U.S. patent application number 10/101275 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-26 for device for packaging tuna fish and similar in bags of metal or metalized plastic.
Invention is credited to Parisini, Gianluca.
Application Number | 20020134048 10/101275 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11447360 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020134048 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Parisini, Gianluca |
September 26, 2002 |
Device for packaging tuna fish and similar in bags of metal or
metalized plastic
Abstract
The present invention relates to a device for transferring
inside bags quantities of product shaped and dosed in a
cake-forming machine for tuna fish and similar. Said device
comprises a container (1) provided with at least one internal
cylindrical cavity (2) having an axis parallel to that of the
container (1) that can be closed at the bottom by a shutter (3), as
well as an above standing pusher (5) provided with at least one
piston (6) having a cylindrical head (7) with diameter slightly
lower than that of the cavity (2) of container (1), said piston
being suitable for going through said cavity (2) and pushing the
content thereof downwards until it is emptied.
Inventors: |
Parisini, Gianluca; (Parma,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer
Suite 3800
Citicorp Center
500 West Madison Street
Chicago
IL
60661-2511
US
|
Family ID: |
11447360 |
Appl. No.: |
10/101275 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/248 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 25/061
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/248 |
International
Class: |
B65B 039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 23, 2001 |
IT |
MI2001A 000631 |
Claims
1. Device for transferring into bags quantities of product shaped
and dosed in a cake-forming machine for tuna fish and similar,
characterized in that it comprises a container (1) provided with at
least one internal cylindrical cavity (2) having an axis parallel
to that of the container (1) that can be closed at the bottom by a
shutter (3), as well as an above standing pusher (5) provided with
at least one piston (6) provided with a cylindrical head (7) having
diameter slightly lower than that of the cavity (2) of container
(1), said piston being suitable for going through said cavity (2)
and pushing the content thereof downwards until it is emptied.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container
(1) is provided with two internal parallel cylindrical cavities (2,
2') which can be closed at the bottom by a rotating disc (9)
provided with two circular holes (11, 11') having diameter and
center distance equal to those of the internal cavities (2, 2') of
container (1), and the above standing pusher (5) is provided with a
pair of parallel pistons (6, 6') arranged with a center distance
equal to that existing between the internal cavities (2, 2') of
container (1).
3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the two
pistons (6, 6') of the pusher (5) carry at their lower end the two
cylindrical heads (7, 7') respectively, having diameter and center
distance equal to those of the cavities (2, 2') of the container
(1) and suitable for going through said cavities in order to push
downwards their content and to empty them.
4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it
comprises also command members for translation of the slidable
shutter (3) or for rotation of the rotating disc (9) of container
(1) in synchrony with the working of the pistons (6, 6') of the
pusher (5).
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the packaging of tuna fish,
meat or similar food in bags of metal or metalized plastic, and in
particular to a device for transferring cut and dosed slices into
the above mentioned bags.
[0002] It is known that tuna fish, meat and other similar food are
presently marketed, as well as in the fresh state, also in the
preserved state, ready for the consume. The marketing of said food
preserves has taken place for a long time by using suitable metal
cans. Recently the marketing thereof in bags of metal or metalized
plastic, which are in some cases preferred by the consumers, has
broken out.
[0003] In the past, suitable machines have been designed for
packaging tuna fish in cans, which have remarkably contributed to
the commercial success of this branch of the food industry. One of
these machines is the subject matter of Italian patent no.
1,247,499 in the name of the same Applicant and is capable of
compacting, forming and cutting suitably dosed slices of tuna fish
for the immediate packaging in quantities of weight guaranteed by
the rules in force in the different countries of the world.
[0004] The packaging of tuna fish in metal cans is particularly
preferred when the product is in the form of slices of compact
flesh. On the other side, the packaging of the tuna fish in the
bags of metallized plastic is preferred in the marketing of minced
of crumbled tuna fish. However, in these cases the technical
problem of a precise weighing of the product arises, problem which
does not exist in the preparation of the cans since the above
mentioned machines are used.
[0005] Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a
device which enables the dosing machines used for packaging the
tuna fish in cans to be employed in the packaging of the same tuna
fish in bags. Said object is achieved according to the present
invention by means of a device whose features are specified in the
first claim. Other features of said device are specified in the
following claims.
[0006] The device according to the present invention offers the
advantage that it allows a quick and precise dosing of exact
quantities of tuna fish, also in the minced or crumbles state, for
the packaging thereof in bags of metalized plastic or metal.
[0007] Further advantages and features of the device according to
the present invention will appear to those skilled in the art from
the following detailed description made with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the
present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the same device during
working in the step of filling one bag;
[0010] FIGS. 3 and 4 show perspective views of a variant of the
device according to the present invention; and
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a scheme of the connection of the device
according to the present invention to a known dosing machine used
in the packaging of tuna fish in cans.
[0012] With reference to FIG. 1 the device according to the present
invention is shown to comprise a container 1 internally provided
with a cylindrical cavity 2 whose axis is parallel to that of the
container 1. The cylindrical cavity 2 is intended to receive the
tuna fish and therefore behaves as a box.
[0013] The device according to the present invention also comprises
a pusher 5 provided with a piston 6 whose free end carries a
cylindrical head 7 having a slightly lower diameter than that of
the cylindrical cavity 2 of container 1. This suitable sizing
allows piston 6 to be pushed inside cavity 2 so as to take
cylindrical head 7 underneath slidable shutter 3 of container
1.
