Precise portion packaging machine

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of fine tobacco products such as snuff or the like into a tube of permeable material to make continuously discrete, self-contained, sealed packets of tobacco, comprising:

• means for filling fine particulate tobacco into a plurality of vertically extending passageways having a top opening and a bottom opening with the passageways extending therebetween;
• means for rotating each one of said passageways for alignment with a filler tube at said bottom of said passageways and a feed nozzle for said tobacco at said top opening of said passageway;
• means for delivering said substantially precise quantity of said tobacco into said filler tube during rotation of said passageway;
• means for forming a continuous tube from a flat, permeable material, said tube surrounding, in part, said filler tube;
• means for forming longitudinal a seal between overfolded edge portions of said permeable material at said filler tube;
• means for forming a bottom seal for said tube of permeable material for each of said packets;
• means for filling said tube of permeable material with fine particulate tobacco, interconnected with means for said bottom seal formation, means for aligning said passageways with said filler tube, and means for activating said filler nozzle for said tobacco at said top opening of said passageway;
• means for forming a next end seal for said tube of permeable material whereby a packet in a chain of discrete packets is formed;
• means for advancing a chain of formed discrete packets;
• means for detecting a reject or accept quality in each of said packets;
• means for cutting each of said packets from said chain of packets;
• means for advancing each packet into a fill position of a can responsive to a packet content count of a pre-set value and further interconnected with means for moisturizing each can contents, and means for detecting a reject or accept quality in each of said packets;
• means for accepting each properly packaged can;
• means for rejecting each improperly filled can interconnected with means for detecting a reject quality in one of said products, and
• means for lid placement on each properly packaged can.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of fine tobacco products such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discrete, self-contained, end sealed packets, comprising:

• means for forming of a flat tape a continuous tube of a permeable material, including means for side and intermittent end sealing of said tube;
• means for intermittent filling discrete portions of tobacco in said side and first end sealed tube;
• means for next intermittent end sealing of said tube interconnected with means for forming said continuous tube, and means for intermittent filling of said discrete portions of tobacco whereby said discrete packet is formed;
• means for quality control of each of said end sealed packets, including means for advancing and means for counting said packets in a chain of packets;
• means for cutting off a packet from a chain of interconnected packets, including means for adjusting a cut location in an end seal;
• means for step and index packaging a pre-set count of packets in a can, including means for moisturizing said packets and means for accumulating a partial count of packets between each step and index packaging;
• and
• means for rejecting a package containing at least one unacceptable packet, and means for placing a lid on a can containing all acceptable packets.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of fine tobacco products such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discrete, self-contained, end sealed packets, comprising including a feed wheel having a plurality of holes, a container for fine tobacco above said feed wheel, including stirring and vibrating means for said fine tobacco;

• sealing means underneath said feed wheel;
• means for continuously rotating said feed wheel;
• means for intermittently pulsing a feed nozzle, said feed nozzle intercommunicating with a filler tube and said holes in said feed wheel and aligningly coinciding with said filler tube for ejecting said tobacco from one of said holes;
• means for continuously forming a tube of permeable material around said filler tube interconnected with said means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for forming continuously a side seai in said tube of permeable material and intermittently end seals in said tube of permeable material;
• means interconnecting said means for forming end seals, means for intermittently pulsating said feed nozzle, and means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for end sealing said tube interconnected with a means for detecting termination of each of said intermittent pulses;
• means for advancing an end sealed packet, including means for guiding a chain of interconnected end sealed packets into means for cutting off each end sealed packet interconnected with means for rotating said feed wheel, and means for end sealing said tube of permeable material;
• means for precise adjustment of said means for cutting off said end sealed packet interconnected with means for determining quality of each packet;
• means for intermittent accumulation of discrete packets;
• packaging means for said packets interconnected with said means for intermittent accumulation of discrete packets, and further interconnected with said means for determining quality of each packet, including means for rejecting a package containing a packet of unacceptable quality, and means for completing a packaging of a package containing acceptable quality packets.

