GB2290534A - Container Filling Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A container filling device 10 locatable above a container 14 to be filled with articles e.g. vegetables comprises a delivery chute 28 movable between raised and lowered positions and including retarding means 52 for retarding the speed of travel of said articles during their travel down the chute. Preferably the chute is connected by a framework 24, 28 to an input conveyor 12 and is moved by an electric motor 40 and a flexible cord or band 46 as the container is filled. Preferably the conveyor moves backward or forwards as the container is filled. Preferably the retarding means is a flap 54, chevron-like baffles (56, Fig 7) or a set of pivoted baffles (74, Fig 8). <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: Container Filling Device This invention relates to a container filling device and particularly but not exclusively relates to a device for filling a container with root vegetables.

It is a recognised problem that root vegetables should not be dropped from an excessive height into a container otherwise damage to the vegetables is likely to occur. To meet this problem filling devices have been proposed for lowering root vegetables to the bottom of the container, or onto vegetables already filled into the container, but such devices generally are relatively complex and costly to manufacture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container filling device which is of simple and hence relatively inexpensive construction but which is capable of operating to enable filling of a container with articles, such as vegetables which are prone to damage, in a damage-free or substantially damagefree manner.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a container filling device locatable above a container to be filled with articles comprising a delivery chute movable between raised and lowered positions, said chute being adapted to receive articles fed to it at an upper end thereof and to discharge said articles from it at a lower end thereof, the chute providing a guide means for said articles as they travel from top to bottom of the chute under the force of gravity and including retarding means for retarding the speed of travel of said articles during their travel down the chute.

In use, said lower end of the chute may be locatable adjacent the base of a said container when the chute is in a said lowered position and may be locatable clear of the top of a said container when the chute is in a said raised position.

The chute of the filling device may be pivotally mounted for movement relative to supports for the device between said raised and lowered positions of the chute. Control means may be connected between the support and the chute for varying the pivotal movement of the chute relative to the support and preferably said control means includes motor means to raise or lower the chute.

Conveniently said control means comprises one or more flexible elongate members such as a strap, cable, belt or the like and the or each elongate member may be connected at its one end to the chute and at its other end to a drive member such as a pulley or the like rotatable by said motor means.

Two such members may be provided each connected between a respective side of the chute and the drive member, or a single such member of substantially the same width as the chute may be connected between a lower end part of the chute and the drive member. Such a single, wide, flexible member may extend from said lower end part of the chute adjacent the open front of the chute and over a guide roller or the like to the drive roller or the like actuatable by the said motor means. The proximity of such a wide flexible member to the open front of the chute results in enhanced security of retention of articles within the chute as they travel from one end to the other, i.e. articles which inadvertently become deflected out of the confines of the chute will be deflected back into the chute upon coming into contact with the said wide flexible member.

The motor means may comprise an electric motor and may be actuable to raise or lower the chute in response to a signal generated by a sensor detecting the proximity of the lower end of the chute to the base of the container or to articles therein.

The delivery chute is conveniently of curved configuration presenting a concave guide surface along which said articles may travel from top to bottom thereof. The concavity of the guide surface provides retardation of the speed of travel of the articles at least as they approach the lower end of the chute especially when the chute is in its lowermost position with the lower end of the chute adjacent the base of a container to be filled. In this position the chute is preferably so oriented that articles fed to the chute initially fall with a substantial vertical component of velocity which translates at least in part to a horizontal component as the articles travel down the chute to the lower end thereof.

Retardation of the articles may be provided by a flexible flap such as an elastomeric flap secured to the chute, adjacent the lower end of the chute and arranged relative thereto such that articles travelling down the chute pass between the flap and the guide means of the chute. The momentum of the moving articles displaces the flexible flap relative to the guide means to permit passage of the articles between the flap and the guide means whilst at the same time exerting a frictional braking effect on the articles.

Alternatively, or additionally, retardation of the articles may be provided by a set of baffle elements extending outwardly of the guide means of the chute whereby articles are constrained to pass from one baffle element to the next during travel of the articles down the chute.

