CA1185575A - Endless multiple row conveyor with interchangeable top deck for an automatic filling machine - Google Patents
Endless multiple row conveyor with interchangeable top deck for an automatic filling machineInfo
- Publication number
- CA1185575A CA1185575A CA000387805A CA387805A CA1185575A CA 1185575 A CA1185575 A CA 1185575A CA 000387805 A CA000387805 A CA 000387805A CA 387805 A CA387805 A CA 387805A CA 1185575 A CA1185575 A CA 1185575A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- base plate
- cover plate
- containers
- conveyor
- plate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 238000011049 filling Methods 0.000 title claims description 24
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 8
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 241001417527 Pempheridae Species 0.000 description 4
- 235000013618 yogurt Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000013399 edible fruits Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 229910000639 Spring steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 235000013351 cheese Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000013409 condiments Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B59/00—Arrangements to enable machines to handle articles of different sizes, to produce packages of different sizes, to vary the contents of packages, to handle different types of packaging material, or to give access for cleaning or maintenance purposes
- B65B59/04—Machines constructed with readily-detachable units or assemblies, e.g. to facilitate maintenance
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention allows for the rapid conversion of food packaging machines to accommodate different sizes of containers in a fairly simple manner. This is accomplishes through the use of a machine having a two-component conveyor, namely a base plate sized to receive the largest container and a replacable cover plate releasably secured to the base plate and having aperatures alignable with the aperatures of the base plate but sized to receive one particular size of container. When a different size of container is to be packaged the cover plate is replaced with the appropriate size cover plate and various internal components of the apparatus adjusted through the large aperature of the base plate. The base plate provides structural support for the cover plate and minimizes the possibility of damage through buckling or bending of the conveyor plates. This two-piece conveyor system also allows the base plate to be made of light weight aluminum and only the cover plate need be made of stainless steel.
The present invention allows for the rapid conversion of food packaging machines to accommodate different sizes of containers in a fairly simple manner. This is accomplishes through the use of a machine having a two-component conveyor, namely a base plate sized to receive the largest container and a replacable cover plate releasably secured to the base plate and having aperatures alignable with the aperatures of the base plate but sized to receive one particular size of container. When a different size of container is to be packaged the cover plate is replaced with the appropriate size cover plate and various internal components of the apparatus adjusted through the large aperature of the base plate. The base plate provides structural support for the cover plate and minimizes the possibility of damage through buckling or bending of the conveyor plates. This two-piece conveyor system also allows the base plate to be made of light weight aluminum and only the cover plate need be made of stainless steel.
Description
7;~ii _I ELD OF THE I NVENT I ON___________________ The present invention relates to food packaging machines and, in particular, machines designed to fill preformed containers of various sizes, wherein the conveyor of the machine may easily be converted from a container of one size to another.
BACKGROUND_OF_THE INVENTION
Food packaging machines, designed to operate with preformed disposable plastic containers, can be basically segmented into two types, the first type being a single lane machine where various operations are completed on a container as it moves through the machine or multiple lane filling machines wherein each operation is simultaneously completed on a number of containers as they move through the length of the conveyor. These multi-lane food packaging machines are designed for greater output and are becoming more common even though the cost is significantly greater than single lane machine.
However, it is desirable that these machines be adaptable for conversion to various sized containers with the changeover to the various sizes being completed quickly and simply. However to date, these machines have not adequately satisfied this desirable feature and suffer from a number of other shortcomings.
Prior art multi-lane filling machines basically use a fixed length conveyor having a plurality of plates thereon, into which containers are inserted for transportation through the filling, sealing and discharging stations. In order to change over these machines for different sized containers, the conveyor plates are removed from the c~hail-s 1 which drive the conveyor and new plates are inserted of a siæe to accommodate the new container. Although this system does work satisfactorily, the changeover time is quite great as the plates are usually secured to the chain conveyor through some sort of bolting arrangement. As can be appreciated, the greater the length of the machine and the greater number of sizes of containers the machine is to be used with, the greater the number of plates that are required and a significant amount of time can be lost during changeover. Furthermore, these plates are normally made of a stainless steel and can be damaged through twistiny or buckling which may further effect the efficiency of the machine due to jamming of containers or merely improper alignment with the various operations~ Thin conveyor plates pose a greater problem for multi-lane filling machines as the span of the machine is greater and the probability of damage to the plates is thereby increased. To overcome this problem to a certain extent, additional supports are provided beneath the conveyor plates, but problems may still arise.
