US2840121A

US2840121A - Machine for packing a predetermined weight of bulk products

Info

Publication number: US2840121A
Application number: US391528A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eben H Carruthers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-11-12
Filing date: 1953-11-12
Publication date: 1958-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 1975-06-24

Description

June 24, 1958 E. H. cARRuTHERs 2,840,121

MACHINE FOR PACKING A PREDETERMINED WEIGHT OF- BULK PRODUCTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1953 zal FlG. l

IN V EN TOR.

` BY E 13E/7 A! @maur/fm June 24,.' '1958 E. H. cARRUrHERs 2,840,121

. MACHINE FOR. PACKING A PREDETERMINED 5 WEIGHT OF BULK PRODUCTS Filed Nov.v 12, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 'June 24, 1958 E H. cARRuTHERs- 2,840,121

MACHINE F'oR PACKING A PREDETERMINED WEIGHT oF BULK PRODUCTS Filed Nov. 12, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

99 A /7 F IG. 4 55E/7 #cm/wams #JMA June 24, 1958 E. H. cARRu-rHERs 2,840,121 MACHINE FOR PACKING A PREDETERMINED WEIGHT 0F BULK PRODUCTS Filed NOV. 12, 1953 5 ShSebS-Sheeb 4 IN V EN TOR.

BY 55E/y #c4/www5 June 24, 1958 Filed Nov. 12, 1953 E. H. cARRuTHERs 2,840,121 y MACHINE FOR PACKING A PREDETERMINED WEIGHT 0F BULK PRODUCTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 e e a 4a 4,110 A 5/ 6B l u :,f- .kw-m 'l 55, Y 2J FIG. lo

INVENTOR. BEYBE/y if .mm/mm United States Patent MACHlNE FOR PACKIN G A PREDE'IERMINED WEIGHT F BULK PRODUCTS Eben H. Carruthers, Warrenton, Oreg. Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,528

17 Claims, (Cl. 141-164) My invention relates to a machine for packing a predetermined weight of bulk products. Reference is made to my issued Patent No. 2,601,093, issued June 17, 1952, entitled Method and Machine for Packing a Predetermined Weight of Bulk Products, and to my co-pending application Serial No. 121,172 led October 13, 1949, entitled Machine for Packing a Predetermined Weight of Bulk Products.

While the machine of my invention has been particularly designed for the packing of tuna, it has other uses. It may, for example, be employed in the packing of other species of iish and may be adaptable to the packing of other food products, for example, sauerkraut or spinach. It further may be adapted to the packing of meat products which are packed in bulk or it may have uses in the packing of non-food products which are of a pliable 2,840,121 Patented June 24, 1958 ice " beparticularly set forthin the claims and Willbe apparor deformable character. The invention of the present application discloses improvements in the method andv machine shown in the above mentioned patent and appli-` cation. Y

An object of my invention 'is to provide an improved machine for packing a predetermined Weight of tuna or other bulk product in a container to the end of accomplishing increased production and a saving in labor costs.

Another object of my invention is to-provide improved means for holding the tuna or other product while it is being cut off to container size and weight to enable a I' cleaner and more well dened cutting of be packed.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved mechanism for adjusting the length of cut and hence the product to weight of tuna cut oif for deposit into a container to 'y thereby secure more accurate control of weight.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a machine which exerts a more gentle forming actionV on the tuna than the machines of the above mentioned patent and application to the end that a pack of tuna of improved appearance may be obtained when the tuna being packed is relatively soft or is freshv caught and packed without having been previously frozen as in vthe case of tuna caught within a relatively short distance of the'major tuna packing centers of the west coast.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine for forming whole loins of tuna into a roll of tuna by a relatively gentle forming action and improved means for cutting off the tuna whileit is held on both sides of while the section is rigidly held; and then depositing the .i

cut off section in a container to be filled.

ent from the following description, when taken in con-y nection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the packing machine of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View ofthe machine with the gear housing being shown in 'horizontal section to show the parts. mounted therein; *j Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially on the line 34-3 of Fig. 2 in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional-view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2in'the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 s a detailed view showing the cutoif knife;v

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the ine 6 6 of Fig. 2 vin the direction indicated by the arrows;

positionand showing the chucky closing cam;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 Vwith the forming chuck closed;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on-the line 9`-9 of Fig. 2in the direction indicated by the arrows; and i Fig. 10 is a sectional viewr taken substantially on the line 10-10 of Fig. 2 in Vthe 'direction indicated by. the arrows.

