Other

Mckenna Equipment Company Inc.

International Packaging Corporation

David S Knudsen

James D Knudsen

A machine for applying a twist-type tie to the neck of a bag has a path and sets of endless belts which come together at a nip along the path to propel a bag neck which passes into the nip forwardly to a typing zone in the path. Here a twist-type ribbon crosses the path and is secured at its end in a holder. An endless chain carries a pusher tab up to the tying zone behind the bag neck, causing the bag neck to gather behind and deflect the ribbon, then pauses, and thereafter resumes its forward motion to drive the bag neck out of the machine. During the pause a bag clamp secures the bag neck against a surface that is along the path and a needle lifts a portion of the ribbon upwardly behind the gathered bag neck and brings that portion of the ribbon to the holder so that the ribbon loops below the bag neck in the form of leading and trailing segments. While the needle is so extended, a twister hook gathers its leading and trailing segments and twists them together. As the tie is completed, the holder shears the trailing segment of ribbon and at the same time grips that segment so the ribbon remains extended across the path. A ribbon stripper moves forwardly from behind the twister hook and clears the severed twist tie from the tying zone as the pusher tab resumes its forward motion.

Machine for applying twist-type ties

A machine for applying a twist-type tie to the neck of a bag has a path and sets of endless belts which come together at a nip along the path to propel a bag neck which passes into the nip forwardly to a tying zone in the path. Here a twist-type ribbon crosses the path and is secured at its end in a holder. An endless chain carries a pusher tab up to the tying zone behind the bag neck, causing the bag neck to gather behind and deflect the ribbon, then pauses, and thereafter resumes its forward motion to drive the bag neck out of the machine. During the pause a bag clamp secures the bag neck against a surface that is along the path and a needle lifts a portion of the ribbon upwardly behind the gathered bag neck and brings that portion of the ribbon to the holder so that the ribbon loops below the bag neck in the form of leading and trailing segments. While the needle is so extended, a twister hook gathers its leading and trailing segments and twists them together. As the tie is completed, the holder shears the trailing segment of ribbon and at the same time grips that segment so the ribbon remains extended across the path. A ribbon stripper moves forwardly from behind the twister hook and clears the severed twist tie from the tying zone as the pusher tab resumes its forward motion.

A machine for installing a foil insert in a container lid such that the insert may be subsequently sealed to the mouth of a container after the lid is placed on the container includes a punch for blanking an insert from foil sheet, and a plunger having a head that emerges from the punch and carries the blanked insert forwardly to the lid. As the plunger advances, a folding arm presses against the tab and folds it over onto remaining or disc portion of the insert, and while the arm folds the tab, retaining fingers of a holding element hold the insert against the plunger head on each side of the tab to ensure that the tab folds at the proper location. Only after the tab is folded over does the plunger deposit the insert in a lid that is supported in the path of the plunger on a lid holder.

Machine and process for producing inserts having folded pull tabs

A machine for packaging small objects such as medicinal pills, tablets or capsules has a path along which a carrying strip extends, passing through various stations as it does. At the first station information is printed on the strip. At the next side-by-side pockets are formed in the strip. Then comes a loading station where the pocketed carrying strip passes over a track located between two trays over which are spread the small objects that are to be loaded in pockets. Here the strip also passes beneath a divider rail that extends longitudinally of the strip between the two rows of pockets in the strip to separate those pockets so that the small objects on the trays are easily manipulated into the pockets. The divider rail also keeps the carrying strip from lifting off of the track. Following the loading station a covering strip is directed over the carrying strip, and the covering strip is heat sealed to the carrying strip around the pockets in the covering strip at a sealing station. Immediately after the sealing station is a drive station where the joined together carrying and covering strips pass into a nip formed by rollers which rotate incrementally to advance the strips. The rollers also perforate the strips between the two rows of pockets. Finally, there is a cutting station where the joined together strips are severed transversely between successive pairs of pockets.

Packaging machine

A container having a generally rectangular rim surrounding its opening is closed by a foil membrane that extends over the rim and is sealed to the rim by inductively heating it. The membrane does not correspond in configuration to the rim, but instead its side and end margins curve away from the sides and ends, respectively, of the container rim, so that the peripheral margin of the membrane is located closer to the container rim at the corners of the rim than at the sides or ends of the rim. The foil of the membrane is coated with a resin bonding material, and when the membrane is placed in a rapidly oscillating magnetic field, its foil is inductively heated throughout the entire area that overlies the rim, thereby rendering the bonding material plastic and establishing a uniform bond between the rim and membrane. In contrast, a membrane having the same generally rectangular configuration as the rim will bond to the sides and ends of the rim, but not to the corners without overheating the membrane, since a membrane of that configuration does not heat uniformly in an oscillating magnetic field.

