FILLING DEVICE FOR A PACKING MACHINE

Abstract: The invention relates to a filler pipe (15) for a packing machine for use in filling a continuous series of connected packing container blanks (8), which are each formed of at least two webs (5,6), with a liquid product (40) and separate jam product (42). The filler pipe (15) comprises a nozzle (17) with multiple filling paths (23) which each passes liquid to at least one of said packing container blanks (8); a flat-shaped first delivery pipe (16) connected to said nozzle (17) to deliver said liquid product (40) to said nozzle and a second delivery pipe (22) with a diameter smaller than said first delivery pipe opening downward and positioned parallel to said first delivery pipe (16), at a predetermined distance above the junction of said first delivery pipe (16) and said nozzle (17) so as to pass said jam product (42) to any of the above described packing container blanks (8).

Description: The present invention relates to a filling device for a packing machine for use in filling a continuous series of connected packing containers, which are each formed of at least two webs, with a liquid product, and a separate second product comprising a nozzle which passes liquid to at least one of said packing containers; a flat-shaped delivery pipe connected to a supply of the liquid product and connected to said nozzle to deliver said liquid product to said nozzle; and a delivery means connected to a supply of the second product, whereby the delivery pipe and the delivery means slope downwardly in the downstream direction whilst the open downstream end of said delivery means is at a predetermined distance upstream of the junction of the delivery pipe and the nozzle. Such a filling device is shown in FR-A-2199313. Therein it has been indicated that upstream of the nozzle of the delivery pipe there can be supplied a solid product into the containers. However the structure of the means for supplying said solid material has not been shown or described. The nozzle of the delivery pipe is here formed by the open outlet end of the pipe. Now in addition to the conventional, rectangular parallelepiped 'brick-type" packing containers and rectangular parallelepiped packing containers with triangular tops widely used for packing liquid food products, the packing containers for which the filling device described herein was designed, i.e. those formed of two joined webs in order to minimize the amount of packing container material required, have come into use. These packing containers are used for packing homogeneous liquids such as milk, juice, or yogurt, and the filling pipes used by the packing machines for each type of container are constructed to fill one container at a time. The above described packing containers could be filled with only one type of liquid food products. The packing containers could be filled with two types of liquid food products only by mixing the two types, thereby in actuality forming one homogeneous liquid food product such as yogurt mixed with jam or fruit particles. Two liquid food products could not be filled in a separated condition. The present invention, therefore, has as its principal object the provision of a filling device capable of filling packing containers which are formed of at least two webs with a liquid product, such as yogurt, and a jam product in a separated condition, and sealing the packing containers, for use in a packing machine. In order to fill a travelling and continuous series of connnected packing container blanks which are each formed of at least two webs with a liquid product and separate jam product, in the filling device according the invention the delivery means is connected to a supply of jam product and is formed by a second pipe which is positioned parallel to said first cited delivery pipe and has a smaller cross-sectional area than that of the first pipe, and that said nozzle comprises a substrate onto which multiple guide blocks are arranged in symmetrical pairs along the longitudinal axis of said substrate so that one part of each of said guide blocks extends to the edge of said substrate, and that the distance between the inner edges of said guide blocks gradually decreases in a direction upstream to downstream, from both sides of the width of an orifice which opens onto said substrate at the junction of said first delivery pipe and said nozzle, and wherein said nozzle comprises filling paths formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal axis of said substrate and arranged between said orifice and a horizontal blocking wall. In the filling device of the present invention, a liquid product is dispersed and charged smoothly and uniformly into packing containers by means of the nozzle which is formed so that each of multiple filling paths, which serve as the outlet for the liquid product, passes the liquid product to at least one of the packing containers. Prior to the above described charging