Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With soil removing – coating – lubricating – sterilizing and/or... – With cleaning – coating or drying means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-01-30
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With soil removing, coating, lubricating, sterilizing and/or...
With cleaning, coating or drying means
C141S085000, C141S089000, C141S163000, C141S181000, C141S234000, C141S248000, C141S250000, C141S284000, C134S16600C, C134S170000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179017
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a filling assembly for aseptically operating deep-drawing packing machines hereinafter briefly referred to as FFS machines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FFS machines of this type for shaping (molding of, for example, container cases from the web of packing sheet by deep-drawing), loading and sealing of a web of packing sheet moved through the machine are adequately known and used in the art. Depending on the product and the type of offer thereof in the store concerned (in chilled boxes or on non-chilled shelves) measures will have to be taken to insure that, on the one hand, the web of packing material and the covering foil be held in sterile condition and, on the other hand, remain in aseptic condition during movement thereof through the machine, i.e. FFS machines of this type, for aseptical operations, are furnished with a sterile pipe under a slight excess pressure. All these demands are met by the traditional FFS machines of this type which, in addition and in accordance with the requirements of the operators of such machines running at high speed and being expected to involve low stoppage times for inevitable washing and cleaning operations especially of the loading machines or filling stations (e.g. daily basic cleaning and intermediate washing in case of a change from the filling of one product to another). In this respect, the sterile pipe constitutes a problem as the filling station along with its at least one loading tube is to be suitably integrated thereinto, it being required that sterile conditions be maintained and the washing and cleaning demands be met.
In this respect, two basic principles have been conventionally used, i.e. a drainable tank for accommodating the back-flowing cleaning and washing fluid is arranged underneath the molded web of packing sheet in the filling region, and a horizontally displaceable tank collecting the back-flowing cleaning fluid is arranged underneath the metering arrangement, i.e. underneath the at least one loading tube, between the metering arrangement and the sheet of packing material within the sterile pipe. As the collecting tank, in the former instance, is located underneath the web of packing sheet or under the conveying region thereof, respectively, it being necessary for the tank's opening rim to be in closely abutting relationship, during cleaning, with the so-called plate of the metering arrangement, the web of the packing sheet for each cleaning operation is to be severed and removed from the region of the filling assembly inevitably resulting in correspondingly extended stoppages of the whole machine. It is true, the second principle does not require severing and removal of the web of packing sheet, however, the entire adjusting mechanism for displacing the collecting tank is to be located on the sterile pipe and, moreover, drainage of the tank through ports within the wall will have to be safeguarded. None of these two principles enable the FFS machine, during washing and cleaning of the metering arrangement and of the filling assembly respectively, to continue its operation, irrespective of whether it is an intermediate washing or a basic cleaning operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the main object of the invention to improve the loading station or the filling assembly, respectively, of an FFS machine of this type to the effect that the machine is able to continue to run also during cleaning operations with very short stoppages only.
Another object of the invention envisages a design of the filling assembly that requires only low retooling efforts for cleaning the machine.
These demands, in the practice of the invention, are met by two options.
The first alternative, according to the invention, resides in that arranged in series, on the sterile pipe, above the conveying region of the web of packing sheet, within adjustable openings, in sealing relationship with the pipe, are two filling stations, wherein alternately, respectively only one filling station is in the operating position while the other of said filling stations is in the cleaning position, that the filling stations in view of the displaceable openings reciprocable between an operating position and a cleaning position respectively comprise a tank part accommodating the filling tube in the cleaning position, and a filling tube-passing part accommodating the filling tube in the operating position, and wherein the two portions together form a movable unit, and that the tube-passing part is provided with a removable closure cap once the tank part is arranged below the filling tube.
The second alternative, in accordance with the invention, resides in that arranged in series on the sterile pipe, above the conveying region of the web of packing material, within openings, in sealing relationship with the pipe, are two filling stations, wherein alternately respectively only one filling station is in the operating position and the other of said filling stations is in the cleaning position, that the filling station is respectively formed of a stationary part for passing the loading tube, accommodating the loading tube in the operating position, and of a separate tank part, which, in the cleaning position, is relatively movable under the raised loading tube, and that the loading tube-passing part, in the cleaning position, is provided with a removable closure cap.
The two filling assemblies of the invention involve the substantial advantage that apart from relatively short stoppage times for retooling the machine, during washing of one of the filling stations, the machine is able to continue to run on the other filling station; however, this requires not only the arrangement of a second filling station but also the specific design of the invention according to the other features. It is true, the structural efforts required for the packing machine is higher; however, these efforts are absolutely offset by the substantially reduced stoppage times. In this connection it will have to be taken into consideration that, hitherto, thorough washing and cleaning operations have taken two to three hours during which the overall operation of such machines had to be interrupted, compared to stoppages taking, at best, 20 minutes according to the solutions of the invention required for exchanging the filling stations or for retooling the machine and for the sterile washing and cleaning of the sterile pipe temporarily to be opened for exchange purposes, and then to be closed again.
Concerning the term “cap-type closure” used for both options it should be noted that this language also implies a so-called nozzle plate which, as a rule, is used only if a metering device or a filling mechanism comprises a plurality of filling tubes. A cap-type closure of this type associated to the filling tube is required in order to close, on the one hand, in the filling position, the passage opening at least to the greatest possible extent and, on the other hand, to close the tank in the washing or cleaning position because, as a rule, the washing and cleaning fluid is supplied under pressure.
The reason that the two alternatives refer to a relative movement is that the filling tube(s) not only per se is (are) vertically but also horizontally displaceable to the then stationary tank (yet to be explained hereinafter in greater detail).
Advantageous developments and forms of embodiment of the two alternatives and their functions will now be explained in closer detail with reference to the special description of some examples of embodiment.
The two filling mechanisms of the invention and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter as the description proceeds, with reference being made to the accompany drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4964444 (1990-10-01), Hanerus et al.
patent: 6041834 (2000-03-01), Fujikawa et al.
patent: 2310589 (1974-09-01), None
Collard & Roe P.C.
Hassia Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH
Maust Timothy L.
LandOfFree
Filling assembly for aseptically operating deep-drawing... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Filling assembly for aseptically operating deep-drawing..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Filling assembly for aseptically operating deep-drawing... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2495143