FI56610C - ANORDNING FOER ATT FOERPACKA EN PROTUKT I ETT TUBFORMIGT HOELJE - Google Patents

Description

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C Pntenttl issued on 10 03 1930

Patent Meddelat (S1)> y.ik. * / Int, ci. ' a 22 a 11/04 FINLAND — FINLAND (21> Patent application — PatenunsBknlnf 3586/71 (22) Hakemlspiivl — Ansökningsdag l6.12.71 * (23) AlkupiivI — Glltljhetsdag 16.12.71 (41) Become Public — Blivlt offentllg o

Patent and Registration Office

Patent- oth r.gi.t.r.tyr.l..n <«> 30.11.79 (32) (33) (31) Claim claimed — Begird prlorltet 21.12.70

United Kingdom-Storbritannien (GB) 60695/70, 01.10.71 Canada (CA) 12 * + 2l * 9 (71) Industrial Knitting, Inc., 500 Sauve Street West, Montreal 357,

Quebec, Canada (CA) (72) Marcus Mintz, Burlington, Vermont, USA, Bernard H. Engelhardt,

Dollard des Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada (CA) (7 * 0 Berggren Oy Ab (5 * 0 Device for packaging the product in a tubular wrapper - Anordning för att förpacka en product i ett tubformigt hölje

The invention relates to an apparatus for packaging a bulk product, such as meat, in particular processed meat, in a tubular wrapper. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for packaging a bulk product, such as meat, in a tubular wrapper supported by a rack with a vertically arranged packaging tube having a filling and discharge opening at opposite ends and supported by a product to be wrapped for filling the wrapper; is intended to transfer the free upper edge of the wrapper from the wrapper storage to the outer surface of the packaging tube.

Such a device is already known from German model protection DE-GM 18 53507, which packages a product into a tubular net with a tube to be horizontally attached to a rack, in which case the tubular net must be manually pulled tightly over the tube end and the product to be packed is pressed conically through the tube opening. A significant drawback here is that the mesh material must be drawn onto the tube after each round of packaging.

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DE-PS 667 879 discloses a device for tying meat products with yarn. In this device, the product to be bonded is subjected to a radial pressure in a cylindrical compression mold and transferred therein by means of a piston and is bonded when the product exits the compression cylinder. Such a device is not suitable for use with vertical packaging tubes.

Finally, DE-OS 19 49 826 discloses a device for placing a tubular packaging net on a food product in a vertical packaging tube, the packaging net being pulled on the packaging tube by means of gripping arms, which gripping arms are arranged around the fixed packaging tube and are lifted to pull the packing net. This device requires an external mechanism to perform the movement of the gripping arms and lift them off the net for a new stage of work, and it is also not certain that the gripping arms operating on one packaging net operate frictionlessly on a packaging net of another construction.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the above type for packaging a bulk product, such as meat, in a tubular wrapper and designed so that a product filled in a vertically arranged filling tube cannot be depressed by gravity when the filling tube is withdrawn from the product-containing wrapper. This object is realized in a device according to the invention, characterized mainly in that the packaging tube comprises a filling tube and a separate supporting part axially arranged below it, with a closing device for the filling tube outlet, and a control device for moving the filling tube and support part axially out of the opening. .

The advantages obtained with the device according to the invention are mainly that the wrapping material required for each packaging cycle is evenly and securely applied to the filling tube by the device itself and that the product filled in the vertical filling tube cannot escape when the filling tube is removed from the wrapping material. In addition, the operating speed of the device according to the invention is considerably higher than with known devices.

The invention and the improvements obtained therefrom will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention and in which: «610

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus used to package a product in a tubular wrapper.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the wrapper support device control device and the wrapper transfer device.

Figure 2A is a sectional view of another type of transfer device.

Fig. 2B is a schematic partial view of the transfer device of Fig. 2A.

Figure 3 is a view of the support device.