action, however, a predetermined amount of jam product is charged into each of the packing container blanks. Because the liquid product is charged onto the top surfaces of the jam product, which is settled on the inner wall of the packing container blank, the liquid product does not mix with the jam product, thereby enabling both products to remain in a separated condition and to preserve the flavors particular to both. The invention will now be described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the filling device in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan drawing of the end components of a filler pipe of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a drawing of the back of Fig. 1 and shows the opening for jam product injection. Fig. 3 is a cross section down the center of the filler pipe showing the operating condition of a filler pipe of the present invention in the packing machine shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a side view of the main body of a packing machine equipped with a filler pipe of the present invention and containing charging and packing sections. Fig. 5 is a cross section between A and A on the filling pipe in Fig. 1 showing the relationship with the packing container blanks. Fig. 6 is a cross section between B and B on the filler pipe in Fig. 1 showing the relationship with the packing container blank as it is being charged. Fig. 7 is a shaded drawing of the packing container produced by the packing machine in Fig. 4. The filler pipe is used in the section of a packing machine which forms and fills packing containers, an example of the packing machine being shown in Fig. 4. Referring now to Fig. 4, number 1 indicates a packing machine frame equipped with a filler pipe of the present invention. A pair of packing material webs 5 and 6 for use in forming the main body of a container, and a homogeneous plastic piece 7 for use as a removable lid 7a (Fig. 7) are introduced from storage rolls held by multiple, so-called roller stands belonging to a packing material section on the left side (not illustrated). The pair of packing material webs 5 and 6 are, for example, extruded foam plastic webs of polystyrene material coated on both sides with a layer of homogeneous polystyrene. The packing material webs 5 and 6 and the plastic piece 7 are formed into a series of packing container blanks, into which a liquid product and jam product are charged. As shown in Fig. 7, an arc-shaped side wall 5a for the packing container unit 9 is formed from the first packing material web 5 , top and bottom walls 6a and a flat side wall 6b are formed from the second packing material web 6, and a lid/pouring spout 7a is formed from a plastic piece 7 . A rotary drum 10 is supported on the frame 1 of the packing machine, and the packing material web 6 is introduced by a guide roller 25 onto the rotary drum 10 and processed at a station along the margin surrounding the drum. The frame 1 has a mechanism 11 to form the packing material web 5 . The mechanism 11 has a movable mold part 12 attached to an endless chain, and the mold part moves clockwise at a constant speed, as shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, number 3 indicates the feeder pipe for a liquid product, such as yogurt. A specified flow rate of the liquid product to be filled is fed from a level tank (not illustrated) by a measuring pump 2 to the filler pipe 15 via a feeder pipe 3 . A specified flow rate of the jam product to be filled with the liquid product is fed from a separate level tank (not illustrated) by a separate measuring pump 38 through a feeder pipe 37 and supplied at the bottom of the above mentioned feeder pipe 3 to the second delivery pipe 22 for the jam product which is positioned on the longitudinal centerline of the first delivery pipe 16 to be discussed later, which together comprise the filler pipe 15 . The yogurt or other liquid product and the jam product flow to and are charged into continuously moving packing container blanks 8 . A column 13 making a reciprocating motion on a slide bearing 14 attached to the frame has devices for tucking in 30 , sealing 31 , and cutting 32 the web, and all of these devices move with the column 13 in the above mentioned reciprocating motion of the column. The column is arranged to move together with these devices when the mold part 12 is moving downward and to move faster than these devices when the mold part 12 is moving upward to return to its original position. A mold device 33 for the central area of the web 6 is provided before the sealing device 31 . The filler pipe 15 connected to the lower ends of the feeder pipes 3 and 37 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the continuously moving web 6 on the upper side and extends obliquely downward to a specified position. A detailed description of the filler pipe will be presented later. A packing machine equipped with a filler pipe 15 of the present invention