Abstract:
A plurality of flat substantially similar articles such as meat patties which have been formed from an elongated cylindrical meat log of sausage or hamburger are deposited onto one or more parallel conveyors and then advanced in a co-planer and end to end relationship through a series of lift stations where predetermined numbers of paddies are divided into individual groups and each group of paddies is moved onto a carrier member and advanced one at a time by a shuttle to a stacking station. There each group is deposited onto each preceding group until a predetermined number of groups has been vertically stacked after which the entire stack is moved to a conveyor for further processing. The lifting stations prevent the articles from being pressed together or shingling one on top the other thereby avoiding article damage during processing, and servo motors enhance the speed and efficiency of the operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention is directed to an apparatus for and a method of loading flat articles such as meat paddies in a suitable apparatus and, more particularly, to collecting freshly cut meat paddies from parallel moving conveyers so that a group of a predetermined number of paddies is discharged from a product release station, sequentially positioned in a stack with other groups of paddies on an elevator assembly, discharged in stack formation onto a moving conveyor on which the stacks are supported and packaged in shipping or storage receptacles.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    The standard apparatus for accumulating, stacking and packaging meat paddies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,855 issued Dec. 2, 1980, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This machine has been used for a considerable period of time in the industry and has functioned adequately, however there are some features of the machine that restrict its output because of product distortion occurring when increased conveyor speeds are employed. This machine is also limited by the use of conventional conveyors that cannot be instantaneously started or stopped or move products in more than one direction. Thus there is a pronounced need for an improved machine to overcome these deficiencies, and it is to that need that the present invention is directed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention is directed to an apparatus for and method of continuously accumulating a plurality of similarly sized preformed flat articles such as meat paddies where individual paddies are received from slicing stations and advanced in parallel and individually controlled conveyors to one or more lift stations each of which is selectively operable to elevate a number of paddies away from the moving conveyors and hold them in a stationary position until a desired occurrence takes place. Elevating a number of paddies at lift stations slows overall movement of the paddies which reduces pressure on the paddies normally arising when they collide and enables the formation of the paddies into individual, separated groups of paddies at a product (group) release station. Each group is then engaged by a shuttle and advanced to an elevator assembly. At the elevator assembly, they are lowered, group-by-group, so that each individual group is placed on an existing, building stack of groups or begins the formation of a new stack of groups until a predetermined number of groups, each containing the same number of patties, have completed the stack. When the predetermined number of paddy groups (15-20, for example) are accumulated in a stackproducts, the group stack is moved from the elevator assembly, deposited on a conveyor and advanced to a packing station where an operator lowers a container over the group stack and completes the packaging procedure.  
           [0006]    The operating speed of the invention is significantly greater than that of its mechanical predecessor because of the use of servo motors in all movement sensitive locations. These servo motors can be operated to instantaneously stop, start or reverse direction of a conveyor or moving carrier. Additional machine operating speed and efficiency is achieved by use of a shuttle or transversing belt which first receives a group of paddies on a carrier member such as a sheet of paper, moves both to an elevator station and thereafter instantaneously withdraws to permit the group and carrier member to nest upon the previously deposited group and carrier member. The elevator is lowered in increments approximately equal to the thickness of a single article and carrier member until the predetermined number of groups have accumulated in the stack.  
           [0007]    The lift stations also enable the machine to operate faster without paddy damage because they can lift a number of patties at a particular lift station off the parallel conveyors to terminate paddy movement. Sensors in each conveyor sense the absence of a paddy at a vacant paddy position, and the lift station nearest the paddy entrance station will immediately lower so that more paddies engage the conveyor and move toward the vacant paddy location.  
           [0008]    The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for and a method of bulk loading a substantially continuous supply of flat and circular paddies where each individual paddy is severed from an elongated cylindrical log of paddy meat, a predetermined number of paddies is formed into a group, and the formed groups are stacked and packaged in a rapid and efficient manner heretofore unachievable in the art without damage or distortion to the paddies.  
           [0009]    Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In that respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.  
           [0010]    It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way.  
           [0011]    Thus, the objects of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.  
