Standard Knapp Inc.

Emhart Industries, Inc.

Other

Lloyd D Johnson

John L Raudat

J Michael Weaver

Jeffrey Reilly

Rick Dolce

Vincent M Cassarino

Adam Z Rydell

Daniel J Scroggin

Kenneth Ernest Kroeber

Jack H Lewis

A packaging machine includes a grouper section having changeable lane sizes and a dual servo grouper that separates product into product sets and allow the product sets to accelerate to the lane chain speed in a controlled manner. The grouper section further includes disappearing lugs that pivot into the lanes via a cam surface provided in the lanes. The product rides upon a raised surface of the cam surface as the lug pushes the product set together down the lane, thus ensuring that no gaps are provided between product set members. A gripper/grid section of the packaging machine includes a bars that travel about a carousel with a gripper head assembly and a grid assembly pair moving up and down the bars as defined by cam surfaces within the gripper/grid section. The grid section is presented below the product set such that the product set is fed through the grid section in a one-way trip into a case. The gripper head assembly cam device and the case feed section both include height adjustment assemblies.

Packaging machine

A grouping system for a packaging line is provided with first and second pin conveyors adapted to group predetermined number of articles in a line without segregating the group from the line has the ability to feed the line of articles in timed relationship to a third pin conveyor which engages the leading group of articles from the line to accelerate it into a flight bar conveyor system provided in a continuous motion packer that is capable of packing the group of articles into a case fed into the load station in timed relationship with the progress of the article group through that load station.

Article grouper and escapement for continuous motion packer

A paperboard tray packaging machine is adapted to handle the tray blanks and product to be packaged as both move continually in a downstream direction. The blanks are stored in an auxiliary magazine alongside the main magazine and are transferred from one to the other individually so each tray blank can be printed, at least on the blank end walls that cannot be conveniently printed in the machine itself.

Method for handling and printing paperboard trays in a packaging machine

Tandem magazines store tray blanks of different size for loading product in different pack patterns. Each magazine has a depending cam device that engages unique lugs on the tray conveyor to allow the lowermost blank to be received on the tray conveyor, and then to be gripped by the unique lug for transport downstream toward the load station. Since only one magazine is used at one time these cam devices can be deactivated as desired. One of the two blank withdrawing means associated with each magazine is located under the tray blank conveyor and operates in timed relationship with it. The blank withdrawing means are also selectively deactivated for the same reason.

Tray blank magazine and infeed for packaging machine

Articles, such as small plastic bottles, or six packs consisting of such bottles, are moved by line pressure down an inclined ramp into a load station where plastic trays are continuously filled with these articles. The trays are indexed by a flight bar conveyor that raises each tray, to be in position to index the next tray, and driven separator discs above the articles have lugs that move between selected article rows to index groups of the articles as they are loaded into the tray.

Bottle packer for in line cases

Articles, such as glass containers, are fed continuously in end-to-end relationship through a pin spacer adapted to provide a space between adjacent rows so that cross partitions can be fed therebetween. The articles are then grouped by s pin type grouper to provide predetermined members of article rows and columns in each group. The columns of articles are then spread slightly to allow longitudinal extending partitions to be fed between adjacent columns. At the same time flat tray blanks are withdrawn from a horizontally extending magazine and provided on a lug conveyor located below the path of the grouped articles and each blank is mated with a group of articles at a load station where the blank is formed around the articles by a pocket chain conveyor and article folding means operated in conjunction with an overhead flight bar conveyor which cooperates with the trailing portion of each pocket to fold all flaps provided on the tray blank.

Continuous motion tray type packaging machine

Articles, such as glass containers, are fed continuously in end-to-end relationship through a pin spacer adapted to provide a space between adjacent rows so that cross partitions can be fed therebetween. The articles are then grouped by a pin type grouper to provide predetermined members of article rows and columns in each group. The columns of articles are then spread slightly to allow longitudinal extending partitions to be fed between adjacent columns. At the same time flat tray blanks are withdrawn from a horizontally extending magazine and provided on a lug conveyor located below the path of the grouped articles and each blank is mated with a group of articles at a load station where the blank is formed around the articles by a pocket chain conveyor and article folding means operated in conjunction with an overhead flight bar conveyor which cooperates with the trailing portion of each pocket to fold all flaps provided on the tray blank.

Three wheels rotate together to achieve sequential movement of the leading top flap of a conventional packing case such that the case has its top flaps out-folded prior to the arrival of the case at a load station in a continuous motion packer.

