Patent ID: 8606393

Claim:
A computer program product for operating an automated packaging apparatus, the automated packaging apparatus including an automated product pusher mechanism with a pusher head that advances and retracts from a product chute and an automated clipper that applies at least one closure clip to covering material encasing a product, the computer program product comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising: computer readable program code that directs the pusher head of the product pusher mechanism to push at least one object from a location upstream of the product chute, through a product chute to a location downstream of the product chute; computer readable program code that retracts the pusher head after the pusher head extends downstream of the product chute; computer readable program code that directs the clipper to pivot into position when the pusher head is partially retracted a distance sufficient to position the pusher head inside the product chute; and computer readable program code that directs the clipper to apply at least one clip to the covering material.