Figure 4 is a detailed partial sectional view of a portion of a support device and one wrapper transfer device.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the second transfer device.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a part of a compressed air system.

, Figs. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E are schematic views showing different stages of operation of the device.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an apparatus used to feed substance 46 and particularly suitable for adding additives to a meat product, and Figs. 9Λ, 9B, 9C and 9D are schematic views showing the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 3.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the machine 1 according to Figure 1 comprises a vertical end 3 attached to a base 5. An open-ended, tubular loading member 7 is arranged to move up to the top of the base 3. According to the drawing, the loading member 7 is substantially cylindrical but may have other shapes. The upper end 9 of the cylindrical member 7 is preferably outwardly expanding as shown in the figure to facilitate loading of the product to be packaged therein. The charging member 7 is supported on a bracket 3 by means of a support arm 11 fixed to a collar 13, which in turn is fixed to the charging member 7 below its extended upper end 9.

Below the open end 15 below the cylindrical loading member 7 is a "floating" wrapper support member 17, shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5. The upper end of the support member 17 has a circular plate 19 intended to come into contact with the lower end 15 of the loading member 7 on its upper surface. The upper edge 23 of the plate 19 is preferably chamfered as shown in Figure 4 to facilitate centering of the loading member 7 relative to the plate 19.

Downwardly from the plate 19 is an elongate guide device 27 for receiving a conductive length of tubular wrapping material from the wrapping material storage roll. The wrapping material used may be any material suitable for use in this machine, such as, for example, a natural or synthetic tubular wrap, or a stretchable or non-stretchable tubular net. One suitable wrapping material is a circumferentially stretchable mesh according to U.S. Patent No. 3,513,663. Hereinafter, in this specification, the wrapping material is referred to as a circumferentially extensible web, but it should be noted that other suitable types of wrapping material may be used. The guide device 27 preferably consists of four substantially vertical rods 33, each fixed at its upper end 35 to the plate 19 and at its lower end 37 bent inwards and connected to other rods at a central lower point 39 · Viewed in cross-section, the rods 33 are arranged at the tips of a square. When a circumferentially stretchable net is used, the control device 27 preferably stretches the threaded net.

Attached to the bottom of the plate 19 by suitable means (not shown) is a transition member 41 of resilient material, which includes a cylindrical collar 43 extending around the upper surface 21 of the plate 19. The lower end 45 of the transition member 41 tapers inwardly, and the rods 33 insert through the holes 47 in the converging lower end 45 of the transition member near the cylindrical collar 43, in contact with the plate 19.

Below the support member 17 is a movable support device 48 mounted on a bracket 3 via an arm 49. The support device 48 may be a ring 51 fixed to the arm 49 by a rod 52. The function of the ring 51 is to move the movable support member 17 during part of its movement, as will be explained below.

The support member 17 is guided for vertical "floating1" sliding movement relative to the stand 3 by a guide device 55 fixed to the stand as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The guide device 55 preferably consists of four guide pillars with vertical angle irons 59 · The angle irons 59 are arranged so that the rods 33 of the support member 17 are each located close to the inner corner 611 of the respective angle iron.The angle irons 59 remain in a fixed position at the top by being attached to the outside surrounding a ring 63 connected to the rack by two support arms 65 and at the bottom by being fixed to the base 5 * A device 67 is provided for transferring the wrapping material from the support member 17 to the outer surface of the loading cylinder 7. This device may consist, when the wrapping material is a mesh, of four fingers 69 arranged on the circumference of the stretching member 17 as shown in Fig. 2. 5 is shown, preferably attached to the plate 71, which in turn is fixed to the corresponding angle iron 59, by supports 73 and by articulated pins 75 · Each finger 69 points upwards and inwards and has a notch 77 at the upper end 79 for one joystick 33. The upper end 79 of the finger extends inwardly past the rod located in the notch 77 so as to form two net holding tips 81. A spring 83 interposed between the lower end 85 of the finger 85 and presses each finger inwardly against the corresponding rod 33. The tab 86 on the underside of each finger may rest against the plate 71 to keep the fingers up when the rods 33 are offset from their notches. When the wrapping material is a natural or synthetic tubular wrapping material, the transfer device 67 may instead have notched, rubber-tipped fingers 69.

