US1606385A - Ice-cream-packaging machine - Google Patents

Description

C. EfROG-ERS IcE'cREAM PAcKAGING MAG-HIRE:

Filed Dec. 1. 1921 5 sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 9 1926.

A TTORNE Y.

Nov. '9 1926. 1,606,385

C. E. ROGERS ICE CREAM PAGKAGINGMACHINE Filed Deo. l. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 :l o 1UHUNWHHHIWImu A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,385

' C. E. ROGERS ICE CREAM PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Deo. l. 1921 Q Sheets-Sheet .'5

)l m hln' A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,385

C. E. ROGERS ICE CREAM PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Deo. 1, 1921 5 Shezats-Sheet 5 l l' llllllmllh'lml m l! llllllllllmlllll A TTORNE Y.

Patented Nov. 9', 1926.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. ROGERS, 0F DETRIT, MICHIGAN.

l roepnaam-PACKAGING MACHINE.

Application led December 1, 1921.` Serial No. 519,056.

This invention relates to ice cream packaging machines, and the object thereof is to `provide amachine of simple and comparatively inexpensive character adapted to fill packages successively with icecream in a plurality of layers and in the package in. which it is sold to the ultimate consumer. A further object of the invention is to provide a packaging machine of the character stated having several containers each having an aperture and the several apertures being in alignment and to provide 1n conjunction therewith a package carrier which consecutively positions packages beneath the aligned apertures to receive ice cream from the containers simultaneously whereby the ice cream is deposited in layers inthe package. A further feature of the invention is involved in providing containers of concentric form, the containers being stationarily mounted 'and means provided consecutively bringing the packages to filling position beneath the apertures. A further feature is in providing a package carrying device adapted to consecutively bring the packages to the filling position with the packages in contact one with the other in the raceway whereby the package itself serves as a stripper and avoiding necessity of use of a valve plate for closing the aperture subsequent to the filling of each package as has `ordinarily been the practice. A further feature of the invention is involved in providing stationary concentric receptacles or containers forthe -ice cream in conjunction with revoluble agitators to thoroughly mix the ice cream in the containers whereby the ice cream is maintained Vin a state of uniform consistency and may readily flow by gravity into the packages as hereinafter more fully pointed out. Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic machine having the concentric containers and each of the containers having two discharge apertures on diametrically opposite sides thereof in alignment withthe apertures of the other containers whereby two series of packages may be subjected to the filling o eration simultaneously. automatic means eing provided for successively bringing the packages 4to filling position and discharging the same from the machine. Another object is to 4provide a machine that will fill receptacles of a quart or pint size indiscriminately without alteration of the machine in any materialway. 'lhese and other objects and the various novel features of construction of an icecream packaging machine embodying my invention are shown in preferred form in the `accompanying drawingsin which- Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of a machine vembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in section showing the containers, agitator devices andrelationship of the package to be filled. tothe aligned discharge apertures ofthe contain- Fig, 5 is a section taken on line 5.-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig.- 6 is a plan view of the mechanism employed in moving the packages in the raceways provided therefor to bring them into filling position.

Fig. 7 is a Side View thereof.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the raceway for the packages showing the means for adjusting the raceway to accommodatev packages of various heights.

Fig. 9 is a Vbottom View showing the aligned apertures of the containers yand glulideways for positioning a receptacle for `l ing.

Fig. 10 is a detail of the agitator arm and foot.

Fig. ll is a perspective view of one type of package or box.

This machine is of a type adapted to package ice cream in a semi-solitil or semi-frozen condition which is the usual constituency at the completion of what is known as the freezing operation previous to the hardening. The cream during the freezing is agitated and is filled with air cells by reason of the agitation and a purpose of this invention is to provide a machine for packaging the cream without loss of volume or in other words to maintain it substantially in the condition in which it is frozen and full of air cells whereby an ice cream of the desired palatablenessland texture is secured. Many attempts have'be'en made to package ice cream by use of pressure but such instances have proven practically failures due to the fact of making too hard a brick. I have therefore provided a machine for taking the ice cream in a semi-frozen condition full of air cells as stated and depositing it by gravity in the receptacles or packages in which it is sold to the ultimate consumer, whereby its cellular structure is practically mainl tained. The ice cream 'is then submitted to the hardening process in the original package and the ice cream is handled automatically from the freezer into the package and is therefore in perfectly sanitary condition and the work is performed am a very materially lessened expense and in a more desirable manner and perfect condition than has heretofore been possible.