~ herefore to date, automated food packaging machines, which may be converted for receiving various sized containers, usually use thin stainless steel plates for defining the conveyor bed and these plates are replaced with different plates when the machine is to be Lsed with a different size container. The other approach has been to provide a dedicated machine so that changeover is not a problem and, in this case, either the thin conveyor plates may be used or where additional strength is re~uired, solid stainless steel plates are used of a thickness substantially 5~7~i 1 greater to provide a more or less rigid conveyor bed. In many of these machines, such as that disclosed in our Canadian patent 1,104,520, the upper surface of the conveyor plate is machined such that the containers are received below the upper surface of the plate.
The present invention seeks to mitigate the problems associated with the prior art multi-lane food packaging machines and provide a multi-lane packaging machine which may be changed over quickly.
___________________ _ _ _ The apparatus, according to the present invention, includes a multi-lane filling and packaging machine comprising a chain driven conveyor having a plurality of plates traversing the conveyor with at least two apertures for receiving containers to be filled. A number of stations are positioned above the conveyor for loading p~eformed containers into the conveyor, for dispensing product into the container support in the conveyor, for sealing the containers and unloading such containers from the conveyor.
The conveyor plates comprise a base plate and a thin replacable cover plate overlaying the base and releasably secured thereto. The base plate is of a thickness substantially greater than that of the cover plate to provide structural support therefor and the apertures in the cover plate are sized to support containers adjacent the open end of the containers. The apertures in the base plate are greater than that of the cover plate, whereby the cover plates may be changed to accommodate different siæes of containers without disengaging the base plate from the conveyor.
1 According to an aspect of the invention, the multi-lane filling and packaging machine uses a base plate made of aluminum and a cover plate made of stainless steel.
According to a further aspect, the multi-lane machine includes snap slide fasteners comprising a stud slotted to receive a slide fastener and secured to the coveL plate, with the cover plate including an aperture for receiving the stud and including means for securing the slide fastener, whereby the slide fastener may engage the stud and secure the cover plate positively to the base plate.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a multi-lane product filling machine capable of filling various sized containers is disclosed comprising a chain driven conveyor having a plurality of support plates to form an essentially rigid conveyor bed, each of said support plakes having a number of apertures spaced across the plate and of a size to receive the largest containers to be filled, a plurality of stainless steel cover plates releasably securable to one of said support plates and having apertures corresponding to and alignable with the apertures of one of said support plates and means for releasably securing the cover plates to the top of one of the support plates, whereby the conveyor of said multi-lane filling machine may be changed over for the different sized containers by replacing the cover plates with a separate set of cover plates and without replacing the support plates.
BRIEF_DESCRIPTION OF_THE_DRAWING5 Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automated food 5~
1 packaging machine designed for filling of yoyurt containers or other products;
Figure 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mechanism for loading containers into the conveyor;
Figure 3 is an exploded partial perspective view illustrating the relationship o~ the base conveyor plate, cover plate and associated container;
Figures 4 through 6 are sections through the center of an aperature of the conveyor plate and top plate with different sizes of containers loaded into the aperature;
Figure 7 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mechanism for sensing whether a container has been properly dispensed into the conveyor plate;
Figure 8 is a sectional view illustrating the operation of the switch in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a partial perspective view illustrating the lid dispensing system and sealing operation on the packaging machine; and, Figure 10 is a partial perspective view illustrating the container unloading station.
DETAILED_DESCRIPTION O~_THE_PREFERRED_E~BODIMENTS
The automated packaging machine of Figure 1 is designed for fil.ling yogurt containers in which a fruit concentrate is first introduced into the container prior to the yogurt being loaded into the containers although it can be used for packaging other products such as cottage cheese, food condiments, etc. The packaging machine generally shown as ~ has a container loading station 4, a container filling ; station 6, a lid dispensing and sealing station 8 and a container unloading station 10. The container dispen-,ing 1 system has three stacks of containers 13, 14 and 15 supported in individual container chutes with the cups being dispensed from the bottom end of the stack of containers.
Containers are loaded into the aperatures 16 of each conveyor plate and are advanced through the various stations by the movement of the conveyor. This particular conveyor design is designed for intermittent movement with the various operations being completed when the conveyor is stationary. After the operations have been completed the conveyor is then advanced and the process repeated. The filling station 6 has two hoppers 9 and 11, one for the fruit concentrate and the second for the yogurt. The filling pumps associated with the hoppers have a drive mechanism 12 which is coordinated with the conveyor movement.