Such baffle elements may be arranged in an overall generally chevronlike configuration and at least a part of each said baffle element may be deformable under the weight of the articles. The chevron-like arrangement of baffle elements provides for articles to travel along each said element in a direction which is generally downwardly and transversely of the chute before dropping off the end of one said element onto the next successive said element for similar travel therealong.

Instead of the chevron-like arrangement of baffle elements as described in the preceding paragraph there may be provided a plurality of baffle elements each of which is pivotally mounted on the chute at an inner edge of the baffle element adjacent and extending transversely of the guide means of the chute, each said baffle element being resiliently biased relative to the guide surface of the chute so as to extend, in its normal undeflected position, in a direction which is upstanding and preferably generally perpendicular, to the guide surface.

Conveniently each such baffle element may be of plate-like form and may have a said inner edge mounted on a pivot shaft extending transversely of the chute, at least one end of each respective pivot shaft being non-rotatably secured to a pivot arm to which one end of a spring, such as a tension spring, is connected, the other end of the spring being connected to an adjacent part of the chute.

The baffle elements are arranged in spaced apart relationship along the length of the guide surface of the chute. Articles falling onto the baffle elements during their travel along the chute will thus cause successive baffle elements to be deflected downwardly from their undeflected positions against the resilient bias of their respective tension springs dependent upon the weight of the articles abutting the baffle elements.

In some orientations of the chute relative to the discharge end of the conveyor there may be a tendency for articles falling off the end of the conveyor to become jammed between the conveyor end and one or more of the baffle elements. To overcome this potential problem each of the pivotally mounted baffle elements may be connected to a respective cam follower engagable by a cam mounted on the conveyor whereby at predetermined orientations of the chute relative to the conveyor, a respective cam follower is actuated by the cam to pivot its associated baffle element downwardly from its normal undeflected upstanding position against the resilient bias of its spring.

Each said cam follower conveniently comprises a rod slidably mounted on the chute in a direction generally parallel to the plane of its associated baffle element when in its undeflected position. An inner end of a said rod is conveniently pivotally connected to a said pivot arm adjacent that end thereof remote from the end to which the pivot shaft is secured, the said tension spring being connected to the pivot arm intermediate its said ends. An outer end of a said cam follower rod extends clear of the chute for abutment by the cam in a predetermined orientation of the chute relative to the conveyor.

Conveniently the device is positioned adjacent a discharge end of a delivery conveyor whereby articles discharged from the conveyor may fall into the chute for delivery into the container to be filled. It will be appreciated that initially when the container is empty, the delivery chute will be located in a lowered position with the lower end of the chute adjacent the base of the container. As the container is filled, the chute may be moved progressively upwardly from its initial position in such manner that the lower end of the chute is always closely adjacent the topmost layer of articles already delivered into the container. Thus the articles are never permitted to fall freely under gravity from the lower end of the chute for any excessive distance whereby damage to the articles may be prevented.

Thus also in accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided article delivery apparatus comprising a delivery conveyor having a discharge end off which articles may fall and a said container filling device, according to the first aspect of the invention, located relative to said conveyor adjacent the discharge end thereof, the chute of the filling device being positioned relative to the discharge end of the conveyor to receive articles fed to it from said discharge end.

The conveyor may be moveable relative to a container to be filled between retarded and extended positions which are spaced apart in the direction of advance of articles along the conveyor.

Conveniently the said filling device is mounted on the conveyor.

The device is conveniently locatable relative to the delivery conveyor to span the conveyor transversely, the width of the chute being selected to be substantially the same as the width of the conveyor which may be a belt conveyor.

The device may be securable to a frame part of said conveyor whereby when the conveyor is moved relative to a said container to be filled between said retarded and extended positionS, the device will also be moved and the delivery chute will maintain its positional relationship with the discharge end of the conveyor.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a container filling device constructed in accordance with the invention mounted adjacent the discharge end of a delivery conveyor and showing also the position of a container to be filled; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the container filling device and delivery conveyor shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing a retracted position of the delivery conveyor and a raised position of the chute of the filling device; Figure 4 is a similar view to that of Figure 3 but showing the chute of the filling device in its lowered position for initial filling of articles into a container;; Figure 5 is a similar view to that of Figures 3 and 4 but showing the conveyor in an extended position with the chute of the filling device in a raised position as filling of articles into the container approaches completion; Figure 6 is a similar side elevation view to that of Figure 1 but showing an alternative construction of chute with baffle elements; Figure 7 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevation of the chute of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a similar side elevation to that of Figure 6 but showing a construction of chute with baffle elements and cam followers; and Figure 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of the device of Figure 8.

