Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a packer machine and a wrapping method for the production of pouches, each containing a portion of a loose product (i.e., a non-compact product) and an object.

The present invention is advantageously applied to the production of snus pouches (i.e., permeable bags each containing a pre-packaged portion of a loose, moist and nicotine-based product for oral use), to which the following disclosure will explicitly refer without thereby losing generality.

As known, a snus pouch has a rectangular shape and exhibits a longitudinal sealing and a pair of transverse sealings.

Within a snus pouch there may be (at least) one additional solid object, e.g., an aromatic capsule, an aromatic pellet (i.e., a granular agglomerate in the shape of an ovule or small cylinder), one or more aromatic strips, or one or more aromatic threads. In particular, an aromatic capsule is generally spherical in shape and comprises a breakable outer shell containing an aromatic liquid substance therein: by breaking the outer shell (typically by crushing between fingers) the aromatic liquid substance exits to flavor the snus.

A known packer machine (as described for example in patent application <CIT>) for the production of snus pouches is of FFS (Form, Fill and Seal) type and comprises: a conveyor device to convey a wrapping material band along a packing path; a wrapping station arranged along the packing path and where the wrapping material band is wrapped to form a tubular wrap having a longitudinal development around a wrapping duct; a longitudinal sealing unit to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap at an overlapping zone of the wrapping material band; a loose material feeding device for successively feeding the loose product portions inside the tubular wrap; a transverse sealing unit to transversely seal the tubular wrap so as to form an alternating succession of sealing zones and zones containing a portion of loose product; and a cutting unit to transversely cut the tubular wrap at the sealing zones so as to separate the individual snus pouches.

In particular, the feeding device ends at the inlet of the wrapping duct (around which the wrapping material is folded to form the tubular wrap) and "shoots" the portions of loose product into the tubular wrap through the wrapping duct by means of compressed air.

An object of the present invention is to provide a packer machine and a wrapping method for the production of pouches each containing a portion of loose product and an object, which packer machine and wrapping method allow to achieve high productivity while ensuring high quality standards.

In accordance with the present invention, a packer machine and a wrapping method for the production of pouches each containing a portion of a loose product and an object are provided according to what claimed in the appended claims.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example embodiment thereof, wherein:.

In <FIG>, reference numeral <NUM>, indicates, as a whole, a snus pouch containing a snus portion <NUM> (i.e. a portion of a loose, moist and nicotine-based product for oral use) and an additional solid object <NUM> therein. For example, the additional solid object <NUM> may be an aromatic capsule (as illustrated in <FIG>), an aromatic pellet (i.e. a granular agglomerate in the shape of an ovule or small cylinder), one or more aromatic strips, or one or more aromatic threads. In particular, an aromatic capsule is generally spherical in shape and comprises a breakable outer shell containing an aromatic liquid substance therein: by breaking the outer shell (typically by crushing between fingers) the aromatic liquid substance exits to flavor the snus.

The pouch <NUM> is closed by a longitudinal sealing <NUM> and two transverse sealings <NUM>.

In <FIG>, reference numeral <NUM>, indicates, as a whole, a packer machine which produces snus pouches <NUM>.

The packer machine <NUM> is of FFS (Form, Fill and Seal) type and operates on a single line (i.e. makes a single snus pouch <NUM> at a time); alternatively, the packer machine <NUM> could be a double (triple) line machine making two (three) snus pouches <NUM> at a time.

The packer machine <NUM> comprises a frame resting on a floor and exhibits a vertical support wall (the "front" wall of the packer machine <NUM> and coincident with the plane of <FIG>) onto which all operating components contributing to the production of snus pouches <NUM> are mounted.

The packer machine <NUM> comprises a (partially illustrated) conveyor device <NUM> for conveying a wrapping material band <NUM> (preferably consisting of non-woven fabric) along a straight packing path P. A wrapping station S1 is arranged along the packing path P in which the wrapping material band is wrapped to form a tubular wrap having a longitudinal development. A longitudinal sealing unit <NUM> is arranged along the packing path P and downstream of the wrapping station S1 to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap at an overlapping zone of the wrapping material band to make the longitudinal sealing <NUM>. A transverse sealing unit <NUM> is arranged along the packing path P and downstream of the longitudinal sealing unit <NUM> to transversely seal the tubular wrap so as to form an alternating succession of sealing zones (at the transverse sealings <NUM>) and zones containing a loose product portion <NUM> and an object <NUM>. A loose material feeding device <NUM> is arranged at the wrapping station S1 to successively feed the loose product portions <NUM> inside the tubular wrap and an object feeding device <NUM> to successively feed the objects <NUM> inside the tubular wrap. Finally, a cutting device <NUM> is arranged along the packing path P and downstream of the transverse sealing unit <NUM> to transversely cut the tubular wrap at the sealing zones (i.e. the transverse sealings <NUM>) so as to separate the individual snus pouches <NUM>.

