Apparatus and process for packaging a product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259603-B2
Application number	US-201415104353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Dec 16, 2013
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A product arranged in a support can be packaged. A film is unrolled, a number of supports are progressively moved inside the packaging chamber of a packaging assembly, the packaging chamber is kept open for a time sufficient for a number of supports and for the film or for film sheets to properly position inside the packaging chamber, causing the film sheets or film portions to adapt to the shape of a cavity formed in the upper tool of the packaging assembly and the film sheets or film portions are sealed to respective supports. An apparatus can perform the above process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for packaging a product arranged on one or more supports, said one or more supports optionally having a base wall and a side wall, said apparatus comprising:
a film supplying assembly configured to supply at least one film;
a packaging assembly configured to tightly close said one or more supports with said film, the packaging assembly including:
at least one lower tool comprising a prefixed number of seats for receiving said one or more supports, and
at least one upper tool cooperating with the lower tool and configured to hold at least a film portion of said film,

wherein the upper tool and the lower tool are configured to be movable relative to each other between at least a first operating condition and a second operating condition, wherein the lower tool and the upper tool allow positioning of the one or more supports at said seats in the first operating condition, and wherein the lower tool and the upper tool delimit a packaging chamber in the second operating condition,
wherein the upper tool comprises:
a head having a respective active surface facing the one or more supports and configured to receive the film portion of said film,

a holder associated to the head and configured to attract the film portion of said film towards said active surface,
a peripheral body positioned around the head, the head and the peripheral body being mounted to permit relative motion with respect to each other among a plurality of relative positions and being configured to define a cavity delimited by said active surface and by an inner wall of said peripheral body; and
a control unit connected to the packaging assembly and configured to:
command relative motion of the peripheral body with respect to the head in order to define said cavity,
activate the holder, and
coordinate commanding the relative motion and activating the holder to cause said film portion to move from a substantially flat configuration to a substantially tri dimensional configuration inside said cavity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit is configured to command the relative motion by commanding relative motion of the peripheral body with respect to the head from an end stroke position, wherein a terminal surface of the peripheral body is aligned or substantially aligned with the active surface of the head, to an operating position, wherein the terminal surface of the peripheral body is displaced from the active surface by a distance which represents a height of said cavity, the cavity having a volume, a size of which is depending upon the relative positioning of the peripheral body with respect to the head, and
either the control unit is configured to first command the relative motion and then activate the holder such that said cavity is formed before said film portion is moved from a substantially flat configuration to a substantially tri-dimensional configuration inside said cavity, or the control unit is configured to command the relative motion after or contemporaneously with activation of the holder such that said cavity is formed together with movement of said film portion from a substantially flat configuration to a substantially tri-dimensional configuration inside said cavity.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said peripheral body is slidingly and tightly guided along a side surface of said head and wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of:
a dedicated actuator carried by the upper tool and mounted to act on one or both the peripheral body and the head to determine said relative motion, said control unit being configured to control the dedicated actuator to bring and stably keep the peripheral body and the head in one of said plurality of relative positions defining said cavity, or
one or more springs interposed between the peripheral body and the upper tool, the one or more springs being positioned and configured to bias the peripheral body at said end stroke position, wherein a terminal surface of the peripheral body is aligned or substantially aligned with the active surface of the head, and a main actuator active on said upper tool under the control of the control unit, said control unit being configured to control the main actuator to bring and stably keep the peripheral body and the head in one of said relative positions defining said cavity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to at least control activation of the holder to cause pulling of said film portion inside said cavity and shaping of said film portion to the shape of the cavity, and wherein the peripheral body comprises an inner wall which surface is shaped as a head side surface thereby defining a cavity of cylindrical or prismatic shape.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one sensor communicating with said control unit and configured to detect a value taken by at least one parameter in the group of:
an extent of protrusion of a product beyond a top of one of said one or more supports,
a parameter from which the extent of protrusion is capable of being determined;

wherein the at least one sensor is further configured to issue a signal for said control unit linked to a detected value for the parameter, wherein the control unit is configured to:
receive said signal, and
command the relative motion of the peripheral body with respect to the head by a distance equal to or greater than said extent of protrusion to define said cavity with a height at least sufficient to host a protruding portion of said product.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said holder comprises:
a plurality of suction apertures leading to the active surface,
at least one vacuum source controlled by the control unit and connected to the suction apertures, and
at least one valve controlled by the control unit and configured to selectively connect said suction apertures either to said vacuum source or to a vent line.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packaging assembly further comprises:
at least one of a main actuator or a cinematic structure, wherein the at least one of the main actuator or the cinematic structure is active on at least one of said upper and lower tool and is configured to be controlled by the control unit,
wherein the control unit is configured to act on at least one of the main actuator or the cinematic structure and to cause relative movement of the upper and lower tool between said first operating condition, wherein the upper tool is spaced apart from the lower tool, and said second operating condition, wherein a closure surface of the upper tool or a terminal surface of the peripheral body tightly abuts against a closure surface of the lower tool to close said packaging chamber with respect to an atmosphere outside the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
heater configured to heat at least the active surface of the head and controlled by the control unit, the control unit being configured to control the heater such that the active surface of the head is brought at least to an operating temperature in a range between 150° C. and 260° C.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the heater is further configured to heat a terminal surface to allow heat bonding of the film portion to the one or more supports, wherein the control unit is configured to control the heater such that the terminal surface of the peripheral body is kept at a temperature equal or below the operating temperature of said active surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the control unit is configured to bring the active surface at said operating temperature before causing said film portion to move to said substantially tri dimens

Assignees

• Cryovac Inc
• Cryovac Llc

Inventors

• Palumbo Riccardo
• Rizzi Jvanohe

Classifications

• B65B61/06

  by cutting · CPC title

• B65B57/12

  and operating to control, or stop, the feed of wrapping materials, containers, or packages · CPC title

• B65B47/10

  by vacuum · CPC title

• B65B11/52 Primary

  one sheet being rendered plastic, e.g. by heating, and forced by fluid pressure, e.g. vacuum, into engagement with the other sheet and contents, e.g. skin- {, blister-, or bubble-} packaging · CPC title

• B65B31/028

  closed by a lid sealed to the upper rim of the container, e.g. tray-like container · CPC title