The wrapping material cutting device 91 is shown partly schematically in Fig. 1. The cutting device 91 is fixed to the stand 3 so as to surround the cylindrical part 43 of the transition member 41 of the support member 17 just above the fingers 69. The cutting device 91 may consist of an annular frame 93 to which any suitable cutting device (not shown) is attached. For example, the cutting means may be movable members forming segments of a circle and having a cutting edge, which members move in the same manner as the closing mechanism of the photographic machine, to reduce the diameter so that the cutting edges engage the transition member 41, cutting the wrapper. The annular frame 93 is fixed to the end bracket 3 by two support rods 101.

The sealing device 103 is attached to a rack 3 to assist in sealing or compressing the meat product in the loading member 7. with the support arm 109 to the bracket 3 · However, the vertical rod 107 is preferably slidably attached to the support arm 109. The collar 108 on the rod 107 prevents it from falling through the support arm 109.

Suitable means are provided for moving the loading member 7 vertically relative to the support 3 and the support member 17, and for moving the support member 17 via the support 48 vertically relative to the support 3. During its movement, the support member 17 "floats" under the control of the control device 55. The movable device may be a compressed air system 121, which is arranged partly inside the vertical stand 3, as shown in Fig. 5. The system 121 includes a first hollow piston 123 slidably mounted within the rack 3. The support arm 49 of the support member 48 is fixed to the side wall 123 of the piston 123 through a vertical slot 127 in the side wall 129 of the bracket 3. The piston 123 is provided with a seal 131 located between the lower end of the piston 123 and the wall 129 of the chamber delimiting rack 3. The side wall 129 and the bottom wall 133 of the rack 3, together with the end wall 135 of the piston 123, form a first chamber 137. The bottom wall 133 of the rack has an inlet and an outlet 139 to the chamber 137.

Inside the first hollow piston 123, a second piston 114 is arranged to slide from its open upper end 143. The second piston 141 protrudes upward from inside the first piston 123, and the support arm 11 is secured through a slot 127 in the side wall 145 of the second piston.

The bottom wall 147 of the second piston, together with the side wall 125 and the bottom wall 135 of the first piston 123, forms a second chamber 149.

The side wall 145 of the second piston has a seal 151 which cooperates

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7 m to first with piston sidewall 125.

The first spring-loaded, one-way pressure relief valve 153 normally closes the first hole in the bottom wall 135 of the first piston connecting the first and second chambers 137, 149. The second spring-loaded, one-way pressure relief valve 157 normally closes the second hole in the bottom wall 135 of the first piston. connecting the first and second chambers 137, 149.

A third piston 161, which is connected to the bottom wall 147 of the second piston 141 by means of a long rod 163, is mounted in a third chamber 165 formed by a tubular member 167 which punches down the rack 3 from its upper end. The inlet and outlet 169 to the chamber 165 is at the upper end of the chamber. The piston 161 is provided with a seal 171.

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From inlet and outlet 139, line 173 leads to control valve 175, through which line 173 may be connected to the atmosphere along line 177 or to a source of compressed air 179.

Line 181 leads from inlet and outlet 169 to a second control valve 183 which may connect line 181 to the atmosphere along line 185 or to a source of compressed air 187.

Attached to the arms 65 of the ring 63 are adjustable stops 191 which cooperate with the plate 193 in connection with the support arm 49 to limit the upward movement of the support member 48.

In order to prepare the machine for operation, a piece of tubular net 29 leading from the roller 51 is pulled through the ring 51 onto the support member 17. The net is pulled up over the rods 33 so that the net stretches in the circumferential direction, and over the transition member 41 so as to extend above the Jorms 69.

