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
  • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
  • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products
  • B65B25/10—Forming sector-shaped packages of cheese or like plastic products
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/72—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials
  • B65D85/76—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials for cheese

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a package for products of pasty consistency, such as products derived from milk, as are portions of cheese, of solid or pasty final consistency, obtained by dropping a pre-set quantity of melted cheese inside a cup shaped as a wedge or as a polygonal solid, obtained by folding back or forming into a bag a section of wrapping material inside a pit-shaped forming hopper, cup which is subsequently closed with a second section of wrapping material to define the final package of the product.
• products of pasty consistency such as products derived from milk, as are portions of cheese, of solid or pasty final consistency
• the present invention further relates to the method for obtaining said package shaped as a wedge, or as a polygonal solid, for instance shaped as a parallelepiped, in automatic machines for dosing, dispensing and packaging said products of the kind indicated above.
• peripheral parts of the section of wrapping material which is shaped into a bag inside the hopper, are subjected to folds, which involve the sides of the cup, and to a mutual superimposition in close adherence one to the other. It has been observed that between the different folded portions, interstices may be originated which determine extremely small fissures which when the package is closed may compromise the seal of the package.
• the package constituting the subject of the present invention is characterised in that it is obtained from a first section of wrapping material presenting heat-weldability characteristics, peripherally folded or shaped into a bag to form a cup conformed as a wedge or as a polygonal solid, and with the sides of the cup defined at least in part by the mutual welding of contiguous peripheral parts of said section of wrapping material folded and mutually superimposed; and it is further characterised in that it is closed by a second section of wrapping material presenting, preferably, the same characteristics as the first section used to form the cup and whose peripheral border is joined by welding to the border of said cup.
• the solution idea constituting the basis of the method of the present invention consists in the fact that: in order to realise the cup, which is part of the package, a section of foil wrapping material is used which presents, at least superficially, characteristics of heat-weldability; the peripheral part of said section is formed into a bag inside a pit- shaped forming hopper whose section and shape are the same as the section and shape of the desired package, using a piston able to move axially, in the two directions, inside the hopper and whose cross section shape matches the cross section of the pit of the hopper; said piston is used as a bearing element for the folding elements presented by the hopper and provided to form the sides of the cup by folding contiguous peripheral portions of said section of wrapping material one on the other; said folded and superimposed portions are mutually welded immediately after performing the aforesaid folding operations and before the cup is ejected from the forming hopper by the action of said piston; for the welding operation, welding devices are employed which are comprised in the forming hopper and which use the
• FIG. 1 shows a package of the subject type and wedge-shaped, in an axonometric view
• FIG. 3 shows, schematically and in a section view some parts of the pit- shaped forming hopper for the realisation of the method of the present invention
• - Figure 4 schematically shows the operative station that allows to put in place the closure lid of the subject package and according to the operative method constituting the subject of the present invention
• FIG. 5 schematically shows the devices that allow to fold on the closure lid of the package the borders of the lid itself and of the cup previously joined by welding according to the method constituting the subject of the present invention
• FIG. 6 schematically shows the phase wherein the package is ejected from the closure line of a machine wherein all the operative phases of the previous figures have been completed;
• FIG. 9 shows, by way of example, the package as per Figure 1 in a phase of its opening for the consumption of the product contained therein.
• the subject package may be realised in automatic machines of any kind suitable for dosing and dispensing the products whereto the invention refers.
• the machines may be of the type with turntable, where the forming hopper, the device for dosing and dispensing the product and the devices for closing and ejecting the package are positioned fastened to the periphery of said turntable in correspondence with stopping stations of pockets for the containment of the cups as they are formed and ejected from the forming hopper.
• Said machines may also be of the type with continuous linear conveyor and of the type with multiple forming hoppers aligned transversely above said conveyor, arranged according to one or more rows.
• an embodiment of the subject package is indicated as 1, is shaped as a wedge and is obtainable from a first section 2 of foil wrapping material with heat-weldability characteristics.
• the section 2 can be obtained from a sheet of tin foil, or of aluminium, whereof at least the surface destined to remain inside the cup has been preventively treated with lakes able to confer heat- weldability characteristics to said surface.
• the section 2 could also be obtained from a film of heat-weldable plastic material.
• the section 2 is folded as shown schematically in Figure 2; in practice the peripheral part of the section 2 is shaped into a bag to form an open cup container 4, whereof the bottom 4a is defined as well as the sides 4b and 4c.
• the main structure of said hopper is of a known type and normally used in machines for manufacturing packages, also known in the art, and shaped as wedges or as parallelepipeds for the products in question.
