US3643787A

US3643787A - Sterilizing machines

Info

Publication number: US3643787A
Application number: US12154A
Authority: US
Inventors: William Woof; Colin Barlow; Arthur Gray; Richard Wigram
Original assignee: Mather and Platt Ltd
Current assignee: Mather and Platt Ltd
Priority date: 1969-02-20
Filing date: 1970-02-17
Publication date: 1972-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-22
Also published as: FR2032930A5; DE2008795A1; AU1157070A; NL7002434A

Abstract

A sterilizing machine in which the carriers for the sticks of cans have a number of equiangularly spaced pockets in a beam which is relatively rotatable with an external shell having an axial inlet and outlet slot. Locking means are provided at one end of the carrier to prevent such relative rotation and an orientating means is provided at the other end of the carrier. The carrier is also provided with a toothed wheel which engages an agitating chain and an indexing means which is associated with a releasing means for the lock between the beam and shell. Cam and guide mechanism is provided for orientating the carrier if necessary to present the axial slot to discharging and loading stations.

Description

4 F United States atet [151 3,643,787 Woof et al. 1 Feb. 22, 1972 [54] STERILIZING MACHINES UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventors William Woof, Harwood; Colin Barlow, 3,469,67l 9/ 1969 Mencacci 198/25 Radcliffe; Arthur Gray, Sharples; Richard Wigram, Radcliffe, all of England Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka At -H l & St [73] Assignee: Mather & Platt Limited, Mancheser, Lanarmy 0 man em cashire, England 57 ABSTRACT Filed: 1970 A sterilizing machine in which the carriers for the sticks of [2] Appl No; 12,154 cans have a number of equiangularly spaced pockets in a beam which is relatively rotatable with an external shell having an axial inlet and outlet slot. Locking means are provided [30] Foreign Application Priority Data at one end of the carrier to prevent such relative rotation and an orientating means is provided at the other end of the carri- 5T i g t g it i 181/69 er. The carrier is also provided with a toothed wheel which enay tea n am gages an agitating chain and an indexing means which is associated with a releasing means for the lock between the beam [52] US. Cl ..198/l31, 198/140 and She Cam and guide mechanism is provided for oriemzm [5 1] "B65g 17/12 ing the carrier if necessary to present the axial slot to discharg- [58] Field of Search ..l98/25, 131, 140 ing and loading Stations References Cited 5 Claims, 1 1 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDFE 22 I972 SHEET 2 0F 7 STERILIZING MACHINES This invention relates to sterilizing or cooking apparatus in which substances to be sterilized or cooked are contained in cans or other convenient containers, and in which sticks of cans (i.e., rows ofcans with the cans of each row in end-to-end disposition) are passed in continuous fashion in turn for processing through a first water leg, a steam leg, a second water leg, and a spray-cooling leg. The sticks of cans are supported by carriers mounted between two endless driven chains and are presented to loading and unloading stations to receive and discharge sticks of cans.

With some substances, for example, milk or a mixture of milk and rice, it is desirable to rotate the carriers on their passage through the apparatus to agitate the contents of the cans. Various means for effecting such rotation and agitation have been proposed and the present invention is especially but not exclusively concerned with such means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier which safely holds sticks of cans during processing but which is easy to load and unload.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an efficient means for effecting carrier rotation and can agitation.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means to ensure that each carrier is correctly orientated for presentation to the loading and unloading stations.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided in or for a sterilizing apparatus a carrier for supporting and conveying sticks of cans through the sterilizing apparatus, the carrier comprising a beam adapted to accommodate a plurality of angularly spaced can sticks, and a shell surrounding the beam save for an axial slot which serves as inlet and outlet for the can sticks, the beam and shell being relatively rotatable between a position in which the can sticks cannot enter or leave the beam accommodation and a position in which can sticks can be loaded or discharged into or out of the beam accommodation.

Different sizes of cans may be loaded into the apparatus provided that each can stick contains only one can size.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided in or for a sterilizing apparatus, a conveying mechanism comprising a series of carriers in accordance with said one aspect of the invention supported between a pair of endless conveying chains, r'eleasable locking means between each carrier shell and its interior beam, and releasing and indexing means for acting on said locking means at predetermined locations in the apparatus to permit relative rotation between each carrier shell and its beam to effect unloading, loading and closure of the carrier.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided in or for a sterilizing apparatus, a conveying and agitating mechanism comprising a series of carriers preferably but not essentially in accordance with said one aspect of the present invention supported between a pair of endless conveying chains with each carrier having at an end thereof a toothed wheel, movable agitating chain or similar means engageable by the carrier toothed wheels for effecting rotation of the carriers relative to the conveying chains for part of the carrier path through the apparatus.