The machine of my invention has been particularly designed for thepacking ofa predetermined weight of tuna in each of successive Vcans or other containers. However, the machine of my invention may be adapted to the packin'gffof otherl materials in bulk such as various kinds of/lish, meatfand certain types vof vegetables, for

, packing to machine packing of tuna. While the method and machine ofthe above mentioned patent and application have met with outstanding commercial success, some diculty has been encountered in the packing of soft Aor fresh fish. i j i' f.

A large proportion of the tuna brought. to-th'e tuna packing centers of thewest coast is caught at a long-distance from the packing centers. Tuna clippers range thousands of miles from their home portsfand may be away at sea for 'many weeks at a time. Under suchconditions the clippers must beprovided with refrigeration equipment to freeze the fish as they are caught. A considerable volume of tunais also imported into this country in a frozen condition, notably fromwlapan. i The flesh of such tunawhen canned afterV thawing and cleaning, is usually/.relatively firm and the tuna loins arecapable of withstanding an appreciable Vforming force exerted upon them.v The machines and method of the above mentioned patent and application are admirably suited toV the packing offsuch relatively rm iish. However, large quantities of tuna, particularly albacore, are caught Within a few hundred miles of ythernajor tuna packing ports on the west coast. This iishisusually not frozen.. and is brought to port in a freshstate. Such fish is usually relatively softand tends -to breakup if the forming forces employedin packing the tuna intocans is too harsh. vThe primary purpose'of this invention is therefore to provide Fig. 7 is a view showing the formingl chuck in larr open ing 13. The motor 14 may Ibe either o fwthe variableV speed or constant speed type.

Thefrn l "ne is `mountedfupony "abase/orbedplate 16. The machiemounting-includes a. pedestal 17 carried by the bedplatie'.'and` anapron 18 preferably integral with the pedestal 17. The gear housing 13 is also supported onthebedplatelti., .n ,1' jgrneioading and emrveyer seeaonrrigs. 1, 2 and 1o) comprises two AVbelts 19"which,fa's shown'in Fig. 10, are arranged in'the` shape ofa V. to` provide-a trough open t the top" intowhich the timaloins may *be loaded or packed.;l Uponreferenceto Fig. n2it`wil1 be observed that this troughis relatively long,fat least sufficient in length toenable at least one persony to stand adjacent the machine and loadthetrough vformed by the belts 19 `with the Aloins'of tuna extending lengthwise of the trough' in overlapping. `relation (seeFig- 2). It is desirable that the trough be substantiallyuniformly loaded with tuna loinsso lthat the' weight of tuna per unit of length of the loading and conveyor section is substantially a constant. Thisaids in `securingmore uniform weightgofpthe slices of tuna cut off in the manner presently to appear. With some practice,` an operator becomes quite proficient in securing approximatelyuniform loading,` the depth of the trough and its cross sectional area serving `to some extentasa visual measuring chamber to guide the oper-` ator.A p d f Y v YThe belts 19 aredriven by a pair of angeddriving (Fig. The `rlha'ft*2`2 projects into a housing 23 and jacent the end of the roll forming section from the brackets 36.

The roll forming section 11 comprises the ybelts 19 and their associated parts, together with belts 41 which form a molding space or tunnel 42 which, as viewed in Fig. l0, is essentially rectangular in cross section. The function of the roll formingk or molding section of the machine is to mold the loins of tuna into a substantially homogeneous mass or roll of tuna which is of substantially constant weight per unit of length. lt will be particularly noted that theforces exerted by the belts 19 and 41 are in a directiontransverse to the length of loins as they appear in Fig; 2. The forming forces are entirely transverse to the lengthwise extent of the loins and parallel to the natural flake or layer structure of theA tuna. Heavy molding forces are avoided vbecause the entire tunnel is moving and only slight slippage of loins occurs with respect to-thebelts. Extensive rubbing of the sides of the loins by contact with the belts is thus maintained at a minimum.

