Patent Application
20130269834
The present invention relates generally to a device for loading material into a bag. The invention relates more specifically to a device for moving material into a bag where there is a high coefficient of friction between the material to be loaded and the material of the bag. The invention relates even more specifically to packaging dressed poultry in a plastic bag.
Many types of loaders, automated and manual, are used to package material in bags. For example, the automated poultry loader described in United States Published Patent Application No. 2008/0022636 A1, Two-in-One Bagger, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, can be used to encase a whole dressed bird such as a chicken, turkey, or duck, in a plastic bag. Automated loaders of this type conventionally use horns to hold the bag open as the whole dressed bird is pushed, or rammed, into the bag. The horns either rotate in a plane to hold the bag open, as described in the '636 publication, or rotate axially, as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,310, Poly-stretch Bagger System with Hocking Pusher, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of loaders, manual and automated, use a funnel system instead of horns. A schematic drawing of the funnel system as known in the prior art is shown in
In some applications, poultry such as chickens are slaughtered, defeathered, and eviscerated, and the heads and feet are removed. The carcass then is placed in a cool bath of chlorinated water to chill the bird and kill any bacteria. When the bird is ready for packaging, as described above, it is wet from the bath. In this application, the bird slides relatively easily over and through sheet metal horns and funnels, as the wet skin and the polished sheet metal have a relatively low coefficient of friction. Additionally, some degree of sliding over the plastic of the bag is achieved, as the coefficient of friction between the wet bird and the plastic is also relatively low.
in other applications, however, poultry is air dried and not subjected to a water bath. In these applications, the skin of the bird is dry. Users of these applications consider the package of a dry bird to be more pleasing to consumers than a package containing a wet bird. The drawback, however, is that there is a relatively high coefficient of friction between dry poultry skin and the stainless steel of a horn or funnel of a loader, and an even higher coefficient of friction between dry poultry skin and the plastic of a bag.
The present invention addresses sonic of the deficiencies of the prior art and presents an apparatus that can be used with both wet and dry material.
A horn for an automated loader has an interior surface, at least a portion of which comprises a reduced-friction surface. In one aspect of the invention, the reduced-friction surface comprises textures or dimples, as from textured metal, preferably textured steel. In another aspect of the invention, the reduced-friction surface comprises a coating of a slippery substance such as a thermoplastic polymer, for example polytetrafluoroethylene. In yet another aspect of the invention, the reduced-friction surface is textured metal, preferably textured steel, coated with a slippery substance such as a thermoplastic polymer, for example polytetrafluoroethylene.
The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying non-scale drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which:
While the invention. may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein. The embodiments of the present invention will be described as part of a funnel horn or horn system to be incorporated into an automated poultry loader, for use with wet or dry poultry. The present invention can be part of a funnel horn or horn system on manual or automated poultry loaders, such as loaders for bagging and/or netting whole poultry, cut-up poultry, or whole muscle meat products. The present invention can also be used on other applications in which a material is enclosed in a casing, bag, or netting, including such materials as sealants, adhesives, and explosives, or for any other application in which a lower coefficient of friction between the material to be packaged and the funnel horn or horn system is desired.
The preferred embodiment of the automated loader of the present invention is shown in elevation schematic view in
Horn 48 is mounted to frame 42 and is a hollow tube having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The interior surface of horn 48 defines a generally funnel shape or conical shape. Preferably, both the interior and exterior surfaces are generally funnel-shaped or conical. Horn 48 need not be in the shape of a regular horn or regular cone, but can be irregularly shaped instead.
Horn 48 has a stuffing section 50 and a stem section 54. Stuffing section 50 is at first end 52 of horn 48. Stem section 54 is at second end 56 of horn 48. Stuffing section 50 has an inlet opening at first end 52. This opening is preferably large enough at first end 52 to accommodate insertion of the material to be packaged, such as a chicken 58. Stuffing section gradually decreases in at least of inside diameter, inside width, and inside height from first end 52 to stem section 54.
