Press for packing compressible material having an air release sleeve

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger positioned above the container and movable between upper and lower positions, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the container and upwardly to withdraw the ram, an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, and a rigid sleeve coupled to the bottom of the charger and located within the container when the charger is in the lower position and without the container when the charger is in the upper position, the sleeve having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, the improvement comprising:

• means, coupled to said sleeve and activated when said sleeve is within the container, for conducting air transversely from inside said sleeve, upwardly longitudinally of said sleeve but not in contact with the sides of the container, and then outwardly away from said sleeve above the sides of the container,
• said means for conducting air including
• a plurality of perforations passing transversely through said sleeve,
• a second rigid sleeve surrounding but spaced from said sleeve to define an air conducting channel therebetween, and
• a manifold, coupled to said sleeve, for collecting air from said air conducting channel, said manifold being located above the bottom of said sleeve a distance substantially equal to the depth of the container.

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger positioned above the container and movable between upper and lower positions, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the container and upwardly to withdraw the ram, an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, and a rigid sleeve coupled to the bottom of the charger and located within the container when the charger is in the lower position and without the container when the charger is in the upper position, the sleeve having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, the improvement comprising:

• means, coupled to said sleeve and activated when said sleeve is within the container, for conducting air transversely from inside said sleeve, upwardly longitudinally of said sleeve but not in contact with the sides of the container, and then outwardly away from said sleeve above the sides of the container,
• said means for conducting air including
• a second rigid sleeve surrounding but spaced from said sleeve to define an air conducting channel therebetween, and
• a plurality of reinforcing bars coupled to and located between said sleeve and said second sleeve, said bars being spaced apart to define air conducting channels therebetween.

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger positioned above the container and movable between upper and lower positions, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the container and upwardly to withdraw the ram, an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, and a rigid sleeve coupled to the bottom of the charger and located within the container when the charger is in the lower position and without the container when the charger is in the upper position, the sleeve having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, the improvement comprising:

• means, coupled to said sleeve and activated when said sleeve is within the container, for conducting air transversely from inside said sleeve, upwardly longitudinally of said sleeve but not in contact with the sides of the container, and then outwardly away from said sleeve above the sides of the container,
• said means for conducting air including
• a second rigid sleeve surrounding but spaced from said sleeve to define an air conducting channel therebetween, and
• a manifold, coupled to said sleeve, for collecting air from said air conducting channel,
• said manifold being located above the bottom of said sleeve a distance substantially equal to the depth of the container.

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger positioned above the container and movable between upper and lower positions, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the container and upwardly to withdraw the ram, an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, and a rigid sleeve coupled to the bottom of the charger and located within the container when the charger is in the lower position and without the container when the charger is in the upper position, the sleeve having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, the improvement comprising:

• means, coupled to said sleeve and activated when said sleeve is within the container, for conducting air transversely from inside said sleeve, upwardly longitudinally of said sleeve but not in contact with the sides of the container, and then outwardly away from said sleeve above the sides of the container, and
• second means, defined in said charger above said sleeve, for conducting air transversely from inside said charger,
• said second means comprising
• a plurality of perforations passing transversely through said charger, and
• a second rigid sleeve surrounding but spaced from said charger in the area of said perforations to define an air conducting channel therebetween.

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger positioned above the container and movable between upper and lower positions, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the container and upwardly to withdraw the ram, an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, and a rigid sleeve coupled to the bottom of the charger and located within the container when the charger is in the lower position and without the container when the charger is in the upper position, the sleeve having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, the improvement comprising:

• a plurality of perforations passing transversely through said sleeve;
• means, surrounding but spaced from said sleeve, for defining an air conducting channel therebetween;
• reinforcement means, located between said sleeve and said means, for preventing outward collapse of said sleeve under compaction pressure;
• and
• manifold means, communicating with said air conducting channel, for receiving air therefrom,
• said manifold means being located above the bottom of said sleeve a distance substantially equal to the depth of the container.

In a press for packing loose, compressible material into a container, the press including an upright hollow charger, a rigid compression chamber located at the bottom of the charger and having transverse dimensions slightly smaller than those of the container but a cross section similar to that of the container, a pressing ram having a press head and being movable downwardly through the charger to compress the material into the compression chamber and upwardly to withdraw the ram, and an infeed conveyor for delivering the compressible material into the top of the charger, the improvement comprising:

• means, coupled to said compression chamber, for conducting air transversely from inside said compression chamber, upwardly longitudinally of said compression chamber, and then outwardly away from said compression chamber above the sides of the compression chamber,
• said means for conducting air comprising
• at least one perforation passing transversely through said compression chamber and in air flow communication with the interior and exterior of said compression chamber,
• means, in air flow communication with said at least one perforation and extending longitudinally of said compression chamber, for defining an air conducting channel with the exterior of said compression chamber, and
• rigid reinforcement means, engaging the exterior of said compression chamber and said means for defining an air conducting channel, for maintaining a space therebetween under the forces of compaction.