- The belts 4l pass over and are driven by large pulleys Each of the large pulleys 43 is keyed (Fig. l0) to a shaft 47. The shaft 47 is suitably journaled as shown at 48 and extends into a housing 49. A worm wheel 51 is mounted on the end of the shaft within the housing and is driven by a worm 52 keyed to a shaft 53. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2, kthe shafts extend through the housing 49 and are driven in a manner which will presently appear. A i

The casting of which the housing 49 is a part, has an extension 56 which is provided with a pair of slots 57. The slotsfare elongated inr a direction such as to enable a shifting of ythe housing 49, togetherY with the pulley 43, angularlyV 45 with respect to the' horizontal so as to increase or Adecrease the molding' space provided by the tunnel, 42. The extension 56 through the slots 57 is A? bolted, as shown at 58, to a bracket 59 carried by the is :suitably journaledas indicated at `24. A worm wheel Y i l 63 are supported from a casting 66 (Fig. 9). The assem- 26 is locatedwithin the housing 23 `is rigidlysecured to the shaft22.l` The ,worm wheel is driven by a worm 27 keyed to a shaft-28. The two. shafts 28 (Fig.`2) extend through bores formedin the housings` 23 andare driven in a manner which will presently appear. The housings 13. are supported bybrackrets 2-9 integraltherewith and mounted on the apron 18V asV shown at31 (Fig. 10)' I'he belts extend Arearwardly of themachine beyond the end ofthe rollforming section 11 substantially to the chucking, cutting and` transfersection 12 (Fig. l). The belts 19 pass around idler rolls 32 where they form part of the end ofthe roll formingsection 1'1. kShields orthin support plates 33 having side flanges lie |beneath eachjof the belts V19. These support plates 33at the forthe driving rolls `21 and at their rearward ends extend substantially tangent to the idler rolls'32. `These'support plates `33 .preventv the belts 'from `sagging when loaded with tuna and also function to form part of a tunnel for forming the-loins of tuna intoY a rollj'of tuna as will presently appear. The idler rolls 32 are freely rotatable on stub shafts 34V whichare supported by a casting 36 (Fig. rigidly secured as shown `at 37 on the pedestal 17 lFig.1).' f

A fillery piece 38 essentially V-shaped in cross section ('Fig. 10) closes the longitudinal space between thelower Vedges of the `belts 19. This ll'ller piece extends from the forwardV end of the machine :adjacent the driving rolls 2j1 to a position beyond the idler rolls 32. Theller piece prevents small pieces of tuna which may'vbreakoff from the loins from dropping out of the trough. The filler pieceA is supported at the forwardend of the machine by backets39 (Fig. 10) mounted on the apron 18 and ad- Vward end `of the machine are substantially tangent to pedestal `17 as-shown at 61 (Fig.'l)`.

The idler rollers 44 (Fig. 6) freely rotate on shafts 62 (see ,also`Fig. 9) the ends thereof being carried in openings formed 'in

guide plates

63 and 64. The guide plates bly formed by the rollers 44,

guide plates

63 and 64 and casting 66 is carried by a bracket 67 which is an extension of the bracket 36. VThe bracket 67 has an enlarged bore 69 for the reception of a bolt 71 which is threaded to receive abearing Washer and wing nut 72. The enlarged bore 69 enables the idler rollers to be shifted in a direction 45 with respect to the horizontal to shift the idler rollers toward and from the central axis and thereby increase.` or decrease the molding space defined by the tunnel 42. The enlarged bore 69 also enables shifting of the idler roller forward and rearward of the machine.

Upon an examination of Fig. l and particularly Fig. 6, it will be observed that the sets of

idler rollers

32 and 44 lie substantially at the discharge end of the tunnel.

" Thus the'smallestcross-sectional area of the tunnel is determined by the relationship of these idler rollers and the cross-sectional area of `the tunnel at this point determines the cross-sectional area of the roll to which the tunais molded. It will further be particularly noted from an examination of Fig. 6 that the belts 41 overlie the belts 19.` The position of the Vidler rollers 32 is fixed, However, as described above, the positionof the idler rollers 44 is adjustable.

, From the above it will be clear that a number of adjustments of 4theforming. tunnelor molding space 42 is possible., Upon loosening the wing nuts 72, the bolts may be shifted intheir enlarged bores 69 to shift the belts 41 (Fig. 6) inwardlyror outwardly with respect to the axis of the tunnel 42 so as to decrease or increase the cross` sectionalarea to which theiroll is molded. It is also possible as will be clear from `the above and an examination of the structure/that the idler rollers 44 may be shifted cause of the variable conditions encountered in packing tuna. The tuna will vary in moisture content, density and degree of firmness depending upon whether it is fresh caught or has been frozen and only recently thawed. These conditions may vary from hour to hour and by the means described, the tunnel may be adjusted by the operator with little or no interruption in production. The tunnel may be made constant in cross-sectional area throughout its lengtl1;'made to decrease in cross-sectional v area toward the discharge end; or may be increased or decreased in cross-sectional area as a whole to increase or decrease the pressure applied on the loins.

