GB2380176A

GB2380176A - Apparatus for dispensing from sachets

Info

Publication number: GB2380176A
Application number: GB0117812A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ivor George Garrett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-07-20
Filing date: 2001-07-20
Publication date: 2003-04-02
Also published as: GB0117812D0

Abstract

A dispensing head 1 has a series of rollers 4 through which a ribbon of filled sachets 2 and emptied sachets 3 is drawn. A sachet is caused to balloon as the ribbon of sachets is drawn between rollers or guides 4c and 4d. A sachet is opened by ripping or cutting implements or devices 5a either, being purposely applied to it, or as a consequence of it being impaled upon them as it is drawn past. The ballooning function is also used to stop the passage of the ribbon of sachets until after the positioned sachet has been ruptured. The contents of the sachet, such as a beverage or feed ingredient or sauce, exit through an outlet spout 7. The feed of the ribbon of sachets to the head 1 can be effected from a remotely sited container or the head and storage container may be sited in a common housing or formed as a composite cassette.

Description

SACHET DOSING APPARATUS This present invention relates in general to apparatus and method for the dispensing and opening of pre-filled sachets, pouches and the like and the discharging of the content therein. Four particular embodiments are- the precise dispensing of excised liquor such as wines spirits and liquors the automatic dispensing of measured essences and/or dried granular ingredients in automatic beverage vending equipment the formulation of fluidable materials in preparing chemical and pharmaceutical concoctions and food recipes the dispensing of sauces and condiments The encapsulation of accurately measured dosages of liquids or fluidable materials within paper, film, foils and the like is now commonplace and the present invention make no claim on the forming or filling of such. Usually the filled sachets, although produced as a continuous ribbon, are mostly cut and packaged as a quantity of singular sachets. At the point of use, to gain access to the content, they are manually cut or tom open. There are instances where the sachet remain as a ribbon and are packaged in a container or spooled and then dispensed by pulling from the container but the purpose doing this is simply the issuing of one or a number of unopened sachets. The coiling of ribbons of sachets, their containment within a box like structure and exit through an aperture was shown in patent US2343064 dated 29-Feb-1944. The present invention makes no claim on any of these aspects.

In establishments where alcoholic drink is served, it is a legal requirement that the amounts of alcohol served is precisely quantified for the purpose of exacting excise revenue and to allow consumers to know the amount they have consumed. Currently this facility is made available by fitting a device universally known as an optic to a bottle in which the liquid has been provided.

The optic is a precisely sized receptacle into which the liquid from an inverted bottle falls under gravity, which can then be discharged, usually into a drinking glass, by the operation of a springloaded mechanism. A fault with the optic system is that it can be accidentally or purposefully misused. Firstly the contents of the bottle can be tampered with prior to attachment to the optic, water can be added to dilute or an inferior product substituted. When the optic is operated it can be made to release only part of its content or not be allowed to fully refill, both actions resulting in short measure.

Beverage machines for the purpose of providing tea, coffee, soups and the like currently require the prime constituents or concentrates, whether in liquid or granulated form, to be provided in an individual carton or cup, which is then either, inserted individually into the vending machine from the outside by the user, or mechanically positioned from a pre-loaded silo. Other known methods are-perforating individual placed sachets to allow infusion to take place and the grounds to be retained within the sachet and physically ejected as described in US5649472,introduction of aqueous medium into an sachet which causes it to rupture under pressure EP0426476.

There are instances such as mixing pigments for inks in the printing industry and for paint in the DIY sector where equipment becomes expensive because storage containers, feeds, dosing devices, etc. are required for each pigment, colour or additive.

In the food industry a variety of different dishes are often effected by modifying the flavouring ingredients added to a basic preparation. This is very common in the Indian Restaurant sector where the"formulation method"is the norm, here chefs are taught how to modify, in part, the taste of a basic lamb or chicken"stew"by adding various combinations of spices. This requires a lengthy period of tuition and is time consuming and open to error.