Preferably, means is provided for holding the shell of each carrier stationary relative to the conveying chains at loading and discharging stations and rotating its beam stepwise to effect charging or discharging of can sticks.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided in or for a sterilizing apparatus, a means for correctly orientating a carrier for can sticks relative to loading and unloading stations to ensure easy loading and unloading, the orientating means comprising a guide track on a stationary part of the apparatus, a stationary abutment adjacent to and external of the track, a follower on an end of the carrier for passage along the track in a selected position on the carrier when the latter is correctly orientated, and an abutment of said carrier end at a position angularly spaced from the follower and adapted to contact the stationary abutment if the carrier is incorrectly orientated relative to the loading and unloading stations to rotate the carrier through the intermediary ofa cam surface of the track to a correct orientation.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view ofa sterilizing machine in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of the loading and unloading stations of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a carrier in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line IVIV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detail view ofone end of the carrier;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the toothed wheel shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a detail view of the other end of the carrier;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the carrier orientating means;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are respectively diagrammatic views of a carrier correctly orientated and a carrier being correctly orientated; and,

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the carrier releasing and indexing means.

The continuous sterilizing machine comprises, in sequence and closed circuit within a housing 20, can stick loading and discharging stations 21, a first water leg 22, a steam leg 23, a second water leg 24, a vertical spray-cooling leg 25, and a horizontal conveying leg 26 between the spray-cooling leg 25 and the stations 21.

An endless conveying mechanism 27 passes through the above-described circuit. This conveying mechanism 27 comprises a pair of endless chains 28 supporting between them carriers 29 for sticks of cans. At the loading and discharging stations 21 there are conveyors 30 and 31 respectively for delivering can sticks into the carriers 29 and receiving can sticks out of the carriers 29. These conveyors 30, 31 may be of any convenient construction, and there are preferably four loading stations and four discharging stations. The number of loading and discharging stations can be varied, the number being dependent on the number of can sticks supported in each carrier 29, but there are preferably never less than two loading and two discharging stations.

Each carrier 29 in accordance with the present invention comprises a beam 33 with a substantially X-shaped cross section and surrounded by a shell or casing 34 save for an axial slot 35, (ref. FIG. 8), which serves both as inlet and outlet. The X-beam 33 provides four angularly spaced can sticks accommodating spaces or pockets 36 and the shell slot 35 has an angular dimension suitable for passage radially of a stick of cans.

The X-beam 33 is, for example, formed of four X- or Y- shaped extrusions 37 welded to each other as indicated at 38 and the welded extrusion assembly is welded to square or rectangular bars 39 fast on end shafts 40. The ends of the beam 33 are closed by plates 41 welded in position and through which the shafts 40 freely extend. Each pocket 36 is asymmetrical as can clearly be seen in FIG. 4 with one side of a smaller radius than the other. Thus, in viewing FIG. 4, it will clearly be seen that the pocket 36 at the right-hand side of the Figure facilitates rolling out of a stick of cans on to a discharging conveyor 31, while the pocket at the left-hand side of the Figure provides a more positive reception location for a stick of cans being introduced into the pockets from a loading conveyor 30. The carriers 29 are presented to the loading and discharging stations so as to benefit from this asymmetric shape of the pockets or spaces 36.

The shell 34 is perforated as generally indicated at 42 for passage of steam and water and while it is substantially circular in cross section it is cut chordally to provide the slot 35. The shell 34 and beam 33 are relatively rotatable as hereinafter described and the shell 34 can be disposed relative to the limbs of the X-beam 33 such that passage of a stick of cans is prevented (see FIG. 8).

Each spindle 40 engages in a bearing 43 rigid with its adjacent chain 28.

Each carrier 29 has keyed to the spindle 40 at one end a wheel 44 formed on its periphery with plurality of, say sixteen angularly spaced teeth 45.

