Apparatus and process for handling food packaging

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus for separating a cone sleeve (4) from a nested stack of cone sleeves (1) the apparatus comprising a chamber (2) having an upper (7) and a lower (8) surface connected by a wall or walls (6), the upper surface (7) having an upper circular opening (3) and the lower surface (8) having a lower circular opening (5) characterized in that the upper circular opening (3) has a circumference of from 100-135% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4), the lower circular opening (5) has a circumference of from 95-99.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4), and the chamber (2) has inlets (9) connectable to a pressurized gas supply. The invention also provides process that employs the apparatus, the process comprising the steps of providing a stack of nested cone sleeves (1); placing the lowermost end of the stack into the chamber (2) from above the chamber (2); and allowing the lowermost cone sleeve (4) to sit within the lower circular opening (5) and allowing the cone sleeves above the lower-most cone sleeve (4) to protrude from the top of the chamber (2) characterized in that pressurized gas is introduced into the chamber via the inlets (9) thereby to create an elevated pressure within the chamber (2).

Claims

1. An apparatus for separating a cone sleeve (4) from a nested stack of cone sleeves (1), the apparatus comprising a chamber (2) having an upper (7) and a lower (8) surface connected by a wall or walls (6), the upper surface (7) having an upper circular opening (3) and the lower surface (8) having a lower circular opening (5) characterised in that the upper circular opening (3) has a circumference from 100 to 135% of a maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4), the lower circular opening (5) has a circumference from 95 to 99.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4), thereby creating an effective seal between a bottommost cone sleeve and the chamber, and the chamber (2) has inlets (9) connectable to a pressurised gas supply, wherein the inlets (9) are configured to direct gas horizontally or downwards into the chamber and at a rate greater than the gas can escape via the upper circular opening so as to create an elevated pressure within the chamber that causes the lowermost cone sleeve to be separated from the rest of the cone sleeve stack.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the upper circular opening (3) has a circumference of at least 101% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the upper circular opening (3) has a circumference of at most 130% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4).

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lower circular opening (5) has a circumference of at least 95.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4).

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the lower circular opening (5) has a circumference of at most 99.25% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4).

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the distance between the upper surface (7) and the lower surface (8) is at least 5 mm.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the distance between the upper surface (7) and the lower surface (8) as measured inside the chamber is at most 100 mm.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the inlets (9) are configured to direct gas downwards into the chamber.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a cone sleeve stack holder.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the cone sleeve stack holder comprises a nested stack of sleeves having rounded tips.

11. A process that employs the apparatus of claim 1, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a stack of nested cone sleeves (1); b) placing the lowermost end of the stack into the chamber (2) from above the chamber (2); and c) allowing the lowermost cone sleeve (4) to sit within the lower circular opening (5) and allowing the cone sleeves above the lowermost cone sleeve (4) to protrude from the top of the chamber (2) characterised in that pressurised gas is introduced into the chamber via the inlets (9) thereby to create an elevated pressure within the chamber (2).

12. A process according to claim 11 wherein the elevated pressure in the chamber (2) is at least 100 kPa.

13. A process according to claim 11 wherein the elevated pressure in the chamber (2) is at most 100 kPa.

14. An apparatus for separating a cone sleeve (4) from a nested stack of cone sleeves (1), the apparatus comprising a chamber (2) having an upper (7) and a lower (8) surface connected by a wall or walls (6), the upper surface (7) having an upper circular opening (3) and the lower surface (8) having a lower circular opening (5) wherein the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening (3) to the circumference of the lower circular opening (5) is at most 1.5:1 wherein the lower circular opening (5) has a circumference from 95 to 99.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (4) thereby creating an effective seal between a bottommost cone sleeve and the chamber and wherein the inlets (9) are configured to direct air horizontally or downwards into the chamber and at a rate greater than the air can escape via the upper circular opening so as to create an elevated pressure within the chamber that causes the lowermost cone sleeve to be separated from the rest of the cone sleeve stack.

Description

SUMMARY OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows the apparatus of the invention in use with a nested stack of cone sleeves.

