Patent Grant
9845170
This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for filling containers with units of smokeless tobacco and, more particularly, to manufacturing and inserting pouches of smokeless tobacco into containers in a continuous operation with on-line weight control.
Various forms of smokeless tobacco, including pouched smokeless tobacco (snus) are provided to the consumer in a lidded cylindrical container (e.g., a can) composed of metal, paperboard or plastic. Pouched snus may comprise an amount of tobacco encased in a paper case.
Heretofore, a large number of pouches were manufactured by plural pouch-making lanes and/or machines (e.g., pouchers) whose outputs were deposited together (e.g., co-mingled) in an intermediate holding bin. Such comingling can confound quality control. For example, with comingling, it may become impossible to determine which one of many pouchers caused a particular can to be over or under weight.
In accordance with aspects disclosed herein, there is a system and method for filling cans with pouches directly from a pouch-making machine, weighing the filled cans, and selectively adjusting the pouch-making machine based on the weighing. In embodiments, the system comprises a pouch-making machine having plural vertically-oriented lanes, each of which individually manufactures pouches filled with smokeless tobacco and inserts the pouches into a container (e.g., can) that may be sold to a consumer. Each lane may comprise an individual poucher and a transfer structure that guides completed pouches into a can positioned in the lane. The system may comprise a conveyor that controllably moves cans into alignment with the transfer structures of the plural lanes where each can is individually filled with pouches directly from a respective one of the lanes. In embodiments, the conveyor moves the filled cans to a tamping station and simultaneously moves a new set of empty cans into alignment with the transfer structures of the plural lanes. The system may incorporate a controllable hold-back structure in each of the transfer structures so that pouches may be continuously made even during movement of the cans by the conveyor. The system may also incorporate one or more sensors in each lane to accurately count the number of pouches inserted into each can.
In accordance with additional aspects disclosed herein, each can is weighed individually after being filled with pouches. In embodiments, the system is structured and arranged to associate each can with a respective one of the lanes, and to maintain this association through the can-weighing process. When a particular can is determined to be over or under weight via the can-weighing process, the association between the can and a particular lane may be used to adjust at least one manufacturing parameter of the lane. For example, the rate of tobacco being supplied to the poucher of a particular lane may be selectively increased or decreased based on the weighing of a can that was filled at that particular lane.
According to a first aspect, there is a system for manufacturing and inserting tobacco-filled pouches into containers. The system includes a pouch providing system comprising a plurality of lanes, wherein each one of the plurality of lanes comprises a pouch making machine and a hold-back structure. The system also includes a conveyor system structured and arranged to move a plurality of containers into alignment with the plurality of lanes. The system further includes a controller structured and arranged to control the hold-back structure in each one of the plurality of lanes such that pouches are inserted into the plurality of containers when the plurality of containers are aligned with the plurality of lanes.
According to another aspect, there is a method for manufacturing and inserting tobacco-filled pouches into containers. The method includes: engaging a plurality of containers with a conveyor system; simultaneously moving the plurality of containers into alignment with a corresponding plurality of pouch making machines; inserting pouches directly from respective ones of the plurality of pouch making machines into respective ones of the plurality of containers; individually weighing each one of the plurality of containers after the inserting; and adjusting a rate of tobacco supplied to a respective one of the plurality of pouch making machines based on the weighing.
In yet another aspect, a method of abating cracking and or deformation while tamping product into a container is provided. The method has particular utility when employed with containers having a bottom portion prone to cracking and/or deformation The method includes the steps of tamping product into the container while supporting the container at a tamping station with a conforming support element, the conforming support element having a bearing surface conforming with the bottom portion of the container; the tamping including retracting the conforming support element to a retracted position upon conclusion of the tamping; and while the conforming support element is at the retracted position, removing the tamped container from the tamping station and advancing an un-tamped container into the tamping station.
In one form, the method further includes the steps of supporting a plurality of the containers with a plurality of conforming support elements while tamping with a plurality of tamping heads at the tamping station; the tamping further including simultaneously lowering the plurality of conforming support elements to the retracted position upon conclusion of the tamping and simultaneously returning the plurality of conforming support elements to the supporting position upon advancing a plurality of un-tamped containers.
