US3903941A - Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level - Google Patents

Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level Download PDF

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Publication number
US3903941A
US3903941A US377433A US37743373A US3903941A US 3903941 A US3903941 A US 3903941A US 377433 A US377433 A US 377433A US 37743373 A US37743373 A US 37743373A US 3903941 A US3903941 A US 3903941A
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United States
Prior art keywords
drum
containers
machine
shaft
yoke
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US377433A
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English (en)
Inventor
Bernard C Eisenberg
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HOWDEN FOODEQUIP Co
Howden Food Equipment Inc
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Solbern LLC
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Priority to US377433A priority Critical patent/US3903941A/en
Priority to ZA00744141A priority patent/ZA744141B/xx
Priority to CA203,771A priority patent/CA1016912A/en
Priority to GB2934374A priority patent/GB1469347A/en
Priority to DE2462955A priority patent/DE2462955C2/de
Priority to DE2432229A priority patent/DE2432229C2/de
Priority to DE2462956A priority patent/DE2462956C2/de
Priority to FR7423675A priority patent/FR2236728B1/fr
Priority to JP7745574A priority patent/JPS5323756B2/ja
Priority to AU71031/74A priority patent/AU489031B2/en
Priority to IT24936/74A priority patent/IT1015766B/it
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Publication of US3903941A publication Critical patent/US3903941A/en
Assigned to CHEMICAL BANK reassignment CHEMICAL BANK ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: SOLBERN CORP.,
Assigned to SOLBERN CORP., 8 KULICK ROAD, FAIRFIELD NEW JERSEY A CORP OF DE reassignment SOLBERN CORP., 8 KULICK ROAD, FAIRFIELD NEW JERSEY A CORP OF DE ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: CHEMICAL BANK
Assigned to NORTHEAST OHIO AXLE, INC. reassignment NORTHEAST OHIO AXLE, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: SOLBERN CORP.
Assigned to NEOAX, INC. reassignment NEOAX, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). EFFECTIVE DATE: MAY 13, 1986 Assignors: NORTHEAST OHIO AXLE, INC.
Assigned to HOWDEN FOOD EQUIPMENT, INC. reassignment HOWDEN FOOD EQUIPMENT, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). EFFECTIVE DATE: 06/01/88 DELAWARE Assignors: HOWDEN FOODEQUIP COMPANY, A CORP. OF DE (CHANGED TO)
Assigned to HOWDEN FOODEQUIP COMPANY reassignment HOWDEN FOODEQUIP COMPANY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: NEOAX, INC., A CORP. OF DE
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B1/20—Reducing volume of filled material
    • B65B1/22—Reducing volume of filled material by vibration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B37/00—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged
    • B65B37/08—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged by rotary feeders