On one face of the toothed wheel 44, namely the carrier-adjacent face, there are provided a plurality of, say eight equiangularly spaced pegs 46. A pawl lever 47 is pivoted on a projection 48 on the adjacent end plate 41 and is formed with a slot 49 for engaging on any one of the pegs 46 and a tail 50 for a purpose hereinafter described. The pawl lever 47 is normally urged by a spring 51 into engagement with a peg 46. Thus, it will clearly be seen that with the pawl lever 47 engaged on a peg 46 the beam 33 and shell 34 can rotate as a unit in the bearings 43. However, with the pawl lever 47 disengaged from the pegs 46, the beam 33 and shell 34 can rotate relative to one another. It will be seen later that the shell 34 is held stationary and the beam 33 rotated relative to the shell 34. The beam 33 can rotate only stepwise forwards.

It may be desired to duplicate this toothed wheel, peg and pawl lever arrangement at the other end of the carrier but this is not considered necessary.

The other end plate 41 of each carrier 29 mounts a follower roller 52 and a fixed T-shaped projection or abutment 53 on its face adjacent its chain 28.

The above is a description of each carrier and the abovedescribed arrangements at each end plate coact with other means in the sterilizing machine as later described.

The machine includes an endless agitating chain 54 (see FIG. I), which serves to rotate the carriers 29 and agitate the contents of the cans. The agitating chain 54 may move in the same or opposite direction as the conveying chains 28. The agitating chain 54 is engaged by the l6-toothed plates 43 of the carriers 29 to rotate the carriers 29 in the bearings 44. The agitating chain 54 extends from approximately the inlet of the first water let 22 at the top of the machine to the bottom outlet of the spray leg 25 at the bottom of the machine. The carriers 29 crash engage onto the agitating chain 54. A tensioning arrangement 55 is provided for the agitating chain 54.

A means is provided to ensure that the carriers are disposed at the correct orientation or attitude before entering the unloading or discharging and loading zones. The correct orientation for the carriers 29, is, of course, to present them with their axial slots 35 adjacent to the conveyors 30 and 31. This means is disposed above the entry to the discharging stations 21, 31 at location A. (FIG. I) and cooperates with the follower roller 52 and T-projection 53 on the carrier end plate. It is to be noted that each carrier 29 is disposed at the correct attitude when it enters the unloading/loading zones 21 with its follower roller 52 trailing.

The carrier-orientating means (see FIGS. 8 to comprises a substantially U-shaped guide track 56 fixedly secured to the housing or other part of the framework of the machine and extending from location A before the first discharging station 21, 31 to a location B after the last loading station 21, 31. The track 56 has a flared inlet 57 defined by two slightly resiliently pivoted

plates

58 and 58A. Below and spaced from the plate 58 is a track member 59 which is thereafter continuous to location B. This plate 58 and track member 59 define a camming slot or recess 60. A track member 61 is located immediately below the other plate 58A and is also continuous to location B.

A projection or abutment 62 is connected to the plate 58 above the camming slot 60.

Reference is now made particularly to FIGS. 8 and 9 which show a carrier 29 entering the guide track 56 correctly orientated. In this case the follower roller 52 simply runs along the guide track 56 maintaining the carrier 29 in the correct attitude during unloading and loading.

In FIG. 10, there is shown a carrier 29 entering the guide track incorrectly orientated, i.e., the follower roller 52 leading instead of trailing. In this case, the abutment 53 strikes the abutment 62 causing the carrier 29 to rotate (see arrow C) so that the follower roller 52 enters the camming slot 60 and due to chain movement the carrier 29 pivots further about the follower roller 52 (see arrow D) until its attitude is such that the follower roller 52 takes up the desired trailing position. Thus, the carrier 29 is correctly orientated.-

The flared mouth 57 of the track 56 assists in adjusting the carrier 29 on entering the track 56 For example, if the carrier enters with the follower roller 52 at say 3 o'clock, the follower roller 52 will strike the adjacent plate 58A and be urged to the desired trailing position.

Other guide and cam arrangements may be employed to effect carrier attitude correction but the above arrangement which is simple, positive and effective is preferred.

A baffle 63 (FIG. 2) is connected between the conveying chains 28 between adjacent carriers 29, each baffle 63 may be carried by the same link of chain as the leading carrier of the two carriers between which it is located although this is not essential. The baffles 63 act to compensate for convection currents within the machine and are shaped to provide downwardly extending runways 64 for the cans at the discharging stations although again this is not essential. The baffles 63 also act as bars to maintain the distance between the two conveying chains 28.

In use, therefore, sticks of cans supported by the carriers 29 pass through the closed circuit of water, steam and spray legs and are continuously rotated by the agitating chain 54.