In still yet another aspect, provided is an apparatus operative to abate cracking and or deformation while tamping product into a container, the container having a bottom portion prone to cracking and/or deformation. The apparatus includes an arrangement to tamp product into the container while supporting the container at a tamping station with a conforming support element, the conforming support element having a bearing surface conforming with the bottom portion of the container; the arrangement including an actuator operative to retract the conforming support element to a retracted position upon conclusion of the tamping; and while the conforming support element is at the retracted position, the arrangement operative to remove the tamped container from the tamping station and to advance an un-tamped container into the tamping station.
In one form, the arrangement is operative to support a plurality of the containers with a plurality of conforming support elements while tamping with a plurality of tamping heads at the tamping station.
In another form, the actuator simultaneously lowers the plurality of conforming support elements to the retracted position upon conclusion of the tamping and simultaneously returning the plurality of conforming support elements to the supporting position upon advancing a plurality of un-tamped containers.
Various aspects are further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of embodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Various aspects will now be described with reference to specific forms selected for purposes of illustration. It will be appreciated that the spirit and scope of the apparatus, system and methods disclosed herein are not limited to the selected forms. Moreover, it is to be noted that the figures provided herein are not drawn to any particular proportion or scale, and that many variations can be made to the illustrated forms. Reference is now made to
Each of the following terms written in singular grammatical form: “a,” “an,” and “the,” as used herein, may also refer to, and encompass, a plurality of the stated entity or object, unless otherwise specifically defined or stated herein, or, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the phrases “a device,” “an assembly,” “a mechanism,” “a component,” and “an element,” as used herein, may also refer to, and encompass, a plurality of devices, a plurality of assemblies, a plurality of mechanisms, a plurality of components, and a plurality of elements, respectively.
Each of the following terms: “includes,” “including,” “has,” ‘“having,” “comprises,” and “comprising,” and, their linguistic or grammatical variants, derivatives, and/or conjugates, as used herein, means “including, but not limited to.”
Throughout the illustrative description, the examples, and the appended claims, a numerical value of a parameter, feature, object, or dimension, may be stated or described in terms of a numerical range format. It is to be fully understood that the stated numerical range format is provided for illustrating implementation of the forms disclosed herein, and is not to be understood or construed as inflexibly limiting the scope of the forms disclosed herein.
Moreover, for stating or describing a numerical range, the phrase “in a range of between about a first numerical value and about a second numerical value,” is considered equivalent to, and means the same as, the phrase “in a range of from about a first numerical value to about a second numerical value,” and, thus, the two equivalently meaning phrases may be used interchangeably.
It is to be understood that the various forms disclosed herein are not limited in their application to the details of the order or sequence, and number, of steps or procedures, and sub-steps or sub-procedures, of operation or implementation of forms of the method or to the details of type, composition, construction, arrangement, order and number of the system, system sub-units, devices, assemblies, sub-assemblies, mechanisms, structures, components, elements, and configurations, and, peripheral equipment, utilities, accessories, and materials of forms of the system, set forth in the following illustrative description, accompanying drawings, and examples, unless otherwise specifically stated herein. The apparatus, systems and methods disclosed herein can be practiced or implemented according to various other alternative forms and in various other alternative ways.
It is also to be understood that all technical and scientific words, terms, and/or phrases, used herein throughout the present disclosure have either the identical or similar meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, unless otherwise specifically defined or stated herein. Phraseology, terminology, and, notation, employed herein throughout the present disclosure are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for filling containers with units of smokeless tobacco and, more particularly, to manufacturing and inserting pouches of smokeless tobacco into containers in a continuous operation with on-line weight control. According to aspects disclosed herein, a system includes plural pouch making machines that operate continuously and in parallel.