The tunnel 42 at its entrance end is provided with what may be termed a funnel 76 (Figs. 2 and 10). The funnel has angularly shaped portions 7'7 which are at right angles to each other to conform to the angular relationship of the large pulleys 43. The funnel 76 is secured to the guide plates 63 by adjustable means which includes U- shaped slots 78 and screws. The forward end of the funnel is curved upwardly and rounded as shown at 79 (Fig. l) to form an enlarged entrance for the reception of the loins of tuna. The curvature of t.e forward end of the funnel is such that it conforms substantially to the circular shape of the large rolls and is tangent to these rolls at a point spaced inwardly from the entrance end.

At the discharge end of the tunnel the machine is provided with whatv may be termed a discharge throat. This discharge throat is made up of the two castings 64 (Fig. 9) and two plates 81, one of which is shown in Fig. 9. As will be observed, the castings 64 have a portion which is curved around the idler pulley and terminates inV an'edge 82 and arsurface S3 which lies tangent to the belts 41; The discharge throat plates 81 are also curved, as shown at 84, and have a surface Se' which lies tangent to the belts 19. As will presently appear the discharge throat formed as set forth above, receives the end of the roll of tuna and serves to hold it rigidly in position during cut-off.

As previously mentioned, support plates 33 extend substantially the full length of the belts 19. The belts :il are also supported by bars 87 (Fig. 2) to avoid any extensive dellection'vof the belts 4l. Thus the tunnel 42, while essentially xed in cross-section when once adjusted can yield toy some extent by reason of the fact that the upperbelts 41 are not supported throughout' their length as is the case with the lower belts19.

Thel mechanism thus far described Vforms the whole loins of tuna laid into the V-shaped trough into a roll of tuna essentiallyv square .in cross-section conforming lto thel shape of the't'nnnel 42V (Fig. l0). Thereafter, briey stated, mechanism is provided for intermittently feeding the roll of Ytuna forward to a cut-off position in which positionthe portion of the roll to be cut off is enclosed vwithin la chuck; chuck closing mechanism is operated tol close vthe chuck and form the roll of tuna into a cylinder of tuna somewhat smaller than the diameter of the container into which the tuna is to be packed; then a knife sweeps across the `faceof the chuck to cut off the formed section of tuna; the chuck lled with a slug orfcake of tuna, together with a can in alignment therewith, is indexed out ofthe cut-olf position to a `containerllling position; and then discharge mechanism is operated to force the formed cylinder or slug of tuna out ofthe chuck Vinto the container. All of the above operations are in timed relation with each other and the mechanisms for carrying them out are driven from the motor 14.v The various mechanisms will be described in the orde above set forth.

' 91 which extends over a driven pulley 92. The driven' pulley 92 is mounted on the end of a shaft 93 which` extends through the wall of the housing 13. A sprocket "The motor I4 has a drive shaft SSWhiCh-liasa pulley.A

89 rigidly secured thereto.v Thepulley 89 drives abelt rigidly secured to the shaft 93 drives a chain 94 ywhich drivesl a sprocket rigidly secured to a main shaft 96. All of the mechanisms set forth above in outline form are' driven from the main shaft 96. s

The mechanism for intermittently advancing the feeding and form belts 19 and 41 to move a section of the tuna into the forming and cut-off `position comprises a feeding cam -97 rigidly secured to the main shaft 96 (Fig. 2).' This cam has a single lobe and actuates a belt drive arm 98. For this purpose the belt drive arm is pivoted on a pivot rod 99 rigid with respect to'the housing 13 as shown at 101 (Fig. l). The belt drive arm 98 carries a roller 102 which rides on the belt feeding cam 97. A spring (not shown) normally urges the belt drive arm 98 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4 so that the roller'is always maintained in engagement with the belt feeding cam 97. Thus as the feeding camis rotated the belt drive arm 98 is oscillated about the pivot 99 completing an oscillation each time the feeding cam 97 makes a complete rotation; VA link 103 is pivoted at 104 to the upper end of the belt drive arm 98. The other Vend of the link is pivoted at 106 to a slide block-107. The slide block 107 is movable in ways 108 in a manner which will presently appear. The ways 108 are formed integral with an oscillating member 109 mounted on a shaft 111.

