ASSEMBLY MACHINE FOR PACKAGES OF ICE CREAMS

Abstract: Intended for containers whose structure consists of a tubular body (1) to which is joined a piston (2) which in turn is joined to a stick or handle (4) and includes a revolving platform (5) fed by said container components and having in its circumference a number of operative units which each are made up of a rod (22) resting through a roller (17) on a lower fixed cam (15) and which can be retracted against the pull of a spring (20), this rod (22) being associated to a mobile bushing (24) which, like the rod (22), in its upward motion can pass through the revolving platform (5) to carry up the tubular body (1) and the corresponding piston (2), thus moving them towards the corresponding stick (4) placed in an upper retainer (12), causing the union of the stick to the piston and the penetration of the latter in the opening of the tubular body.

Description: OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention refers to a machine especially conceived to assemble the constituent parts of certain types of ice-cream containers, in particular containers whose structure is formed by a tubular body inside which moves a piston linked to its driving stick, so that after the piston reaches the lowest possible position inside the tube an axial thrust on the rod causes the displacement of the piston with the ensuing drawing towards the exterior of the ice-cream mass inside the tube. The machine proposed allows automatic coupling of the piston inside the tube and attachment to the piston of the corresponding driving stick. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Doument US-A-3 740 821 discloses a method for assembling a push-up type serving container involving the use of a machine comprising a vertical rotating table. The applicant entity itself has developed an ice-cream container by the practical combination of a tubular body of constant elliptic section, preferably made from plastified cardboard, which is closed on one end by a base made from a piston in the form of a pan of a section matching the tubular body's and which fits snugly in the body of the same. In the centre of the concave face of the piston there is a neck through which the aforementioned base is joined to a driving stick, which allows displacement of said piston from the original end where it rests on the tubular body to the opposite end of the same, in order to progressively project the ice-cream outwards from the container during its consumption. This allows, using the corresponding cover, the ice-cream to be perfectly protected inside the tubular body which is closed on one end by the aforementioned cover and on the other by the base of the piston, and so at the time of initiating consumption and after removal of the aforementioned cover, the stick which also functions as a handle by which the entire ice-cream is held allows a manual push on the piston to slowly project to the exterior the ice-cream block as it is being consumed until its complete exhaustion. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The machine which this invention proposes has been especially conceived to assemble the three pieces which make up this type of ice-cream container and comprises the features of claim 1. With this purpose, and more specifically, the machine proposed has a rotating platform aided by three feeders of the three basic components, that is the tubular body, the acting base of the piston and the stick joined to the latter. The three are supplied at different levels; the tubular bodies even with the platform, the bases at an intermediate level and the sticks higher up, specifically with the aid of a series of retainers with open bottoms and able to house and support several sticks against gravitational pull. On said rotating platform a circular and perimetric alignment of operative units are mounted extending downwards, each of which has a fixed bushing to the bottom of which is joined a spring extending from the bushing to a lower disc to which a rod is axially connected. The rod ends in its lower extremity with a roller support to a fixed cam mounted under the rotating platform of the machine and on top of which the rollers of all operative units slide, such that this cam, beginning from its lowest extreme situation corresponding to the access of the machine to the different components of the container, undergoes first an upwards motion and then a downwards motion until the lowest and original position is again reached. The aforementioned rod ends at its top in a pushing head which acts on the base or piston of the container, and in the middle has a pulling ring for a second mobile bushing coaxially mounted on the aforementioned rod and which ends in a head retained axially by a radial expansion of the rod head. The head of the bushing will serve to push the tubular body of the container. According to this structure, as the platform turns and the different components are fed, the lower cam causes a progressive rising of each operative unit. Thus the central rod of the same begins to rise against the corresponding spring, and the rod crosses the tubular body and nears its base or piston so that before it is reached the axial rod and the mobile bushing which surrounds it lock causing the latter to be pushed along which in turn causes the tubular body to rise towards the rod head. Then the pressure of the rod against the retainer causes the coupling of the base or piston and the stick, thus ending the upward motion of the rod at the same time the piston enters the mouth of the tubular body. This occurs at the highest limit position of the operative unit on the cam such that after this moment motion begins in the opposite direction, i.e. a progressive lowering of the container with its three pieces conveniently assembled. At the end of this downwards motion said assembled container is deposited on the platform from where it is removed through the corresponding outlet. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS As a complement to the description which is being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment example of the same, a set of drawings is included as a part of the description where with an illustrative and non limiting character the following are represented: Figure 1.- Shows a schematic representation in lateral projection of an assembling machine for ice-cream containers performed in agreement with the object of the present invention. Figure 2.- Shows an overhead schematic representation of the same machine. Figure 3.- Shows an enlarged detail in lateral projection and cross section of the rotating platform of said machine. Figure 4.- Shows a development in lateral projection of the different operative units which participate in the machine, in their respective sequences according to a working cycle of the same. Figure 5.- Shows, finally, a disassembled lateral projection and section of the type of container this machine can be used for. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Figure 5 shows, as has just been said, a disassembled representation of the container for which the machine of the invention is intended, composed of a tubular body (1) of elliptic section which must receive on one of its ends a base or piston (2) acting as a pan with an axial neck (3) through which a manually operated stick (4) is connected with the object of holding the ice-cream as a whole and to displace the piston (2) in the tubular body (1). The machine proposed, aside from this configuration for the container, is provided with a rotating platform (5) which is reached by the aforementioned components, the tubular bodies (1) via a conveyor belt (6), the bases (2) from a feeder (7) and another conveyor belt (8) and lastly the sticks (4) from another feeder (9) and another conveyor belt (10). More specifically and as seen in schematic representation in figure 4, the tubular bodies (1) directly access the rotating platform (5) in vertical position , the bases or pistons (2) to a support (11) parallel to the platform (5) and above it and the sticks (4) are retained in a higher alignment of retainers (12), hollow and open on the bottom, where said sticks are tightly fitted. The rotating platform (5) is mounted free to revolve on a fixed chassis (13) and driven by an adequate motoring not represented in the figures, through the receiving driving chuck (14). On the fixed platform (13) a cam (15) is mounted coaxial with the shaft (16) of the rotating platform (5) and on which rest on various rollers (17) a number of modules or operative units consisting in a bushing (18) rigidly joined to the bottom lace of the platform (5) corresponding with a hole in the platform. This has an external perimetric step (19) to which the upper end of a spring (20) is connected, with its lower end resting on a chuck (21) joined to a rod (22) ending at the bottom in the aforementioned roller (17) and at the top in a head (23) for pushing the corresponding base of the piston (2) of the container. A mobile bushing (24) is placed coaxially with the rod (22), also crossing the platform through the corresponding hole and which is carried in its upward motion by the rod (22) acting against the tension in the spring (20). This mobile bushing (24) is meant to act upon the lower opening of the tubular body (1). According to this structure and as is seen particularly in figure 4, the operative cycle of the machine, after feeding of parts (1-2-4) of the containers, begins at the lowest point of the cam (15) where the rod (22) and the mobile bushing (24) are retracted so that their extremities do not project out from the plane of the rotating platform (5), so both can be superposed by the tubular body (1) and the base or piston (2) as the corresponding stick (4) meets the top retainer (12). As the platform turns in the direction shown by the arrow in figure 4 the contact of roller (17) on the cam (15) causes a progressive lowering first of the rod (22) and then at the same time of the rod and the mobile bushing (24) so that the bushing carries with it the tubular body while the head (23) of the rod (22) nears the base or piston and reaches its level when the intermediate support (11) is interrupted. At this time the piston (2) rests simultaneously on the upper opening of the tubular body (1) and on the upper end of the rod (22) to immediately after reach the lower end of the retainer (12) corresponding, when the piston enters the tubular body and the lower end of the stick enters the neck of the piston leaving all three pieces perfectly assembled at the uppermost position of the cam (15) and after this moment the progressive lowering of the entire operative unit causes the assembled container to be lowered until its final deposition on the rotating platform (5) to be expelled at the outlet (25). The retraction of the operative units is ensured by the action of the springs (20).