Stem section 54 preferably has a relatively constant inside diameter, inside height, or inside width throughout the entire length of stem section 54 or a portion of the entire length of stem section 54, from stuffing section 50 to second end 56, that diameter, width, or height being smaller than the diameter or width of stuffing section 50 at the inlet opening at first end 52. Stem section 54 has a discharge opening at second end 56. Preferably, stem section 54 has its outside diameter, outside height, and outside width sized to accommodate the diameter of the bag 60 into which the material to be packaged, such as a chicken 58, will be stuffed, as at least a portion of stem section 54 will be inside the bag during the stuffing operation. Stem section 54 also must also have an inside diameter, inside height, and inside width configured to accommodate insertion of the material to be packaged, such as a chicken 58. it will be recognized that material to be packaged, such as a chicken 58, will fit easily into stuffing section 50 and tightly into stem section 54.
In one aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the interior surface of horn 48 has dimples or textures. Preferably, horn 48 is formed entirely of textured or dimpled stainless steel. The inventor has fond, surprisingly, that by providing the inside of horn 48 with textures or dimples, dry chicken will slide more easily through horn 48 than it will slide through polished stainless steel, Preferably, the textured stainless steel is diamond-shaped textured stainless steel, such as HS Item Number R813000041, available from McNichols Co., Tampa, Fla., or type 4.WL, available from Mechanical Metals, Newtown, Pa. A representative diamond-shaped texture is shown schematically in
Preferably, horn 48 is formed from metal having a constant wall thickness, which would provide for the stamping of textures or dimples into all of or a portion of the interior surface of the steel.
The use of a textured interior surface will ease bagging of dry poultry. Nevertheless, the apparatus can also be used with wet poultry and therefore will be more useful to users than an apparatus that can only be used with one or the other.
In another aspect of the invention, at least a portion of the interior surface of horn 48 is coated with a slippery synthetic substance, meaning a substance that has a lower coefficient of friction with the material being loaded than does smooth stainless steel and the material being loaded. Most preferably, the substance is a thermoplastic polymer, preferably polytetrafluoroethylene, most preferably one of the materials sold under the brand name Teflon® by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. Any other slippery substance can be used as well. The use of a slippery synthetic substance will ease bagging of dry poultry. Nevertheless, the apparatus can also be used with wet poultry and therefore will be more useful to users than an apparatus that can only be used with one or the other.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the interior surface of horn 8 is made of textured or dimpled stainless steel as described above and is also coated with a slippery substance, most preferably a thermoplastic polymer, preferably polytetrafluoroethylene, most preferably one of the materials sold under the brand name Teflon® by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates, or with another slippery substance, as described above,
Plastic bag 60, as shown in elevation view in
Bag carriage assembly 46 is located at a front end of frame 42. Bag carriage assembly 46 has lifting and moving mechanisms, such as air cylinders, to raise it and lower it, as is known in the art. Bag carriage assembly 46 moves from a first position, as shown in
An air nozzle 80 is located at the front of frame 46, just below stem section 54.
Cylinder system 44 is mounted to frame 42 opposite stuffing section 50. Cylinder system 44, as well as all other air-operated components, are connected to a pressurized air supply 82, such as a plant air system.
In use, material such as chicken 58 is placed adjacent stuffing section 50, as shown in
Cylinder system 44 then operates to push chicken 58 through the inlet opening of stuffing section 50, and into stiffing section 50. As cylinder system 44 continues to actuate, chicken 58 continues to move through stuffing section 50 and into stem section 52. When chicken 58 encounters top bag 60a, top bag 60a begins to pull off horn 48 as cylinder system continues to push chicken 58 through the discharge opening of horn 48. Eventually, chicken 58 is pushed all the way through horn 48, as shown in
In another aspect of the present invention, a conventional roller conveyor 90 is mounted inside horn 48, As shown in
While preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/624,720, filed Apr. 16, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61624720 | Apr 2012 | US |