The intermittent feed for the feeding belts and the means for adjusting the amount of feed. have been shown somewhat diagrammatically, the mechanism'actually employed being known as a4 form sprag the relatively com- 'Y plicated details of which need not be shown. In the drawings, I have shown a pivoted pawl 112 carried by the oscillating member 109 which is pressed by a spring (not shown) into engagement with a ratchet wheel 113. The ratchet wheel, also for purposes of illustration, is integral with a gear 114 which drives a pinion 116 rigidly secured to a shaft 117. A sprocket 118 rigid with the shaft 117 drives a chain 119 which passes' over three additional gears 121 each of which is secured to a shaft numbered respectively 122, 123 and 124..

The

vfour shafts

117, 122, 123 and 124 project-fo wardly through the housing, three of these shafts being v shown in section in Fig. 3. In Fig. 2 I have shown one of the upper shafts, the shaft 123 projecting through the forward wall of the housing 13. The shaft 123 is Y connected through a universal joint assembly V126 to a short drive rod 127 which is connected by a universalfjoint assembly 128 to the shaft 53 which drives Vthel large pulley 43 shown at the right of Fig. l0. The shaft 122 similarly projects through the housing and .is connected by universal joint assemblies and a drive rod similar yto the corresponding parts above described and drives the other large pulley 43. The lower shafts 117 and V124 similarly project through the housing 13 and are connected by universal joint assemblies and long drive rods 129 to the shafts 28. 1 1 As previously described, the

shafts

28 and 53 drive the feeding and forming vbelts' 19 and 41. The

shafts

117, 1722, 123, and 124 are intermittently rotated `as. previously described so that one forward step of the feeding and forming belts 19 and 41 is taken each tim'the belt feeding cam 97 is rotated.

' As previously mentioned, the condition ofthe tuna and the top of tliehosing 13. by means of the hand wheel has lt` eenshownV onlydiagrammatically, the actual mechanism' employed being known as a form sprag mechanisxn. Itis suicient to state. that` a form sprag mechanism is equivalent to a pawl and ratchet `wheel construction in` which the ratchet wheelhas an infinite mlmberof `Thus by adjustment of the hand wheel 134 a small incrementorldec'rement in the amount of feed of the feeding and formingv belts 19 and 41 may be made. presently be shown, 'the operation of all other mechanism is maintained at.a constant, considering the motor tobe driven at constant speed so that an. adjustment ofthe amount of movement ofthe feeding and forming belts 19 and. 41 will vary Vthe thickness of the slicey or slug of `tuna cut from the roll as will presently appear. It isimportant that this adjustmentbe extremely tine and that the machine be capable of adjustment without interrupting its operation as the latter means a loss of production. `Inaccurate weightsiof tuna is extremely serious `to the canner, `not only because of Government weightstandards but also because tuna is an expensive fish and:overweight cans of tuna must be avoided if the canner is to make a prot. c

".Bylthemeans: above described, thev roll or elongated massfoftuna isiintermittently-fed forward to a rotatable chuck assembly generally indicated by the numeral 141 (see,Figs.13,7/and 8)'. `The `chuck assembly comprises a rotatable dist: 142v keyed to a shaft'143 (Fig. 1). The chuck'disc 142 hasa plurality `of cavitiesv or semi-cylinldricalropenings 144 formed -peripherally thereof, the partialcylinders being somewhat smaller in diameter than the diameter of the containerinto which the tuna is to be packedfThese semi-cylindrical openings 144 adjacent the periphery ofthe chuckdiscfhave at parts 145 adapted to slidably receive movable chuck parts generally indicated by the numeral 146.` .v

Each of the movable 4,chuck parts 146 includes an extension147 and a-pair of angularly extending forming parts148. VThe `inner side of these angularly extending forming parts 148 together with theinner end of the extension l47provides a forming surface, indicated by the numeral 149, which as presently will appear engages the sides of the Aroll of tuna toform it into the shape desired. The forming section.148-,149 maybe a section of a cylinder or` may be `shapedas shown which closely approximates the contour `of a cylinder.` The rearward sides of the angularly extending forming parts 148 are tlat and adapted to slide upongthe flattened peripheral ends of the semi-cylindrical openings 144 formed in the chuck disc 142.,y i j. i