Details of the container loading station 4 can be seen in Figure 2 where a number of drive wheels 30 are provided at the lower end of the chute to positively suppor~ the stack of containers with these drive wheels having spiral grooves which engage the flange of the container, such that rotation of the wheels separates the lower most container from the remaining stack of containers with this container being loaded into the conveyor plate located below. As shown, containers 32a are being separated from the stack of containers and are about to fall into the aperatures provided in the conveyor plate.
Details of the individual conveyor plates 20 can also be seen with these conveyor plates having a base or support plate 22 and a cover plate 24 which is releasably secured to the base plate by a slide fastener 28. This slide L`astener is secured to the cover plate and cooperates with post 1 member 26 which is secured in the base plate. This fastening system is used at either end of the cover plate and provides positive cooperation between the base plate and the cover plate. To remove the cover plate from the base plate, the slide member 28 is shifted to disengage from the post member and the cover plate may then be lifted from the conveyor. In this manner different cover plates may easily be substituted for use with the base plate 22.
As shown in Figure 3, the sliding clip 28 is secured to the cover plate 24 by bracket members 34 in which the clip slides. The one end of the member 28 is opened to receive stud 26 within the slot 25 whereby the cooperation of the clip and the slot positively maintains base plate 22 and a cove~ plate 24 secured relative to one another. As can be seen, the cover plate is provided with an aperature 36 for receiving the stud and the stud has been provided with a curved upper surface to assist in alignment.
To positively maintain clip 28 in the locked position, spring members 27 are located behind clip 28 and biased to abut the end of the clip to assure the clip does not unintentionally release the cover plate. Spring 27 is made of a stainless steel spring steel and, if pushed downwardly, will allow clip 28 to slide thereover as shown in Figure 3.
This arrangement provides a simple structure for positively locking the position of the clip in the closed position and is useful where unintentional movement through vibration or other sources is possible.
Figures ~, 5 and 6 show a base plate 22 having various cover plates 24a, 24b and 24c respectively. In Figure 4 d smaller si~e container 32a has been shown and it can be seen 1 that this container is in the center of the enlarged recess of the base plate 22 with the cover plate overhanging this recess and supporting the container beneath the stepped sidewall of the container.
The container 32b shown in Figure 5 is slightly larger than that of Figu~e 4 and as such the cover plate 24b has been provided with an enlarged aperature for receiving this container. However again the cover plate overhangs the aperakure provided in the base plate 22 to positively support the container beneath the step sidewall. Figure 6 illustrates the largest container for use with this system in which the aperature of cover plate 24c approximately equals that of the base plate 22. It is preferred that some overhang of the aperature of the cover plate relative to the base plate aperature is maintained to ensure easy dispensing of the container into the conveyor plate however, this is not mandatory for the system to function and is merely a preferred embodiment.
The exact size of thickness of the cover plate and base plate will vary with the particular application and range of container size the machine is designed to accommodateO However with the present application which is designed to package up to two litre containers a base plate of half inch anodized aluminum and a cover plate of 1/16 inch stainless steel has proven satisfactory.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a sensing system which detects the presence of a container prior to this container reaching the filling station. As shown in Figure 7, three micro switches 40 have been provided on a common kase member 3Q 42 which is slidable inserted within bracket member ~4 1 located either side of the sidewalls 46 of the filling machine. The brackets 44 have been slotted to facilitate adjustment of the position of the micro switches for containers of various depths and a lock pin 48 has been provided for locking this base component 42 relative to the sidewalls once the base has been properly positioned.
As shown in Figure 8, arm 41 of the micro switch is pushed downwardly as the container passes over the switch which produces a signal indicating that the container is present. If no container is present the arm will not move downwardly and this signal is relayed to the input valves of the filling pumps such that product will not be dispensed.
In this manner waste of product will not occur if a container is for some reason not loaded into a conveyor plate and furthermore, the machine will require less clean-up.
Figure 9 shows details of the lid dispensing and application station 3 having three stacks of nested lids 50 for application to each lane of containers. A stripper member 52 cooperates with stationary plates 54 and 55 for stripping the bottom lid of the stack of lids and moving this lid to position it over a stationary container immediately downstream of the stack of lids. Once the lid is positioned, disc member 56 is moved downwardly by rod 57 and common support member 58 to apply the container lid to the container located directly below. Once this operation has been completed the containers are then advanced beneath lid application roller 59 which is spring biased to positively force the lid over the rimmed portion of the container. The relationship of the lid and the container ;57~i 1 provides a snap fit and a mechanical seal which avoids leakage of the product. As can be appreciated with yogurt, some gas may be produced due ~o storage of the container and this type of sealing arrangement allows ~or venting of the gas should a sufficient pressure build up within the container occur.
