Apparatus for inserting a sizing disc into a tubular casing

Apparatus for implanting a sizing disc into an unshirred open end portion of a shirred tubular casing wherein the sizing disc has a larger external periphery than the inflated inner periphery of said unshirred casing, which comprises in combination:

• a. a frame;
• b. casing spreader means positioned on said frame adapted for insertion into an unshirred open end portion of a casing for expanding said unshirred end portion, being further adapted for accommodating a sizing disc advanced into said unshirred end portion of said casing, and operable for uniformly contacting and locally stretching unshirred casing that surrounds the disc as the disc advances through said unshirred portion while maintaining fore and aft portions of casing adjacent to said surrounding casing in a relaxed condition, said spreader means including pivotal elements having inboard and outboard ends, each of said pivotal elements having an arrangement of flexible primary blades which are conjoined at the inboard and outboard ends of said pivotal elements and said pivotal elements further including slots disposed intermediate said outboard and inboard ends, and said spreader means further including means for filling in the circumferential periphery of said outboard ends when said pivotal elements are in an expanded condition;
• c. disc advancing means for advancing a disc through said casing spreader means and into said unshirred portion of said casing, and
• d. sizing disc storage and dispensing means adapted to store sizing discs and to sequentially dispense a sizing disc to said disc advancing means.

A method for implanting a sizing disc into an unshirred open end portion of a shirred tubular casing wherein the sizing disc has a larger external periphery than the inflated inner periphery of said unshirred open end portion of said casing, which comprises:

• a. sheathing an unshirred open end portion of a shirred tubular casing onto a spreader means;
• b. advancing a sizing disc into said spreader means and into said open end of said sheathed unshirred portion of tubular casing;
• b. continuing the advancement of said sizing disc into said spreader means to thereby provide an outwardly expanding force such as to uniformly peripherally expand and locally stretch the unshirred casing portion that surrounds said sizing disc as the disc advances through the spreader means and through said sheathed unshirred portion of said casing, while maintaining the contiguous portions of the unshirred casing on the fore side and aft side of said advancing disc in a relaxed condition;
• d. further continuing the advancement of said sizing disc into said sheathed casing until said sizing disc exits said spreader means;
• and thereafter,
• e. applying a closure to said casing containing said implanted sizing disc to close the unshirred open end of said casing.