U.S. patent application number 12/531468 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-29 for flushing device in machines for manufacturing single pouches of cohesionless material and in systems for portioning and packaging tobacco molasses.
This patent application is currently assigned to Azionaria Costruzion Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A S.p.A.. Invention is credited to Fulvio Boldrini.
Application Number | 20100101592 12/531468 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39706033 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100101592 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boldrini; Fulvio |
April 29, 2010 |
FLUSHING DEVICE IN MACHINES FOR MANUFACTURING SINGLE POUCHES OF
COHESIONLESS MATERIAL AND IN SYSTEMS FOR PORTIONING AND PACKAGING
TOBACCO MOLASSES
Abstract
Machines manufacturing pouches of a smokeless tobacco product or
other cohesionless material, and systems for portioning and
packaging tobamel type smoking mixtures, can be fitted with a
flushing device that uses a number of spray nozzles (12, 31)
positioned in close proximity to units (6, 30) by which the
smokeless and smoking tobacco products are conveyed and processed;
with the machine or system in operation, a cleansing fluid held in
a tank (14, 33) is supplied under pressure to the nozzles (12, 31)
by a pump (15, 34) and directed onto internal parts of the units
(6, 30) in order to remove deposits of the product that tend to
accumulate in the course of the processing steps, and thus avoid
the need for frequent cleaning and maintenance stoppages.
Inventors: |
Boldrini; Fulvio; (Ferrara,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHUTTLEWORTH & INGERSOLL, P.L.C.
115 3RD STREET SE, SUITE 500, P.O. BOX 2107
CEDAR RAPIDS
IA
52406
US
|
Assignee: |
Azionaria Costruzion Macchine
Automatiche A.C.M.A S.p.A.
Bologna
IT
|
Family ID: |
39706033 |
Appl. No.: |
12/531468 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
March 19, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB08/00656 |
371 Date: |
September 15, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/288 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 55/00 20130101;
B65B 2210/06 20130101; B65B 37/08 20130101; B65B 65/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
131/288 |
International
Class: |
A24C 1/00 20060101
A24C001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 20, 2007 |
IT |
BO2007A 000198 |
Claims
1) A flushing device in machines for manufacturing pouches of
cohesionless material, of the type in which the material is
directed through a take-up, primary processing and feed unit (6),
characterized in that it comprises flushing means (100) positioned
to coincide with the take-up, primary processing and feed unit (6)
and designed to remove deposits of the cohesionless material.
2) A flushing device as in claim 1, wherein washing means (100)
comprise a plurality of spray nozzles (12) connected to a tank (14)
filled with a cleansing fluid.
3) A flushing device as in claim 2, comprising a pump (15),
associated with the tank (14), by which the cleansing fluid is
supplied under pressure to the nozzles (12).
4) A flushing device as in claim 1, applicable to a take-up device
equipped with a dispensing wheel (7), a feed outlet (10) from which
the cohesionless material is released to conveying means (3) to be
directed toward a transfer station (4), and a pair of
contrarotating rollers (11) interposed between the wheel (7) and
the feed outlet (10), by which the material is pretreated and
conveyed toward the selfsame outlet (10), wherein the flushing
device comprises flushing means (100) positioned to coincide with
the take-up unit (6) and designed to remove deposits of the
cohesionless material.
5) A flushing device in systems for manufacturing a tobacco
mixture, typically comprising a unit (30) by which the mixture is
conveyed and unloaded, characterized in that it comprises flushing
means (101) positioned to coincide with the conveying and unloading
unit (30) and designed to remove deposits of the tobacco
mixture.
6) A flushing device as in claim 4, wherein flushing means (101)
comprise a plurality of spray nozzles (31) connected to a tank (33)
filled with a cleansing fluid.
7) A flushing device as in claim 6, comprising a pump (34),
associated with the tank (33), by which the cleansing fluid is
supplied under pressure to the nozzles (31).
8) A flushing device as in claim 4, applicable to a conveying and
unloading unit (30) equipped with a first transport wheel (24), a
second unloading wheel (25) operating in conjunction with the first
wheel (24), and means (28) by which to extrude the tobacco mixture,
wherein the flushing device comprises flushing means (101)
positioned to coincide with the conveying and unloading unit (30)
and designed to remove deposits of the tobacco mixture.
9) A machine for manufacturing pouches of cohesionless material,
equipped with a flushing device as in claim 1.
10) A system for manufacturing a tobacco mixture, equipped with a
flushing device as in claim 5.