(2) FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of the invention in use having separated the lowermost cone sleeve from the stack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

(3) We have now found that a specifically configured apparatus and a process using that apparatus address the foregoing issues.

(4) In a first aspect the present invention therefore provides an apparatus for separating a cone sleeve from a nested stack of cone sleeves the apparatus comprising a chamber having an upper and a lower surface connected by a wall or walls, the upper surface having an upper circular opening and the lower surface having a lower circular opening characterized in that the upper circular opening has a circumference of from 100-135% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, the lower circular opening has a circumference of from 95-99.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, and the chamber has inlets connectable to a pressurized gas supply.

(5) The openings are substantially circular, preferably they are circular.

(6) Preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at least 101% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, more preferably at least 102.5%, more preferably still at least 105%, even more preferably at least 110%, most preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at least 115% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(7) Preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at most 130% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, more preferably at most 127.5%, more preferably still at most 125%, even more preferably at most 120%, yet more preferably at most 117.5%, yet more preferably still at most 115%, most preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at most 110% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(8) Preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference of at least 95.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, more preferably at least 96%, more preferably still at least 96.5%, even more preferably at least 97%, yet more preferably at least 97.5%, most preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference at least 98% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(9) Preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference of at most 99.25% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, more preferably at most 99%, more preferably still at most 98.75%, even more preferably at most 98.5% most preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference of at most 98.25% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(10) Preferably the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at most 1.5:1, more preferably at most 1.4:1, more preferably still at most 1.25:1, even more preferably at most 1.1:1, yet more preferably at most 1.05:1, most preferably ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at most 1.025:1.

(11) The ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is preferably at least 1.005:1, more preferably still at least 1.01:1, even more preferably at least 1.015:1, most preferably the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at least 1.02:1.

(12) Preferably the chamber is circular in cross section when viewed from above.

(13) Preferably the minimum distance from the wall of the chamber to the edge of the upper circular opening is at least 5 mm, more preferably at least 10 mm, most preferably at least 15 mm.

(14) Preferably the minimum distance from the wall of the chamber to the edge of the upper circular opening is at most 40 mm, more preferably at most 30 mm, most preferably at most 20 mm.

(15) Preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface as measured inside the chamber is at least 5 mm, more preferably at least 10 mm, more preferably still at least 15 mm, even more preferably at least 20 mm, yet more preferably at least 25 mm, even more preferably still at least 30 mm, yet more preferably at least 35 mm, most preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is at least 40 mm.

(16) Preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface as measured inside the chamber is at most 100 mm, more preferably at most 90 mm, more preferably still at most 80 mm, even more preferably at most 70 mm, most preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is at most 60 mm.

(17) Preferably the apparatus has 10 inlets, more preferably 9, more preferably still 8, even more preferably 7, yet more preferably 6, even more preferably still 5, yet more preferably still at least 4, most preferably the apparatus has 3 inlets.

(18) Preferably the inlets are equally spaced around the chamber.

(19) Preferably the inlets are located in the wall of the chamber.

(20) Preferably the inlets are circular in shape, more preferably the inlets are flat slits.

(21) Preferably the inlets have a size of at least 1 mm.sup.2, more preferably at least 5 mm.sup.2, more preferably still at least 10 mm.sup.2, even more preferably at least 20 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at least 30 mm.sup.2, even more preferably still at least 40 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at least 45 mm.sup.2, most preferably the inlets have a size of at least 50 mm.sup.2.

(22) Preferably the inlets have a size of at most 200 mm.sup.2, more preferably at most 175 mm.sup.2, more preferably still at most 150 mm.sup.2, even more preferably at most 125 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at most 100 mm.sup.2, even more preferably still at most 85 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at most 75 mm.sup.2, most preferably the inlets have a size of at most 60 mm.sup.2.

(23) Preferably the inlets are configured to direct air horizontally into the chamber, more preferably the inlets are configured to direct air downwards into the chamber.

(24) The pressurized gas supply may comprise pressurized air, compressed air, or pumped air.

