Patent Application
20050262812
The present invention relates to food packaging methods and systems and, more particularly, to a form-fill-seal machine and method that utilizes a shaped seal bar and knife.
Various methods and systems have been utilized to wrap or package food products. For example, it is known to use straight seal bars to form a straight seal in a wrapping or packaging material. While these devices may be adequate for food items having straight surfaces or edges, using a straight seal bar and straight knife on a food item having a contoured shape can produce “dog ears” or other irregular shapes that extend out from the food product because the straight seal bar and knife do not make a clean seal and cut that follow the contour of the food product.
Other packages are made to conform to a shape of a food item. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,473 to Ericson describes forming a flexible bag. The bag is filled with a food item. More specifically, a web of tubular film is flattened, and straight and arcuate cuts are made along a bottom of the flattened tubular film using a blanking knife, a single die or a plurality of dies. The bottom of the bag is heat sealed. A bag formed in this manner results in a top of one flexible bag and a bottom of the next successive bag being formed with a cut in the tubular film. A food item having an irregular shape is packaged therein, and the cop is sealed so that the flexible bag adheres to the food item surfaces.
Ericson, however, does not provide for a form-fill-seal method and apparatus that can be used to form a wrapping material around a food item and seal the wrapping material around the food item. Rather, the bags are made and filled or packaged in an unautomated, discontinuous manner.
Other systems have provided some so called “form-fill-seal” capabilities, but are limited and can be improved. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,073 to Caudle describes a pouch for a liquid or liquid-like product that has concave and convex “S” shaped lateral edges. The lateral edges are designed with “S” shapes to make them easier to hold compared to straight lateral edges. A pouch is made by initially folding a web material. The front and rear (top and bottom) panels of the folded material are sealed using top and bottom seal bars. The web material is fed into a second sealing mechanism. The second sealing mechanism includes seal bars and cutting mechanisms that form the “S” shaped sides or lateral edges. One “S” shaped side is initially sealed, and the pouch is filled with a fluid (water, juice, soda), a high viscosity fluid (condiment and sauce), or a fluid/solid mixtures (soups, gels, powders) through the unsealed side. The final “S” shaped side is sealed after the pouch is filled. Thus, the pouch includes four separate seals—top, bottom, and two “S” shaped side seals.
Caudle, like Ericson, does not provide for a form-fill-seal method and apparatus that can be used to form a wrapping material around a food item and seal the wrapping material in a continuous manner. Rather, Caudle describes making a pouch with “S” shaped lateral edges, and then filling the pouch with a fluid. Once the pouch is filled with the fluid, a final lateral edge is sealed. Thus, the pouch panels do not conform to a food item having a pre-defined shape since a fluid, by its nature, does not exhibit these characteristics. Thus, Caudle's asserted “form-fill-seal” capabilities are limited.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and an apparatus that provide true form-fill-seal capabilities that can be implemented in a continuous and efficient manner in order to form, fill and seal packages with various food items, thereby improving food product appearances, processing times, costs and efficiency. The method and apparatus should utilize packaging materials that can be shaped around contours of various food items, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of the food product and eliminating “dog ears” that result from conventional processes.
In accordance with one embodiment is a method of wrapping a food item. The embodiment involves providing a wrapping film to a form-fill-seal machine, forming the wrapping film, feeding the food item into an aperture or pocket defined by the formed wrapping film, forming a shaped seal in the formed wrapping film along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal member, and cutting the wrapping film adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.
In another embodiment is a method of continuously forming, filling and sealing a food package with a food item. The embodiment involves transforming a wrapping film from a flat initial shape into a secondary shape while feeding the food item into an aperture or pocket defined by the wrapping film having the secondary shape, forming a first seal that joins lateral edges of the transformed wrapping film, forming a second seal in the wrapping film along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal bar, cutting the wrapping film having the secondary shape adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.
In a further embodiment, A method of continuously forming, filling and sealing a food package, product package INCLUDES forming a wrapping film into a shape around a food item being fed into the shaped wrapping film, forming a shaped seal along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal bar, and cutting the wrapping film adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.
In another alternative embodiment, a form-fill-seal apparatus includes a wrapping material, a collar, a lateral sealing member, a shaped seal bar, a shaped cutting knife. The wrapping material passes over the collar, which transforms the wrapping material into a second shape. The lateral sealing member receives edges of the wrapping material having the second shape and forms a lateral seal along a lateral length of the wrapping material. The shaped seal bar produces a shaped seal at a first end of the food item. The wrapping material is cut adjacent to the shaped seal by the shaped cutting knife.
In various embodiments, the shaped seal member includes a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar, which meet to form a shaped seal. One or both of the top and bottom bars can be heated to form a shaped heat seal. The shaped seal member and the shaped cutting knife can have curved shapes. Further, the wrapping film or material can be unrolled from a roll and shaped as needed. Various food items can be packaged including cylindrical food items, food items having a curved end, food items having a curved end and a flat end, food items having a semi-circular end, and food items having a pre-defined shape, such as a meat or meat-substitute food item.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout, and in which:
Embodiments of a form-fill-seal apparatus having a shaped seal bar and shaped knife and form-fill-seal methods are described. In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of illustration, and not limitation, specific embodiments which may be practiced.
More particularly, as shown in
The wrapping material 132, such as cellophane or other suitable food-grade film, is initially flat as it is unwound from the roll 130. The flat wrapping material 132 is fed between first and second conveyors 110 and 111 and over collars 141 and 142, which transform the wrapping material from the flat initial shape to a second or different shape. More particularly, the wrapping material is directed over the first collar members 145, and then over the second collar members 146.
