Bulk-loading apparatus

Claim 2

A bulk loader for packaging a plurality of sausages in a container having side walls comprising: a. support means for supporting a group of sausages; b. container support means, positioned below said support means, for supporting the container; c. feeder means for advancing sausages onto said support means; d. stripping means mounted for stripping movement relative to said support means for intermittently moving a group of sausages from said support means into the container; e. shearing means for cutting a web of paper into discrete lengths; f. supply means for feeding a web of paper to the shearing means; and g. paper outfeed means for feeding a discrete length of paper from said shearing means along each group of sausages deposited on the support means to permit simultaneous movement of the discrete length of paper and the group of sausages into the container by said stripping means.

Claim 3

The bulk loader of claim 1 including a control means for (a) sensing when said feeder means has advanced a desired number of sausages onto said support means, and (b) activating said stripping means and said shearing means in timed relation to the accumulation of the desired number of sausages on said support means.

Claim 4

The bulk loader of claim 2 in which said container support means includes elevator means for elevating the carton to a loading position, and said elevator means comprises a carton support element and elevator control means for raising and lowering said carton support element, said elevator control means including sensing means for sensing when a given number of layers of sausages has been deposited in the container and transmitting an activating signal in response thereto, and (b) pneumatic means for lowering said carton support element in response to the activating signal of said sensing means.

Claim 5

The bulk loader of claim 1 in which said stripping means includes a stripping head mounted for reciprocation relative to said support means; and said stripping head includes a deflectable forward portion adjacent said feeder means that can be deflected out of the path of sausages being advanced by said feeder means.

Claim 6

The bulk loader of claim 4 in which said container support means includes conveyor means for removing the container from the bulk loader.

Claim 7

The bulk loader of claim 1 in which said container support means includes elevator means for elevating the container into a loading position, and said elevator means comprises a container support element and control means for raising said container support element to an upper position for loading, and for lowering said container support element from said upper position.

Claim 8

The bulk loader of claim 6, for use with a flexible container including side walls, in which: a. said support means comprises a plurality of pivotally mounted gates, and deflectable means connected to said gates for permitting said gates to open due to the pressure exerted on said gates through a group of sausages by said stripping means, said deflectable means being resilient for closing said gates at the end of a stripping operation; b. said container support means support the container in a loading position in which said gates contact the inside surface of the side walls of the container during the stripping operation to hold the container open; and c. said control means position and said carton support element in a partially lowered position at the time of deposition of the top layer of sausages in the carton to permit said gates to pivot to their closed position without disrupting the top layer of sausages.

Claim 9

The bulk loader of claim 7 in which said container support means includes an endless conveyor means.

Claim 10

The bulk loader of claim 1 in which: a. said container support means includes conveyor means for removing the container from the bulk loader; b. Said container support means further includes elevator means including a container support element having a discontinuous upper surface formed by a pair of spaced members, with said conveyor means extending between the spaced members that form said upper surface; and control means for raising and lowering said carton support element between an upper position in which said carton support element supports the container for loading, and a lower position in which the container is supported by the conveyor means; and c. resilient container stop means for preventing movement of an empty container along the conveyor means.

Claim 11

The bulk loader of claim 9 in which said feeder means moves sausages along a given path, the stripping movement of said stripping means intersects the given path, and said stripping means includes a stripping head mounted for reciprocation relative to said support means; and said stripping head includes a forward portion adjacent said feeder means that can be deflected out of the given path by advancing sausages.

Claim 12

The bulk loader of claim 10 in which said stripping head comprises a stripper plate mounted for reciprocation relative to said support means, a forward stripping element pivotally mounted on said stripper plate, and resilient means connected to said forward stripping element for aligning said stripper plate and said forward stripping element during the initial phase of a stripping operation and permitting said forward stripping element to pivot out of the given path when contacted by sausages advanced by said feeding means.

Claim 13

The bulk loader of claim 11 in which said support means comprises a plurality of pivotally mounted gates, and deflectable means connected to said gates for permitting said gates to open due to the pressure exerted on said gates through a group of sausages by said stripping means, said deflectable means being resilient for closing said gates at the end of a stripping operation.

Claim 14

The bulk loader of claim 1, in which said shearing means includes (i) a cutting cylinder containing a slot that permits passage of the web of paper therethrough, with one edge of said slot being a cutting edge; (ii) a shearing bar held in frictional contact with the exterior surface of said cylinder; and (iii) cutting cylinder drive means for intermittently oscillating said cylinder from an original position, in which said slot is aligned with the web of paper fed by said supply means, through an arc that permits said cutting edge and said shearing bar to shear the web of paper, and back to its original aligned position.