In Figure 10 the discharge station is shown which includes a sweeper member 60 in combination with an elevation member 66 which is timed to lift the filled containers from a conveyor with the sweeper member then moving them onto the discharge roller platform 70. When the conveyor is stationary the containers within the last conveyor plate are moved upwardly by movement of the elevator 66, which has three stud platforms 68 for contacting the bottom of each container and moving it upwardly above the top plate of the conveyor. The sweeper member is then brought forward and pushes the container off this stud member and onto the discharge platform. Once this has been completed the elevator is then lowered again and the sweeper member returned to a position upstream of the last conveyor plate whereby the operation may be repeated after the conveyor has been indexed. In order to accommodate different sizes of containers these stud members 68 may easily be replaced by removing them from the elevation member through the aperature of the base plate and inserting a new stud member of the appropriate height. In this way the elevation system can easily be adapted for different sizes of containers.
~ccess to the interior of the conveyor is ea~ily achieved through the large aperature provided in the base ~L o ~5~ 5 1 plate member 22 of the conveyor and this is particularly important with respect to the elevator mechanism shown in Figure 10 as well as the sensing means shown in Figure 7.
This allows the base support of the sensors to be adjusted by the operator gaining acess to the interior of the conveyor through the aperatures provided in the base plate and thereby greatly simplifies the adjustment of these interior components.
As is apparent from the drawings and previous description, conversion of the machine for different sizes of containers may easily be accomplished by removing the cover plate while the base plate remains affixed the chain drive of the apparatus. In this manner conversion is rapidly achieved and the large aperatures provided in the base plate facilitate changeover of components located interior of the conveyor. This is also an advantage with respect to cleaning of the apparatus. The large aperatures provide good visibility and access for cleaning equipment.
Furthermore the base plate which are made of aluminum can be ~0 quite thick to provide structural rigidity across the width of the conveyor such that damage through buckling or twisting of the conveyor plates is avoided. Various sets of top cover plates are required for the different si~es of containers however the cost for flat stainless steel plates is not exceedingly great and can readily be justified by the fast conversion in combination with the superior structural strength of the resulting system. Although this type of conveyor system may be more expensive initially, the improved operating characteristics due to the structural rigidity of the conveyor plates and the ease and 7~ii 1 adaptability of this system for various sizes of containers easily justify the additional starting cost.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein in detail it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
BACKGROUND_OF_THE INVENTION
Food packaging machines, designed to operate with preformed disposable plastic containers, can be basically segmented into two types, the first type being a single lane machine where various operations are completed on a container as it moves through the machine or multiple lane filling machines wherein each operation is simultaneously completed on a number of containers as they move through the length of the conveyor. These multi-lane food packaging machines are designed for greater output and are becoming more common even though the cost is significantly greater than single lane machine.
However, it is desirable that these machines be adaptable for conversion to various sized containers with the changeover to the various sizes being completed quickly and simply. However to date, these machines have not adequately satisfied this desirable feature and suffer from a number of other shortcomings.
Prior art multi-lane filling machines basically use a fixed length conveyor having a plurality of plates thereon, into which containers are inserted for transportation through the filling, sealing and discharging stations. In order to change over these machines for different sized containers, the conveyor plates are removed from the c~hail-s 1 which drive the conveyor and new plates are inserted of a siæe to accommodate the new container. Although this system does work satisfactorily, the changeover time is quite great as the plates are usually secured to the chain conveyor through some sort of bolting arrangement. As can be appreciated, the greater the length of the machine and the greater number of sizes of containers the machine is to be used with, the greater the number of plates that are required and a significant amount of time can be lost during changeover. Furthermore, these plates are normally made of a stainless steel and can be damaged through twistiny or buckling which may further effect the efficiency of the machine due to jamming of containers or merely improper alignment with the various operations~ Thin conveyor plates pose a greater problem for multi-lane filling machines as the span of the machine is greater and the probability of damage to the plates is thereby increased. To overcome this problem to a certain extent, additional supports are provided beneath the conveyor plates, but problems may still arise.