(25) Preferably the apparatus comprises a cone sleeve stack holder.

(26) Preferably the cone sleeve stack holder holds, contains or comprises a nested stack of standard cone sleeves having normal pointed tips, more preferably it comprises a nested stack of sleeves having rounded tips, more preferably still it comprises a nested stack of frustoconical sleeves that have no tips at all.

(27) Preferably the apparatus comprises automated cone sleeve removal means.

(28) In a second aspect the present invention provides a process that employs the apparatus of the first aspect, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a stack of nested cone sleeves; b) placing the lowermost end of the stack into the chamber from above the chamber; and c) allowing the lowermost cone sleeve to sit within the lower circular opening and allowing the cone sleeves above the lowermost cone sleeve to protrude from the top of the chamber
characterised in that pressurized gas is introduced into the chamber via the inlets thereby to create an elevated pressure within the chamber.

(29) Preferably the elevated pressure in the chamber is at least 100 kPa, more preferably at least 110 kPa, more preferably still at least 120 kPa, yet more preferably at least 130 kPa, even more preferably at least 140 kPa, most preferably at least 150 kPa.

(30) Preferably the elevated pressure in the chamber is at most 200 kPa, more preferably at most 190 kPa, more preferably still at most 180 kPa, yet more preferably at most 170 kPa, most preferably at most 160 kPa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(31) As discussed above, it is difficult to consistently and accurately remove the lowermost sleeve from nested stacks of cone sleeves because the identically shaped sleeves naturally fit together and become stuck or wedged. When the sleeves pack tightly one within another, a vacuum is created between them that must be overcome when removing each sleeve. It is therefore a common problem that a sleeve cannot be removed from the bottom of a stack by an automated picking device. It is also a common problem that more than one sleeve is removed from the stack.

(32) The apparatus of the present invention can be used to separate a cone sleeve from a nested stack of cone sleeves as follows.

(33) The apparatus has a chamber defined by upper and lower surfaces that are connected by a wall. Each of the upper and lower surfaces has a circular opening through which a cone sleeve can fit. It will be appreciated that the shape of cone sleeves depends on the shape of the cone that they are designed to contain and in the context of the present invention the cones sleeves are hollow conical three-dimensional objects with a circular opening at one end into which the cone itself is introduced and at the other end the wall of the sleeve terminates at a tip. The walls of these cone sleeves taper in a substantially straight line from the circular opening to the tip. Therefore the widest point of cone sleeves is the opening of the cone sleeve and while the circular openings on the upper and lower surfaces of the apparatus are configured to accommodate this widest point and are substantially circular they need not be perfectly circular in shape and this invention is not limited to perfectly circular openings. However, it is preferred that the openings are circular to correspond to the circular shape of the cone sleeve.

(34) As will be understood from the following description, the upper circular opening is the same size as or slightly larger than the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve (i.e. the opening of the cone sleeve) and the lower circular opening is slightly smaller than the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(35) The upper circular opening has a circumference of at least 100% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, preferably at least 101%, more preferably at least 102.5%, more preferably still at least 105%, even more preferably at least 110%, most preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at least 115% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve. The upper circular opening has a circumference of at most 135% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, preferably at most 130%, more preferably at most 127.5%, more preferably still at most 125%, even more preferably at most 120%, yet more preferably at most 117.5%, yet more preferably still at most 115%, most preferably the upper circular opening has a circumference of at most 110% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(36) The lower circular opening has a circumference of at least 100% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, preferably 95.5%, more preferably at least 96%, more preferably still at least 96.5%, even more preferably at least 97%, yet more preferably at least 97.5%, most preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference of at least 98% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve. The lower circular opening has a circumference of at most 99.5% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve, preferably 99.25%, more preferably at most 99%, more preferably still at most 98.75%, even more preferably at most 98.5%, most preferably the lower circular opening has a circumference of at most 98.25% of the maximum circumference of the cone sleeve.

