Patent Publication Number: US-11021280-B2

Title: Former chute

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to formers for packaging machines. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/421,596, lodged on 15 Mar. 2012 is a former for a packaging machine. 
     Formers are employed to receive bag material in strip form, and reconfigure the strip into tubular bag material for delivery to a packaging machine. Product is delivered to the interior of the tube with the packaging machine then forming transverse seals and transversely cutting the bag material to form bags of product. As a particular example, the product may be a snack food such as a potato crisps. 
     A former assembly includes a mounting plate to which there is attached a metal sheet that provides the former surface over which the strip bag material passes to be reconfigured into a tubular configuration. The former surface converges upwardly to an upper opening through which there projects a product tube, via which product is delivered to the interior of the bag material. Above the former is a former chute (tube). 
     Located above the former chute is a weighing machine that delivers batches of product to the tube for delivery to the interior of the tubular bag material. The weighing machine includes a plurality of buckets, spaced angularly about a generally upright axis. The buckets are open to deliver a desired quantity of product to form a batch, to be located in a bag to be formed. As the batches travel downwardly, the batches elongate. This elongation of the batches results in the packaging machine below being operated at limited speed. A further disadvantage is that as batches traveling downward, they are slowed further exacerbating the disadvantage of batch elongation. 
     Disadvantages of the above discussed assemblies are that they cause batch elongation and reduce batch speed. 
     OBJECT 
     It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is disclosed herein a former assembly for a packaging machine, the assembly including: 
     a frame to be fixed relative to the packaging machine so that the assembly can deliver tubular bag material to the packaging machine; 
     a former shoulder mounted on the frame, the former shoulder being provided to receive strip bag material and reconfigure the strip material into the tubular bag material, the former shoulder includes a former surface over which the strip material passes to be reconfigured, the former surface converging upwardly to a former opening through which tubular bag material passes; 
     a product delivery chute extending downwardly to adjacent the opening and via which product is delivered to the interior of the tubular bag material; and wherein 
     the product delivery chute and former shoulder have a generally upright central longitudinal axis, with product flowing downwardly through the delivery chute to the former shoulder, with the delivery chute having an internal chute surface surrounding said axis, with said chute surface having a plurality of projections having a direction of extension generally parallel to said axis, that inhibit angular movement of product about said axis as product falls through the chute. 
     Preferably, the projections are located at angularly spaced positions about said axis. 
     Preferably, each projection has a major direction of extension generally parallel to said axis, and a minor direction radially relative to said axis. 
     Preferably, said surface converges downwardly toward said axis. 
     Preferably, said chute surface is generally circular in transverse cross-section. 
     Preferably, each projection is a ridge extending inwardly toward said axis. 
     Preferably, each ridge does not extend angularly about said axis. 
     Preferably, said delivery chute includes a tube body providing said surface, with each projection being attached to said body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic isometric view of a former assembly for a packaging machine; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic vertical sectioned isometric view of the assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic isometric view of a tubular sheet of the assembly of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic side elevation of the tubular chute of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic top plan view of the tubular chute as shown in  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the tubular chute as shown in  FIG. 5  sectioned along the line  6 - 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the attached drawings there is schematically depicted a former assembly  10  for a packaging machine, such as that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,622,032, 7,159,376 and 4,753,336. There is particularly described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/421,596, a former assembly, of which the preferred embodiment described below is an improvement. 
     The former assembly  10  includes a frame  11  including a first frame member  12  that is of a “U-shaped” configuration so as to have a base  13  from which there extends diverging arms  14 . The frame member  12  is tubular in construction so as to have a longitudinally extending passage to which a gas may be delivered. 
     The frame  11  further includes transverse support members  16  fixed to end portions  15  of the arms  14 , the member  16  extending inwardly relative to the upright central axis  19 . 