The packer machine <NUM> comprises a wrapping duct <NUM> which is arranged in the wrapping station S1 and extends along the packing path P (i.e. parallel to the packing path P); the wrapping material band <NUM> is folded around the wrapping duct <NUM> to form the tubular wrap (i.e. the wrapping duct <NUM> has the function of a folding mandrel to fold the wrapping material band <NUM> in a tubular shape).

The feeding device <NUM> comprises a feeding drum <NUM> which rotates with an intermittent law of motion (i.e. exhibiting a cyclic alternation of motion and rest phases) about a horizontal rotation axis <NUM> (perpendicular to the plane of <FIG>). The feeding drum <NUM> is coupled to a suction source at a loading station S2 where the feeding drum <NUM> receives the loose material and is coupled to a compressed air source at a feeding station S3 where the feeding drum <NUM> (through compressed air jets) directs the individual portions <NUM> of loose material into the wrapping duct <NUM>. In use, as the feeding drum <NUM> rotates, a continuous bead of loose material (due to the effect of the suction source) is progressively formed on the shell of the feeding drum <NUM>; the continuous bead of loose material is conveyed to the feeding station S3 where, due to the effect of the compressed air source, the portions <NUM> of loose material are separated from the continuous bead and transferred along the wrapping duct <NUM> until they enter the wrapping material band <NUM> folded in a tubular shape around the wrapping duct <NUM>.

The packer machine <NUM> comprises a hopper <NUM> which is arranged above the feeding device <NUM> and carries the loose material towards the loading station S2 by gravity where the loose material is taken from the feeding drum <NUM>.

According to what illustrated in <FIG>, the feeding device <NUM> is configured to feed the portions <NUM> into the wrapping duct <NUM> such that each portion <NUM> is separated from a prior portion <NUM> and a following portion <NUM> by a corresponding gap <NUM> which is necessary to make a transverse sealing <NUM> without the transverse sealing <NUM> trapping the loose material or otherwise locally compressing the loose material.

