WO2003086119A1

WO2003086119A1 - Dispensing apparatus for pouch snuff

Info

Publication number: WO2003086119A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/000567
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gunnar ÅSTRÖM
Original assignee: HAOSHI Ltd
Current assignee: HAOSHI Ltd
Priority date: 2002-04-09
Filing date: 2003-04-08
Publication date: 2003-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2004-10-09
Also published as: SE0202921L; AU2003222547A1; SE521486C2; SE0202921D0

Abstract

A containers end is sealed by a lid, which has an opening in its sidewall that can be closed and opened by the wall of said container. The edge of the container is together with the upper edge of the opening in the lid providing a cutting mechanism that cuts off the end packaging unit from a chain of packaging units stored inside the container. A conveyor arm attached to the lid lifts out the chains end unit to the opening in the lid, where an ejector ejects the end unit through the opening before being cut. A tooth at the container edge enters a slit in the waist between the packaging units.

Description

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR POUCH SNUFF

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing of single units from a container of the type mentioned in the introduction of claim 1.

Products can be enclosed separately in packaging units, that are mutually connected through separable waists, to form a chain of packaging units. To provide a container with the means of feeding the chain through an opening in the container and means for cutting off a unit, which has been dispensed from the container can be considered to be known.

The dispensing unit can be assumed to be of disposable character, and must there for have a simple construction that aloud it to be manufactured at low-cost, all though the reliability must be high. Further more, there are desires to design said dispensing apparatus, in a way that it forms an airtight container for the chain of packaging units between the dispensing operations.

The purpose with the invention is to provide an uncomplicated dispensing apparatus, which also forms a sealed container for the chain of packaging units between the dispensing operations.

The chain of packaging units can be of arbitrary character; the present dispensing apparatus is primarily intended to feed a chain of snuff pouches, but a professional would realize that the chain could also contain other products such as medicaments, sweets, chewing gum, tea-bags, band-aid, adhesive tape etc.

The purpose of the invention is to provide an uncomplicated apparatus, which offers easy dispensing of single packaging units that in connection with the dispensing operation are cut from a chain of packaging units enclosed in the container, at which the container also offers an air-tight container for the chain of packaging units between the dispensing operations.

In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that the foregoing objects and advantages may be readily obtained.

The invention is defined in Claim 1.

Ways to embody the invention is described in the attached claims.

The present invention is based on that each one of the packaging units are connected through a waist that can rest on the edge of the container, while a conveyor arm slides over the end packaging unit and stops on the next waist section in order to secure it between the inner wall of the container and the edge of the conveyor arm, so that the conveyor arm can lift the next packaging unit upon repeating the operation. Another important feature of the invention is that an ejector arm is provided for ejecting the packaging unit, through a opening in the sidewall of the lid, when the lid has traveled to a predetermined position in relation to the containers open end, enabling the waist between packaging units one and two to be positioned over the container edge, so that it can be correctly cut by a knife, that is part of the upper edge of the opening in the lid, for cutting of the waist against a cooperating knife, part of edge of the container.

The convex side of the conveyor arm is point shaped against the container wall. Further more, said conveyor arm has at its end a tooth, that can enter into a prefabricated opening through the waist between the packaging units, so that said conveyor arm elevates the number one packaging unit to a position predetermined by the lids travel ratio. The lid is by advantage loaded by a spring forcing it towards closed position, whereby said lid is creating a sealing effect around the container. The ejector arm is suitably shaped as a swing lever, which is forced to a neutral position by a spring mechanism, which can be attached to an arm attached to the lid, where as the spring mechanism also can function as a swing joint for the lever. The first lever arm is by advantage expanding through a slit in the conveyor arm. The end of the levers second arm is traveling freely close to the containers opposite inner wall, where a heel is positioned on the containers said inner wall, to interact with the levers said second arm, so that the lever is stretched when the lid is forced upwards, until the second lever arm snaps over the heel, resulting in that the first lever arm is forced by the spring load to strike towards the opening in the lid and eject the packaging unit that has been lifted into position by the conveyor arm, whereby the waist are detached from the tooth on the conveyor arm, and the slit in the waist is instead received by a close by tooth on the containers edge. During the lids downward travel on the container, the conveyor arm is sliding over package unit number two, and the levers first arm is pressured towards the waist between the first and second packaging unit, (whereby the lever momentarily snaps over the heel) , where after the knife part of the side openings upper edge cuts the waist of the packaging chain after the tooth of the conveyor arm have traveled to slide into the opening in the waist between packaging number ^■two and tree. In this position the opening in the lid is closed by the container wall and thereby creating a sealed compartment. When the lid once again is pushed axially away from the container, the operation is repeated. The closing of the lid as well as the cutting by the knife, can be enforced by the spring mechanism loading the lid. An example of embodying the invention, with reference to the attached drawings is subsequently presented.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic section taken along line II-II in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged detailed view of the area indicated with III in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows schematically the shape of the chain of packaging units and its waists.

Fig. 1 and 2 shows an orthogonal parallelepiped container 1 with an open end, who are covered by and with close tolerance received into an orthogonal parallelepiped lid 2, surrounding the container 1 with a parametric wall 21. The lid 2 is linearly moveable along the containers 1, axial direction between an outer limit, shown in fig. 1 and 2, and an inner limit, at which the end 23 of the lid 2 rests close to the containers 1 edge .

