Feeding unit and method for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9309055-B2
Application number	US-201214127506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2012
Priority date	Oct 31, 2011
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

There is described a feeding unit for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit configured to form folded packages from relative the packs; the feeding unit comprising a feeding conveyor adapted to receive packs at an inlet station of the feeding unit and to drive them to an outlet station of the feeding unit; the feeding conveyor comprising at least one push member movable cyclically and having a cooperating surface adapted to cooperate, in use, with a relative pack to push it towards the outlet station along a substantially rectilinear portion of an advancement path, wherein the cooperating surface has an involute-shaped profile. Furthermore, there is provided a corresponding method for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A feeding unit for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit configured to form folded packages from said packs; said feeding unit comprising a feeding conveyor adapted to receive packs at an inlet station of the feeding unit and to drive them to an outlet station of the feeding unit; said feeding conveyor comprising at least one push member movable cyclically between said inlet and outlet stations and having a cooperating surface adapted to cooperate, in use, with a relative said pack to push it towards said outlet station along a substantially rectilinear portion of a substantially horizontal advancement path, wherein said cooperating surface has an involute-shaped profile that discharges the relative said pack at a constant linear speed along the substantially horizontal advancement path.

2. The feeding unit according to claim 1 , comprising:
a pair of stationary rails extending from said inlet station to said outlet station and defining said substantially rectilinear portion of said substantially horizontal advancement path;
a plurality of said push members; and
a pair of endless belts arranged at and extending along opposite lateral sides of said stationary rails; said push members being arranged with the same pitch along each endless belt and travelling, in use, along an endless path having the same shape as the loop of the belt.

3. The feeding unit according to claim 2 , wherein each push member comprises a fixing portion fastened at the respective endless belt and an operating portion extending from the fixing portion towards the opposite endless belt and adapted to cooperate, in use, with the packs at an end portion thereof, said operating portion defining said cooperating surface.

4. The feeding unit according to claim 3 , wherein each push member comprises a slit adapted to freely receive a fin of said pack.

5. The folding unit of according to claim 4 , wherein each slit is defined between said operative operating and fixing portions of relative push member.

6. The feeding unit according to claim 2 , wherein said respective operating portions of push members attached at opposite endless belts extend towards one another, their involute-shape profile originating from the respective fixing portion.

7. The feeding unit according to claim 2 , wherein each endless belt is closed in a loop about at least a drive pulley and a return pulley, the feeding unit comprising means for driving said belts.

8. The feeding unit according to claim 1 , comprising a curved-profile chute for receiving said packs with their respective longitudinal axes arranged vertically, whereby packs are slideably brought to lie horizontally at said inlet station.

9. The feeding unit according to claim 1 , wherein each push member comprises a slit adapted to freely receive a fin of said pack.

10. A packaging machine comprising:
a feeding unit for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit configured to form folded packages from said packs, said feeding unit comprising a feeding conveyor adapted to receive packs at an inlet station of the feeding unit and to drive them to an outlet station of the feeding unit; said feeding conveyor comprising at least one push member movable cyclically between said inlet and outlet stations and possessing a cooperating surface adapted to cooperate, in use, with a relative said pack to push it towards said outlet station along a substantially rectilinear portion of a substantially horizontal advancement path, said cooperating surface possessing an involute-shaped profile that discharges the relative said pack at a constant linear speed along the substantially horizontal advancement path; and
a folding unit adapted to receive packs at said outlet station of said feeding unit and configured to form folded packages from said packs.

11. A method for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a receiving station of a folding unit configured to form folded packages from said packs, comprising the steps of:
a) pushing said packs along an advancement path comprising a substantially rectilinear portion; and
b) releasing said packs at said receiving station;
wherein said step b) of releasing said packs comprises the step of:
c) discharging said packs at a constant linear speed along said advancement path portion at said receiving station.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the advancement path is substantially horizontal.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein each pack is pushed along the advancement path by first and second feeding conveyors disposed on opposite sides of the advancement path.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein each feeding conveyor comprises a push member movable cyclically around each feeding conveyor and possessing a cooperating surface configured to cooperate at a contact point with each pack,
wherein a distance between the contact point of the push member of the first conveyor and the contact point of the push member of the second conveyor is constant as the pack is discharged at the constant linear speed along the advancement path portion at the receiving station.

Assignees

• Pedretti Richard
• Fontanazzi Paolo
• Rimondi Fabrizio
• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Pedretti Richard
• Fontanazzi Paolo
• Rimondi Fabrizio

Classifications

• B65B43/52

  using roller-ways or endless conveyors · CPC title

• B65G19/02 Primary

  for articles, e.g. for containers · CPC title

• B65G19/245

  for article conveyors, e.g. for container conveyors (B65G19/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G19/225

  for article conveyors, e.g. for container conveyors (B65G19/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B61/28

  for discharging completed packages from machines · CPC title