Air accelerator dosing tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963253-B2
Application number	US-201213546649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Jul 11, 2011
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An air accelerator dosing tube for a form/fill/seal machine used to package fine cut tobacco material includes an axially-adjustable annular venturi communicating with the particulate material passage. A lining of polyether ether ketone optionally covers surfaces exposed to the particulate material. A metering assembly for delivering predetermined quanitites of particulate material at predetermined time intervals may also be fabricated from polyether ether ketone. Each dosing tube is adapted for calibration by adjustment of the annular venturi to produce a predetermined force at a predetermined stand-off distance. In operation, consistent simultaneous operation of multiple dosing tubes, each of which has been calibrated, gives substantially uniform deposit of particulate material in pouch-type packages. The particulate material may include finely cut tobacco in addition to humectants, flavorants, and other tacky substances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising a bank of dosing assemblies, each dosing assembly of the bank of dosing assemblies configured to be in fluid communication with a common pressurized air source via a pressure regulator valve, the bank of dosing assemblies configured to deliver particulate material in a plurality of respective generally vertical parallel lanes to corresponding partially formed pouches being formed by respective pouching machines, each dosing assembly including:
an air accelerator assembly having an inlet at an upper end, an outlet at a bottom end, a vertically extending channel between the inlet and the outlet for passage of particulate material, an adjustable-throat annular venturi, and a chamber for passing pressurized air to the vertically extending channel via the adjustable-throat annular venturi;
a dosing tube attached to the air accelerator assembly, the dosing tube having a vertically extending interior adapted to receive particulate material and air from the outlet of the air accelerator assembly to move the particulate material into a partially formed pouch during operation of the assembly; and
a metering apparatus having a housing and a funnel that is coupled to the upper end of the air accelerator assembly, the housing of the metering apparatus including generally parallel feed screws therein adapted to intermittently supply predetermined quantities of particulate material through the inlet of the air accelerator assembly to the vertically extending channel thereof via the funnel at predetermined time intervals to fill successive partially formed pouches via the dosing tube during operation of the assembly;
wherein each air accelerator assembly is individually calibratable via adjustment of the adjustable-throat annular venturi;
wherein the inlet and the outlet are in a fixed outer member and a movable member is entirely contained within the fixed outer member;
the fixed outer member includes a threaded bore and a frustoconical inner surface extending downwardly from the threaded bore wherein a projecting land of the funnel of the metering apparatus is disposed in an upper region of the threaded bore such that the inlet is coaxially aligned with an outlet of the funnel;
the movable member includes an inlet opening in an upper surface thereof that is disposed below the inlet of the fixed outer member, a discharge opening at a distal end thereof that is disposed above the outlet of the fixed outer member, a longitudinal bore extending from the inlet opening to the discharge opening, an upper flange mounted in the fixed outer member such that the movable member is axially movable within the fixed outer member between the upper region of the threaded bore and the outlet thereof, and a frustoconical external surface extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper flange;
the frustoconical inner surface of the fixed outer member surrounding the frustoconical external surface of the movable member, the chamber defined therebetween; and
the adjustable-throat annular venturi is defined between the distal end of the movable member and the frustoconical inner surface of the fixed outer member.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vertically extending channel for passage of particulate material and the dosing tube interior are lined with polyether ether ketone.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the metering apparatus is fabricated substantially from PEEK.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , in combination with the common pressurized air source and the pressure regulator valve.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the bank of dosing assemblies includes at least 5 dosing assemblies, the respective air accelerator assemblies of the at least 5 dosing assemblies each including an air supply conduit, the respective chambers of the air accelerators are each in fluid communication with the common pressurized air source via the respective air supply conduits, and the pressure regulator valve is operable to control the supply of pressurized air from the pressurized air source to each of the respective dosing assemblies.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
(a) a gasket seals mating surfaces between the upper flange of the movable member and the fixed outer member from the chamber;
(b) the outlet of the funnel has a diameter corresponding to a diameter of the longitudinal bore of the movable member;
(c) the outlet of the fixed outer member has a diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the vertically extending interior of the dosing tube;
(d) each dosing assembly includes a locking arrangement to fix the relative positions of the movable member and the fixed outer member in a calibrated position;
(e) the feed screws comprise a pair of horizontally extending feed screws arranged to be generally perpendicular to an axis of the vertically extending channel of the air accelerator assembly;
(f) the dosing tube is welded to the fixed outer member or attached to the fixed outer member via a screw thread connection;
(g) the frustoconical external surface of the movable member is a polished surface; and/or
(h) the frustoconical inner surface of the fixed outer member is a polished surface.

7. An assembly comprising a bank of dosing assemblies, each dosing assembly of the bank of dosing assemblies configured to be in fluid communication with a common pressurized air source via a pressure regulator valve, the bank of dosing assemblies configured to deliver particulate material in a plurality of respective generally vertical parallel lanes to corresponding partially formed pouches being formed by respective pouching machines, each dosing assembly including:
an air accelerator assembly having an inlet at an upper end, an outlet at a bottom end, a channel vertically extending between the inlet and the outlet for passage of particulate material, an adjustable-throat annular venturi, and a chamber for passing pressurized air to the vertically extending channel via the adjustable-throat annular venturi;
a dosing tube attached to the air accelerator assembly, the dosing tube having a vertically extending interior adapted to receive particulate material and air from the outlet of the air accelerator assembly to move the particulate material into a partially formed pouch during operation of the assembly; and
a metering apparatus having a housing coupled to the upper end of the air accelerator assembly, the metering apparatus adapted to intermittently supply predetermined quantities of particulate material to the vertically extending channel of the air accelerator assembly at predetermined time intervals to fill successive partially formed pouches via the dosing tube during operation of the assembly;
wherein each air accelerator assembly is individually calibratable via adjustment of the adjustable-throat annular venturi;
wherein the inlet and the outlet are in a fixed outer member and a movable member is entirely contained within the fixed outer member;
the movable member includes an inlet opening in an upper surface thereof that is disposed below the inlet of the fixed outer member, a discharge opening at a distal end thereof that is disposed above the outlet of the fixed outer member, a longitudinal bore extending from the inlet opening to the discharge opening, an upper flange mounted in the fixed outer member such that the movable member is axially movable in the fixed outer member, and a frustoconical external surface extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper flange;
the fixed outer member having a frustoconical inner surface surrounding the frustoconical external surface of the movable member, the chamber defined therebetween;
the adjustable-throat annular venturi is defined between the distal end of the movable member and the frustoconical inn

Assignees

• Williams Dwight D
• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Williams Dwight D

Classifications

• B65B1/30

  Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled · CPC title

• B65B37/14 Primary

  by pneumatic feeders · CPC title

• B65B9/02

  Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material between opposed webs · CPC title

• B65B1/04 Primary

  Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles · CPC title

• B05B11/00

  Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use · CPC title