Apparatus for filling packages

Claim 1

A PACKAGING APPARATUS INCLUDING A FRAME, GUIDE MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVABLY AND GUIDABLY SUPPORT ING A CONTINUOUS FLUTED RIBBON DEFINING A PLURALITY OF CONTAINERS MOVING RAPIDLY THEREALONG, A FILLER MECHANISM ON SAID FRAME FOR DISPENSING A CONTROLLED VOLUME OF A FINELY PARTICULATED SOLID MATERIAL INTO THE CONTAINERS, SAID FILLER MECHANISM INCLUDING A HOPPER FORMED WITH AN ELONGATED APERTURE IN THE BASE THEREOF DISPOSED IN OVERLYING ALIGNMENT WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE CONTAINERS BEING FILLED, AN ELONGATED SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOPPER AND DISPOSED IN CLOSING RELATIONSHIP IN WAID APERTURE, SAID SHAFT FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF DEPRESSIONS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALY UNIFORMLY ALONG THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE THEREOF, DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT IN SAID APERTURE AND FOR DISCHARGING THE MATERIAL CARRIED IN SAID DEPRESSIONS FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOPPER IN THE FORM OF A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PLANAR CURTAIN INTO THE CONTAINERS MOVING THEREBELOW, A RECEPTACLE DISPOSED BELOW THE CONTAINERS FOR RECEIVING THE PARTICULATED SOLID MATERIAL WHICH IS NOT INTERCEPTED BY THE CONTAINERS, AND CONVEYOR MEANS FOR RETURNING THE MATERIAL FROM SAID RECEPTACLE TO SAID HOPPER.