           [0012]    The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the collecting and group forming machine of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a side elevational and fragmentary view of the front or beginning end of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which contains the second and third lift stations;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a side elevational, slightly enlarged and fragmentary view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a first end elevational and schematic view of the first or final lift station wherein products have been raised, disengaged from the conveyor belt and held in a stationary condition;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a second end elevational and schematic view of the first or final lift station wherein products have been raised, disengaged from the conveyor belt and held in a stationary condition;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the product stop/release station;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the components shown in FIG. 7 illustrating the traversing belt in the group and carrier member receiving position and wherein a receptive platform or elevator A is in a position to receive a group and carrier member;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is an end elevational and schematic view of platform A in a raised position to receive additional carrier members and paddy groups;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is an end elevational and schematic view of carrier member receptive platform A in a lower position during formation of a group stack;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is an end elevational and schematic view of the elevator assembly with platform A moved to its lowest position to complete a group stack;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 12 is an end elevational and schematic view of the elevator assembly with platform A moving toward the raised position and platform B moved to the active raised position to begin another paddy stack as recited in the n description of FIGS.  9 - 11 ;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 13 is a plan view of the product release station shown in FIG. 7; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 14 is a side elevational, schematic view of the product release station shown in FIG. 7 with a blown up view of the product stop/release mechanism. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0027]    Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, the apparatus for sequentially transporting, accumulating and stacking a predetermined number of groups of individual flat paddies generally designated  20  has a frame  22  supporting the components subsequently to be described at a predetermined location above floor  24 . The front loading end of machine  20  shown generally as  26  is fed by a conventional slicer of the type which includes rotating blades adapted to continuously sever a plurality of slices from an elongated substantially cylindrical meat log such as sausage or hamburger. Since the slicer is of conventional construction, it is not shown, it being understood that such devices are commercially available for such use in the meat packing industry.  
         [0028]    An accumulating and advancing section of the machine is shown generally as  28  and includes a third lift station  30 , the details of which are shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and  5 . Third lift station  30  has a plurality of rails  32  (FIG. 3) that are slidably displaceable by appropriate displacing means such as air or fluid cylinders  34 . In FIG. 5, two parallel conveyors  48 ,  50  are formed by rails  32  positioned between a number of conveyor strands  36  and movable with respect thereto to form third lift station  30 . Rails  32  have slots  41  cooperating with lugs  40  that raise rails  32  and lift station  30  formed thereby between conveyor strands  36  to hold a number of paddies in a raised and stationary condition.  
         [0029]    The lift stations normally operation together with all stations raising and lowering at the same time. They serve to control the paddy flow, prevent products from being pressed together and perhaps shingling one on top of the other, and avoid product distortion because of pressure created when paddies collide or cling together. When paddies are urged against each other, a temperature rise caused by friction builds pressure within the paddy mass resulting in product damage or distortion. Thus the lift stations control the driving force of the paddies to minimize contact and temperature rise.  
         [0030]    Third lift station  30  has two independent lane lifts that are controlled by a sensor  46  in each lane  48 ,  50 . When a missing paddy is sensed by sensor  46 , lift station  30  (made up of rails  32  and conveyor strands  36 ) lowers rails  32  and products are engaged by conveyor strands  36  to move products into the sensed vacant paddy spaces. The need to supply both lanes  48 ,  50  with the required amount of paddies usually averages out with the rate of rejected or unacceptable paddies. There is a need to maintain close balance of paddy flow in lanes  48 ,  50 . If a paddy is sensed to be absent at a location in lane  50 , the lane  50  portion of third lift station  30  will lower out of its normal cycle. This occurs when the normal reject rate increases in one of lanes  48 ,  50  or the other. If the lane sensor or lane sensors  46  call for paddies over an amount of time that effects normal operation of the machine, the machine will go to a cycle stop position. This is because a fixed distance of product is required to operate in a normal condition. In the cycle stop mode, first and second lift stations  38 ,  40  are up and stop/release mechanism  42  is in the stop position. Third lift station  30  is up or down depending upon the sensors. The machine will start and cycle normally once all lanes are satisfied with required products continuously supplied by the slicing machine. Conveyor strands  36  run continuously.  
         [0031]    First left station  38 , when activated, lifts a predetermined number of patties forming a group of paddies. Second lift station and third lift station  30  lift at the same time to keep pressure off first lift station  38 . If products are moving left to right, the stop/release mechanism is located to the right of first lift station  38 . The distance d (FIG. 13) between stop/release mechanism  42  and first lift station  38  is determined by the amount of paddies required to form one group of paddies.  