A method for forming individual packets of fine tobacco containing packets and packaging of same, comprising:

• tilling continuously a plurality of vertical feed wheel holes with a fine tobacco, and continuously rotating said feed wheel;
• aligning intermittently and rotationally said vertical feed wheel holes with a feed nozzle and a filler tube;
• forming continuously a tube of permeable material around said filler tube;
• heat sealing longitudinally said tube of permeable material;
• heat sealing intermittently and transversely said tube of permeable material as a bottom seal for a packet;
• blowing tobacco into the longitudinally heat sealed and transversely bottom sealed tube when aligned with said feed nozzle and said filler tube;
• interrupting the blowing and forming another seal in said tube of permeable material as a top seal for the previous packet and as fresh end seal for a new packet;
• positively pulling on a formed packet to form said tube of permeable material and to form new seals on said tube;
• guiding and tensioning a chain of thus formed packets;
• sensing an improperly filled packet;
• cutting off individual packets from said chain of packets, and
• packaging properly filled packets in a can, including moisturizing said packets, rejecting a can containing improperly filled packets, and completing packaging by placing a lid on said can containing properly filled packets.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of flowable particulate products such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discreet, self-contained, transversely sealed packets, comprising:

• means for filling fine particulate into a plurality of vertically extending passageways having a top opening and a bottom opening with the passageways extending therebetween, including means for aiding the filling of said particulate into said passageways;
• means for continuously rotating said passageways;
• means for feeding a continuous tape, including means for forming said tape into a tube, said tube surrounding a filler tube;
• means for longitudinal sealing and means for transverse sealing said tube of said material;
• means for emptying of said particulate from one passageway, aligned with the top opening of said passageway, and from filler tube;
• means for detecting an approaching alignment of said top and bottom of said passageway said means for emptying said passageway and said filler tube, including means for activating said means for emptying said passageway of tobacco upon sufficient alignment of said passageway with said filler tube;
• means for forming a next transverse seal of said tube for forming said discreet self-contained, end sealed packet interconnected with said means for forming said tube, and
• means for advancing an immediately formed packet interconnected with said means for forming said tube.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of particulate products such as snuff or the like into a tube of material to make continuously discreet, self-contained sealed packets of said particulate comprising:

• means for filling said particulate into a plurality of vertically extending passageways having a top opening and a bottom opening with the passageways extending therebetween;
• means for rotating each one of said passageways for alignment with a filler tube at said bottom of said passageways and a feed nozzle for said particulate at said top opening of said passageway;
• means for delivering said substantially precise quantity of said particulate into said filler tube during rotation of said passageway;
• means for forming a continuous tube from a flat material said tube surrounding in part said filler tube;
• means for forming a longitudinal seal between overfolded edge portions of said flat material at said filler tube;
• means for forming a bottom seal of said tube for each of said packets;
• means for filling said tube with said particulate, interconnected with means for said bottom seal formation, means for aligning said passageways with said filler tube, and means for activating said filler nozzle for said particulate at said top opening of said passageway;
• means for forming a next end seal for said tube whereby a packet in chain of discreet packets is formed;
• means for advancing a chain of formed discreet packets;
• means for detecting a reject or accept quality in each of said packets;
• means for cutting each of said packets from said chain of packets;
• means for advancing each packet into a fill position of a can responsive to a packet count of a preset value and further interconnected with means for detecting a reject or accept quality in each of said packets;
• means for accepting each accept quality can;
• means for rejecting each reject quality can interconnected with means for detecting a reject quality in one of said packets, and
• means for lid placement on each accept quality can.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of particulate products such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discreet, self-contained, end sealed packets, comprising:

• means for forming of a flat tape a continuous tube, including means for side and intermittent end sealing of said tube;
• means for intermittent filling of discreet portions of said particulate in said side and first end sealed tube;
• means for next intermittent end sealing said tube interconnected with means for forming said continuous tube and means for intermittent filling of said discreet portions of said particulate whereby said discreet packet is formed;
• means for quality control of each of said end sealed packets, including means for advancing and means for counting said packets in a chain of packets;
• means for cutting off a packet from a chain of interconnected packets, including means for adjusting a cut location in an end seal;
• means for step and index packaging a preset count of packets in a can, and means for accumulating a partial count of packets between each step and index packaging;
• means for rejecting a package containing at least one unacceptable packet, and
• means for placing a lid on a can containing all acceptable packets.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of flowable products, such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discreet, self-contained, end sealed packets, comprising:

• a feed wheel having a plurality of holes, a container for said flowable products above said feed wheel, including stirring and vabrating means for said flowable products;
• sealing means underneath said feed wheel for confining said flowable product within a space above said feed wheel;
• means for continuously rotating said feed wheel;
• means for intermittent pulsing a feed nozzle, said feed nozzle intercommunicating with a filler tube and said holes in said feed wheel and aligningly coinciding with said filler tube for ejecting said flowable product from one of said holes;
• means for continuously forming a tube round said filler tube interconnected with said means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for forming continuously a side seal in said tube and means for forming intermittent end seals in said tube;
• means interconnecting said means for forming end seals, means for intermittent pulsating said feed nozzle, and means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for end sealing said tube interconnected with a means for detecting termination of each of said intermittent pulses;
• means for advancing an end sealed packet, including means for guiding a chain of interconnected end sealed packets into means for cutting off each end sealed packet further interconnected with means for rotating said feed wheel, and means for end sealing said tube;
• means for precise adjustment of said means for cutting of said end sealed packet interconnected with means for determining quality of each packet;
• means for intermittent accumulation of discreet packets;
• packaging means for said packets interconnected with said means for intermittent accumulation of discreet packets, and further interconnected with said means for determining quality of each packet, including means for rejecting a package containing a packet of unacceptable quality, and means for completing a package of a package containing acceptable quality packets.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of a flowable product such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discreet, self-contained, end sealed packets comprising:

• a feed wheel having a plurality of holes, a container for said flowable product above said feed wheel including stirring and vibrating means for said flowable product, sealing means underneath said feed wheel for confining said flowable product within a space above said feed wheel;
• means for continuously rotating said feed wheel;
• means for intermittent pulsing of a feed nozzle, said feed nozzle intercommunicating with a filler tube and said holes in said feed wheel and aligningly coinciding with said filler tube for ejecting said flowable product from one of said holes and said filler tube;
• means for continuously forming a tube around said filler tube interconnected with said means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for forming continuously a side seal in said tube and means for forming intermittent end seals in said tube;
• means interconnecting said means for forming end seals, means for intermittent pulsating said feed nozzle, and means for rotating said feed wheel;
• means for end sealing said tube interconnected with a means for detecting termination of each of said intermittent pulses;
• means for advancing an end sealed packet, including means for guiding a chain of interconnected end sealed packets into means for cutting off each end sealed packet, further interconnected with means for rotating said feed wheel, and means for end sealing said tube;
• means for precise adjustment of said means for cutting off said end sealed packet interconnected with means for determining quality of each packet;
• means for intermittent accumulation of discreet packets;
• packaging means for said packets interconnected with said means for intermittent accumulation of discreet packets, and further interconnected with said means for determining quality of each packet, including means for rejecting a package containing a packet of unacceptable quality, means for completing a packaging of a package containing acceptable quality packets.

An apparatus for packaging separate quantities of flowable material such as snuff or a like product, comprising:

• means forming a vertically extending passageway having a top opening and a bottom opening with the passageway extending therebetween;
• means for delivering one of said quantities to a space directly above said top opening, and one of said quantities positioned therein thereby to cause a jet of air to act with the aid of gravity to project said quantity in said space downwardly through said passageway and through said bottom opening;
• means forming a continuous tube which surrounds said bottom opening and extends downwardly therefrom whereby each of said quantities passes from said opening into said tube;
• means to move the opposite portions of the wall of said tube together to form a bottom portion of the free passageway in said tube at a predetermined distance below said bottom opening whereby one of said quantities is stopped in its movement downwardly in said continuous tube, and
• control means to control the above mentioned means to provide a continuous operation which produces a continuous tube which has been separated into spaced apart individual packets containing said separate quantities of said flowable material.