As shown, one embodiment of a lateral sealing member 150 includes a plurality of sealing wheels. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing member 150 includes four sealing wheels 151-154 (generally 151). The wheels 151 and 152 rotate in opposite directions (one clockwise and one counterclockwise), and wheels 153 and 154 rotate in a similar manner, respectively. An a result, the lateral edges 134 of the shaped wrapping material 132 passing over the second collar members 146 are fed through the rotating wheels 151 and are joined and sealed together. In one embodiment, the lateral edges 134 of the wrapping material 132 are sealed together by the pressure applied by the wheels 151. In an alternative embodiment, the wheels 151 are heated, and heat from the wheels 151 forms a lateral heat seal 155 as the lateral edges 134 are fed through the rotating wheels 151.
While the lateral edges 134 are being fed to the sealing member 150, a food item on the first conveyor 111 is transported to the second conveyor 112. The second conveyor 112 transports the food item, which is inserted into an pocket or aperture 137 of the transformed or shaped wrapping material 132. Eventually, the food item proceeds into the wrapping material pocket 137, e.g., beneath the lateral sealing member 150.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the shaped seal bar 160 is a curved seal bar that includes a curved top bar 161 and a curved bottom bar 162 or bottom, both of which are positioned at the end of the second conveyor 112 and are approximately the same shape and size. In use, the curved top bar 161 and the curved bottom bar 162 are brought together to form a curved seal 165. For example, the curved top bar 161 can be actuated downward to meet the curved bottom bar 162, the curved bottom bar 162 can be actuated upward to meat the curved top bar 161, or both the curved top and bottom bars 161 and 162 can be actuated. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved bottom bar 162 is stationary, and the curved top bar 161 is actuated downward and meets the curved bottom bar 162.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other shaped seal bars 160 can be utilized depending, for example, a shape, a contour, and a size of the food item being wrapped. Accordingly, a curved seal bar is merely one example of a shaped seal bar, and a curved seal bar is shown for purposes of illustration, not limitation.
As illustrated in
The shaped knife 170 can be moveable relative to the shaped seal bar 160 so that it can be placed in “cutting” and “home” positions. Springs 174 can be used to retain the shaped cutting knife 170 in a home position or non-cutting position.
Applying pressure to or actuating the cutting knife 170 drives the curved blade 172 downward and along the outer edge of the curved top bar 161 and the curved bottom bar 162 to form a cut 175 in the shaped wrapping material 132. In other words, the curved blade 172 cuts the wrapping material 132 along the curved seal 165 formed by the curved seal bar 160. Thus, the curved seal 165 and the resulting curved cut 175 are both made along a first end 126 of the food item 120. The seal bar 160 and cutting knife 170 are then released or disengaged. At this stage, a first end 126 of the food item 120 is wrapped and sealed, and the curved seal 165 and cut 175 as formed, while a second end 127 of the food item is not yet sealed.
Referring to
The wrapping material 132 can have a flexibility that allows the wrapping film to conform to a shape of the food product. Further, the wrapping material 132 can be heat shrinkable to conform to the food item. For example, heat can be applied to the wrapped or partially wrapped food item on or after the third conveyor 113 to heat shrink the film around the food item.
Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that form-fill-seal embodiments can be used with various food items having various shapes and sizes. For example, as illustrated, one suitable food item has a generally semi-circular curved first end 126 and a generally flat second end 127. The curved first end 126 generally corresponds to the shape of the curved seal member 160 and the curved knife 170, although other seal bar and knife shapes can be utilized with different food item shapes.
The food item can also have both first and second curved ends, as previously discussed. Further, as illustrated, the food item has a cylindrical shape or cross-section. Other cross-sectional shapes can also be utilized. For example, a flat or flatter food item having a shaped or curved first end can also be utilized. Accordingly, the food item having various pre-defined shapes, including cylindrical cross sections and flat food products having one or more shaped, curved or semi-circular ends. Exemplary food products include meat or meat substitute products and sausages, but the embodiments are not so limited.
In step 700, a food item is transported on a first conveyor. In step 705, a film is unwound from a roll, and in step 710, the film is passed over a forming collar. In step 715, the film passed over the collar is shaped or transformed from its initial shape into a second shape. In step 720, the lateral edges of the shaped film are fed to a lateral sealing member. In step 725, the food item is passed from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. In step 730, the food item on the second conveyor is delivered into a pocket or an aperture defined by the shaped wrapping film.
In step 735, a first seal (lateral seal) is formed along a length of the food item as it passes by the lateral sealing member. In step 740, a shaped seal bar, e.g., a curved seal bar is engages. In step 745, the shaped wrapping material at a first or front end of the food item is pressed by the shaped seal bar to form a shaped seal, e.g., a curved seal, as a result of the applied pressure. In step 745, in an alternative embodiment, the sealing member is heated to form a shaped heat seal.
Thus steps 740 and 745 form a second seal. In step 755, a shaped cutting knife, e.g., a curved cutting knife, is engaged in step 760, the wrapping material is cut along the shaped seal, e.g., curved seal. In step 755, the cutting knife and sealing member are disengaged or released. In step 770, the partially wrapped food item is transported from the second conveyor to the third conveyor. In step 776, the wrapping material at the second end is sealed.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more of the above steps may be performed at the same time as other steps to provide a continuous form-fill-seal process. Accordingly, while
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the embodiments described herein can be utilized with various food items having various shapes and sizes including, but not limited to, meat, sausage and other encased food products. Thus the shaped seal bar and cutting knife can be designed to resemble or conform to various food contours. Further, the shaped seal member and the shaped cutting knife can have varying degrees of curvature or various curved sections to correspond to surfaces and shapes of various food items.