The specific form of container filling device described and illustrated herein comprises one embodiment of the invention in the form of a device for filling a container with root vegetables. It should be appreciated however that the scope of the invention is not limited to this particular application.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a container filling device 10 mounted adjacent the end of a delivery conveyor 12 so as to be locatable above a container 14 to be filled with root vegetables or the like. The delivery conveyor 12 is of conventional form including a continuous belt providing an upper substantially horizontal flight 16 upon which articles may be carried from a remote location to the discharge end 18 of the conveyor off which the articles may fall. The conveyor 12 includes side frame members 20 slidably mounted relative to a fixed support 22 whereby the conveyor as a whole may be moved between retracted and extended positions which are spaced apart in the direction of advance of articles along the conveyor for distribution of articles as they are filled into a large container as will be further described herein.

The container filling device 10 comprises a frame having transversely spaced apart side frame members 24 secured in substantially vertical configuration on respective side frame members 20 of the conveyor thereby to straddle the conveyor belt. The frame of the filling device includes horizontally extending frame members 26 each of which is secured to a respective said side frame member 20 of the conveyor.

A delivery chute 28 of the filling device includes transversely spaced parallel cheek pieces 30 and a base portion 32 providing a concave guide means.

The cheek pieces 30 may conveniently be formed of metal such an as aluminium alloy whilst the curved base portion 32 is conveniently formed of a plastics material. In this example the guide means comprises a continuous guide surface but may comprise a plurality of guide elements with spaces therebetween. The actual guide surface of the chute 28 is preferably coated with a flexible material, such as a rubber covering, to minimise the possibility of damage to articles during their travel down the chute. The chute 28 is pivotally mounted relative to the frame members 24, 26 of the device and hence relative to the surface 22 by means of two laterally spaced pivot arms 34 each of which is rigidly mounted at its outer end 36 adjacent a respective cheek piece 30 of the chute and pivotally mounted at its inner end 38 to a respective side frame member 26 of the device whereby the chute is pivotable about a pivot axis extending transversely of the device and normal to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor 12 when the device 10 is mounted thereon.

The device 10 further includes control means for selectively raising and lowering the delivery chute 28. Said control means includes an electric motor 40 mounted on one of the vertical side frame members 24 of the device, the motor driving a rotatable shaft 42 which extends from bearings in the frame member on which the motor 40 is mounted to bearings in the opposed transversely spaced frame member 24 of the device. Adjacent each end of the rotatable shaft 42 there is provided drive members comprising a pulley device 44 each of which receives an end of an elongate flexible member 46 in the form of a strap, cable or the like and each having an outer end 48 secured to the delivery chute.

Conveniently each said outer end 48 of the member 46 is secured to the chute at a position adjacent that at which the outer end 36 of a respective pivot arm 34 is secured to a cheek piece 30 of the chute.

Thus the chute 28 may be raised or lowered relative to its frame members 24, 26 upon actuation of the electric motor 40 to rotate the shaft 42 and reel the straps or cables in or out about their respective pulleys 44 thereby causing the chute to pivot about its pivot axis.

The curved base portion 32 of the chute 28 extends at its lower end 50 below the spaced cheek pieces 30. Such extension 50 may be integral with the chute or may comprise a separate extension member formed of a flexible material such as rubber. A flexible flap 52, conveniently formed of an elastomeric material such as rubber, extends transversely of the guide surface of the chute adjacent its lower end 50. The flap 52 is secured at each of its outer edges to a respective cheek piece 30 and is free to move relative to the guide surface at a lower edge 54 of the flap whereby articles travelling down the chute may pass between an inner surface of the flap and the guide surface of the chute.

In Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings an alternative construction of chute is illustrated wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts hereinbefore described. In this construction the flexible flap 52 is omitted and a series of baffle plates 56 are arranged in generally chevron-like overall configuration to extend downwardly and transversely of the guide surface of the chute 28.

Conveniently the baffle plates 56 are formed of a fairly stiff yet partially flexible material such as rubber to minimise damage to articles during their travel down the chute. It will be appreciated that articles entering the chute at the top thereof will fall onto the uppermost baffle plate 56 and travel therealong in a direction which is generally transversely and downwardly of the chute before dropping off the end of the first baffle plate onto the next successive baffle plate for similar travel therealong. The articles will then pass in a similar manner from one successive baffle plate to the next before exiting the chute at the bottom thereof.

In Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings another alternative construction of chute is illustrated wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts hereinbefore described. In this construction the flexible flap 52 is again omitted, and the chevron-like arrangement of baffle plates 56 is replaced by a set of pivotally mounted deflectable baffle plates 58 arranged in spaced apart relation along the length of the chute as described in more detail below.

Also in this construction, the laterally spaced pivot arms 34 supporting the chute 28 are attached to the chute adjacent its lower end, and the two elongate flexible members 46 of cable or strip-like form are replaced by a single flexible member 60 of belt-like form having a width substantially the same as that of the chute. The belt 60 is attached to the lower end of the chute and extends upwardly therefrom in close proximity to the open front of the chute over a guide roller 62 to a drive roller 64 actuated by a motor 66 and drive chain 68. Thus the chute 28 may be raised or lowered upon actuation of the motor 66 to rotate the drive roller 64 and reel the belt 60 in or out relative thereto causing the chute to pivot about its pivot axis at the inner ends 38 of the pivot arms 34.The proximity of the belt 60 to the open front of the chute causes any articles which are inadvertently deflected out of the confines of the chute to be redeflected back into the chute.

Each of the baffle plates is conveniently formed of a stiff elastomeric material and extends generally transversely of the chute 28. Each baffle plate 58 is mounted at its inner edge on a pivot rod 70 which extends transversely of the chute between the cheek pieces 30 adjacent the base portion 32 of the chute.

One end of each pivot rod is pivotally mounted in an adjacent cheek piece 30 whilst the other end of the pivot rod extends through the other cheek piece and is non-rotatably secured to the upper end of a short pivot arm 72. The lower end of each pivot arm 72 is pivotally connected to the inner end of a cam follower rod 74 slidably mounted on the adjacent cheek piece 30 of the chute. A tension spring 76 is connected between each pivot arm 72 intermediate its ends and the said adjacent cheek piece 30. If desired other spring or resilient biasing means may be provided for the baffles. Each baffle plate 58 is biased to its normal undeflected upstanding position by its spring 76 in which position the baffle plate extends generally perpendicular to the guide surface of the chute 28. If desired the baffle plate may be upstanding at any other suitable angle to retard the articles as desired.When all of the baffle plates 58 are in their undeflected position they extend generally parallel to one another in spaced apart relation along the chute. Articles travelling down the chute will cause successive baffle plates 58 to deflect against their spring bias thus retarding the speed of the articles as they travel down the chute.

The outer end of each cam follower rod 74 extends clear of its adjacent cheek piece 30 at the open front of the chute and is engagable by a curved cam 78 mounted at one side of the conveyor 12 adjacent the discharge end 18 of the conveyor belt dependent upon the orientation of the chute 28 relative to the conveyor 12. Progressive contact of a cam follower rod 74 with the cam 78 will cause the rod to slide inwardly of its cheek piece 30 thereby pivoting the pivot arm 72 and associated baffle plate 58 to a downwardly extending position against the bias of the spring 76. This feature prevents jamming of articles between the discharge end of the conveyor and the adjacent baffle plates of the chute in predetermined orientations of the chute relative to the conveyor.

Referring now to Figure 3, a filling device 10 is shown mounted adjacent the discharge end 18 of a delivery conveyor 12 in a position prior to commencement of filling of articles into a container 14. The delivery conveyor 12 is in its retracted position relative to its support 22 and the delivery chute 28 of the filling device 10 is in a raised position clear of the top of the container 14.

