GB882959A - Apparatus for processing products in sealed containers - Google Patents

Abstract

882,959. Preserving food. FOOD MACHINERY & CHEMICAL CORPORATION. July 15, 1959 [Oct. 27, 1958], No. 24294/59. Class 49. [Also in Group XXX] Apparatus for sterilizing foodstuffs in containers comprises two vertical cylindrical vessels interconnected at the bottom, one being the sterilizing chamber to which steam is admitted, the other containing a water seal through which the containers are moved into and out of the sterilizing chamber on a continuously driven conveyer. In the form shown in Fig. 1 the vessel 13 interconnects the cylindrical vessel 10 and the cylindrical sterilizing chamber 11 to which steam is admitted at 100 and which is surmounted by a section 98 of rectangular cross-section. The vessel 10 is divided by a heatinsulating partition 14 into a cooling chamber 16 and a water seal which is further subdivided by a partition 15 into inlet and discharge portions 18, 17. The food containers are carried up on conveyers 32, 33 and then taken by other conveyers to a station A where they are loaded into spaces in a main chain conveyer running over pairs of spaced sprockets 109, 111, 114 on shafts 110, 112, 116. The shafts 112, 116 are driven by separate synchronous motors. The shafts 110, 112 are interconnected by a chain drive 148. The shafts 110, 116 may also be interconnected by a chain drive 149. The chain conveyer carries the cans in a path as indicated by the chain dotted lines down through the seal 18, up to the top of the chamber 11 and down again, up through the seal 17, down through the cooling chamber 16 and up again to the station B where they are unloaded from the main conveyer and placed on other conveyers to return down the conveyers 32, 33. Cold water is fed to the seal 17 at 89, and, heated by the outgoing cans, passes up the seal 18, which contains baffles 91, and is discharged at 90. In the chamber 16 the cans are cooled by water sprayed from troughs 450 and deflected by baffles 451, 452, 453 and also by an air blast from a fan 458. Conveyer construction.-A pair of spaced parallel chains comprises links 150 (Fig. 5) with pins 152 carrying rollers 153 guided between the flanges of angle members 154. Alternate links carry brackets 157 attached to the top and bottom of members 160 extending between the two chains. Each member 160 has a number of webs defining four pockets, to accommodate rows of cans with their axes horizontal. Each pocket may be closed by a cover 169 or 172 pivoted on a rod 168 or 174. The covers have projecting arms 177 with pins 178 carrying rollers 179 engaged in guide channels 182, 183 which normally run alongside the members 154, to open or close the pockets, for charging or discharging, the covers 169, 172 are pivoted outwards by deflecting the path of the channels 182. Loading the conveyer.-The conveyer is loaded at the station A (Fig. 1) shown in detail in Fig. 7. Rows of cans, with their axes horizontal, arrive on belt conveyers 38, 39 and accumulate against stops 342. V-shaped members 260, 270 are attached at intervals to transverse shafts 213, 214 and carry rods 262, 264 and 271, 272 between which the rows of cans accumulate. At the required time the rods 213, 214 are rocked by links 225, 226 acting on cranks 230, 231 and coupled to a crank 223 with a follower 222 actuated by a cam 220. The cans are thus rolled down the sloping surfaces 284 into the pockets in the member 160 the covers 169, 172 of which are opened in readiness by the outwardly deflector paths of the guides 182, 183. Unloading the conveyer.-The paths of the guides 182, 183 are also deflected outwards and at the unloading station B (Fig. 9, part). Parts 415, 415a of these guides are carried on cranks on shafts 406, 408. These shafts are coupled by cranks and links to a cam which turns them sufficiently to open the covers 169 or 172 of each passing pocket of the members 160 and deposit the rows of cans on to shallow trays 440. These trays are mounted on shafts 376, 378 which are then turned by further cam mechanism, to the positions shown dotted, to deposit the cans on belt conveyers 27, 28.