Method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, bag positioning apparatus, and method of manufacturing a patch bag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11254457-B2
Application number	US-201615566269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, includes detecting a trailing edge of a product in the bag, detecting a trailing edge of a patch adhered to the bag, controlling advancement of the bag, and closing the bag. A bag positioning apparatus includes an infrared sensing apparatus, a fluorescence sensing apparatus, and a controller. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes adhering a first patch to film stock, detecting a position of the first patch, aligning a second patch with the first patch, and adhering the second patch to the film stock. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes detecting an edge of a patch adhered to film stock, forming a seal across the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch, and severing the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, the method comprising:
loading the bag by placing a product in the bag to produce a loaded bag, the bag including an upstream end including a bag mouth, the bag further including a patch adhered thereto, the patch including a fluorescent material, the bag and the patch both being transparent to infrared radiation;
placing the loaded bag on an infeed conveyor;
advancing the loaded bag, on the infeed conveyor, to an infrared sensing apparatus including an infrared detector and a first radiation source, the infrared detector being disposed on an opposite side of the infeed conveyor from the first radiation source;
detecting a trailing edge of the product inside the loaded bag by interrogating, through the loaded bag, infrared radiation emitted from the first radiation source, using the infrared sensing apparatus;
advancing the loaded bag to a fluorescence sensing apparatus including a fluorescence detector and a second radiation source;
detecting a trailing edge of the patch by interrogating fluorescence emitted by the patch using the fluorescence sensing apparatus, wherein radiation emitted by the second radiation source excites the fluorescent material;
acquiring information from detecting the trailing edge of the product and detecting the trailing edge of the patch, and transmitting the information to a controller;
controlling a distance of advancement of the loaded bag to a sealing position in the vacuum chamber including a heat seal assembly, using the controller, based on the information acquired from detecting the trailing edge of the product and detecting the trailing edge of the patch; and
closing the loaded bag by heat sealing the loaded bag, using the heat seal assembly, so that a heat seal is applied between the trailing edge of the product and the bag mouth and between the trailing edge of the patch and the bag mouth.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising applying vacuum to the loaded bag within the vacuum chamber before closing the loaded bag.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the infeed conveyor is transparent to infrared radiation.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence sensing apparatus is disposed adjacent to an end of the infeed conveyor.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence detector includes a fluorescence detecting camera or a fluorescence detecting sensor, and the infrared detector includes an infrared detecting camera or an infrared detecting sensor.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second radiation source includes an ultraviolet radiation source.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source includes a first array of light emitting diodes and the second radiation source includes a second array of light emitting diodes.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the heat seal is applied at a controlled distance from the trailing edge of the product or the trailing edge of the patch.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the controlled distance is 0.5 to 3 inches.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the product is a meat product or a cheese product.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the product is a meat product including an irregular shape.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chamber includes an internal conveyor moveable in a longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber to expel the loaded bag from the vacuum chamber after closing the loaded bag.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein a portion of the internal conveyor extends under a portion of the heat seal assembly in the vacuum chamber.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the heat seal assembly is retractable to enable the loaded bag to be moved past the heat seal assembly and onto the internal conveyor.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising transferring the loaded bag from a placement conveyor to the infeed conveyor, wherein the radiation emitted from the second radiation source excites the fluorescent material through a gap between the placement conveyor and the infeed conveyor.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector is disposed above the infeed conveyor and the first radiation source.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the trailing edge of the product is detected as the loaded bag is advanced along the infeed conveyor.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in combination with a method of vacuum sealing a stream of loaded bags including patchless bags and bags including patches adhered thereto, wherein a distance of advancement of a loaded patchless bag into the vacuum chamber is controlled by the controller based only on the information acquired from detecting the trailing edge of the product.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the trailing edge of the patch is detected before the trailing edge of the product is detected.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is a programmable logic controller.

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in combination with a method of vacuum sealing a loaded bag comprising:
providing a vacuum packaging machine including at least two vacuum chambers, wherein each of the at least two vacuum chambers is configured to receive a respective unsealed loaded bag and perform a vacuum sealing operation on the respective loaded bag, each of the at least two vacuum chambers includes a longitudinal direction defined by a path of travel of the respective loaded bag into the chamber, each of the at least two vacuum chambers includes a heat seal assembly for forming a heat seal across a bag mouth of the respective loaded bag, the heat seal assembly is disposed transversely to the longitudinal direction;
feeding the respective unsealed loaded bag into one of the at least two vacuum chambers, such that the bag mouth of the respective loaded bag is located adjacent to the heat seal assembly; and
performing a vacuum sealing operation on another loaded bag in another vacuum chamber of the at least two vacuum chambers.

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the at least two vacuum chambers are moveable relative to the infeed conveyor to enable selective feeding of a single loaded bag into each chamber of the at least two vacuum chambers.

23. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the vacuum packaging machine is a rotary vacuum packaging machine.

24. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the respective unsealed loaded bag is fed into one of the at least two vacuum chambers while performing a vacuum sealing operation on another loaded bag in another vacuum chamber of the at least two vacuum chambers.

Assignees

• Sealed Air Corp

Inventors

• Mcdonald Gregory E
• Iocco Jeffrey R
• Pruitt Julian L
• Painter Max C

Classifications

• B65B31/02

  Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers {or wrappers} in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas · CPC title

• B65B35/24

  by endless belts or chains {(B65B35/205 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65B57/00

  Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices (registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18) · CPC title

• B65B25/001

  of foodstuffs, combined with their conservation (B65B25/041, B65B25/062, B65B25/067 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65B57/12

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