[0014] Pusher 5 is structured in such a way that it may be
controlled by means of a pneumatic, hydraulic or other circuit,
according to known methods, which therefore do not require a
further description.
[0015] The device according to the present invention is sized so
that a bag 8, which has to be filled with tuna fish in the
following way, can be positioned under it.
[0016] In FIG. 2 there is shown that pusher 5, after having
received the suitable command, has pushed downwards piston 6 whose
cylindrical head has gradually taken down tuna fish cake 4
contained in cylindrical cavity 2 until it falls completely inside
bag 8. This has been made possible by the fact that slidable
shutter 3 has moved laterally in the direction indicated by the
arrow thus leaving the bottom of cavity 2 completely free. Shutter
3 has received the opening command in synchrony with the command
that has driven pusher 5 thus causing the downward movement of
piston 6.
[0017] In FIG. 3 there is shown a different embodiment of the
device according to the present invention wherein container 1 is
provided with two cylindrical cavities 2 and 2' and pusher 5 is
provided with two pistons 6 and 6' respectively provided with
cylindrical heads 7 and 7'. This coupled variant of the device
according to the present invention allows the simultaneous filling
of two bags 8 and 8' with the consequent doubling of the filling
capacity. The number of cavities inside container 1 could be
further increased after having obviously found a suitable shutting
system for the bottom of container 1.
[0018] In the coupled variant shown in FIG. 3 container 1 is made
of cylindrical shape and its bottom is provided with a disc 9
centrally hinged in 10 to the bottom of the container itself. Disc
9 is provided with two circular holes 11 and 11' having diameter
and center distance equal to those of cavities 2 and 2'.
[0019] In FIG. 3 holes 11 and 11' are not in correspondence with
cavities 2 and 2' of container 1 and therefore the bottom of the
latter is closed and tuna fish 4 is kept inside the two cavities.
When disc 9 is rotated by 90.degree. around central pin 5, as shown
in FIG. 4, holes 11 and 11' thereof come in correspondence with the
bottom of cavities 2 and 2' so that the tuna fish can be pushed
through these into bags 8 and 8' and at the same time cavities 2
and 2' of container 1 are emptied.
[0020] Now, with reference to FIG. 4 there is shown that pusher 5,
after having received the suitable command, has pushed pistons 6
and 6' downwards as indicated by the vertical arrow and at the same
time another command has caused the rotation by 90.degree. of
rotating disc 9 of container 1 as shown by the horizontal arrow
drawn in the figure. Said rotation has caused the circular holes 11
and 11' of disc 9 to be in correspondence with the base of cavities
2 and 2' of container 1 whose bottom has been thus opened. The
lowering of pistons 6 and 6' inside cavities 2 and 2' of container
1 has caused the downward thrust of cylindrical heads 7 and 7'
which in turn have pushed downwards tuna cakes 4 and 4' until these
have fallen inside bags 8 and 8' respectively.
[0021] Bags 8 and 8', once filled with the dosed quantity of tuna
fish, are carried by a suitable conveyor towards the sealing plant.
At the same time two new bags are arranged opened under the device
according to the present invention which in the meantime has been
brought back to the starting position, and is ready for emptying a
new container 1 which comes from the cake-forming machine and has
therefore the cavities 2 and 3 each carrying a dosed quantity of
tuna fish.
[0022] Now, with reference to FIG. 5 there is shown in a
schematical illustration how the device according to the present
invention in the coupled variant of FIG. 3 can be connected to a
cake-forming machine 12 of the above mentioned type. Said machine
is capable of compacting and cutting quantities of tuna fish or
meat, thus forming compact cakes having the desired weight.
Normally it is provided with a device which pushes the dosed cakes
of tuna fish inside the cans. The device according to the present
invention allows to transfer said dosed cakes inside the bags of
metal or metalized plastic. To this purpose, container 1 is shaped
so as to have the two cavities 2 and 2' which, being closed by the
rotating disc 9 are exactly like a pair of cans for the
cake-forming machine 12.
[0023] By means of the movement star 13 the filled container 1 is
transferred on a conveyor belt 14. Belt 14 conveys in a continuous
succession containers 1, each having cavities 2 and 2' filled with
product, towards a second movement star 15 which transfers one by
one the filled containers under pusher 5. At the same time a
suitable command, not shown in the drawing, causes the rotation of
rotating disc 9 of container 1 and therefore the opening of the
bottom of the two cavities 2 and 2' of said container. At the same
time pusher 5 shoves the cakes of product inside the underlying
opened bags (8, 8') arranged at a reciprocal distance equal to the
center distance between the two cavities 2 and 2' of container 1.
In such a way the two bags 8 and 8' are filled as shown in FIG. 4
and the operative cycle starts again.
[0024] Containers 1 emptied of their content are transferred from a
conveyor belt 16 which, by means of a overhead transport 17, brings
back empty containers 1 towards the cake-forming machinel2. Before
the empty containers 1 are filled again by means of the
cake-forming machine 12, a suitable mechanism (not shown in the
figure) causes the rotation of the rotating disc 9 of each
container 1 so that the bottom of each cavity 2 and 2' is suitably
closed for the filling thereof with the tuna fish to be transferred
to the device according to the present invention for the packaging
of the product in bags.
[0025] Container 1 can have any shape suitable for the purpose and
can be made n any suitable material. The metal material is
preferable, but also some plastic materials can be suitable. The
same can be said about the other parts of the device according to
the present invention. Additions and/or modifications can be made
by those which are skilled n the art to the embodiments described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings while remaining within
the scope of the present invention.
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