     Supported by the frame  11  is a former shoulder  17  (shown in “hidden lines”) having a former surface  18  over which strip bag material  32  passes to be formed into a tubular configuration  23 . The surface  18  faces outwardly away from the axis  19 , and generally surrounds the axis  19 , and converges upwardly towards the axis  19  to form a former opening  20  through which the axis  19  passes. Extending toward the opening  20  is a product delivery tubular chute  21  having an interior  22  to which product is delivered for delivery to the interior of the tubular bag material  23  from which bags of product are formed. 
     The opening  20  is located adjacent the lower end the chute  21  so that bag material engaged with and moving upwardly over the surface  18  is allowed to be redirected downwardly through the opening  20  to then extend in the direction  34  to the packaging machine below. 
     The surface  18  extends upwardly and terminates at the opening  20  with a ridge  35  adjacent the opening  20 . The ridge  35  is in the form of an arcuate edge. A tubular portion  24  of the former  17  extends downwardly from the ridge  35 . The tubular bag material  23  slides downwardly inside the tubular portion  24  of the former shoulder  17  for delivery to the packaging machine below. The portion  24  may be part or full tubular in configuration. 
     The former shoulder  17  is supported by the members  16  by being fixed to the tubular portion  24  of the former shoulder  17 . 
     The frame  11  further includes a central mounting  25  fixed to the base  13  so as to extend upwardly therefrom. Fixed to the mounting  25  is an upwardly extending support  26  fixed at its upper end to the product delivery chute  21  to support the chute  21 . The chute  21  may also be attached to the mounting  25  so as to be further supported thereby. 
     The former  17  has a peripheral transverse length  31  that is folded so as to aid in increasing the rigidity of the former shoulder  17 . This transverse length  31  is secured to a transverse member  27  fixed to the end portions  15 . A roller  28  is located adjacent to but spaced from the transverse portion  26  to aid in the delivery of the sheet bag material  32  to the surface  18 . The former shoulder  17  is therefore supported by the arms  14 . 
     One or both of the arms  15  is provided with a coupling  29  via which a gas can be delivered to the interior of the member  12 . As the member  12  is of a tubular construction, the gas can be delivered to the mounting portion  25  from where it is delivered to a backing member  30  (extending from the tubular portion  24 ) for delivery of gas to the interior of the tubular bag material. If so required, the member  26  may also be tubular for the delivery of a gas to the interior of the product delivery chute  21 . 
     The tubular portion  24  has a recess  33  that provides access to the film when the film is initially being fed into the tubular portion  24 . 
     The chute  21  includes a body  40 , surrounding the generally upright central longitudinal axis  19 . The body  40  is preferably formed of sheet metal, and has an internal surface  41  surrounding the axis  19 . Preferably, the body  40  is of a frusto-conical configuration so as to converge downwardly from an upper rim  42  to a lower rim  43 . Accordingly the body  40  is circular in transverse cross-section. The lower rim  43  is adjacent the opening  20 . However it should be appreciated that the lower rim  43  terminates above the opening  20 , so as to leave a gap through which the bag material  32  may pass to be located internally of the tubular portion  24  after passing over the ridge  35 . 
     As mentioned above, preferably the body  40  is of a frusto-conical configuration. Accordingly, it is preferably for the surface  41  to converge downwardly to the rim  43  relative to the axis  19 . 
     Attached to or formed integral with the body  41  is a plurality of projections  44 . The projections  44  are most preferably ridges  45 . 
     The projections  44  are located at angularly spaced locations about the axis  19  and preferably have their major direction of extension generally parallel to the axis  19 . 
     Most preferably, the projections  44 , are ridges  45  as discussed above, in which case the ridges  45  have the major direction of extension generally parallel to the axes  19 , but also extend radially inwardly relative to the axis  19  so as to have a minor direction of extension that is radial relative to the axis  19 . Most preferably, the ridges  45  do not have any angular direction of extension about the axis  19 . 
     The above described preferred embodiment has the advantage of reducing angular movement of the product batches about the axis  19 . This is achieved by the product batches engaging the projections  45  to inhibit their angular movement about the axis  19 . By inhibiting movement of the batches about the axis  19 , batch elongation is reduced, while speed of the batches is enhanced since less energy is lost in rotational energy.