Definitions

  • a container filling machine of the type in which containers are conveyed in a line through an open-ended rotating drum having circumferentially spaced shelves around the inside with pivoted gates for raising the product to a discharge point above the containers includes the following improvements for reducing product damage and contamination and increasing versatil ity and adjustability: wedge-shaped shelf gates, drum support rollers above the drum axis, a pin-type drum drive with solid pins on the drum and roller bushings on the drive pinion, a frusto-conical product return section at the exit end of the drum, a circumferentially adjustable cam track for selectable bucket discharge location, an extendable shaker pan with infinitely adjustable position and slope for delivering discharged product to the containers, remotely adjustable tilt angle for containers by means of circular yoke support members held by automatically releasable clamps, and a container shaking mechanism
  • This invention relates to machines and methods for filling containers and more particularly to machines and methods for compactly filling containers with relatively small pieces of material to a predetermined level within each container.
  • empty containers such as cans or jars are placed on an elongated conveyor for transport past a material delivery location.
  • the materials usually handled are small food items such as fruit, cut or sliced vegetables, and so forth.
  • These materials are delivered by a chute to the interior of an openended drum surrounding the conveyor, with the drum axis extending generally in the direction of the path of travel of the containers on the conveyor.
  • the drum is supported for rotation about its axis and is rotated by means of a suitable drive.
  • Buckets or scoops spaced circumferentially around the inside of the drum pick up portions of the material in the bottom of the drum as it rotates and carry the portions to the top of the drum where the material is released into a shaker tray for delivery into the containers.
  • the machines in the patents cited above include means for agitating the containers to pack the materials more closely in the containers and to shake out any material in excess of the desired amount.
  • These agitating means include guide rails positioned along either side of a portion of the line of containers.
  • the guide rails are supported by members that are mounted for rotation through a limited angle about an axis parallel to the conveyor line. The axis may be either above or below the level of the conveyor surface.
  • These support members are oscillated within a small angle about their mounting axis, and this motion is transferred to the guide rails which, in turn, swing or rock the containers back and forth in an arc transverse to the linear path of the conveyor.
  • the resulting centrifugal force is downward and tends to pack the material more tightly in the containers. If the axis is below the bottoms of the containers, the resulting centrifugal force is directed upward and tends to eject excess material from the upper portions of the containers.
  • the containers in these machines are given a translatory lateral shaking motion because the axis of rotary oscillation is either above or below the support surface of the conveyor. This lateral shaking motion aids in settling the materials in the containers in each case, that is, whether the swinging axis is above or below the bottoms of the containers.
  • the guide rail support members in some of my prior machines also can be adjusted to tilt the containcrs to a selected angle with respect to the vertical after the filling step to shake out material in excess of that required for a preselected fill level. See, for example, FIGS. 4-6 in US. Pat, No. 3,298,404 and the accompanying text col. 4, line 41 col. 5, line 41. This technique is suggested as being useful when filling containers with relatively small pieces of material, a specific example being mushrooms.
  • my US. Pat. No. 2,937,670 teaches (FIG. 7 and text col. 6, lines -74) that the containers may be tilted during the filling step to facilitate filling with elongate or sliver form material, such as french cut stringbeans.
  • the prior drums are typically driven by an electric motor and reduction drive through a sprocket pinion wheel that engages circumferentially spaced steep pins mounted on a circular flange at one end of the drum.
  • the pins preferably carry roller bushings, but the periodic immersion of these bushings in the liquid bath also causes lubrication and sanitation problems.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a container filling machine of the rotating-drum type that is particularly suitable for handling delicate food products such as cherries, mushrooms, olives, peaches, and so forth in which the product handling means are fully adjustable for optimum delivery rates with minimized product recycling and product injury.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a rotary-drum filling machine in which product contamination from the drum supporting means and the drum driving means is eliminated.
  • An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved method for filling open-top containers to a preselected level without first overfilling and then ejecting excess material.
  • a machine for filling containers conveyed by a conveying support member in a line past a material delivery station Improved means for supporting the containers to permit adjustment of container tilt angle comprise means for guiding the containers past the material delivery station, means for supporting the container guiding means for rotation within predetermined angular limits about an axis approximately coincident with the centerline of the conveying support member, and means for remotely adjusting the supporting means for the container guides to position the guides at an angle corresponding to a preselected fill level.
  • the container guide support means By having the container guide support means rotatable about an axis coincident with the conveying member, which is preferably of elongated cylindrical form, the containers are always centrally supported on the conveying member regardless of the tilt angle.
  • the preferred container supporting and tilting means comprises at least one pair of parallel side rails, at least one circular yoke for supporting the guide rails along each side of the line of containers, and a remotely releaseable clamp for holding the yoke concentric with the centerline of the conveying member.
  • the yoke can be slidingly adjusted relative to the clamp by means such as a crank and connecting link arrangement mounted adjacent to the yoke on one end of a rotatable shaft, with the yoke being maintained concentric with the centerline of the conveying member as it slides in the clamp.
  • the clamp is mounted on a hollow shaft concentric with the first-mentioned shaft, and the hollow shaft is oscillated about its axis, preferably by a motor-driven eccentrically mounted journal through a connecting rod and lever, to transmit a lateral shaking motion to the containers through the yoke and guide rails.
  • the shaking amplitude can be adjusted by varying the eccentricity of the journal relative to the motor shaft.
  • the filling machine of the invention preferably includes a rotary-drum type device having improved means for delivering a variety of materials to the containers in optimum fashion with minimum product recycling and resultant damage to delicate products such as food items.
  • improved delivery means comprise the following:
  • wedge-shaped pivoted gates cooperating with concave shelves spaced circumferentially around the inside of the rotating drum to form variable capacity buckets for raising material from the bottom of the drum to a discharge location above the containers, the wide edge of each wedge-shaped gate slidably engaging the corresponding concave shelf without exposing a shelf lip that would otherwise tend to pick up material and subsequently drop it at a point other than the desired discharge point;
  • the opening means comprising a cam track segment mounted adjacent to one end of the drum, the cam track engaging cam followers on the free ends of cranks connected to each bucket gate, the cam track segment being angularly shiftable within the range of desired bucket discharge locations;
  • a shaker pan for conveying material from the bucket discharge position to the containers, the pan comprising a main section and an extension section which is extendable in an infinite number of steps between minimum and maximum pan lengths determined by the selected bucket discharge location and the position of the line of open-top containers;
  • the mounting means preferably comprising a pair of end plates attached to the shaker pan support, each end plate having at least one elongated slot; 2 pair of stationary support plates, one plate of the pair positioned at each end of the drum in flat contact with the adjacent end plate of shaker pan support and having at least one elongated slot extending in a direction transverse to the slot in the end plate, and a fastening device passing through both slots to permit infinite adjustment vertically, horizontally and angularly to the limits of the slots; and
