Apparatus for packing elongate articles

Claim 1

A STRING BEAN PACKING MACHINE COMPRISING A HOPPER FOR RECEIVING A WEIGHED MASS OF STRING BEANS IN RANDOM FORMATION, BEAN ORIENTING MEANS INCLUDING CONVEYOR MEANS MOVABLE THROUGH SAID HOPPER TO ENGAGE BEANS THEREIN AND CONVEY THEM ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, MEANS DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE BEANS FOR INTERCEPTING AND ORIENTING THE BEANS IN SIDE BY SIDE PARALLEL RELATION FOR LENGTHWISE MOVEMENT ON SAID CONVEYOR, AN ARTICLE RECEIVING MEMBER MOUNTED ADJACENT TO AND AT A LOWER ELEVATION THAN THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING BEANS THEREFROM, SAID ARTICLE RECEIVING MEMBER INCLUDING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED CHUTE AND A MOVABLE MEMBER IN SAID CHUTE ADAPTED TO GUIDE BEANS THROUGH SAID CHUTE IN LENGTHWISE ORIENTATION, SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPEN-TOP U-SHAPED SPACED BEAN CARRIERS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BEANS FROM SAID CHUTE, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ACTUATING SAID CONVEYOR TO MOVE EACH CARRIER FROM A BEAN RECEIVING STATION ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CHUTE TO A BEAN DISCHARGE STATION, TAMPING MEANS INCLUDING A POWER CYLINDER MOUNTED ABOVE THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIERS ADJACENT SAID DISCHARGE STATION AND HAVING A PISTON ROD ARRANGED FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN ELEVATED POSITION AND A LOWERED POSITION IN AN ADJACENT CARRIER, A CURVED TAMPING PLATE CARRIED BY SAID PISTON ROD, SAID TAMPING PLATE AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID CARRIER COOPERATING WHEN SAID ROD IS IN LOWERED POSITION TO PROVIDE COMPLEMENTARY ARCUATE PORTIONS DEFINING A CYLINDRICAL BEAN CHAMBER HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT OF A CONTAINER, A SECOND POWER CYLINDER MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID DISCHARGE STATION AND HAVING A PISTON ROD WITH AN END MOVABLE AXIALLY THROUGH SAID CYLINDRICAL BEAN CHAMBER AND A CIRCULAR PUSHER PLATE SECURED TO SAID PISTON ROD END, SAID PUSHER PLATE HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LES THAN THAT OF SAID CHAMBER, THIRD CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED U-SHAPED CONTAINER CARRIERS MOVABLE INTO REGISTRY WITH SAID PUSHER PLATE, EACH CARRIER HAVING FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY PROJECTING LEDGES, THE ADJACENT LEDGES OF ADJACENT CONTAINER CARRIERS COOPERATING TO FORM A PLATFORM BETWEEN SAID CARRIERS, A CONTAINER GUIDE CHUTE HAVING A LOWER END DISPOSED ADJACENT THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTAINER CARRIERS AND ARRANGED TO POSITION THE LOWERMOST CONTAINER IN SAID CHUTE ON A PLATFORM BETWEEN TWO CARRIERS, MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID THIRD CONVEYOR TO CAUSE SAID PLATFORM TO MOVE FROM BENEATH THE LOWERMOST CONTAINER SO THAT THE CONTAINER DROPS INTO THE SUCCEEDING CARRIER AND THE TRAILING LEDGE OF THAT CARRIER AND THE LEADING LEDGE OF THE NEXT CARRIER NEXT BEHIND ARREST THE DESCENT OF THE REMAINING CONTAINERS IN SAID CHUTE, AND A CAM-ACTUATED MOTOR-DRIVEN CYCLING TIMER CONTROL ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BEAN ORIENTING MEANS, SAID CONVEYORS AND SAID POWER CYLINDERS FOR ACTUATING SAID ORIENTING MEANS AND SAID CYLINDERS WHEN SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IS STATIONARY AND ONE OF SAID BEAN CARRIERS IS AT THE BEAN RECEIVING STATION, AND ANOTHER OF SAID BEAN CARRIERS IS AT THE BEAN DISCHARGE STATION IN REGISTRY WITH ONE OF SAID CONTAINER CARRIERS.