IES70441B2 - Improvements relating to biscuit handling - Google Patents

Abstract

A plurality of biscuits are delivered to a streaming station in which the biscuits are floated across an air bed and aligned in a number of columns at a narrowed neck at an outlet end of the bed. Biscuits discharged from the streaming station are inverted and delivered to a stacker in which the biscuits are arranged in stacks of a desired size. The stacks are delivered to a wrapping station at which each stack is wrapped. Wrapped packs of biscuits pass through a weighing station from which packs of a desired weight are fed to a packing station.

Description

Improvements relating to biscuit handling This invention relates to biscuit handling and in particular to the handling and packaging of biscuits.

The term biscuit as used in this specification is taken to mean both regularly shaped biscuits and also cookies.

In our previously filed Irish Patent Application No. 940594 we described a cookie manufacturing process. The problems associated with the handling of cookies due to their somewhat irregular shape are mentioned in said Patent Application No. 940594. The present invention further addresses the problems associated with the handling of cookies and is particularly concerned with the packaging of said cookies.

According to the invention there is provided a biscuit handling process, comprising the steps: feeding a plurality of biscuits to a streaming station, delivering the biscuits onto an upper end of an inclined air bed at the streaming station, directing an air stream up through the bed for floating the biscuits across the air bed between an upper inlet end and lower outlet end of the air bed, directing the biscuits towards a narrowed neck at the outlet end of the bed, aligning the biscuits into a preset number of ordered rows of biscuits within the neck and discharging the biscuits from the neck in said ordered rows, delivering the biscuits into associated troughs for feeding the biscuits in the troughs to a stacking machine, each trough being inclined downwardly between an inlet end and outlet end of the trough, vibrating - 2 the trough to advance biscuits in the trough between the inlet and the outlet, advancing a loading arm over a pair of spaced-apart biscuit support arms mounted at an outlet end of the trough, retracting the loading arm for guiding a preselected number of biscuits from the trough onto the support arms, engaging a stop with the leading biscuit at an outlet end of the trough, lowering and opening the support arms to discharge the stack of biscuits onto a conveyor for delivering the stack of biscuits to a wrapping station, wrapping each stack of biscuits to form biscuit packs at the wrapping station, weighing each biscuit pack, rejecting outsize biscuit 15 packs and delivering biscuit packs of the desired weight to a packing station.

In one embodiment the process includes the step of inverting the biscuits upstream of the troughs by delivering each biscuit down an inclined turning chute, engaging an underside of the biscuit at one side of the biscuit with a turning flange as it is entering the chute, advancing the biscuit fully onto the turning flange, toppling the biscuit sideways off the turning flange onto a curved guide at an opposite side of the chute for smoothly inverting the biscuit.

In another embodiment the process includes the step of directing each weighed pack of biscuits against a stop downstream of the weighing station, said stop being operatively connected to a controller for the weighing station, controlling positioning of the stop between an extended position for directing acceptable biscuit packs - 3 to the packing station and a retracted position for delivering packs to a reject bin.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view of streaming apparatus for handling cookies according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic elevational view of packaging apparatus for packaging cookies according to the process of the invention; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of an air bed for forming portion of the streaming apparatus; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of another portion of the streaming apparatus; Fig. 5 is a front perspective view of shindling apparatus used in the process; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of biscuit turning apparatus used in the process; Fig. 7 is a detail side elevational view of portion of the shindling apparatus; Fig. 8 is a detail side elevational view of biscuit stacking apparatus used in the process; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing the apparatus in another position of use; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a weighing station used in the process; and Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of a packing station used in the process.

Referring to the drawings an improved biscuit handling process and apparatus according to the invention will be described.

Referring to Fig. 1 biscuits are carried on a delivery conveyor 10 to a streaming station 12 . A discharge end 14 of the conveyor 10 is retractable over a discharge chute 15 for discharging biscuits into a collecting bin 16 if desired, for example due to a malfunction downstream.

At the streaming station 12 the biscuits are passed over an inclined air bed 17 which is shown in more detail in Fig. 3. The air bed 17 has a perforated upper surface 18 with openings up through which an air stream is delivered to float biscuits 20 across the air bed 17 between an upper inlet end and a lower outlet end of the air bed 17. A streaming funnel 22 is mounted over the bed 17 and has side walls 23 which taper inwardly between the inlet end and the outlet end of the bed 17. The side wall 23 terminate in an outlet neck 25 in which opposite sides of the neck 25 are spaced-apart by a distance corresponding to a desired number of rows of biscuits to be formed. Thus upon entering the neck 25 the biscuits are aligned into a preset number of ordered rows of biscuits in. the neck 25 and the biscuits are discharged from the neck 25 in said ordered rows.

Biscuits are discharged from the neck 25 onto a discharge conveyor 26 the speed of which is controlled for maintaining the biscuits 20 backed up to an inlet of the neck 25 as shown in Fig. 3. Thus the correct number of uniform rows of biscuits 20 are delivered into corresponding lanes 1 for feeding to a turning device 32. Three optical sensors 27 are mounted on associated support arms 28 above the neck 25 adjacent an inlet 29 of the neck 25. A further three optical sensors 27 are supported by the arms 28 within the neck 25. These optical sensors 27 are all connected to a controller for controlling the speed of the discharge conveyor 26. Thus if biscuits are detected by the upstream sensors 27 the discharge conveyor is increased in speed to cope with the flow of biscuits to the neck 27. Should the downstream sensors 27 not detect the presence of biscuits within the neck 25 then the discharge conveyor 26 is slowed down to maintain the biscuits backed up within the neck 25.

