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US 7,478,515 B2Granted
Braking systems and methods for automated clipping packaging apparatus
AssigneeTipper Tie, Inc.
InventorsSamuel D. Griggs, Dennis J. May, William M. Poteat, Derek L. Brown, David R. Gupton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and devices for automatically pressing a covering material against a product chute during a packaging operation to apply a braking force.
Claims11
A brake assembly for applying pressure to a covering material that is automatically fed over a product chute of a packaging system having a clipper, comprising:
- a pair of spaced apart arms, each having respective gripping members, the arms configured to move toward each other a distance sufficient to cause the gripping members to contact an outer surface of an intermediately positioned product chute with an interior cavity and to move away from each other a distance sufficient to cause the gripping members to avoid contact with the outer surface of the product chute to thereby controllably selectively apply a braking force onto covering material held between the outer surface of the product chute and the gripping members, wherein the arms have opposing upper and lower portions and are each pivotably attached to a stationary common center frame member at the lower portion of each arm;
- and
- an actuation cylinder that is attached to each arm above the lower portion of each of the arms and extends between the arms so that the arms are configured to automatically controllably pivot in concert toward and away from each other;
- wherein the actuation cylinder is located between the gripping members and the stationary common center frame member.
1 more element
A method of braking netting traveling over the outer surface of a product chute engaged with a clipper, comprising:
- selectively laterally moving first and second arms with gripping members on respective outer surfaces thereof, toward and away from a product chute;
- and
- applying a braking force to netting traveling over an exterior surface of the product chute when the arms move a sufficient distance toward the product chute and the gripping members press the netting against the product chute,
- wherein the laterally moving and applying the braking force steps are carried out using the arms and gripping members, whereby the arms have opposing upper and lower portions and are each pivotably attached to a stationary common center frame member at the lower portion of each arm, and wherein the arms are attached to each other via an actuation cylinder that extends between the arms and is attached to each arm above the lower portion of each of the arms so that the actuator extends between the arms;
- wherein the actuation cylinder is located between the gripping members and the stationary common center frame member.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.