Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-10
2001-02-06
Moon, Daniel B. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S433000, C053S434000, C053S443000, C053S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182421
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,961 granted on Apr. 30, 1996 describes earlier machines for producing cotton candy by melting granular sugar and ejecting the same from spinning heads upon an interior surface of a tub from which the cotton candy or floss was picked-up on wooden sticks. Cotton candy lovers experienced “sticky” fingers when tearing-off “bite” size portions of cotton candy from such cotton candy cones.
In recent years a few cotton candy producers attempted crushing the natural fluffy candy into flat bricks, but this is undesirable because the “fluffiness” of the candy is destroyed.
The machine of the latter patent is capable of manufacturing “bite” size cotton candy balls on an extremely high speed basis absent labor intensiveness. However, until the present invention, the packaging of such “bite” size cotton candy balls was labor intensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with the foregoing, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel packaging machine for packaging “bite” size cotton candy balls on an extremely high speed basis absent labor intensiveness.
In accordance with the present invention, “bite” size cotton candy balls or wads are pneumatically drawn into an assembly area defining a generally cylindrical volume. At this assembly area or staging area, the cotton candy balls are assembled in a loose mass, and at a predetermined weight or volume, this loose mass of cotton candy balls are pneumatically transferred to a packaging area which is also of a generally cylindrical volume. Air is extracted from the group of cotton candy balls and substantially simultaneously therewith a plunger further compresses and pushes the group of cotton candy balls into a container which is preferably a packaging tube associated with a conventional form-and-fill machine. The plunger is retracted and subsequently the package is cross-sealed, severed and the individual package with the group of compressed cotton candy balls therein is discharged for automatic packaging in a case with similar packages. In this fashion a predetermined weight, volume and/or size of cotton candy balls is assembled as a group at the assembly area or staging area, transferred as a group to the packaging area, and discharged from the packaging area as a compressed group into an individual package absent human intervention other than machine oversight.
The packaging method thus far described is not only lacking in labor intensiveness, but the speed of packaging is extremely fast, particularly because during the transfer of a first group of cotton balls from the staging area to the packaging area, a second group of cotton candy balls are being assembled at the staging area during the package of the first group of cotton candy balls. Thus, the packaging step is not dependent upon singular cotton candy ball in-feed which would be time consuming, but instead each package is essentially filled at the packaging area with a pre-formed group of cotton candy balls of a desired weight.
The process can be further enhanced, particularly from the standpoint of high-speed production, by providing several assembly areas or staging areas, each of which is fed cotton candy balls with each group of cotton candy balls being discharged from whichever staging area or assembly area is first filled to its desired weight/capacity. In this fashion, the actual package filling can proceed at a maximum speed because immediately at the end of each filling or packaging cycle another group of cotton candy balls awaits packaging into the next package of the form-and-fill machine.
During the packaging method, the retraction of the piston might otherwise create a partial vacuum in the bag being filled, and this undesirable situation is alleviated (a) by the timed introduction of positive air pressure into the bag portion being filled or (b) by utilizing a hollow plunger within which is housed a solid rod which essentially “injects” positive air pressure into the filler tube and the bag being filled during the retraction of the plunger. Thus, each package, bag or pouch sealed conventionally by the form-and-fill machine is of a consistent size and shape, being neither deflated or inflated during the filling process. The latter is important not only from an aesthetic standpoint but also from a production and a packaging standpoint. Cross seals can be made absent wrinkling of the packaging material or product intrusion in the cross seals which might otherwise create bleed passages in the cross seals resulting in the product becoming stale over a short period of time. Further-more, since each package is of a uniform volume and size, when packaged in a case, each case appears properly filled, as is the fact, which would not otherwise be visually apparent if the packages were underinflated/deflated and thereafter cross-sealed. Thus, by the present method the aesthetics of the package exteriorly remain of high quality and shelf-life of the packaged “bite” size cotton candy is long lasting
With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
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Diller, Ramik & Wight PC
Moon Daniel B.
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