A method of packaging snack food chips, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of snack food chips as a shingled assembly of the snack food chips; (b) enclosing the shingled assembly within an elongate packaging container; (c) vibrating the shingled assembly supported so as to cause the snack food chips sequentially to fall from a free output end into the elongate packaging container while progressively translationally separating a closed end and the free output end to form a shingled stack extending away from the closed end; and (d) during at least a part of step (c), rotating the elongate packaging container so that the closed end while decreasing an angle of inclination such that the shingled stack is being progressively formed.

A method of packaging snack food chips, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of snack food chips as a shingled assembly of the snack food chips; (b) enclosing the shingled assembly within an elongate packaging container; (c) vibrating the shingled assembly supported so as to cause the snack food chips sequentially to fall from a free output end into the elongate packaging container while progressively translationally separating a closed end and the free output end to form a shingled stack extending away from the closed end; and (d) during at least a part of step (c), rotating the elongate packaging container so that the closed end while decreasing an angle of inclination such that the shingled stack is being progressively formed.

A weighing and packaging system includes a plurality of weighing machines, a plurality of packaging machines, and a control unit. The plurality of weighing machines are configured to weigh articles supplied thereto. The plurality of packaging machines, each of which forms a weighing and packaging unit with a corresponding weighing machine among the plurality of weighing machines, are configured to receive a supply of the articles weighed and discharged by the corresponding weighing machine, and package the articles supplied thereto. The control unit is configured to, in a case where a problem occurs in at least one of weighing by the weighing machine and packaging by the packaging machine in any of the weighing and packaging units, change processing capacities of the weighing machine and the packaging machine of at least some of the weighing and packaging units other than the weighing and packaging units in which the problem occurs.

The present invention relates to a packaging assembly and a method of packaging differently sized products, such as fresh meat cuts. The packaging assembly can include at least one thermoform packaging machine having at least two forming stations. The thermoform packaging machine can also include a control unit configured for providing, during operation and in a manner that is automatically adaptable in response to the supplied products, formats with a first or a second number of troughs for placing the respective products thereinto.

The present invention relates to a packaging assembly and a method of packaging differently sized products, such as fresh meat cuts. The packaging assembly can include at least one thermoform packaging machine having at least two forming stations. The thermoform packaging machine can also include a control unit configured for providing, during operation and in a manner that is automatically adaptable in response to the supplied products, formats with a first or a second number of troughs for placing the respective products thereinto.

The medicine dispensing system includes a plurality of storage containers for storing medical pills. The system also includes a hopper, a top and a bottom pre-fill tray, and a packing plate that are placed underneath each other respectively. Both the top and bottom pre-fill trays include a plurality of X-direction and Y-direction pointers. The system also includes a control module that uses feedback logic to align the top pre-fill tray with the bottom pre-fill tray using the X and Y direction pointers. In operation, the medicine dispensing system controls dispensing and navigation of pills from the storage container through the hopper, into the top pre-fill tray, into the bottom pre-fill tray, into the packing plate, and ultimately into a desired slot in the pill pack. The top and bottom pre-fill trays provide for separated compartmentalization of pills. This allows the medical pill dispensing system to parallel process and dispense pills designated for multiple pill packs at the same time without having to wait till the completion of any one pill pack. The separated compartmentalization ensures pills designated for one pill pack are not mixed with pills designated for another pill pack.

System for providing marked containers comprising a computerised control system storing at least one unique identifier for each container, to be applied to a respective container, a printing unit comprising an ink delivery station, operatively connected with said computerised control system, able to print said identifier on each container, comprising a printing head filled with ink and having a plurality of nozzles configured for spraying said ink on an external surface of each container, displacement means able to perform a relative rotation, translation or rotary translation between each container and the printing head during the printing of the identifier on the container, said displacement means being operatively connected with said computerised control system.

System for providing marked containers comprising a computerised control system storing at least one unique identifier for each container, to be applied to a respective container, a printing unit comprising an ink delivery station, operatively connected with said computerised control system, able to print said identifier on each container, comprising a printing head filled with ink and having a plurality of nozzles configured for spraying said ink on an external surface of each container, displacement means able to perform a relative rotation, translation or rotary translation between each container and the printing head during the printing of the identifier on the container, said displacement means being operatively connected with said computerised control system.

A packaging system includes a conveyance system, a package forming system, and a tracking system. The conveyance system is configured to receive objects and to convey the objects through the packaging system. Spacing between the objects is non-uniform as the objects are received by the conveyance system. The package forming system is configured to feed a packaging material to form a tube of the packaging material and to seal the tube of the packaging material around the objects to form packages of the packaging material around the objects. The tracking system configured to track locations of the objects as the objects are conveyed through the packaging system on the conveyance system. In some cases, the tracking system is configured to track locations of the objects independently of any marks on the packaging material and/or independently of the location of inducting documents placed on the objects.

A packaging system includes a conveyance system, a package forming system, and a tracking system. The conveyance system is configured to receive objects and to convey the objects through the packaging system. Spacing between the objects is non-uniform as the objects are received by the conveyance system. The package forming system is configured to feed a packaging material to form a tube of the packaging material and to seal the tube of the packaging material around the objects to form packages of the packaging material around the objects. The tracking system configured to track locations of the objects as the objects are conveyed through the packaging system on the conveyance system. In some cases, the tracking system is configured to track locations of the objects independently of any marks on the packaging material and/or independently of the location of inducting documents placed on the objects.