Product holding hopper and pouch expander for filling pouches and methods

Apparatus for dispensing product into pouches and comprising:

• a horizontally mounted, rotatable filler wheel;
• means for moving pouches about a portion of said filler wheel;
• at least one product dispenser mounted on and rotating with said filler wheel for receiving product as it is dropped from a product supply means;
• said product dispenser including a product accumulation means for receiving product from a product supply station, holding product, transporting product to a product filling station, and dropping said product into registered pouches at said filling station;
• a rotatable hopper wheel carrying at least one product hopper;
• a stationary product release plate mounted below said rotatable hopper wheel and having an arcuate feed slot for passing product dropped from said hopper as said hopper rotates over said feed slot;
• said rotatable filler wheel being horizontally mounted adjacent and below said product release plate;
• means for rotating said filler wheel and said hopper wheel in timed relation whereby product is dropped from said product hopper through said feed slot and into a registered product dispenser as said hopper wheel and filler wheel rotate;
• a discharge funnel having an upper product receiving end and a lower product discharge end, said product receiving end disposed to receive product from said product accumulation means and said product discharge end disposed to drop product into a registered pouch;
• and
• further including an expandable cone means mounted below said product discharge end of said discharge funnel, said cone means having an upper product receiving end and a lower product discharge end for insertion into a pouch, said discharge end of said funnel being moveable into said cone means and for thereby expanding said cone means to expand the mouth of a pouch.

Apparatus for expanding an open mouth of a pouch for filling said pouch with product and comprising:

• a filler tube;
• expandable cone means having a central axis, an open end, an opposed apex end, and an expandable wall extending between said open end and said apex end and formed by at least three distinct, movable wall sections;
• means for inserting at least said apex end of said cone into an open end of a pouch;
• and,
• means for inserting and withdrawing said filler tube into said cone means for expanding and contracting said distinct, movable wall sections radially with respect to said central axis at a location proximate to said apex end while said apex end is inserted in said pouch open end for filling said pouch upon said expansion.

Apparatus for expanding an open mouth of a pouch for filling said pouch with product and comprising:

• expandable cone means having a central axis, an open end, an opposed apex end, and an expandable wall extending between said open end and said apex end and formed by at least three distinct, movable wall sections;
• means for inserting at least said apex end of said cone into an open end of a pouch;
• means for expanding and contracting said distinct, movable wall sections radially with respect to said central axis at a location proximate to said apex end while said apex end is inserted in said pouch open end;
• and
• wherein said means for expanding and contracting said distinct, movable sections comprises a product funnel having an annular discharge end and mounted for movement toward and away from said sections to expand and contract said wall sections.

Apparatus for expanding the mouth of a pouch into a substantially circular shape for filling with product and comprising:

• an expansible cone means,
• a product spout;
• means for inserting said cone means into a pouch;
• and
• means for inserting said spout into said cone means for expanding said cone means and said pouch mouth in a substantially circular shape.

Apparatus for dispensing particulate product into moving pouches and comprising:

• a moving dispenser having an upper end for receiving said product and a lower end for discharging said product,
• said upper end having accumulation means for receiving a predetermined amount of said product, holding said predetermined amount, and dropping said predetermined amount into a pouch at a predetermined later time through said lower end of said dispenser;
• and
• wherein said accumulation means comprises an accumulation chamber having side walls, an open top, and pivotally mounted bottom gate means for holding product at the upper end of said dispenser and for opening and closing said accumulation chamber, and means for pivoting said gate means into open and closed positions.

Apparatus for expanding the mouth of a pouch for filling the pouch with product and comprising:

• a pouch expansion means including a plurality of opposed fingers having lower ends biased toward one another for insertion into a pouch wherein top ends of opposed fingers are disposed apart and forming an inlet to said pouch expansion means,
• a product spout having a lower end,
• means for inserting said pouch expansion means at least partially into a pouch, such that lower ends of said fingers are disposed in a pouch, and
• means for inserting said spout into said expansion means for engaging said fingers and for moving and expanding lower ends thereof apart to expand the mouth of a pouch into a predetermined shape which is a function of the lower ends of said fingers when expanded.

Apparatus for dispensing product into pouches and comprising:

• a horizontally mounted, rotatable filler wheel;
• means for moving pouches about a portion of said filler wheel;
• at least one product dispenser mounted on and rotating with said filler wheel for receiving product as it is dropped from a product supply means;
• said product dispenser including a product accumulation means for receiving product from a product supply station, holding product, transporting product to a product filling station, and dropping said product into registered pouches at said filling station;
• said product accumulation means comprising a funnel having an opening defined at a lower end,
• a plug mounted independently of said funnel proximate the lower end thereof and having a periphery sized to engage the lower end of said funnel to close said opening, and
• said plug and said funnel being mounted for selective relative movement apart such that said plug and said opening are spaced apart to open said opening and to drop product from said funnel into said pouches.