  • a frusto-conical product return section preferably formed from dimpled sheet metal, for gently and continuously returning excess material that has been ejected from the filled containers or has fallen between them.
  • the improved filling machine of the invention includes drum support trunnions that contact the inner surfaces of circular rings fastened to each end drum, the points of contact being above the drum axis and thereby completely avoiding contact with and contamination of material in the bottom of the drum, and the drive pins for the drum that are spaced circumferentially around one of the circular trunnion rings are in one piece for easy cleaning, likewise to reduce product contamination.
  • the improved method of the invention comprises the steps of tilting and shaking a line of containers simultaneously with their being filled so that a preselected fill level is obtained without first overfilling and then shaking out and possibly damaging the excess material.
  • FIG. I is a perspective view of the improved rotarydrum container filling machine of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a section view in elevation along lines 22 of FIG. I.
  • FIG. 3 is a view of the entrance end of the machine of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 4 is an end view in section taken at the material delivery station of the filling machine along lines 44 of FIG. 2.
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective of one preferred embodiment of the shaker pan of the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of the shaker pan.
  • FIG. 7 is a side view, partially cut away, of the container tilting and shaking mechanism of the machine of FIG. I.
  • FIG. 8 is an end view along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7 of the container tilting and shaking mechanism with the containers in the vertical position.
  • FIG. 9 is an end view along line 99 of FIG. 7 of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 6 with the containers in a tilted position.
  • FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the preferred variable eccentricity shaker drive mechanism of the machine of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. I shows a perspective view looking at the entrance end of the preferred embodiment of a filling machine according to the invention.
  • An elongated conveyor generally designated by 20, carries a line of open-top containers. such as cans 21, in a linear path past a container filling station 22 located above the open containers and extending along a portion of the linear path.
  • the cans are guided on the conveyor to the filling station by two pairs of guide rails 23 and 24, one rail of each pair extending along each side of the line of com tainers.
  • Guide rails 23, 24 are adjustable in height by clamps 25 and 26 mounted on an upright bar 27.
  • a horizontal bar 28 permits lateral adjustment between the rails for different size cans.
  • Tiltable rails 29, 30 are connected to the guide rails 23, 24 by flexible tubing 3] and 32; so that the cans have continuous support as they travel along the linear path of the conveyor.
  • a means for delivering material to the container filling station includes an open-ended rotary drum 33 made of annular end plates 34 and 35 (see also FIG. and a cylindrical porous shell 36 wrapped around end plates 34, 35 and fastened with latches 37.
  • the arrangement of the interior of the drum will be discussed in connection with FIGS. 2 and 4 below.
  • Drum 33 is supported within a rectangular frame 38 for rotation about its axis on two pairs of rollers 39, one pair of rollers mounted at each end of the drum on frame members 40 and 4].
  • Each pair of rollers 39 contact the inner surface of a circular track 42 or 43 attached to the corresponding annular end plate 34 or 35.
  • the roller contact points are above the drum axis and equidistant from a vertical plane bisecting the drum lengthwise. This mounting location is an im provement over the below-axis trunion mounting common with rotary-drum equipment because the rollers are more accessible and do not contaminate material in rectangular tank 44 which surrounds the lower portion of the drum.
  • Material to be filled into the containers is delivered into the bottom of the drum through a chute 45.
  • a typical application for the machine of FIG. 1 is to fill cans or other containers with delicate food products, such as fruit, that are packed in a syrup or juice.
  • Tank 44 provides a reservoir for the liquid portion, which has easy access to the interior of the drum through the porous shell 36.
  • the porous shell is preferably made of smoothly perforated sheet metal to reduce product abrasion, but wire screening may also be used.
  • a number of shelves 46 are attached to the inner surface of the drum.
  • Each shelf has a concave surface facing the direction of drum rotation (as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4).
  • a wedge-shaped gate 47 is associated with each shelf.
  • Each gate is attached at its ends to a pair of shafts 48 and 49, the shafts being rotatably mounted on end plates 34 and 35, respectively, coincident with the axis of curvature of the corresponding shelf surface.
  • the wide edge 50 of each gate mates with the corresponding concave shelf surface to form a bucket for picking up a portion of the material in the bottom of the drum as the drum rotates, as shown in FIG. 4.
  • the gates are actuated to close the buckets on the downward travelling side of the drum before they enter the material at the bottom and then to open the buckets at preselected discharge points in the upper quadrant of upward travel.
  • the means for actuating the bucket gates includes arms 5] having one end attached to the outer end of each shaft 48 for swinging the associated gate 47.
  • the free end of each arm 51 carries a cam follower 52 that engages a stationary cam track 53 for the portion of travel from approximately the 12 oclock position to the 9 o'clock position and an adjustable cam track 54 for the remaining quadrant.
  • the wedge shape of the bucket gates provides an important advantage in delivering delicate products that can be damaged by too much handling. After each bucket has been filled from the reservoir of material in the bottom of the drum, it is desirable to swing the gate outward a slight amount to increase the bucket capacity so that the top layer of material will not fall out when the bucket tilts as it travels through the upper quadrant to the discharge point. This slight swinging action is accomplished by an additional inflection point 61 (FIG. 3) in cam track 54 ahead of the discharge inflection point 60. The shift caused by inflection point 61 is illustrated in FIG. 4 by the dashed line position of the bucket gate at the oclock position. It is apparent that the wedge shape of the gate provides sealing contact with the shelf of the bucket both before and after inflection point 61 without creating an exposed lip of the shelf to collect material which will subsequently drop off before reaching the bucket discharge point.
  • shaker pan assembly 62 which includes a chute 63 with an adjustable extension 64.
  • Chute 63 is pivotally mounted on legs 65 by means of upper hinge pins 66 attached to the under side of chute 63 and lower hinge pins 67 attached to end plates 68 and 69.
  • shaker pan assembly 62 can be given a substantially longitudinal vibration by a drive means such as a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly 70 (FIG. 2) to assist in delivering the product discharge from buckets uniformly to the line of con tainers.
  • End plate 68 has a pair of parallel slots by which it is attached to stationary end plate 55 by means of bolts 71 through a complementary pair of parallel slots in end plate 55 that extend in a direction transverse to the direction of the slots in end plate 68.
  • End plate 69 is attached in a similar manner by bolts 72 to a stationary circular end plate 73; similar to end plate 55 and mounted at the other end of the drum to frame 38 by spacer bolts 74 (see FIG. 2).
  • chute extension 64 can be infinitely adjusted to properly relate to every bucket discharge location between the upper and lower limits permitted by adjustable cam track 54. In this way, a large range of container sizes can be accommodated and the optimum chute angle obtained for a variety of products.
  • chute 63 is made up of a plurality of elongated flat bars 75 arranged on edge in spaced parallel relation and welded to upper hinge pins 66.
  • the parallel bars 75 allow liquid to drain back to the drum through a sump 76 while serving as guides for products moving forward from adjustable extension 64, which is shown as fabricated from dimpled sheet metal and is fastened by studs 77 welded to its underside and extending between adjacent bars 75, which act as a slot to allow continuous adjustment between the limits imposed by hinge pins 66.