Preferably my improved -machine consists of a framework 1 and on this framework is mounted a circular base 2 supported on the upper side of the frame by meansv of rods 3 etc., as indicated particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. This base 2, as is shown particularly in Fig. 4, has the concentric containers 4, 5 and 6 mounted thereon. These containers have sloping side walls 7, 8, 9, 9 and 10 all of which converge at the lower end and the lower edges thereof lying in grooves provided in the base 2. This base 2 on dlametrically opposite sides thereof has three apertures 11, 12 and 13 therein in alignment side by side. The containers, as before stated, are concentric in form but the apertures 11, 12 and 13 have parallel sides and are rectangular in form as will be understood from Figs. 4, 5 and 9 and at the apertures the lower ends of the side walls 7, 8, 9 and 10 are parallel for a short distance to correspond with the parallel walls of the apertures. These aligned apertures on each side of the containers provide discharge apertures through which the semi-Huid ice cream is discharged to the receptacle or package as is hereinafter more fully described.

Within the base as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 is an electric motor 14 which by a gear train 15-16 operates a vertical shaft 17 which extends upward through the upper surface of the table or base centrally of the concentric retainers as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. Attached to the upper end of this shaft is a series of arms 18 depending from which are the bars 19,20 and 21 extending downwardly into each container respectively and terminating in a paddle 22 in each instance. These paddles are preferably of sheet metal and extend atl an angle to the direction of rotation as will be understood from Figs. 3 and 10, the arms 19, 20 or 21 being bent at an angle as shown in Fig. 10 and having attached to the bent end the flexible paddle 22. This Shaft-17 is rotatable and the containers and base member are stationary as heretofore stated. The paddles are used to agitate the material in the containers to maintain it in a state of uniform consistency and-- further to carry the material to the apertures which is particularly necessary as the containers become nearly empty. For this reason the paddles quite closely fit the lower end of the containers to Acarry'the material 4forward of the paddles. Agitation of the. ice cream in the containers is required for ,the following reason. The material discharged into the containers (in a manner hereinafter stated) is in semi-solid or frozen condition and as this packaging device is in a room Whose temperature is higher than that of the semifrozen ice cream, the ice cream at the surface in contact with the container walls tends to melt to a greater or less extent leaving the central portion of the cream in the containers in a harder condition. agitation the harder and softer portions of the ice cream are thoroughly mixed so that the mass is of uniform consistency throughout and will therefore flow from the apertures of the res ective containers in a uniform manner without clogging. The apertures being all of the same size the flow from one of the containers will be the same as from either of the others and this result is attained largely by reason of maintaining the ice cream of uniform consistency in each of the containers.

