Packing machines

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR PACKING CANS WITH A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF FOOD MATERIAL, THE COMBINATION OF: A FRAME; A BOTTOM PLATE MOUNTED FOR HORIZONTAL ROTATION ON SAID FRAME AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THERETHROUGH; A PLURALITY OF CUP ASSEMBLIES ON SAID BOTTOM PLATE, EACH CUP ASSEMBLY DEFINING A PERIPHERALLY CONTINUOUS CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OPENINGS OF SAID BOTTOM PLATE AND EACH CUP ASSEMBLY INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF CUP SEGMENTS HAVING OPPOSED ARCUATE FACES; SUPPORT MEANS ON SAID BOTTOM PLATE SUPPORTING SAID CUP SEGMENTS FOR CONCURRENT HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN FOOD MATERIAL IS DROPPED INTO SAID CHAMBERS AND A COMPACTING POSITION WHEREIN THE OPENING ARCUATE FACES OF SAID CUP SEGMENTS DEFINE A CYLINDER CORRESPONDING TO THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE INTERIOR OF SAID CANS, EACH PAIR OF CUP SEGMENTS MOVING TOWARD ONE ANOTHER IN A STRAIGHT LINE NORMAL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER PAIR OF CUP SEGMENTS; A STATIONARY PLATE ON SAID FRAME BELOW SAID BOTTOM PLATE FOR CLOSING THE LOWER ENDS OF ALL BUT ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS, AND HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING THERETHROUGH FOR SAID ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS; MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY POSITIONING CANS BELOW SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; A PLURALITY OF PLUNGERS EACH MOVABLE IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION INTO ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS TO COMPACT FOOD MATERIAL AGAINST SAID FACES AND SAID STATIONARY PLATE TO REDUCE THE HEIGHT OF THE FOOD MATERIAL IN SAID CHAMBERS; DRIVE MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR EFFECTING COMMON ROTATION OF SAID BOTTOM PLATE AND SAID PLUNGERS; ACTUATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PLUNGERS AND SAID SUPPORT MEANS THAT UPON ROTATION OF SAID BOTTON PLATE SIMULTANEOUSLY EFFECT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGERS AND CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID CUP SEGMENTS FROM THEIR OPEN POSITION TO THEIR COMPACTING POSITION TO COMPACT FOOD MATERIAL IN SAI D CHAMBERS INTO THE SHAPE OF THE INTERIOR OF SAID CANS AS SAID CHAMBERS APPROACH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING FOR DISCHARGE THERETHROUGH OF THE FOOD MATERIAL IN THAT ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS WHICH IA ALIGNED WITH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING INTO A CAN POSITIONED BELOW SAID DISCHAGE OPENING, SAID ACTUATING MEANS EFFECTING FURTHER DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THAT ONE OF SAID PLUNGERS ALIGNED WITH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING TO EJECT THE COMPACTED FOOD MATERIAL IN THAT ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS INTO ONE OF SAID CANS POSITIONED BELOW SAID DISCHARGE OPENING; AND MEANS FOR DROPPING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF FOOD MATERIAL INTO SAID CHAMBERS PRIOR TO THE TIME SAID ACTUATING MEANS EFFECTS SAID COMPACTING MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGERS AND SAID CLOSING MOVEMENT OF SAID CUP SEGMENTS.