After disengagement from the agitating chain 54 and before entry to the discharging and loading zone 21, the carriers 29 have their orientation or attitude corrected, if required, as aforesaid and the correct orientation or attitude maintained.

When each carrier 29 is correctly orientated and as it approaches the first discharging station, its beam 33 and shell 34 are so relatively located that the axial slot 35 is not in register with a can-holding space or pocket 36. It is therefore necessary to effect such registration before a stick of cans can be discharged. This is effected by a releasing and indexing mechanism (see FIG. 11) which acts on the pawl lever 47 and pegs 46 and the toothed wheel 44, 45 (FIGS. 5 and 6). This mechanism releases the lock between the beam and shell, holds the shell stationary and rotates the beam through 45 bringing a space or pocket 36 into register with the axial slot 35. At the following three discharging stations a similar mechanism is provided (the only difference is the shape of the cam of the mechanism as mentioned hereafter) and at each of the other three discharging stations the beam is rotated through to register the three other pockets in turn with the axial slot. The carrier is then moved to the first (bottom) loading station still with a pocket in register with the axial slot and is loaded with a stick of cans. At the following three loading stations the beam is each time rotated through 90 to present the other pockets for loading and thereafter the beam is indexed through 45 to take the axial slot out of registerwith any of the pockets. This indexing is effected by a mechanism as shown in FIG. 11 save that the cans are reversed (turned through Each releasing and indexing mechanism (FIG. 11) comprises essentially a fixed position cam plate 65 (45 or 90) and an indexing lever 66 with a roller or lateral projection 67 at one end for engaging the toothed wheel 44. The lever is pivotally mounted and is urged towards the toothed wheels 44 of the carriers 29 by a fluid ram 68. This lever 66 is supported in a resiliently mounted bracket-forming part of an arrangement such that if, for example, a can jams the fluid ram 68 is released to disengage the indexing roller 67 from the toothed wheel and the machine is simultaneously stopped.

At each station there is pivotal gate 69 connected via a lever 70 and rotatable spindle 71 with another fluid ram 72. On operation of the ram 72 the gate is pivoted to allow a stick of cans to leave a beam pocket and roll on to a conveyor 31.

In operation, the cam plate 65 acts on the tail 5 of the pawl lever 47 to disengage the latter from a peg 46 against the action of the spring 51 and linear movement of the carrier 29 causes the

toothed wheel

44, 45 and the indexing roller 67 to engage and depending on the nature of the cam 65 (45 or 90) the beam is rotated a distance equal to two or four teeth of the

toothed wheel

44, 45, movement of the shell 34 being prevented by the follower roller 52 engaging in the guide track 56. After unloading the carrier passes the cam plate 65 and the pawl lever 47 reengages a peg 46 of the

toothed wheel

44, 45 until the next releasing and indexing mechanism is reached.

Instead of cam plates 65 it may be possible to employ short endless chains, driven or not.

It is to be noted that the carriers are unloaded or discharged as they are bodily moved downwards and loaded or charged as they are bodily moved upwards. This prevents crosscontamination.

It is also to be noted that, due to the construction of the carrier attitude correction means, the can stick accommodation space of each carrier first discharged is also the first to be loaded. This is important if different sizes of cans are being processed together. i

We claim 1. In a sterilizing-cooking apparatus handling cans arranged end to end to form can sticks, a carrier for supporting and conveying can sticks, comprising a beam having four longitudinal pockets adapted to accommodate four angularly spaced can sticks; a selectively perforated shell around the beam and with an axial slot serving as an inlet and outlet for the cans of the can sticks, the shell also having an end plate at each of its ends; and a spindle secured at each end of the beam and extending rotatably through a respective said end plate, so that the beam and the shell are relatively rotatable between a position in which the can sticks cannot leave or enter the longitudinal pockets and a position where the can sticks can leave or enter the longitudinal pockets, wherein each said pocket is asymmetric in cross section providing a relatively flat runout side and a relatively arcuate receiving side for the cans.

