LAWRENCE W SCHOPPEE
Engineering in Springfield, MA

3943809, Mar 16, 1976

Jun 17, 1975

5/587643

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA
Alfred D'Antonio - East Longmeadow MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B23D 2502, B26D 156, B26D 720

83311

A continuously moving web passes over a fixed female die, which die is slotted to define a U-shaped cutting edge. A cylindrical punch rotates on an axis above the path of the web so that a cutting edge defined at the free end of the punch moves into the slot defined in the fixed die to cut a tab in the web. The length of the tab so cut can be varied by changing the relative speed of movement between the punch and that of the web, and the punch is mounted at an offset to its rotational axis. If such offset is positive, that is in the direction of rotation, the tab can be formed to "lead" the web. Providing the offset in the opposite or negative direction, the tab "trails" the web.

3995791, Dec 7, 1976

Jul 9, 1975

5/594303

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65H 1918, B31F 500

242 581

A system for supplying moving web to a web-consuming utilization device, from successively used rolls of web, includes a splicer for splicing the expiring end of a dispensing roll to the beginning end of a ready roll. Between the splicer and the utilization device is a festooner or other web storage device which pays out web before and during operation of the splicer to momentarily stop movement of web through the splicer during splicer operation without effecting the rate of web feed to the utilization device. The web storage device is mechanically driven in the pay out phase of its cycle so that the amount of web paid out follows a fixed web paid out versus drive member displacement schedule, and its operation is positively coordinated with the operation of the splicer and the utilization device to assure the web is stopped in the splicer when the splicer operates, to cause the splice to occur at a desired point along one unit length of the web as consumed by the utilization device, and to enable, when the webs carry repetitively printed patterns, the registration of the pattern of the dispensing roll with the pattern of the ready roll. A web tension control maintains a constant tension in the dispensed web during normal dispensing and brakes the dispensing roll to a stop in the course of a splicing cycle. Means are also provided to facilitate the removal of a spent roll, the installation of a fresh roll, and the setting up of the splicer to splice in the fresh roll during its next operation.

4070851, Jan 31, 1978

Jun 23, 1976

5/698957

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65B 1146

53228

A single gum stick wrapping machine includes a gum breaking mechanism for separating prescored slabs of gum into individual sticks. A transport mechanism, which receives the gum from the breaking mechanism and intermittently advances it along a horizontal path through a plurality of folding stations, includes a walking beam transport, which reaches into the breaking mechanism and extracts each successive stick as it is separated from a slab. Long seam folding operations are completed by a pocket wheel and an associated transport which delivers the sticks in stacked relation at a collection point at the discharge end of the machine.

4004797, Jan 25, 1977

Jun 19, 1975

5/588152

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65H 106, B65H 324

271136

Slabs of gum stacked in a top-loaded magazine and successively fed from the bottom of the magazine by a reciprocable pusher mechanism are advanced by line pressure along a generally predetermined first path to a rotary trimming and scoring mechanism which trims, scores and further advances each successive slab. Another pusher mechanism receives each slab advanced by the trimming and scoring mechanism and transfers it to a conveyor which carries it along another path generally normal to the first path and to a breaker and an associated wrapping machine. Each mechanism which advances the slab is driven in timed relation with the wrapping machine. The magazine is supported to pivot to a inactive position to facilitate access to the trimming and scoring mechanism.

4084509, Apr 18, 1978

Sep 20, 1976

5/724861

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B41F 354, B41F 364, B41F 344

101261

Apparatus for cyclically printing information on a moving web utilizes a stationary printing head at a printing station along the path traversed by the moving web and a roller which guides the web and sweeps the web across the printing head in the direction opposite to web advancement so that there is substantially no relative movement between the web and head as printing occurs. The roller is supported for sweeping movement back and forth over the printing head by means of a pivotal linkage driven by a crank which causes the guided web to engage the head during a sweep in one direction only. A cyclic drive for the linkage includes an eccentric gear set to modulate the speeds of the roller and web.

4056199, Nov 1, 1977

Jun 1, 1976

5/691837

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65G 5730

214 6BA

Sticks of gum are fed individually to the bottom of a stack where each stick is raised by an elevator wheel to form the stack between side guides pivotally mounted, and biased toward one another. Each side guide has an abutment to keep the stack aligned vertically, and a presser foot resiliently holds the stack from above so that a pusher can move the stack out of the stacking station, into a wrapper, and thence into a tumble box for further handling.

4006577, Feb 8, 1977

Jun 11, 1975

5/586092

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65B 1136

53171

A single gum stick wrapping machine has a rotary transfer mechanism for successively conveying single sticks of gum from breaker wheels to a folding wheel where each stick picks up a wrapper and is conveyed through folding and creasing sections where the wrapper is partially folded around the stick and the ends of the wrapper are folded, creased and tucked. The wrapping operation is completed while the partially wrapped stick is conveyed from the folding wheel to a stacker at the discharge end of the machine by another rotary transfer mechanism. Rotary label wrapping mechanism may be provided for applying a label or outer wrapper to each stick.

3933064, Jan 20, 1976

Apr 25, 1974

5/463909

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B26D 308

83 11

Slabs of gum stacked in a top-loaded magazine and successively fed from the bottom of the magazine by a reciprocable pusher mechanism are advanced by line pressure along a generally predetermined first path to a rotary trimming and scoring mechanism which trims, scores and further advances each successive slab. Another pusher mechanism receives each slab advanced by the trimming and scoring mechanism and transfers it to a conveyor which carries it along another path generally normal to the first path and to a breaker and an associated wrapping machine. Each mechanism which advances the slab is driven in timed relation with the wrapping machine. The magazine is supported to pivot to an inactive position to facilitate access to the trimming and scoring mechanism.

4073123, Feb 14, 1978

Jul 2, 1976

5/702036

Lawrence W. Schoppee - Springfield MA

Package Machinery Company - East Longmeadow MA

B65B 1132

53234

A machine for wrapping articles of substantially rectangular parallelepiped form comprises a first tumble box which partially forms a wrapper to a generally U-shaped configuration about an article, a long seam heater which cooperates with the first tumble box to complete the initial wrapping operation and seals the long seam of the wrapper, and second, third, and fourth tumble boxes which tuck and fold the ends of the wrapper inwardly against opposite end of the article and complete the wrapping operation. Each tumble box has an ejector mechanism operated by a rack and gear segment. The long seam heater has means for dumping articles therefrom when the machine stops for any reason. Package ends folds are made while the partially wrapped article is held substantially square by a tumble box. Another machine for wrapping a product which comprises individual pieces standing on edge and arranged in end-to-end relation utilizes three tumble boxes and a long seam heater.