Fig. 2 shows a chain 4 of mutually connected packaging units 5. As shown by fig. 4 the packaging units are connected through a waist 6, who displays a slit 7. The lid contains an arm 27, which are stilted and firmly connected with the end plate 23 of the lid 2. The other end of said arm 27 is connected through a spring mechanism 71 to a lever 8. The spring mechanism 71 forms a swing joint for the lever 8. The lever 8 consists of a first arm 81 and a second arm 82. The lid 2 has an opening 22 in its sidewall, which is located above the edge of the container 1 as shown in the outer limit in fig 2.

The lid 2 are carrying a conveyor arm 9, whose one end is connected with the lid 2, preferably in connection with its end plate 23. The conveyor arm 9 are in this example shaped as a strong elastic leaf spring, whose width corresponds to the free width between the parallel walls of the container. The conveyor arm has a central opening 17, through which the arm 81 are stretching, where by the arms 81 free end forms a pointed angle towards the opening 22 and are located close to this. The conveyor arm has a concave free end part 92, close to the opening 22, whose free end 93 carries a tooth 94, that when the conveyor arm 9 has been off loaded, is located next to the openings 22 edge. The inner container wall provides a track 49 that guides the tooth 94 during the lid movement, so that the tooth correctly can enter through the slit 7 in the waist and securely forward the chain 4.

The nearby edge 11, of the container 1 is angled upwards/ outwards. On this edge 11, a tooth 96 is placed aligned towards the tooth 94. Tooth 96 is next to tooth 94 when the lid is in top position.

The lever arm 82 has its end traveling close to the containers 1 inner wall that carries a heel 77, e.g. located close to the edge 11. When the lid 2 is lifted, the end of the arm 82 is hooked momentarily to the heel 77 so that the lever 8 turns clockwise around the spring-charged swing joint 71. When the arms 82 end thereafter snaps past the heel the lever 8 turns off the spring 71 anti clock-wise whereby the arm 81 ejects the packaging unit 5' from the conveyor arm through the opening so that the package 5' turns around the waist carried by the tooth 94. Thereby the tooth 94 will leave the slit 7 and the tooth 96 will move into the slit. At the edge 11 on the container is possibly also one or more pins 19 provided to grip the waist 6 of the chain after the number one package has been ejected. During the ejection the waists slit leaves tooth 94 and is received by the tooth 96 on the edge 11, thanks to the ejected packaging units falling movement around the edge 11.

After ejecting packaging unit 5' the lid 2 is pressed downwards, whereby the hooked part 92 of the conveyor arm slides on the outside of packaging unit 5, which is close to the opening 22, where after the conveyor arms free end 93 with its tooth 94 enters into the slit 7 between the first and second upper packaging unit 5 in the container 1. The lids 2 downward movement can be loaded by a spring 50, which forces the lid 2 towards the bottom of the container.

At the upper edge of the opening in the lid 22 a cutting knife 97 is attached, that cuts the waist 6 in connection with the lids 2 downward movement. The container 1 can also at its edge carry a cutting knife 18 that is cooperating with the knife on the lid. The cutting is preferably performed in the waist 6 between the outer packaging unit 5' and the slit 7.

Each individual packaging unit in the chain is separated by flat, flexible waists 6, that each has a slit 7 or a perforation to aid opening a slit.

The container has preferably an inner width that corresponds to the width of the chain of packaging units .

The maximum travel of the lid is preferably adjusted to a length corresponding to the division of the units in the chain.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing of single packaging units, consisting of a container (1) , who contains a chain (4) , of packaging units (5) , which are mutually connected through a waist (6) , a lid (2) , that seals an open end of the container

(I) and are axially mo eable along the container (1) , an opening (22) in the wall of the lid (2), which are closed and opened by a nearby container wall depending on different positions of the lid, whereby cutting elements (97,11) is part of an edge of the opening (22) and a thereby cooperating edge

(II) of the container, for cutting of a packaging unit (5' ) from the chain (4), characterized by that the lid (2) carries one end of a flexible conveyor arm, whose free end (92) is curved and has its concave side turned towards the opening in the lid (22) , whereby the conveyor arms convex side of the free end forms a pointed angle with the nearby container wall, and that the lid are holding a ejector (8,27,71), which at the lids upward movement from the container (1) is set to eject the end packaging unit in the chain, that are carried by the conveyor arms free end, through the opening of the lid (22) , when the conveyor arms free end is closely located to the containers edge, who carries a tooth (96) , and thereby receives an opening (7), in the waist of the chain, and that the cutting elements are arranged to cut the waist between the ejected packaging unit (5') and the opening (7) in the waist.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by that the free end of the conveyor arms is showing a tooth, that can be received by the opening (7) in the waist between the two packaging units (5,5') in the chain (4).

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by that the inside of the container wall has a track (49) that receives the tooth (94) located on the free end of the conveyor arm in order for the tooth to safely enter the opening (7) in the waist and thereby safely feed the chain through the container.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1-3, characterized by that the containers edge is provided with one or more pins (19) , that can perforate the waist in connection with ejecting the chains end unit.

5. An apparatus according to the previous claims, characterized by that the ejector consists of a lever, whose one arm is stretching through a slit in the conveyor arm, whereby the end of the levers second arm is adjusted to travel closely to the container wall, opposite the opening in the side wall of the lid, which has a heel that is affecting the second arms end in order to cause the lever to swing for ejection of the end package of the chain, at the point where the tooth on the conveyor arm is close to the tooth of the edge of the container wall.