GB2183611A - Stacking cookies - Google Patents

Abstract

Flat cookies are fed by pusher (14) from a vertical receiving magazine (11) to a substantially vertical collecting magazine (17), both magazines being open at the bottom, via a sawtooth (5) wheel (4) rotating about a horizontal axis (X-X), said wheel (4) feeding the collecting magazines (17) from below. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATiON A device for dividing flat products, such as cookies and the like, into groups for packaging This invention relates to a device for dividing flat pastry products, such as cookies and the like, into groups for packaging.

As is known in the pastry product industry, cookies are delivered from baking ovens, or some other item of equipment operative to either provide them with a coating or stuffing or else, virtually on a continuous basis. Accordingly, the oncoming cookies require two be divided into groups, e.g. into groups comprising a given number of cookies, laid on the flat close against each other, preparatory for del ivery to a machine operative to package the individual groups.

Such division has been accomplished heretofore by acting on the cookies, laid in a continuous row within a cookie delivery trough, by means of a set of baffle plates arranged to act on the row alternately, afterthemannerofan escapement mechanism.

That arrangement is primarily disadvantageous'in that, each time that the dividing baffle plates are operated, the row of oncoming cookie is suddenly stopped, which is obviously detrimental to the cookie integ rity. A fu rther disadvantage is that with thin cookies, and concurrently with thickness dimensions having close values to the extremes ofthe tolerance range, cookies may suffer damage by any of said baffle plates.

The problem underlying this invention is to provide a device as indicated, which has such constructional and operational features asto overcome the cited disadvantages affecting prior devices.

The solutive idea provided by this invention is that offorming a group of cookies within a substantially vertical magazine being fed from underneath buy a sawtooth wheel which is fed, in turn, in a horizontal direction tangent thereto.

Based on this solutive idea, and to solve the aforesaid technical problem, this invention provides a device as specified above, which is characterized in that it comprises a sawtooth wheel wherein each tooth has a back face and a front face, which wheel is rotatable with the back faces first about a horizontal axis, a rest surface extending tangentially to said wheel at the tips and roots of its teeth, a tubular cookiereceiving magazine extending vertically above the rest surface and open thereto, a pusher acting on said restsurface toward the teeth, a tubular cookiecollecting magazine extending in a substantiallyvertical direction radially to said wheel, being open thereto and fed by said wheel, stop means for holding the cookies back at the collecting magazine, and a lifting finger engaged movingly across said collecting magazine to move a group of cookies away from the wheel.

Furtherfeatures and the advantages ofthe device according to this invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred emb- odimentthereof, given by way of illustration and not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 is an elevation view showing schematically a device according to this invention.

Figure2 is a perspective view showing schematically a detail of the device of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing schematically another detail ofthe device of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing schematically yet another detail of the device of Figure 1,and Figures 5to 12 show schematically and to a reduced scalethe device of Figure 1 at successive stages of its operation.

With reference to the accompanying drawing fig ures, the numeral 1 designates generally a device for dividing flat pastry products 2, such as cookies, into groups3forpackaging.

The device 1 comprises, within a load-bearing frame which is quite conventional in design and not shown in the drawing for clarity, a sawtooth wheel 4.

The wheel 4 is journalled to the frame about a horizontal axis X-X of rotation, it being driven rotatively and continuously by a means, not shown, in the direction ofthe arrow F.

The wheel 4 is formed, around its periphery, with a plurality ofsawteeth 5. Each sawtooth 5 has a substantially radial front face, and an arcuate ramp-like back face 7. Between thefrontface of each tooth and the back face of its adjoining tooth, there is defined a space indicated at 8.

It should be noted that each sawtooth 5 is provided with a rigid eave 79 which extends in continuation of its back face 7, in a substantially parallel direction to the backface7 of an adjoining sawtooth 5,cantilever-fashion over said adjoining tooth.

Said eave 79 defines, at a portion ofthe space 8 between two teeth, a housing 80 which is bordered at the top and protected by the eave itself.

It should be noted that the wheel 4 is formed oftwo laminardisks being the like of each other and in mutuallyspaced apart relationship, as indicated at4a and 4b, respectively.

The device 1 further comprises a horizontal rest surface 9 which extends tangentially ofthe wheel 4 at the top thereof, on the downstream side of its teeth 5.

It should be noted that that surface 9 is formed of a plurality of laminarstrips, comprehensively designated 10, which are all alike and placed ata pitch dis tanceapart. Said surface9 issupported ontheframe in a vertically movable manner underthe action of a drive means, as explained hereinafter.

Indicated at 11 isatubularmagazineforoncoming cookies 2, which is attached to the device frame. Said magazine 11 extends vertically above the rest surface 9, and has its bottom end 12 open thereto. Thus, the restsurface 9 constitutes the bottom ofthatmag- azine.