A conveyor system may be structured and arranged to simultaneously move plural empty containers into alignment with the plural pouch making machines, such that the respective containers are simultaneously filled with pouches directly from respective ones of the pouch making machines. The position of each container may be tracked throughout the entire system, and each container may be associated with the particular one of the pouch making machines from which it was filled. Each container may be weighed after being filled, and at least one operational parameter of the pouch making machine associated with the weighed container may be adjusted based on the weight of the container independent of the other pouch making machines.
According to aspects described herein, the pouch providing system 10 includes plural lanes L1, L2, . . . , LN, each of which constitutes a separate avenue for pouches to be manufactured and inserted directly into containers. In the non-limiting illustrative embodiment shown in
Still referring to
In the embodiment depicted in
In another embodiment shown in
The embodiment of
In embodiments, the sampling structure 55 comprises a tube, funnel, or other structure that receives pouches P from the poucher 100 and guides the pouches P to one of two locations. The sampling structure 55 may be pivoted between first and second positions. In the first position, an outlet of the sampling structure 55 is substantially aligned with an inlet of the transfer structure 65 such that pouches P move (e.g., by gravity) from the sampling structure 55 to the transfer structure 65. In the second position, the outlet of the sampling structure 55 is pivoted away from the inlet of the transfer structure 65 such that pouches are diverted to a reject/sample bin (not shown). The pivoting of the sampling structure 55 between the first and second positions may be manually controlled or may be automated (e.g., with an actuator). For example, the sampling structure 55 may be pivoted between the first and second positions by an actuator 57 that is controlled by the controller C, which may comprise a programmable computer device.
The transfer structure 65 may comprise a tube, funnel, or other structure that receives pouches P from the sampling structure 55 and guides the pouches P to the container 25 via the funnel cup 20. The hold-back structure 70 may be provided at the transfer structure 65 and operates to selectively permit or prevent the passage of pouches P through the transfer structure 65. For example, the hold-back structure 70 may be selectively moveable between first and second positions. In the first position, the hold-back structure 70 substantially blocks the transfer structure 65 such that pouches P can enter but cannot exit the transfer structure 65. In the second position, the hold-back structure 70 is retracted and does not block the flow of pouches through the transfer structure 65 and, instead, permits any pouch P in the transfer structure 65 to fall into the container 25.
The transfer structure 65 and hold-back structure 70 provide a mechanism for ensuring that pouches P are only directed to the container 25 when the container 25 is substantially aligned (e.g., vertically aligned) with the transfer structure 65. As described in greater detail herein, the poucher 100 continuously produces pouches P, e.g., at a rate of about one pouch per second. Accordingly, the hold-back structure 70 may be closed (e.g., moved to the first position) when the carousel is moving containers between the lanes (e.g., L1-L10) of the system. The pouches P accumulate inside the transfer structure 65 when the hold-back structure 70 is in the first (e.g., closed) position, i.e., to avoid being dropped onto the conveyor system 15 when a container 25 is not in proper position for receiving the pouches. Subsequently, when the carousel 23 has moved the container 25 into substantial alignment with the transfer structure 65 and come to a stop, the hold-back structure 70 is moved from the first (closed) position to the second (open) position and any pouches P that have accumulated in the transfer structure 65 drop into the container 25. Depending on the amount of time that the hold-back structure 70 is held in the second (open) position, other pouches P may pass through the transfer structure 65 and fall into the container 25 without accumulating in the transfer structure 65. In this manner, the poucher 100 may be structured and arranged to continuously produce pouches P even while the conveyor system 15 is moving containers 25 within the system.
As such, hold-back structure 70 can be structured and arranged so as to block the transfer of pouches P during the period when a filled container 25 is being replaced by an empty container 25. As may be appreciated, when configured in this manner, hold-back structure 70 does not serve to hold-back the entire predetermined number of pouches P that are intended for filling container 25, but rather only those produced during the period when a filled container 25 is being replaced by an empty container 25. As those skilled in the art will plainly recognize, however, hold-back structure 70 can be structured and arranged so as to block the transfer of the entire predetermined number of pouches P that are intended for filling container 25, or any number in between. As such, in embodiments, the hold-back structure may remain at its first, closed position until a predetermined number of pouches have accumulated.