Process for closing containers and foil membrane therefor

A machine for installing disk-like inserts in container lids having axially directed flanges includes an indexing table on which several lid holders are mounted. The table moves the lid holders into and out of several stations. At the first station the lids are loaded into the holder which maintains them in an upright disposition with their flanges projected outwardly. At another station punches blank the inserts from sheet material, while plungers carry the blanked inserts forwardly beyond the punches and deposit them in the lids. The plungers have rigid forward faces provided with vacuum ports to that atmospheric air holds the blanked inserts against the plungers. As the plungers approach the lids at this station, they pass through apertures which are smaller than the inserts, and as a consequence the peripheral portions of the inserts are turned backwardly. This enables the inserts to enter the flanges of their respective lids without acquiring wrinkles and further enables them to maintain a centered disposition. At a subsequent station, seating heads move into the lids and deform the peripheral portions of the inserts into annular depressions in the lids. This has the further effect of ironing out the inserts at their peripheral portions to insure the complete absence of wrinkles and irregularities and also directs the peripheral edges of the inserts behind shoulders on the flanges of their respective lids. At the final station the lids are discharged.

Machine for installing inserts in container lids

A machine for bringing the flexible upright walls of paperboard containers into a predetermined configuration, so that fitment rings may be applied to the upper ends of those containers, includes a pair of captivator chains having parallel inner passes and a main conveyor located generally between the two inner passes. The containers are released onto the main conveyor at equal intervals, whereupon opposed captivator blocks on the two chains fit snugly around the containers and cause them to assume the desired configuration. This enables fitment rings to be installed over the upper margins of the sidewalls or some other operation to be performed on the containers.

Machine for gripping and sizing containers formed from flexible material

A machine for applying lids to containers and for further heat sealing a metal foil membrane to each container beneath its lid includes a main conveyor and a timing screw at the feed end of the conveyor for releasing open top containers onto the conveyor at equally spaced intervals. As the containers move along the main conveyor, captivator blocks, which are carried on synchronized chains located at each side of the main conveyor, converge toward and close upon the side walls of the containers so as to confine the containers in the horizontal direction while they move along the main conveyor. Lids are applied to the containers at a lid applicator while the containers are gripped by the captivator blocks. Thereafter the containers pass beneath an overhead belt and the lower pass of this belt is backed by a pair of skid plates and a plurality of rollers, with the rollers being interposed between the two skid plates. An induction coil creates a magnetic field beneath the rollers, and this field is of sufficient intensity to elevate the temperature of each foil membrane to above the point at which the membrane will bond to the rim of its container. As each container passes beneath the first skid plate, the force applied to the lid squeezes the membrane against the container rim with a constant force and excludes foreign particles from the interface. Thereafter the membrane is heated and as it is heated, the rollers apply an undulating force to the membrane, causing the heated membrane to seal snugly against the rim of the container. Finally the second skid plate applies a constant force to the membrane and holds it down against the container rim, allowing the membrane to bond to the rim as the membrane cools.

Machine and process for capping and sealing containers

A tying machine for tying articles of various sizes utilizing a twist-tie ribbon. The tying machine may be quickly adjusted to control the length of the tying ribbon that is metered out by the machine and to center the article to be tied at the tying station in accordance with the size or diameter of the article to be tied.

Tying machine

The open top of a container is surrounded by a rim having a curved upwardly presented surface and a slight ridge projecting upwardly from the curved surface. A seal membrane containing a metal foil extends over the open top of the container and seats against the ridge on the container rim. A flexible lid fits over the membrane and interlocks with the rim so that the membrane is interposed between the ridge and the lid. The lid has a downwardly opening annular groove which receives the container rim and this causes the seal to wrap generally around the curved upper surface of the rim. Once the lid and membrane are in place, the membrane is induction heated above the melting point of the container material, while a downwardly directed force is applied to the lid. The ridge, which is in contact with the seal membrane, melts down and thereafter is allowed to cool while the force is maintained on it, so that when the material solidifies, it is bonded to the membrane.

Container closed by a membrane type seal

A machine for printing letters, numbers, symbols and the like on banding or other flexible material of extended length includes a drive wheel and a printing wheel, as well as pressure rollers for pressing the banding against the two wheels. The drive wheel is driven by the banding as the banding is drawn through the machine, and the printing wheel is connected to the drive wheel through a belt such that the two wheels have the same peripheral velocity. Thus, the printing wheel, which has raised characters around its periphery, rotates as the banding passes over it. The raised characters of the printing wheel further pass over the periphery of an ink transfer wheel, all but a small segment of which is contained within a sealed case of an inking unit. The surface of the ink transfer wheel is pitted, and where that wheel emerges from the case, seals are provided to form a vapor barrier which isolates the interior of the case from the surrounding atmosphere. Within the case an ink pick-up wheel lifts ink from a reservoir at the bottom of the case to the ink transfer wheel, from which the ink is transferred to the raised characters on the printing wheel and thence to the banding. The belt further drives the ink pick-up wheel and the ink transfer wheel. A release mechanism is provided which, when operated, withdraws the pressure rollers from the drive and printing wheels, moves the ink transfer wheel away from the printing wheel, and creates slack in the belt.

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St. Louis, MO, United States of America

David S Knudsen