High speed poucher

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10138006-B2
Application number	US-201715457762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2017
Priority date	Mar 26, 2010
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and methods for producing at extremely high production speeds small pouches filled with tobacco or other granular, powdered or solid content. An endless web substrate, with or without flavor film thereon, is formed into a tubular shape with a longitudinal seam. The tube is cut to individual lengths, and a procession of tubes is crimp-closed at one end, filled and crimp-closed at the other end to complete pouch production. During production, the seams formed at the crimped ends of the pouch are parallel to one another and the longitudinal seam of the pouch is midway between the sides of the pouch and orthogonal to the seams formed at the crimped ends of the pouch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A poucher for producing pouches filled with a granular flowable material, said pouches having an approximately predetermined pouch length, comprising:
a source of web;
a garniture operative to form the web into a hollow tube, with overlapping edge portions of the web establishing a longitudinal seam;
a cutter operative to initially cut the hollow tube into multi-pouch-length multiple open-ended tubes having opposite ends;
a transfer section operative to transfer an output of said cutter onto a receiving portion of a series of transfer drums;
said series of transfer drums operative to establish and move a procession of said multiple open-ended tubes along a path, said tubes of said procession being in a mutually spaced, side-by-side relation along said path and further cut said multi-pouch-length open-ended tubes into said approximately predetermined pouch lengths and arrange them into a procession of individual open-ended pouch-length tubes;
a first closure mechanism at a first location along said path operative to crimp-close one end of each of the individual open-ended pouch-length tubes to establish a procession of open-ended pouch structures;
a filling section at a second location along said path for flowing an approximately predetermined amount of the granular flowable material into each of said open-ended pouch structures to establish a procession of open-ended, filled pouch structures;
a second closure mechanism at a third location along said path operative to crimp-close the other end of each of said open-ended, filled pouch structures to establish a procession of completed pouches; and
a sensor operative to generate a signal indicative of the level of said granular material in at least some of said procession of open-ended, filled pouch structures as said procession of open-ended, filled pouch structures progresses toward said second closure mechanism and a controller operative to adjust a delivery rate of said filling section responsively to said signal, such that a trend in operation of said filling section away from delivering said approximately predetermined amount into each of said open-ended pouch structures is counteracted such that consistent operation of said filling section is maintainable on-line;
wherein said transfer section and said series of transfer drums maintain an approximately consistent location of said longitudinal seam between opposite sides of the completed pouches,
wherein said garniture cooperates with a brush, said brush operative to provide support to an inside portion of the web adjacent said garniture.

2. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said granular flowable material comprises granules or powder.

3. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said series of transfer drums comprise cutting, grading and alignment drum sections.

4. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said transfer section is structured to repetitively transfer the multi-pouch-length open-ended tubes from a location adjacent said cutter onto a flute of a first drum of said series of transfer drums.

5. The poucher of claim 4 , wherein the transfer section comprises a plurality of orbiting arms, each connected to a gripper element constructed and arranged to repetitively pick up the multi-pouch-length open-ended tubes at said adjacent location and deposit said element onto said flute on said first drum.

6. The poucher of claim 4 , wherein said first drum comprises a wide flute with a backstop surface and said first drum in cooperation with a fixed roll bar is operative to repetitively rotate transferred open-ended tubes into a desired radial orientation.

7. The poucher of claim 1 , further comprising a film applicator operative to apply a flavor film to said web prior to the garniture.

8. The poucher of claim 7 , wherein the flavor film applicator applies spaced-apart film pieces to the web prior to the garniture, and wherein each flavor film piece is associated with an individual pouch length.

9. The poucher of claim 8 , wherein the flavor film applicator delivers an endless film onto a rotating receiving drum where the film is cut into individual pieces, and wherein the receiving drum rotates at a slightly faster surface velocity than the endless film, such that the film pieces are spaced apart on the receiving drum prior to application to the web.

10. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said series of transfer drums includes a beveled transfer drum to turn the procession of individual open-ended pouch-length tubes from a generally horizontal disposition to a generally vertical disposition prior to said filling section.

11. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said garniture cooperates with a vacuum, said vacuum operative to provide support to an outside portion of the web adjacent said garniture.

12. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein the transfer section moves tubular elements longitudinally onto a flute of a catcher drum.

13. The poucher of claim 12 , wherein the transfer section further comprises vacuum-assisted rotating rollers to help move tubular elements onto the flute of said catcher drum.

14. The poucher of claim 12 , wherein the catcher drum rotates relative to a fixed arcuate rail so as to rotate tubular elements into a predetermined desired radial orientation.

15. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said sensor is located along said path after said second location of said filling section.

16. The poucher of claim 15 , wherein said poucher further comprises a rejection station located along said path after said second location of said filling section and operative to remove completed pouches from said procession, said controller programmed to operate said rejection station responsive to a signal from said sensor indicative of an unacceptable filling operation.

17. The poucher of claim 16 , wherein said rejection station is located prior to said third location of said second closure mechanism.

18. The poucher of claim 16 , wherein said rejection station is located after said third location of said second closure mechanism.

19. The poucher of claim 16 , further comprising a second sensor in cooperation with said controller and said rejection station for inspecting and rejecting completed pouches according to additional criteria.

20. The poucher of claim 1 , wherein said filling section comprises a vibratory pan feeder under control of said controller, said filling section further comprising a series of funnels located above and moving with said procession of open-ended pouches.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Usa Inc

Inventors

• Garthaffner Martin T
• Williams Dwight D
• Straight Jeremy J
• Webb David J
• Miller Carl G

Classifications

• B65B29/00

  Packaging of materials presenting special problems · CPC title

• B65B1/48

  Checking volume of filled material · CPC title

• B65B43/60

  rotatable · CPC title

• B65B43/50

  using rotary tables or turrets {(B65B43/46 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65B57/14

  and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged · CPC title