An apparatus for producing packets of a flowable material, each of which packets comprises a quantity of said flowable material enclosed within a layer of sheet material, the combination comprising of:

• fixed means for forming a vertical passageway for said flowable material which extends downwardly to a discharge opening;
• means to deliver a series of said quantity of said flowable material downwardly into said fixed means with the aid of gravity, said fixed means having an outside surface configuration which is adapted to guide said strip of said sheet material into a tube which has a cross-section area of substantially the cross-section area of each of said packets with the edges of said strip overlapping;
• means to move a strip of said sheet material onto and thence downwardly through said fixed means at a substantially even rate, means to seal said edges of said strip together above the level of said discharge opening thereby to form a filling zone within which said series of said quantities of said flowable material are discharged in a time-separated series into said tube immediately after said tube is formed;
• means to cross-seal said tube in a predetermined manner below said discharge opening whereby said tube is adapted to receive each predetermined quantity of said flowable material enclosed in said tube between two successive cross-sealed portions of said tube, and
• means for precise severing of said tube along a line extending longitudinally of and spaced from the side edge of each of said cross-sealed portions.

A method for forming individual packets of a particulate containing packets and packaging of same, comprising:

• filling continuously a plurality of vertical feed wheel holes with said particulate, and continuously rotating said feed wheel;
• aligning intermittently and rotationally said vertical feed wheel holes with a feed nozzle and a filler tube;
• forming continuously a tube of a sheet material around said filler tube;
• heat sealing longitudinally said tube of sheet material;
• heat sealing intermittently and transversely said tube of sheet material as a bottom seal for a packet;
• blowing said particulate into a longitudinally heat sealed and transversely bottom sealed tube upon sufficient alignment of said feed nozzle and said filler tube;
• interrupting the blowing and forming another seal in said tube of sheet material as a top seal for the previous packet and as fresh end seal for a new packet;
• positively pulling on a formed pocket to form said tube of sheet material and to form new seals on said tube;
• guiding and tensioning a chain of thus formed packets;
• sensing an improperly filled packet;
• cutting off individual packets from said chain of packets, and
• packaging properly filled packets in a can, rejecting a can containing improperly filled packets, and completing packaging of said can containing properly filled packets.

An apparatus for precisely cutting individual chained sections in a continuously moving chain consisting of said sections comprising:

• means for feeding said chain into a cutting position;
• means for forwardly urging said chain, relative to said means for feeding said chain;
• means for nesting said chain sections over an anvil means for cutting, said means for nesting interconnectingly related with said means for forwardly urging said chain;
• means for adjusting said chain sections relative to a location of said chain sections over said anvil means, interconnectingly related with said means for feeding;
• means for cuttin said chain sections at said locations over said anvil means;
• means for synchronously driving said means for feeding, means for forwardly urging said chain, means for nesting said chain sections over said anvil means, and means for cutting said chain sections.

An apparatus for filling precise quantities of flowable particulate products such as snuff or the like into a tube to make discreet, self-contained, end sealed packets, comprising:

• means for filling said particulate into a plurality of vertically extending passageways having a top opening and a bottom opening with the passageways extending therebetween, including means for aiding the filling of said particulate into said passageways;
• means for continuously rotating said passageways;
• means for feeding a continuous tape, including means for forming said tape into a tube, said tube surrounding a filler tube;
• means for side sealing and means for end sealing said tube;
• means for emptying of said particulate from one passageway aligned with the top opening of said passageway and from filler tube;
• means for detecting an approaching alignment of said top and bottom of said passageway with said means for emptying said passageway and said filler tube, including means for activating said means for emptying said passageway of particulate upon sufficient alignment of said passageway with said filler tube;
• means for forming a next end seal of said tube for forming said discreet self-contained, end sealed packet interconnectingly related with said means for forming said tube;
• means for advancing an immediately formed packet interconnectingly related with said means for forming said tube;
• an apparatus for precisely cutting individual chained sections in a chain consisting of said sections comprising:
• means for feeding said chain into a cutting position;
• means for forwardly urging said chain, relative to said means for feeding said chain;
• means for nesting said chain sections over an anvil means for cutting, said means for nesting interconnectingly related with said means for forwardly urging said chain;
• means for adjusting said chain sections relative to a location of said chain sections over said anvil means, interconnectingly related with said means for feeding;
• means for cutting said chain sections at said locations over said anvil means;
• means for synchronously driving said means for feeding, means for forwardly urging said chain, means for nesting said chain sections over said anvil means, and means for cutting said chain sections.