• the hopper 3 presents along the walls that define the sides 4b of the cup container 4 helicoidal folding devices (not shown in the drawings) by means of which the peripheral part of the section 2 is shaped into a bag or folded thereby allowing the formation of the cup 4 by means of the folding and mutual superimposition of parts of contiguous sections of said peripheral portion of the section 2.
• the section 2 is inserted in the hopper 3 by a piston 5 able to move axially, in the two directions, inside the hopper 3.
• the piston 5 presents a shape and a section to copy those of the hopper 3 and also to copy the cross section shape of the cup 4.
• Said piston 5 is movable from a first position wherein it is outside and raised with respect to the inlet 3e of the hopper 3, to a second position wherein, with its lower part, it projects from the outlet 3d of the hopper 3, subsequently to return to the starting position.
• the aforesaid conveyor 7 may assume, in practice, the structure and the shape of a rotating platform, along whose periphery the pockets 6 are uniformly distributed. Said conveyor 7 may also assume the form of a continuous, linear conveyor on whose conveying surface the pockets 6 are uniformly distributed.
• the hopper 3 is equipped, downstream of its section 3a for folding the sides 4b and 4c, with a section 3b wherein operate welding devices 8 constituted by heated plates against which are pressed, by the piston 5, the sides 4b and 4c of the cup being formed, during the motion of the cup 4 itself towards the outlet of the forming hopper 3.
• a section 2 is inserted in the hopper 3, and the container 4 progressively traverses the outlet 3c of the hopper 3, to be inserted in the pocket 6 of the conveyor 7, the heated plates 8, in concurrence with the outer lateral surface of the piston 5, join by welding the folded and superimposed parts present on the sides 4b of the cup container 4.
• the piston 5 stops during its descent to allow the cup container 4 to remain, for an instant, stopped in contact with the heated plates 8.
• the piston 5 may be slowed in its descent run to allow a longer contact time of the sides of the cup 4 with the heated plates 8.
• the entire walls of the forming hopper 3 could be heated in order to obtain the welding of the parts progressively folded and superimposed of the sides of the cup 4.
• the transfer begins of th container 4 to a filling station, where a dosing-dispensing device (not shown in th drawings) injects therein a wanted and proportional dose of product.
• a dosing-dispensing device (not shown in th drawings) injects therein a wanted and proportional dose of product.
• the aforesaid closure line of the package comprises an operative station SI which allows to put in place the small closure 11 9 of the package 1 according to the subject operative method.
• the cup container 4 stopped in the station SI, presents its upper border 4 ⁇ projecting from the plane whereon the mouth of the related containment pocket « opens.
• the border 4d of the cup container 4 finds itself surrounded by weldin: elements 11 positioned above the conveyor 7 and sustained in such a way as to movable, in the two directions, closer and, respectively, farther away with respect h the pocket 6, hence with respect to the cup container 4.
• a hopper 12 is vertically aligned, positioned above the welding element: 1 1 and provided for the formation of the lid 9 starting from a second section o: wrapping material presenting, preferably, the same characteristics of heat weldabilit ⁇ as section 2.
• the hopper 12 presents an opening shaped to copy the shape of the cup 4 anc it can be traversed by a correlated piston 13, which is movable, in the two directions from a raised position, wherein it is outside and above the hopper 12, to a lowered position, wherein it is substantially on the same plane as the welding element 11.
• the package 1 thus completely defined reaches the ejection station (see Figure 6) where the piston 10 extracts it from the respective pocket 6 to carry it on the trajectory of a further extractor 15 which sends the package 1 to subsequent lines for encasing or other processing.
• the subject package may also assume different forms from those shown in Figures 1 and 2.
• the subject package may present the folds of peripheral parts of the sheet of wrapping material used to form the cup 4 only in correspondence with the rear side of the cup; whilst as shown in Figure 8 the cup may have parallelepiped shape, with square or rectangular base, without thereby changing the operating phases of welding the folded and superimposed parts that are on the sides of the package and without thereby changing the welding of the border 9b of the lid 9 to the border 4d of the cup container 4, operative phases which allow to obtain a hermetically sealed package, in accordance with the purpose that the Applicant had intended to attain.
• the package 1 constituting the subject of the present invention does not need rip-away strips to be opened in order to allow consumption of the product.
• the borders 9b-4d By lifting the borders 9b-4d, fixed to adhere to the outer surface of the lid 9, one has the possibility of using them as if they were rip-away strips, thanks to their greater resistance, due to the mutual junction by welding, than the remainder of the cup container 4.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)
• Dairy Products (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11342725

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1997
  • 1997-12-31 IT IT97BO000751A patent/IT1298397B1/it active IP Right Grant
• 1998
  • 1998-12-17 AU AU15004/99A patent/AU1500499A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-12-17 EP EP98959079A patent/EP0963328A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-12-17 WO PCT/IB1998/002047 patent/WO1999035057A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events