As will be-seen particularly from Figs. 2, 3 and 6 there are two raceways 23 and 24 for the packages to be filled. These raceways as here shown may be formed of two parallel strips and 26 of angle iron form in cross section being-slightly greater in width than the width of the boxes traveling therein. Preferably these boxes are of paraliined cardboard type and rectangular 1n form, the upper surface of which is open as indicated in Fig. 1. However, other types of boxes suitable for the purpose may be used, the one here shownv being provided By the with overlapped ends as is common in pracn tice in making paper boxes of this general character. These boxes are made in two sizes for this machinethat is, one holding a quart of ice cream and the other size holding a pint and this machine can be used to fill the pint or quart boxes. Preferably if pint boxes are to be filled at least one-"of the raceways should be providedV with pint boxes, no particular adjustment being required to adapt the machine for filling the quart or pint sizes. It is only necessary for the operator to place the boxes on the raceway forward of an actuator member 27 reciprocable in each of the raceways 23 or 24. The form of these actuators is clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and these members 27 are actuated by a cam 28 on the shaft 17. This cam enga-ges a roller 29 on a sliding block 30 riding in bearings or ways 31 supported on the upper surface of the base 1 as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 7. The cam is provided with a groove 32 on one portion thereof in which the roller engages as will be understood from Fig. 6 and rotation of the cam in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 6 from the position there shown draws the block 30 to the right and as the roller llli passes out of this grooved part 32, the edge of the cam 33 then forces the roller t0 the left. It is to be noted that from the high point marked 33 in Fig. 6 to the diametrically opposite high point engaging the roller, the roller would be held for practically half the revolution of the cam practically in the position shown in Fig. 6 which holds the followers 27 in their outermost position in the raceways during which period another fpackage or box is placed forward thereo in the runway. This idle period of the followers and the time of operationvof the shaft is such as to give the necessary time period for the material to flow into the box or package that is placed beneath the apertures. The reciprocation of the followers is produced by means of the pivoted levers 34 and 35 for each of the followers respectively. These two levers have the inner ends provided with slots engaging a pin 36 in the block 30 so that reciprocaton of the block oscillates the levers on their pivots. To the outer end of these levers 34 are attached rods 37 and 38 for the respective followers to which they are attached on the under side as shown in Fig. 7. The follower 27 in each case is provided with an apertured boss 39 on the under side and a bracket 40 to which the end of the rod 38 or 37 is secured. This rod in each instance is threaded into a head 41 which is pivoted to the bracket 40 and is also threaded into a similar head 42 at the point of attachment to the lever 34 or 35 and this permits an adjustment of the effective length of the rod or distance between the end of the lever 34 or 35 and the package-engaging face of the follower. The boss .39 rides on a rod 43 carried on brackets in the under side of each raceway. Threaded on this rod-43 is a nutl 44 and lock nut 45 set very close to the limit of movement of the follower box 39 so that no overthrow of the follower may take place. equal to the length of a quart box or two pint boxes and the adjustment of the connecting rod 37 or 38 is to regulate the location of the'stroke and not the length of the stroke. The connection of the rods 37 and 38 to the respective follower and to the respective lever 34 or 35 is a pivotal connection. With the machine in operation it is thus evident that the followershave a continual reciprocal movement with an idle period on what I have termed the back stroke at which point an additional box is laced in the raceway forward of the folower. Preferably I use in conjunction with the follower what I have termed an adaptor 46 which is merely a late extending. when in position. forward of the face of the follower and having an arm extending lbackward as will be understood in Fig. 7 and pivoted at 47 to the follower. V This adaptor The throw of the cam 28 isplate 46 therefore may be turned downward forward of the face of the follower or turned backward out of position. The purpose of this adaptor is to permit use of quart oxes which are of a certain length over all or use of pint boxes which together are somewhat greater in length than a quart box so that two pint boxes may be used with the machine and then without further adjustment, except the positioning of the adaptor plate forward of the follower, a quart box may be used with the same stroke. The strokes being equal to the length of the box `and the raceway being full as indicated in Fig. 1,' the boxes are brought consecutively to the filling apertures on each side of the containers by the two followers and during the return movement of the follower and the idle period of the cam a box is permitted to fill by gravity from the containers and on the next stroke is moved forward and an empty box takes its place. The boxes lie in contact end to end as is indicated and by this arrangement I am able to dispense with a valve plate at the aperture as the boxes are held closely in contact with the periphery of the aperture and as4 they are tilled and moved forward from the aperture the ice cream is severed at the aperture by the movement of the box. As the movement of the box is quite rapid, a succeeding box is placed with sutlicient quickness to prevent any commingling of the colors of ice cream flowing from the several containers.

In order that the boxes may have the upper open end held closely in contact with the periphery of the aperture as stated and be properly positioned relative to the aligned apertures. I have provided on the under surface of the base at each of the' apertures, guide bars 48 and 49 having outwardly fiared ends 50 as shown in Fig. 9 to guide the box in its movement along the raccway to registration with the closed apertures. As the follower is set to move just the length of a box each operation is brought to cor` rect lling position the after movement of the follower and the ice cream from the several containers flows through the respective aperture 11, 12 and 13 uniformly and at the same rate of speed and instant of time so that the cream if it be of different colors and character flows into the box side by side without necessity of use of dividing plate or form to maintain the different colored creams separate until the deposition is cornpleted. In practice I have found the ice cream to flow through apertures of this character in practically perfectly uniform manner with the differently colored ice cream lying in layers in parallel relation. the line between the layers being -practically a perfectly straight line with a hardly noticeable tendency of the layers at the bottom of the box to depart from such straight line so that the brick formed by this apparatus has the different colors more clearly defined and without intermingling at the point of contact than is possible with any of the methods heretofore in use except where a form or dividing plates are used to maintain the several colors separate during the deposition.

I have thus by the structure described been able to dispense with the dividing plates that have heretofore been used in apparatus for this purpose for maintaining the ice cream discharging from the several containers separate during the deposition thereof as for instance as is used in apparatus shown in between the ends of the apertures 11, 12 and. '13 as shown particularly in Fig. 9. This bar is set into a notch provided in the lower face of the base 2 and the lower face of the dlviding walls between the apertures 12 and A apertures 11 and 13. The inner bent end 52 of this bar may be inserted in a notch in the inner face of the outer wall of the aperture 13 as shown in Fig. 4. The guide bars 48,'

which preferably are secured to the bottom of the base at each of the two series of apertures, will maintain the bar in position. This bar is suiiicientl wide to cover the interstice between the ends of the two pint boxes, the purpose being to prevent the ice cream from seeping into the space between the box ends.

