U.S. patent application number 11/524006 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-29 for device and method for packaging products or ice cream.
Invention is credited to Daniele Davi, Pietro Guerzoni, Michele Pallara.
Application Number | 20070068119 11/524006 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37461483 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070068119 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Davi; Daniele ; et
al. |
March 29, 2007 |
Device and method for packaging products or ice cream
Abstract
A packaging apparatus (10) of ice cream or other products in
cones, cups or other containers comprises at least one transfer
line of the ice cream along which the preparation steps are carried
out beginning with the feeding of the container up to the closing
of the container with the product, along the transfer line at least
one trolley (21) is foreseen with movement in step with the
transfer of the containers for the time necessary for the
completion of the operation.
Inventors: |
Davi; Daniele; (Ferrara,
IT) ; Pallara; Michele; (Ferrara, IT) ;
Guerzoni; Pietro; (Ferrara, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HEDMAN & COSTIGAN P.C.
1185 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
10036
US
|
Family ID: |
37461483 |
Appl. No.: |
11/524006 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/467 ;
53/266.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 25/007
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/467 ;
053/266.1 |
International
Class: |
B65B 1/00 20060101
B65B001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 23, 2005 |
IT |
MI 2005 A 001775 |
Claims
1. Device for packaging (10) ice cream or other products in cones,
cups or other containers (15), characterised in that it comprises
at least one line (11) for the transfer within shaped seats (14) of
the containers (15) containing the products, along said line the
packaging operations (a-g) are carried out starting from the
feeding of the empty container (15) up to the closure of the
container with the product, along the transfer line (11) at least
one trolley (21) is foreseen moving synchronously with the transfer
of the containers for a time necessary for the completion of the
operation (a-g).
2. Packaging device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said trolley
comprises a lower portion (21') in turn comprising an arm (27)
bearing lifters (28), driven by a first lever device (29),
positioned so to correspond to an equal number of alternate seats
(14) bearing the same number of non-adjacent containers and an
upper portion (21'') bearing corresponding operative means for the
execution of the step.
3. Packaging device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said trolley
(21) is prearranged to operate a closure step (f) of the
container.
4. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley
(21) is prearranged for carrying out the closure step (f) of the
container by means of crimping the edge of the container.
5. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley
(21) is prearranged for carrying out the sealed closure step (f) of
the container by means of welding or pasting of the container
borders.
6. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley
has an upper portion (21'') equipped, for each line (11), with a
support arm (22) bearing a plurality of closure heads (23) movable
by means of a second lever device (24).
7. Packaging device (10) according to claim 6, wherein said upper
portion (21'') of the trolley (21) moreover comprises a mechanism
equipped with a plurality of jaw pairs (25) which are opened and
closed by levers (26).
8. Packaging device (10) according to claim 7, wherein said lifters
(28), said jaw pairs (25) and said closure heads (23) are
positioned on the same axis so to correspond with alternate cones
or containers.
9. Packaging device (10) according to claim 8, wherein said lifters
(28), said jaw pairs (25) and said closure heads (23) are three in
number for each line (11).
10. Method for packaging products in containers by operating by
means of a device (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that
it comprises the following steps in the closure operation: moving
the trolley (21) up to bringing it with the three lifters under
corresponding non-adjacent, alternate containers; simultaneously
lifting (for each of the lines 11) the three cones or containers,
making them pass between the three open jaw pairs (25); continuing
to advance the trolley (21) in step with the advancement of the
lines (11); closing the jaw pairs (25) by means of the levers (26)
so to hold the cones; lowering the lifters (28); driving the
closure heads (23) of the wrappers of the containers (15), or cones
or cups; raising the lifters (28) to free the closed wrappers from
the jaws; opening the jaws; lowering the lifters until the closed
containers are reinserted in their respective seats (14); bringing
the trolley back in position to carry out a new cycle.
Description
[0001] The present invention concerns a device and a method for
packaging ice cream or other products.
[0002] In particular, the invention concerns a packaging device of
ice cream or other products in containers such as cones, cups and
the like.
[0003] At present, the industrial packaging of ice cream is carried
out on lines consisting of conveyors with many positions (5, 10 or
more parallel rows of cones and/or cups) which are subjected to the
sequential packaging operations which with reference to FIG. 1, for
the packaged ice cream cones, can be the following:
[0004] A) feeding wrappers and cones;
[0005] B) metering ice cream;
[0006] C) upper filling;
[0007] D) decorating;
[0008] E) upper cover positioning;
[0009] F) closure by means of crimping;
[0010] G) product ejection.
