JPS63272628A - Method and device for preserving article - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preserving articles, particularly food products.

Food products and other items are often packaged in bags made of thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene; It is connected to a vacuum source in order to release as much air as possible removed from the articles contained therein. However, in such a method, during the air release process, the bag wall is strongly pressed against the article due to atmospheric pressure, so that in many cases the article is damaged or damaged to an undesirable degree.
Or, it has a big disadvantage that it will be compressed.

Other methods adopted to prevent this risk of damage include non-sealable bags with deformable walls;
Or containers, or containers with rigid walls in which articles are stored.

In this case, the container together with the article is stored in a chamber with walls capable of withstanding atmospheric pressure, said chamber being connected to a vacuum source, the atmospheric pressure being predetermined based on the characteristics of the article to be stored. The pressure is reduced to the same level as the previous one. During the air release process, the same pressure is maintained in the unsealed container and in the chamber. As a result, the contents within the container are not compressed and are therefore not damaged. If the pressure inside the chamber and the container is reduced to a predetermined level based on the characteristics of the article to be stored, the storage gas is It is possible to flow into When the pressure within the chamber reaches atmospheric pressure, the chamber is opened and the container is sealed.

By the above method, the article can be prevented from being damaged by pressure. However, the equipment required to implement this method is expensive.

As a result, the economics of the method are largely valid for preserving bulk items with similar packaging requirements. Yet another drawback is that most of the storage gas injected into the chamber does not enter the container and is therefore wasted. The method is also slow. This is because large chambers capable of accommodating the large number of containers that are useful from a commercial standpoint must be relatively large and are slow to release air.

Yet another known method involves placing the article in a container with airtight walls and inserting a hollow probe through the wall. Most of the air is
The container is vented and a storage gas is injected in its place. The probe is then removed and the hole created by the probe insertion is sealed. This method cannot be used for packaging food items or other items contained in plastic-coated trays or containers with semi-rigid walls. This is because during the air release process, the container is crushed by atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, by removing the probe, the contents within the container will be exposed to the atmosphere before it is sealed.

Yet another drawback of the method is that it is not easy to have sufficient control over the exact formulation of the storage gas. Storage gases are often nitrogen, oxygen,
and carbon dioxide gas. however,
The exact amount of mixture used as the preservation gas is based on a specific range that takes into account the characteristics of the food product to be preserved. As a result, if the characteristics or shape of the food product to be preserved differs, a need arises for the composition of the gas to be varied.

The present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus by which articles can be packaged more effectively than has hitherto been possible by the prior art.

Accordingly, the present invention involves housing an article in a container connected to a storage gas source and a vacuum source, and subjecting the article to multiple pulse operations, thereby releasing a small amount of air from the container during each operation. The method is characterized in that the container is hermetically sealed after the gas is replaced by a preservation gas.

Further, the invention comprises an opening communicating through a valve arrangement with a storage gas source and a vacuum source, a pulse counter arrangement regulating the operation of the valve arrangement, and means for sealing the container. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for effectively implementing the above method characterized by the following.

It goes without saying that this invention is not limited to only what is shown in the drawings, but includes everything that is within the scope of the technical concept of this invention.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the preservation method according to the embodiment (1) of the present invention for the purpose of preserving fruits.

In the figure, one-third of the tray (1) contains fruit (2) and is partially sealed with a lid (3).

Both the lid and the tray are made of thermoplastic sheet, such as polyvinylene diacolloide. The tray (1) comprises an extended flange (4) having an opening (6) communicating with the interior of the tray (1) via a channel (not shown) in the flange. It forms part of the valve (5). The upper surface of the extension flange is located below the head of the heater (7) and above the solenoid plunger (8) disposed within the heat sealer (9). The rim (10) of the heat sealer (9) is arranged below the heater nip (11), which nip is in airtight abutment with the extended flange (4). Therefore, the interior of the tray (1) is connected via a valve (5) to the heat sealer (9), which is connected via a conduit (12) via a valve (13). , in this example a cylinder (14) containing carbon dioxide gas. Said conduit (12) is also connected to a vacuum pump (16) as a diagram variant which is electrically operated via a valve (15).
) is connected to. The valves (13) and (15) both operate through a pulse counter device f (1B),
A timer (
17) Connected. Said timer (17) determines the length of time during each cycle operation during which any of the valves (13), (15) is opened, i.e. air is released from the tray or gas is injected into the tray. determine the length of the period between Pulse counter device (18)
This is to confirm that after an arbitrary number of cycles is set, when the number of cycles is reached, the valve in operation is closed and the sealing mechanism is operated. The pulse is
It consists of one cycle of operation, during which a small amount of air, or a mixture of air and storage gas, in the container is released from the container and replaced by the storage gas.

For the purpose of carrying out the method, the fruit is placed in a tray (1) and a lid (3) is sealed onto the flange of said tray by means of a conventional lid mechanism. The extension flange (4) is clamped by a nip (11) formed at the bottom of the heater (7). Timer (17) and pulse counter device (1
8) means that the valve (15) is opened and the pump (17) is opened.
) is adjusted so that approximately 10% of air is released during each cycle when the tray begins to release air. Initially, there is a slight vacuum in the tray, but this does not result in any substantial or permanent deformation of the tray walls. At this stage, the valve (15) is closed in order to inject a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide gas to replace the amount of air released.
Valve (13) is opened.

Then the valve (13) is closed, the valve (15) is opened again and the cycle is carried out according to the set number.
The pulse counter device is repeated until it confirms that both valves are closed, and activates the solenoid plunger (8) which raises and further presses the valve (5) against the head of the heater (7). Fusing the valve (5) to the extended flange (4) closes the opening (6) and effectively seals the tray without exposing the contents within the tray to the atmosphere.