~ herefore to date, automated food packaging machines, which may be converted for receiving various sized containers, usually use thin stainless steel plates for defining the conveyor bed and these plates are replaced with different plates when the machine is to be Lsed with a different size container. The other approach has been to provide a dedicated machine so that changeover is not a problem and, in this case, either the thin conveyor plates may be used or where additional strength is re~uired, solid stainless steel plates are used of a thickness substantially 5~7~i 1 greater to provide a more or less rigid conveyor bed. In many of these machines, such as that disclosed in our Canadian patent 1,104,520, the upper surface of the conveyor plate is machined such that the containers are received below the upper surface of the plate.
The present invention seeks to mitigate the problems associated with the prior art multi-lane food packaging machines and provide a multi-lane packaging machine which may be changed over quickly.
___________________ _ _ _ The apparatus, according to the present invention, includes a multi-lane filling and packaging machine comprising a chain driven conveyor having a plurality of plates traversing the conveyor with at least two apertures for receiving containers to be filled. A number of stations are positioned above the conveyor for loading p~eformed containers into the conveyor, for dispensing product into the container support in the conveyor, for sealing the containers and unloading such containers from the conveyor.
The conveyor plates comprise a base plate and a thin replacable cover plate overlaying the base and releasably secured thereto. The base plate is of a thickness substantially greater than that of the cover plate to provide structural support therefor and the apertures in the cover plate are sized to support containers adjacent the open end of the containers. The apertures in the base plate are greater than that of the cover plate, whereby the cover plates may be changed to accommodate different siæes of containers without disengaging the base plate from the conveyor.
1 According to an aspect of the invention, the multi-lane filling and packaging machine uses a base plate made of aluminum and a cover plate made of stainless steel.
According to a further aspect, the multi-lane machine includes snap slide fasteners comprising a stud slotted to receive a slide fastener and secured to the coveL plate, with the cover plate including an aperture for receiving the stud and including means for securing the slide fastener, whereby the slide fastener may engage the stud and secure the cover plate positively to the base plate.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a multi-lane product filling machine capable of filling various sized containers is disclosed comprising a chain driven conveyor having a plurality of support plates to form an essentially rigid conveyor bed, each of said support plakes having a number of apertures spaced across the plate and of a size to receive the largest containers to be filled, a plurality of stainless steel cover plates releasably securable to one of said support plates and having apertures corresponding to and alignable with the apertures of one of said support plates and means for releasably securing the cover plates to the top of one of the support plates, whereby the conveyor of said multi-lane filling machine may be changed over for the different sized containers by replacing the cover plates with a separate set of cover plates and without replacing the support plates.
BRIEF_DESCRIPTION OF_THE_DRAWING5 Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automated food 5~
1 packaging machine designed for filling of yoyurt containers or other products;
Figure 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mechanism for loading containers into the conveyor;
Figure 3 is an exploded partial perspective view illustrating the relationship o~ the base conveyor plate, cover plate and associated container;
Figures 4 through 6 are sections through the center of an aperature of the conveyor plate and top plate with different sizes of containers loaded into the aperature;
Figure 7 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mechanism for sensing whether a container has been properly dispensed into the conveyor plate;
Figure 8 is a sectional view illustrating the operation of the switch in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a partial perspective view illustrating the lid dispensing system and sealing operation on the packaging machine; and, Figure 10 is a partial perspective view illustrating the container unloading station.
DETAILED_DESCRIPTION O~_THE_PREFERRED_E~BODIMENTS
The automated packaging machine of Figure 1 is designed for fil.ling yogurt containers in which a fruit concentrate is first introduced into the container prior to the yogurt being loaded into the containers although it can be used for packaging other products such as cottage cheese, food condiments, etc. The packaging machine generally shown as ~ has a container loading station 4, a container filling ; station 6, a lid dispensing and sealing station 8 and a container unloading station 10. The container dispen-,ing 1 system has three stacks of containers 13, 14 and 15 supported in individual container chutes with the cups being dispensed from the bottom end of the stack of containers.
Containers are loaded into the aperatures 16 of each conveyor plate and are advanced through the various stations by the movement of the conveyor. This particular conveyor design is designed for intermittent movement with the various operations being completed when the conveyor is stationary. After the operations have been completed the conveyor is then advanced and the process repeated. The filling station 6 has two hoppers 9 and 11, one for the fruit concentrate and the second for the yogurt. The filling pumps associated with the hoppers have a drive mechanism 12 which is coordinated with the conveyor movement.