Claim 15

The bulk loader of claim 13 in which said supply means continuously feeds the web of paper to the shearing means and said supply means includes a take-up chamber having a convex surface on one side of the web that forms a path for the web when said slot is aligned with the web, and a concave surface on the other side of the web that forms a restraining path for the web when said slot is out of alignment with the web, said concave surface guiding said web into said slot after said slot returns to its original aligned position.

Claim 16

The bulk loader of claim 14 in which said paper outfeed means moves the paper at a faster linear rate of speed than said supply means and thus takes up the slack in the web produced during the time period said slot is out of alignment with the web.

Claim 17

The bulk loader of claim 15 in which said paper outfeed means comprises a driven feed roller and a spring-loaded guide plate that forms a nip with said feed roller.

Claim 18

The bulk loader of claim 13 in which the height of the slot in said cutting cylinder varies along its length to provide a cutting edge that progressively shears various portions of said web to completely shear across the entire web.

Claim 19

The bulk loader of claim 1 in which said container support means advances a container to a loading zone and removes the container from the loading zone in sequence with a loading operation, and comprises: a. a frame; b. elevator means mounted on said frame, said elevator means including a container support element formed by spaced parallel members that present a discontinuous support surface, and control means for raising and lowering said container support element relative to said frame in timed sequence with a loading operation; c. An endless conveyor means mounted on said frame and having its upper reach projecting slightly above and passing through said spaced parallel members of said discontinuous support surface when said container support element is in a lowered position; and d. a resilient container stop means projecting above the plane of the upper reach of said conveyor means for preventing movement of an empty container on said endless conveyor means.

Claim 20

A bulk loader for (a) receiving sausages from the upper reach of a lower sausage conveyor which conveys sausages with the sausages parallel to each other and with their ends substantially aligned, (b) loading the sausages received from the sausage conveyor into a container, and (c) interleaving sheets of paper between layers of sausages, said bulk loader comprising: a. support means comprising spring-loaded gates for supporting a group of sausages; b. container support means, positioned below said support means, for supporting the container; c. feeder means for advancing groups of sausages onto said support means, said feeder means comprising (i) cantilevered arms for receiving sausages, from said lower sausage conveyor and supporting the sausages during movement of sausages to said support means, and (ii) an endless upper conveyor positioned above said cantilevered arms and synchronized with said lower sausage conveyor, said endless upper conveyor having laterally aligned and laterally spaced fingers projecting outwardly therefrom, the lower reach of said endless upper conveyor located above the upper reach of said lower sausage conveyor and extending past said upper reach in the direction of movement of the upper reach of the sausage conveyor; d. stripping means mounted for stripping movement relative to said support means for intermittently moving a group of sausages from said support means into the container; e. shearing means for cutting a web of paper into discrete lengths; f. supply means for feeding a web of paper to the shearing means; and g. paper outfeed means for feeding a discrete length of paper from said shearing means along each group of sausages deposited on the support means to permit simultaneous movement of the discrete length of paper and the group of sausages into the container by said stripping means.

Claim 21

A bulk loader for (a) receiving sausages from the upper reach of a lower sausage conveyor which conveys sausages with the sausages parallel to each other and with their ends substantially aligned, (b) loading the sausages received from the sausage conveyor into a container, and (c) interleaving sheets of paper between layers of sausages, said bulk loader comprising: a. support means comprising spring-loaded gates for supporting a group of sausages; b. container support means, positioned below said support means, for supporting the container; c. feeder means for advancing groups of sausages onto said support means, said feeder means comprising (i) cantilevered arms for receiving sausages, from said lower sausage conveyor and supporting the sausages during movement of sausages to said support means, and (ii) an endless upper conveyor positioned above said cantilevered arms and synchronized with said lower sausage conveyor, said endless upper conveyor having laterally aligned and laterally spaced fingers projecting outwardly therefrom, the lower reach of said endless upper conveyor located above the upper reach of said lower sausage conveyor and extending past said upper reach in the direction of movement of the upper reach of the sausage conveyor; d. stripping means mounted for stripping movement relative to said support means for intermittently moving a group of sausages from said support means into the container; e. shearing means for cutting a web of paper into discrete lengths; f. supply means for feeding a web of paper to the shearing means; and g. paper outfeed means for feeding a discrete length of paper from said shearing means along each group of sausages deposited on the support means to permit simultaneous movement of the discrete length of paper and the group of sausages into the container by said stripping means.

Claim 22

The bulk loader of claim 19 in which (a) said bulk loader includes a bulk loader frame pivotally mounted on the frame of said sausage conveyor for movement about an axis located above the upper reach of said lower sausage conveyor; and (b) said support means, said feeder means, and said stripping means are all mounted on said bulk loader frame.

Claim 23

The bulk loader of claim 20 including positioning means attached to said bulk loader frame for moving said support means, said feeder means and said stripping means between an operating position in which said feeder means engage sausages on said lower sausages conveyor, and an inoperative position in which said feeder means do not engage the sausages on said lower sausage conveyor.