The dispensing of sauces and pasty or particulated concoctions such as pickles or relishes can be problematical in that systems dependent of syphonage or pumping action can clog or suffer airlocks. Also the product can deteriorate or lose piquancy as usage reduces the amount in the storage container and exposes it to an increase volume of air.

Most of the forgoing examples either do not use sachets and the products are supplied in more expensive types of containers such as bottles, or where sachets are used they are as individual sachets which after being emptied are not easily recoverable causing environmental pollution.

The advantages of encapsulating product in a sealed sachet are that it can be accurately quantified and will retain full flavour, potency and piquancy until the sachet is opened, furthermore, it would be extremely difficult to dilute or substitute the content without detection.

Thus far the usage of sachets has been to provide individual portions of product which will be accessed by the user physically opening the sachet. The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanised way of dispensing the content of a sachet that can be individually or automatically actioned and the spent packaging retained.

The present invention makes use of the already widely available equipment and techniques for the making of individual portions of items such as shampoo, vinegar, sauces, coffee, sugar, etc. in sachets. This equipment and materials used could be used to make the sachets of the type and size the present invention would require.

According to the present invention there is a dispensing head into which ribbons of sachets can be loaded and then made to travel through the dispensing head when required by the operator.

Within the dispensing head is a spouted receptacle into which a sachet positioned above or within the receptacle can be made to rupture in a fashion that ensures the near total discharge of the contents and their assured exit through a funnelled or spouted receptacle. The discharge from the receptacle may be into a placed container or a fixed pipe system. The discharge may fall freely or be assisted by the additional application of a direct or swirling jet or spray of hot or cold liquid, gas or air. The operation may be manually instigated or caused to happen automatically.

The rupturing of the sachet may be effected by the pulling of the sachet across a spike or cutting edge or wheel, or by causing a spike or cutting edge or wheel to be actioned upon the sachet.

The effectiveness of the rupturing action can be improved by feeding the sachet into the gap between two rollers which have been adjusted to prevent the passage of a filled unruptured sachet and squeezes the sachet content to present a firm ballooned surface of the sachet to the rupturing tools.

The sachets passage through the dispensing head may be effected by manually pulling or by mechanical means that may be arranged to function as a consequence of physically pressing a button or actioning a lever, the insertion of currency or a token or by an electro-magnetic command or presence. The ballooning effect upon an unruptured sachet may also be used to act as a brake on the passage of the ribbon of sachets when constant pulling power is applied and dispensing is effected by causing the rupturing tool to be actioned upon the sachet.

The dispensing head can incorporate or be affixed to a container wherein a ribbon of sachets may be arranged in layers or on spools. If required the dispensing head and the container can be arranged as a composite item in the style of a cassette. Individual, or a series of cassettes can be arranged in a housing that might be heated or refrigerated. A window can be incorporated to show the operator and the customer the sachet and by its labelling the content being served. The relationship of dispensing head and the storage container can be arranged so that the storage element can be sited below, above, behind or forward of the dispensing head.

In addition to being less expensive to provide and handle than glass and other forms of packaging a further advantage of the present invention is that the emptied sachets are retained as a ribbon after use allowing them to be more efficiently disposed of or recycled.

The specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the seven accompanying drawings in which :Fig 1 depicts a sideways cross section of the dispensing head with cutting wheel (s) fixed to engage with drawn sachet and in an upright form where the sachets are fed from beneath.

Fig 2 depicts a sideways cross section of the dispensing head with fixed cutting wheel (s) driven through a flexible drive rotated by the drawn sachet and in an upright form where the sachets are fed from beneath.

Fig 3 depicts a sideways cross section of the dispensing head with ripping knives fixed to engage with drawn sachet and in an upright form where the sachets are fed from beneath.

Fig 4 depicts a sideways cross section of the dispensing head with fixed cutting wheel (s) driven through a flexible drive rotated by the drawn sachet and in an upright form where the sachets are fed from beneath and the operation is physically drawn.