Description
[0001] This application is the National Phase of International
Application PCT/IB2008/000656 filed on Mar. 19, 2008 which
designated the U.S. and that International Application was
published under PCT Article 21(2) in English.
[0002] This application claims priority to Italian Patent
Application BO2007A000198 filed Mar. 20, 2007 and PCT/IB2008/000656
filed Mar. 19, 2008, which applications are incorporated by
reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present invention relates to a flushing device
applicable to machines for manufacturing individual bags or sachets
of cohesionless material, particularly pouches of nasal snuff, or
of moist snuff (also known as snus) for oral use, as well as to
systems for processing a tobacco mixture prepared with molasses or
honey and other oily substances serving as moisturizing agents, and
essences of flowers or fruit as aromatic agents.
[0004] Reference is made explicitly to tobacco in the course of the
following specification, albeit with no limitation in scope
implied, as the cohesionless material might consist similarly, for
example, in powdered pharmaceutical or confectionery products
treated with moisturizing agents, also tobacco molasses or tobamel
smoked typically in a water pipe (shisha, hookah, narghile).
BACKGROUND ART
[0005] As regards the production of snus in pouches, the prior art
embraces machines of the type comprising a unit by which tobacco
stored in a magazine is taken up via a feed duct, subjected to
primary processing steps and directed into a feed hopper, whereupon
the pretreated, cohesionless material is released from the hopper
to rotary conveying means at a delivery station, and carried by the
conveying means to a transfer station where single portions of the
tobacco are ejected.
[0006] The ejected portions are taken up by a wrapping station
downstream of the transfer station, where each one is enclosed in a
relative pouch.
[0007] In the case of systems for processing a tobacco mixture with
molasses, or tobamel, on the other hand, an application for Italian
patent was filed on the same date as the present application under
n.degree. BO2007A 000195 by the present applicant, of which the
content is incorporated here by reference.
[0008] In particular, a system of the type in question comprises a
unit by which the mixture is prepared, with a discharge station
feeding a hopper, at which a conveying mechanism releases the
mixture to a processing unit comprising a first transport wheel and
a levelling wheel serving to distribute and regulate the volume of
the mixture on the first wheel, also a second unloading wheel
operating in conjunction with the first wheel.
[0009] The processing unit feeds the mixture to an extruder unit
positioned beneath the hopper and downstream of the wheels,
considered in the feed direction of the tobacco mixture or tobamel.
The extruder unit comprises a device by which the tobamel is forced
through an outlet orifice in the form of a continuous rod, the rod
thereafter advancing in a predetermined direction through
successive packaging stations.
[0010] Both in machines for manufacturing pouches of snus and in
systems for portioning and packaging tobacco molasses, the
equipment comprises a number of processing and conveying components
in contact with the product which, due to the typical morphology of
these same products and in particular by reason of their high
moisture content, tend to cling to and form deposits on the
components in question, thereby diminishing the output capacity of
the machines and systems and giving rise to the need for frequent
maintenance.
[0011] The object of the present invention is to overcome the
aforementioned drawbacks.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The invention will now be described in detail, by way of
example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a machine for manufacturing pouches of
cohesionless material, viewed schematically in a front elevation
and comprising a device embodied in accordance with the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a system for portioning and packaging a
tobacco mixture, viewed schematically in a front elevation and
comprising a device embodied in accordance with the present
invention
[0015] With reference to FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a machine for
manufacturing pouches containing a cohesionless material.
[0016] The machine 1 comprises a delivery station 2 at which the
cohesionless material is released to conveying means 3 rotatable
between the selfsame delivery station 2 and a transfer station 4,
where successive portions of tobacco are ejected.
[0017] The machine 1 further comprises a wrapping station 5, of
which a full description is disclosed in Italian patent application
n.degree. BO2006A 000792 filed Nov. 11, 2006 by the present
applicant, at which the portions of tobacco ejected from the
transfer station are taken up and enclosed in respective
pouches.
[0018] The delivery station 2 incorporates a take-up, primary
processing and feed unit 6 by which the cohesionless material is
received from a magazine (not illustrated) and released to the
aforementioned conveying means 3.
[0019] The take-up unit 6 comprises a dispensing wheel 7 presenting
pockets 8 delimited by radial vanes 9 and serving to accommodate
the tobacco, also a feed outlet 10 from which the tobacco is
released to the aforementioned conveying means 3, and a pair of
contrarotating rollers 11 interposed between the wheel 7 and the
feed outlet 10, by which the tobacco is pretreated and conveyed
toward the selfsame outlet 10.
