US 7,065,936 B2 · Fill and packaging apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for filling food product drafts into packages. A supply of open top containers are arranged in rows and carried by an elongated web of film and are movable by the web into a fill station. A shuttle conveyor has a retractable and extendable conveying surface, the conveying surface arranged above the fill station and having an end region extendable to a position arranged to deposit food product drafts into the containers of the first row by circulation of the conveying surface. The conveying surface is retractable, or extendable, to reposition the end to a position arranged to deposit food product drafts carried on the conveying surface into the containers of the second row and each subsequent row. A tamping apparatus is carried by the conveyor to retract or extend with the conveying surface end. The tamping apparatus has vertically reciprocal tamping elements arranged above the respective row being filled with food product drafts, the tamping elements actuated to press the food product drafts into the containers.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An apparatus for filling food product drafts into packages, comprising:

a supply of open top container portions arranged in rows that are displaced along a longitudinal direction and having a first row and a longitudinally displaced second row and carried by an elongated web of film and movable by said web along said longitudinal direction into a fill station;
and
a shuttle conveyor having a conveying surface, said shuttle conveyor comprises a device to retract and to extend said conveying surface, said conveying surface arranged above said fill station and having an end region longitudinally movable to a first position arranged to deposit food product drafts into said container portions of said first row by said conveying surface, and while said web remains stationary, said device retracts or extends said conveying surface to reposition said end region to a second position arranged to deposit food product drafts carried on said conveying surface into said container portions of said second row.

An apparatus for filling food product drafts into pockets formed into an elongated web of film, said pockets having open tops and arranged in rows that are displaced along a longitudinal direction and having at least a first row and a longitudinally displaced second row and movable with said web along said longitudinal direction, comprising:

a fill station and a mechanism for moving said pockets longitudinally into said fill station;
and
a shuttle conveyor having an endless belt conveying surface, said shuttle conveyor comprises a device to retract and to extend said conveying surface longitudinally, said conveying surface arranged above said fill station and having an end longitudinally movable to a first position arranged to deposit food product drafts into said pockets of said first row by said conveying surface, and while said web remains stationary, said device retracts or extends said conveying surface to longitudinally reposition said end to a second position arranged to deposit food product drafts carried on said conveying surface into said pockets of said second row.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fill and packaging apparatus

Life of this patent

Fill and packaging apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21