The initial positions of the cylinder 7 and the floating support member 17 are shown in Figure 7A. To start the machine, the valve 183 is moved so that the chamber 165 receives compressed air from the source 187. In this case, the third piston 116 moves downwards, thus also moving down the second piston 141 and the cylinder 7 attached thereto. The air in the chamber 149 escapes through the one-way exhaust valve 157. The cylinder 7 comes into contact with the plate 19 of the support member 17 at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 7B. Now the valve 175 is moved so that the air from the line 173 and thus also from the chamber 137 enters the atmosphere, and then both the cylinder 7 and the support member 17 move to the lower position according to Fig. 7C. During this time, the first chamber 137 communicates with the atmosphere along lines 173 and 177.

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As the cylinder 7 and the support member 17 move downward, the fingers 69 of the transfer device 67 maintain the stretched net in its initial position. The leading edge 81 of each finger 69 engages the circumferential yarns of the net and prevents the conductive net length 28 from moving downwards with the cylinder 7. As the cylinder 7 moves downwards, the guiding mesh length 28 moves to the outer surface of the cylinder. Meanwhile, the additional length 28a of the net extends to the support member 17 as it moves downward.

The cylinder 7 and the support member 17 move down so far that the fixed sealing device 103 remains outside the cylinder 7. As it moves downwards, the support member 17 "floats" freely inside the guide device 55 and slightly above the ring 51, which moves downwards above the support member as the arm 11 pushes the arm 49. This allows the additional length 28a of net to pass freely through the ring 51 to the support member.

With the cylinder 7 in its lower position according to Fig. 7C where the cylinder is closed from below on the support member plate 19 so as to form a container, a product such as processed meat is manually loaded into the cylinder.

When the cylinder is charged, the valve 183 is moved so that the line 181 and the chamber 167 are open to the atmosphere, and the valve 175 is moved so that compressed air is supplied to the first chamber 137. Both pressure relief valves 153 »157 are closed. As a result, the first piston 123 and the support member 48 attached thereto now move upward. The cylinder 7 also moves upwards against the arm 11 supported by the arm 49 resting. The support member 17, which is still slightly above the ring 51, rises "floating" upwards supported by a stretched net supported by the cylinder 7.

As the cylinder 7 moves upwards, it carries the web of stretched conductive length 28 with it. The fingers 69 articulate upward so that they do not prevent the net from moving in this direction. If the net is not stretchable, if necessary, suitable devices can be used to keep the wrapping material on the cylinder 7 as it moves upwards.

At the end of the upward movement of the cylinder 7 and the support member 17, the meat hits the plate 105, stopping the movement of the support member 17 for a moment until the ring 51 continues to move with the lower end of the support member and causes the meat to constrict between the plates 19 and 105. Slab 105, preferably mounted slidably, is weighted with movable weights (not shown) so that the meat is stuffed even though it can still move upward, depending on how long a m 9 mill piece of meat is between slab 105 and slab 19.

When the stops 191 strike the plate 193, preventing the support member from moving further, the pressure in the first chamber 137 rises until the first one-way pressure relief valve 153 opens. When the valve 153 opens, air enters the second chamber l49> lifting the second piston 141 and thus the cylinder 7 attached thereto away from the closure plate 19, the meat product and the conductive mesh length 28. The net shrinks around the meat product.

The net is then cut across its circumference by a cutting device 91 immediately below the closing plate 19. The packaged product is removed from the plate 19 and the machine is again ready for the next step without the need to manually stretch the net until the entire roll 31 has been used up.

Although one type of cutting device 91 and transfer device 121 has been described above, it is, of course, clear that other suitable devices can be used to perform the same task. Similarly, although the structure of the support member has been described above, it is clear that the support member may be of a different structure, as long as it is suitable to support the wrapping material before transferring it to the cylinder.