operates as follows: A controlled amount of the creased first packing material web 5 is rolled out from the storage roll at a packing material section (not illustrated) at the left of the packing machine shown in Fig. 4, heated with a heating device, induced to the molding and filling sections of the packing machine shown in Fig. 4, brought into contact with a mold part 12 by a mold device 35 , folded to form an endless band of U-shaped parts, and actually moved downward by the molding mechanism 11 . The second packing material web 6 is also rolled out from a storage roll in the packing material section (not illustrated) in the same manner as described above, induced to the forming and filling sections of the packing machine shown in Fig. 4, made to pass over a guide roller 25 , and placed onto a feeder drum 10 . An oscillation plate 26 , which is an outside rim of the feeder drum 10 rotating at a constant speed, has attached to it processing stations, such as a drill/lid strip support 27 , a molding/cutting device 28 , and a heater 29 , and is driven around the drum 10 . As the web 6 passes the processing stations 27 , 28 and 29 via the drum 10 , a pouring spout is drilled, the lid strip is attached over the pouring spout, the web is heated, any possible thermoforming is performed on it, and it is cut crosswise to its length at the margins. A homogeneous plastic piece 7 is rolled out from a storage roll (not illustrated), held on the pouring spout in the web by the lid strip support 27 , securely attached to the web 6 so that the pouring spout is covered by the strip, and the lid portion is cut free from the plastic piece 7 . The edges of the web 6 with the pouring spout and opening device (lid) are cut so as to form a series of tongue pieces protruding on both sides of a length approximately equal to the height of the mold part 12 . The above mentioned web 6 is moved forward by the feeder drum 10 at exactly the same speed as the mold part 12 , its central section is positioned on top of the mold part 12 , and the web edges, cut to the shape of tongues or ears, protrude from the mold part 12 . Slots in the web, through the action of a speed governor (not illustrated), are moved forward such that they are positioned at right angles to the lateral flange of the mold part 12 , i.e., the partition wall. While the web 6 is moved forward together with the mold part 12 , a column 13 reaches its upper position and starts to move downward together with the mold part 12 . The column 13 has a heater that can be connected to air sources via a pipe 36 , high-temperature air is blown by the heater against the edges of web 6, i.e., against the lower face of the tongue pieces, the plastic material is softened, and it is activated due to the tight sealing. High-temperature air is also blown against the edges of the web 5 exposed at the sides of the mold part 12 . At the same time that the heater 34 is heating the areas of the webs 5 and 6 to be sealed, the protruding part of web 6 , i.e., the lower piece which has already been heated during the previously mentioned movement process of the column 13 , is bent by the flap of the tuck-in device 30 and pressed against the edges of the above mentioned U-shaped ends of the web 5 . These superimposed web parts are thus fused together to form a mechanically durable, effective seal, which is stabilized because the sealed part is cooled while the tuck-in device 30 is engaged with the folded area of the web 6 . After the webs 5 and 6 are laterally sealed to each other as described above, contents are supplied through the filler pipe 15 . The filler pipe is positioned under the second web 6 and on top of the mold part 12 . The space formed beneath the second web 6 constituting a sort of partitioned area is filled with the predetermined contents. The webs 5 and 6 then pass through a molder 33 and the center of the web 6 is flattened. The above mentioned space is sealed by a sealer 31 into a sealed unit so that the second web 6 is sealed to the portion of the first web 5 on the top of the erect portion of the mold part 12 . The sealer 31 is also attached to the column 13 and makes a reciprocating motion following the column. The sealing process is completed while the column 13 moves downward together with the mold part 12 . Formed and sealed packing containers cut free from each other by a cutter 32 at a sealed section formed by the sealer 31 . The filled, sealed, cut, and separated packing containers 9 are then transferred from the lower end of the endless-chain mold part 12 to a conveyor 4 for transfer to the next process. A filler pipe of the present invention, i.e., a filler pipe for charging a liquid product and jam product separately and in a separated condition, will now be described in detail. Fig. 3 shows a cross section of a portion of the mold part 12 positioned on a mold chain, the end of the filling pipe 15 having a nozzle 17 and a small diameter delivery pipe 22 