Abstract:
An improved machine and method for automatically proportioning-out or measuring-out a predetermined quantities of a variety of selected products and feeding the predetermined quantities of product into the individual chambers of a multiple-chamber dispensing container. The multiple-chamber dispensing containers are fed by a conveyor that is driven by a stepper-motor, to the filling location. The filling cycle begins when an empty container is recognized by a sensing mechanism. The machine and method causes the measured products to be deposited simultaneously into all of the individual chamber of the multiple-chamber dispensing container. The cycle is completed at a predetermined time period after the container was recognized. When a cycle has been completed the conveyor is energized. The next cycle begins when the next container is recognized.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Priority is claimed under Provisional Application No. 60/501,179, filed on Sep. 8, 2003. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a novel apparatus for automatically proportioning-out predetermined quantities of different products and discharging the predetermined quantities into individual chambers of a multiple-chamber dispensing containers. Multiple-chamber dispensing containers are known and are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,667, 4,522,315, 4,261,468 and 3,878,971. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the present invention a novel and useful apparatus and method for automatically proportioning-out or measuring-out a predetermined quantities of a variety of selected products has been provided. The predetermined quantities correspond to the volume of the individual chambers of a multiple-chamber dispensing container into which the apparatus automatically discharges the measured product. The apparatus simultaneously discharges the measured products into each individual chamber of the multiple-chamber dispensing container. The multiple-chamber dispensing containers are fed to the measuring and dispensing device by a conveyor that is driven by a stepper-motor. The stepper-motor conveyor is controlled by an apparatus control system. Individual multiple-chamber dispensing containers are sensed by an optical-sensor causing a signal to be sent to the apparatus control system which then stops the conveyor with the sensed multiple-chamber dispensing container properly aligned with the measuring and dispensing device. The measuring and dispensing device is programmed to dispense the measured products into the individual chambers after the multiple-chamber dispensing container has stopped. This dispensing can be programmed to occur simultaneously with stopping the container or at a predetermined time after the container has been stopped. The apparatus control system is programmed to energized the conveyor after a predetermined dispensing time period, causing the filled multiple-chamber dispensing container to move past the measuring and dispensing device and an empty multiple-chamber dispensing container to advance and be recognized by the optical-sensor. When the empty multiple-chamber dispensing container is recognized, by the optical-sensor, the cycle is repeated. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the apparatus that is set up for a four-chamber dispensing container, showing, for clarity of the view, only one of the four supply hoppers and conduits. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a four-chamber multiple-chamber container of the type that the illustrated embodiment of this invention is set up to fill. 
       FIG. 3  is an isolated plan view of the bottom plate. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the measuring and dispensing device including a unobstructed view of the upper surface of the top plate. 
       FIG. 5  is an isolated plan view of the top plate. 
       FIG. 6  is an isolated plan view of the top plate with the transition-block attached. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus with the top plate removed to clearly disclose the shuttles. 
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of the measuring and dispensing device with the top plate removed to disclose the shuttle members. 
       FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the bottom plate. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The apparatus of the present invention is capable of automatically accurately proportioning-out or measuring-out predetermined quantities of a large variety of products and automatically discharging the predetermined quantities into individual chambers of multiple-chamber containers. The products that can be processed by this apparatus can be granular such as sugar, small candy or varieties of spices. Multiple-chamber containers of the general type that are filled by this apparatus are known and are commonly available in three, four and six chamber sizes. Although the apparatus of this invention can fill containers having any number of chambers, the apparatus that is illustrated and discussed in detail herein is set up to fill multiple-chamber containers having four chambers. A multiple-chamber container  20 , having four individual chambers  21 , of the type that could be filled by the illustrated embodiment of this invention is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . It should be noted that the number of chambers as well as the diameter and height of the multiple-chamber container  20  can also be selected as desired. 
   A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be discussed with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 9 . 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the apparatus  10 . The illustrated apparatus has been set up to fill containers having four chambers of the general type that is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . It should be noted that in  FIG. 1 , a single product feed device  70  carried by a support rod  71  extending upwardly from a mounting block  72  and including a flexible feed conduit  73  has been included in the illustration. The other three product feed devices  70  are identical to the one illustrated are not included in the illustrated apparatus to simplify the drawing and not obscure other features of the apparatus. Two of the other mounting-blocks  72  are included in the illustration. 
