Patent Application
20160339484
This application claims priority to European Patent Application Number 15168593.0 filed May 21, 2015, to Andreas Mader, currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a tray sealer, a method for operating a tray sealer, and a method for cleaning a cutting groove of a tray sealer.
A tray sealer with a tray receptacle is known from EP 1 842 776 A2, where gas can be supplied and discharged via openings in the tray receptacle to modify the atmosphere in a tray filled with a product.
EP 2 641 835 A1 discloses a tray sealer with an optimized sealing tool comprising a gas introduction opening and an evacuation opening, where the two openings are arranged on a common side of the sealing tool in order to achieve a U-shaped flow path without turbulence. For products having small particles on their surfaces like breading crumbs, herbs and spices, the particles can be picked up and carried along by the gas flow. In a region disposed opposite the openings, the strength of the flow can drop such that the particles partially deposit on the tray edge and on a cutting groove of a tray receptacle. The particles that become deposited on the tray edge, which in part serves as a sealing surface, can lead to defects in the seal and therefore lead to the discarding of non-useable packages. Deposits in the cutting groove can accumulate during on-going operation and cause problems or higher loads during the cutting process.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved tray sealer which eliminates the aforementioned problems.
The tray sealer according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a sealing tool lower part with a tray receptacle and a sealing tool upper part, where the tray receptacle comprises a cutting groove being provided circumferentially around each opening for a tray in the tray receptacle. The tray receptacle can comprise at least one inlet opening and at least one outlet opening facing the cutting groove for flushing the cutting groove with gas. This results in a gas flow within the cutting groove which conveys foreign particles, such as herbs or small product residues that have deposited in the cutting groove, in the direction toward the outlet opening and further through this opening into the interior of the sealing tool lower part below the tray receptacle or from the tool lower part directly to the exterior, for example, into a collection container. Fouling or contamination of the tray receptacle and also of the sealing surface at the tray edge is thereby prevented or at least greatly reduced.
The inlet opening and the outlet opening may be located below a tray support of the tray receptacle in order to optimize the gas flow in the cutting groove, so that the cutting groove can act as a channel for the flow from the inlet opening all the way to the outlet opening.
The inlet opening and the outlet opening can have an orientation that is parallel to each other, since at least three sides of the cutting groove are in rectangular trays cleanable with a U-shaped flow.
In one embodiment, the inlet opening has a cross-sectional area of 20 to 50 mm2 and/or the outlet opening has a cross-sectional area of 30 to 80 mm2, where the inlet opening can also comprise a plurality of bores having the cross-sectional area specified. This configuration provides, firstly, for an effective gas flow and, secondly, for optimized discharge conveyance of the particles from the cutting groove through the outlet opening.
A line may be provided within the tray receptacle from the outlet opening downwardly into an interior of the sealing tool lower part. Particles or fouling carried along by the gas flow can be discharged via the line.
The tray receptacle can comprise multiple gas introduction openings and evacuation openings for introducing gas or flushing a respective tray or the space within the tray, respectively, with gas. The gas introduction openings may be provided above a plane defined by the tray support in order to efficiently create a modified atmosphere in the interior of the tray or the package, respectively.
The inlet opening and the outlet opening can each be arranged on a common side with the gas introduction and evacuation openings, as no or only very minor undesirable deposits of particles in the cutting groove and on the tray edge may occur on this common side. All openings may comprise a common parallel alignment.
A method according to one embodiment of the present invention for cleaning a cutting groove of a tray sealer described above is characterized in that gas is introduced prior to sealing and/or during sealing through the inlet opening into the cutting groove and this gas is at least in part discharged through the outlet opening from the cutting groove in order to entirely or in part remove particles or foreign objects that are located in the cutting groove. The gas may be oxygen, nitrogen, mixtures of both, air, or other gases or gas mixtures.
The flow path of the gas within the cutting groove may be largely congruent to the flow path of the gas for flushing the tray in order to prevent turbulence and to cause effective cleaning of the sealing surface on the tray edge.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.
In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the invention is further illustrated using a drawing, where:
Same components are throughout the figures designated with the same reference numerals.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.
The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
This sectional view of
A gas flow, in
Inlet opening 17 can have a cross-sectional area 22 which corresponds to the cross section in a supply line 24. Similarly, outlet opening 19 can have a cross-sectional area 23 which corresponds to the cross section in a line 25. Line 25 can extend such that the escaping gas and the particles pass downwardly into interior space 30 of sealing tool lower part 6 and can be collected therein.
The inlet opening 17 or outlet opening 19, respectively, may alternatively comprise a plurality of bores or openings with a cross-sectional area that corresponds to the above-mentioned inlet opening 17 or outlet opening 19, respectively.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions and methods described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The teams “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15168593.0 | May 2015 | EP | regional |