for charging jam, positioned inside the delivery pipe 16 to the nozzle 17 , packing container blanks 8 consisting of two webs 5 and 6 , a moveable molder 33a and a sealer 31 . The filling pipe 15 consists of a first delivery pipe 16 with a flat cross section, a nozzle 17 connected to the first delivery pipe 16 , and a second delivery pipe 22 to feed the jam product 22 , with a diameter smaller than the first delivery pipe 16 opening downward and positioned parallel to and on the longitudinal centerline of the first delivery pipe 16 at a predetermined distance above the junction of the first delivery pipe 16 and the nozzle 17 (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). The nozzle 17 is formed from a long, thin substrate 18 made into a rectangular shape narrower than the height of the wall 6b of the packing container to be produced (Fig. 7) and at least as long as two of the packing containers. The nozzle 17 is attached to the end of the delivery pipe 16 so that the bottom surface of the substrate 18 is a direct continuation of the bottom flat surface of the delivery pipe 16 (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The orifice 19 of the delivery pipe 16 opens to the top of the substrate 18 at the junction between the delivery pipe 16 and the substrate 18 . A transverse wall 21a connected to the orifice 19 is provided at the upstream end of the guide blocks 20 to be described later, linking the left and right rows of guide blocks. Multiple guide blocks 20 forming paths to induce the liquid product 40 to flow to the left and right are provided on the upper surface of the substrate 18 . The guide blocks 20 are triangular when viewed from the top, and are arranged in symmetrical pairs along the longitudinal axis of the substrate 18 so that one wall 20a of each guide block 20 faces upstream, the outer edge of each guide block 20 extends to the edge of the substrate 18 , and the inner edges gradually extend toward the center upstream to downstream, from both sides of the width of the orifice 19 . The guide blocks 20 are set at intervals to form filling paths 23 between the orifice 19 and a blocking wall 21 to stop liquid flow provided at a specified location downstream and lengthwise down the substrate 18 from the orifice 19 . Because the gap between symmetrically positioned guide block 20 pairs is widest at the edge of the substrate 18 connected to the delivery pipe 16 and smallest on the opposite or downstream end of the substrate 18 , the liquid flow section in the center of the substrate 18 is actually shaped like a long slender triangle. The upper surfaces of the guide blocks 20 arranged in two paired rows between the upstream and downstream blocking walls are formed to fit the inner surface of the higher arc-shaped central section of the web 6 , which links the tongue pieces 6a of the web 6 moving downward (Fig. 6). A flat panel 24 of a specified length, which is wider than the substrate 18 , attached as an extension of the substrate 18 on the downstream end of the substrate 18 , i.e., the end opposite the delivery pipe 16 , and connected to the nozzle 17 and opposite the downstream blocking wall 21 , is attached with a common bottom surface to that of the substrate 18 so that proper head space is formed and maintained when filling the packing container blanks 8 with the liquid product 40 . The liquid product 40 passes through the orifice 19 via the first delivery pipe 16 , flows through the above mentioned long narrow triangular liquid flow section between the substrate 18 and the web 6 moving in contact with the top surfaces of the guide blocks 20 on the substrate 18 , passes out through the filling paths 23 via the many narrow filling outlets 23a between the guide blocks 20 so that air induction is prevented and air bubbles in the liquid product are removed, and is separated and charged via the wide discharge ports into the packing container blanks 8 . Pressure drop in the downstream liquid product is actually compensated for by the triangular shape of the liquid flow section, and the liquid product 40 is forced out evenly from the multiple filling paths 23 so that it contacts the tongue pieces 6a and charges the U-shaped pieces. Because the jam product 42 is separately charged into the containers before the liquid product 40 is charged, the opening 22a of the above mentioned second delivery pipe 22 to supply jam is positioned in the bottom of the delivery pipe 16 at a location a specified distance, i.e., a certain number of containers (determined by the viscosity of the jam) upstream from the orifice 19 at the junction between the first delivery pipe 16 and the nozzle 17 . As described previously, a specified flow rate of jam is supplied to the second delivery pipe 22 by a measuring pump 38 from a level tank (not illustrated) via a feeder pipe 37 , and a small, specified amount of the jam flows through the opening 22a into each of the continuously moving packing container