Timer (17) and pulse counter device (18)
The functions of the system are interconnected. Thus, the atmosphere within the container can be varied by a predetermined amount either by varying the number of pulses or by varying the time each valve is activated, which is determined by the timer.

It is of course a significant problem that the valve (15) remains open for such a long time that the container, or the articles within the container, may be damaged by the atmospheric pressure due to an excessive pressure drop within the container. . Generally speaking, the timer and pulse counter device settings are adjusted so that the amount of air released from the container is equal to the amount of storage gas injected into the container.

However, under certain circumstances, the provision is necessary such that a small amount of negative or positive pressure remains in the container after the completion of the operating cycle. In many cases, 5
It is desirable to allow ~15%, preferably around 10%, of the air to be safely released from the container. Prior to this release process, a timer and a pulse counter device initially increase the pressure within the container to inflate the walls of the container and convert the air released from the article into a storage gas. It is preferable to program it in advance so that it can be replaced with

Based on said percentage and knowledge of the composition of the gas required in the container at the final stage of the process, as well as the effective quantity in the container partially containing the article, The number of pulses can be calculated. Optionally, a number of modification experiments can be performed to determine the specifications for the calculations, timers, and pulse counter devices for each size of container.

It has been found that up to 3 to 12 pulses each having a duration of approximately 1 second give very good results in the case of trays used for retail purposes of food products and small containers such as bags. . Since the container is sealed before being separated from the closure, the contents of the bag are not at risk of being exposed to the atmosphere before the bag is sealed. Furthermore, since the sealing operation is performed almost immediately after the final pulse, the entire process of air exchange and sealing can be completed very quickly, often within 10 seconds.

A variety of containers can be used, including bags with flexible walls made of thermoplastics, and rigid or semi-rigid trays made of materials such as cellulose, polyamide, polypropylene, and polyester. , box, or drum is preferred.

For example, containers made of water-permeable materials such as cardboard may also be used if the containers incorporate an airtight backing. Preferably, the container is provided with a valve in the form of a tube or other opening that facilitates sealing of the container upon completion of the process.

Various types of vacuum pumps can be used, but these pumps do not use oil to operate; for example,
A diaphragm pump is preferred if, as is usually the case, oxygen-containing gas is released from the container. Figure 1 shows vacuum,
Although separate valves are shown for regulating the storage gas and storage gas, a single combination valve can also be used.

The method and device according to this embodiment enable the packaging and preservation of a wide range of products, and can be used with a variety of storage gases, but for the purposes of this invention, To exchange part of the air,
Also, gases or other vapors that have a preservation purpose for packaged articles are preservation gases. Thus, partial exchange of the air using argon or dinitrogen oxide may sometimes be carried out to preserve the freshness of various food items. However, in such a case, it is preferable to replace the air in the container with nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon dioxide gas, which is normally contained in the atmosphere.

For example, as a storage gas, carbon dioxide gas is 25-100%
, 20 to 80% nitrogen, and 10 to 40% oxygen.

If the article consists of electrical or electronic components,
As a storage gas, remove acidity and moisture,
It may be purified ordinary air. The method according to the invention utilizes a mixture of ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide,
It can also be used to sterilize medical instruments and articles. In either case, the preservation gas can be used very economically and can be packaged without damaging the article or the container in which it is packaged, and furthermore, the method according to the invention With relatively inexpensive equipment, rapid and effective effects can be expected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method and apparatus for effectively preserving fruit as an embodiment of the present invention. In the diagram, 1... Tray 2... Fruit 3... Lid 4.
...Extension 7 landing 5...Valve 6...Open lower...Heater 8...Solenoid plunger 9...Heating sealer IO...Rim 11...
Heater nip 12... Conduit 13.15... Valve device 14... Cylinder 16 as storage gas source...
Vacuum pump as a vacuum source 17...Timer 18...Pulse counter device Applicant F.D.L., Patent attorney representing Project Limited (8838) Hisashi Sogabe, Commissioner of the Patent Office Kunio Ogawa Preservation of items Method, equipment 3, and relationship to the case of the person making the amendment Applicant name: FDL Project Limited 4, Agent: 103 Address: Nihonbashi Kabutocho Building, 1986, 18-5 Nihonbashi Kabutocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo September 22, 2016 6, subject to amendment

Claims (1)

[Claims] [1] Cylinder (14) as a gas source for preserving the article
, and a vacuum pump (16) as a vacuum source, the article is subjected to a plurality of pulse operations, whereby during each pulse a small amount of air is released from said container, and A method for preserving an article, characterized in that the container is sealed after being replaced with a preservation gas. [2] A method for storing an article according to claim 1, characterized in that between 5% and 15% of the air in the container is released during each pulse. [3] A method for preserving an article according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the article is operated with 3 to 12 pulses. [4] A method for storing an article according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the container is heat-sealed after the final pulse is completed. [5] Claim 1, wherein the container is inflated before performing the pulse operation.
A method for preserving the article according to item 1, 2, or 4. [6] An opening (6) connected to a storage gas source (14) and a vacuum source (16) through valve devices (5), (13), and (15), and regulating the operation of the valve device. An apparatus for storing articles, comprising a pulse counter device (18) for sealing the container, and a heat sealer (9) for sealing the container. [7] The valve devices (5), (13), (15) include:
Device for storing articles according to claim 6, characterized in that it is also regulated by a timer (17). [8] The apparatus for storing articles according to claim 6 or 7, wherein each of the valve devices is separately arranged. [9] The device for storing articles according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the opening (6) in the container is connected to each of the valve devices of the container. . [10] An apparatus for storing articles according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that a heat sealer (9) is provided. [11] The apparatus for preserving articles according to claim 10, wherein the heat sealer is operatively connected to the pulse counter device (18).