In embodiments, the hold-back structure 70 comprises a gate having a number of finger-like members that are moved into and out of the transfer structure 65. For example, the transfer structure 65 may comprise a cylindrical tube with a sidewall, and may have holes in the sidewall. The hold-back structure 70 may comprise a number of finger-like members aligned with and moveable through the holes, e.g., in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow of pouches P through the transfer structure 65. An actuator 72 that is controlled by the controller C may be used to selectively move the finger-like members of the hold-back structure 70 between the first (closed) position in which the finger like members are inside the transfer structure 65, and the second (open) position in which the finger like members are not inside the transfer structure 65. It is noted that the hold-back structure 70 is not limited to the finger-like members described herein, and any mechanism that controllably blocks and unblocks the transfer structure 65 may be used in implementations.
Still referring to
As further illustrated in
According to aspects described herein, the amount of tobacco discharged from the feeder 135 into the funnel 130 affects the amount of tobacco that is provided in each pouch P, which, in turn, affects the total amount of tobacco that is included in a single container 25. For example, the feeder 135 may comprise a screw-type feeder used for discharging tobacco from the inlet 120 to the outlet 125 and into the funnel 130. The screw of the feeder 135 may be rotated by a motor 160 that is controlled by the controller C. The output of the motor 160 may be increased increase the amount of rotation of the screw of the feeder 135, which increases the flow rate (e.g., mass flow rate) per feed cycle of tobacco into the funnel 130. Alternatively, the output of the motor 160 may be decreased to reduce the amount of rotation of the screw of the feeder 135, to decrease the flow rate of tobacco per cycle into the funnel 130. In lieu or in addition, the speed of the motor 160 may be adjusted to adjust feed rate per cycle.
The amount of tobacco into the funnel 130 affects the weight of each pouch P made in the poucher 100, such that the feeder 135 may be controlled to affect the weight of the container 25 when a given number of pouches P are inserted into each container. In this manner, and as described in greater detail herein, a container 25 that is filled with a number of pouches at lane L2 may be weighed at a location downstream of the outlet 45, and the speed (and/or duration) of the feeder 135 at lane L2 may be altered (e.g., increased or decreased) based on the weighing, e.g., to ensure that a desired amount of tobacco is being provided in subsequent containers filled at this lane.
As shown in
When a predetermined number of pouches have been inserted into each container in the first subset of group 310, the hold-back structures are closed, and the conveyor system advances one position as shown in
After a predetermined number of pouches have been inserted into each container in the second subset of group 310, the hold-back structures are closed, and the conveyor system advances nine positions as shown in
When a predetermined number of pouches have been inserted into each container in the first subset of second group 320, the hold-back structures are closed, and the conveyor system advances one position as shown in
After a predetermined number of pouches have been inserted into each container in the second subset of the second group 320, the hold-back structures are closed, and the conveyor system advances nine positions as shown in
Additionally, while the conveyor system is momentarily stopped in the position shown in
Upon filling the first subset of the third group 330 and tamping the first group 310, the hold-back structures are closed and the conveyor system then advances another one position as shown in
The advancement of one position depicted in
The flow of containers through the system as described with respect to
According to aspects described herein, one or more selectively extendable and retractable gates 410 may be structured and arranged to temporarily stop a single container 25 on a sensor 413 at the weigh station 400. The sensor 413 may be configured to detect a weight of the filled container 25 and communicate this detected weight to the controller C.
When the controller C determines that the container 25 is satisfactory, then the controller C actuates the gate 410 to cause movement of the container 25 from the weigh station 400 to downstream processes, such as an optional, additional tamping process 415 (e.g., that further tamps down the pouches in container), and a lidding process 416 (e.g., that applies a lid to the container). On the other hand, when the controller C determines that a container is not satisfactory, then the controller C may cause a reject actuator 417 to divert the container 25 to a reject chute 420. The reject actuator 417 may comprise any suitable actuator that is capable of diverting the container 25, such as a pneumatic, hydraulic, or servo-type linear actuator with an extendable and retractable push rod that pushes the container off the weigh station 400 and into the reject chute 420, e.g., as indicated by arrow 422.
