Packing apparatus in a sterile environment with a loading and supply system of articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9637261-B2
Application number	US-201314133862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A packing apparatus for use in a sterile environment has an article loading and supply system. The loading system has a hatch in a first wall (P 1 ) positioned at a height corresponding to a normal and ergonomic working height for an operator. The hatch faces an operating station which is to be supplied with the articles. A container element ( 2 ) has an internal volume ( 25 ) for containing articles, with a first article loading opening ( 21 ) and a second article unloading opening ( 22 ). The container element ( 2 ) is positioned in the sterile environment and is movable so that it can be positioned in a lowered position (PA) which corresponds to the hatch position for loading articles through the first loading opening, and then positionable in a raised position (PS) in which the second loading opening ( 22 ) is above the operating station (S 1 ) for unloading the articles to be supplied thereto.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A packing apparatus in a sterile environment comprising a series of walls assembled to one another and predisposed in such a way as to identify and circumscribe an isolated environment from a surrounding environment, the isolated environment having measures to maintain the isolated environment in a sterile and aseptic condition,
the apparatus internally of the isolated environment comprising:
at least one line and a series of operating stations associated with the line for performing a packing operation wherein the series of operating stations comprise an operating station with a supply zone to be supplied with articles to be used for the packing operations, said supply zone being at a height above a ground level;
a loading and supply system for loading and supplying articles to said supply zone, the loading and supply system comprising:
a hatch, located on a first vertical wall of the series of walls, positioned to be facing said operating station, and in a position at a height from the ground level which is below the position of the supply zone from the ground level;
a container element for containing articles, the container element having a bottom, lateral walls which surround the bottom, and an upper part opposite to the bottom so as to define an internal volume for containing articles, the container element having a first load opening in the upper part opposite the bottom and communicating with the internal volume, for loading the articles into the internal volume, and at or in one of said lateral walls a second unloading opening communicating with the internal volume, for unloading the articles from the internal volume,
wherein the loading and supply system has a support frame for supporting the container element internally within the isolated environment, in a zone in proximity of the operating station, the frame being mounted at a second vertical wall of the series of walls which surround the isolated environment, opposite the first vertical wall, the frame being movable in rotation about a first rotation axis parallel to the second vertical wall, to move the container element with respect to both the supply zone of the operating station and the hatch and in order to position the container element in a lowered position, wherein the container element is at the hatch and below the supply zone of the operating station with the first load opening positioned at the hatch to enable loading of the articles into the internal volume via the hatch, and in a raised position, wherein the container element is above the hatch and above the supply zone, with the second unloading opening positioned above the supply zone of the operating station, and with an orientation and configuration such that the articles contained in the internal volume remain within the volume, the frame being further movable in rotation about a second rotation axis, perpendicular to the first rotation axis and perpendicular to the second vertical wall, to rotate the container element movable in rotation about the second rotation axis so that, when the container element is positioned in the raised position, the articles contained in the internal volume are directed towards the second unloading opening for unloading the container element to the outside at the supply zone of the operating station.

2. The packing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame, when the container element has been positioned in the raised position, is movable in an alternating oscillating rotation about the second rotation axis, so as to control and regulate the unloading of the articles from the second unloading opening towards the supply zone of the operating station which will receive the articles.

3. The packing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the container element has a bottom and lateral walls which surround the bottom and which define the internal volume for receiving the articles, and wherein the second article unloading opening is positioned between one lateral wall and the bottom, the frame having two arms, the container element being mounted on the arms of the frame so that when the container element is moved and positioned in the raised position with the second unloading opening above the operating station supply zone, the bottom is inclined so that the articles contained therein are pushed in an opposite direction relative to the second unloading opening.

4. The packing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a hatch door located at the hatch and being slidable with respect thereto, for opening and closing the hatch.

5. A packing apparatus in a sterile environment comprising a series of walls assembled to one another and predisposed in such a way as to identify and circumscribe an isolated environment from a surrounding environment, the isolated environment having measures to maintain the isolated environment in a sterile and aseptic condition,
the apparatus internally of the isolated environment comprising:
at least one line and a series of operating stations associated with the line for performing a packing operation wherein the series of operating stations comprise an operating station with a supply zone to be supplied with articles to be used for the packing operations, said supply zone being at a height above a ground level;
a loading and supply system for loading and supplying articles to said supply zone, the loading and supply system comprising:
a hatch, located on a first vertical wall of the series of walls, positioned to be facing said operating station, and in a position at a height from the ground level which is below the position of the supply zone from the ground level;
a container element for containing articles having an internal volume for containing articles;
a first load opening communicating with the internal volume, for loading the articles into the internal volume, and a second unloading opening, communicating with the internal volume, for unloading the articles from the internal volume, the container element being positioned internally within the isolated environment in a zone in proximity to the operating station which is to be supplied with the articles, and being movable both with respect to the operative station and the hatch so as to be positionable in a lowered position at the hatch, so that the first load opening is positioned at the hatch to enable loading of the articles into the internal volume via the hatch and thereafter being movable to a raised position so that the second unloading opening is positioned above the supply zone for the operating station and with an orientation and configuration such that the articles contained in the internal volume remain within the volume, and, when in the raised position, the container element is further movable so that the articles contained in the internal volume are directed towards the second unloading opening for unloading to an outside the container element at the supply zone;
wherein the loading and supply system has a support frame for supporting the container element, positionable internally within the isolated environment, in a zone in proximity of the operating station, and mounted with respect to a second wall which surrounds the isolated environment opposite the first vertical wall, and being movable in rotation about a first rotation axis parallel to the second wall, so that the container element is positionable in the lowered position and in the raised position, and further is movable in rotation about a second rotation axis, perpendicular to the first rotation axis and perpendicular to the second wall, such that the container element, when positioned in the raised position, is movable in rotation about the second rotation axis, in such a way that the articles contained in the internal volume are directed towards the second unloading opening for unloading the con

Assignees

• Marchesini Group Spa

Inventors

• Monti Giuseppe

Classifications

• B67B1/03

  Pretreatment of stoppers, e.g. cleaning, steaming, heating, impregnating or coating; Applying resilient rings to stoppers (mechanical working of cork B27J5/00) · CPC title

• B67B3/003

  Pretreatment of caps, e.g. cleaning, steaming, heating or sterilizing · CPC title

• B67B1/005

  Feeding stoppers (in general B65G) · CPC title

• B67B3/06

  Feeding caps to capping heads · CPC title

• B65B55/12 Primary

  Sterilising contents prior to, or during, packaging · CPC title