[0011] Naturally, the packaging steps can differ or not all be
present, and the choice of the listed steps is purely descriptive
and identifying of packaged commercial cones.
[0012] The present sequence encounters an obstacle in the
optimisation of the execution times of the indispensable closure
step (cover positioning and crimping) which is the slowest step,
the least able to be speeded up of the entire procedure.
[0013] A further problem which tends to make the packaging more
difficult is related to the cleanliness of the packaged product,
ensuring which the current laws of many countries foresee the
sealing of the wrapper both to favour the conservation of the
product and to make tampering attempts visible--with the product
closed by means of crimping these attempts may instead occur
without leaving evidence.
[0014] With respect to the classical closure by means of crimping,
the sealing of the wrapper can lead to even longer execution times,
thus worsening the problem.
[0015] It is therefore necessary for the optimisation of the
packaging operations to speed up the various steps and in
particular the closure step of the package.
[0016] At the current state of the art there is therefore the need
to increase the execution of all steps and in particular the
closing step, in any manner it is carried out.
[0017] General object of the present invention is therefore that of
supplying a device adapted to permit an increase of execution speed
of each of the packaging steps and in particular of the closure
step, which is applicable both on new devices and on existing
ones.
[0018] The Applicant has found that it is possible to realise the
packaging of ice cream in cones or other containers by means of a
device and comprising a transfer line of the ice cream along which
the preparation steps are carried out beginning with the feeding of
the container up to the closure of the container with ice cream,
and along the transfer line at least one device is foreseen adapted
to carry out one of said operations, being mounted on a trolley
moving synchronously with the ice cream transfer for the time
required for the completion of the operative step.
[0019] One aspect of the present invention regards a packaging
device of ice cream, according to that set forth in claim 1.
[0020] Another aspect of the invention concerns a method of
packaging products or ice cream according to that set forth in
claim 10.
[0021] Further characteristics of the invention are object of the
dependent claims.
[0022] The characteristics and advantages of a device and a method
of packaging product or ice cream according to the present
invention shall be more evident from the following exemplifying and
not limiting description, referred to the attached schematic
drawings in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic, side elevation view of a packaging
device of ice cream according to the prior art;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic, side elevation view of a packaging
device of ice cream according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the device according
to the invention;
[0026] FIGS. 4-13 schematically illustrate a side elevation view
according to the invention applied to the package closure.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 2-13, a packaging device 10 is
illustrated of ice cream or other products inserted in containers
15 according to the present invention.
[0028] The device comprises a plurality of parallel lines 11 (in
the illustrated example there are ten parallel lines but naturally
this number is subject to the production needs) on which trays 13
slide, moved by suitable conveyors 12; the trays 13 are equipped
with seats 14 adapted to receive the wrappers and/or containers 15
for ice cream or different products such as cones, cups, small cups
or other equally adapted types of containers.
[0029] Along the path of the packaging device in the chosen
example, the following operative steps are executed:
[0030] a) feeding cone/cup wrappers and/or containers;
[0031] b) metering ice cream/product;
[0032] c) upper filling and/or decorating;
[0033] d) decorating;
[0034] e) upper cover positioning;
[0035] f) wrapper closure;
[0036] g) product ejection.
[0037] Naturally, this is not the only possible sequence of steps,
but it was chosen since it is exemplifying and representative of
the packaging, and it should also be said that even if ice cream
packaging was chosen as an example, with the same device according
to the invention it is possible to carry out the packaging of
different products.
[0038] It is therefore intended that further non-mentioned steps
may be present in the packaging, as there may be some steps among
those mentioned which are not executed, without moreover altering
or modifying the applicability of the present invention.
[0039] One further necessary specification concerns the
applicability of the present invention: even if the invention is
described and illustrated with reference to the closure step of the
wrapper, it is also applicable without modifications of particular
importance to other steps, and can moreover be applied even to
several steps of the packaging.
[0040] With reference to the exemplified embodiment, the lines 11
convey the ice cream to the closure station 20 where the
abovementioned wrapper closure step (f) is carried out.
[0041] The closure can occur in the classical manner by means of
crimping the edge of the conical wrapper around the cover
positioned in the preceding step (e) or by means of sealing with
edge welding or other techniques intended to better preserve the
contents.