In another embodiment of the invention, the transfer device 67 'may, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, consist of a hollow member 90 that is annular and attached to the angle irons 67 instead of the fingers 69. The inner diameter of the ring 90 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tubular member 7. A stretch film 94 is attached to the inner surface 9292 of the ring 90. The edges 96, 93 of the film are pinched between the separate retaining rings 100 and 102 and the shoulders 104 and 106 in the ring 90. Retaining rings 100, 102 are releasably secured to the ring by bolts 108. A source of compressed air (not shown) is connected along line 110 through a hole 112 in the ring 90 between the inner surface 92 of the ring and the membrane 94. A valve 114 in the line 110 regulates the flow of air to the hole 112 or lets air out of the hole 112 depending on the position of the valve.

This transfer device 67 'is particularly suitable for use with a natural synthetic wrapping material such as a plastic film or paper.

In operation, the tubular member 7 and the support member 17 are moved downward relative to the transfer device 67 'from the position of Figure 7B to the position of Figure 7C with the valve 114 open so that compressed air can flow between the inner surface 92 of the ring and the stretchable membrane 94. Since the edges of the stretchable film are pinched, the film S6610 expands inwardly against the tubular member 7. The wrapping material located between the film and the tubular member 7 thus remains in place relative to the ring 90 due to the pressure exerted by the stretchable film on the tubular member as the tubular member moves downward and effectively moves over the tubular member. When the wrapping material is charged to the tubular member 7 as shown in Fig. 7C, the valve 114 is opened to the atmosphere, whereby both the support member 17 and the tubular member 7 rise to the position shown in Fig. 7D. The air between the membrane and the inner surface 92 of the ring escapes into the atmosphere so that the membrane can shrink. The wrapping material, which now surrounds the put member 7, thus also rises upwards with the tube member without being disturbed by the stretched film, which is now flat against the inner surface 92 of the ring, leaving room for the wrapping material to move upwards. The wrapping material does not slide downwards from the tubular member because the ring 51 at the lower end of the support member 17 prevents this. -

Although the transfer device 67 'has been described above in connection with the device of Figure 1, it can of course also be used to transfer any tubular material forward to the support member which is transferred by a device provided with a stretchable film.

The hollow member 90 is shown as a circular ring concentric with the cylindrical tubular member 7, but it will be appreciated that the hollow member 90 may be of any shape, depending on the cross-sectional shape of the tubular member 7. In addition, the member 90 does not have to completely surround the pipe member 7.

The device according to Figure 1 can also be used for packaging meat without wrapping material. Some meat products, such as flaked meat, can be packaged using sufficient pressure so that it retains its shape without the need for wrapping. The same machine operation sequence as shown in Figures 7A-7E can be used to package such a meat product, with the exception that no net is fed to the machine. Thus, the machine members are initially the same as in Fig. 7A, with the exception that the support member 17 rests against the ring 51. The cylinder 7 is then moved down to the position shown in Fig. 7B, slightly above the plate 19 of the support member 17, but inside the collar 43, so that an open container is formed. In this position, the arm 11 rests against the arm 49. The cylinder 7 and the plate 19 are then moved together down to the lower position shown in Fig. 7C. With this movement, the fixed sealing device 103 is brought out of the inside of the cylinder 7, so that the meat product can be charged into the container formed by the cylinder 7, the collar 43 and the plate 19 from the expanded end 9 of the cylinder.

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Once the cylinder has been charged, the support member 48 supporting the plate 19 is moved up, thereby lifting the cylinder 7 to the position shown in Fig. 7E. During this step, the ring 51 is still in contact with the support member 17 and causes the meat to be crimped between the plate 19 and the crimping device 103 in the required amount, which can be determined by the weights on the plate 105. When the meat is sufficiently compacted, the valve 155 opens so that the cylinder 7 rises from the closing plate 19, and the meat product between the plate 19 and the filling device 103 is in the position shown in Fig. 7E. When the cylinder 7 has risen sufficiently to release the meat product, the meat product is removed.

