Patent Publication Number: US-6666236-B2

Title: Modular product feed

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to pouch forming, filling and sealing apparatus and more particularly to an improved feeder for feeding product to a pouch filler wheel. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the past, pouching machines entrain an indeterminate length of partially formed pouches about a filler wheel for filling with product. Typically, the products handled by one machine are fed through a spout plate to a filler wheel by a feeder mounted above the filler wheel. The feeders are generally specific to the types, number and unit volumes of the products to be deposited in the pouches and since the filler wheels typically are driven and supported by spindles extending above the filler wheel assemblies (including spout plates) and are supported by bearings, hubs and frames above the wheels, the feeders and their mounting apparatus require a design to avoid interference with the frame and bearing structure supporting the extending spindle. 
     Thus, changeover from one type feeder to another is problematical; each feeder must be designed to a specific configuration accommodating the particular spindles supporting structure of each filler wheel. Changeover is thus problematical and expensive at best, requiring feeders and mounting structures specific to the support structure and to the feeder. 
     It has thus been one objective of this invention to provide an improved apparatus wherein a variety of different feeders can be easily mounted in a pouch filling apparatus. 
     To these ends, a preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates the use of a spindle-less filler wheel (i.e. a pouch filler wheel assembly having no spindle extending above its general plane of operation). 
     A module socket is mounted proximate, in this case above, the filler wheel. Such socket comprises, for example, two rails extending preferably horizontally over the filler wheel, and supported by the frame of a machine housing or cover. 
     A feeder module comprising a module frame, complementary rails, and a feeder is removably mounted on the socket rails, over the filler wheel for feeding product to it. When desired to change over to a different feeder for different product, or different unit volume, for example, the feeder module in place is simply removed and another desired feeder, mounted in a module frame, is operably disposed on the socket rails. 
     In this manner, there are no spindle hubs or support frames above the filler wheel to interfere with the positioning of the modular feeder. The socket rails are fixed, and a variety of feeder modules, such as cup feeders, belt feeders, auger feeders and the like can easily and alternatively be operably disposed over a pouch filler wheel. 
     Moreover, it will be appreciated that the module feeder can include a spout plate in association with the feeder module, or a spout plate can be mounted on or over the filler wheel for operation with a modular feeder mounted thereover. 
     These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description of a preferred and other embodiments of the invention and from the drawings in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention and illustrating the assembly of a feeder module to a pouch forming, filling and sealing operation. 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-section showing one form of feeder module operatively associated with a filler wheel. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings, there is shown a pouch forming, filling and sealing machine  10 . Machine  10  is similar, except as modified by the invention described herein, to the pouch machine known as the PK2000, PK3000 and PK4000, made and sold by R. A. Jones &amp; Co. Inc. of Crescent Springs, Ky. and, for example, to such machines as described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,702,289; 4,848,421; 5,060,450; 5,320,146; 5,502,951 and 6,119,440 all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
     Machine  10  includes a base  11 , including a top plate  12  and a housing  13 . Housing  13  includes an end housing  14  with a housing frame  15 ,  16  to which are mounted parallel rails  18 ,  19  of a socket  20 . Socket  20  is defined in part by the rails  18 ,  19 . Each rail  18 ,  19  has a respective horizontally oriented leg  21 ,  22 . 
     In machine  10 , there is a filler wheel assembly  25  mounted above top plate  12  of machine  10 , within housing  14 . In this embodiment, filler wheel assembly  25  (see FIG. 2) includes a spout plate  26  and a filler wheel  27 . Filler wheel  27  is provided with a plurality of lands (not shown in detail) onto which the transverse seals in a pouch train are held while the connected pouches move about the filler wheel  27  for filling in any conventional manner. Products flow through spouts  28  into pouches on the lands, also in any conventional manner. The spout plate  26  and filler wheel  27  are coordinated as is well known, so that spouts  28  align with open tops of pouches on the filler wheel lands (see the left side of FIG. 2) as well known. 