According to what illustrated in <FIG>, the feeding device <NUM> is configured to feed the objects <NUM> into the wrapping duct <NUM> so as to arrange in the wrapping duct <NUM> each object <NUM> between two adjacent portions <NUM>, i.e. so as to arrange in the wrapping duct <NUM> each object <NUM> in a corresponding gap <NUM> dividing two adjacent portions <NUM>. In the embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, the feeding device <NUM> is configured to arrange each object <NUM> in the wrapping duct <NUM> in contact with a head (i.e., an initial/front part) of a portion <NUM> relative to an advancement direction of the portions <NUM>. In the alternative and perfectly equivalent embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, the feeding device <NUM> is configured to arrange each object <NUM> in the wrapping duct <NUM> in contact with a tail (i.e. a final/rear part) of a portion <NUM> relative to an advancement direction of the portions <NUM>. According to what illustrated in <FIG>, the feeding device <NUM> comprises a feeding drum <NUM> that is rotatably mounted about a horizontal rotation axis <NUM> to rotate about the rotation axis <NUM> with an intermittent law of motion. The feeding drum <NUM> is provided with four peripheral seats <NUM> each designed to hold an object <NUM>, and rotating about the rotation axis <NUM> it cyclically moves each seat <NUM> between an input station S4 where an object <NUM> enters the seat <NUM> and an output station S5 where an object <NUM> leaves the seat <NUM> towards the wrapping duct <NUM>. According to other non-illustrated embodiments, the number of seats <NUM> of the feeding drum <NUM> differs from four: generally, there may be from a minimum of one single seat <NUM> to a maximum of one to two dozen seats <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment, the feeding drum <NUM> rotates about the rotation axis <NUM> with an intermittent law of motion which entails having each seat <NUM> cover an arc of a circle having a length D (illustrated in <FIG>) equal to a distance D (illustrated in <FIG>) existing between two successive portions <NUM> which are located in the wrapping duct <NUM>. In this way, the displacement speed of the seats <NUM> (i.e., the peripheral speed of the feeding drum <NUM>) containing the objects <NUM> is (essentially) identical to the displacement speed of the portions <NUM> along the wrapping duct <NUM>, and thus when an object <NUM> arrives in the wrapping duct <NUM> from the feeding drum <NUM> it has its own displacement speed similar to the displacement speed of the portions <NUM> along the wrapping duct <NUM>, and thus it can fit with less mechanical stresses and more accuracy into the respective gap <NUM> between two adjacent portions <NUM>. In particular, in the feeding drum <NUM> the two seats <NUM> are spaced apart by an arc of a circle having a length D (illustrated in <FIG>) equal to a distance D (illustrated in <FIG>) existing between two successive portions <NUM> which are located in the wrapping duct <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment, the feeding device <NUM> comprises a feeding duct <NUM> originating near the periphery of the feeding drum <NUM> and at the output station S5, leads into the wrapping duct <NUM> and is travelled by the objects <NUM> to enter the wrapping duct <NUM>. That is, the wrapping duct <NUM> has a through opening <NUM> arranged at the top (i.e. at an upper wall of the wrapping duct <NUM>) into which the feeding duct <NUM> flows to make the objects <NUM> enter the wrapping duct <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment, the feeding duct <NUM> forms an acute angle (generally between <NUM>° and <NUM>° and not greater than <NUM>°) with the wrapping duct <NUM> such that the main (prevailing) component of the motion of the objects <NUM> travelling through the feeding duct <NUM> is parallel to the packing path P followed by the portions <NUM> along the wrapping duct <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment, the feeding device <NUM> comprises (at least) a blowing device <NUM>, which is arranged at the output station S5 and is configured to emit a compressed air blast, which extracts an object <NUM> from a seat <NUM> of the feeding drum <NUM> and pushes the object <NUM> along the feeding duct <NUM> and towards the wrapping duct <NUM>. According to a possible embodiment, a single blowing device <NUM> that is common to all the seats <NUM> is provided for and is always stationary in the output station S5 (i.e. it does not rotate together with the feeding drum <NUM>); according to a different embodiment, a plurality of blowing devices <NUM> are provided for, each of which is mounted onto the feeding drum <NUM> (thus rotates together with the feeding drum <NUM>) and is coupled to a single seat <NUM>.

The feeding device <NUM> comprises a hopper <NUM> which is arranged above the feeding drum <NUM> and contains a mass of objects <NUM> and ends with a vertical channel along which a row of objects <NUM> falls by gravity to the input station S4.

The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

The above-described packer machine <NUM> has numerous advantages.

Firstly, the packer machine <NUM> described above allows high hourly throughputs to be achieved while ensuring a high-quality standard. This is achieved, among other things, due to the fact that the feeding of objects <NUM> occurs without substantial interference of the objects <NUM> with the portions <NUM> moving along the wrapping duct <NUM>.

Furthermore, the packer machine <NUM> is particularly compact and allows an operator in close proximity to the packer machine <NUM> to reach all the various parts of the packer machine <NUM> with his/her own hands without having to make unnatural movements.

Claim 1:
A packer machine (<NUM>) for the production of pouches (<NUM>), each containing a portion (<NUM>) of a loose product and an object (<NUM>); the packer machine (<NUM>) comprises:
a conveyor device (<NUM>) configured to move one wrapping material band (<NUM>) along a packing path (P);
a wrapping station (S1) arranged along the packing path (P) and where the wrapping material band (<NUM>) is wrapped to form a tubular wrap around a wrapping duct (<NUM>);
a first feeding device (<NUM>) configured to feed the portions (<NUM>) into the wrapping duct (<NUM>) such that each portion (<NUM>) is separate from a prior portion (<NUM>) and from a following portion (<NUM>) by a corresponding gap (<NUM>);
a second feeding device (<NUM>) configured to feed the objects (<NUM>) into the wrapping duct (<NUM>);
a longitudinal sealing unit (<NUM>) to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap at an overlapping zone of the wrapping material band (<NUM>); and
a transverse sealing unit (<NUM>) to transversely seal the tubular wrap so as to form an alternating succession of sealing zones and zones containing a portion (<NUM>) of loose product and an object (<NUM>);
the packer machine (<NUM>) is characterized in that the second feeding device (<NUM>) is configured to arrange each object (<NUM>) between two adjacent portions (<NUM>) in the wrapping duct (<NUM>).