Packaging machine

Claim 2

A machine for making doughnut-shaped packages of pulverulent material, such as coffee, comprising a conveyor having a series of doughnut-shaped depressions to form doughnut-shaped cavities for the coffee, means operable during a period of swell of said conveyor to grip the web around the periphery and within the interior of a doughnut-shaped cavity, to feed a quantity of material into such cavity while the web is so gripped, and to compress the material into a doughnut-shaped mass in said cavity while the web is so gripped, means to feed a second web over said first web and said compressed doughnut-shaped mass, and means to seal the webs together around the periphery and center of said compressed doughnut-shaped mass.

Claim 3

A machine for making doughnut-shaped packages of pulverulent material such as coffee comprising a conveyor, means to feed a web onto said conveyor, means to hold the web on the conveyor forming a cavity for the coffee, said holding means comprising a plurality of platens forming part of said conveyor and each having a doughnut-shaped recess therein for receiving the first web and the coffee, said conveyor being supported on a channeled frame member, a platen mounted above the conveyor, means to feed a measured quantity of coffee into such cavity, means to compress the material into a doughnutshaped mass, said means for feeding a measured quantity of coffeeinto said doughnut-shaped cavity initially depositing the same on said platform, the platform being provided with an opening registering with the doughnut-shaped recess in the underlying platen, and said coffee feeding means comprising clam-shaped members to move the coffee on the platform through the platform opening therethrough and into such recess, means to move the conveyor, sealing and cutting means in the line of feed of the conveyor, means to feed a second web over the doughnut-shaped mass, means to seal the webs together along the periphery of the doughnut-shaped mass and the center, and means to operate the holding and sealing means in timed relation with the movement of the conveyor.

Claim 4

A machine for making doughnut-shaped packages of pulverulent material such as coffee comprising a conveyor, means to feed a web onto said conveyor, means to hold the web on the conveyor forming a cavity for the coffee, said holding means comprising a plurality of platens forming part of said conveyor and each having a doughnut-shaped recess therein for receiving the first web and the coffee, said conveyor being supported on a channeled frame member, a platen mounted above the conveyor, means to feed a measured quantity of coffee into such cavity, means to compress the material into a doughnutshaped mass, said means for feeding a measured quantity of coffeeinto said doughnut-shaped cavity initially depositing the same on said platform, the platform being provided with an opening registering with the doughnut-shaped recess in the underlying platen, and said coffee feeding means comprising clam-shaped members to move the coffee on the platform through the platform opening therethrough and into such recess, means to move the conveyor, sealing and cutting means in the line of feed of the conveyor, means to feed a second web over the doughnut-shaped mass, means to seal the webs together along the periphery of the doughnut-shaped mass and the center, and means to operate the holding and sealing means in timed relation with the movement of the conveyor.

Claim 5

A machine in accordance with claim 1, in which said operable means includes an annular web gripping means movable into gripping relation with the portion of said first web around the periphery of the doughnut-shaped cavity, a gripping member movable into gripping relation with the web forming the central portion of said cavity, means to feed a quantity of material into the space between said annular gripping means and said gripping member, and an annular compressIon member located between said annular gripping means and said gripping member, said annular gripping means, gripping member and compression member cooperating with the conveyor depression to compress the deposited material into a doughnut-shape.

Claim 6

A machine in accordance with claim 3 in which said operable means includes a platform having an opening registerable with a conveyor depression, said annular gripping means, gripping member and compression member being movable in said platform opening, and said annular gripping means when gripping said first web being no higher than the top surface of said platform, said material feeding means including means to deposit the material on the top surface of said platform around the opening thereof, and means to sweep the deposited material over said annular gripping means and into the space between the latter and said gripping member.

Claim 7

A machine in accordance with claim 1, in which said sealing means includes eyelet applying means for securing the center portions of the two webs together while providing an opening through the center of the package formed by the two sealed webs.