At the turning device 32 each biscuit 20 is inverted in an inclined turning chute 33. Within the turning chute 33 one side of the biscuit 20 engages with a turning flange 34 at one side of the chute 33 toppling the biscuit 20 off the flange 34 onto a curved guide 35 at an opposite side of the chute 33 for smoothly inverting the biscuit 20 as shown in Fig. 6.

Inverted biscuits 20 are delivered on a transfer conveyor 37 into associated troughs 38. At an outlet end of the transfer conveyor 37 a spinning roller 39 ejects each biscuit 20 into an associated trough 38 shindling or overlapping a number of the biscuits 20 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. A vibrator (not shown) is connected to each trough 38 for vibrating the trough 38 for feeding the biscuits 20 along the trough 38 to a stacker 40. The trough 38 is also inclined downwardly towards the stacker 40 to assist progress of the biscuits 20 along the trough 38.

The stacker 40 has a pair of spaced-apart biscuit collecting arms 41 associated with and in alignment with each trough 38 and mounted at an outlet end of the trough 38. A retractable stop 42 retains the biscuits 20 at an outlet end of the trough 38. A loading arm 43 is movable forwardly in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 9) to engage a leading biscuit 20 in the trough 38. The stop 42 is retracted upwardly and the loading arm 43 reverses to smoothly guide biscuits from the trough 38 onto the support arms 41. With the arm 43 fully retracted as shown in Fig. 8 the stop 42 is lowered to retain the biscuits 20 in the trough 38. Thus a preselected number of biscuits 20 are stacked on the arms 41. The travel of the arm 43 can be adjusted to select a number of biscuits 20 stacked on the arms 41. Once the arms 41 have been loaded they are then lowered and moved apart to drop the stack of biscuits onto a conveyor 45 for delivery to a wrapping station 46.

In the wrapping station 46 a cover is drawn about the stack of biscuits 20 and sealed along a side edge and sealed at each end to form a pack 48 of biscuits. Each pack 48 of biscuits is then delivered to a weigher 50 which checks the weight of the pack 48 of biscuits.

Biscuits packs 48 are discharged from the weigher 50 onto a conveyor bend 52 in which the packs are turned from an axial feed orientation into a sideways feed orientation as shown in Fig. 10. As the pack 48 is discharged from the weigher 50 it is discharged against a retaining arm 54. The retaining arm 54 is operable by means of an associated ram 55 for movement between an extended position as shown in Fig. 10 guarding an entrance to a reject bin 56. The ram 55 is operatively connected to the weigher 50 so if any outsize pack is weighed on the weigher 50 the arm 54 is retracted for rejection of the pack 48 into the reject bin 56. To facilitate rapid ejection into the bin 56 an air jet 58 is positioned above the conveyor 52, the air jet 58 turning on as the arm 54 retracts to blow the pack 48 off the conveyor 52 into the bin 56.

The packs 48 are then delivered to a loading station 60 having a pack conveyor 61 located directly above a box conveyor 62. A box loading shelf 63 is provided along side the box conveyor 62 so that packs 48 may be loaded in an associated box 64 which when loaded is simply pushed inwardly onto the box conveyor 62 for delivery through box taping and palletising stations 65.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (5)

1. A biscuit handling process, comprising the steps: feeding a plurality of biscuits to a streaming station, delivering the biscuits onto an upper end of an inclined air bed at the streaming station, directing an air stream up through the bed for floating the biscuits across the air bed between an upper inlet end and lower outlet end of the air bed, directing the biscuits towards a narrowed neck at the outlet end of the bed, aligning the biscuits into a preset number of ordered rows of biscuits within the neck and discharging the biscuits from the neck in said ordered rows, delivering the biscuits into associated troughs for feeding the biscuits in the troughs to a stacking machine, each trough being inclined downwardly between an inlet end and outlet end of the trough, vibrating the trough to advance biscuits in the trough between the inlet and the outlet, advancing a loading arm over a pair of spacedapart biscuit support arms mounted at an outlet end of the trough, retracting the loading arm for guiding a preselected number of biscuits from the trough onto the support arms, engaging a stop with the leading biscuit at an outlet end of the trough, lowering and opening the support arms to discharge the stack of biscuits onto a conveyor for delivering the stack of biscuits to a wrapping station, wrapping each stack of biscuits to form biscuit packs at the wrapping station, weighing each biscuit pack, rejecting outsize biscuit packs and delivering biscuit packs of the 5 desired weight to a packing station.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 which includes the step of inverting the biscuits upstream of the troughs by delivering each biscuit down an inclined turning chute, engaging an underside of the biscuit 10 at one side of the biscuit with a turning flange as it is entering the chute, advancing the biscuit fully onto the turning flange, toppling the biscuit sideways off the turning flange onto a curved guide at an opposite side of the chute for smoothly 15 inverting the biscuit.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 which includes the step of directing each weighed pack of biscuits against a stop downstream of the weighing station, said stop being operatively connected to a controller 20 for the weighing station, controlling positioning of the stop between an extended position for directing acceptable biscuit packs to the packing station and a retracted position for delivering packs to a reject bin. 25

4. A biscuit handling process substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. Packs of biscuits whenever produced according to the process as claimed in any proceeding claim.