WO2012069971A1

WO2012069971A1 - Apparatus for packaging a pasty product

Info

Publication number: WO2012069971A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/055181
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michele Musillo
Original assignee: Corazza S.P.A.
Priority date: 2010-11-22
Filing date: 2011-11-18
Publication date: 2012-05-31
Also published as: EP2643217B1; BR112013012567B1; PL2643217T3; EP2643217A1; MX2013005785A; HUE029015T2; IT1402722B1; BR112013012567A2; MX342231B; ITBO20100698A1

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for packaging a product, especially a semi-solid pasty product, in particular a food product such as yeast, stock cube paste or other product, the product being packaged in a corresponding container, especially in the form of a product wrapper comprising a respective sheet of foldable material, comprises means (11) for feeding the product container (W) and means, or device, (12) for filling the container comprising respective means (14) for dosing a predetermined product portion. The means for dosing a predetermined product portion comprise, or consist of, a screw feeder (20) with a spiral (24) for engaging and feeding the product, housed coaxially inside a perimetric surface (26) forming a dosing chamber (28), the screw feeder (16) being rotated between a first working condition, where product is fed until the predetermined product portion has been defined, and a second working condition, where product feed is interrupted after the predetermined product portion has been defined.

Description

Apparatus for packaging a pasty product

Description

Technical Field

This invention relates to an apparatus for packaging a product.

This apparatus is particularly suitable for packaging a semi-solid pasty product, especially a food product such as yeast, stock cube paste or other product.

Background Art

Known in the prior art are apparatuses for packaging a semi-solid pasty product such as yeast or other product, where the product is packaged in a corresponding wrapper in the form of a sheet of foldable material.

These prior art apparatuses usually comprise means for feeding the container and a means, or device, for filling the container and which comprises respective means for dosing a predetermined product portion.

At present apparatuses of this kind, more commonly known as "form, fill and seal" machines, operating on food products, are equipped with dosing units consisting of a volumetric pump having a chamber which houses a piston and a control valve which feeds a predetermined quantity of product to a dosing spout. The dosing spout dispenses the product directly into the preformed wrapper or container, whilst cutting devices cut off the part of the product filled into the wrapper from the part upstream of it, which must not be filled into the wrapper or container.

These machines or apparatuses, which use dosing devices based on the prior art, have the disadvantage of requiring a considerable and excessive quantity of parts and also need seals which wear rapidly and must be periodically substituted.

Summary of the Invention

This invention proposes a novel solution, alternative to the solutions known up to now, and more specifically, aims to overcome one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages or drawbacks.

It is accordingly provided an apparatus for packaging a product, especially a semi-solid pasty product, in particular a food product such as yeast, stock cube paste or other product, the product being packaged in a corresponding container, especially in the form of a product wrapper comprising a respective sheet of foldable material; the apparatus comprises means for feeding the product container and a means, or device, for filling the container comprising respective means for dosing a predetermined product portion; characterised in that the means for dosing a predetermined product portion comprise, or consist of, a screw feeder with a spiral for engaging and feeding the product, housed coaxially inside a perimetric surface forming a dosing chamber, the screw feeder being rotated between a first working condition, where product is fed until the predetermined product portion has been defined, and a second working condition, where product feed is interrupted after the predetermined product portion has been defined.

Thus, dosing the pasty product with a screw feeder makes it possible to reduce the number of machine parts required compared to the prior art and also avoids the need for wearable seals which were used in the prior art.

Brief Description of the Drawings

This and other innovative aspects are set out in the appended claims and the technical features and advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows of a non-limiting example embodiment of it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the steps in the production of the package;

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to this invention, showing in particular the means for feeding the containers and the means for dosing a predetermined product portion into the containers;

- Figure 3 is a transversal cross section, at right angles to the cross section of Figure 2, through the line labelled III-III in Figure 2, of this preferred embodiment of the dosing device, or means;

- Figure 4 is a detail from Figure 3 and shows the lower part of the dosing means;

- Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross section, through the line labelled V-V in Figure 2, showing the lower part of the dosing device, or means, according to this invention;

- Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lower part of the dosing means.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment 10 of an apparatus for packaging a 5 product in a corresponding container, the container being in the form of a wrapper W containing the product and comprising a respective sheet of foldable material which, in use, is wrapped around and in contact with the product P to be packaged.

As shown in Figure 1, the package W has, in use, a bottom wall Wl, an o upper wall or top W2, between which one or more peripheral side walls W3 extend and which together define an internal space for containing the product P.