Fig 5 depicts sideways cross section of the dispensing head with ripping knives fixed to engage with drawn the sachet in an inverse upright form where the sachets are fed from above and the operation is physically drawn..

Fig 6 depicts sideways cross section of the dispensing head with an applied cutting device in an inverse upright form where the sachets are stored above the head.

Fig 7 shows sideways cross section and Fig 8 the front view of dispensing head together with an above head storage boxing or cassette with used and unused sachets depicted as being wound around a core in the manner of spools.

Fig 9 shows sideways cross section and Fig 10 the front view of dispensing head together with an behind head storage boxing or cassette with used and unused sachets depicted as being wound around a core in the manner of spools Fig 11 depicts front elevations of five combination heads with storage cassettes sited within a simple cabinet.

Fig 12 shows sideways cross section and Fig 13 the front view of dispensing head together with an below head storage boxing or cassette with used and unused sachets depicted as being stored flat in an almost concertina fashion.

Fig 14 shows sideways cross section and Fig 15 the front view of dispensing head together with an above head storage boxing or cassette with used and unused sachets depicted as being stored

flat in an almost concertina fashion.

Note : denotes direction of applied pull

Referring to the drawings there is a nbbon of sachets 2 pre-filled with a measured dose of liquid or material of a fluidic nature. The ribbon of sachets 2 may be spooled 16 in a cassette fashion as depicted in Figs 7 and 9 or layered in a concertina fashion within a simple box like housing 19 as depicted in Figs 12 and 14. The ribbon 2 is thread around rollers 4a within the dispensing head 1. The dispensing head 1 may be an independent item as in Figs 14 & 15 or housed within a decorative font 20 that could be sited on a countertop as depicted in Fig 4 or it can be combined with the storage element as depicted in Figs 7,8, 9,10, 12 & 13. The dispensing head may be used when upright as indicated in Figs 1 to 4 or inversely upright as in Figs 5 & 6. The storage element can feed the dispensing head 1 from above (Figl4 & 15), below (Fig 12 & 13) or behind (Fig 9 & 10). Inside the dispensing head the ribbon 2 is caused, initially by pulling a leader ribbon or tape and once the first sachet has been dispensed by the emptied sachet remnants 3 around guide rollers 4a to feed around roller 4c and between roller 4c and roller 4d. The gap between roller 4c and roller 4d is distanced to prevent the passage of a filled sachet 2 causing the sachet to balloon 2a. The opening of the sachet and discharge of its content can now be effected in either of two ways.

The pulling of the spent sachet ribbon 3 can be applied for each dispensing causing the ballooned sachet to be ruptured by perforation and tearing as a consequence of being pulled on to-a single or a series of spikes or knives 5b or-a single or a number of cutting wheels 5a or spiked wheels 5c. The wheels may or may not be caused to rotate via gearing or flexible shaft drive taken from the rollers which would have received rotation from the passage of the ribbon of sachets.

Alternatively constant tension can be applied to the spent ribbon of sachets 3 and its motion checked by the restrictive gap between rollers 4c and 4d and the resulting ballooning of the sachet 2a. Dispensing would then be effected as depicted in Fig 6 by manually or mechanically 21 22 causing a cutting or tearing tool 5d to be applied to the ballooned sachet 2a causing it to rupture. The tension applied to the ribbon of sachets would then pull the emptied sachet through the gap between rollers 4c and 4d squeezing out of the rupture any content remaining and then coming to rest as a consequence of the next sachet being ballooned up and unable to pass between the rollers 4c and 4d.

The tensioning of the ribbon of sachets could be effected by physical pulling as depicted by Figs 4 and 6 or mechanical drive 18 applied either to a leader tape or ribbon of emptied sachets 3 (Figs 12 and 14) or to the spent spool 11 of a cassette style feed system (Figs 7 and 9). A window 12 may be provided in the dispensing head or elsewhere to permit the viewing of the sachets contained therein.

