Patent ID: 7294050
Filing Date: 2007-11-13
Classification: A22C

Abstract:
1. A method for attaching a loop to a chub package, the method comprising the steps of: feeding a packaging tube; feeding a flowable material into the packaging tube; intermittently forming short lengths of tube void of product; feeding the tube containing the flowable material through a vertically reciprocating clipping head assembly to sequentially position each short length between opposing sets of gathering plates carried on horizontally reciprocating support cams and sequentially gathering the short lengths of the tube therebetween; feeding a carrier strip having a plurality of spaced feed holes and a plurality of loops attached to the carrier strip with each loop positioned in correlation with a respective feed hole from a mounted roll to a drive sprocket that is driven by a variable speed drive motor, the drive sprocket having a plurality of spaced drive pins for engaging the carrier strip, and then feeding the carrier strip to the clipping head assembly in registered motion to position a lead loop sequentially in a registered position; feeding a pair of wires to the clipping head assembly in spaced relation and sequentially threading one of the wires through each lead loop in the registered position; sequentially cutting the pair of wires and wrapping each pair of cut wires around a respective short length to form a pair of spaced wire clips for closing the tube and sequentially cutting the carrier strip between each lead loop and a next spaced loop to release each lead loop from the roll whereby each lead loop is captured by one of the pair of spaced wire clips; and severing each short length between the spaced wire clips.