During packaging, before the product is dosed, the flat wrapper or sheet WO, for example made from aluminium foil or plastic film, is partly preformed or folded into a cup shape, open at the top W, as illustrated in Figure 1, so as to 5 receive the predetermined product portion P, and is then closed over the selfsame product by folding corresponding side wall portions W3' extending upwards from the sides of the product after the latter has been filled into the internal space and the upper tabs W3', W3' of the wrapper are folded down and joined or sealed to each other.

o The product is in the form of a semi-solid paste, that is to say, a product which has a plastic, or deformable, consistency such as to maintain the shape given to it.

More specifically, the product is a food product such as yeast, margarine, butter, stock cube paste or the like.

5 As illustrated in Figure 2, the apparatus 10 comprises container feed means

11 , which are in the form of a circular feed table but which might be embodied in any other suitable manner, for example an endless conveyor belt extending along a linear feed path.

The feed table comprises shaped seats or pockets, denoted by the reference0 numeral 13, which accommodate the cup-shaped container or wrapper.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the apparatus 10 also comprises a means, or device 12, for filling the respective containers W, the device 12 comprising respective means 14 for dosing a predetermined product portion, means 16 for feeding the product to the dosing means 14, in the form of a respective tank5 containing the product, and means 18 for loading the product into the feed means 16, the loading means 18 being, as illustrated, in the form of an upper hopper, whose bottom is in communication through corresponding holes 18' with the feed tank or means 16.

Advantageously, the means for dosing a predetermined product portion more specifically comprises a screw feeder 20 having a respective shaft 22 mounting a spiral 24 which engages and feeds the product, the screw feeder being housed in a perimetric surface 26 defining a dosing chamber 28.

As illustrated, the spiral 24 for engaging and feeding the product has a peripheral or outer edge 24' which extends at or in the vicinity of the perimetric surface of the dosing chamber 28, as may be easily inferred from Figures 3 and 4.

Advantageously, the screw feeder 20 is driven in rotation about its own axis between a first working condition, where product is fed until the predetermined product portion has been defined, and a second working condition, where product feed is interrupted, in particular by stopping the screw feeder, after the predetermined product portion has been defined.

The screw feeder 20 might also be driven in an angular direction opposite to the product feed direction so as to back-feed the product for a short distance towards the dispensing mouth, thereby making it easier for only the predetermined product portion to drop out.

As illustrated, the dosing chamber 28 also has a terminal portion, or bottom end 30, with a tapered product conveying surface, more specifically in the form of a conical surface 31, converging downwardly towards the outlet of the dosing chamber, whilst the rest of the conveying chamber 28 is defined by a tubular body 32 forming a cylindrical inside surface 33, the conical end portion 30 being located on the bottom extension of the tubular body 32.

As illustrated, the tubular body 32 has a gap 33' which houses means for thermally conditioning the product inside the dosing chamber 28, being, more specifically, in the form of means for heating the product. That way, the product can be kept in optimum conditions for dosing.

Advantageously, the free bottom, or downstream, end 20' of the dosing screw feeder 20, as illustrated, extends into the conical end portion 30 of the dosing chamber, that is to say, into the conical end surface 31.

In practice, advantageously, the free bottom, or downstream, end 20' of the dosing screw feeder 20 has a respective spiral portion whose diameter is reduced progressively towards the end of the selfsame screw feeder, and has a conical outer profile which mates with, that is to say, has the same taper as, the conical profile of the inner surface 31 of the end portion 30 of the dosing chamber 28.

As illustrated in Figure 4, at the main tubular body 32, the respective end portion 22' of the shaft 22 of the dosing screw feeder 20 is in turn smaller in 5 diameter than the main shaft portion 22".

In practice, the respective end portion 22' of the shaft 22 of the dosing screw feeder at the end 20' of the dosing screw feeder has a reduced diameter.

As illustrated, the shaft also has a conical portion, or conical outer profile 22' ", in particular having the same taper as the bottom part of the dosing chamber i o 31.

That way, the tapered diameter of the spiral also guarantees that the product flows towards the outlet in a sufficient quantity.

This embodiment of the screw feeder, having an end portion 20' with tapered diameter, makes it possible to position the feeding and dosing means 20 15 very close to the dispensing mouth so that the predetermined product portion can be effectively dosed using only the screw feeder.

In effect, the quantity of pasty product between the end of the screw feeder and the discharge mouth is in a compressed, reciprocally adherent condition such that the product feed motion, once the rotation of the screw feeder is stopped or 2 o reversed relative to the rotation direction of product feed, is modified or stopped.

This allows the pasty product to be effectively dosed without using any components other than the screw feeder.