In Figure 4 the delivery chute 28 of the filling device 10 is shown in a lowered position wherein the lower end 50 of the chute is adjacent the base of the container 14 whereby articles fed to the delivery chute off the discharge end 18 of the delivery conveyor may travel down the guide surface of the chute for delivery from its lower end without thereafter having to fall freely under gravity for any excessive distance. In the position shown in Figure 4, it will be appreciated that when articles enter the delivery chute of the filling device they will fall downwardly under the force of gravity with a substantial vertical component of velocity.During their travel down the concave guide surface of the chute, this substantial vertical component of velocity will be translated at least in part into a horizontal component due to the curvature of the guide surface whereby the speed of travel of the articles will be retarded as they approach the lower end 50 of the chute.

Retardation of the articles travelling down the chute may be provided by an elastomeric flap 52 of the type described above with respect to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings under which the articles must pass before exiting the chute.

Such an elastomeric flap 52 will exert a frictional braking effect on articles passing between it and the guide surface of the chute. Alternatively or additionally, retardation of the articles travelling down the chute may be provided by a series of baffle plates 56 of the type described above with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings. Articles travelling down the chute are constrained to pass from one baffle plate to a next successive one whereby an overall braking effect on the articles is produced during their travel down the chute.

Alternatively, retardation of the articles travelling down the chute may be provided by the spring biased deflectable baffle plates 58 of the type described with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

From the position shown in Figure 4, filling of the container may be continued with the chute 28 being progressively raised from the lowered position shown in Figure 4 and the conveyor 12 being progressively extended from its retracted position until ultimately the position shown in Figure 5 is reached at which time the container 14 is substantially completely filled. In the position shown in Figure 5, the delivery chute 28 has been pivotally moved upwardly to the raised position from which it started as shown in Figure 3. i.e. the lower end 50 of the delivery chute is clear of the top of the container whereby the filled container may be removed. The delivery conveyor may then be retracted to its initial position as shown in Figure 3 and a fresh empty container placed in position for filling.As the chute is moved between the positions illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 the baffle plates 58 of the type illustrated with respect to Figures 8 and 9 will be progressively deflected under the camming action of the cam 78 upon successive cam follower rods 74 allowing increasing freedom of movement of the articles within the chute as the Figure 5 position is approached.

Although not illustrated in the drawings, the progressive movement of the delivery chute 28 from the lowered position shown in Figure 4 to the raised position shown in Figure 5 may be effected automatically in response to signals received from a sensor which detects the proximity of a part such as the lower end 50 of the delivery chute to the base of the container 14 or to articles already delivered into the container.Thus, referring to Figure 4, the proximity sensor may detect when the lower end 50 of the delivery chute is at a predetermined vertical distance from the uppermost layer of articles already delivered at which time the electric motor 40 or 66 may be actuated to reel in the members 46 or 60 as the case may be and pivot the delivery chute upwardly until the motor receives a further signal from the proximity sensor to indicate that a predetermined clearance has been reached between the lower end of the delivery chute and the adjacent layer of articles in the container.

Thus in accordance with the invention there is provided a container filling device which is of extremely simple construction and is thus inexpensive to manufacture. The device provides retarded delivery of articles into a container in a controlled manner whereby the device is especially advantageously utilised for the filling of root vegetables into large containers thereof.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (30)

CLAIMS:

1. A container filling device locatable above a container to be filled with articles comprising a delivery chute movable between raised and lowered positions, said chute being adapted to receive articles fed to it at an upper end thereof and to discharge said articles from it at a lower end thereof, the chute providing a guide means for said articles as they travel from top to bottom of the chute under the force of gravity and including retarding means for retarding the speed of travel of said articles during their travel down the chute.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the chute is pivotally mounted for movement relative to supports for the device between said raised and lowered positions of the chute and control means are connected between the support and the chute for varying the extent of pivotal movement of the chute relative to the support.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said control means includes motor means to raise or lower the chute.

4. A device according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said control means comprises one or more flexible elongate members and the or each elongate member is connected at one end to the chute and at its other end to a drive member rotatable by said motor means.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein two elongate members are provided, each connected between a respective side of the chute and a drive member.

