Automatic food product filling device
AssigneePackline USA, LLC
InventorsAmir Tamshe, Victor Katseli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for automatic filling of packaging with a food product that includes both a solid and a liquid are provided. A filling device includes: a vessel configured to hold the food product; a first piston system configured to push a portion of the food product within the vessel through a first through hole in a bottom of the vessel. The first piston system includes: a first piston; and a first sleeve that surrounds at least a portion of the first piston. The filling device further includes first actuators configured to independently actuate the first piston and the first sleeve such as to cause the portion of the food product to be pushed through the first through hole in the vessel.
Claims20
A filling device for filling packaging with a food product that includes a mixture of a solid and a liquid, the filling device comprising:
- a vessel configured to hold the food product;
- a first piston system configured to push a portion of the food product within the vessel through a first through hole in a bottom of the vessel, the first piston system comprising:
- a first piston;
- and
- a first sleeve that surrounds at least a portion of the first piston;
- and
- first actuators configured to independently actuate the first piston and the first sleeve such as to cause the portion of the food product to be pushed through the first through hole in the vessel.
A method comprising:
- providing a food product into a vessel, the food product including a solid and a liquid;
- causing a portion of the food product to be pushed through a through hole in the vessel and into packaging, wherein the causing the portion of the food product to be pushed comprises:
- controlling a piston to move downwards from a raised position to a first lowered position within the vessel;
- controlling, while the piston is at or moving towards the first lowered position, a sleeve that at least partially surrounds the piston to move downwards from the raised position to a second lowered position that is lower than the first lowered position;
- and
- controlling, while the sleeve is at the second lowered position, the piston to move to a third lowered position that is equal to or lower than the second lowered position, such as to push the food product into the packaging,
- wherein a combination of the first piston at the first lowered position and the first sleeve at the second lowered position defines a predetermined volume that corresponds to a volume of the food product to be filled into the packaging.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.