Packaging machine

A multi-station packaging device for automatically packing a portion of food product into a food container and performing all subsequent operations including imprinting the food container, filling, purging, and sealing the food container, and discharging the filled food container for further handling, comprising in combination,

• a support table,
• a turret mounted on said support table,
• said turret including a plurality of food continer retention means, each of said retention means adapted to retain a single food container thereon,
• at least a first processing station positioned adjacent to said support table and in association with said turret,
• said first processing station including magazine means for carrying a plurality of food containers therein, and further including deposition means for retrieving a single food container from said magazine means and depositing said food container on said turret retention means,
• at least a second processing station positioned adjacent to said support table and in association with said turret,
• said second processing station including imprinting means for imprinting pre-determined indicia on said food container,
• at least a third processing station positioned adjacent to said support table in association with said turret,
• said third processing station including loading means for loading a pre-determined portion of a food product into a single food container,
• at least a fourth processing station positioned adjacent to said support table and in association with said turret,
• said fourth processing station including vacuum means positioned in operative cooperation with said corresponding retention means of said turret thereby to create a vacuum environment surrounding said filled food container,
• purging means associated with said vacuum means for purifying said food container with said food product contained therein,
• sealing means associated with said vacuum means for simultaneously sealing said food container while said food container and contained food products is in the purged condition and under vacuum conditions,
• discharge means for effecting the discharge of said food container with said food product contained therein from said retention means of said turret for further handling,
• and indexing means for effecting an indexing function between said turret relative to each of said processing stations such that said food container may be consecutively processed at each of said processing stations,
• whereby said packaging machine may be operated on an automatic and continuous basis to remove a single food container from said magazine means and position the same on said turret retention means, and said indexing means operates to effect a relative indexing function to occur such that said food container is consecutively processed at each consecutive food processing station to provide an imprinted, filled, purged and sealed food container, and discharging said food container from said retention means for further handling.

A multi-station packaging device for automatically packing a portion of food product into a food container, and performing all subsequent imprinting, filling, purging and sealing operations, and discharging the food package for further handling, comprising in combination,

• a support table,
• a turret rotatably mounted on said support table,
• said turret including a series of six turret faces circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said turret, each of said turret faces provided with back-up plates and including reciprocating means for reciprocating said backup plates between a forward support position and a rearward rest position,
• each of said turret faces further provided with retention means for accepting and retaining a single food container on said turret face,
• at least a first fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret, said first processing station including magazine means for carrying a plurality of food containers therein, and depositing means positioned in association with said magazine means for arresting a single food container from said magazine means and depositing the same on a corresponding turret face,
• at least a second fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said first processing station,
• said second processing station including activating means for activating said reciprocating means of said backup plates to reciprocate said corresponding backup plate to a forward support position behind said food container and further including imprinting means for imprinting pre-determined indicia on said food container while said backup plate is in the forward support position,
• said second processing station further including container opening means for opening said food container to its substantial dimension,
• at least a third fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said second processing station,
• said third processing station including food reception means thereby to receive and accept a predetermined quantity of a food product, and further including loading means associated with said reception means for loading said pre-determined quantity of food product received from said reception means into said opened food container,
• at least a fourth fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said third processing station,
• said fourth processing station including vacuum means positioned in operative cooperation with said corresponding turret face having said filled food container carried thereon thereby to create a vacuum environment surrounding said filled food container,
• purging means associated with said vacuum means for purifying said food container and food product contained therein,
• sealing means associated with said vacuum means for simultaneously sealing said food container while in the purged state and under vacuum conditions,
• discharge means associated with said support table and positioned in operative cooperation with said corresponding turret face having said filled, purged, and sealed food container thereon for effecting the discharge of said food container from said turret face for further handling,
• and indexing means in operative communication with said turret and with each of said processing stations and said discharge means,
• said indexing means operating to rotate said turret sequentially from said first processing station to each next adjacent circumferentially spaced processing station and to said discharge means in response to the completion of each processing step at each of said stations,
• whereby said packaging machine may be operated on an automatic and continuous basis to remove a single food container from said magazine means and position the same on a turret face on said turret, and said indexing means operating to rotate said turret to each of said processing stations consecutively and to said discharge means thereby to provide a filled, purged, and sealed food container which may then be discharged for further handling.