Said rest surface 9 is shiftable vertically underthe action of a drive means 13 between a first, lowered position whereat it is located at a preset distance awayfrom the end 12 equal to at least a cookiethicknests, and a second, raised position whereat it is in substantial contact with the end 12.

Indicated at 14 is a pusher acting on said rest surface 9. The pusher 14 is alternately movable in a sub stantially horizontal direction toward and away from the top ofthe wheel 4, tangentially thereof. In particular, it will perform, under the action of a drive means 15, a reciprocating movement toward and awayfromthetop ofthewheel4.

It should be noted that pusher 14 is formed of a plurality identical laminar strips, comprehensively designated 16,which are in pitched mutually spacedapart relationship and interleaved comb-like to the strips 10 that form the rest surface 9.

The device 1 also comprises a cookie-collecting tubular magazine, indicated at 17. The magazine 17 extends in a substantially vertical direction radially ofthe wheel 4, and is open thereto at the bottom. In particular, it has its bottom end 18 arranged to face the peripheryofthewheel 4.

In the example shown, the magazine 17 extends along a direction Y-Ywhich forms an angle aof about 300 with the vertical Z-Z.

s he magazine 17 is formed of a first, or initial, por- tion located on the wheel side, which is indicated at 19 and attached to the frame, and a second, orterminating, portion, which is indicated at 20 and mounted to the frame in an angularly shiftable manner about the axis X-X between a first position, whereat it is aligned to thefirst portion 19to form the magazine 17, and a second position whereat it istil- ted horizontally above a conveyor belt 21, known per se, which is operative to take the groups 3 made available from the device 1 away to a suitable machinefortheirpackaging.

The remote end of the initial portion 19from the end 18 is indicated at 22. The bottom end of the terminating portion 20, which faces the end 22 with the portion 20 aligned to the portion 19, is indicated at 23. The nurneral 24 designates the free end ofthe terminating portion 20.

Indicated at 25 and 26 are arcuate guides according to arcs of a circle centered on the axis X-X, which extend along the paths followed by the ends 24 and 23 of the terminating portion 20 during its angular movement.

Indicated at 27 is a drive means for driving said terminating portion 20 angularly.

Advantageously,theterminating portion 20 is formed of two shells 28 and 29 which can be opened clamshell-like overthe conveyor belt 21.

The device 1 ofthis invention further comprises a lifting finger30, which is supported on the frame in a movable manner along a substantially rectangular path underthe action of a drive means 31. In part icular, said path ofthe lifting finger 30 comprises a working section which extends in the direction Y-Y within the collecting magazine 17, and along which the lifting finger 30 will be in engagement across the collecting magazine 17 itself.More specifically, the working section extends from a first, lowerworking position whereat the lifting finger 30 is located below the end 18 of the magazine 17, placed between the disks 4a and 4b which form the wheel 4, and a second, upper position ofwork end, whereat the lifting finger is located directly against the lower end 23 oftheterminating portion 20 of the collecting magaz ine 17.

The path ofthe liftingfingeralsb comprises an ex iting section away from said second position, are wrn section, and an entrance section to its first position.

Aslot 32 formed in the guide 26 is intended to ac commodate the finger 30 while in its take-away exiting section.

Generally indicated at33 are stop means acting in a tangent direction to the wheel 4for holding a cookie 2 at the bottom end 18 of the collecting magazine 17, which is open, as mentioned,to the wheel 4. It should be noted that such stop means consists of two lugs 33a and 33b projecting from the first portion 19 of the collecting magazine 17 in continuation thereof along a radial direction toward the axis X-X, externally of the disks 4a and 4b.

The device 1 advantageously comprises a paddle 34 which is supported on the frame between therein ceivingmagazine 11 and the collecting magazine 17 in a movable manner along a substantiallyre- ctangular path, underthe action of a drive means 35.

In particular, said path includes a working section extending in a substantially perpendicular direction to the direction Y-Y between a first position of work commencement whereat the paddle is ate preset distance from the collecting magazine, and a position of end whereat it is close againstthe coilecting magazine between its bottom end 18 and the back face 7 of a tooth 5 of the wheel.

The path of the paddle 34 also includes an exiting section of removal from said position of work end, a return section of return movement in the opposite direction to the working section, and an entrance section of movement toward the position of work commencement.

Asforthe drive means 13,15,31 and 34, provided in the device 1 for driving the rest surface 9, pusher 14, lifting finger 30, and paddle 34, respectively, these are advantageously of the cam and linkage rod type.

In particular,the drive means 13 comprise an arti- culated parallelogram 36, which is driven by a cam 37 acting on a rocker arm 38 thereof, its movable side 39 carrying the rest surface 9.