  • extension 64 can be clamped to chute 63 by a nut 78 on each stud bearing against a washer 79 in contact with the lower edges of the adjacent bars 75.
  • FIG. 6 substitutes a chute 63a of dimpled sheet metal having slots 80 for the spaced bars of FIG. 5.
  • FIGS. 1-4 Another improvement of the present invention is the drum drive means shown in FIGS. 1-4.
  • previous machines of this type used a sprocket and pin drive, with the pins being mounted on a ring at one end of the drum. It was found that plain steel pins tended to wear rapidly; so the pins were equipped with nylon sleeves or roller bushings to reduce wear, but these created crevices that were difficult to clean and created a source of contamination that was unsatisfactory in a machine for handling food products.
  • the sprocket pinion has been replaced by a pin-type driving member 81 carrying rollers 82 that are circumferentially spaced for meshing engagement with pins 83 mounted on circular track 43.
  • Driving member 81 is itself driven by a conventional variable speed reduction drive 84 powered by an electric motor 85.
  • the improved pin-to-pin drive works smoothly and well. It retains the advantage of having roller bushings for minimum wear, but by allowing the rollers to be placed on the driving member, the pins on the drum can be perfectly plain for maximum sanitation.
  • FIGS. 7 through 9 the improved container tilting and shaking assembly is shown in detail.
  • This assembly includes, as mentioned earlier, pairs of tiltable guide rails 29 and 30 for supporting the containers for at least a portion of their travel past the material delivery station at any desired angle within predetermined limits as the containers are being filled.
  • Each pair of guide rails is mounted on two pairs of upright posts 86 and 87 by clamps 88.
  • the lower ends of posts 86, 87 are fastened to arcuate yokes 89 and 90, respectively, by clamps 91.
  • Yokes 89 and 90 are joined as a unitary structure by an assembly swing rail 92, and each yoke is releasably held by means such as clamps 93 at a distance from the centerline of a conveying support member 94 for contain ers 21 equal to the radius of the yoke arc.
  • Conveying support member 94 preferably has a circular cross section so that the containers will make only line contact at every tilt angle.
  • Each clamp 93 is biased in the closed position by a spring 95 acting against the back of a piston 96 in a pneumatic cylinder 97. Air supplied under pressure from a remote valve (not shown) to fittings 9711 at each cylinder releases clamps 93 when it is desired to change the support angle of yokes 89, 90.
  • the yokes can be slidably moved relative to the clamps by means that permit remote adjustment of tiltable guide rails 29, 30.
  • These means include a shaft 98 extending generally parallel to the direction of the path of travel of the containers and supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis within an additional hollow shaft 99 which is supported in bearings 100 from structure 10] of elongated conveyor 20.
  • Crank arms 102 extend radially from shaft 98 near each yoke and are connected at their ends through links 103 to yokes 89 and 90 by way of swing rail 92 and an extension stub 104, respectively, so that rotation of shaft 98 by a radial handle 105 results in sliding movement of the yokes relative to the clamps, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
  • Handle 105 is located at the outer end of shaft 98 outside of the drum structure (see FIG. 2) so that the yokes can be adjusted easily and safely while the drum is rotating merely by actuating the remote air valve (not shown) to release clamps 93 and then swinging handle 105 until the yokes are shifted to produce the desired tilt angle for containers 21.
  • yokes 89 and 90 will remain substantially concentric with the centerline of conveying support member 94 throughout their range of adjustment with respect to clamps 93. This insures that with only a single remote adjustment (i.e. movement of handle 105), the containers can be tilted through a predetermined angular range while the container bottoms remain substantially centered on the conveying support member for maximum stability.
  • yokes 89, 90 can be locked with respect to clamp assemblies 93 at any of a finite number of positions within the limits of yoke adjustment, each finite position being determined by a countersunk hole 106, by means of setscrews 107 (see FIG. 7).
  • crank arms 102 and connecting links 103 are chosen so that each connecting link exerts a force on the yoke in response to rotation of shaft 98 that has a substantial component tangent to the curve of the yoke at the clamping assembly 93 for all of the selectable points in the range. This tangential component is necessary to cause the yoke to slide relative to the clamp in response to swinging the handle 105.
  • crank and link arrangement is both a simple and effective way to adjust the tilt angle of yokes 89, 90
  • other means such as arcuate rack and pinion or motor-driven worm and gear arrangements, could be used to accomplish the same result of remotely adjusting the yokes with respect to their clamps while maintaining them substantially concentric with conveying support member 94.
  • the double shaft arrangement described above also permits angular shaking of the tiltable guide rail assembly at any angular position of the assembly. This is accomplished by locking each clamp 93 to hollow shaft 99 by means of a clamp 108 and tapered locking pin 109.
  • a crank arm 110 connected through a telescopically adjustable connecting rod 111 to an eccentric drive member 112 which can be rotated at selectively variable speeds by means of a conventional variable speed reduction unit 113 driven by an electric motor 114.
  • electric motor 114 rotates eccentric drive member 112 at selectively variable speed through reduction unit 113.
  • Eccentric drive member 112 converts rotation into longitudinal reciprocation of connecting rod 11 l which, in turn, converts to rotary oscillation of crank arm 110.
  • This rotary oscillation is transmitted through outer shaft 99 and clamps 108 and 93 to the yoke assembly From inspection of FIG. 8 it is apparent that the angular shaking motion is centered about the axis of shaft 99, which is displaced from the centerline of conveying support member 94. Therefore, the shaking action on containers 21 will not be a pure rocking motion but will include lateral translation as well.
  • the rocking component of the shaking action exerts a centrifugal force on the contents of the containers that tends to eject material at and near the top.
  • the lateral translation component tends to shake the contents below the top down to fill up any voids and make a solid and more uniform pack while ejecting any overfill above the top edge of the containers.
  • FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of the assembly of eccentric drive unit 112 that permits adjustment of the eccentricity to selectively vary the shaking amplitude within predetermined limits.
  • Eccentric drive unit 112 consists of a coupling 115 attached to the end of an output drive shaft 116 from variable speed reduction unit 113.
  • Coupling 115 has a flat end face 117 perpendicular to the axis of drive shaft 116, with a diametral groove 118 in the end face.
  • a bar 119 mates with groove 118 for sliding motion therein.
  • a stub journal 120 extends from the center of bar 119 for rotatably mounting the upper end of connecting rod 111.
  • Bar 119 also includes two elongated slots 121 to permit limited longitudinal movement of the bar in groove 118 when attached to coupling 115 by two cap screws 122 threaded into mating holes 123 in the base of groove 118. In this way the eccentricity of drive member 112 can be adjusted within the limits of slots 121.
  • the operation of the improved container filling machine of the present invention thus includes the steps of conveying the containers in a linear path on a moving conveyer line past the material delivery station 22, tilting the line of containers in a portion of the linear path extending along the end of discharge chute 63 about an axis substantially coincident with the centerline of conveying support member 94 to an angle that corresponds to a preselected fill level, filling the tilted containers with items delivered from chute 63, and shaking the tilted containers as they are being filled with a combined rocking and lateral translatory motion of adjustable frequency and amplitude to simulta neously pack the material uniformly in the containers and eject any overfill.
  • deflection plate 124 attached to a sector plate 125 for pivotal adjustment about a pin 126 connecting the sector plate to a support arm 127 which is adjustably fastened to a shaft 128 by a clamp 129.
  • Shaft 128 is held at each end by suitable attachments to stationary end plates 55 and 73.
  • Deflector plate 124 is positioned to shield the product delivered from the end of chute 63 from the sharp upper edges of tilted containers 2] so that only the smooth inner sides of the containers contact the product flow.