In exemplary embodiments, a container may be deemed satisfactory when it both: (i) contains an acceptable number of pouches, and (ii) has a weight within lower and upper limits. The number of pouches in the container may be determined using the count sensor 60. More specifically, since the order of the containers is preserved from the output 40 to the weigh station 400, the controller C may be programmed to associate a container 25 at the weigh station 400 with a particular filling event at a particular lane of the system 10. Thus, using the data from the count sensors 60 and the position data of each container 25 in the conveyor system 15, the controller C may be configured to determine a number of pouches in each respective container 25. Accordingly, the controller C may be programmed to compare the number of pouches in a container 25 to a predefined acceptable number, and reject the container 25 at weigh station 400 using reject actuator 417 when the number of pouches in the container does not equal the predefined acceptable number.
As already described herein, the sensor 413 may communicate data to the controller C indicating a weight of the container 25 that is located at the weight station 400. The controller C may be programmed to compare the weight data to a predefined low threshold and a predefined high threshold. When the weight of the container 25 at the weight station 400 is less than the low threshold or greater than the high threshold, the controller C may actuate the reject actuator 417 to divert the container 25 to the reject chute 420.
It is noted that the reject scheme including reject actuator 417 and reject chute 420 are merely exemplary, and implementations are not limited to this particular scheme. For example, rather than diverting containers one at a time, a group of plural containers may be queued at a location downstream of the weigh station, and corresponding plural number of reject actuators may be selectively and individually actuated to reject one or more of the plural containers that were deemed unsatisfactory. The other ones of the plural containers that are not rejected are then passed to the downstream processes.
According to aspects described herein, the weight of the container 25 determined at weight station 400 may be used as the basis for adjusting operation of the motor 160 of the poucher 100 in the lane where the particular container 25 was filled. Specifically, since the order of the containers is preserved from the output 40 to the weigh station 400, and since the position of each container is known at all times in the conveyor system 15, the controller C may be programmed to associate a container 25 at the weigh station 400 with a particular lane of the system 10. The controller C may further be programmed to adjust the output of the motor 160 of the poucher 100 in the particular lane based on the detected weight of the container 25 at the weigh station 400. For example, when the controller C determines from sensor 413 that the container 25 weighs less than the low threshold, the controller C may increase the output of the motor 160 during a feed cycle to increase the amount of tobacco that is contained in each pouch made by the particular poucher 100. Alternatively, when the controller C determines from sensor 413 that the container 25 weighs more than the high threshold, the controller C may decrease the output of the motor 160 to decrease the amount of tobacco that is contained in each pouch made by the particular poucher 100.
Preferably, a predetermined number of weight readings of cans from a given lane are averaged and the average value is compared to a nominal value before adjustment is made to the feed rate of the feeder 135 for that particular lane. Using an average weight reading avoids swings in feeder operation and achieves a smoother response to any tendency of the actual feed rate to move off nominal in any particular lane. Preferably, an average weight of three (3) cans is used, although a greater number is usable. All the while, if any member can within a set is above or below acceptable weight limits, that can is rejected, but its weight reading is used for control purposes.
In addition, the controller is configured to track and compare the magnitude of adjustments amongst the feeders 135 to anticipate a problem with one or more of the lanes that might require the attention of the operator or a shut-down of the machine. In one embodiment, each feed rate is monitored and compared to an average of all feed rates, and if any one feed rate (or more) is about 20% or more above or below the average, the machine is shut down and the errant lane identified to the operator for inspection for accumulation of material, clogs or electro-mechanical problems.
At step 520, the plural containers are moved into alignment with a corresponding plural number of continuously operating pouch making machines. This may comprise, for example, the carousel 23 moving simultaneously moving the containers into alignment with the active lanes of the system 10, in which each active lane includes a poucher 100 that continuously makes pouches at a substantially constant rate.
At step 530, the plural containers are simultaneously filled. This may comprise, for example, opening the hold-back structure 70 of each active lane to drop accumulate pouches into the containers 25, and to permit a number of pouches to drop directly from the pouchers 100 into the containers 25. In embodiments, each container 25 receives pouches from only a single poucher 100.