The drive means 15 comprises a rod 40 which carriesthe pusher 14On one end, The rod 40 is pivoted at an intermediate point to a movable side 41 of an articulated parallelogram 42, a rocker arm 43 whereof is subjected to the action of a cam 44 through a crank lever 45 and related small connecting rod 45a. The opposed end of the rod 40 is subjected to the action of a link46, in turn driven by a cam 47 via a crank lever48,the cam 47 being configured to impartthe rod 40 with such rotational movements as to hold the pusher atthe same level throughout the movement of the articulated parallelogram 42.

The drive means 31 ofthe lifting finger30 comprises an articulated quadrilateral 48 the movable side 50 whereof carries the finger 30 at the end of an extension 51 thereof. A rocker arm 52 of the quadrilateral 49 is shiftable angularly underthe action of a cam 53 acting on a lug 54 of said rocker arm.The other rocker arm 55 has one end 56, remote from the end 57 pivoted to the movable side, pivoted to the end of a crank lever 58 the other end whereof is subjected to the action of a cam 59.

The drive means 35 for the paddle 34 comprises an articulated parallelogram 60, which has one side 61 pivoted, at the end of an extension 62 thereof, about the axisX-X and shiftable angularlyunderthe action of a cam 63 via a crank lever 64 and its related small connecting rod 65. An opposed side 66 carries the paddle 34 at the end of an extension 67 thereof. A rocker arm 68 of the parallelogram is subjected to the action of a long link69, in turn subjected to the action of a cam 70 via a lay arm 71. Asforthe drive means 27 fortheterminating portion 20 ofthe collecting magazine, this comprises a mechanism 72 having a gear segment 73 which carries said terminating section 20 and is mesh engaged by a pinion gear 74.More specifically, the gear segment 73 has a lug 75 which carries a pin 76whereto there arejournalled,through arms77,thetwoclamshell-opening shells 28 and 29 that form said magazine terminating section.

It should be noted that all the cams are interconnected drivinglytogetherin a suitable mannerto provide synchronized movement of the movable members, as required.

It should be also noted that a detector, indicated at 78, is positioned along the collecting magazine 17.

The device 1 is completed with a stroke counter effective to count the strokes ofthe pusher 14.

In addition, the device just described is advan tageouslyassociated in a cluster with a plurality of like devices 1 arranged in side-by-side relationship and being distributed along the conveyorbelt21.

The operation of the device 1 according to the in ventionwill be described herein belowwith referenceto a starting condition in which a plurality of cookies 2 are stacked in the magazine 11 onto the rest surface 9, as positioned in its lowered position, and a plurality of cookies 2 are being stacked in the collecting magazine 17 while bearing on the disks 4a and 4b oftheturning wheel 4.

The pusher 14, in its movement along a tangent direction to the wheel 4, will shift cyclically, in timed relationship with the passing of the wheel teeth 5, that cooky 2 which bears directly on the rest surface 9 in the space 8 between consecutive teeth. With the cooky2 in the space 8, a part of it will occupythe housing 80 and be protected bythe eave 79.The pusher 14 disposes the cooky 2 to bear against the back face 7 of that tooth which is located downstream ofthe space 8, and contact the front face 6Of the upstream tooth.

As the back face 7 ofthat sametooth and the eave 79 thereof lift the cookies 2 contained in the collecting magazine 17 to make room forthe next cooky 2, the paddle 34 will travel through the entrance section of its path and the working one, urging the cooky 2 toward the interior of the magazine 17, to underneath the cookies contained therein, untii the cooky2 reaches the stop means 33. The paddle will then travel through the exiting section and return section to resume its original position.

All this is repeated, through a number of such cessive cycles, until the stroke counter signifies that a preset number of cookies have been fed to the wheel. At this point, the rest surface 9 will move up, advantageously with the pusher 14 extended toward the wheel, to inhibit descent ofthe cookies 2 within the receiving magazine.With a set delay time, which is selected to enable the last of the cookies fed to the wheel to also reach the collecting magazine, and hence, the provision of an exact group 3 comprising a preset number of cookies within the collecting magazine, the lifting finger 30 will travel through the working section of its path and shift the cookygroup 3 away from the wheel until the group occupythe terminating portion 20 ofthe collecting magazine.

Thereupon, the latter will turn toward the conveyor belt 2l,while the lifting finger completes its takeaway exiting section, withdrawing into the slot 32 in the guide 26, and then the return and entrance sections, thus resuming its starting position.

During rotation ofthe terminating section 20, the group of cookies contained therein are held back by the guide 26. On completion ofthe rotational movement, the shells 28 and 29 are opened clamshell fashion and the group 3 of the cookies deposited onto the belt21.

ltshould be notedthatatthe end of said delay time, the rest surface 9 is again lowered, thereby cookyfeeding to the wheel is resumed, said cookies being heaped in the initial portion 19 ofthecollecting magazine 17.