  • a truncated cone 130 of dimpled sheet metal attached to the exit end of drum 33 Additional product protection is provided by a truncated cone 130 of dimpled sheet metal attached to the exit end of drum 33. Materials tipped or shaken from the containers into cone 130 as the containers leave the filling location slide gently back into the drum bucket filling area rather than being moved back by spiral vanes on the inside of the drum surface, as in previous designs. This provides still further gentle product handling action. Cone 130 also permits the use of a shorter drum, thereby reducing the amount of product required as a reservoir within the drum. Less product within the drum means less opportunity for product damage.
  • the improvements in drum-type container filling machines described above therefore provide both individually and in combination greater flexibility of operation and better product handling with reduced possibility of damaging delicate products.
  • the wedgeshaped bucket gates 47 eliminate the possibility of product dropback into the drum reservoir with the attendant opportunity for bruising or other damage to delicate products.
  • the adjustable cam track 54 in conjunction with fully adjustable shaker pan assembly 62 produces a gentle, sliding product transfer from drum buckets to shaker pan for a wide variety of container sizes.
  • the height of the pan can be adjusted to match the height of the containers, the angle of the shaker pan can be adjusted to the proper slide angle for a smooth, continuous flow for a variety of products, and the length of the shaker pan can be extended to match the discharge location of the drum buckets for full sliding" product transfer. All these adjustable elements conibine, therefore, for gentle, positive, damage-free product handling from the drum reservoir to the containers.
  • the arcuate shape of the support yokes for the tiltable container guide rails permit remote adjustment of the container tilt angle by insuring that the yokes are maintained substantially concentric with the conveying support member for all tilt angles so that the containers are not shifted to one side or the other as the tilt angle is changed but are kept safely centered on the conveyor.
  • the ability of the disclosed apparatus to vary container shaking amplitude as well as shaking frequency allows the shaking motion to be optimally selected for the container size and product handled. This minimizes or eliminates any further opportunity for product damage inside the containers and during spilloff and maximizes control of product density and desired headspace in the filled containers.
  • a machine for compactly filling containers with material to a preselected level of the type that includes an elongated support member for conveying containers in a linear path, means for delivering material into the containers from a location above a portion of the linear path, means for tilting the containers to an angle corresponding to the preselected fill level, and means for agitating the containers to pack the material closely in the containers and to eject excess material, the improvement wherein the means for tilting the containers to a predetermined angle comprises:
  • the holding means permitting sliding movement of the yoke relative to the holding means from one of the selectable points to another in response to actuation of the remote adjusting means, the yoke when held at any of the selectable points being approximately concentric with the centerline of the conveying support member.
  • releasable clamp means located at a distance from the centerline of the conveying support member approximately equal to the radius of the circular arc of the yoke and a remotely controlled device for selectively releasing the clamp means to permit sliding movement of the yoke relative to the clamp.
  • a shaft extending in the general direction of the path of travel of the containers and supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis;
  • a coupling attached to the end of the drive shaft, the coupling having a flat end face perpendicular to the drive shaft axis with a diametral groove in the face;
  • journal being mounted on the sliding bar and extending parallel to the axis of the drive shaft when the bar is in the groove;
  • the bar has at least one elongated slot extending for a portion of its length;
  • the coupling has at least one threaded hole, the axis of the hole in the coupling intersecting the longitudinal axis of the slot in the bar; and the means for clamping the bar at selected longitudinal positions relative to the groove comprises:
  • connecting rod comprises:
  • a machine for filling containers to a predetermined level of the type that includes means for conveying containers in a linear path, an open-ended drum surrounding a portion of the conveying means with the drum axis extending substantially in the direction of the linear path, means for supporting the drum for rotation about its axis, means for rotating the drum on the support means, means for delivering to the interior of the drum material to be placed in the containers, means spaced circumferentially around the inside of the drum for raising portions of the material in the drum to a preselected discharge point above the line of containers, and means for directing material discharged from the raising means to the containers as they are conveyed to the linear path, the improvement wherein the means spaced circumferentially around the inside of the drum for raising portions of the material in the drum to a discharge point near the top of the drum comprises:
  • each shelf having a surface that faces in the direction of drum rotation and forms a concave cylindrical are about an axis spaced radially inwardly from the inner surface to the drum;
  • each gate being mounted at its narrow edge for pivoting movement about the axis of curvature of the corresponding shelf surface, and the wide edge of each gate mating with the shelf surface to form a bucket for picking up a portion of the material in the bottom of the drum as the drum rotates;
  • each gate pivoting each gate to a closed position with respect respect to its corresponding shelf before each bucket passes through the material at the bottom of the drum and to an open position at a preselected discharge point above the containers, the wide edge of the gate providing a range of closed bucket volumes, departing on the fraction of gate edge engaging the shelf, without exposing the shelf lip for picking up unwanted material outside of the bucket.
  • crank for pivotally rotating the gate, the crank having a shaft connected to the gate and extending to an outer end outside one end of the drum and a lever arm with one end fixed to the outer end of the crank shaft;
  • a second cam track segment mounted adjacent to the end of the drum for engaging the cam follower over a second angular portion of its travel for opening the gate, the second cam track segment being angularly shiftable for varying the angular location at which the bucket gates will open, thereby varying the preselected discharge point.
  • At least one threaded fastener passing through the at least one lateral slot of one end plate and the at least one transverse slot of the contiguous end plate at each end of the drum, thereby permitting an infinite selection of horizontal, vertical and angular settings within the limits of the slot lengths.
  • a main portion having a length corresponding to the shortest possible distance between a preselected discharge point and a line of containers within the adjustment limits of the machine and an extension portion slidably mounted with respect to the main portion for extending the chute length in continuous increments to the longest possible distance between a preselected discharge point and a line of containers within the adjustment limits of the machine.
  • a frusto-conical exit section attached to the end of the drum from which the filled containers leave for returning excess material falling from the containers to the bottom of the drum
  • frustoconical exit section comprises a dimpled inner surface for returning excess material to the bottom of the drum by gentle tumbling action.
  • a machine for filling containers of the type that includes means for conveying containers in a linear path, an open-ended drum surrounding a portion of the conveying means with the drum axis extending substan tially in the direction of the linear path, means for supporting the drum for rotation about its axis, means for rotating the drum on the support means, means for delivering to the interior of the drum material to be placed in the containers, means spaced around the inside of the drum for raising portions of the material in the drum to a preselected discharge point above the line of containers, and means for directing material discharged from the raising means to the containers as they are conveyed in the linear path, the improvement wherein:
  • the means for rotating the drum on the support means comprises:
  • a drive means having a rotary drive shaft