If desired, the rod 52 supporting the ring 51 can be adjustably attached to the arm 49 so that it can be raised or lowered. Thus, the ring 51 can be positioned relative to the guide device 27 so that there is a small clearance between them when the wrapping material is used, or so that it is always in contact with the guide member 27 when no wrapping material is used, the tube member 7 always resting immediately on the plate 19 when the arm 11 lean on the arm 49.

If desired, the device according to Figure 1 can be easily adapted not only to package a meat-like product, either with or without a wrapping material, but also to add additives such as spices in a liquid carrier to the meat product during packaging. For this purpose, the sealing device 103 according to Fig. 1 is replaced by a substance supply device 20], shown in Fig. 208. The substance supply device 201 comprises a tubular run body 203 dimensioned so as to fit relatively tightly inside the cylinder 7. The tubular body 203 is attached to the vertical end bracket 3 by means of a collar 205 and a support arm 207.

The ends of the tubular body 203 are closed by removable ends 209, 211.

The first piston 213 is movably mounted on the tubular member 203 · The piston 213 is hollow so that a material chamber 215 is formed. The second end 217 of the piston 213 projecting from the upper end 211 of the body 203 through the hole 219 is open.

A second fixed piston 221 is fitted in the first chamber 215 inside the piston 213 at its open end 217. The second piston has a bore 223 passing through its shaft 225 and end 227. · The piston 221 is attached to a tubular body 203 by a collar 229 attached to the free end 231 of the shaft 225, and with support arms 233 extending from the collar 229 to the upper end wall 211 and secured thereto.

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The first piston 213 has an expanded second material chamber 235 in communication with the first chamber 215. At least one and preferably a plurality of hollow substance supply members 237 puncture from the second chamber 235 · The hollow members 237 may be needle-shaped and have at least one and preferably two holes 239 in the side wall near the free end 241. The hollow members 237 are extended with holes 243 in the lower end wall 209 so that they can pierce through these holes.

A device is provided for moving the first piston 213 relative to the body member 203 and the second piston 221. This device may include a fluid chamber 245 formed in the body 203 between the end wall 211 and the septum 247 with a hole 249 through which the first piston 213 pierces. The first piston 213 has a piston flange 251 which operates in the medium chamber 245. The medium can be led into the chamber 245 and out of the openings 253 in the walls 211 and 247, respectively. 255.

The additive line 257 is connected at one end to a bore 223 at the free end of the shaft 225 of the fixed piston 221. The line 257 has a non-return valve 259 and is connected at one end to a source of additive (not shown).

Between the walls of the fixed piston head 227 and the first chamber 215; between walls 211, 247 and the first piston 213; and suitable seals are provided between the piston flange 251 and the walls of the medium chamber 245.

When the device operates, the lower surface 263 of the end wall 209 would act as a sealing device 103 of the device according to Fig. 1. At this position, the valve 259 of the line 257 is opened. · The opening of this valve 259 can be adjusted by a sensing device which detects the development of pressure in the chamber 137 of the device 1 to a value less than that where the discharge valve 153 opens. Substantially simultaneously, the valve 265 in the line 267 leading to the opening 253 opens, releasing medium such as compressed air from the pressure medium source 269 into the medium chamber 245, and the valve 271 in the line 273 connected to the opening 255 opens into the atmosphere. As a result, the first piston 213 moves downwardly into the meat between the surface 263 and the plate 19 of the hollow members 237. This movement also enlarges the first additive chamber 215 so that the additive is absorbed down the open line 257 from its source to the first chamber 215 down the bore 223. In some cases, the undergrowth developed in chamber 215

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the pressure is not sufficient to draw the desired amount of additive into the chamber 215, the additive can be pumped in up to line 257.