The chuck disc has a series of peripheral guides 152 which extend'parallel Lto radii and which are provided with ways 153 for the-reception of slideelements 154 formed .on the sides ofa movable chuck part 156. Each ofthe movable chuck parts` 156 is `cut out to form a section 1 57 which is a partial cylinder. V'The partial cylinder 157 terminates in portions 158 constituting a slide for the angularly extending forming parts 148 of the movable chuck parts 146.

j' guides -152 serve as a support for springs 1 59 as shown at 161. The other endsof `the spring are'wrapped around pins 162 carriedby the extensions 147. kThe function'of thesprings V159 is to `move the forming surfaces 148, 149 to the movable `chuck parts 146 away from each other and at the samertimeexert pressure on the movable chuckppart 156 and `urgeiit `in an upward direction as '.viswed infie, 7. .f` l i It will now be understood that the roll or elongated mass of tuna is formed by the tunnel into essentially a square roll (Fig. 6) and the end of this roll is fed toward and inserted inthe chuck when in the open condition shown in Fig. 7. With the chuck in the open position the chuck opening is substantially larger than the crosssectional area of the section oftuna inserted therein. By mechanism presently described, the chuck is closed by moving the movable chuck part 156 downward from they position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 8. Downward movement of the movable chuck part 156 exerts pressure on the outer sides of the angularly extending forming parts 148 and this pressure causes the mov-h able chuck parts 146 to move from the position shown in Fig. 7 kto that shown in Fig. 8. Y The closing of the chuck changes the cross-sectional shape of the tuna within the cavity formed by the chuck to form an essentially cylindrical section or slug of tuna slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the can or other container in which the' tuna is to be packed.

The means for closing the chuck to form the cake or slug of tuna prior to cut off comprises a chuck-closing cam 164 (Figs. 2 and 7) adapted to engage the movable chuck part 156 asshown at 166. The chuck-closing cam 164 is keyed to a shaft 167 (see also Fig. 2).

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the chuck-closing shaft 167 extends into the housing 13 and is rigid with an arm 168. The other end of the arm 168 has a roller 169 mounted thereon which rides on a cam 171. The cam 171 is mounted on the main shaft 96 and has a single lobe adapted to actuate the arm 168 and hence close the chuck once during each 'rotation of the main shaft. A spring (not shown) maintains the arm 168 in a position such that the roller 169 rides on the cam 171.

Cans enter the machine from a can loft through a can chute 173 (Figs. l and 3). The can chute'173 is rigidly secured to and spaced from the housing 13 by bolt Vand spacing sleeve assemblies 174. The cans drop into the pockets 176 of a can turret 177. The forward wall 178 of the can chute lies closely adjacent the Adischarge side of the chucks as shown in Fig. 1. It serves as an abutment against which the end of the roll of tuna is fed in the manner described above. Thus, when the chuck closes, the slug or cake of tuna is confined by the abutment plate 178 and the chuck. That portion of the roll not within the confines of the chuck is rigidly held by the discharge throat plates 81 and 83 (Fig. 9).

While held in the manner above described and during the interval when forward motion of the roll of tuna is interrupted, the slug or cake of tuna within the contines of the chuck is cut off by a guillotine knife 181 (Fig. 5). From an examination of Fig. 9, it will be clear that only suliicient space exists between the entrance face of the chuck and the outerends of the plates 81 and 83 forming the tunnel discharge throat for the knife to descend and move downward through the roll of tuna to make the cut. Since the roll of tuna while it is cut is confined andheld rigidly on bothrof the sides of the cut, the exposed surfaces are cut cleanly. l j

As previously mentioned, means have been provided for varying the thickness of the slice or slug of tuna from the roll. It will be understood that the plate 178 forms an abutment against which the roll of tuna is fed. If it is v desired to increase the weight of the slug or cake ofA tuna cut off, the amount of movement of the forming tunnel is increasedby a small increment which serves to compress the tuna slightly against the wall 178, thus increasing the amount of ll. Since the size of the chucks and thecross-sectional area of theforming space is substantially that required` to accommodate the proper weight of tuna, only slight changes in the cross-sectional area of the tunnel or the amount of feed is required to adjust the weight for a 'proper ll of the containers.

The guillotine knife 181 is mounted on an arm 182 which is rigidly secured to `a shaft- 183 (Figs. 2 and 5).

other end thereof which rides on a knife cam 192. A'

spring (not shown) maintains the arm 188 in the down position shown in Fig. 4 with the roller 191 riding on the knife cam 192. The cam 192 is rigid with the main shaft 96 and actuates the knife 181 to provide acutting stroke and a return stroke of the knife once during each rotation of the main shaft 96.

