US2317470A - Food canning - Google Patents

Description

April 27, 1943. c, MARX 2,317,470

FOOD CANNING INVENTOR.

Freclericli GMar-z Patented Apr. 27, 1943 smiths This invention relates-Etc the healthier 1 canning of foods and, is particularly concerned with means adapted for use in '{connectionswith can-heading machinery known as seamers, that is, machines in which each of a' series; of cans is carried into juxtaposition with alid which is thereupon sealed ,by ias -itable curling operaf tion to the topof the ce V v .t v

This invention concerns itself with means,- operative during the passage of the filled .cans to the lid-applyingportion ofthe machinaduring which interval, according to this invention; each can is operated upon; in the'top. portiom-by a jet of steam under pressure whereby'the air and gases are expelled from the. can andthe :food therein whereby an increased vacuum within the;

can is provided.

An object of the invention is to provide steam injection means of this characterzwhich may be selectively controlled, bothflas to quantity of .steam and'pressure, in orderutoflmeet the re 1' quirements of various types of canning.

A further object of the invention is tdre tard the formation of the s0-ca11ed hydrogen' shelves as in stores.

Another object is the provision of nieansfac- F complishing the results'described, which m'eans are simple and eflicient and may be applied toexaccompanying drawings in which:

means described herein and illustrated in the Fig. 1 is an'elevational view of'a s'ean'ier't'o which the invention has been applied; 'part's be ing broken away.

Fig.2 is a .plan view of the table portion of a the seamer with the inventionin place thereon; I Fig.8 is a cross-sectional'viewontheline'li -3 of F1312.

As suggested above,

one of the di fiilculties en counteredin vcanned foods is the losses resulting from so-called flippers, springers "or ffhi d'roen swells formed on cans as the result of the pressure of gases within, such swells renderingthe cans-oi, ioodunmarketable. These swells are especially noticeable in cans containing food having marked acid and color characteristics such as prunes, berriesncarrots, the juices of grapes, prunes, etc. Th'epfesent invena ln'accordance wlth wenikricwii h I I filled but'unliddedlcans are adapted tofb'e frn oved ing'assembly for the can lift i8 is housed o adjacent side of the seamer, 'i'ns'tlie'lo w thereohas'shown at '59." ilt 'willfhe undtil'SuQQd that the an, art it is, in its low iedflposition; the same level as the canhotto'rns atjthe tirne tats-la Marie," CincinnatifOhibQ assi ns t of the cans during 1 passage 'of the latter to the seaming operation; the spent steam and expelled: air and :gases: heing carried off-through snita hle exhausts; L-i

A seamer of the :kind-adapte'd'tohave theip'resf ent invention applied thereto maycom'prise a base 5 supporting" a 'stan'dardjft which; in 'turn supports a tab1e 1,*and,-spaced well above-"thisf v a shelf 8; .The"standardfigimits upper portion; j has a suitable vertical drive shaft'inou-hted there on (not' shown) and'qfro'm' this":drivefshaft, v through a suitable gear arrangement; a horizontal drive shaft 9 extends to a 'later'al' portion'o'f" fthe imachine where its power is "transmitted through suitable' chain and sprocket xneansifto' other movingparts=of -themachine; as'will-be r further le'feireditb.