Details of the container loading station 4 can be seen in Figure 2 where a number of drive wheels 30 are provided at the lower end of the chute to positively suppor~ the stack of containers with these drive wheels having spiral grooves which engage the flange of the container, such that rotation of the wheels separates the lower most container from the remaining stack of containers with this container being loaded into the conveyor plate located below. As shown, containers 32a are being separated from the stack of containers and are about to fall into the aperatures provided in the conveyor plate.
Details of the individual conveyor plates 20 can also be seen with these conveyor plates having a base or support plate 22 and a cover plate 24 which is releasably secured to the base plate by a slide fastener 28. This slide L`astener is secured to the cover plate and cooperates with post 1 member 26 which is secured in the base plate. This fastening system is used at either end of the cover plate and provides positive cooperation between the base plate and the cover plate. To remove the cover plate from the base plate, the slide member 28 is shifted to disengage from the post member and the cover plate may then be lifted from the conveyor. In this manner different cover plates may easily be substituted for use with the base plate 22.
As shown in Figure 3, the sliding clip 28 is secured to the cover plate 24 by bracket members 34 in which the clip slides. The one end of the member 28 is opened to receive stud 26 within the slot 25 whereby the cooperation of the clip and the slot positively maintains base plate 22 and a cove~ plate 24 secured relative to one another. As can be seen, the cover plate is provided with an aperature 36 for receiving the stud and the stud has been provided with a curved upper surface to assist in alignment.
To positively maintain clip 28 in the locked position, spring members 27 are located behind clip 28 and biased to abut the end of the clip to assure the clip does not unintentionally release the cover plate. Spring 27 is made of a stainless steel spring steel and, if pushed downwardly, will allow clip 28 to slide thereover as shown in Figure 3.
This arrangement provides a simple structure for positively locking the position of the clip in the closed position and is useful where unintentional movement through vibration or other sources is possible.
Figures ~, 5 and 6 show a base plate 22 having various cover plates 24a, 24b and 24c respectively. In Figure 4 d smaller si~e container 32a has been shown and it can be seen 1 that this container is in the center of the enlarged recess of the base plate 22 with the cover plate overhanging this recess and supporting the container beneath the stepped sidewall of the container.
The container 32b shown in Figure 5 is slightly larger than that of Figu~e 4 and as such the cover plate 24b has been provided with an enlarged aperature for receiving this container. However again the cover plate overhangs the aperakure provided in the base plate 22 to positively support the container beneath the step sidewall. Figure 6 illustrates the largest container for use with this system in which the aperature of cover plate 24c approximately equals that of the base plate 22. It is preferred that some overhang of the aperature of the cover plate relative to the base plate aperature is maintained to ensure easy dispensing of the container into the conveyor plate however, this is not mandatory for the system to function and is merely a preferred embodiment.
The exact size of thickness of the cover plate and base plate will vary with the particular application and range of container size the machine is designed to accommodateO However with the present application which is designed to package up to two litre containers a base plate of half inch anodized aluminum and a cover plate of 1/16 inch stainless steel has proven satisfactory.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a sensing system which detects the presence of a container prior to this container reaching the filling station. As shown in Figure 7, three micro switches 40 have been provided on a common kase member 3Q 42 which is slidable inserted within bracket member ~4 1 located either side of the sidewalls 46 of the filling machine. The brackets 44 have been slotted to facilitate adjustment of the position of the micro switches for containers of various depths and a lock pin 48 has been provided for locking this base component 42 relative to the sidewalls once the base has been properly positioned.
As shown in Figure 8, arm 41 of the micro switch is pushed downwardly as the container passes over the switch which produces a signal indicating that the container is present. If no container is present the arm will not move downwardly and this signal is relayed to the input valves of the filling pumps such that product will not be dispensed.
In this manner waste of product will not occur if a container is for some reason not loaded into a conveyor plate and furthermore, the machine will require less clean-up.
Figure 9 shows details of the lid dispensing and application station 3 having three stacks of nested lids 50 for application to each lane of containers. A stripper member 52 cooperates with stationary plates 54 and 55 for stripping the bottom lid of the stack of lids and moving this lid to position it over a stationary container immediately downstream of the stack of lids. Once the lid is positioned, disc member 56 is moved downwardly by rod 57 and common support member 58 to apply the container lid to the container located directly below. Once this operation has been completed the containers are then advanced beneath lid application roller 59 which is spring biased to positively force the lid over the rimmed portion of the container. The relationship of the lid and the container ;57~i 1 provides a snap fit and a mechanical seal which avoids leakage of the product. As can be appreciated with yogurt, some gas may be produced due ~o storage of the container and this type of sealing arrangement allows ~or venting of the gas should a sufficient pressure build up within the container occur.
