Patent ID: 7313896

Claim:
A system, for automatically enclosing a semi-solid or solid product in a covering material, comprising: an elongate product chute having an outer surface and opposing receiving and discharge end portions with an interior cavity extending therethrough; a product pusher mechanism having a pusher head that is configured to controllably automatically advance into and retract from the product chute to thereby advance a product from a position upstream of the product chute, through the product chute and out of the discharge end portion of the product chute; and a clipper mechanism disposed downstream of the product chute, the clipper mechanism configured to automatically apply at least one clip to a covering material that encloses the product from the product chute, wherein the clipper mechanism is retractable and, in operation, the clipper mechanism is configured to travel toward the product to apply at least one clip and then travel away from the product so as to allow the product to move downstream thereof, and wherein the clipper mechanism defines a clip window for supplying at least one closure clip to an underlying product, the system further comprising first and second spaced apart clipper gathering plates mounted to the retractable clipper mechanism so that, in operation, the clipper gathering plates advance and retract in concert with the clipper mechanism, a respective clipper gathering plate disposed on each side of the clip window, and wherein the clipper gathering plates are configured with a pair of outwardly extending fingers defining respective inclined upper and lower surfaces, and wherein, when viewed from the side, the fingers have an intermediate gap space between the upper and lower surfaces, and wherein the gap space narrows as the fingers approach the clipper mechanism.