   The apparatus  10  includes a sensing mechanism  86 , and shuttles  60  that are caused to reciprocate by mechanism  68  that are interconnected to an apparatus control system  12  that is symbolically illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
   The measuring and dispensing device  40  and the conveyor  80  are supported by a frame or frames  30 . The measuring and dispensing device  40  is carried by a mounting plate  32  that is supported by plates  33  that extend upwardly from the frame  30  such that a portion of the mounting plate  32  is cantilevered over the portion of the frame  30  that carries the conveyor  80 . A large circular aperture  34  is formed in the mounting plate  32  above the conveyor  80 . Aperture  34  includes a groove that receives the bottom plate  42  an isolated plan view of which is shown in  FIG. 3 . The bottom plate  42  rests in the groove formed in the aperture  34 , such that it can be rotated relative to mounting plate  32 . Rotation of the bottom plate in aperture  34  allows proper adjustment of the sensing mechanism  86  relative to the multiple-chamber containers. The sensing mechanism  86  is fixed to the bottom plate  42  and the multiple-chamber containers  20  must be orientated in the cups  81  of conveyor  80  such that the sensing beam passes through the plane of a vertical divider wall forming the multiple-chambers. As best seen in  FIG. 3  the bottom plate  42  has four pie-shaped openings  46  formed therein as well as a number of bolt holes, for bolting the device together. The shape defined by the four pie-shaped openings  46  is referred to as the pattern  50  for this embodiment. Openings  46  correspond in shape and size to the individual chambers  21  in the multiple-chamber container  20 . Each multiple-chamber container  20  carried by the conveyor  80  will stop below the measuring and dispensing device  40  with the openings  46  aligned with the individual chambers  21  and the product will flow through openings  46  into the individual chambers  21 . This location is referred to as the container filling location  48 . The upper surface  44  of the bottom plate  42  must be smooth for a purpose to be further discussed. 
   As seen in  FIG. 1  a top plate  52  is supported above bottom plate  42  by three vertical support plates  53 , only two of which can be seen in  FIG. 1 . A perspective view of a portion of the measuring and dispensing device including an unobstructed view of the upper surface of the top plate  52  and an isolated plan view of the top plate are shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  respectively. Top plate  52  has four pie-shaped openings  56  formed therein as well as a number of bolt holes for bolting the device together. Openings  56  correspond in shape and size to the pie-shaped openings  46  formed in the bottom plate  42  but are not arranged in the same pattern  50 . Vertical support plates  53  are bolted to both top plate  52  and bottom plate  42 . The bottom surface  54  of top plate  52  must be smooth for a purpose to be discussed. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8  which are a perspective view of the apparatus and a plan view of the measuring and dispensing device  40  respectfully, both views having the top plate  52  removed to disclose the pair of shuttle members  60 . In  FIGS. 7 and 8  the mounting plate  32  that is secured to the frame  30  and the three vertical support plates  53  extending upwardly from bottom plate  42  can be seen. The pair of shuttle members  60  rest on the smooth upper surface  44  of the bottom plate  42 . Each shuttle member  60  has two pie-shaped shuttle openings  62  extending from its upper surface to its bottom surface. The upper and bottom surfaces of the shuttle members  60  must be smooth. As seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8  the shuttle members  60  are in their first or separated locations  64 . In the first or separated locations the pie-shaped shuttle openings  62  are aligned with the pie-shaped openings  56  of top plate  52  such that product can flow through openings  56  into openings  62 . Each shuttle member  60  has an integral arm  61  extending there from between which the mechanism for reciprocating the shuttles is located. The preferred mechanism for reciprocating the shuttles is a pneumatic cylinder  68 , which is secured to the upper surface of bottom plate  42 . The pneumatic cylinder  68  is energized by high-pressure air that flows through air lines  69 . Air lines  69  are connected to an air control valve  74  (see  FIG. 7 ) that is controlled by the apparatus control system  12 . Cylinder rods that extend from pneumatic cylinder  68  are connected to the shuttle integral arms  61 . When the cylinder rods are retracted the shuttles  62  are moved to the second or closed locations at which the four pie-shaped shuttle openings  62  form the pattern  50  and are aligned with the four pie-shaped openings  46  in the bottom plate  42  such that product can flow from the shuttle apertures  62  through the bottom plate openings  46  in the bottom plate into the multiple-chamber container  20 . 
   As can be best seen in  FIG. 7  the mounting plate  32  is supported above the frame surface over which the belt conveyor  80  runs. The conveyor  80  is driven by a stepper-motor (not shown) that is controlled by the apparatus control system  12 . The belt conveyor has a plurality of cups  81  secured thereto that receive the multiple-chamber containers  20 . The conveyor is located relative to the measuring and dispensing device  40  such that the conveyor can be stopped with the container chambers precisely aligned with the four pie-shaped openings  46  in the bottom plate  42 . The cups  81  have an upstanding peripheral edge and a ridge protruding from their bottom surface. The multiple-chamber containers  20  are received within the peripheral edge of the cups and when placing a container in a cup the container is rotated such that protruding ridge of the cup is seated in a concave groove formed in the bottom surface of the multiple-chamber container  20 . This properly aligns the pie-shaped openings  46  in the bottom plate  42  with the individual chambers  210   f  the containers  20 . Multiple-chamber containers  20  are available from several suppliers and the ridge protruding from the bottom surface are not uniformly located. Proper alignment can be obtained by rotating the bottom plate  42  in the groove formed in aperture  34 . 
     FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the bottom plate  42 . Sensing mechanism  86  for recognizing when a multiple-chamber container  20  is in position to be filled is also shown in  FIG. 9 . A pair of mounting plates  88  are secured to the bottom surface of the bottom plate  42  at diametrically opposite locations. The mounting plates  88  carry downwardly extending bars  89  that have the sensing mechanisms  86  at their lower extremity. Wires  90  extend from the sensing mechanism  86  to the apparatus control system  12 . 
   The operation of apparatus will now be discussed. The four product feed devices  70  would be mounted in their respective mounting blocks  72  and the four flexible feed conduits  73  would be fixed to the circular bores  59  formed in the transition block  58 . The product feed devices  70  would be filled with the products to be dispensed. The product contained in the product feed devices  70  feed by gravity through the flexible feed conduits  73  into the circular bores  59  formed in the transition block  58 . The circular bores  59  are aligned with the pie-shaped openings  56  formed in the top plate  52 . At the starting stage of operation the pie-shaped openings  56  are aligned with the shuttle apertures  62  of the pair of shuttle members  60 . Thus, at the starting stage since the circular bores  59 , pie-shaped openings  56  and shuttle apertures  62  are aligned the product from the product feed devices  70  flows into and fills the shuttle apertures  62 . The shuttles at the starting stage of operation are in their first location  64  at which position the bottoms of the shuttle apertures  62  are closed by the bottom plate  42 . The height of the shuttles  60  are such that each shuttle apertures  62  has a volume that is equal to the volume of product that it is desired to be dispensed into an individual chamber  21  of the multiple-chamber container  20 . The volume of the transition block bores  59  also have a volume that is equal to the volume of product that it is desired to be dispensed into an individual chamber  21 . As a result at the starting stage of the operation the shuttle apertures  62  are filled with the volume of product that it is desires to be dispensed into the multiple-chamber container and the transition block bores are filled with the volume of product that will be required for the next cycle. Also, at the starting stage the conveyor  80  has been supplied with a number of multiple-chamber containers  20 . The multiple-chamber containers  20  are placed in the cups  81  with the concave groove formed in their bottom surface receiving the ridge protruding from the bottom surface of cups  81 . This assures that one of the vertical walls of an individual chamber  21  will be properly aligned with the sensing mechanism  86 . The bottom  42  can be rotated in the aperture  34  formed in the mounting plate  32  to properly align a vertical wall of an individual chamber  21  with the sensing mechanism  86 . As the operation continues an operator can restore containers  20  to the conveyor  80  to replace those that have been filled and discharged from the conveyor  80 . 
   The apparatus  12  is thus energized with the shuttle apertures  62  filled with the appropriate volume of product and the conveyor stocked with empty multiple-chamber containers  20 . Energizing the apparatus causes the apparatus control system  12  to send a signal to the stepper motor that drives conveyor  80 . As the first multiple-chamber container  20  approaches the container filling location  48  it is recognized by the sensing mechanism  86  and the apparatus control system sends a signal to the conveyor stepper motor causing it to stop. At this time a signal is also sent to the air control valve  74  that sends pressurized air through air line  69  to the pneumatic cylinder  68  causing the shuttles  60  to shift from their first location  64  (shuttle apertures aligned with the upper plate apertures) to their second location  66  (shuttle apertures aligned with the bottom plate apertures). During the shifting of the shuttles  60  the upper smooth surfaces of the shuttles are in engagement with the bottom smooth surface of the top plate  52  and the bottom smooth surface of the shuttles are in engagement with top smooth surface of the bottom plate  42 . This engagement of the smooth surfaces insures that all of the product contained in the shuttle apertures  62  will be moved from the first location  64  to the second location  66 . As this shifting begins there can be some compacting of the product in the shuttle apertures  62 . When the shuttles reach their second locations  66  the product contained in the shuttle apertures  62  are aligned with the pie-shaped openings  56  in the bottom plate and the product falls by gravity through openings  56  into the individual chambers  21  of the multiple-chamber container  20 . The apparatus control system  12  is programmed to allow sufficient time for the shifting and the filling of the container  20  to occur after which signals are sent to return the shuttles  60  to their first location  64  and energize the conveyor  80 . This starts the next cycle. 
   When the shuttles  60  return to their first location  64  the shuttle apertures  62  are aligned with the top plate apertures  56  and the bores  59  formed in the transition block  58 . Since the transition block bores  59  contain sufficient product to fill the shuttle apertures  62  the product can and will fall quickly from the transition block bores  59  and top plate apertures  56  into the shuttle apertures  62 . The smooth cylindrical surface of the bores  59  facilitate this rapid transfer of the product into the shuttle apertures  62 . The refilling of the transition block bores  59  from the product feed device  70  through the flexible feed conduit  73  need not be as rapid, however this transition can occur over the remaining time of the cycle. 
   It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific embodiment that has been illustrated and discussed herein. The apparatus of this invention can be adapted to fill multiple-chamber containers having any number of individual chambers and any volume of individual chambers. Thus, the present invention is intended to encompass all of the embodiments disclosed and suggested herein as defined by the claims as well as any equivalents thereof.