WO2010131281A1

WO2010131281A1 - Method and device for transferring incoherent material

Info

Publication number: WO2010131281A1
Application number: PCT/IT2010/000197
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luca Catelli
Original assignee: Abc Pharmatech S.R.L.
Priority date: 2009-05-13
Filing date: 2010-04-30
Publication date: 2010-11-18
Also published as: ITFI20090105A1

Abstract

Method and apparatus (1) for transferring incoherent material from a container (2) to a collection station (S), according to which a first longitudinal end (5) of a tubular conduit (4) is seal-engaged to the outer surface (8) of the container (2) by means of a connection flange (6); at least part of the wall (13) of container (2) which faces the inside of conduit (4) is removed to define an aperture (27) of container (2); the removed part (29) is moved away from container (2) inside the conduit (4); the conduit (4) is separated into a first section (35) which comprises the first longitudinal end (5) and into a second section (40) which contains said removed part (29); the first sealed section (35) defines a closing element (41) of container (2) which is easily opened afterwards to cause the material of container (2) to flow to the collection station (S).

Description

i

"METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING INCOHERENT MATERIAL" Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and a device for transferring incoherent material. The method and device according to the present invention are advantageously used in the pharmaceutical and/or chemical and/or food industry and, more in general, in all those sectors in which provision is made for transferring - from one container to another, or from a container to a hopper of a machine, or vice versa - incoherent materials such as powders, granulates, capsules, tablets or similar products. State-of-the-Art According to a known technique, the transfer of the above mentioned materials is performed by gravity, by providing an opening in the container to be emptied out in correspondence of an upper discharge station, and a feeding mouth in a container to be filled, or in a hopper, in correspondence of a lower collection station. The container to be emptied out is generally made up of a multilayer bag having an internal layer of plastic material and an external layer of paper material.

The said container, owing to its conformation and the initial handling operations performed thereon, may result dirty and/or contaminated by external or internal polluting products present in the operational environment. The above described technique provides for the bag to be initially inserted into a suction hood fully or partly tight-sealed to the outside environment, the same bag - being generally housed on a supporting grid which rests on a hopper - is manually opened and emptied out afterwards for transferring the product from the bag to the underlying hopper by manipulating the same bag in such a way as to complete the discharge of the product. The major drawbacks of the above cited method are the possibility of contamination of the product by contact with the outer surface of the bag, and of a detachment from said surface or parts thereof of dirty particles falling directly in the hopper below. Detailed Description

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for transferring incoherent material in an easy and safe manner, without any occurrence of the above described drawback and, in particular, without any contamination of the incoherent product by external agents. According to the present invention, a method and a device are provided for transferring incoherent material which comprise the characteristics disclosed in any of the respective appended claims. The invention will be described below by way of non- limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of a device constructed according to the present invention; - Figs. 2 to 9 show the device of Fig. 1 in successive operating steps;

- Fig. 10 shows a variant of the device of Fig. 1; and

- Fig. 11 shows in greater detail a part of Fig. 1.

In the attached figures, numeral 1 designates in the whole a device for transferring incoherent material from a container 2 to a collection station S.

The incoherent material consists, in particular, of powders, or granulates, or capsules or tablets, for example, of the pharmaceutical and/or chemical and/or food industry.

As shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, provided in the collection station S is a feeding mouth 3 of a second container or hopper of a machine (not shown) , for the treatment of the above said material. The container 2 to be emptied out consists of a bag made of plastic material, or a multilayer bag having an internal layer in plastic material and an external layer in paper material, possibly plasticized.

The device 1 comprises a tubular conduit 4 at a first longitudinal end 5 of which an annular flange 6 is tight- seal fitted.

The flange 6 of device 1 develops symmetrically about an axis A and results engaged substantially coaxially to the tubular conduit 4. On the side opposite to conduit 4, the flange 6 is provided with a sealing ring 7 allowing the same flange to be fitted fixedly and adherently to the external surface 8 of container 2. The ring 7 is preferably of adhesive type, for example made up of a both-sides adhesive annular tape fixed to the flange 6 between the latter and the external surface 8 of container 2.

Alternatively, according to the variant of Fig. 10, the ring 7 is replaced by a ring 7' consisting of an annular sucker gasket.

In the direction of axis A, the tubular conduit 4 is able to be contracted, that is, folded up in bellows form, for example. In this way, the tubular conduit 4 has a longitudinal extension which is variable between a first value (Figs. 2-4) when the tubular conduit 4 is longitudinally contracted, and a second value (Fig. 1) when the tubular conduit 4 is longitudinally stretched. The tubular conduit 4 is held substantially coaxially within the tubular element 9, also sealingly fitted to the flange 6 in correspondence of one longitudinal end 10 thereof. In practice, the above longitudinal ends 5 and 10 are kept tight-seal coupled to each other and to the flange 6 by a strap 11. Preferably, the tubular conduit 4 and the tubular element 9 of device 1 are made of semirigid plastic material and have a substantially cylindrical shape.

