Means and method for unfolding bacon board flaps and the like

Claim 2

In apparatus for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition on bacon boards having hinged flaps, said apparatus including conveyor means for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition in a predetermined position on a support surface and bacon board feeding means for delivering said bacon boards with their said flaps folded to said predetermined position on said support surface so that each bacon board receives one of said predetermined quantities of sliced bacon thereon, said bacon board feeding means including bacon board advancing means delivering said bacon boards oriented with said flaps trailing into bacon board gripping and feeding roller means operating to transfer said bacon boards from said advancing means to said support surface, the improvement comprising: an air pipe disposed above said bacon board advancing means upstream of said bacon board gripping and feeding roller means, conduit means for delivering air under pressure into said air pipe, said air pipe extending crosswise to the direction in which said bacon boards are advanced and having at least one air outlet aperture therein oriented to discharge at least one stream of air onto said bacon boards in a direction opposite to that in which said bacon boards are advanced so as to unfold said hinged flap on each bacon board as it is being transferred by said bacon board gripping and feeding roller means.

Claim 3

In the apparatus of claim 1 said support surface being the upper run of a conveyor on approximately the same level as the horizontal bight between said bacon board gripping and feeding roller means, and said bacon board feeding means including a bacon board supporting shelf approximately level with said bight.

Claim 4

In the improvement called for in claim 1 said air pipe extending approximately parallel to the bight between said bacon board gripping and feeding roller means and having a plurality of air outlet apertures therein.

Claim 5

In the improveMent called for in claim 1 said bacon board advancing means including a support shelf on which said bacon boards are supported as they are advanced and said air pipe being mounted above said support shelf and extending approximately parallel to the bight between said bacon board gripping and feeding roller means and having a plurality of air outlet apertures therein.

Claim 6

In apparatus for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition or bacon boards each having a hinged flap, said apparatus including conveyor means for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition on bacon boards pre-positioned on a support surface station and bacon board feeding means for delivering said bacon boards with their said flaps folded to said support surface station whereat each bacon board receives one of said predetermined quantities of sliced bacon thereon, said bacon board feeding means including bacon board advancing means operating to deliver said bacon boards oriented with said flaps trailing into the horizontal bight between a set of upper and lower bacon boarding gripping and feeding rollers operating to transfer said bacon boards from said advancing means to said support surface station, and said bacon board advancing means including a shelf, a pusher bar for shoving said bacon boards one-by-one into said rollers and reciprocating means for advancing and retracting said pusher bar, the improvement which comprises: an air pipe disposed above said shelf with its axis approximately parallel to said bight and having a plurality of aligned air outlet holes therein for discharging jets of air downwardly onto said bacon boards in a direction opposite to their direction of advance on said shelf so as to unfold the flap hinged on each bacon board as it is being transferred by said rollers, conduit means for delivering compressed air into said air pipe from a source of supply, and off-on control valve means in said conduit means operatively interconnected with said reciprocating means so as to be actuated thereby to the ON condition during advancement of said pusher bar and actuated to the OFF condition on each retraction thereof.

Claim 7

In apparatus for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition or bacon boards each having a hinged flap, said apparatus including conveyor means for depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition on bacon boards pre-positioned on a support surface station and bacon board feeding means for delivering said bacon boards with their said flaps folded to said support surface station whereat each bacon board receives one of said predetermined quantities of sliced bacon thereon, said bacon board feeding means including bacon board advancing means operating to deliver said bacon boards oriented with said flaps trailing into the horizontal bight between a set of upper and lower bacon boarding gripping and feeding rollers operating to transfer said bacon boards from said advancing means to said support surface station, and said bacon board advancing means including a shelf, a pusher bar for shoving said bacon boards one-by-one into said rollers and reciprocating means for advancing and retracting said pusher bar, the improvement which comprises: an air pipe disposed above said shelf with its axis approximately parallel to said bight and having a plurality of aligned air outlet holes therein for discharging jets of air downwardly onto said bacon boards in a direction opposite to their direction of advance on said shelf so as to unfold the flap hinged on each bacon board as it is being transferred by said rollers, conduit means for delivering compressed air into said air pipe from a source of supply, and off-on control valve means in said conduit means operatively interconnected with said reciprocating means so as to be actuated thereby to the ON condition during advancement of said pusher bar and actuated to the OFF condition on each retraction thereof.

Claim 8

In the method of depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition on bacon boards each having a flap hinged thereon wherein said bacon boards with said flaps folded down are removed from a stack and advanced along a supporting surface with said flaps trailing into the bight of gripping and feeding rollers by means of which they are delivered into a predetermined bacon-receiving station and wherein predetermined quantities of bacon in shingled condition are deposited on pre-positioned bacon boards in said bacon-receiving station, the improvement which comprises, impinging at least one jet of air onto each bacon board as it is advanced along said supporting surface so as to flow under the folded down flap thereon and lift the same.

Claim 9

In the method of depositing predetermined quantities of sliced bacon in shingled condition on bacon boards each having a flap hinged thereon wherein said bacon boards with said flaps folded down are removed from a stack and advanced along a supporting surface with said flaps trailing into the bight of gripping and feeding rollers by means of which they are delivered into a predetermined bacon-receiving station and wherein predetermined quantities of bacon in shingled condition are deposited on pre-positioned bacon boards in said bacon-receiving station, the improvement which comprises, impinging at least one jet of air onto each bacon board as it is advanced along said supporting surface so as to flow under the folded down flap thereon and lift the same.

Claim 10

The improvement called for in claim 6 wherein there is a plurality of said air jets impinging on each bacon board.

Claim 11

The improvement called for in claim 6 wherein after each of said flaps has been lifted by action of said jet or jets of air, said flaps are engaged by an air pipe from which said air jet or jets issue and thereby turned rearwardly in respect to the direction of advance of said bacon boards.

Claim 12

The improvement called for in claim 6 wherein each said jet of air comes on shortly after the leading edge of a bacon board enters said bight.

Claim 13

The improvement called for in claim 9 wherein each said jet is turned off approximately as each flap passes under said air pipe.