An apparatus for precisely cutting and packaging individual chain sections in a chain consisting of said sections comprising:

• means for feeding said chain into a cutting position;
• means for detecting an accept or reject quality for each individual chain section;
• means for forwardly urging said chain, relative to said means for feeding said chain;
• means for feeding said chain into a cutting position;
• means for forwardly urging said chain, relative to said means for feeding said chain;
• means for nesting said chain sections over an anvil means for cutting, said means for nesting interconnected with said means for forwardly urging said chain;
• means for adjusting said chain sections relative to a location of said chain sections over said anvil means, interconnected with said means for feeding;
• means for cutting said chain sections at said locations over said anvil means;
• means for synchronously driving said means for feeding, means for forwardly urging said chain, means for nesting said chain sections over said anvil means, and means for cutting said chain sections;
• means for advancing each individual chain section into a fill position of a container, responsive to means for counting each individual chain section of predetermined number and further interconnected with said means for detecting an accept or reject quality for each individual chain section;
• means for accepting each accept-quality container, and
• means for rejecting each reject-quality container.

Apparatus for producing packets of a flowable material, each of which packets comprises a quantity of said flowable material enclosed within a layer of sheet material, the combination of:

• fixed means forming a vertical passageway for said flowable material which extends downwardly to a discharge opening, means to deliver a series of said quantities of said flowable material downwardly into said fixed means with the aid of gravity, said fixed means having an outside surface configuration which is adapted to guide said strip of said sheet material into a tube which has a cross-section area of substantially the cross-section area of each of said packets with the edges of said strip overlapping, means to move a strip of said sheet material onto and thence downwardly through said fixed means at a substantially even rate, means to seal said edges of said strip together above the level of said discharge opening thereby to form a filling zone within which said series of said quantities of said flowable material are discharged in a time-separated series into said tube immediately after said tube is formed, means to cross-seal said tube in a predetermined manner below said discharge opening whereby said tube is adapted to receive each of said predetermined quantities of said flowable material enclosed in said tube between two successive cross-sealed portions of said tube, means for positioning each cross-seal in stationary relationship with respect to an anvil cutter and a rotary knife cutter which cooperate with each anvil to produce a centerline cutting of each cross seal, and means to sever said tube along a line extending longitudinally of and spaced from the side edges of each of said cross-sealed portions.

An apparatus for producing packets of a flowable product, each of which packets comprises a quantity of said product enclosed within a layer of sheet material, the combination of:

• fixed means forming a vertical passageway for said product which extends downwardly to a discharge opening, means to deliver a series of said quantities downwardly through fixed means with the aid of gravity, said fixed means having an outside surface configuration which is adapted to guide a strip of said sheet material to form a tube which has substantially the cross-section of said packets, means supplying a strip of said sheet material onto and thence downwardly from said discharge opening, means to seal the edges of said strip together above the level of said discharge opening thereby to form a filling zone within which each of said series of quantities of said product is discharged separately into said tube below the zone where said tube is formed, and end seal in said tube at said filling zone directly above each of said quantities of said product to thereby form said tube into a chain of interconnected sealed packets each of which encloses one of said quantities of said product, and cutting means to cut each o said end-seals along its center line, said cutting means comprising a rotary anvil wheel and a rotary cutting wheel, means mounting said wheels on parallel axes, and means to rotate said wheel synchronously in cooperating relationship, said anvil wheel having anvil cutter means mounted upon its periphery and said cutter wheel having cutting knife means mounted upon its periphery and adapted to cooperate with said anvil cutter means, and guide means to guide said chain from said filling zone to said cutting means, said cutting means being operative to pass said chain between said wheels and to cut each of said end-seals and thereby free the downstream packet from said chain.