When the hollow members 237 are inserted into the meat at the position shown in Figure 9A, the valve 259 is closed, the valve 205 is opened to the atmosphere, and the valve 271 connects the hole 255 to the pressure source 269. This now causes the first piston 213 to move upward. This movement begins substantially at the same time as, and can be arranged to be caused by, the opening of the discharge valve 153, which moves the tubular member 7 away from the plate 19 and the meat product. As the piston 213 moves upward, pulling the hollow members 237 out of the meat, the additive now present in the first chamber 215 is forced out as the size of the chamber 215 decreases, through the connecting chamber 235, the members 237 and their openings 239 into the meat. As the members 237 move upward to the position shown in Figure 9B at a substantially constant rate, the additive is injected into the meat so that it is distributed substantially uniformly throughout the length of the meat.

If the substance added to the meat is a fluid such as a spicy liquid, the meat, which is now not covered by the tubular member 7 when this liquid is added, can expand so that the liquid takes up space but still remains inside the stretchable net. The members 237 are preferably withdrawn at substantially the same rate as the tube member 7 rises.

The additive feeder 201 can be easily positioned to add the additive to meat products of different lengths, the length of the product being the distance between the plate 19 (in its upper position) and the surface 263. The support arm 207 is only raised or lowered down the rack 3 relative to the plate 19. However, in order to ensure that the hollow members always move down to a position "a" a predetermined distance from the plate 19, regardless of whether the body 203 and its end face 263 are close to or far from the plate 19, suitable adjusting devices are used. includes a switch 281 attached to the rack 3. An adjusting arm 283 is attached near the free end 217 of the piston 213. The switch 281 is used to control the movement of the first piston 213. The switch 281 can control valves 265 and 271 to close both so that downward movement of the piston 213 stops The switch 281 is always attached to the rack 3 in the same position relative to the plate 19, regardless of the position of the feeder 201. Thus, even if the feeder 201 is moved down towards the plate 19 for a shorter length of meat product as shown in Fig. 9C, the switch 28l remains the same distance from plate 19. With the first piston 213 now begins to work, 14 6 * 610 less movement is required than in the case of a longer piece of meat, for the hollow organs 237 to penetrate into the meat, close to the plate 19. This is achieved when the arm 283, starting from a lower position than in the case of a longer piece of meat, hits the clutch! 281 as shown in Figure 9D. r

Since the switch 28] effectively adjusts the distance that the first piston 213 moves, it also controls the amount by which the first chamber 215 increases, and thus in turn adjusts the amount of additive absorbed into the chamber 215 down the line 257. Hence the hollow! The adjustment of the penetration distance into the meat of the organs 237 at the same time automatically adjusts the supply of the right amount of additive to the meat. ! i

In the case of a long piece of meat, the hollow organs move longer; distance into the meat and thus the feeder automatically delivers a larger amount of additive to chamber 215 than a shorter additive.

in the case of leen, which requires a shorter movement of the hollow members 237, I

a wherein correspondingly less substance is fed into the chamber 215.;

A valve 285 may be provided in the passage 287 connecting the chambers 215, 235. · This valve 285 closes as the first piston 213 moves downwards. This prevents air from being absorbed up from the flesh through the openings 239 and the hollow members 237 as the chamber 215 1 expands. Valve 285 opens just before the downward movement of piston 213 ceases. As the piston 213 moves upward, the valve j 285 closes just before the movement of the piston ends. The valve j 285 can be electrically controlled and its operation adjusted by suitable {limit switches 287, 289, which are adjustably fixed to the bracket 3 at a distance corresponding to the stroke length of the piston 213 from each other, so that they are affected by the arm 291 supported by the piston 213

The feeding device 201 according to Figs. 8 and 9 can also be used 1 for feeding the meat product directly to the tubular member 7 when it is closed by the closing plate 19. In this embodiment, the meat product is sucked along the line 257 into the chamber 215 in the required amount as the piston 213 moves downward, and is then forced out of the chamber 215 through the hollow members 237 as the piston 213 moves upward. Meat product is formed as a package in the space j between the plate 19 and the surface 263 and can be retained there by means of the wrapping material or by delaying the upward movement of the tube member 7 relative to the upward movement of the piston 213, if necessary. The chamber 215 and the hollow members 237 are dimensioned so as to readily dispense the necessary meat input to form the package, and the free ends 241 of the hollow members may be fully open. When the meat product is fed in this way, it must be fluid but not so fluid that it does not retain its shape,

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defined for it by the tube member 7 or the wrapping material.