As illustrated, the dosing means comprise a product dispensing mouth 34.

Advantageously, the predetermined product portion is fed out of the dosing 25 screw feeder 20 through the product dispensing mouth 34.

The dosing means also comprise a spout 36 that terminates with the mouth 34 which dispenses the predetermined product portion.

The spout 36 extends downstream of the tapered conveying surface 31 and is in the form of a respective tube of quadrangular cross section and having an inlet 30 opening 38 leading into the tapered conveying surface 31 and an outlet opening defining the dispensing mouth 34.

The spout 36 extends downwardly from the dosing chamber 28, in particular downwardly from the end portion 30 of the dosing chamber.

Advantageously, there is a product bar cutting element 40' in the form of a 35 thin rod movable between a rest position and an active position where it cuts the product bar once the predetermined product portion has been expelled from the dispensing mouth 34 and placed in the container.

As may be clearly inferred from Figure 6, the product bar cutting element 40' is supported by arms 41, 41 which are rotatably attached to the end portion 30 of the dosing chamber.

As illustrated, means 16 are provided for feeding the product to the dosing means, in the form of a tank 16 for containing the product and from which the dosing chamber 28 extends. Advantageously, as illustrated, the dosing chamber 28 extends downwardly from the tank 16.

Advantageously, the dosing screw feeder 20 has an upstream portion 20" for capturing the product to be fed to the dosing chamber 28.

In practice, the dosing screw feeder 20 has a portion 20" for inserting the product into the dosing chamber 28.

The dosing screw feeder thus has an upstream portion 20" for capturing the product or inserting the product into the dosing chamber and which extends into the product containment tank, and a downstream portion for compressing the product or dosing a predetermined product portion to be inserted into a respective container, in particular into a respective wrapper, the downstream portion of the screw feeder being housed in the dosing chamber 28.

Advantageously, the pitch of the product engagement and feed spiral of the dosing screw feeder 20 is variable.

More specifically, the dosing screw feeder 20 spiral pitch at the feed tank 16, that is, at the part of the screw feeder which extends into the feed tank 16, is greater than the pitch of the spiral in the dosing chamber 28, and more specifically, is greater than the pitch of the screw feeder spiral at the bottom 30 of the selfsame dosing chamber 28.

In practice, as illustrated, the spiral pitch is greater in the capturing zone. As illustrated the spiral extends inside and at the side of the product containment tank 16.

As illustrated the spiral pitch is thus progressively reduced to reach a minimum pitch at the end portion of the dosing chamber, in particular at the conical end portion 31 of the dosing chamber.

That way, it is possible to conveniently capture or draw the product from the dosing chamber and then compress it in such a way as to expel any unwanted gases or air from the product portion, which is thus made compact and of the required weight before being expelled through the dispensing mouth 34.

More specifically, as illustrated, the spiral pitch in the capturing zone, that is, inside the feed tank, is between 1 and 10 times greater than the spiral pitch at the end, or bottom zone of the dosing chamber.

Advantageously, the dosing means, in particular, the product dispensing end

34 and the container are movable relative to each other in such a way as to position the product dispensing end, or mouth 34 inside the product containment space in the container W.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the container is movable towards the dosing means 12, which are, instead, vertically fixed.

More specifically, the container is movable vertically towards the dosing means 12, that is to say, it is movable axially relative to the dosing chamber 28 or to the dosing screw feeder 20.

Advantageously, the container feed means 11 comprise a seat for housing the container 13 and which has a movable bottom 15, the latter being, more specifically, slidable in the seat 13 under the action of a corresponding rod actuated by a cam, not illustrated in the accompanying drawings, between a lowered position for normal container feed and a raised position at the container filling station, where the container is close to the dosing means and the dispensing mouth 34 is positioned inside the container, or wrapper, in the folded condition.

In practice, this apparatus has means for feeding the containers which advance the containers stepwise to the stations, namely, a station for loading the sheet into a respective seat in a suitably folded condition to form a cup-shaped container, or wrapper, a container filling station which is located downstream of the container receiving station and where the open wrapper is filled with a predetermined product portion, and a container top closing station, which is located downstream of the container filling station and where the tabs extending upwards from the sides of the predetermined product portion are folded down onto the predetermined product portion which has been placed in the container.

The apparatus may also comprise, downstream of the closing station where the protruding side tabs of the wrapper are folded, a further station for closing, joining or heat sealing the upper closing tabs of the wrapper, or container.

A still further station defines outfeed means from which the product package is conveyed to a further apparatus for packing the packages into cartons or the like. As illustrated in Figure 3, advantageous means 40, 40' are provided for urging the product towards the dosing means.