A multi-station packaging device for automatically packing a portion of food product into a food container and performing all subsequent operations including imprinting, filling, purging, sealing, and discharging the finished food package for further handling, comprising in combination,

• a support table,
• a turret rotatably mounted on said support table,
• said turret including a series of six turret faces circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said turret, each of said turret faces provided with a back-up plate and including reciprocating means for reciprocating said back-up plate between a forward support position and rearward rest position,
• each of said turret faces further provided with retention means for accepting and retaining a single food container on said turret face,
• at least a first fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret,
• said first processing station including magazine means for carrying a plurality of food containers therein, and deposition means positioned in association with said magazine means for arresting a single food container from said magazine means and depositing the same on a corresponding turret face,
• at least a second fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said first processing station,
• said second processing station including activating means for activating said reciprocating means of said backup plates to reciprocate said corresponding backup plate to a forward support position behind said food container, and further including imprinting means for imprinting pre-determined indicia on said food container while said backup plate is in the forward support position behind said food container,
• said second processing station further including container opening means for opening the open top end of said food container to its substantial dimension,
• at least a third fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said second processing station,
• said third processing station including food reception means thereby to receive and accept a predetermined quantity of a food product, and further including loading means for loading said pre-determined quantity of food product received from said reception means into said opened food container,
• at least a fourth fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said third processing station,
• said fourth processing station including discharge means for discharging an unfilled food container from said turret face,
• at least a fifth processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said fourth processing station,
• said fifth processing station including vacuum means positioned in operative cooperation with said corresponding turret face having said filled food container carried thereon thereby to create a vacuum environment surrounding said filled food container,
• purging means associated with said vacuum means for purging said food container and food product contained therein,
• sealing means associated with said vacuum means for sealing said food container while in the purged state and under vacuum conditions,
• at least a sixth fixed processing station provided in association with said support table and rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said fifth processing station,
• said sixth processing station including discharge means for effecting the discharge of said filled, purged and sealed food container from said retention means provided on said turret face for further handling,
• and indexing means in operative communication with said turret and with each of said processing stations,
• said indexing means operating to rotate said turret sequentially from said first processing station to each next adjacent circumferentially spaced processing station in response to the completion of each processing function at each of said processing stations,
• whereby said packaging machine may be operated on an automatic and continuous basis to remove a single food container from said magazine means and position one of said food containers on each of said turret faces, and said indexing means operating to rotate said turret to each of said processing stations consecutively thereby to provide a filled, purged and sealed food container which may then be discharged for further handling.

A multi-station packaging device for automatically packing a portion of a food product into a food container pouch of the type having sealed sides, a sealed bottom, and an open top end, and performing all subsequent operations including imprinting, filling, purging, sealing and discharging the finished food package for further handling, comprising in combination,