At step 540, the filled containers are moved to a tamping zone and the contents of each container are tamped down inside the container. This may comprise, for example, the carousel 23 moving the filled containers 25 out of the filling zone 35 and into the tamping zone 40, where the pouches are tamped down into the containers.
At step 550, the filled containers are disengaged from the conveyor. This may comprise, for example, the carousel 23 moving the funnel cups 20 through the outlet 45, where the funnel cups 20 disengage the filled containers. The filled containers may then be moved by another conveyor to the weigh station, with the order of the containers being maintained throughout.
At step 560, each filled container is weighed individually. This may comprise, for example, moving each container individually onto a weight sensor 413.
At step 570, a rate of tobacco supplied to a particular one of the pouch making machines is individually adjusted based on the detected weight of a container that was filled at the particular pouch making machine. This may comprise, for example, detecting the weight of a particular container at step 560, comparing the detected weight to a low and a high threshold, and using the detected weight value to establish and send a control signal to a variable speed motor 160 that drives a tobacco feeder 135 in the poucher 100 that was used to fill the particular container. Each one of the plural pouchers 100 may be individually adjusted based on the detected weights exclusive of the other pouchers 100.
Referring now to
In operation, each time the container conveyor moves in sets of 10 cups, for each cup that moves, the cup sensor and container sensor must both be on, seeing a cup and a container. Once a set of 10 containers is loaded, any containers missing from the newly loaded set will stop the machine for missing container(s). If this occurs, the hold back structure, or combs, holding pouches while the containers move, do not retract, keeping pouches from dropping on the container conveyor track. Should this occur, the operator must correct the container feed issue and restart the machine. The container unit will load 10 new empty containers. If any are detected missing, the machine stops again. If 10 containers are successfully loaded, then the hold back structure, or combs, will retract and pouches will drop into containers and production continues.
After a set of containers have been filled with pouches, the container conveyor advances them to be tamped. Each tamp head presses down into a container and packs the pouches tighter together. This is done to prevent pouches from sticking out of the containers. The number of times a set of containers is tamped can vary based on the speed that the machine is operating. As may be appreciated, the tamp heads must be up in order for the container conveyor to execute a move. When containers are being tamped, the tamp heads should be able to enter the containers with 1 millimeter of clearance between the outside of the tamp head and the container.
After the pouches are tamped they enter the exit conveyor which carries them to the checkweigher. Containers that have already been marked as “external rejects” will automatically be rejected. The remaining containers marked as “good” will be weighed on the checkweigher to determine if the pouch weights are within an acceptable range of weights. If they are, they will continue on the conveyor. If not, they will be rejected off of the checkweigher. When a container's weight is out of the accepted range, the checkweigher sends needed adjustment information to the poucher which in turn adjusts its feed mechanism to produce tobacco pouches closer to a target pouch weight.
According to aspects described herein, the container support assembly 700 is structured and arranged to temporarily support the bottom surface of the container 25′ during tamping by a tamp head 710. As shown in
As depicted in
According to aspects described herein, the support element 705 is moveable between a first position and a second position. As shown in
Any suitable mechanism may be used to selectively move the support element 705 between the first position and the second position. For example, as shown in
The actuator 730 may be a pneumatic piston and cylinder type actuator, or any other suitable actuator. The amount of vertical travel “T” of the support element 705 between the down position (
The disclosed actuator 730 and wedges 740, 745 provide a simple mechanism that provides well controlled and consistent motion to the support 705 across a plurality of tamping mechanisms.
It is contemplated that the support element 705 may include conforming protrusions 720 that substantially conform to shapes other than the arcuate shapes of the described embodiments.
The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details in more detail than is necessary for fundamental understanding, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms disclosed herein may be embodied in practice.
It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting. While aspects have been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure in its aspects. Although aspects have been described herein with reference to particular means, materials, and/or embodiments, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, it extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/683,034, filed on Aug. 14, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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