The device 1 further comprises a member 12 leading to the inside of tubular conduit 4 and intended for the removal of at least part of wall 13 of container 2. The member 12 operates inside the tubular conduit 4 and is fixed by a strap 14 to a second longitudinal end 15 of the tubular conduit 4 opposite to said first end 5. The member 12 is moved close to container 2, or away therefrom, with consequent contraction or, respectively, expansion of tubular conduit 4.

The member 12, shown in greater detail in Fig. 11, comprises a cup-shaped body 16 disposed with its cavity 17 facing the inside of tubular conduit 4. The cavity 17 exhibits a substantially cylindrical shape and is delimited by a bottom wall 18 and a side annular wall 19 of body 16.

The longitudinal end 15 of the tubular conduit 4 is fitted onto the wall 19 and engaged thereto by the said strap 14. Inside the cavity 17 the member 12 comprises a cutting member 20. The cutting member 20 comprises in turn an annular blade 21 disposed close to the wall 19, and a blade-holder body 22 able to rotate the blade 21 about a central axis B of body 16 and cutting member 20. In greater detail, also the blade-holder body 22 is cup-shaped and is held coaxially inside the body 16, with a bottom wall 23 thereof facing the said wall 18 and an annular end wall 24 thereof facing the said wall 19.

The wall 23 centrally supports a sleeve 25 which extends along the axis B outwardly of body 16 by passing through a central hole of wall 18. Outside the body 16, the sleeve 25 supports at one end thereof a handle 26 for operating the cutting member 20.

The wall 24 supports the blade 21 or, according to a modified embodiment, a plurality of blades 21 uniformly distributed about the axis B, and drives the blade 21 into rotation about the axis B for cutting the wall 13 of container 2 inside the tubular conduit 4 along a circular- closed cutting line which defines a desired aperture 27 (Fig. 3). Advantageously, the same operation can be obtained by a pressure exerted onto a handle 26 which in turn transmits it to the blade 21.

The rotational action of blade 21 is accompanied by a thrust action of same blade 21 towards the wall 13. The thrust action of blade 21, operated either along with, or independently of the rotation of handle 26, is opposed by a counter-acting spiral spring 33 interposed between the blade-holder body 22 and the body 16. The member 12 further comprises a clamping and driving member 28 for removing from the aperture 27 the cut-out wall indicated by numeral 29 in Figs. 5 and 6. The clamping member 28 preferably comprises a spike 30 mounted at one end of a rod 31 and disposed inside the blade-holder body 22 to perforate and engage centrally the cut-out wall 29.

The rod 31 is slidingly mounted inwardly of sleeve 25 and of handle 26, to come out from the latter with an actuation terminal 32. Upon operation of device 1, the longitudinal end 5 of tubular conduit 4 is firstly tight-seal engaged to the outside surface 8 of container 2. This is done by means of the flange 6 to which the tubular element 9 is also fixed (Fig. 1) . The longitudinal end 15 of the tubular conduit 4, opposed to said end 5, is instead provided with the removing member 12. The latter being also able to be preassembled onto the tubular conduit 4.

At this point, the member 12 is moved onto the container 2 by longitudinally contracting the tubular conduit 4 (Fig. 2). Afterwards, the container's wall 13 is cut by the blade 21 inside the tubular conduit 4 (Fig. 3) .

Subsequently, or prior to the cutting operation, the wall 13 is engaged by. the spike 30 (Fig. 4) .

The successive expansion of conduit 4 occurs along with a displacement of member 12 away from container 2 (Fig. 5) . As a consequence, the cut-out wall 29 is displaced inside the conduit 4 as it moves away from container 2. The conduit 4 is then transversally closed and sealed by closing and sealing means 34 which make part of device 1. The closing and sealing means 34 comprise a welder of known type or, alternatively, a strap applicator also of known type.

It is to be pointed out that the said closing and sealing step is preceded by the extraction of the cut-out wall 29 from the section 35 of conduit 4 extending between the longitudinal end 5 and the closing and sealing region 36. The latter being located at an intermediate position longitudinally of conduit 4. In the region 36, the closing and sealing means 34 also operate a cut and separation of section 35 from a second section 40 forming the rest of conduit 4 and to which the member 12, carrying the spiked cut-out wall 29 (Fig. 6), remains engaged. In other words, the separation of the conduit 4 gives rise, with the first section 35, to a new closing element 41 of container 2. The removed part of the container 2, making up the cut-out wall 29, instead, remains within the second section 40.

