Patent ID: 7127872

Claim:
A product netting machine comprising: a base; a chute on the base having a receiving end for receiving products, and a discharge end for discharging products, the chute including a netting rucker to receive netting rucked on the rucker, and to permit netting to move with discharged products from the discharge end the chute includes product ribs or rails for centering and ease of movement of products; a product receiver on the base at the discharge end of the chute; voiders on the base operated to form a rope section of the netting between the product receiver and the discharge end of the chute when a discharged product is on the product receiver; a clipper on the base operated to clip the looped rope section of the netting; and a netting handle former on the base operated to loop the rope section to form a looped handle in the rope section of the netting, whereby successively netted and clipped products are formed by the product netting machine, the handle former including a loop former movable to engage the rope section, movable to draw the engaged rope section to create a loop-length of the rope section, and movable to twist the engaged, drawn, loop-length of rope section to form a loop, and for a rope section defining a line of movement of the rope section, the loop former movable transversely of the line to extend past the rope section and engage the rope section on retraction, the loop former retractable transversely to draw the rope section and the loop former rotatable around an axis skewed from the line to twist the rope section, to form the loop; and the handle former further including motive means on the base for moving the loop former transversely of the line, and rotatably around an axis skewed from the line.