For the purpose, as may be inferred from Figures 2 and 3, the dosing tank 16 comprises a plurality of peripheral containment walls and a bottom wall 16', in particular, a wall which is slightly inclined towards the dosing chamber, and is open at the top and communicates with the loading hopper 18 above it, through holes 18'.

The means 40, 40' for urging the product towards the dosing means are located inside the product feed tank 16.

The means 40, 40' for urging the product towards the dosing means comprise a respective blade rotor having a rotary shaft 42, in particular directed horizontally, from which radial blades 44 extend.

As illustrated, the shaft 42 of the respective urger with blades 40, 40' extends transversally to the shaft, or axis, of the screw feeder 20, and transversally to the axis of the dosing chamber 28.

More specifically, as illustrated, a first and a second means 40, 40' are provided inside the containment tank 16, at different heights, for urging the product towards the dosing chamber.

A first urger 40 is located near the corresponding dosing chamber.

Advantageously, a second urger with blades 40' is located in an intermediate zone between the inlet opening of the feed tank 16 and the bottom of the selfsame tank 16.

As may be inferred from Figures 2 and 3, the respective screw feeder 20 is driven by a corresponding motor 20a mounted at the top thereof and is suitably fixed at the top of, that is to say, the respective shaft 22 is fixed at the top of, the tank 16 so it can conveniently and easily be pulled out from below, through the dosing chamber 28, after disengaging respective screw feeder fastening means from the top when cleaning or maintenance has to be carried out on the screw feeder itself.

In practice, the screw feeder 20 is fixed to the device at the top, at 120, and can be removed by pulling it out from below, from the end corresponding to the product outlet mouth.

As may be inferred from Figures 2 and 5, this apparatus advantageously comprises first and second dosing means 20, 20 which are aligned with each other along the container feed direction and which allow a pair of containers to be filled simultaneously.

The first and second dosing means comprise respective dosing chambers 28, 28 which extend parallel to each other and which house respective screw feeders 20, 20.

Advantageously, the first and second dosing means extend from the same, single product containment or feed tank 16.

As illustrated, the urgers with blades 40, 40' are suitably fixed to a respective side wall of the feed tank 16 through a corresponding ring nut 140, illustrated in Figure 2, which can be conveniently removed in order to pull out the corresponding urger 40, 40', in such a way that the latter can be cleaned or substituted for urgers more suitable for the product being packaged.

The body defining the dosing chamber 28 also comprises a cylindrical tube 50 for engaging the main part of the cylindrical body defining the dosing chamber 28 which forms a single part with the feed tank 16 and to the bottom of which the tube 50 is fixed.

The tube 50 is advantageously made of plastic material and has, at a bottom flange of it 52, holes 53 for corresponding screws 54 for fastening the bottom portion 30 defining the conical bottom end surface 31 of the dosing chamber 28.

As illustrated, the spout 36 defining the outlet mouth 34 is fixed to the body 30 defining the conical end chamber.

The plastic tube 50 has a cylindrical inside surface defining the lower part of the dosing chamber, upstream of the conical end portion 31 of the selfsame dosing chamber.

The plastic tube 50 may advantageously be substituted to obtain an inside surface 50' of a diameter suitable for the type of product to be packaged.

In practice, a tube 50 is provided which has a respective inside surface 50' defining the lower part of the dosing chamber 28, upstream of its conical end portion 31, the tube 50 being removably connected to the dosing means 28, that is, to the main body, or component 32 of the dosing chamber.

That way, the device of the invention can be adapted to the specific semisolid product to be packaged. All that needs to be done is remove the tube 50 for one particular product and substitute it for another tube 50 whose inside surface has a different diameter and which is more suitable for another product to be delivered, or compressed, in the end part 50' of the dosing chamber.

As illustrated in particular in Figure 5, the spout for delivering the predetermined product portion to the dispensing mouth 34 is eccentric, or offset, relative to the axis of the dosing chamber and of the screw feeder along the container feed direction.

