Method and apparatus for packaging fluent material

An apparatus for packaging a predetermined volume of fluent material in individual containers, including movable conveyor means, means for positioning a plurality of said individual containers on said conveyor means in a series of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows, a filling means for automatically filling each of said individual containers positioned on said conveyor means and located within a plurality of said transversely extending rows simultaneously with a precisely metered volume of said fluent material as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, and a covering means for applying covering material fluid-tightly to a plurality of said filled containers simultaneously as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, said filling means including a filling pump assembly having a housing disposed over the path of travel of said conveyor means, a plurality of generally hollow pumping cartridges mounted on said housing and movable therewith along the path of travel of said conveyor means, a plurality of pumping pistons, each of said pumping pistons being associated with and at least partially disposed for movement within a separate one of said pumping cartridges, each of said pumping cartridges cooperating with said one of said pumping pistons associated therewith to define a plurality of discrete pumping chambers of approximately equal volume within each of said pumping cartridges, said pumping chamber and said associated piston being movable in parallel directions relative to one another at different speeds along the path of travel of said conveyor means, each of said pumping cartridges being angularly movable relative to said housing and openings for supplying and discharging fluent material formed therein, such that each of said pumping chambers formed in each of said pumping cartridges is adapted to receive said fluent material from said openings for supplying said fluent material and thereafter discharge said fluent material through said openings for discharging said fluent material, in response to the relative movement of said piston and said cartridge, to fill said individual containers disposed on said conveyor means.

An apparatus for packaging a predetermined volume of fluent material in individual containers, including movable conveyor means, means for positioning a plurality of aid individual containers on said conveyor means in a series of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows, a filling means for automatically filling each of said individual containers positioned on said conveyor means and located within a plurality of said transversely extending rows simultaneously with a precisely metered volume of said fluent material as said containers are moved by said conveyor meams, and a covering means for applying covering material fluid-tightly to a plurality of said filled containers simultaneously as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, said means for positioning a plurality of individual containers on said conveyor means including a pair of parallel, spaced apart rollers, positioned beneath a series of adjacent columns of stacked, or nested containers above said conveyor means, each of said rollers having a series of arcuate surfaces formed therein along the length thereof, corresponding arcuate surfaces of opposing rollers being disposed facing one another to form a series of cup drop openings positioned to receive the lowermost container in each of said adjacent stacks of said containers and to transfer said container to the surface of said conveyor means, said parallel rollers being operatively connected to a container dispenser cam arrangement, said dispenser cam arrangement causing said rollers to be pivotally moved about central axes thereof in a manner such that said rollers oscillate between a takeoff position and a delivery position in a generally harmonic manner to provide for accurate deposit of said containers on said conveyor means while minimizing the time required to return said rollers from said delivery position to said takeoff position.

An apparatus for packaging a predetermined volume of fluent material in individual containers, including movable conveyor means, means for positioning a plurality of said individual containers on said conveyor means in a series of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows, a filling means for automatically filling each of said individual containers positioned on said conveyor means and located within a plurality of said transversely extending rows simultaneously with a precisely metered volume of said fluent material as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, and a covering means for applying covering material fluid-tightly to a plurality of said filled container simultaneously as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, said covering means for applying covering material fluid-tightly to a plurality of filled containers simultaneously including a generally cylindrical heating drum mounted above and transverse to the path of travel of said conveyor means, said heating drum heating elements associated therewith, effective to heat an exterior surface of said heating drum to a desired temperature, said exterior surface of said heating drum having guide means associated therewith for maintaining a plurality of said continuous strips of said covering material, fed to said heating drum in side-by-side relationship, against said exterior surface of said heating drum over a distance of approximately half the circumference of said heating drum prior to application of said covering material to said containers to provide for sufficient overall heating of said strips of said covering material to assure proper sealing of said covering material to said containers.

An apparatus for packaging a predetermined volume of fluent material in individual containers, including movable conveyor means, means for positioning a plurality of said individual containers on said conveyor means in a series of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows, a filling means for automatically filling each of said individual containers positioned on said conveyor means and located within a plurality of said transversely extending rows simultaneously with a precisely metered volume of said fluent material as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, and a covering means for applying covering material fluid-tightly to a plurality of said filled containers simultaneously as said containers are moved by said conveyor means, said conveyor means including an endless conveyor belt having a plurality of openings formed therein, said openings adapted to receive and support said individual containers for filling, a follower pulley supporting one end of said conveyor belt, and a drive pulley assembly supporting the opposite end of said conveyor belt, said conveyor belt being positioned over said pulleys for movement therearound, each of said pulleys being rotatable round a central axis thereof, said drive pulley assembly having an independent, free rotating idler drum and a pair of circular drive sprockets mounted on opposite sides of said idler drum, each of said drive sprockets having a series of pins mounted thereon in angularly spaced relationship about the circumference thereof, said pins engaging correspondingly spaced openings formed in said conveyor belt such that upon rotation of said drive sprockets, said pins engaging said conveyor belt will cause said conveyor belt to be moved relative to said packaging apparatus.

In an apparatus for packaging fluent material having a means for delivering predetermined volumes of said fluent material to individual containers, the improvement including a filling pump assembly having a housing disposed over the path of travel of a conveyor means bearing an arrangement off said individual containers, a plurality of generally hollow pumping cartridges mounted within said housing and movable therewith along the path of travel of said conveyor means, a plurality of pumping pistons, each of said pumping pistons being associated with, and at least partially disposed for movement within, a separate one of said pumping cartridges, each of said pumping cartridges cooperating with said pumping piston associated therewith to define a plurality of pumping chambers of approximately equal volume within each of said pumping cartridges, said pumping cartridge and said associated piston being movable in parallel directions relative to one another, along the path of travel of said conveyor means, each of said pumping cartridges being angularly movable relative to said housing and openings for supplying and discharging fluent material formed therein, such that each of said pumping chambers formed in each of said pumping cartridges may be moved to receive said fluent material through ones of said openings for supplying said fluent material and thereafter discharge said fluent material through others of said openings for discharging said fluent material to fill said individual containers disposed on said conveyor means in response to the relative movement of said pistons and said pumping cartridges.

A method of packaging predetermined volumes of fluent material in individual containers comprising the steps of:

• continuously moving a plurality of said containers along a first path of travel, said containers being arranged in longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows, said containers being moved beneath a filling pump assembly having a plurality of generally hollow pumping cartridges mounted above said first path of travel of said conveyor means, each of said cartridges being associated with a separate longitudinal series of said containers, and a plurality of pumping pistons, each of said pumping pistons being associated with a separate one of said pumping cartridges to define discrete pumping chambers within each of said pumping cartridges;
• moving each of said associated pumping cartridges and pumping pistons relative to said first path of travel of said conveyor means and to one another and thereby filling each of said containers located in more than one of said longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows with a predetermined, approximately equal volume of fluent material simultaneously;
• and,
• fluid-tightly covering each of said filled containers.