Method and apparatus for inspecting vacuum packed receptacles

Claim 1

A METHOD OF INSPECTING SEALED SYMMETRICALLY SHAPED CONTAINERS, CONTAINING A PRODUCT PACKED THEREIN UNDER A PARTIAL VACUUM, AND HAVING UPPER AND LOWER PERIPHERAL BEADS, TO DETERMINE IF A PREDETERMINED PARTIAL VACUUM EXISTS WITHIN THE CONTAINER, AND TO DETECT DAMAGE OR DEFORMATION TO THE BEADS OF THE CONTAINER, SAID METHOD CONSISTING IN POSITIONING A PACKED CONTAINER TO BE INSPECTED IN PREDETERMINED ORIENTATION WITHIN AN INSPECTION CELL, A PAIR OF OPPOSED WALLS OF THE CONTAINER NORMALLY PRESENTING CONCAVE EXTERNAL SURFACES WHEN THE DESIRED MINIMUM PREDETERMINED VACUUM EXISTS THEREIN SO THAT THE EXTERIOR DIMENSION OF THE CONTAINER BETWEEN THE OPPOSED WALLS AT THE ZONE OF GREATEST CONCAVITY IS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE, SHIFTING THE INSPECTION CELL TO AN ACCEPTANCE DISCHARGE STATION WHEREIN NON-DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS ARE DISCHARGED, THEN TO REJECT DISCHARGE STATION WHEREIN DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS ARE DISCHARGED, AND THEREAFTER RETURN TO THE CONTAINER RECEIVER STATION, DURING SHIFTING OF THE INSPECTION CELL FROM THE RECEIVER STATION TO THE ACCEPTANCE DISCHARGE STATION, MECHANICALLY MEASURING THE EXTERIOR DIMENSION OF THE CONTAINER BETWEEN THE OPPOSED WALLS THEREOF AT THE ZONE WHEREIN THE DEGREE OF GREATEST CONCAVITY OCCURS

Claim 2

A METHOD OF INSPECTING SEALED SYMMETRICALLY SHAPED CONTAINERS, CONTAINING A PRODUCT PACKED THEREIN UNDER A PARTIAL VACUUM, AND HAVING UPPER AND LOWER PERIPHERAL BEADS, TO DETERMINE IF A PREDETERMINED PARTIAL VACUUM EXISTS WITHIN THE CONTAINER, AND TO DETECT DAMAGE OR DEFORMATION TO THE BEADS OF THE CONTAINER, SAID METHOD CONSISTING IN POSITIONING A PACKED CONTAINER TO BE INSPECTED IN PREDETERMINED ORIENTATION WITHIN AN INSPECTION CELL, A PAIR OF OPPOSED WALLS OF THE CONTAINER NORMALLY PRESENTING CONCAVE EXTERNAL SURFACES WHEN THE DESIRED MINIMUM PREDETERMINED VACUUM EXISTS THEREIN SO THAT THE EXTERIOR DIMENSION OF THE CONTAINER BETWEEN THE OPPOSED WALLS AT THE ZONE OF GREATEST CONCAVITY IS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE, SHIFTING THE INSPECTION CELL TO AN ACCEPTANCE DISCHARGE STATION WHEREIN NON-DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS ARE DISCHARGED, THEN TO REJECT DISCHARGE STATION WHEREIN DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS ARE DISCHARGED, AND THEREAFTER RETURN TO THE CONTAINER RECEIVER STATION, DURING SHIFTING OF THE INSPECTION CELL FROM THE RECEIVER STATION TO THE ACCEPTANCE DISCHARGE STATION, MECHANICALLY MEASURING THE EXTERIOR DIMENSION OF THE CONTAINER BETWEEN THE OPPOSED WALLS THEREOF AT THE ZONE WHEREIN THE DEGREE OF GREATEST CONCAVITY OCCURS