This bar need not be removed during the filling of quart boxes as it does not interfere in any way with the lling of a quart box and in fact it is not really necessary in the filling of the pint boxes, its only purpose being to prevent material iowing in between the boxes of the pint size.

Boxes for this purpose may vary 4to a greater 0r less extent in vertical height and for this reason I have provided the raceway, at a point beneath each of the apertures, with an adjusting plate 60 as indicated vmore particularly in Figs. 1 and 8 andlthis plate 1s practically coextensive with the horizontal portion of the raceway on which the boxes ride. The forward end of the plate is slight- 1y rounded as indicated-at 61 so that if the plate is a little high relative `to the bottom of the raceway the box will readily ride up onto the plate and the upper edge of the box will ride into close lcontact with the base 2 at the aperture practically sealing the box as it comes to registration with the aperture and preventing aA discharge of the ice" cream to the outside of the box. This plate i is made adjustable by the two threaded studs 62 extending downward into a bar 63 se' cured to the raceway at opposite ends. .The sides of the raceways extend the full length of the raceway.' These sides, as indicated at 64, are broken away in Fig. 8 to more clearly show the adjusting plate which provides the The ice cream may be delivered into these concentrlc containers 1n any approved manner, one meansbeing shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consisting of a multiple compartment box having the three compartments 76, 77 and 78, the lower open ends of which are positioned directly over the respective containers 4, 5 and 6 and ice cream may be delivered into these compartments directly from the freezers but any approved means may be utilized to discharge the ice cream into the respective containers therefor.

It may therefore be seen that this machine is of simple mechanical construction having stationary concentric containers with a series of apertures in alignment at two points preferablv on oppositesides of the machine,

two raceways'l for the boxes which are los y is concerned and during which period an.

other box is positioned forward of each follower. Upon the next inward movement of each follower the filled box is stripped from beneath the lling a erture and as the boxes move from the mac ine consecutively they are delivered onto a table 90 at the discharge end of the machine. From the table the boxes of ice cream in semi-frozen condition are taken to a hardening room and hardened subse uent to which the packaged ice cream is sol in these original receptacles or boxes to the ultimate consumer. For this purpose as the cream is takenV from the hardening room a. cover of some character is provided for the filled receptacles. With apparatus of this character therefore the ice cream is delivered to the consumer in sanicontaminated as the lling and packaging of the ice cream in the containers in Whiich it is sold to the ultimate consumer avoids all possibility of contamination and further this manner of handling the ice cream lessens the cost due to elimination of labor.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a machine for packaging ice cream or other material in semi-fluid condition, a series of stationary concentric containers each having an laperture in the bottom thereof, the several apertures being in horizontal alignment and continuously open to permit :flow of material therethrough, and an agitating device for each container revoluble about the common axis of the containers to move the material continuously to the apertures.

2. ln a machine for packaging ice cream or other material in a semi-Huid condition, a stationary ring like container having an aperture in the bottom thereof continuously open to permit flow of material therethrough, and an agitator movable therein to continuously agitate the material and move the same to the aperture.

3. In a machine for packing ice cream or other material in a semi-fluid condition, a ring like container having sloping side Walls and a number of apertures in spaced relation in the bottom thereof continuously7 open to permit flow of material therethrough, and an agitator movable in the container to agitate the material and move the same to the apertures. l.

4. lln a machine for packaging ice cream or other material in a semi-fluid condition, a series of stationary concentric containers each formed with sloping side Walls and each having an aperture in the bottom thereof, the several apertures being in alignment horizontally and continuously open to permit flow of material therethrough, an agitating device comprising an arm rotatable on the common axis of the containers, and an agitating member depending from the arm into each container adapted by revolution to move the material to the aperture of its container.

5. In a machine for packaging ice cream or. other material in a semi-fluid condition and in layers comprising a series of stat-ionary concentric containers each provided with an aperture in the bottom, the apertures of the several containers being in alignment horizontally and continuously open to permit lovv of material therethrough, each container having material of a distinguishable character or color, an agitating device adapted to cause material in the several containers to be moved to the apertures to discharge therefrom by gravity simultaneously whereby material is discharged in vertical layers in contact, and a receptacle positioned in sealed relation With the groups of apertures to receive the discharged material.

6. ln a machine for packaging ice cream or other material in a semi-fluid condition, a stationary ring like container provided With a number of apertures in spaced relation in the bottom, said apertures being continuously open to permit a flow of material therethrough, a plurality of agitating de vices revoluble in the container about the axis thereof to agitate the material and to cause the same to be moved to the apertures, and means for moving receptacles in succession step by step to each of the apertures to receive the material as it is discharged.

ln testimony whereof, I sign this speciication.

CHARLES E. ROGERS. p

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