Claims: Ice-cream container assembling machine, specifically for containers whose structure consists of a tubular body (1) of elliptic section and a base acting as a piston (2) joined to a driving stick (4) through a neck in the piston (2), the machine comprising: a horizontal revolving platform (5) toward which the container components move through different feeding lines (6, 8, 10) so that the tubular bodies (1) are deposited on the platform (5) in a vertical position, a higher support (11) which ends at a distance from the feeding area and is suitable for depositing the bases or pistons (2), a top alignment of retainers (12), hollow and open at the bottom for tightly fitting said sticks (4) inside them against gravity, around said revolving platform (5) being disposed a number of operative units (18) which at the start of each operative cycle are placed under said platform (5), the units being able to progressively rise and descend during the cycle by means of a cam (15) for carrying the tubular bodies (1) towards the bases (2) as the units rise and pushing the lower end of the sticks (4) until the coupling of the bodies (1) and the bases (2), the machine further comprising an exit conveyor (25) for expelling the single block container formed of the piston (2) and tubular body (1). Ice-cream container assembling machine according to claim 1, characterised in that each operative unit is formed by a bushing (18) stiffened to the lower side of the revolving platform (5), the lower extremity of which is joined to a spring (20) which in turn rests on a disk (21) locked to a rod (22) coaxial with said bushing (18), which at the bottom ends in a roller (17) though which it rests on the cam (15), the rod upper end being able to rise through a hole made in the revolving platform (5), the rod (22) being joined to a coaxial mobile bushing (24) whose extremity as well as that of the rod (22) is coplanar to the revolving platform (5) when the roller (20) meets the low point of the cam (15).

Inventors: CUNILLERA I ZARATE ANGEL, CUNILLERA I ZARATE, ANGEL
Applicants: BIG DRUM EUROPA S A, BIG DRUM EUROPA, S.A.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B31B17
IPC codes: B31B17