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
  • Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
  • Supply Of Fluid Materials To The Packaging Location (AREA)
  • Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
US377433A 1973-07-09 1973-07-09 Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level Expired - Lifetime US3903941A (en)

Priority Applications (11)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US377433A US3903941A (en) 1973-07-09 1973-07-09 Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level
ZA00744141A ZA744141B (en) 1973-07-09 1974-06-27 Improved machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level
CA203,771A CA1016912A (en) 1973-07-09 1974-07-02 Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level
GB2934374A GB1469347A (en) 1973-07-09 1974-07-02 Machine for filling containers to a predetermined level
DE2432229A DE2432229C2 (de) 1973-07-09 1974-07-05 Vorrichtung zum Füllen von Dosen
DE2462956A DE2462956C2 (de) 1973-07-09 1974-07-05 Vorrichtung zum Füllen von Dosen mit geschmacksempfindlichem Gut
DE2462955A DE2462955C2 (de) 1973-07-09 1974-07-05 Vorrichtung zum Füllen von Dosen mit druckempfindlichen Gut
JP7745574A JPS5323756B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-07-09 1974-07-08
FR7423675A FR2236728B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-07-09 1974-07-08
AU71031/74A AU489031B2 (en) 1973-07-09 1974-07-09 Improved machine for filling containers toa predetermined level
IT24936/74A IT1015766B (it) 1973-07-09 1974-07-09 Macchina e metodo per riempire contenitori fino ad un predeter minato livello