(37) Preferably the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at most 1.5:1, more preferably at most 1.4:1, more preferably still at most 1.25:1, even more preferably at most 1.1:1, yet more preferably at most 1.05:1, most preferably the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at most 1.025:1. The ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at least 1:1, more preferably at least 1.005:1, more preferably still at least 1.01:1, even more preferably at least 1.015:1, most preferably the ratio of the circumference of the upper circular opening to the circumference of the lower circular opening is at least 1.02:1

(38) This configuration ensures that a nested stack of cone sleeves can be introduced into the chamber, tip-first, through the upper circular opening and the lowermost sleeve will sit within and be held in place by the lower circular opening. In this configuration the lower circular opening is therefore blocked by the lowermost sleeve and the upper rim of this sleeve is located within the chamber. The sleeve or sleeves immediately above the lowermost sleeve are also located inside the chamber while the remainder of the stack protrudes from the top of the chamber. As a consequence the upper circular opening is partially blocked by the cones in the stack. The chamber is therefore effectively sealed at the bottom and the upper opening is at least partially occluded by the cone sleeves. In this configuration the upper circular opening allows the cone stack to enter the chamber but surprisingly ensures that the when the pressurized air enters the chamber through the inlets at a certain rate, the air can only escape from the chamber at a slower rate, thereby creating a pressurized environment within the chamber.

(39) The chamber itself can be of various shapes but it is preferred to be circular in cross section when viewed from above such that it corresponds to the circular cross section of the sleeves to be processed. Such a shape ensures that the pressure applied in the chamber is largely equalized throughout the chamber and therefore provides a more consistent denesting performance.

(40) In order to ensure that the internal volume of the chamber is optimized for pressurization, and therefore for denesting performance, the minimum distance from the wall of the chamber to the edge of the upper circular opening is preferably at least 5 mm, more preferably at least 10 mm, most preferably at least 15 mm. Preferably the minimum distance from the wall of the chamber to the edge of the upper circular opening is at most 40 mm, more preferably at most 30 mm, most preferably at most 20 mm.

(41) As mentioned above, the sleeve or sleeves immediately above the lowermost sleeve are also located inside the chamber while the remainder of the stack protrudes from the top of the chamber. The distance between the upper surface and the lower surface as measured inside the chamber is therefore preferably at least at least 5 mm, more preferably at least 10 mm, more preferably still at least 15 mm, even more preferably at least 20 mm, yet more preferably at least 25 mm, even more preferably still at least 30 mm, yet more preferably at least 35 mm, most preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is at least 40 mm. Preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface as measured inside the chamber is at most 100 mm, more preferably at most 90 mm, more preferably still at most 80 mm, even more preferably at most 70 mm, most preferably the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is at most 60 mm. This configuration ensures that in addition to the lowermost cone sleeve, there are also sufficient cones present in the chamber to facilitate denesting.

(42) The pressurized air is delivered to the chamber via inlets and preferably the apparatus has 10 inlets, more preferably 9, more preferably 8, even more preferably 7, yet more preferably 6, even more preferably still 5, yet more preferably still at least 4, most preferably the apparatus has 3 inlets. The inlets are preferably substantially equally spaced around the chamber. The inlets are preferably located in the wall of the chamber and while they can be various shapes they are preferably circular. More preferably the inlets are a flat slit because it has been found that this shape is actually capable of creating an air blade that interacts with the cone sleeves and provides enhanced denesting performance.

(43) The size of the inlets can be varied to ensure rapid pressurization of the chamber and/or effective performance as air blades. The inlets therefore preferably have a size of at least 1 mm.sup.2, more preferably at least 5 mm.sup.2, more preferably still at least 10 mm.sup.2, even more preferably at least 20 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at least 30 mm.sup.2, even more preferably still at least 40 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at least 45 mm.sup.2, most preferably the inlets have a size of at least 50 mm.sup.2 and preferably at most 200 mm.sup.2, more preferably at most 175 mm.sup.2, more preferably still at most 150 mm.sup.2, even more preferably at most 125 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at most 100 mm.sup.2, even more preferably still at most 85 mm.sup.2, yet more preferably at most 75 mm.sup.2, most preferably the inlets have a size of at most 60 mm.sup.2.

