transport to a second station where the arrays are draped into blanks in a wrapping machine to form cartons. The second conveyor is moved stepwise during successive intervals of idleness of the first conveyor, and the first conveyor is normally moved stepwise when the second conveyor is idle. The two conveyors cross each other at the first station. The arrays in the compartments extend transversely of the first conveyor, and the arrays in the pockets extend longitudinally of the second conveyor.

Abstract: An optical detecting system for a machine for counting individual articles and delivering a preselected quantity of articles into receptacles. The system optically illuminates individual article receiving locations on an endless conveyor made up of elongated article receiving flights and produces optically-detectable indications of the presence or absence of an article at one or more article receiving locations. A reflector displays the optically-detectable indications to an optical detector, such as a camera, which generates an electronic signal representative of the optically-detectable indication. Associated circuitry generates a second electronic signal indicative of the presence or absence of an article in one or more receiving locations. The second electronic signal may be used to derive a count of articles delivered into the receptacles, and to actuate ejection of receptacles which are under-filled.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming, filling and sealing bags with a product wherein sheet material is formed into a tube on a hollow mandrel, feed belts are employed to move the tube downwardly on the mandrel and the product is delivered through the mandrel into the tube comprising a sensing device operable to control operation of the feed belts to on the one hand enable the drive for the feed belts when there is product at the discharge end of the mandrel and on the other hand to disable the drive for the feed belts when there is no product at the discharge end.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for bundling and tying a product. A plurality of spaced product carriers are sequentially moved along a conveyor flight. At a first station along said flight, a product tie is inserted into each spaced carrier. Each carrier is then advanced to a second station and a product is inserted therein. Each carrier, containing a product and a product tie, is then advanced along said conveyor flight to a third station where the tie is secured about the product. Thereafter, the tied product is discharged from the apparatus at a delivery station. Tie insertion, conveyor operation, product tying, and product delivery are automatic operations, one in coordination with the other and at a selected rate.

Abstract: Method of automatically changing reels (17,20) of strip material (15-21) in packaging machines, especially packaging machines (1) for cigarettes, equipped, along a feed line (2), with an ejection device (9) adapted for ejecting from said line (2) those objects (5) to be packaged that are defective and for determining a corresponding arresting of said strip material (15-21), the method providing for the utilization of said ejection device (9), in response to an end of reel signal emitted by a sensor (26,27), for determining the arresting of the associated strip material (15,21) so as to permit the changing of the reels (17,20) with strip (15,21) stopped and the subsequent recommencing of the feed of the strip (15,21) in perfect synchronism with the packaging line (2).

Abstract: Hinged-lid packs are assembled on a turret-shaped conveyor with equidistant hollow mandrels which receive relatively soft first blanks at a first transfer station, blocks of cigarettes at a second transfer station, relatively stiff U-shaped second blanks at a third transfer station, and relatively stiff third blanks at a fourth transfer station. The first blanks are draped around the mandrels to form inner envelopes of packs, the second blanks are draped around the inner envelopes to form the so-called collars of packs, and the third blanks are draped around the inner envelopes and collars to form partially completed outer envelopes of packs. Each interruption of transport of blocks or improper transport of blocks to the conveyor entails an interruption of transport of first, second and/or third blanks, and each interruption of transport or improper transport of first, second or third blanks to the conveyor results in an interruption of transport of blocks and/or other blanks.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a bottle packer apparatus for encasing bottles in a continuous operation, comprising a downwardly inclined case conveyor on which inverted cases are moved to a loading area, means at each side of the case conveyor contacting sides of the cases and moving them to loading position, and a bottle conveyor having a continually moving belt on which bottles are carried in a plurality of lanes to an area beneath the inverted case in the loading position, the belt continuing to move forwardly while a predetermined number of bottles enter the case in the loading position and other bottles accumulate rearwardly of the said case due to back pressure exerted by the loaded case against said accumulating bottles. The bottle conveyor speed is always equal to or faster than the case conveyor speed in order to provide for a continuous accumulation of bottles to avoid gaps.