A method of dispensing product into pouches and comprising the steps of:

• (a) conveying pouches about a portion of a filler wheel mounted for rotation in one direction and having at least one pouch filling station;
• (b) depositing product in a product dispensing means from a hopper wheel rotating in a counter direction;
• (c) accumulating product in product dispensing means mounted on said filler wheel above said pouches;
• (d) rotating said filler wheel to register said product dispensing means over a pouch located at a filling station;
• and
• (e) releasing said product from said product dispensing means into said pouch.

A method of dispensing product into pouches and comprising the steps of:

• (a) conveying a pouch to a pouch filling station;
• (b) partially opening the top of said pouch as said pouch reaches said pouch filling station;
• (c) inserting at least a lower portion of an expandable cone means having at least three distinct, expandable sidewall portions into the partially open top of said pouch;
• (d) inserting a tubular end portion of a product discharge funnel into said expandable cone means thereby expanding said sidewall portions at said lower portion of said expandable cone means to expand said pouch top,
• (e) dropping product through said expandable cone means and into said pouch;
• and,
• (f) sealing the top of said pouch.

A method of dispensing product into pouches travelling along a pouch conveyor comprising the steps of:

• (a) accumulating product at an accumulation station in a product dispensing means and moving in a path, said station having expanding means for opening a pouch, said expanding means located at a lower portion of said product dispensing means and said accumulating steps including feeding said accumulation station from a hopper means mounted for rotation over only a segment of said path;
• (b) conveying pouches to a pouch filling station;
• (c) moving said product dispensing means from said accumulation station to said pouch filling station to register said expanding means over a pouch on said pouch conveyor;
• (d) lowering said expanding means at least partially into said pouch;
• (e) activating said expanding means to expand said pouch;
• and,
• (f) releasing said product from said product dispensing means into said pouch.

A method of dispensing product into pouches travelling along a pouch conveyor comprising the steps of:

• (a) accumulating product at an accumulation station in a product dispensing means having expanding means for opening a pouch, said expanding means located at a lower portion of said product dispensing means;
• (b) conveying pouches to a pouch filling station;
• (c) moving said product dispensing means from said accumulation station to said pouch filling station to register said expanding means over a pouch on said pouch conveyor;
• (d) lowering said expanding means at least partially into said pouch;
• (e) activating said expanding means to expand said pouch;
• and,
• (f) releasing said product from said product dispensing means into said pouch;
• wherein said product dispensing means includes an upper, slidably mounted discharge funnel having a lower tubular portion and said expanding means is an expandable cone having an upper generally circular-shaped open end and a lower, expandable apex end, said lowering and activating steps respectively, of the method further comprising:
• (i) lowering said apex end of said expandable cone at least partially into said pouch;
• and,
• (ii) lowering said tubular portion of said discharge funnel into said expandable cone to expand said apex end and thereby expand said pouch.

A method of dispensing product into pouches and comprising the steps of:

• (a) conveying a pouch to a pouch filling station;
• (b) partially opening the top of said pouch as said pouch reaches said pouch filling station;
• (c) inserting at least a lower portion of an expandable cone means into the partially open top of said pouch;
• (d) inserting at least the lower portion of a funnel into said cone means to expand said cone means and said pouch top;
• and
• (e) dropping product through said cone means and into said pouch.

A method of filling pouches entrained at locations about an arcuate segment of a pouch filler wheel rotating about a first axis and including the steps of:

• entraining a plurality of pouches onto and away from said arcuate segment,
• receiving pouches on said wheel and removing pouches from said wheel after moving them through said arcuate segment,
• filling a product accumulation means moving with said wheel from a hopper wheel rotating about a second axis spaced from said first axis and rotating counter to said pouch filler wheel;
• and
• selectively releasing product from said accumulation means into pouches disposed thereunder when said pouches and said accumulation means are disposed in an angular sector corresponding to said arcuate segment,
• said feeding step including feeding said accumulation means at positions disposed in angular sectors over said filler wheel free of pouches.

Apparatus for dispensing product into pouches and comprising:

• a rotatable filler wheel for supporting a plurality of pouches thereabout in positions at a selected pitch;
• a plurality of accumulating chambers, one for each pouch pitch, mounted for rotation in a path about a first axis and above said pouch positions for receiving product from a product feeding apparatus disposed proximate said filler wheel;
• a snake plate beneath said chambers for sealing said chambers against discharge of product therein and having a discharge slot for dropping product from said chambers as said chambers are moved thereover;
• and
• wherein said feeding apparatus comprises a plurality of hoppers disposed about a hopper wheel rotating in a second path about a feed axis offset from said first axis such that said hoppers traverse a path intersecting a portion of path of rotation of said chambers.

Apparatus for dispensing product into pouches and comprising:

• a rotatable filler wheel for supporting a plurality of open pouches thereabout in positions, at a selected pitch, to receive product;
• a plurality of chambers, one for each pouch pitch, mounted for rotation in a first path about a first axis and above said pouch positions for receiving and passing product from a product feeding apparatus disposed proximate an arc of said filler wheels;
• a plurality of hoppers disposed on a hopper wheel rotating in a second path about an axis offset from the first axis;
• said first and second paths being coextensive at a position where said chamber is open at an upper end for receiving product from a hopper and is open at the same time at a lower end for dropping said product into an open pouch in register thereunder.