over the -table 1 in spaced succession to the lid-' applying operation; Forthusrnoving the cansj' therexisiprovided aflstar wheelgindicated git-l0 ;-(Fig: 3) -mounted on the-table L a at 'll'iiiFigg "-2) and associated in drive relationship, by 'm'eans 1 whichneed' not be detailed; with the horizontal- 1 drive-shaft 9. The cans areintroduc edupon the I tablelli-at about the point indicated at |2vinfFig. 2. The -star wheel rotates in the directionji'ndi "-cated .by the arrows (Fig., -2 )':"and" each arm "thereof carries one of the cans in a curvilinear .path around to the opposite side" of 'thetablel fv j Suitable guide means; includingtheoutei' ji3 (Fig-. 3) and the'inner guideSL 'maintaiHthe p *cans in proper alignment during 'me emje'nme the seaming "operationi- After being carried to the opposite'side of the-table by the star wheel," as mentioned, each can" is then 'en'gagedby' one 1 ,7 "of th'ejtfinger'sgl d attached toasprock'et chain 55 p the upper reachflfi of which extends'towardthe" 7 rear of the seamer. Guide-rails" n hold the cans in alignment during movement' by the. eha'irilS andthereafter the cans are glepositedion'e'iat time, uponajcan lift i8 (Fig; l}.

each can 'is' deposited"thereon; Immediately thereafterthe can i's lifted up to juxtaposition with a or'cover which is thereupon applied 5 to thecan, in awell known manner, by theseamto which repeatedly?- injected into the tops a id lng assembly positioned within the housing 20. The can lift I3 is immediately lowered and the seamed can is replaced by the succeeding can and .the operation repeated, the seamed cans being ejected from the seamer as at 2|.v It may be remarked here that the movement of individual lids from the bottom of a stack 22 into alignment with the individual cans, is effected by a suitable lever (not shown) operated from a horizontal shaft 23 which, at its outer end, is provided with a sprocket 24 over which the chain I9 passes. It may be further pointed out that the vertical mounting shaft ll of the star wheel has suitable connection with a horizontal shaft 25 (Fig. 1) extending to the side of the seamer and there provided with a sprocket 23 which is engaged by the chain l5. From thence the chain extends upwardly and passes over a sprocket 21 secured to a stud shaft 23.

The foregoing description willgive sufllcient mechanical background for the invention here under consideration. This comprises a curved plate 29 positioned above and corresponding-with the pathway of the cans being carried by the star wheel. The plate 29 is formed along the center longitudinal line with an inverted channel 30 and along-each edge thereof with enlarged segments 3| and 32 provided with interior passages 33 and 34. These passages are connected at intervals with the under face of the plate 29 by small ports 35.

The under face of the plate 29 and the channel 30 are covered by a contact plate 36 which at specified intervals is formed with perforations 31 communicating with the interior of channel 33. I

The plate 23 is supported by the shelf 3 and table 1. For this purpose, one end of the plate {9 is secured as at 38 to the shelf. Further support is afforded the plate by means of an arm 39 secured to the shelf 8. Similar support arms 4| and 42 are secured as at 43 and 44 to the table 1. In Fig. 3 it will be seen that these arms are connected, as at 430, with suitable bosses 440 formed on the enlarged segments 31 and 32 of the plate 29. It .will be seen in Fig. 2 that the outer end of the piate29 is curled upwardly as at 45 to obviate interference with cans entering therebeneath.

A terminus plate 46 (Fig. 2) extending above the final straight portion of the can guideway has its end connected as at 41 with the end of the curved plate 29. A support arm 460 extends from shelf 8 to plate 46. Said terminus plate has a channel 43 which corresponds and connects with the centralin'verted channel 39 of the plate 29. The terminus plate 46 is also formed with an enlarged outer edge section 49 through which extends a passage 50 corresponding and connecting with the passage 33 of said plate 29. The passage 50, similarly, is provided with outlet ports and the channel 48, opening on the underside of the plate 46, is covered by a plate member similar to the member 36 (Fig. 3) of the large curved plate 29 and provided with a similar perforation 53 (Fig. 2).

. The sides of the can passage are formed by apron members 54 (Fig. 3) depending from and attached to the underside of the plate 29 so that the can passage is substantially enclosed.