The handling region 37 preferably comprises one or two appendixes 37a shaped like a glove to allow the handling inside the tubular element 9 more practicable by an operator.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, once the container 2 is overturned, the closing element 41 is successively opened to cause the material of container 2 to flow into the mouth 3 of collection station S. Upon such operation, the tubular element 9 is firstly tight-seal fixed to the mouth 3; then, after, removing the strap 11, the container 2 is easily opened through the handling region 37 by means of a tie bar 38 provided in the section 35 and allowing the same section to be withdrawn from the flange 6 (Fig. 9) .

It will be appreciated that upon such operation, the tubular element 9 remains sealingly connected to the flange 6 by means of an additional strap 42. Once the container 2 has been emptied out, the tubular element 9 can be closed and sealed by a transverse welding 39.

The thus conceived invention is evidently apt for industrial application; it may also be subject to numerous modifications and variants all falling within the scope of the inventive idea; moreover all the parts may be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. Method for transferring incoherent material from a container (2) to a collection station (S), characterized in that it comprises the steps of: - seal-engaging a first longitudinal end (5) of a tubular conduit (4) with the outer surface (8) of the container (2);

- removing at least part of the wall (13) of container (2) which faces the inside of conduit (4) in order to define an aperture (27) of container (2);

- taking said removed part (29) away from the container (2) by moving the removed part (29) inside the conduit (4);

- separating the conduit (4) into a first section (35) comprising said first longitudinal end (5) and into a second section (40) containing said removed part (29); said first section (35) defining a container (2) -closing element (41);

- opening said closing element (41) to make the material of container (2) to flow to the collection station (S) .

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said separation of conduit (4) is preceded by a step for closing and sealing transversally the same conduit (4); said first section (35) extending between said first longitudinal end (5) and the closing and sealing region (36) .

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said closing and sealing region (36) is disposed in a longitudinal intermediate position of conduit (4).

4. Method according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said step of removing at least part of the wall (13) of container (2) provides for cutting the wall (13) of container (2) along a closed line which defines said aperture (21) .

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that said longitudinal extension of the tubular conduit (4) can be varied between a first value, obtained with the conduit (4) being longitudinally contracted, and a second value obtained with the conduit (4) being longitudinally stretched; the method being characterized by:

- providing the second longitudinal end (15) of conduit (4), opposite to said first end (5), with removal means

(12) for removing said at least part of the wall (13) of container (2) which faces the inside of conduit (4);

- transferring said removal means (12) onto the container (2); - cutting with said removal means (12) the wall (13) of the container along said closed line;

- moving the said removed part (29) away from the container (2) using said removal means (12) and by longitudinally stretching the conduit (4); - transversally closing and sealing the conduit (4) in correspondence of said closing and sealing region (36); separating said first section (35) and said second section (40) one from the other in correspondence of said closing and sealing region (36) .

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that said removal means (12) are transferred onto the container (2) by longitudinally contracting the conduit (4).

7. Device for transferring incoherent material from a container (2) to a collection station (S), characterized in that it comprises:

- a tubular conduit (4);

- connection means (6) disposed in a first longitudinal end (5) of conduit (4) to seal-engage said first end (5) with the outer surface (8) of container (2) ; - removal means (12) operating inside the conduit (4), to remove at least part of the wall (13) of container (2) which faces the inside of same conduit (4) .

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that said removal means (12) comprise a cutting member (20) for cutting the wall (13) of container (2) along a closed line which defines a given aperture (27) .

9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that said removal means (12) comprise a clamping and driving member (28) for removing the wall (29) cut out from said aperture (27) by engaging the same cut out wall (29) and moving it inside the conduit (4) away from the container (2).

10. Device according to any of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the tubular conduit (4) exhibits a longitudinal extension that can be varied from a first value, obtained with the conduit (4) being longitudinally contracted, and a second value obtained with the conduit (4) being longitudinally stretched; said removal means (12) being associated with a second longitudinal end (15) opposite to said first end (5) .

11. Device according to any of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that it comprises means (34) for transversally closing and sealing the conduit (4).

12. Device according to any of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that it comprises means (34) for transversally cutting and separating the conduit (4) into a first section (35) comprising said first longitudinal end

(5) and into a second section (40) containing said removed part (29) ; said first section (35) defining a container

(2) -closing element (41).

13. Device according to any of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a tubular element (9) surrounding the external periphery of said conduit (4) and substantially coaxial to said conduit (4) ; said tubular element (9) being fixed in a sealed fashion to said conduit (4) in correspondence of said first longitudinal end (5) .