Patent ID: 7562511

Claim:
A vacuum packaging apparatus, comprising: an article carrier having a plurality of linearly movable article supports, wherein each article support is adapted to support an article contained within an open receptacle; an evacuation arrangement, comprising a plurality of evacuation chambers, an evacuation chamber support that carries the plurality of evacuation chambers, and a vacuum supply arrangement that selectively delivers vacuum simultaneously to the plurality of evacuation chambers; and a reciprocating drive arrangement interconnected with the evacuation chamber support, wherein the reciprocating drive arrangement acts on the evacuation chamber support to move the evacuation chamber support and the plurality of evacuation chambers together between an engaged position in which the plurality of evacuation chambers are engaged with the plurality of article supports, and a disengaged position in which the plurality of evacuation chambers are disengaged from the plurality of article supports, and wherein the reciprocating drive arrangement further acts on the evacuation chamber support to move the evacuation chamber support and the plurality of evacuation chambers together along a first linear path between an upstream position and a downstream position when the evacuation chambers are in the engaged position, and between the downstream position and the upstream position along a second linear path spaced from the first linear path when the evacuation chambers are in the disengaged position; wherein the vacuum supply arrangement is operable to simultaneously deliver vacuum to the plurality of evacuation chambers when the evacuation chambers are in the engaged position and are moved by the reciprocating drive arrangement from the upstream position to the downstream position, wherein the supply of vacuum from the vacuum supply arrangement to each evacuation chamber is operable to evacuate the receptacle located within the evacuation chamber during movement of the evacuation chambers from the upstream position to the downstream position; and wherein the reciprocating drive arrangement includes a motor drive that acts on the evacuation chamber support, and that is driven in a first direction to move the evacuation chambers along the first linear path between the upstream position and the downstream position, and is driven in a second direction, reversed from the first direction, to move the evacuation chambers along the second linear path between the downstream position and the upstream position.