The feeder 201 has been described above as being in place of the sealing device 105 of the device 1 of Figure 1, but it is clear that it can be used independently of the device 1 to add an additive to any product. For example, if the meat is already packaged in some other way, the meat package may be fitted under the feeder 210 and supported thereon by a fixed plate or other suitable device replacing the tube member 7 and the plate 19. The feeder 201 is then operated in the same manner as described above. adding liquid to the meat pack.

The device according to Figure 1 can also be used for assembling and packaging products consisting of two or more substances. For example, some processed meats are improved by adding fat or bacon strips to their outer surface. Fat or bacon strips can be applied to the inner surface of the tube member 7 when the member is in the position according to Fig. 7C, just before the meat product is loaded into it. The strips are made to remain in place by bending them over the upper edge 9 of the tubular member 7 or by other suitable means.

The sealing plate 105, the closing plate 19 and the surface 263 of the end wall 209 of the feeder can all be made removable and shaped according to different patterns to shape the ends of the material to be packaged.

The device of Figure 8 may also be modified for use with a modified embodiment of the device of Figure 1 for packaging materials under reduced pressure. In this embodiment, with the tube member 7 in the position according to Fig. 70, it is raised slightly so that a suitable first tightening device, not shown, can move over the upper surface of the plate IS by tightening, i.e. closing the wrapping material to a common point. The product is then already loaded into the tube member 7 · The clamping device is then removed and the tube member can be lowered against the plate 19. The elongate members 237 of the device 201 are in their up position, and the valve 259 is closed. The elongate members 237 are then moved down by letting compressed air through the opening 253 into the chamber 2-5, thereby enlarging the chamber 215. The expansion of the chamber 215 develops a partial vacuum which causes the air in the space bounded by the tube member, the plate 19 and the surface 2β3 to be partially removed. It is clear that suitable seals are arranged between the tubular member 7 and the side wall of the member 203 to prevent air from the main station into the product space. In addition, suitable seals may be fitted between the openings 2 in the bottom wall of the member 203 and the elongate members 237. The tubular member 7 and the elongate members 237 are now moved up, away from the plate 19, the product and the wrapper. During this operating step, the opening 253 is closed and the opening 255 is open. Shortly before the tubular member is completely withdrawn from the wrapping material, another suitable tightening device (not shown) is moved below the end wall 209 so that it does not hit the elongate members 237 or the lower edge of the tubular member 7 to close the wrapper at its upper end. It is thus obvious that the feeder 201 can be easily used for packaging with an air-impermeable substance under reduced pressure without any additional equipment. v

Claims (6)

17 56610 A device for packaging a bulk product, such as meat, in a tubular wrapper supported by a rack, with a vertically arranged packaging tube having a filling and discharge opening at opposite ends and intended to support the wrapper by a product to be packaged for filling, and a transfer member connected to said rack. transferring the free upper edge of the wrapper from the wrapper to the outer surface of the packaging tube, characterized in that the packaging tube comprises a filling tube (7) and a support member (17) axially arranged below it, with a closing device (19) for the filling tube (7) outlet (15), and that the device has a control device (121) for moving the filling tube (7) and the support part (17) in the axial direction for closing and opening the outlet opening (15). Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the closing device is formed by a plate (19) at the upper end of the support part (17). Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control device is formed by a piston-cylinder unit (121). Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that the piston-cylinder unit (121) is formed by a plurality of nested piston units (123, 141) which are arranged relative to one another. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support part (17) is height-adjustable both with respect to the support arm (49) of the holding part (48) attached to the holder (3) and to the indirectly filled wrapping head. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the holder (3) has a cutting device (91) for separating the upper part of the wrapper (29) from the wrapper storage.