[0042] In the closure station 20 there is a "follower" trolley 21
whose function is that of being in step with the movement of the
ice cream conveyor lines in order to realise the operation, in this
case the closure, without related movements with the advancing ice
cream.
[0043] As already mentioned this system can be applied without
considerable variations also to other operation steps, always based
on the principle of synchronous or follower movement.
[0044] The production lines are foreseen to transfer the products
both at continuous speed and by means of "step-by-step" movement
which permits an improved synchronisation of the times and
movements.
[0045] In the descriptions, cones are referred to, but the meaning
is of more general type and is valid for any container also
comprising the related wrapper.
[0046] The follower trolley 21 comprises a lower portion 21' and an
upper portion 21'' adapted to perform different operations in the
closure case.
[0047] For each conveyor line 11 of the ice cream, the lower
portion 21' in turn comprises an arm 27 bearing three lifters 28
positioned so to correspond with three alternate seats 14 present
in the trays 13, thus extending for a total of five adjacent
seats.
[0048] The arms 27 are moved by first lever devices 29 which can be
in the ratio of one per each arm up to a single lever device 29 for
all arms 27 present.
[0049] Means for the synchronous advancement and for the recall of
the trolley are foreseen even if not illustrated since they are of
known type.
[0050] The upper portion 21'' of the trolley 21 has for each line a
support arm 22 bearing three closure heads 23 which is moved by
means of a second lever device 24.
[0051] Also this second lever device 24 can be realised in a number
starting from one for all the lines to one for each production line
11.
[0052] The upper portion 21'' moreover bears a mechanism equipped
with three pairs of jaws 25 opened and closed by levers 26.
[0053] The position of the lifters 28, of the pairs of jaws 25 and
closure heads 23 is predefined on the same axis, so to correspond
with alternate cones or containers.
[0054] With reference to the FIGS. 4-13, the functioning of the
synchronous trolley 21 is described with regard to the crimp
closure of the wrapper edge of cones containing ice cream and
previously stoppered.
[0055] From a first position wherein the central lifter is arranged
between two cones/containers inserted in the related wrappers,
(FIG. 4) the trolley is moved in traverse, bringing itself with the
three lifters under corresponding alternate, non-adjacent cones
(FIG. 5), subsequently the lifter enters into action by
simultaneously lifting (for each of the lines 11) the three cones
and making them pass between the three pairs of open jaws 25 (FIG.
6).
[0056] Always following in step (or in a follower manner) the
movement of the production lines, the trolley 21 advances in the
direction of the arrow F of FIG. 3 and by means of the levers 26
the closure is actuated of the jaw pairs 25 on the wrappers
containing the ice cream cones 25 (FIG. 7).
[0057] At this point the lifters 28 are lowered and the cones with
the related wrappers remain housed between the jaw pairs 25 (FIG.
8).
[0058] The intervention of the three heads 23 lowered on the cones
actuates the closure by crimping (FIG. 9) of the wrapper edges or
the sealing closure by means of welding or pasting the wrapper
borders.
[0059] The lifters 28 are once again raised and lift the three
cones from the jaw pairs 25 (FIG. 10).
[0060] The three pairs of jaws with the cones or containers in the
closed wrappers are opened, still supported by the three lifters 28
(FIG. 11).
[0061] The cones are released within their seats 14 into the trays
13, by means of lowering the lifters 28 (FIG. 12).
[0062] The trolley 21 is brought into position one step behind, so
to bring it behind the three subsequent cones on which new cycle is
carried out (FIG. 13).
[0063] The packages thus closed pass to the ejection step g)
indicated with the arrow E in FIG. 4.
[0064] It is therefore noted that by means of the operation carried
out simultaneously on three cones in step with the advancement of
the production line, the execution is made possible of a closure by
means of crimping or by means of sealing or in other modes without
production slowdowns. It may equally be observed that the device
thus described permits operating on a number of products which is
greater than the number of positions, or rather the number of
simultaneously processed products is increased without varying the
size of the plant, which would necessarily lead to the variation of
all other stations present on the other stations present on the
line.
[0065] With the same mechanism, it is possible to carry out other
operations in the packaging steps in order to further increase the
production speed.
[0066] It is moreover possible, depending on the operations to be
carried out, to simultaneously operate on a number of cones greater
than three for each line 11, as it is possible to carry out in-step
operations on cones arranged in adjacent seats.
* * * * *