It should be noted that temporary interruption of the inflow of cookies to the wheel allows the lifting finger to move th rough its working path section without cookies impinging on itwhich are being urged forward bythe paddle 34.

After unloading the group ofthe cookies onto the conveyor belt, the terminating portion 20 will be returned to its original position, thus completing one period of operation ofthe device which corresponds to the cookies 2, as cylically picked up from therein ceiving magazine, being subdivided into a group 3 containing cookies in a preset number.

It should be noted that the number of the operating cycles required of the pusher 14 to form the group of cookies may be determined, rather than by the aforesaid stroke counter, by the detector 78 located along the collecting magazine 17. in that case, the group of cookies, instead of containing a preset number of cookies, will have a preset length. It should be noted thatthe positioning of the detector78 along the coliecting magazine 17 is effected somewhat in advance with respect to the final length of the g roup, to take into accountthe last cookies left on the wheel and undelivered to the collecting magazine.

Likewise, the set of operating cycles of the pusher 14 may be determined, ratherthan by a desired length ofthe group of cookies, by a desired weight thereof. In that case, a weight detectorwould deter minethenumberofcyclesrequired.Accordingly,the detector may be positioned to detect the weight of a group justformed and already unloaded from the device 1, and yet provide useful information on a group being formed since, as is known,theweight of the cookies would notchange suddenly.

Thus, the operation of the device 1 according to the invention can be reiterated as required for any desired number of periods, each comprising a required number of cycles to form a group having a preset number of cookies, or a preset length, or a preset weight.

It should be noted thatwhen a large numberoflike devices 1 are flanking a conveyor belt 21, the restsur- face 9 of such devices may be moved to its raised position on the situation arising whereby, for a reason whatever, the receiving magazine of that device is being emptied. This will enable refilling ofthe receiving magazine and prevent the device from operating in an em pty state.

Lastly, it should be noted thatthe angle row between the collecting magazine and the vertical may be selected to be quite small, by virtue ofthe eave 79 protecting the cookies 2 carried on the wheel 4 against the effects of the weight of overlying cookies stacked in the same magazine.

The device according to the invention affords the important advantage of enabling cookies to be divided into groups quickly and without damaging them in anyway, thanks to the cookies being fed into the collecting magazine from below bythesawtooth wheel and to cookies being fed to the wheel tangentially thereof.

An added advantage of the inventive device resides in its versatility, resulting from its ability to divide cookies into groups of preset weight, or length, of number of cookies.

It is also possible to divide into groupsverythin cookies; in that case, at each cycle, the pusher may shifttwo or more cookies with each stroke.

Afurtheradvantage ofthe device of this invention is that it lends itselffor association with other such devices to form a clusterwherein operation ofthe individual devices can be controlled as required.

Furthermore, the ability to arrange the collecting magazine at a very small angle from the vertical pro motes orderly and compact stacking of the cookies in the magazine itself.

A not least advantage ofthe device according to this invention is that it allows the wheel to be oper ated at a high rotational speed without in anyway damaging the cookies as the wheel moves to the col lecting magazine.

Of course, the device described hereinabove may be altered and modified in manyways by the skilled person in the a artto meet specific contingent require- ments, without departing from the protection scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1. A device for dividing flat pastry products, such as cookies and the like, into groups for packaging, characterized in that it comprises a sawtooth (5) wheel (4), wherein each tooth (5) has a backface (7) and a front face (6), which wheel is rotatable with the back faces (7) first about a horizontal axis (X-X), a rest surface (9) extending tangentially to said wheel (4) at the tips and roots of its teeth, a tubular cookie receiving magazine (11) extending vertically above the rest surface (9) and open thereto, a pusher (14) acting on said rest surface (9) toward the teeth (5), a tubularcookie-collecting magazine (17) extending in a substantially vertical direction radiallyto said wheel (4), being open thereto and fed by said wheel (4), stop means (33a,33b) for holding the cookies back atthe collecting magazine (17), and a lifting fin get (30) engaged movingly along said collecting magazine (17) to move a group of cookies away from the wheel (4).

2. A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said rest surface (9) is shiftable cyclically between a lowered position and a raised position whereat it is in substantial contact with the receiving magazine (11).

3. A device according to Claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a paddle (34) movable in a substantially perpendicular direction to the direction ofthe collecting magazine (17) to move a cookie toward said magazine.

4. A device according to Claim 3, characterized in that said collecting magazine (17) comprises a terminating section (20) shiftable angularly along arcuate guides (25,26).

5. A device according to Claim 4, characterized in that said terminating section (20) is formed of two clamshell-opening shells (28,29).

6. A device according to Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an eave (79) for each tooth (5) extending as a continuation of its backface (7) cantilever-fashion over the adjoining tooth (5).