In Figure 10 the discharge station is shown which includes a sweeper member 60 in combination with an elevation member 66 which is timed to lift the filled containers from a conveyor with the sweeper member then moving them onto the discharge roller platform 70. When the conveyor is stationary the containers within the last conveyor plate are moved upwardly by movement of the elevator 66, which has three stud platforms 68 for contacting the bottom of each container and moving it upwardly above the top plate of the conveyor. The sweeper member is then brought forward and pushes the container off this stud member and onto the discharge platform. Once this has been completed the elevator is then lowered again and the sweeper member returned to a position upstream of the last conveyor plate whereby the operation may be repeated after the conveyor has been indexed. In order to accommodate different sizes of containers these stud members 68 may easily be replaced by removing them from the elevation member through the aperature of the base plate and inserting a new stud member of the appropriate height. In this way the elevation system can easily be adapted for different sizes of containers.
~ccess to the interior of the conveyor is ea~ily achieved through the large aperature provided in the base ~L o ~5~ 5 1 plate member 22 of the conveyor and this is particularly important with respect to the elevator mechanism shown in Figure 10 as well as the sensing means shown in Figure 7.
This allows the base support of the sensors to be adjusted by the operator gaining acess to the interior of the conveyor through the aperatures provided in the base plate and thereby greatly simplifies the adjustment of these interior components.
As is apparent from the drawings and previous description, conversion of the machine for different sizes of containers may easily be accomplished by removing the cover plate while the base plate remains affixed the chain drive of the apparatus. In this manner conversion is rapidly achieved and the large aperatures provided in the base plate facilitate changeover of components located interior of the conveyor. This is also an advantage with respect to cleaning of the apparatus. The large aperatures provide good visibility and access for cleaning equipment.
Furthermore the base plate which are made of aluminum can be ~0 quite thick to provide structural rigidity across the width of the conveyor such that damage through buckling or twisting of the conveyor plates is avoided. Various sets of top cover plates are required for the different si~es of containers however the cost for flat stainless steel plates is not exceedingly great and can readily be justified by the fast conversion in combination with the superior structural strength of the resulting system. Although this type of conveyor system may be more expensive initially, the improved operating characteristics due to the structural rigidity of the conveyor plates and the ease and 7~ii 1 adaptability of this system for various sizes of containers easily justify the additional starting cost.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein in detail it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (9)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A multi-lane filling and packaging machine comprising a conveyor having a plurality of plates traversing said conveyor with at least two apertures for receiving and supporting containers to be filled and subsequently removed from said plates, a number of stations above said conveyor sequentially providing for loading preformed containers into said conveyor, for dispensing product into containers supported in said conveyor, for sealing such containers and for unloading such containers from said conveyor, said conveyor plates comprising a base plate and a thin replaceable cover plate overlaying said base plate and releasably mounted thereon, said base plate being of a thickness substantially greater than said cover plate to provide structural support therefor, the apertures in said cover plate being sized to support such containers adjacent the open end thereof as such containers extend through said apertures, and the aperture in said base plate being of a greater size, whereby said cover plates may be changed to accommodate different sizes of containers without disengaging said base plate from said conveyor.
2. A multi-lane filling and packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base plate is made of aluminum and said cover plate is made of stainless steel.
3. A multi-lane filling and packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover plate is releasably secured to said base plate by a snapslide fastener comprising a stud slotted to receive a slide fastener secured to said cover plate, said cover plate including an aperture to receive said stud, said fasteners being secured either end of said base and cover plate to accurately position and maintain said cover plate relative to said base plate.
4. A multi-lane filling and packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein various sets of cover plates are used to change over the machine for various size containers, each set of cover plates being sized for a given container and the apertures in said cover plate for receiving containers being smaller than the associated apertures of said base plate whereby the cover plate is cantilevered beyond the aperture of said base plate.
5. In a multi-lane product filling machine capable of filling various sized containers comprising a conveyor having a plurality of support plates to form an essentially rigid conveyor bed, each of said support plates having a number of apertures spaced across said plate and of a size to receive the largest container to be filled, a plurality of stainless steel cover plates releasably secured to one of said support plates and having apertures corresponding to and alignable with the apertures of one of said support plates, said apertures supporting containers adjacent their upper end and as such containers extend through said apertures and means for releasably securing said cover plates to the top of one of said support plates whereby the conveyor of said machine may be changed over to different sized containers by replacing said cover plates and without replacing said support plates.