blanks 8 . After the packing container blanks 8 have moved a certain distance, yogurt or other liquid product 40 flows from the nozzle 17 onto the top of the jam product 42 previously charged into the packing container blanks 8 . The nozzle 17 is at least as long as two continuous packing container blanks 8 , and the packing container blanks that move past it are gradually filled with the liquid product 40 and charging is completed with the jam product 42 on the bottom and the yogurt or other liquid product 40 on top of it, maintaining a separated condition without intermixing. After charging, the center of the web 6 is leveled by a molder 33a and sealed by a sealer 31 . During this interval, the sealed containers pass a flat panel 24 and, because charging does not take place, proper head space is ensured during sealing. In the above embodiment the filling paths 23 from both sides of the nozzle 17 are formed by using multiple triangular guide blocks 20 on the substrate 18 . Application is, however, not limited to these triangular guide blocks, i.e., other shapes could be used (e.g., they could be straight, ladder shaped, or arc shaped), multiple holes could be opened in flat, cylindrical distribution rooms connected to the delivery pipe 16 and several horizontal walls formed to guide the liquid product 40 to both sides, or many other forms could be derived to suit the liquid material that is to be charged. Furthermore, although in the above embodiment the second delivery pipe 22 is positioned inside the first delivery pipe 16 , the second delivery pipe 22 could be positioned on the outer lateral wall of the first delivery pipe 16 . As the above discussion clearly indicates, the present invention relates to the production of packing containers charged with a liquid food product, such as yogurt, and a jam product, and permits charging in a separated condition without intermixing, thus preserving the individual flavors of the products and providing a superior type of product not previously available.

Claims: A filling device for a packing machine for use in filling a continuous series of connected packing containers (8), which are each formed of at least two webs (5, 6), with a liquid product (40) and a separate second product (42), comprising a nozzle (17) which passes liquid to at least one of said packing containers (8); a flat-shaped delivery pipe (16) connected to a supply of the liquid product (40) and connected to said nozzle (17) to deliver said liquid product (40) to said nozzle (17); and a delivery means (22) connected to a supply of the second product, whereby the delivery pipe (16) and the delivery means slope downwardly in the downstream direction whilst the open downstream end of said delivery means (20) is at a predetermined distance upstream of the junction of the delivery pipe (16) and the nozzle (17), characterised in that the delivery means (22) is connected to a supply of jamproduct and is formed by a second pipe which is positioned parallel to said first defined delivery pipe (16) and has a smaller cross-sectional area than that of the first pipe, and that said nozzle (17) comprises a substrate (18) onto which multiple guide blocks (20) are arranged in symmetrical pairs along the longitudinal axis of said substrate (18) so that one part of each of said guide blocks (20) extends to the edge of said substrate (18), and that the distance between the inner edges of said guide blocks gradually decreases in a direction upstream to downstream, from both sides of the width of an orifice (19) which opens onto said substrate (18) at the junction of said first delivery pipe (16) and said nozzle (17), and wherein said nozzle (17) comprises filling paths (23) formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal axis of said substrate (18) and arranged between said orifice (19) and a horizontal blocking wall (21). A filling device according claim 1 wherein said second delivery pipe (22) is installed inside said first delivery pipe (16) and arranged so that the mouth (22a) of said second delivery pipe (22) opens out through the bottom face of said first delivery pipe (16). A filling device according claim 1 wherein said second delivery pipe (22) is installed on the outer lateral wall of said first delivery pipe (16). A filling device according any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said substrate (18) comprises a flat panel (24) extending in the longitudinal direction of and on the downstream end of said nozzle (17) so that the horizontal blocking wall (21) is located between said flat panel (24) and said nozzle (17), with the bottom surface of said flat panel (24) being common with the bottom surface of said nozzle (17) and the width of said flat panel (24) being greater that the width of said nozzle (17).

Inventors: ANDERSSON, SVEN ARNE
Applicants: AB TETRA PAK
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65B9
IPC codes: B05B1, B65B1, B65B9, B65B39, B65B3