The invention described above is susceptible of industrial application. Moreover, it would be obvious to one skilled in the art that several changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, described in depth above. In particular, one skilled in the art could easily imagine further embodiments of the invention comprising one or more of the features described herein. Moreover, it will be understood that all the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for packaging a product, especially a semi-solid pasty product, in particular a food product such as yeast, stock cube paste or other product, the product being packaged in a corresponding container, especially in the form of a product wrapper comprising a respective sheet of foldable material, the apparatus (10) comprising means (11) for feeding the product container (W) and a means, or device, (12) for filling the container comprising respective means (14) for dosing a predetermined product portion; characterised in that the means for dosing a predetermined product portion comprise, or consist of, a screw feeder (20) with a spiral (24) for engaging and feeding the product, housed coaxially inside a perimetric surface (26) forming a dosing chamber (28), the screw feeder (16) being rotated between a first working condition, where product is fed until the predetermined product portion has been defined, and a second working condition, where product feed is interrupted after the predetermined product portion has been defined.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the dosing means comprise a terminal portion (30) forming a conical product conveying surface which is tapered towards the outlet.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the dosing screw feeder (20) has a respective free end portion (20') extending inside the conical terminal portion (30) of the dosing chamber.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the dosing screw feeder (20) has a respective end portion (20') extending inside the terminal portion

(30) of the dosing chamber, which has a spiral with a diameter that reduces progressively towards the terminal end of the screw feeder.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that the dosing screw feeder (20) has a respective end portion having a respective spiral portion with a conical outer profile, in particular so as to match the conical profile of the inner surface (31) of the end portion of the dosing chamber.

6. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 3 to 5, characterised in that the shaft (22) of the dosing screw feeder (20) has a respective end portion (22') with a reduced diameter at the terminal portion of the screw feeder.

7. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 3 to 6, characterised in that at the terminal portion of the screw feeder the respective end portion (22"') of the shaft (22) of the dosing screw feeder (20) has a conical profile.

8. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the dosing means comprise a tubular body (32) forming a cylindrical product conveying surface and from the free end of which extends the terminal portion of the dosing chamber (28).

9. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the dosing means comprise a product dispensing mouth (34).

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterised in that a dosing screw feeder (20) is provided for discharging the predetermined product portion through the dispensing mouth (34).

11. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the dosing means comprise a spout (36) ending with a mouth (34) for discharging the predetermined product portion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that the spout (36) extends downstream of the tapered conveying surface and has an inlet opening (38) leading out of the tapered conveying surface (30) of the dosing chamber and an outlet opening forming the product dispensing mouth (34).

13. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that means (16) are provided for feeding the product to the dosing means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterised in that the dosing means comprise a tank for containing the product and from which the dosing chamber (28) extends.

15. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a dosing screw feeder (20) which has a portion (20") for introducing the product into the dosing chamber (28).

16. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a dosing screw feeder (20) whose spiral has a variable pitch.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, characterised in that the spiral pitch of the dosing screw feeder (20) at the product feeding tank (16) is greater than the spiral pitch in the dosing chamber, in particular the spiral pitch in the lower part of the dosing chamber (28).

18. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 15 to 17, characterised in that the dosing screw feeder (20) has a portion (20") extending inside the product feeding tank (16).

19. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the product dosing means and the container are mobile relative to each other to position the discharge mouth inside the container.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterised in that the container is mobile towards the dosing means (12).

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, characterised in that the means (11) for feeding the respective container comprise a seat for housing the container and a base (15) mobile between a lowered position and a raised position for filling the container.

22. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1 , characterised in that means (40) are provided for urging the product towards the dosing means.

5

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, characterised in that the means (40) for urging the product towards the dosing means are inside the feeding tank (16).

24. The apparatus according to claim 22 or 23, characterised in that the means0 for urging the product towards the dosing means comprise a rotor with blades

(40).

25. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 22 to 24, characterised in that a blade drive unit (40) is close to the respective dosing5 chamber (28).

26. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1 , characterised in that comprises first and second dosing means (20, 20).

0

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, characterised in that the first and second dosing means (20, 20) are aligned according to the direction of feeding the containers.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26 or 27, characterised in that the first and 5 second dosing means comprise respective dosing chambers (28, 28) extending parallel to each other.

29. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 26 to 28, characterised in that the first and second dosing means extend from the same o product feeding tank (16).

30. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1 , characterised in that the screw feeder (20) is fixed at the top and removable for extraction from the bottom or from the end at the product5 discharge mouth.

31. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the screw feeder (20) is rotationally driven in the opposite angular direction to back-feed the product.

5

32. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a sleeve (50) having a respective inner surface (50') forming the lower part of the dosing chamber, the sleeve (50) being removably connected to the dosing means.

0

33. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that means (18) are provided for loading the product on the feeding means.

34. A product dosing device, especially for a semi-solid pasty product, in5 particular for a food product such as yeast, stock cube paste or other product, characterised in that it is as described in any of the foregoing claims

35. The apparatus and device respectively characterised in that they are as described in any of the corresponding foregoing claims and/or as described and o illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.