Packaging apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A PACKAGE CONTAINING A MULTIPLICITY OF PARTIALLY BAKED MULTIPLE SECTION SOFT DOUGH PRODUCTS HAVING GROOVES DEFINED BETWEEN THE SECTIONS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, PAN CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING PANS OF SAID PRODUCTS TO A PICK-UP STATION, VERTICALLY AND LATERALLY MOVABLE TRANSPORT HEAD MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID PRODUCTS FROM SAID PANS AND CONVEYING THEM TO A PACKING STATION, A PLURALITY OF SUCTION CUPS MOUNTED UPON SAID TRANSPORT HEAD, EACH OF SAID CUPS COMPRISING A CENTER TUBULAR SECTION, A FLANGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR SECTION AND DEFINING AN OBTUSE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID TUBULAR SECTION AND SAID FLANGE, SAID FLANGE BEING MADE FROM A SOFT RESILIENT MATERIAL, SAID FLANGE IN CROSS-SECTION BEING TAPERED OUTWARDLY TO ITS LATERAL EXTREMITY SO AS TO DEFINE A THIN AND SUPPLE PERIPHERAL EDGE VEIL OF LESS RESISTANCE TO DEFORMATION THAN THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF SAID PARTIALLY BAKED DOUGH PRODUCTS, SAID PERIPHERAL VEIL BEING SUFFICIENTLY THIN AND SUPPLE THAT THE PASSAGE OF AIR UPWARDLY INTO SAID CUP WHEN SAID VEIL IS LOCATED IN UNSEALED PROXIMITY TO SAID PRODUCTS WILL CAUSE SAID VEIL TO FLEX AND ENTER SAID GROOVES TO FORM A SEAL WITH THE PRODUCT WITHOUT DISTORTING THE SURFACE CONTOUR OF THE PRODUCT. MEANS FOR STOPPING SAID PANS ON SAID CONVEYOR AT A LOCATION BENEATH SAID TRANSPORT HEAD, CARTON CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING EMPTY CARTONS TO A PACKING STATION, MEANS FOR STOPPING SAID CARTONS AT SAID PACKING STATION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TRANSPORT HEAD DOWNWARDLY TO PLACE SAID SUCTION CUPS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PRODUCTS, MEANS FOR PLACING A VACUUM ON THE INTERIOR OF SAID SUCTION CUPS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TRANSPORT HEAD UPWARDLY AND LATERALLY TO A LOCATION OVER SAID CARTON CONVEYOR WHILE MAINTAINING A VACUUM TO SAID CUPS WHEREBY SAID PRODUCTS ARE REMOVED FROM SAID PAN AND CONVEYED OVER SAID CARTON CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID HEAD DOWNWARDLY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID VACUUM TO SAID CUPS TO LOCATE SAID PRODUCTS WITHIN A CARTON AT SAID PACKING STATION, AND MEANS FOR OPENING THE INTERIOR OF SAID CUPS TO AT LEAST ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AFTER SAID PRODUCTS ARE LOCATED WITHIN SAID CARTON TO RELEASE SAID CUPS FROM SAID PRODUCTS.