After the sachet has been ruptured its contents will fall under gravity assisted in the instance of glutinous substances by the squeezing effect of rollers 4c and 4d into the hopper 6a which maybe tapered or spouted 7 to direct the discharge into any receptacle placed beneath it or any attachment connected to it. If required a wash through jet or spray of hot or cold liquid or gaseous substance could be effected from a feed 8 in which instance a deeper hopper 6b could be provided as depicted in Figs 2,3 & 5.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A dispensing head for opening and dispensing the content of individual sachets that are passed through it as a string or ribbon of connected sachets.
2. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1 that has a window or windows that allows the ribbon of sachets passing through to be identified and any labelling upon them to be displayed.
3. A dispensing head as described in Claim 1 or 2 that flattens the unfilled part of the sachet passing through it between or against rollers or plates pressurising the content therein to cause the rest of the sachet to balloon in shape in order to create a firmer surface of the sachet into which an incision can be effected.
4. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2 or 3 that cuts or rips open at least one side of sachet passing through it by impaling or engaging the sachet with cutting or ripping tools or mechanisms.
5. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3 or 4 that cuts or rips open at least one side of sachet as the sachet is passed through the dispensing head by engaging the sachet with rotating cutting or ripping tools or mechanisms that have acquired their rotary motion as a consequence of the drawing of the ribbon of sachets through the dispensing head.
6. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4 or 5 that cuts or rips open at least one side of sachet as the sachet is passed through the dispensing head by engaging the sachet with rotating cutting or ripping tools or mechanisms that have acquired their rotary motion from an energised motor.
7. A dispensing head as described in Claim 1,2, 3,4, 5 or 6 that flattens the unfilled part of the sachet as the sachet is passed through the dispensing head between or against rollers or plates pressurising the content therein to cause the rest of the sachet to balloon in shape and effect a brake on the travel of the ribbon of sachets beyond the rollers or plates until the ballooned sachet has been ruptured.
8. A dispensing head as described in Claim 1,2, 3,4, 5,6 or 7 that flattens the unfilled part of the sachet as the sachet is passed through the dispensing head between or against rollers or plates causing the remains of content left therein to exude from the sachet after it has been ruptured

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9. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7 or 8 that functions when a ribbon of sachets is physically pulled through the dispensing head.
10. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7 or 8 that functions a when a ribbon of sachets is mechanically pulled through the dispensing head.
11. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7 or 8 that functions as a result of a ribbon of sachets being mechanically pulled through the dispensing head as a consequence of gripping the ribbon of sachets between two contra rotating powered rollers.
12. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7 or 8 that functions as a result of a ribbon of sachets being mechanically pulled through the dispensing head as a consequence of friction or traction drive being applied to the longitudinal edges of the ribbon of sachets.
13. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7,8, 9,10, 11, or 12 that connects remotely with a means to store and feed it with a ribbon of sachets.
14. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7,8, 9,10, 11, or 12 that connects directly with a means to store and feed it with a ribbon of sachets.
15. A dispensing head as described in Claims 1,2, 3,4, 5,6, 7,8, 9,10, 11, or 12 that is composite with a means to store and feed it with a ribbon of sachets in the manner of a spooled cassette.
16. A dispensing head and storage means as described in Claims 13,14, or 15 that can be assembled with others in a simple housing.
17. A dispensing head and storage means as described in Claims 13,14, or 15 that can be assembled with others in a simple housing that may be heated or cooled.
18. A dispensing head and storage means as described in Claims 13,14, or 15 that can be assembled within a beverage making machine.
19. A dispensing head and storage means as described in Claims 13,14, or 15 that can be assembled within a substance dispensing machine.
20. A dispensing head and storage means as described in Claims 13,14, or 15 that can be assembled within a pharmaceutical or food recipe ingredient formulation machine.

A dispensing head as described in any of the preceding claims wherein a provision is incorporated to jet or spray liquid or gas either directly or in a swirling fashion to wash or blow the remains of content from within a sachet after it has been ruptured.