Dynamic loading device

Abstract

This invention relates to a dynamic loading device for horizontal form, fill and seal machine (“HFFS”) and in particular the loading of fresh hamburger patties into a package in an HFFS machine and sealing of said package. This invention involves a dynamic loading device in a form, fill and seal machine for packaging and stacking fresh meat patties. The HFFS machine involves opposing rolls of film wherein the bottom film is drawn to form a package or pocket for food product. The product is dropped into the pocket by a shuttle conveyor while a cylinder raises the base of the pocket to minimize the product drop into the precisely dimensioned pocket. After the product is placed in the package, an upper film is introduced for covering. Before the cover is sealed, the package is generally evacuated of atmosphere. The package is then sealed by the opposing rolls of film.

Claims

1. A dynamic loading device for use in a form fill and seal machine utilizing upper and lower films to seal a package on a main feed conveyor, the package containing a plurality of individually stacked products, the dynamic loading device comprising: a platen positioned under the package and engaging said lower film; an air cylinder configured to engage and lift the platen to a top of the package to facilitate loading of the plurality of individually stacked products, the air cylinder further configured to intermittently lower the platen as the products are stacked in the package; and a shuttle conveyor positioned above the package for loading and stacking the products in the package at high speed.

2. A dynamic loading device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the air cylinder engages the platen to raise or lower the platen in incremental steps to provide a close landing place from the shuttle conveyor for the products in the package, and wherein the raising or lowering of the platen is synchronized with the shuttle conveyor and the main feed conveyor.

3. A dynamic loading device in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the products comprise fresh hamburger patties which are difficult to load into the package and subject to tilting when dropping from the shuttle conveyor.

4. A dynamic loading device in accordance with claim 3 wherein: the shuttle conveyor for loading and stacking the products comprising the fresh hamburger patties provides a stack of fresh hamburger patties four deep in the package; and four packages are loaded simultaneously using the shuttle conveyor.

5. A dynamic loading device in accordance with claim 3 wherein: the platen comprises a plastic element conforming to a size of the package and movable in designated increments to minimize a drop of the products from the shuttle conveyor to within the package for stacking purposes, and a movement of the platen is synchronized with a movement of the shuttle conveyor feeding the fresh hamburger patties to the package.

6. A dynamic loading device for use in a form fill and seal machine utilizing upper and lower films to seal a package on a main feed conveyor, the package containing a plurality of individually stacked products, the dynamic loading device comprising: a platen positioned under the package and engaging said lower film; means for lifting the platen to a top of the package to facilitate loading of the plurality of individually stacked products and intermittently lowering the platen as the products are stacked in the package; and means comprising a shuttle conveyor for loading and stacking the products in the package at high speed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other objects of this invention may be more clearly seen when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the dynamic loading device of this invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the confirmation station in an HFFS machine; and,

(4) FIGS. 3a-3c depict respectively a front, side and perspective view of the spacer.

(5) FIGS. 4a and 4b depict respectively cross-sectional views of the stacked patties and the patties as they appear in a package.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, this invention relates to a horizontal form fill and seal machine (HFFS) 10 and particularly to a device 20 for stacking fresh hamburger patties 11 in an HFFS machine package from reciprocating or shuttle conveyors (not shown). This invention solves the problems associated with a high rate of loading, a tall product stack and a difficult product.

(7) In a HFFS machine 10, two rolls of film 21 and 22 are used to seal a package 23. The lower roll 21 is deep drawn to form a package 23 for the patties 11 with pockets 31. After the product is placed in the package 23 an upper film 22 is introduced for covering. Generally the package is evacuated of atmosphere and then sealed.

(8) This invention involves a lifting device 14 below the pocket 31 which creates an artificial landing spot in the package 23 to settle the product at a convenient depth without harm to the product during stacking. This is particularly important when the product is hamburger patties.

(9) In a typical HFFS machine 20 as shown in the prior art, a roll of film 22 is heated by heater 24 and then blown to a specific depth and configuration in a die station called a forming station 25. The formed pocket 31 is then indexed into the next area called the loading zone 26 where product 11 is introduced. With difficult to load products like patty stacks, the pocket 31 is sucked against a wall by an artificially created vacuum. The product 11 is loaded while the film 21 adheres to the wall. This area is called a confirmation station 27 since it confirms the pocket size while loading. Otherwise the film is loose and dropping product 11 into an irregular pocket 31 is difficult particularly where the clearance between the package 23 and product is tight.

(10) The depth of the patty drop into the pocket 31 creates difficulties since if the product 11 tilts it will not load cleanly into the pocket 31. A plastic platen or spacer 13 is used in this invention to create an adjustable landing spot for the product. The platen 13 is positioned under the film 21 in the pocket 31 and an air cylinder 14 raises the confirmation station box 1 to a level at the top of the package 23. The film 21 rests on top of the platen 13. This allows a shuttle conveyor (not shown) to drop the product onto a flat level surface much closer to the conveyor than the bottom of the package 23 would be in a standard machine. The elevated platen 13 shortens the distance the product 28 must fall and provides a convenient surface for landing patties 11. The height of the platen 13 can be varied to minimize the negative effects of the drop. After the drop, the platen 13 is lowered along with the confirmation station box 1. The film and patty stack are also lowered. The stack settles to the bottom of the package 23 in a straight aligned fashion. A tightly packed aligned package is desirable for appearance and more importantly the uniformity is advantageous for further packaging and shipment. The invention also permits a high patty stack.

(11) FIG. 2 shows the confirmation station box 1 and a confirm insert 2 for a package of four adjacent patties. A spacer 13 which is essentially a plastic platen is nested in each aperture 4 in the confirm insert 2. The platen 13 is raised or lowered by an air cylinder 14 to place the landing spot for a patty at a short optimum height for a product drop. With fresh patties, dimensions are tight and a large drop could result in a tilt, causing damage to the package and a possible machine stoppage.

(12) FIGS. 3a-3b illustrate details on the spacer 13 which includes a base 14 and side walls 15. The package 23 located with confirmation box 1 is designed to accommodate at least four rows of patties up to at least four deep. The spacer 13 lowers as each additional patty is added to the stack from a conveyor. This eliminates dropping the patty a distance into a pocket 31 which could result in tilting the fresh mea patty and damage the package.

(13) FIG. 4a shows the stacked patties 11 as they appear in the confirmation box 1 and FIG. 4b shows the package 23 removed from the box 1.

(14) While the invention has been explained by a detailed description of certain specific embodiments, it is understood that various modifications and substitutions can be made in any of them within the scope of the appended claims, which are intended also to include equivalents of such embodiments.