Carton flap opener

Cardboard packing cases, which have been loaded with bottles or the like, are fed to apparatus for severing the top flap connecting tabs at diagonally opposite corners of the case. These tabs are provided to hold the top flaps of the case in place during loading, but must be severed prior to closing and/or gluing of the top flaps at a succeeding stage in the packing of the product. The apparatus includes an infeed station where the cases are separated, by slowing each case on a flight bar conveyor having its flight spaced less than the length of the case, and then accelerating the case on the infeed conveyor to match the speed of a pocket chain conveyor. The case has its forward end lifted, and opposite corners tilted, on this pocket chain conveyor to spread the top flaps at the two corners of the case without connecting tabs. Guide plates on either side of the pocket chain conveyor serve to guide the case so that fixed knives cut both tabs without necessity for turning the case through 90 degrees. The front tab is cut by dropping the front end of the case downwardly as it returns to a horizontal position on the pocket chain conveyor. Front and rear top flap tuckers follow an upwardly inclined path to cam the front and rear top flaps away from the continuously moving case, and a rotating flap closing wheel moves these front and rear top flaps inwardly onto the top of the case so that the side flaps can be subsequently plowed into place.

Packing case tab slitter

An apparatus, system and method are provided for determining the percentage of fat in a meat sample through the use of X-ray radiation techniques. An automatic calibration feature eliminates the need for manual potentiometer adjustments for accommodating interaction between X-ray attenuation by pairs of calibration standards of known fat percentage values for a given meat species. Protein and moisture percentages may be determined. Indicators for needed periodic recalibration also may be included, and adjustments may be incorporated for meat samples of high, normal or low moisture content, as well as for different species of meat.

Automatically calibrating meat analysis device

A case feeding apparatus moves open cases onto a lift table where each case is moved upwardly onto the funnel portion of a shifting grid structure so that a slug of articles can be deposited therein. Line pressure advances the cases toward a retractable stop and side belts move the cases individually into an intermittently operated pair of case conveyors capable of handling cases of different size. Arrival of a case at the lift table triggers both the raising and lowering of the lift table and an indexing device controls the case conveyor cycle. The cases have their side flaps folded down by side guides to maintain the case in laterally centered positioned on the lift table and each case conveyor has either pusher lugs or leading lugs to control case position longitudinally.

Case feeding apparatus for drop packer

A plurality of grids are mounted individually on spokes of a wheel so that each grid moves through an article infeed station where groups of articles are fed into the grids without interrupting their forward speed. The orbit of the grids is such that each grid also moves through a discharge station where the article groups are dropped into packing cases again without interrupting the motion of the articles in the direction of a packing case conveyor.

Continuous motion bottle packer

Cardboard packing cases, which have been loaded with bottles or the like, are fed to apparatus for severing the top flap connecting tabs at diagonally opposite corners of the case. These tabs are provided to hold the top flaps of the case in place during loading, but must be severed prior to closing and/or gluing of the top flaps at a succeeding stage in the packaging of the product. The apparatus includes an infeed station where the cases are separated, by slowing each case on a flight bar conveyor having its flights spaced less than the length of the case, and side belts accelerate the case to match the speed of a pocket chain conveyor. The case has its forward end lifted, and opposite corners tilted, on this pocket chain conveyor to spread the top flaps at the two corners of the case without connecting tabs. Guide plates on either side of the pocket chain conveyor serve to guide the case so that fixed knives cut both tabs without necessity for turning the case through 90 degrees. The front tab is cut by dropping the front end of the case downwardly as it returns to a horizontal position on the pocket chain conveyor. Front and rear top flap tuckers follow an upwardly inclined path to cam the front and rear top flaps away from the continuously moving case, and a rotating flap closing wheel moves these front and rear top flaps inwardly onto the top of the case so that the side flaps can be subsequently plowed into place.

An apparatus for detecting and clearing a jam of articles at the entrance to an article lane divider is provided which includes a plurality of parallel guides defining lanes for articles and conveyor means operative to advance articles toward the entrance to the lanes and to move the articles in the lanes. Detecting means are also included for detecting a jam of articles at the entrance to the lanes along with means for moving at least one of the parallel guides transversely to the direction of travel of the articles in response to the detection of a jam of articles at the entrance to the lanes by the detecting means, thereby breaking up the jam and permitting the articles to proceed into the lane divider.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, CT, United States of America

Lloyd D Johnson