6. A device according to claim 4 wherein a single elongate member of substantially the same width as the chute is connected between a lower end part of the chute and the drive member.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein said single flexible member extends from said lower end part of the chute adjacent the open front of the chute and over a guide roller or the like to said drive member or the like actuatable by the said motor means.

8. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 7 wherein the motor means comprises an electric motor.

9. A device according to any one of claims 3 to 8 wherein the motor means is actuable to raise or lower the chute in response to a signal generated by a sensor detecting the proximity of the lower end of the chute to the base of the container or to articles therein.

10. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the delivery chute is of curved configuration presenting a concave guide surface along which said articles may travel from top to bottom thereof.

11. A device according to claim 10 wherein when the chute is in a lowermost position the chute is oriented so that articles fed to the chute initially fall with a substantial vertical component of velocity which translates at least in part to a horizontal component as the articles travel down the chute to the lower end thereof.

12. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein retardation of the articles is provided by a flexible flap adjacent the lower end of the chute and arranged relative thereto such that articles travelling down the chute pass between the flap and guide means of the chute.

13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein retardation of the articles is provided by a set of baffle elements extending outwardly of the guide means of the chute whereby articles are constrained to pass from one baffle element to the next during travel of the articles down the chute.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein the baffle elements are arranged in an overall generally chevron-like configuration and at least a part of each said baffle element is deformable under the weight of the articles.

15. A devoce according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein retardation of the articles is provided by a plurality of baffle elements each of which is pivotally mounted on the chute at an inner edge of the baffle element adjacent and extending transversely of the guide means of the chute, each said baffle element being resiliently biased relative to the guide means of the chute so as to extend, in its normal undeflected position, in a direction which is upstanding relative to the guide surface.

16. A device according to claim 15 wherein each baffle element has a said inner edge mounted on a pivot shaft extending transversely of the chute, at least one end of each respective pivot shaft being non-rotatably secured to a pivot arm to which one end of a spring is connected, the other end of the spring being connected to an adjacent part of the chute.

17. A device according to claim 16 wherein each baffle element is of platelike form.

18. A device according to any one of claims 15 to 17 wherein the baffle elements are arranged in spaced apart relationship along the length of the guide surface of the chute.

19. A device according to any one of claims 15 to 18 wherein each of the pivotally mounted baffle elements are connected to a respective cam follower engagable by a cam mounted on the conveyor whereby at predetermined orientations of the chute relative to the conveyor, a respective cam follower is actuated by the cam to pivot its associated baffle element downwardly from its normal undeflected upstanding position against the resilient bias of its spring.

20. A device according to claim 19 wherein each said cam follower comprises a rod slidably mounted on the chute in a direction generally parallel to the plane of its associated baffle element when in its undeflected position.

21. A device according to claim 20 wherein an inner end of a said rod is conveniently pivotally connected to a said pivot arm adjacent that end thereof remote from the end to which the pivot shaft is secured, the said spring being connected to the pivot arm intermediate its said ends.

22. A device according to claim 21 wherein an outer end of a said cam follower rod extends clear of the chute for abutment by the cam in a predetermined orientation of the chute relative to the conveyor.

23. A device substantially are hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. An article delivery apparatus comprising a delivery conveyor, having a discharge end off which articles may fall and a container filling device, according to any one of the preceding claims, located relative to said conveyor adjacent the discharge end thereof, the chute of the filling device being positioned relative to the discharge end of the conveyor to receive articles fed to it from said discharge end.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24 wherein the conveyor is moveable relative to a container to be filled between retarded and extended positions which are spaced apart in the direction of advance of articles along the conveyor.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24 or claim 25 wherein the filling device is mounted on the conveyor.

27. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 26 wherein the device is locatable relative to the delivery conveyor to span the conveyor transversely, the width of the chute being selected to be substantially the same as the width of the conveyor.

28. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24 to 27 wherein the device is securable to a frame part of said conveyor whereby when the conveyor is moved relative to a said container to be filled between said retarded and extended positions, the device will also be moved and the delivery chute will maintain its positional relationship with the discharge end of the conveyor.

29. An apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

30. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.