• a support table,
• a turret rotatably mounted on said support table,
• said turret including a series of six turret faces circumferentially spaced about the periphery of said turret, each of said turret faces provided with a back-up plate and including reciprocating gear means for reciprocating each of said back-up plates between a forward support position and a rearward rest position,
• each of said turret faces further provided with at least a pair of pouch retention jaw means for accepting and retaining a food pouch on said corresponding turret face,
• a first fixed processing station mounted on said support table and positionally associated with said rotatable turret, said first processing station including pouch magazine means for carrying a supply of food pouches therein and in vertically stacked orientation,
• said first processing station further including pouch arresting and deposition means associated with said pouch magazine means for arresting a single food pouch from the bottom of said vertically stacked pouches in said magazine means and depositing said pouch in said pouch retention jaw means on said corresponding turret face,
• a second fixed processing station mounted on said support table, positionally associated with said rotatable turret and circumferentially spaced from said first processing station,
• said second processing station including activating means for activating said reciprocating gear means of said corresponding turret face to reciprocate said back-up plate to a forward support position behind said arrested food pouch on said pouch retention jaw means,
• said second processing station further including imprinting means operating to imprint pre-determined indicia on said arrested and supported food pouch,
• said second processing station additionally including food pouch opening means for opening the top end of said food pouch to its substantial dimension,
• a third fixed processing station mounted on said support table, positionally associated with said rotatable turret, and circumferentially spaced from said second processing station,
• said third processing station including food reception means for receiving and accepting a pre-determined quantity of a food product,
• food loading means carried by said third processing station and associated with said food reception means for receiving said food product from said food reception means unloading said food product into said food pouch while said food pouch is arrested and supported on said corresponding turret face,
• said third processing station further including sensing means associated with said food reception means for sensing the presence of a food product prior to loading the same into said food pouch and to actuate said loading means, and to sense the absence of the food product prior to loading the same into said food pouch thereby to prevent operation of said loading means,
• said third processing station further including pouch sensing means for sensing a properly opened pouch and activating said loading means in response to the presence of a properly opened pouch and to restrain said loading means in response to the presence of an improperly opened pouch,
• a fourth fixed processing station mounted on said support table, positionally associated with said rotatable turret, and circumferentially spaced from said third processing station,
• said fourth processing station including discharge means for discharging an unloaded food pouch,
• a fifth fixed processing station mounted on said support table, positionally associated with said rotatable turret, and circumferentially spaced from said fourth processing station,
• said fifth processing station including vacuum hood means positioned in operative cooperation with said corresponding turret face thereby to create a vacuum environment surrounding said filled food pouch carried on said turret face,
• purging means carried by said vacuum hood means and operating to purge said food pouch and food product contained therein after said vacuum environment has been established,
• heat sealing means carried by said vacuum hood means for heat sealing said food pouch while in the purged state and under vacuum conditions,
• a sixth fixed processing station mounted on said support table, positionally associated with said rotatable turret, and circumferentially spaced from said fifth processing station,
• said sixth processing station including discharge means positioned for operative cooperation with said pouch retention jaw means for discharging said imprinted, filled, purged, and sealed food pouch from said pouch retention jaw means for further handling,
• an indexing means in operative communication with said rotatable turret and with each of said processing stations,
• said indexing means operating to rotate said turret sequentially from said first processing station to each next adjacent circumferentially spaced processing station in response to the completion of each processing step at each of said processing stations,
• whereby said packaging machine may be operated on an automatic and continuous basis to remove a single food pouch from said magazine means and position the same on a corresponding turret face on said turret, and said indexing means operating to rotate said turret to each of said processing stations sequentially, such that each of said six turret faces is provided with a food pouch to be imprinted, filled, purged, sealed, and discharged, and said turret continually rotates to effect the processing of food pouches to a completed food package on a continuous basis.

In an improved food packaging device of the type formed by a support table, a turret mounted on said support table, and a plurality of food package processing stations operationally associated with said turret and further including indexing means such that an indexing function is achieved between said turret and said food package processing stations, an improved vacuum hood assembly, comprising in combination,

• a support frame,
• a carriage mounted on said support frame for reciprocating movement toward and away from the turret carrying the food package to be processed,
• said carriage including self-positioning adjustment means for effecting both the lateral and vertical adjustment of said carriage and said vacuum hood carried thereon relative to said turret,
• said vacuum hood further including purging means mounted thereon and moveable in response to the movement of said vacuum hood,
• said vacuum hood further including heat sealing means mounted thereon and moveable in response to the movement of said vacuum hood,
• whereby said carriage carrying said vacuum hood permits the universal seating of said vacuum hood relative to the turret face in order to insure a leak-proof vacuum environment surrounding the food package carried on the turret, all other operational structures including said purification means and said heat sealing means being carried by said hood such as to avoid interference with the manner in which said hood seats itself against said turret in order to insure a leak-proof vacuum condition surrounding said food package.

In an improved food packaging device of the type formed by a support table, a turret mounted on said support table, and a plurality of food package processing stations operationally associated with the turret and further including indexing means such that an indexing function is achieved between the turret and the food package processing station, an improved heat sealing bar assembly, comprising in combination,

• a support yoke,
• said support yoke provided with opposed support flanges,
• a heat sealing bar interposed between said support flanges and pivotally secured thereto,
• said pivotal mounting of said heat sealing bar to said opposed support flanges being arranged at the upper front face of said heat sealing bar whereby said heat sealing bar is pivotally mounted adjacent the upper front edge thereof.