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US377433A US3903941A (en) 1973-07-09 1973-07-09 Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3903941A true US3903941A (en) 1975-09-09

Family

ID=23489093

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US377433A Expired - Lifetime US3903941A (en) 1973-07-09 1973-07-09 Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US3903941A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5323756B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1016912A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (3) DE2432229C2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2236728B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1469347A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT1015766B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ZA (1) ZA744141B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4142560A (en) * 1978-02-08 1979-03-06 Solbern Corp. Open-type filling machine
US4953600A (en) * 1989-04-14 1990-09-04 Howden Food Equipment, Inc. Method and apparatus for transferring a predetermined portion to a container
US20050274265A1 (en) * 2002-07-12 2005-12-15 Al Zeeper Olive stuffing method
US20080023101A1 (en) * 2006-04-18 2008-01-31 Rudesill Brian R Automatic seasoning device
US20100044656A1 (en) * 2008-02-25 2010-02-25 Kenji Imase Worm-rack type transmission device
US20140014224A1 (en) * 2011-04-12 2014-01-16 Jürgen Vorwerk Method and filling machine for the open jet filling of bottles or similar containers
US20140346191A1 (en) * 2011-11-28 2014-11-27 Fillon Technologies Device for storing, selecting, and distributing a plurality of products each of which is packaged in a container provided with an ejection opening
CN109878833A (zh) * 2019-03-01 2019-06-14 李莲妹 一种畜牧场猪粪便自压式收集分装设备
CN111731592A (zh) * 2020-06-21 2020-10-02 邱志强 一种玻璃罐装食品包装加盖流水线
CN115041419A (zh) * 2022-06-13 2022-09-13 嘉应学院 一种基于图像识别的球状水果方位检测及调整的装置
US11701891B2 (en) 2018-12-20 2023-07-18 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Printing system

