Apparatus for producing packages of infusion products

• US 10,457,432 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche ACMA SPA
• Original Assignee: Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche ACMA SPA
• Inventors: Spatafora, Mario, Coi, Daniele, Noferini, Giacomo, Nanni, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Valvis, Alexander M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Himchan "Aiden"
• Application Number:
  US15/506,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20170240305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 531341, 531342, 531385, 531394, 532847, 112 10, 112383, 112493
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 29/04 Attaching, or forming and attaching, string handles or tags to tea bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 51/00 Devices for, or methods of, sealing or securing package folds or closures; Devices for gathering or twisting wrappers, or necks of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/005 for removing material by cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/14 for incorporating, or forming and incorporating, handles or suspension means in packages attaching, or forming and attaching, string handles or tags to tea-bags B65B29/04
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/808 for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags

Abstract

An apparatus for producing packages of infusion products, such as a bag filled with a dosed quantity of a product, a tag and a length of thread attached at opposite ends to the bag and to the tag respectively, includes a forming group of the filled bag, a feeding group of the formed bag and of the tag, a cutting and feeding group of the length of thread, and a sewing head of the length of thread to the bag and to the tag.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing packages of infusion products, said packages comprising a bag (3) filled with a dosed quantity of a product, a tag (4), and a length of thread (2) attached at opposite ends to said bag (3) and said tag (4) respectively, said apparatus comprising:

a forming group (30,40) of said filled bag (3);

a feeding group (50) that feeds said filled bag after forming;

a cutting and feeding group (60) of said length of thread (2); and

a sewing head (70) of said length of thread (2) to said filled bag (3), wherein said feeding group (50), said cutting and feeding group (60), and said sewing head (70) are capable of rotating around respective rotation axes,

wherein said feeding group (50) of said filled bag also feeds said tag (4), and said sewing head (70) sews said length of thread (2) also to said tag (4), and

wherein said sewing head (70) peripherally carries one or more movable sewing units (80), said one or more sewing units (80) being caused, in succession, to move and interact with said cutting and feeding unit via a first tracking motion of said cutting and feeding unit (60), to receive said length of thread via a second tracking motion of said feeding group (50) of said filled bag and said tag (4), and to sew ends of said length of thread (2) received by said cutting and feeding (60) group, to said bag (3) and to said tag (4) carried in a continuous movement by said feeding group (50).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feeding group (50) and said sewing head (70) are activated in a continuous rotational movement.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cutting and feeding (60) group is activated in a stepped rotational movement.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sewing head (50) peripherally carries the one or more sewing units (80), each of the one or more sewing units (80) forming a body (81) articulated to said sewing head (50) according to an articulation axis (82) parallel to the rotation axis of the same sewing head (70), to effect said first tracking motion and said second tracking motion.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the one or more sewing units (80) comprises a sewing device (83), an auxiliary device (84) for the sewing of the length of thread (2) onto said bag (3) and onto said tag (4), and a tensioning control device (85) of the length of thread (2), applied to said body (81).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sewing device (84) comprises a pair of coaxial needles (86), each needle (86) being movably carried by a respective leverage (88) articulated to said body (81) to produce an alternating axial translation motion of said needle (86), away from and towards said tensioning control device (85) of the thread (2), arranged centrally on each of said one or more sewing units (80), according an axial direction of the body (81), and activated by an activation element (91) suitable for driving an axial rotation of the needle (86).

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each needle has an open end eye (87) for hooking a length of said thread (2).

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tensioning control device (85) of the thread (2), comprises a withholding system (93) of the ends of the length of thread (2), cooperating with a buffering system of the length of thread (2), in turn comprising a first frame (94) and a second frame (95) movable with respect each other for feeding, to said sewing device (83), a required length of thread (2) to be sewn.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said auxiliary device (84) defines an engagement element or tab (100) protruding from a side facing said respective needle (86), in order to favor a correct hooking of said thread (2) around the open end eye (87) and control a forming step of loops of said thread (2), for sewing the thread (2) to said bag (3) and to said tag (4).

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and feeding group (60) has a plurality of stretching elements (62) of the thread (2), with a dual gripper, cooperating in pairs for unwinding and stretching lengths of thread (2) having a suitable length for said sewing, each stretching element (62) comprising a first branch (66a) and a second branch (66b) spaced apart at sides of a respective opening (67) in correspondence with which a cutter cuts an end of the length of thread (2) withheld by said first branch (66a) and said second branch (66b).