Filling a food product into container on a slat conveyor
AssigneeNestec S.A.
InventorsSteffen Dose, Jean-Michel Christophe Marchon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to the filling of a frozen dessert product in a container, by performing the steps of: arranging at least one container to be filled on a slat conveyor, moving the container on the slat conveyor towards a dispensing nozzle, vertically displacing at least one slat supporting the container, and horizontally displacing the slat supporting the container in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the slat conveyor, while dispensing the product from the dispensing nozzle into the container.
Claims27
A method for filling a product in a container, comprising the steps of:
- arranging at least one container to be filled on a slat of a step-wise driven slat conveyor,
- moving the container on the slat conveyor towards a dispensing nozzle;
- vertically displacing at least one slat supporting the container;
- and
- manipulating the slat supporting the container in a rotational and/or translational degree-of-freedom while dispensing product from the dispensing nozzle into the container.
A method for filling a product in a container, comprising the steps of:
- arranging at least one container to be filled on a slat of a step-wise driven slat conveyor;
- moving the container on the slat conveyor towards a dispensing nozzle;
- separating the at least one slat from the transport chains of the slat conveyor;
- and
- manipulating the slat supporting the container in a degree-of-freedom different to the transport direction of the slat conveyor while dispensing the product from the dispensing nozzle into the container.
14-16. (canceled)
A slat conveyor for a container to be filled with a product while being supported by at least one slat of the slat conveyor, the slat conveyor comprising:
- means for step-wise driving the slat conveyor;
- and
- means for horizontally displacing at least one slat supporting the container in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the slat conveyor.
A system for filling container with a food product, comprising:
- a slat conveyor for a container to be filled with a product while being supported by at least one slat of the slat conveyor;
- means for step-wise driving the slat conveyor;
- means for horizontally displacing at least one slat supporting the container in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the slat conveyor;
- and
- a dispensing nozzle designed for filling the food product into the container supported and transported by the slat conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.