12 In or for a sterilizing apparatus handling cans to be sterilized, which are arranged end to end forming can sticks, a conveying mechanism comprising a series of carriers supported between a pair of endless conveying chains and each carrier comprising a beam adapted to accommodate a plurality of angularly spaced can sticks; a shell surrounding the beam save for an axial slot which serves as an inlet and outlet for the cans of the can sticks, the beam and shell being relatively rotatable between a position in which the can sticks cannot enter or leave the beam accommodation and a position in which the can sticks can be loaded into or discharged out of the beam accommodation; a circular series of pegs on a toothed wheel fastened with and at an end of each said beam; releasable locking means between each carrier shell and associated beam in the form ofa spring-loaded pivoted pawl lever on said carri er shell for engaging any of said pegs associated with the respective beam; and releasing and indexing means for acting on the locking means at predetermined locations to permit relative rotation between each carrier shell and beam to allow unloading, loading and closure of the carrier.

3. In or for a sterilizing apparatus, a conveying mechanism as claimed in claim 2, in which the releasing and indexing means is a cam adapted to act on the pawl lever to disengage it from the pegs and an indexing lever adapted to engage the toothed wheel to rotate the carrier beam, means being provided to resist rotation of the carrier shell.

4. In or for a sterilizing apparatus handling cans to be sterilized which are arranged end to end forming can sticks, the apparatus being of the type having carriers for the can sticks as well as loading and unloading stations for the cans, a means for correctly orienting a carrier relative to the loading and unloading stations, the means comprising cam or guide means for contacting the carrier to rotate it to the desired orientation and further means for maintaining the carrier in its orientation, said guide means including a guide track on a stationary part of the apparatus, a stationary abutment adjacent to and external of the track, a follower on an end of the carrier for passage along the track in a selected position on the carrier when the latter is correctly oriented, and an abutment of said carrier end at a positlon angularly spaced from the follower and adapted to contact the stationary abutment ifthe carrier is incorrectly oriented relative to the loading and unloading stations to rotate the carrier through the intermediary of a cam surface of the track to a correct orientation.

5. In or for a sterilizing apparatus, a carrier orientating means as claimed in claim 4, in which the entry to the track is defined by two pivoted resiliently mounted plates such that the entry is converging.

Claims

1. In a sterilizing-cooking apparatus handling cans arranged end to end to form can sticks, a carrier for supporting and conveying can sticks, comprising a beam having four longitudinal pockets adapted to accommodate four angularly spaced can sticks; a selectively perforated shell around the beam and with an axial slot serving as an inlet and outlet for the cans of the can sticks, the shell also having an end plate at each of its ends; and a spindle secured at each end of the beam and extending rotatably through a respective said end plate, so that the beam and the shell are relatively rotatable between a position in which the can sticks cannot leave or enter the longitudinal pockets and a position where the can sticks can leave or enter the longitudinal pockets, wherein each said pocket is asymmetric in cRoss section providing a relatively flat runout side and a relatively arcuate receiving side for the cans. CM,12For a sterilizing apparatus handling cans to be sterilized, which are arranged end to end forming can sticks, a conveying mechanism comprising a series of carriers supported between a pair of endless conveying chains and each carrier comprising a beam adapted to accommodate a plurality of angularly spaced can sticks; a shell surrounding the beam save for an axial slot which serves as an inlet and outlet for the cans of the can sticks, the beam and shell being relatively rotatable between a position in which the can sticks cannot enter or leave the beam accommodation and a position in which the can sticks can be loaded into or discharged out of the beam accommodation; a circular series of pegs on a toothed wheel fastened with and at an end of each said beam; releasable locking means between each carrier shell and associated beam in the form of a spring-loaded pivoted pawl lever on said carrier shell for engaging any of said pegs associated with the respective beam; and releasing and indexing means for acting on the locking means at predetermined locations to permit relative rotation between each carrier shell and beam to allow unloading, loading and closure of the carrier.

4. In or for a sterilizing apparatus handling cans to be sterilized which are arranged end to end forming can sticks, the apparatus being of the type having carriers for the can sticks as well as loading and unloading stations for the cans, a means for correctly orienting a carrier relative to the loading and unloading stations, the means comprising cam or guide means for contacting the carrier to rotate it to the desired orientation and further means for maintaining the carrier in its orientation, said guide means including a guide track on a stationary part of the apparatus, a stationary abutment adjacent to and external of the track, a follower on an end of the carrier for passage along the track in a selected position on the carrier when the latter is correctly oriented, and an abutment of said carrier end at a position angularly spaced from the follower and adapted to contact the stationary abutment if the carrier is incorrectly oriented relative to the loading and unloading stations to rotate the carrier through the intermediary of a cam surface of the track to a correct orientation.