Steam under pressure is projected into the central inverted channel 30 of the curved plate 29 and the corresponding channel 48 of the terminus plate 46, and the steam is injected into the imp portion of each can during the passage of the latter past each of the perforations 31 and 33 of the said plates. The means for accomplishing this result will now be described.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a closed steam box or chamber 53 suitably supported at the side of the seamer. This steam box is divided interiorly into an upper and lower compartment by a partition 33 and this partition is provided with a valve seat within which the head of a poppet valve 31 seats. Steam under pressure, from a suitable supply, is introduced into the lower compartment of the steam box through a conduit 5|. The upper compartment of the steam box is con nected by a tube 39 with the interior of the inverted channels 30 and 43 of the plates 29 and 48. g

The lower end of the poppet valve 51 projects below the steam box and is there acted upon by a cam 90 (Fig. i) secured to the outer end of the shaft 24 and so arranged as to actuate the valve 31. This actuation is synchronized with the cans traveling through the guideway in such fashion that steam is ejected through the perforations 31 and 33 just as the cans are passing beneath these perforations. It may be remarked in this connection, in Fig. 3, that the clearance between the top edge of the cans (one of which is indicated at BI) and the plate immediately thereabove is only sufficient to preclude the danger of interference with the movement of the cans through the guideway. The injection of steam into the tops of the cans from the perforations 31 and 33 is effected, therefore, with very little loss of pressure and contents of the cans. The injected steam, as has already been suggested, results in driving out air and gases from above or around the food in the can, which result is added to each time the can passes beneath one of the steam jets.

A final blast of steam is injected into each can immediately prior to the actual seaming operation, that is, just before the can becomes positioned upon the can lift I3. For this purpose the end of the inverted channel 43 (Fig. 2) of the plate 46 has connected thereto and communicating therewith a tube 82 which, at its opposite end as at 63 (Fig. l), is directed toward the interior of the last can in the guideway for delivering the final blast of steam referred to. In Fig. l a can indicated at 84 is about to be carried beneath the ejection end 83 of the tube 32. It 'will further be seen that can 34 is traveling past suitable guide-rails 65 provided at the side of the can passage at this interval.

The spent steam and air ejected from the cans is carried oii'through the passages 33, 34 and 30 of the plates-29 and 48, being introduced into these passages through the small ports 33 and II. The said passages 33 and 34 are connected by branch tube 88 (Fig. 1) with a main exhaust tube 61 and this latter is associated at its outer end with suitable negative pressure or suction means (not shown).

The plates 29 and 43 may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly to accommodate cans of different heights by adjustment means such as indicated at 31 and 33 (Fig. 3)..

The cam 69 is operative on the poppet valve for an interval sufficient to effect the injection of steam into each can during' the whole period of the latters passage beneath the perforations 31 and 53. For varying the interval during which the steam jets are operative, the cam 60 may be replaced with others of selected sizes to procure thedesirecl open interval of the poppet valve 51,

The application of the means of this invention to various types of seamers is a matter of simple mechanical expedients.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a seamer adapted to seal lids on filled cans of food, the seamer comprising a carrier for moving a series of cans to the sealing mechanism, of a steam injector posiseal lids on filled cans of food, the seamer comprising a carrier for moving a series of cans to the sealing mechanism, of a covering plate positioned directly above the cans and formed with a passage communicating with the under surface or the plate, means for injecting steam through said passage into the top of each can as the. 1atter passes therebeneath for driving out-air and gases from the cans and for providing thereby an increased vacuum in the sealed cans, and means synchronized with the movement of the cans for actuating the steam blast during complete movement of the can therebeneath.

3. The combination with a seamer adapted to seal lids on filled cans of food, the seamer com- 10 prising a carrier for moving a series of cans to the sealing mechanism, of a covering plate positioned directly above the cans and formed with a passage communicating with the under surface of the plate, means for injecting steam through 15 said passage into the top of each can as the latter passes therebeneath for driving out air and gases from the cans and for providing thereby an increased vacuum in the sealed cans, and means synchronized with the movement of the 20 cans whereby the steam jets are continued dur-- ing total movement or each can therebeneath.

FREDERICK C. MARX.

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