Hayssen Manufacturing Company

Paper Converting Machine Company

Other

Valley Popcorn Company, Inc.

Richard D Sorenson

Dale M Cherney

Lloyd Kovacs

Robert C James

Dennis P Horsman

John C Odegard

Charles G Hart

Wayne Thomas Nankervis

Jeffrey A Ginzl

Dominique G Rateau

Alan R Wanek

Brian L Hopkinson

Neal R Monigal

Mark R Van Rens

Matt L Brugman

John S Gordon

A popcorn popping machine which pops popcorn in batches/cycles. A sensor on a popcorn popping machine senses pops of popcorn in the kettle. A system computer controller monitors the rate of popping sensed by the sensor and uses the beginning of the decline in the rate of popping as a basis for controlling heat to the kettle during a given cycle/batch. Activation of the dump mechanism, which terminates the popping cycle/batch, is initiated when the computer controller detects a predetermined programmed minimum pop count rate after the heat has been turned OFF.

Popcorn popper

A method of popping popcorn in batches/cycles. A sensor on a popcorn popping machine senses pops of popcorn in the kettle. A system computer controller monitors the rate of popping sensed by the sensor and uses the beginning of the decline in the rate of popping as a basis for controlling heat to the kettle during a given cycle/batch. Activation of the dump mechanism, which terminates the popping cycle/batch, is initiated when the computer controller detects a predetermined programmed minimum count rate after the heat has been turned OFF.

Method of popping popcorn

Wrapping apparatus and process

An apparatus for feeding, stacking, and/or upending products includes a pair of indexing star wheels. A conveyor advances a row of products toward an upstream star wheel. One or more products are metered into one of the notches in the upstream star wheel, and the upstream star wheel indexes to transfer the products to the downstream star wheel. The upstream star wheel can stack products by indexing twice before the downstream star wheel indexes. The downstream star wheel indexes to upend the products, and the upended products are moved away from the downstream star wheel.

Infeed section for packaging apparatus

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.

Method and apparatus for packaging groups of items in an enveloping film

Method of and apparatus for wrapping reams of paper or the like in which the ream being wrapped is placed on an elevator mechanism at a lower level and raised by the elevator mechanism to an upper level. The elevator mechanism comprises a central support and two outboard supports extending endwise of the ream. The outboard supports are movable inwardly from an outer position wherein they are spaced outwardly from the central support. The outboard supports occupy their outer position as the ream is placed on the supports and while the ream is being raised. As the ream is raised, it engages a wrapper sheet and portions of the wrapper sheet fold down on the sides of the ream. When the ream is raised, underfolders move in under the ream from opposite sides of the ream to fold portions of the sheet in under the bottom of the ream. The outboard supports move inwardly toward the central support to clear the way for the underfolders to move in, and are then returned to the lower level and moved out to their outboard position. The central support is moved down to the lower level and the underfolders move into the region vacated by the central support. The ream is then pushed off the underfolders and the latter are retracted. As the ream is pushed forward, the ends of the wrapper sheet are tucked in on the ends of the ream by moving a pair of rearward tuckers forward from a retracted position and by moving the ream past a pair of fixed forward tuckers. The rearward tuckers are moved outwardly away from the ends of the ream as they return to retracted position to a position clear of the next ream being raised.

Method of and apparatus for wrapping

A method of and apparatus for feeding randomly received items and for placing these items on apparatus, such as a flight conveyor or a packaging machine, which cycles continuously at a steady rate, with the flight conveyor being operated at a cycling rate slightly faster than the average rate at which the items are randomly received, with the placement of an item on the flight conveyor being in timed relation to a portion or window of each cycle of the flight conveyor, and with placement of an item on the flight conveyor being intermittently deferred so as to bring the rate at which the items are randomly received and the operating rate of the flight conveyor into phase with one another.

Method of and apparatus for feeding randomly received items

Growing community of inventors

Sheboygan, WI, United States of America

Richard D Sorenson