         [0032]    From first lift station  38 , groups of paddies move to a conveyor  52  positioned under a cooperating belt  54  both of which engage and drive paddy groups horizontally to the product stop/release station shown generally as  56 . Belt  54  can be slowed to make certain that paddies are not dislodged or move upon arrival at product stop/release station  56 . Station  56  includes a rotatable paddle wheel  58  with a single paddle  60  affixed to a supporting hub  62  all of which make up stop/release mechanism  42 . Paddle  60  serves as a stop mechanism  42  when a group moving on conveyer  52  encounters it in the stop or down position as shown in FIG. 14. Movement of the group ceases momentarily until the elevator assembly shown generally as  64  and shuttle  66  are ready to receive it. At that time paddle  60  releases the group and is rotated 360 degrees and at a speed to reach another stop position precisely in the middle of the separation or gap between groups created when the released group moves just slightly before the first station lift is lowered and the group behind the released group is moved toward stop/release station  56 . When paddle  60  returns to the stop position, second and first lift stations  40 ,  38  will lower. This step is repeated continuously so long as apparatus  20  is active.  
         [0033]    Shuttle  66  is a multi-hinged, rectangular, preferably plastic slat grid capable of rapid reciprocatory movement from a group pickup location to the elevator assembly  64 . It is servo motor driven and moves forwardly toward elevator assembly  64  a distance of 15½ inches in 0.265 second and then instantaneously reverses and moves through the 15⅕ inch-distance again in 0.09 second.  
         [0034]    Rolls of paper  68  are mounted on frame  22  as shown in FIG. 1, and a web  70  from one roll is fed upwardly through driving and cutting elements  73  that cut the web into sheets, each of which forms a carrier member  71  of a preselected size compatible with the size of the group. The sheets  71  are moved one by one to shuttle  66 , the released paddy group is moved onto sheet  71  and shuttle  66  all of which are then moved directly to a first platform A of elevator assembly  64 . As shuttle  66  and carrier sheet  71  and the released group reach the appropriate position over platform A, shuttle  66  is quickly withdrawn by the action of the servo motor, and sheet  71  and the carried group slide off and nest on platform A either as a first entry of a new stack or on top of previously positioned similar sheets and groups building a stack.  
         [0035]    Platforms A and B are initially presented in a fully elevated position as shown in FIG. 9. Each time a group and sheet  71  are deposited, the active elevator platform (A in FIGS.  9 - 12 ) will be lowered a distance equal to the thickness of a group and sheet  71  in precise increments until a predetermined number of groups, each supported by a sheet  71 , forms a vertical stack and platform A is in the position shown in FIG. 11. Platform A is then quickly withdrawn rearwardly and deposits the entire stack of groups and sheets onto an outfeed conveyor  75  where packaging takes place by, for example, lowering an inverted carton over the group stack, turning the carton over and closing the side and end flaps. The packaged group stack is now ready for refrigeration, storage or delivery.  
         [0036]    In the preferred embodiment of the invention, elevator assembly  64  comprises a left operative section designated platform A and a right operative section designated platform B which are identical in structure and motion, both of the sections being suitably counter balanced. When the left section of elevator assembly  64  is up with platform A elevated and extending outwardly to accept a sequence of group-laden carrier members, platform B of the right section is located in a fully elevated but inoperative position, having been elevated from its lower most retracted to its fully raised position. In this position platform B is poised for rapid movement to the left. The advance of platform B occurs simultaneously with the retraction of platform A and these steps are continuously repeated.  
         [0037]    The input speed of belt  42  and conveyor strands  36  is twice the speed of the highest number of product groups required per minute. The functions necessary to the present invention to control cycle time, settings to adjust for product thickness, group size and others are preferably supplied by a Human Machine Interface (“HMI”), a programmable controller well known in the art. A very satisfactory unit for the present invention is produced by CTC Parker Automation of Milford, Ohio.  
         [0038]    From the detailed description, it can be seen that an apparatus for and method of transporting and stacking groups of flat articles and removing the groups to a remote location has been provided that will meet all of the advantages of prior art devices and offer additional advantages not heretofore achievable. With respect to the invention, the optimum dimensional relationship to the parts of the invention including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, use and assembly are deemed readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein.  
         [0039]    The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. All suitable modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims are deemed within the present inventive concept.