(44) In order to further enhance the separation of the cone sleeves the inlets are preferably configured to direct air horizontally into the chamber, more preferably the inlets are configured to direct air downwards into the chamber. In this configuration the air is capable of interacting with the lowermost sleeve and thereby facilitates denesting.

(45) Various pressurized gas supplies may be connected to the inlets such as pressurized air, compressed air, or air pump devices but the invention is not limited by the type of pressurized gas supply.

(46) In order to guide the stack of cone sleeves into the chamber the apparatus may also contain a cone sleeve stack holder such as a hollow tube or a similar cartridge. Preferably the cone sleeve stack holder may contain a nested stack of standard cone sleeves having normal pointed tips. It may also contain a nested stack of sleeves having rounded tips. It may also contain frustoconical sleeves that have no tips at all (i.e. the precursor cone sleeves for sleeves having rounded tips).

(47) In order to remove the lowermost sleeve, the apparatus may also have an automated cone sleeve removal means located below the chamber. The automated cone sleeve removal means are capable of removing the lowermost cone sleeve from the chamber once it has been denested from the rest of the stack.

(48) The present invention also provides a process that employs the foregoing apparatus. The process will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the process of the invention, a stack of nested cone sleeves 1 is introduced tip-downwards into the chamber 2 from above i.e. via the upper circular opening 3. The lowermost cone sleeve 4 of the stack sits within the lower circular opening 5 and the cone sleeves above it in the stack 1 protrude from the top of the chamber 2. The chamber is defined by the wall 6, the upper surface 7 and the lower surface 8.

(49) As discussed above, in this configuration, the nested stack of cone sleeves 1 sits within the chamber 2 such that the lower circular opening 5 is blocked by the lowermost sleeve 4 and the upper rim of this sleeve 4 is located within the chamber 2. The sleeve or sleeves immediately above the lowermost sleeve are also located inside the chamber while the remainder of the stack protrudes from the top of the chamber. The upper opening 3 is therefore partially blocked by the cones in the stack. The chamber 2 is effectively sealed at the bottom 5 and the upper opening 3 is almost completely occluded by the other cone sleeves.

(50) In the process of the invention, pressurized gas is introduced into the chamber 2 via the inlets 9 to create an elevated pressure within the chamber. This pressure elevation occurs because the pressurized air enters the chamber 2 through the inlets 9 at a rate greater than the rate that the air can escape via the upper circular opening 3. A pressurized environment is therefore created within chamber 2. Preferably the pressure in the chamber is at least 100 kPa, more preferably at least 110 kPa, more preferably still at least 120 kPa, yet more preferably at least 130 kPa, even more preferably at least 140 kPa, most preferably at least 150 kPa. Preferably the pressure in the chamber is at most 200 kPa, more preferably at most 190 kPa, more preferably still at most 180 kPa, yet more preferably at most 170 kPa, most preferably at most 160 kPa.

(51) As a consequence of this elevated pressure and of the air escaping through the narrow annular space between the cone stack and the edge of the upper circular opening 3, the lowermost cone sleeve is forced apart from the rest of the stack. It has surprisingly been found that the apparatus and process of the invention are actually capable of causing the rest of the stack to float above the lowermost cone as shown in FIG. 2. When a preferred embodiment of the invention is used, the inlets create an air blade that actually interacts with the cone sleeves. In this embodiment, not only is the cone stack floated above the lowermost cone but the air blade can also be used to infiltrate the vacuum between the cone sleeves, hence further enhancing separation. In a further embodiment the inlets are configured to direct air downwards into the chamber and in this configuration not only does the air infiltrate between the cone sleeves but also serves to force the lowermost cone downwards as the air pressure within the chamber forces the rest of the stack upwards.

(52) Except in the operative and comparative examples, all numbers in the description indicating amounts of materials, conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials, and/or use are to be understood as being preceded by the word “about”.

(53) Where values are disclosed as a range of upper and/or lower and/or preferred limits, all limits may be combined thereby to describe preferred ranges.