After the chucks have been filled and closed and the slug orncake of tuna to be placed in the container has been cut off as described above, the chuck assembly 141 together with the container or can turret 177 is rotated. As will be observed from an examination of Fig. 3, six chucks are provided so that upon each rotation, the assembly of chucks and can turret rotates through 60 degrees. For this purpose the chuck assembly is keyed as shown at 196 to the shaft 143. The shaft projects through an elongated bored boss198 formed yin the-housing 13, suitable bearings 199 being provided to support the shaft. l j

The can turret 177 comprises two circular plates or discs in which the can pockets 176 (six in number) are located. The can pockets 176 are in alignment with the chuck opening when lthe chuck is in the closed position shown in Fig. 8. The discs forming the can turret 177 have central openings, the margins of which extend in encircling relation tothe boss 198 and are tied to the chuck disc 142 by means of bolts 201. Suitable spacing sleeves 200 separate the discs forming the can turret and separate the can turret from the chuck disc 142.

The shaft 143 projects into the housing, 13, and a Geneva motion gear 202 is keyed to'V ytheend of the shaft. Referring'to Fig. 4, the Geneva motiongear 202 has six stations or pockets, for the reception of an `actuating element 203 formed on a Geneva motion Vmember 204. Since the Geneva motionsfare well understood in the art, it will not be further described, it being suflicient to state that the Geneva motion member 204 is keyed to the main shaft 96 and for each complete rotation of the main shaft the Geneva motion gear 202 is moved through one station or 60. This rotation of the can turret 177 and the chuck assembly 141 rotates these parts counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 3. to a position where'y mechanism is provided to transfer the cake or slug of tuna from the chuck into the can or other container to be filled. At the can filling station, a combined plunger and tamper 208 is provided (Fig. 2). This plunger is slightly smaller than the diameter of the can and the chuck when closed. It is adapted when actuated to push the slug or cake of tuna out of the closed chuck and transfer the slug of tuna to the can. The plunger enters the can slightly and pushes the slug of tuna to the bottom thereof, exerting a slight pressure on the face of the slug when bottomed in the can to smooth the surface. The cake is deposited below the rim of the can a distance suicient to provide proper headspace in the can.

The plunger 208 is secured to a plunger rod 209 which Y is slidably supported in a connecting arm 210. A spring 211 is interposed between the plunger 208 and the connecting arm 210. A suitable stop 215 is provided to retain the plunger rod 209 in the bore provided in the connecting arm 210. Thus the pressure applied on the plunger or tamper 208 is a yielding one, the spring yielding and limiting the force applied on the slug of tuna when deposited in the container.

The connecting arm 210 is rigidly secured to a tamper rod 212 which projects through a bore provided in the housing 13 within which bore the tamper rod 212 is slidable. A pair of flat bars 213 are rigidly fixed to the rod 212 to form a yoke slotted as shown at 214 to receive understood.

fin the manner described above.

, 10 i the pivot pin 217 of the bar lever 216. The'otherV end of the lever 216 is pivoted, as shown at 218, on aboss rigid with the interior wall of the housing 13. Intermediate the end of the arm 216, a roller 219is secured which rides in a cam groove 221. The cam groove is formed in a cam 222 which is keyed to the main shaft 96. It will now be understood that for each rotation of the main shaft 96, the plunger 208 is moved from the Vsolid line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 and restored to the solid line position shown in that view.

Upon the next rotation of the can turret, the can just lled is rotated through V60" and a filled new chuck and can presented to the tamper or plunger 208.v The filled can is intercepted by the end 216 of a can chtite 218 for discharge of the lled cans from the machine.r During their passage from a position of alignment with vthe plunger to the discharge'can chute 218, the cans are confined by a can guard 219 which encircles lthe path of movement of the cans.

Upon an examination of Fig. 3, it will be noted that the chuck closing cam 164 isl formed on the arc of a circle." This arc is substantially coincident with the curvature ofl a chuck retaining guard 221 which encircles the axis of rotation of ythe chuck. When the movable chuck part 156 rides from beneath the chuck closing cam 164, it rides beneath the chuck guard 221 which retains the chuck in the closed position duringA discharge ofthe slug of tuna from the chuck until the chuck reaches a position adjacent the discharge chute 218.

