US 4,646,509 AGranted

Method and apparatus for packing elongated food material such as pickle spears

AssigneeNortheast Ohio Axle, Inc.

InventorClaude Tribert

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for packing into a jar elongated articles, such as cucumbers or pickles cut along their length into spears. The jar is positioned with a guide disposed within the interior of the jar. The guide directs a predetermined array of spaced spears into the jar and outwardly towards the wall of the jar. Thereafter, the jar is rotated. The guide, which is coupled to the bottom of the jar, is thereby rotated to position the guide to direct additional arrays of spears between the spears of the array previously placed in the jar.

Claims25

Dependent claims

In an apparatus for packing elongated articles into containers having a bottom portion, a side wall portion, and a top portion with a mouth for providing access to the interior of the container, the apparatus having

means for rotatably supporting a container at a filling station in substantially an upright position for movement about a vertical axis when the top portion of the container is at a predetermined level;
means for engaging the container at the filling station when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level;
means disposed adjacent the filling station for delivering a plurality of elongated articles in a predetermined array to adjacent the mouth of the container when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level, the elongated articles in the predetermined array having their longitudinal axes extending substantially vertically and spaced apart symetrically with respect to one another to form intervals between the plurality of elongated articles,
means disposed beneath the delivering means and adapted to extend downwardly through the mouth of the container into the interior thereof when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level for guiding the predetermined array of a plurality of elongated articles from the delivering means into a predetermined arrangement within the interior of the container in which each elongated article is disposed substantially vertically adjacent to the side wall of the container in circumferential locations corresponding to those of the predetermined array with a space between each elongated article corresponding arcuately to the interval between adjacent elongated articles in the predetermined array,
means for pivotally mounting the guiding means about a vertical axis substantially corresponding to the vertical rotational axis of a container rotationally supported at the filling station when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level;
means for moving the engaging means to turn the rotatably supported container engaged therewith about its vertical axis through a predetermined arcuate increment to position unoccupied circumferential locations of the spaces within the container immediately adjacent circumferential locations within the container occupied by elongated articles into alignment with the predetermined array of the deliverying means;
and
means for indexing the guiding means about the vertical axis thereof through a predetermined arcuate travel corresponding to the predetermined arcuate increment of the means for moving the engaging means,
the improvement comprising:
the means for indexing the guiding means about the vertical axis thereof including means for coupling the guiding means to the interior portion of the container when the top portion of the container is engaged by the engaging means to transmit the turning of the container through the predetermined arcuate increment by the moving means to the guiding means to index the guiding means through the predetermined arcuate travel thereof.

7 more elements

In a method for packing elongated articles into containers having a bottom portion, a side wall portion, and a top portion with a mouth for providing access to the interior of the container, the method having the steps of

rotatably supporting a container at a filling station in substantially an upright position for movement about a vertical axis when the top portion of the container is at a predetermined level;
engaging the container at the filling station when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level;
delivering a plurality of elongated articles at the filling station in a predetermined array to adjacent the mouth of the container when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level, the elongated articles in the predetermined array having their longitudinal axes extending substantially vertically and spaced apart symetrically with respect to one another to form intervals between the plurality of elongated articles,
guiding the delivered predetermined array of a plurality of elongated articles by a guiding element adapted to extend downwardly through the mouth of the container into the interior thereof when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level, the elongated articles being guided into a predetermined arrangement within the interior of the container in which each elongated article is disposed substantially vertically adjacent to the side wall of the container in circumferential locations corresponding to those of the predetermined array with a space between each elongated article corresponding arcuately to the interval between adjacent elongated articles in the predetermined array, the guiding element being pivotally mounted about a vertical axis substantially corresponding to the vertical rotational axis of a container rotationally supported at the filling station when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level;
moving the engaged container to turn the rotatably supported container about its vertical axis through a predetermined arcuate increment to position unoccupied circumferential locations of the spaces within the container immediately adjacent circumferential locations within the container occupied by elongated articles into alignment with the predetermined array of the deliverying means;
and
indexing the guiding element about the vertical axis thereof through a predetermined arcuate travel corresponding to the predetermined arcuate increment of the means for moving the engaging means,
the improvement comprising:
the steps of indexing the guiding element about the vertical axis thereof including the step of coupling the guiding element to the interior portion of the container when the top portion of the container is engaged to transmit the turning of the container through the predetermined arcuate increment to the guiding element to index the guiding element through the predetermined arcuate travel thereof.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

means for rotatably supporting a container at a filling station in substantially an upright position for movement about a vertical axis when the top portion of the container is at a predetermined level;
means for engaging the container at the filling station when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level;
means disposed adjacent the filling station for delivering a plurality of elongated articles in a predetermined array to adjacent the mouth of the container when the top portion thereof is at the predetermined level, the elongated articles in the predetermined array having their longitudinal axes extending substantially vertically and spaced apart symetrically with respect to one another to form intervals between the plurality of elongated articles,
means disposed beneath the delivering means and adapted to extend downwardly through the mouth of the container into the interior thereof when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level for guiding the predetermined array of a plurality of elongated articles from the delivering means into a predetermined arrangement within the interior of the container in which each elongated article is disposed substantially vertically adjacent to the side wall of the container in circumferential locations corresponding to those of the predetermined array with a space between each elongated article corresponding arcuately to the interval between adjacent elongated articles in the predetermined array,
means for pivotally mounting the guiding means about a vertical axis substantially corresponding to the vertical rotational axis of a container rotationally supported at the filling station when the top portion of the container is at the predetermined level;
means for moving the engaging means to turn the rotatably supported container engaged therewith about its vertical axis through a predetermined arcuate increment to position unoccupied circumferential locations of the spaces within the container immediately adjacent circumferential locations within the container occupied by elongated articles into alignment with the predetermined array of the deliverying means;
and
means for indexing the guiding means about the vertical axis thereof through a predetermined arcuate travel corresponding to the predetermined arcuate increment of the means for moving the engaging means,
the improvement comprising:
the means for indexing the guiding means about the vertical axis thereof including means for coupling the guiding means to the interior portion of the container when the top portion of the container is engaged by the engaging means to transmit the turning of the container through the predetermined arcuate increment by the moving means to the guiding means to index the guiding means through the predetermined arcuate travel thereof.

7 more elements