GB1581323A

GB1581323A - Removing and cleaning of crockery

Info

Publication number: GB1581323A
Application number: GB17201/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: KUEPPERSBUSCH
Current assignee: KUEPPERSBUSCH
Priority date: 1977-05-04
Filing date: 1978-05-02
Publication date: 1980-12-10
Also published as: IT7822978A0; BE866472A; FR2389361A1; IT1096259B; DE2719845C3; FR2389361B3; AT359687B; CH628234A5; DE2719845B2; ATA318478A; DE2719845A1

Abstract

In order to guarantee sorting of the disposable items of crockery (2) placed among the reusable items of crockery (3) safely and reliably without manual intervention, both the reusable items of crockery (3) and the lighter disposable items of crockery (2) are freed from sticking remains of food and liquid by means of compressed air. The lighter disposable items of crockery (2) are then raised from the roller conveyor (1) likewise by means of compressed air, and simultaneously blown off to the side. On the way to the washing chamber, the roller conveyor (1) is assigned on the upper side a compressed-air nozzle system directed onto the crockery (2, 3), adjoining which compressed-air nozzle system there is an underside compressed-air nozzle system (5) serving for raising the disposable items of crockery and a lateral compressed-air nozzle system (6) serving for blowing the disposable items of crockery (2) away from the roller conveyor (1). <IMAGE>

Description

(54) RL'MOVlNG AND CLEANING OF CROCKERY (71) We, KijPPERSBUSCH AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT of Kiippersbuschstrasse 16, 4650 Gelsenkirchen, Federal Republic of Germany, a joint stock company organised under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing one kind of crockery from another kind and at least partially cleaning the crockery.

Swiss Patent Specification No. 542 125 describes a process in which disposable crockery is cleaned with the aid of spray jets from the food trays set down on a transport belt. It is furthermore known from US Patent No. 2 802 475 to remove the food remnants disposed on the food plates by means of a compressed air jet before transporting the plates to be rinsed into the rinsing chamber df a crockery rinsing machine.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of removing a first kind of crockery disposed amongst a second kind of crockery on a conveyor and at least partially cleaning the crockery, the first kind of crockery being of material of lower specific weight than that of the second kind of crockery, wherein the first and second kinds of crockery are subjected to compressed air flow in such a manner as to remove remnants of food and/or drink from the crockery and to cause only the first kind of crockery to be blown off the conveyor.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for performing a method according to the first aspect, the apparatus comprising a conveyor for conveying crockery, first means to direct, in use compressed air onto the upper part of the crockery for removing the remnants of food and/or drink, and second means to so direct, in use compressed air to the crockery as to cause one kind of crockery selectively to be blown off the conveyor.

Advantageously, an apparatus and a method embodying the invention may securely and reliably without manual intervention assure a sorting-out of the first kind (i.e. disposable) of crockery set down together with and between the second kind (i.e. re-usable) of crockery on the conveyor (e.g. a crockery transport belt) leading to a rinsing chamber. Thus, this may lead to the saving of personnel for the sorting-out of the disposable crockery.

Expediently, the lighter disposable crockery is securely and reliably sorted out from the re-usable crockery to be rinsed during the transport of the crockery to the rinsing chamber, while the re-usable crockery remaining on the transport belt beyond that at the same time further experiences an additional further preliminary cleaning.

An embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures la, l b, 2a and 2b show an apparatus embodying the invention and various phases of a method embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a crockery transport belt 1 which comprises runway rollers and on which the crockery 2 and 3 coming from preliminary washing is conveyed to the rinsing chamber of a crockery rinsing machine. The so-called disposable crockery 2 as well as also the re-usable crockery 3 is disposed on the crockery transport belt 1. The disposable crockery 3 is as a rule lightweight and made out of synthetic material and a is thrown away after a single use. The re-usable crockery 3, on the other hand, is, usually, made out of glass, porcelain or glassceramic.

Arranged above the crockery transport belt 1 leading to the rinsing chamber is a compressed-air-jet system 4, which is directed to the transport belt and by means of which firmly adhering food as well as drink remnants are at first blown out of the crockery 2 and 3. Thereafter, the crockery 2 and 3 during further transport arrives at a further compressed-air-jet system 5 arranged underneath the transport belt 1 and likewise directed to the transport belt.

Through the compressed-air current directed against the underside of the crockery, the disposable crockery 2, consisting of synthetic material and thus light, is raised or lifted high, while the heavy re-usable crockery by reason of its weight however remains on the transport belt 1. Further compressedair-jets 6 arranged laterally of the transport belt take care by the air current issuing therefrom that the disposable crockery 2 lifted high is blown away towards the side and thus carried off. The disposable crockery 2 after removal can, for example, be conducted over a further conveyor belt to a collecting container.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A method of removing a first kind of crockery disposed amongst a second kind of crockery on a conveyor and at least partially cleaning the crockery. the first kind of crockery being of material of lower specific weight than that of the second kind of crockery, wherein the first and second kinds of crockery are subjected to compressed air flow in such a manner as to remove remnants of food and/or drink from the crockery and to cause only the first kind of crockery to be blown off the conveyor.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second kinds of crockery are so subjected to the compressed air flow that remnants of food and/or drink are removed from the crockery before the first kind of crockery is caused to be blown off the conveyor.

3. A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4. Apparatus for performing a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the apparatus comprising a conveyor for carrying crockery, first means to direct, in use compressed air onto the upper part of the crockery for removing the remnants of food and/or drink, and second means to so direct, in use compressed air to the crockery as to cause one kind of crockery selectively to be blown off the conveyor.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second means comprises first and second jet systems to provide compressed air flows, the first and second jet systems being arranged underneath and at the side, respectively, of the conveyor to raise and to blow, respectively, only the one kind of crockery off the conveyor.

6. Apparatus as claimed in either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the second means is spaced downstream of the first means to thereby cause removal of the remnants of food and/or drink from the crockery before the one kind of crockery is caused to be blown off the conveyor.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. crockery 3, on the other hand, is, usually, made out of glass, porcelain or glassceramic. Arranged above the crockery transport belt 1 leading to the rinsing chamber is a compressed-air-jet system 4, which is directed to the transport belt and by means of which firmly adhering food as well as drink remnants are at first blown out of the crockery 2 and 3. Thereafter, the crockery 2 and 3 during further transport arrives at a further compressed-air-jet system 5 arranged underneath the transport belt 1 and likewise directed to the transport belt. Through the compressed-air current directed against the underside of the crockery, the disposable crockery 2, consisting of synthetic material and thus light, is raised or lifted high, while the heavy re-usable crockery by reason of its weight however remains on the transport belt 1. Further compressedair-jets 6 arranged laterally of the transport belt take care by the air current issuing therefrom that the disposable crockery 2 lifted high is blown away towards the side and thus carried off. The disposable crockery 2 after removal can, for example, be conducted over a further conveyor belt to a collecting container. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of removing a first kind of crockery disposed amongst a second kind of crockery on a conveyor and at least partially cleaning the crockery. the first kind of crockery being of material of lower specific weight than that of the second kind of crockery, wherein the first and second kinds of crockery are subjected to compressed air flow in such a manner as to remove remnants of food and/or drink from the crockery and to cause only the first kind of crockery to be blown off the conveyor.