It is believed that from tbe foregoing the construction and operation of the'machine of my invention will 'be However, briefly the operations occur in this sequence. The loins of tuna are manually deposited on the belt 19 and m'oved into the'forming` tunnel' which forms the tuna into an elongated roll essentially rectangular in cross-sectional area. This tunnel may be adjusted The end of the roll is inserted in an open chuck as the roll is intermittently fed forward. Thereafter the chuck is closed and the slug or cake of tuna within the chuck is cut ofi` while the material is'rigidly held on both sides of the cut. Thereafter the chuck and cans are indexed to the can filling position, in which position the cans Vare filled and tamped. Thereafter the chuck assembly is again indexed and the filled cans discharged from the machine as above described.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A machine for packing materials into a container of substantially constant cross-Section comprising, in combination, a moulding tunnel at least part of the walls of which are movable for moulding the material into an elongated roll of substantially constant weight per unit of length, said weight per unit of length being substantially that to be placed in the container, a moulding chuck movable from an open to a closedv position and into which the end of said roll of material is fed by said movable tunnel, means for opening and closing the chuck to mold the material within the chuck into a section of material of container size and shape, means for cutting off said section from said roll, and means for moving the movable walls of said tunnel.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1 in which part of the moulding tunnel isl'elongated in a Vdirection forwardly of the machine to form a loading station in which loins of tuna may be placed in overlapping relation.

3. A machine in accordance with claim l in which the moulding chuck after the section has been cut off is indexed to a containerflling station and means are provided for transferring the section to a container at said station.

4. A machinein accordance-,with claim 1 in which the moulding tunnel is formed by at least four movable members placed angularly with respect' to each other.

5, A machine inaccordance with claim 1in which` the moulding `tunnel is moved intermittently to move the roll toward the chuclo y A 6. AA machine in accordance with clairnl in which the tunnelv is moved intermittently in steps to move the roll toward'lthe chuck and means` are provided;for varyingv the amount ofgmovement of the tunnel 'atA each step to vary theweight of material fed into the chuck,

7. A rnachine in `accordance with claim l in which the crossfsectional area of thetunnel may bevaried.

8. A machine in accordance Vwith, claim 1 in whichl a series ofchucks are mounted in a rotatable turret and means are provided for indexing the turret to move a chuck into alignment with the `end of the roll ofrnaterial and move the filled chuck fromsaid lposition of alignment to a transfer station. l

9. A machine in accordance `withclaim l inwhich a turret is provided in which a series of chucks are mounted and` into which containers, tothe filled are deposited with theiropen'ends facing, and in alignment with the chucks, means are v provided for indexing the turret to move a chuck into alignment with the end of the roll of material and move the filled y,chuck from said position of alignment to` a transfer station, andmeans are provided for transferring the section of material to a container.

l0. A machine for packing materialsin a container comprising, in combination, means for moulding the material into an elongated roll, a chuck movable from an open to a closed position, means for opening and closing the chuck, means for moving the end of said roll into said Vchuck when open, `and means for cutting off .the

section of said roll within the chuck after the ychuck has been closed.

y ll. A machine in` accordance with claim l in which.

means are provided-adjacent the end of the moulding means for enclosing and holding the roll, a cut-off knife, said enclosing and holding ymeans being spaced from the face ofthe chuck a distance substantially only sucient to enable the cut-orf knife to pass down between the enclosing and holding means and the face of the chuck.

l2. A machine for vpacking materials in a containerV moulding tunnel.

14, A machine in accordance with claim 12 in which the belts are mounted on rollers the axes of rotation of which may be adjusted to vary the cross-sectional area of the tunnel at any transverse plane along its length.

l5. A machine in accordance with claim 12 in which the moulding tunnel has a funnel-shaped entrance.

16.V A machinevin accordance with claim l2 in which Ifour plates are provided at the discharge end of a tunnel with ,theplates having planar surfaces which extend tangent to the ends of the belts to form a discharge throat.

17. A machine for packing materials in a container comprising, in combination, means for moulding the material into an elongated roll of substantially rectangular shape of a desiredcross-sectional area, means for moulding the end of the roll Vinto a slug of material of circular cross section, means for cutting-off the end of the roll which has 4been moulded into a slug of circular cross section and means for rigidly holding the material on both sides'of the cut during the cutting operation.

K References Cited in the tile of this patent f UITED STATES PATENTS v OTHER REFERENCES Food Industries, December 1949, pp. 7172.