A method and apparatus for increasing the specific weight of a dry particulate bulk commodity while said commodity is within a transportation vessel, using an array of pokers, these pokers equipped with the means of emitting lateral vibrations into the surrounding commodity and simultaneously creating an air flow through that dry commodity towards the nearest poker of the array.

A method and apparatus for increasing the specific weight of a dry particulate bulk commodity while said commodity is within a transportation vessel, using an array of pokers, these pokers equipped with the means of emitting lateral vibrations into the surrounding commodity and simultaneously creating an air flow through that dry commodity towards the nearest poker of the array.

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system comprises a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system comprises a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system includes a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system includes a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A method and apparatus for transferring and handling material. Material is supplied into a separator device by a conveying pipe with an air flow from a partial-vacuum generator connected to a container space of the separator device, to a transporting pipe. The material is removed from the container space via an outlet opening to a press chamber. The material is transferred and compacted by a transferring member of a pressing device to a container space of a separate material container removably connected to the pressing device. The efficiency of movement of the material from the separator device container space to the press chamber and the material container is increased by connecting a suction side of the generator to the material container space via a suction pipe and a suction opening and by supplying replacement air to the separator device container space and/or to the press chamber.

Autonomously operated systems and methods of packing unbound folded laundry articles are described. A system of stacking a plurality of folded laundry articles onto a receiving surface includes two or more side-by-side parallel extendable surfaces configured to extend at least one of independently and simultaneously, at least one sensor configured to detect a presence of one or more folded laundry articles on at least one of the surfaces, and a controller in operative communication with at least one drive of the two or more surfaces and the at least one sensor. The controller is configured to extend a loading end of at least one of the surfaces out upon receiving a signal from the at least one sensor, and retract the loading end to deposit the one or more folded laundry articles atop at least one of the receiving surface and one or more previously deposited folded laundry articles.

Autonomously operated systems and methods of packing unbound folded laundry articles are described. A system of stacking a plurality of folded laundry articles onto a receiving surface includes two or more side-by-side parallel extendable surfaces configured to extend at least one of independently and simultaneously, at least one sensor configured to detect a presence of one or more folded laundry articles on at least one of the surfaces, and a controller in operative communication with at least one drive of the two or more surfaces and the at least one sensor. The controller is configured to extend a loading end of at least one of the surfaces out upon receiving a signal from the at least one sensor, and retract the loading end to deposit the one or more folded laundry articles atop at least one of the receiving surface and one or more previously deposited folded laundry articles.

A system for queuing a plurality of folded laundry articles for loading into a shipping container includes at least two vertically stacked platforms configured to receive thereon the folded laundry articles, a cantilevered conveyor configured to deposit the folded laundry articles on the at least two vertically stacked platforms and redistribute the folded laundry articles between the at least two vertically stacked platforms for ordered packing, one or more sensors disposed adjacent the at least two vertically stacked platforms, and at least one controller in operable communication with a drive of the cantilevered conveyor, the one or more sensors, and a memory. The controller is configured to instruct the cantilevered conveyor to transit along lengths of the at least two vertically stacked platforms, and store in the memory at least one of the area footprint, height, and article types of the deposited folded laundry articles.