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6046862U (ja) * 1983-09-07 1985-04-02 積水化成品工業株式会社 カイワレダイコン等の栽培容器
JP2704927B2 (ja) * 1993-03-09 1998-01-26 キヤノン株式会社 静電荷像用トナーの充填方法
CN112429282B (zh) * 2020-11-10 2022-04-12 常州嘉业智能装备科技有限公司 一种用于多次灌装的漏斗
CN113264491A (zh) * 2021-05-21 2021-08-17 陈郑辉 一种用于生物制药过程中的液态细胞自动定量装罐设备
CN115108391B (zh) * 2022-07-22 2024-02-27 安徽唯嵩光电科技有限公司 一种便于调间隙的送料系统
CN115848689B (zh) * 2022-12-23 2023-11-07 徐州华云精细化工有限公司 一种复配助剂生产用包装机
CN117141777B (zh) * 2023-09-13 2025-06-24 扬州诺亚机械有限公司 泡腾片灌装机构

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US2324824A (en) * 1940-07-31 1943-07-20 Cornell Machine Company Treating apparatus
US2937670A (en) * 1957-02-04 1960-05-24 Bernard C Eisenberg Container filling machine
US3217760A (en) * 1963-01-04 1965-11-16 Bernard C Eisenberg Machine and method for filling containers
US3298404A (en) * 1963-07-12 1967-01-17 Solbern Mfg Co Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2324833A (en) 1942-10-30 1943-07-20 Einson Freeman Co Inc Educational airplane cockpit outfit

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2324824A (en) * 1940-07-31 1943-07-20 Cornell Machine Company Treating apparatus
US2937670A (en) * 1957-02-04 1960-05-24 Bernard C Eisenberg Container filling machine
US3217760A (en) * 1963-01-04 1965-11-16 Bernard C Eisenberg Machine and method for filling containers
US3298404A (en) * 1963-07-12 1967-01-17 Solbern Mfg Co Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level

Cited By (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4142560A (en) * 1978-02-08 1979-03-06 Solbern Corp. Open-type filling machine
US4953600A (en) * 1989-04-14 1990-09-04 Howden Food Equipment, Inc. Method and apparatus for transferring a predetermined portion to a container
US20050274265A1 (en) * 2002-07-12 2005-12-15 Al Zeeper Olive stuffing method
US20080023101A1 (en) * 2006-04-18 2008-01-31 Rudesill Brian R Automatic seasoning device
US7975642B2 (en) * 2006-04-18 2011-07-12 Franke Technology And Trademark Ltd Automatic seasoning device
US20100044656A1 (en) * 2008-02-25 2010-02-25 Kenji Imase Worm-rack type transmission device
US7900890B2 (en) * 2008-02-25 2011-03-08 Kamoseiko Kabushiki Kaisha Worm-rack type transmission device
US9365403B2 (en) * 2011-04-12 2016-06-14 Khs Gmbh Method and filling machine for the open jet filling of bottles or similar containers
US20140014224A1 (en) * 2011-04-12 2014-01-16 Jürgen Vorwerk Method and filling machine for the open jet filling of bottles or similar containers
US20140346191A1 (en) * 2011-11-28 2014-11-27 Fillon Technologies Device for storing, selecting, and distributing a plurality of products each of which is packaged in a container provided with an ejection opening
US11701891B2 (en) 2018-12-20 2023-07-18 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Printing system
CN109878833A (zh) * 2019-03-01 2019-06-14 李莲妹 一种畜牧场猪粪便自压式收集分装设备
CN109878833B (zh) * 2019-03-01 2020-12-18 湖州浪佩智能科技有限公司 一种畜牧场猪粪便自压式收集分装设备
CN111731592A (zh) * 2020-06-21 2020-10-02 邱志强 一种玻璃罐装食品包装加盖流水线
CN111731592B (zh) * 2020-06-21 2022-04-01 临沂片山食品有限公司 一种玻璃罐装食品包装加盖流水线
CN115041419A (zh) * 2022-06-13 2022-09-13 嘉应学院 一种基于图像识别的球状水果方位检测及调整的装置
CN115041419B (zh) * 2022-06-13 2024-01-23 嘉应学院 一种基于图像识别的球状水果方位检测及调整的装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5323756B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1978-07-17
DE2432229C2 (de) 1982-11-04
GB1469347A (en) 1977-04-06
AU7103174A (en) 1976-01-15
DE2462956C2 (de) 1983-10-13
ZA744141B (en) 1975-06-25
DE2432229A1 (de) 1975-01-30
JPS5037592A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1975-04-08
DE2462955C2 (de) 1984-06-20
FR2236728B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1980-01-11
IT1015766B (it) 1977-05-20
CA1016912A (en) 1977-09-06
FR2236728A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1975-02-07

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