     It will be appreciated that the filler wheel  27  and spout plate  26  in this embodiment are driven by a shaft and hub assembly  29  which does not extend above spout plate  26 , nor the filler wheel assembly  25  including the spout plate. Moreover, it will be appreciated that spacer hubs  30 ,  31  can be removed from assembly  29  when the spout plate  26  is omitted in favor of the structure of the feeder module to be described. Accordingly, the filler wheel assembly  25  is referred to for purposes of this application as a “spindle-less” filler wheel assembly  25 , meaning that the drive shaft and hub components do not extend in any significant way about the components of the filler wheel assembly  25 , and have no bearing or spindle mount thereabove. 
     A feeder module  40  is mounted in the pouch machine  10 , its position being illustrated in FIG.  2 . Feeder module  40  includes two rails,  41 ,  42 , each having an elongated longitudinally extending flange  43 ,  44  operatively oriented for supporting engagement by legs  21 ,  22  respectively of rails  18 ,  19  of socket  20 . 
     Rails  41 ,  42  are secured to a modular feeder frame  46 . Supported on modular feeder frame  46  are components of product feeder. These may include, for example, a hopper  48 , a wheel  49  of a feeder  50  and belt  51 . Belt  51  is entrained about a wheel  49  except in the area where it is held away from wheel  49  by idler roller  52 . 
     Openings  53  are uncovered by belt  51  to dispense product therefrom into the spouts  28  when module  40  is in operative position. A motor or servo  55  is mounted in module  40  for driving belt feeder  50 . 
     For storing and/or lifting module  40  into place, a lifter  60  is provided. Lifter  60  includes a fork  61 , reciprocally movable to raise a module  40  for sliding it horizontally into socket  20 , or removing it horizontally out of socket  20 . Lifter  60  can be mobilized to move modules  40  between socket  20  and a storage position on a rack (not shown) for example. Lifter  60  can be driven electrically, pneumatically, hydraulically or in any other suitable fashion. 
     In use, a feeder module such as module  40  is slid onto rails  21 ,  22 . Flanges  43 ,  44  of the module slide onto legs  21 ,  22  which hold the module  40  in operative position over filler wheel assembly  25 . Upon insertion into socket  20 , appropriate operative interconnection can be made to the feeder, including electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and control couplings (not shown) for driving and controlling the module. Also, various bolts, clamps or other suitable fasteners can be used to secure the rails  41 ,  42  of the module within socket  20 . 
     It will be appreciated that module  40  in the embodiment described includes components of a feeder, such as belt feeder  50 . A variety of feeders, of course, could be used, such as ring, cup, belt and augur feeders, all in a module such as module  40 , each including a common pair of rails  41 ,  42  for operative interfacing with rails  18 ,  19  of the common socket  20 . Accordingly, other modules may include a spout plate mounted on the feeder module, rather than as part of the filler wheel assembly  25 . 
     In the case of module  40 , the feeder components are drawn in timed register with the components of the filler wheel assembly  25 , in any well known fashion, which may, but not necessarily, include servo-driven positional feedbacks and monitoring and digital controls. 
     Accordingly, the invention contemplates other use of a feeder module  40  operatively mounted in a common socket  20 . When it is desired to change product, a product unit volume beyond the range of the current module  40 , or to change the number of products dispersed into pouches, another feeder module, having feeder components as desired, is selected. The current module  40  is decoupled and removed, sliding horizontally out of the socket  20 . A new module is thus introduced into socket  20 , sliding horizontally therein, and operatively coupled for a different feeding operation in the same common socket  20  and pouch machine  10 . Because no spindle or spindle support structure extends above the filler wheel structure  25 , the module removal and the insertion and coupling of the new module is unfettered. 
     It should also be appreciated that modules may be provided with various types of feeders, or even multiple feeders, where discharge from multiple feeders is useful. 
     These and other modifications and advantages will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of this invention and the applicant intends to be bound only by the claims appended hereto.