[0020] Installed internally of the take-up, primary processing and
feed unit 6 is a plurality of nozzles 12 from which to spray a
cleansing fluid.
[0021] The nozzles 12 are connected by way of respective pipelines
13 to a tank 14 containing the cleansing fluid and equipped with a
pump 15 by which the fluid is supplied to the nozzles 12 under
pressure.
[0022] The activation of the pump 15, and therefore the supply of
flushing fluid to the nozzles 12, is governed by a computerized
master control unit (not illustrated).
[0023] The nozzles, tank and pump combine to provide the machine
with flushing means 100.
[0024] The conveying means 3 are embodied as a drum 16 rotatable
intermittently and anticlockwise about a horizontal axis A, and
interposed between a bottom end of the feed outlet 10 and the
transfer station 4.
[0025] The drum 16 presents a cylindrical wall, denoted 16a,
including a band of predetermined width rendered permeable to air
by a plurality of through holes.
[0026] The enclosure 17 delimited by the cylindrical wall 16a is
divided by two radial walls into two sectors, denoted 18 and
19.
[0027] A first sector 18, located adjacent to the feed outlet 10
and extending around to the transfer station 4, is connected by way
of a duct (not illustrated) to a source of negative pressure (not
illustrated).
[0028] A second sector 19, positioned adjacent to and in alignment
with the transfer station 4, is angularly complementary to the
first sector 18 and connected by way of a relative duct to a source
of compressed air (not illustrated).
[0029] With reference to FIG. 2, numeral 20 denotes a system in
accordance with the invention for portioning and packaging a
tobacco molasses mixture 21.
[0030] The system 20 comprises a preparation unit (not illustrated)
where tobacco (not illustrated) is blended en masse by
substantially conventional methods with agglutinating substances
such as honey, molasses or the like, also with other oily
substances such as glycerine, serving to moisturize the mixture,
and preferably with essences of fruit or flowers serving as
aromatizers.
[0031] Also forming part of the system 20 is a conveying mechanism
22, advantageously of flexible embodiment, on which the tobacco
molasses mixture 21 is taken up from the preparation unit, and a
discharge station 23 where the mixture is released by the conveying
mechanism 22.
[0032] At a given point downstream of the discharge station 23, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, the system 20 comprises a first transport
wheel 24, and a second unloading wheel 25 operating in conjunction
with the first wheel.
[0033] The first transport wheel 24 is positioned to receive the
tobacco molasses mixture 21 at the discharge station 23.
[0034] Also positioned and operating at the discharge station 23 is
a third levelling wheel 26, which when set in rotation serves to
distribute and regulate the volume of the tobacco molasses mixture
21 occupying peripheral pockets 27 presented by the first transport
wheel 24.
[0035] The system 20 further comprises an extruder unit 28,
providing means by which to extrude the tobacco molasses mixture
21.
[0036] The tobacco molasses mixture 21 emerges from an outlet
orifice 29 in the form of a continuous rod, advancing in a
predetermined direction.
[0037] The first transport wheel 24, the associated second
unloading wheel 25 and the extruding means 28 together create a
unit 30 by means of which to convey and unload the tobacco
mixture.
[0038] Located internally of the tobacco mixture conveying and
unloading unit 30 is a plurality of spray nozzles 31 serving to
deliver a cleansing fluid.
[0039] The nozzles 31 in question are connected by way of
respective pipelines 32 to a tank 33 containing the cleansing fluid
and equipped with a pump 34 by which the fluid is supplied to the
nozzles under pressure.
[0040] The activation of the pump 34, and therefore the supply of
flushing fluid to the nozzles 31, is governed by a computerized
master control unit (not illustrated).
[0041] In practice, observing FIG. 2, the nozzles 31 will occupy a
plane other than that occupied by the extruding means 28, in order
to provide the necessary operating clearance for the purposes of
spraying the extruder.
[0042] The nozzles, tank and pump combine to provide the system
with flushing means 101.
[0043] A full description of the system in question is given in
Italian patent application n.degree. BO2007A 000195, filed on the
same date as the present application by the same applicant, and
incorporated here by reference.
[0044] The object stated at the outset is duly achieved with the
adoption of a device according to the present invention.
[0045] In effect, the device is relatively effective in preventing
the formation of tobacco deposits internally of the feed components
described and illustrated; accordingly, there is no need to strip
down the equipment and no requirement for action on the part of an
operator, signifying a reduction in system downtime and operating
costs.
* * * * *