6. In an automatic packaging machine for foodstuffs, a generally rectangular conveyor plate assembly comprising a base plate and a cover plate, said base plate being of generally rectangular shape and of a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of said cover plate, said cover plate being of a size to cover the upper surface of said base plate, means for releasably securing said base and cover plates in aligned position, said base plate having a plurality of apertures for receiving and which are capable of supporting preformed containers and said cover plate having similar apertures of smaller size for receiving and supporting preformed containers as they extend through said apertures, said apertures being generally alignable with the apertures of said base plate, whereby said cover plate may be changed to accommodate different sized containers without replacing said base plate, and wherein the size of the largest container is determined by the size of the apertures in said base plate.
7. In an automatic packaging machine for foodstuffs as claimed in claim 6, wherein said base plate is made of aluminum and has a thickness greater than approximately half an inch and said cover plate is made of stainless steel and of a thickness of approximately one quarter of an inch.
8. In an automatic packaging machine for foodstuffs as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein said means for releasably securing said cover plate to said base plate includes stud means press fitted into said base plate and projecting from the upper surface adjacent either edge thereof and engagable with slide fasteners secured to the upper surface of said cover plate, said cover plate having an aperture for receiving said stud means whereby said stud and fastener secure said base and cover plates.
9. A multi-lane filling and packaging machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said cover plate is releasably secured to said base plate by snapslide fasteners, each fastener comprising a stud secured to said loose plate and slotted to receive a sliding member secured to said cover plate, said sliding member having an open end for engaging said stud and including said member at a position engaging said stud, said snapslide fasteners being positioned adjacent the ends of said base and cover plates to secure the plates relative thereto.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000387805A CA1185575A (en) | 1981-10-13 | 1981-10-13 | Endless multiple row conveyor with interchangeable top deck for an automatic filling machine |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000387805A CA1185575A (en) | 1981-10-13 | 1981-10-13 | Endless multiple row conveyor with interchangeable top deck for an automatic filling machine |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1185575A true CA1185575A (en) | 1985-04-16 |
Family
ID=4121156
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000387805A Expired CA1185575A (en) | 1981-10-13 | 1981-10-13 | Endless multiple row conveyor with interchangeable top deck for an automatic filling machine |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1185575A (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2846299A1 (en) * | 2002-09-27 | 2004-04-30 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | DEVICE FOR TREATING CONTAINERS, PARTICULARLY FOR FILLING AND CLOSING THEM |
| FR2860767A1 (en) * | 2003-10-09 | 2005-04-15 | Kalix Sa | Container e.g. medical product tube, filling unit, has integrated module arranged in upstream of another integrated module to store empty containers that are filled by filling station |
| EP1669294A1 (en) * | 2004-12-07 | 2006-06-14 | Kalix | Packaging filling unit with integrated emty container magazine |
| EP1714882A1 (en) * | 2005-04-21 | 2006-10-25 | Hamba Filltec GmbH & Co. KG | Machine for filling cups, bottles and other containers with food products |
| WO2020135899A1 (en) * | 2018-12-27 | 2020-07-02 | Jan Schmuck | Coffee grinder having filling device for refillable coffee capsules |
-
1981
- 1981-10-13 CA CA000387805A patent/CA1185575A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2846299A1 (en) * | 2002-09-27 | 2004-04-30 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | DEVICE FOR TREATING CONTAINERS, PARTICULARLY FOR FILLING AND CLOSING THEM |
| FR2860767A1 (en) * | 2003-10-09 | 2005-04-15 | Kalix Sa | Container e.g. medical product tube, filling unit, has integrated module arranged in upstream of another integrated module to store empty containers that are filled by filling station |
| EP1669294A1 (en) * | 2004-12-07 | 2006-06-14 | Kalix | Packaging filling unit with integrated emty container magazine |
| EP1714882A1 (en) * | 2005-04-21 | 2006-10-25 | Hamba Filltec GmbH & Co. KG | Machine for filling cups, bottles and other containers with food products |
| US7401445B2 (en) | 2005-04-21 | 2008-07-22 | Hamba Filltec Gmbh & Co. Kg | Vessel-filling apparatus |
| WO2020135899A1 (en) * | 2018-12-27 | 2020-07-02 | Jan Schmuck | Coffee grinder having filling device for refillable coffee capsules |
| US12129060B2 (en) | 2018-12-27 | 2024-10-29 | Jan Schmuck | Coffee grinder having filling device for refillable coffee capsules |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |