Apparatus with Opposing Housings for Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Products Placed in Trays

• US 20130036706A1
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gruppo Fabbri Vignola S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Gruppo Fabbri Vignola S.p.A.
• Inventors: Vaccari, Massimiliano, Schiavina, Andrea
• Granted Patent: US 9,555,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/79
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7451 the severing tool and the welding tool being movable with respect to one-another
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7461 for making welds and cuts of other than simple rectilinear form
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/00141 Protective gases
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/00143 Active gases
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/00145 Vacuum, e.g. partial vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/112 Single lapped joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/131 Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/24244 forming a rectangle
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/53461 joining substantially flat covers and/or substantially flat bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81427 comprising a single ridge, e.g. for making a weakening line; comprising a single tooth
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8161 said pressing elements being supported or backed-up by springs or by resilient material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/83221 cooperating reciprocating tools, each tool reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/849 Packaging machines
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7164 Blister packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/00 Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/02 Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers or wrappers in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/028 closed by a lid sealed to the upper rim of the container, e.g. tray-like container
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/046 the nozzles co-operating, or being combined, with a device for opening or closing the container or wrapper B65B31/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/001 Arrangements to enable adjustments related to the product to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/003 : Arrangements to enable adjustments related to the packaging material
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/02 : Arrangements to enable adjustments to be made while the machine is running
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/02 : for perforating, scoring , slitting, or applying code or date marks on material prior to packaging scoring ampoules B65B3/006

Abstract

When the opposing housings (1, 8) of the apparatus are closed, they form between them a small main chamber (P) delimited above by the film (H) for covering the tray and below by the tray (V) itself containing the product (M), and laterally by any suitable mechanical interface structure which surrounds the perimeter of said film and connects it to the perimeter of the upper edge (B) of the tray, this interface structure having holes (22) which are suitably distributed, are located outside the perimeter of the tray, and communicate with said main chamber (P). One or more of these holes (22) open(s) on at least one side of the tray and is/are connected to a first circuit (23, 24), while another one or more of said holes (22′) open(s) on at least one opposing side of the tray and is/are connected to a second circuit (17) which in turn is connected to the inner chambers of the two housings (1, 8). Means (18, 19, 20) are provided to operate in such a way that, in the step of vacuum formation, both said first circuit (24) and said second circuit (17) are connected to vacuum forming means (21) which are kept active for a sufficient time to eliminate some of the air from the inside of the tray and to act in such a way that said first circuit (24) is connected in the next step or at the correct time to means (25) for supplying the process gases, while said second circuit (17) is closed or remains in communication with the vacuum means (21) to ensure that the process gas entering the tray from said first circuit (22, 24) causes the residual air in the tray to flow out from and/or towards said second circuit (22′, 17), thus flushing and saturating the inner volume of the tray, which is subsequently sealed using known steps and means for welding and finally cutting the film (H).

Claims

1. Apparatus with opposing housings for the modified atmosphere packaging of products placed in trays, of the type comprising a downwardly open upper housing (1) containing the welding means (5) and preferably also containing the means (6) for cutting the barrier film (H) for sealing the trays, and an upwardly open lower housing (8) with a chamber (9) having at least one seat (10) for housing a tray (V) which can be moved into and out of this seat, and comprising means for positioning a stretched portion of film (H) between the two housings (1, 8) and above the trays (V), as well as means for bringing said housings towards each other to clamp between them the edges of the tray and said film above these edges, and also comprising means operating at the correct time to extract air from the tray and subsequently inject process gases into it to preserve the product placed in the tray, before the subsequent step of welding the film onto the edge of the tray and the subsequent cutting along the perimeter of the portion of film welded to the tray, characterized in that means are provided to operate in such a way that said housings (1, 8) form within them a main chamber (P) delimited above by the film (H) for covering the tray and below by the tray (V) containing the product (M), and laterally by any suitable mechanical interface structure which surrounds the perimeter of said film and connects it to the perimeter of the upper edge (B) of the tray, this interface structure being provided with holes and/or slots (22) which are suitably distributed and located outside the perimeter of the tray and which communicate with said main chamber (P), one or more of these holes (22) opening substantially in one portion or side of the tray and being connected to a first circuit (23, 24), while another one or more (22′

) of said holes open(s) in at least one opposing portion or side of the tray and is/are connected to a second circuit (17) which is connected to the inner chambers of the two housings (1, 8), means (18, 19, 20) being provided to operate in such a way that, in the vacuum formation step, both said first circuit (24) and said second circuit (17) are connected to vacuum forming means (21) which are kept active for a sufficient time to eliminate some of the air from the inside of the tray and to operate in such a way that, in the next step or at the correct time, said first circuit (24) is connected to means (25) for supplying the process gases, while said second circuit (17) is closed or remains connected to the vacuum means (21) in such a way that the process gas flowing into one part of the tray through said first circuit (22, 24) forces the residual air in the tray to flow out from and/or towards at least one opposing part of the tray, through said second circuit (22′

, 17), the whole arrangement being such that the inner volume of the tray is simultaneously flushed and saturated, thus uniformly occupying, without the formation of vortices or reflux and therefore very rapidly and reliably, the whole extension of said main chamber (P) comprising the film, the tray and the product, which is subsequently sealed using known steps and means of welding and final cutting of the film (H).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said mechanical interface structure forms part of the lower housing (8) and comprises the annular seat (10, 110) adapted to contain the tray (V, M) and to support it by its edge (B) and comprises an annular flat surface (11, 11′

) which surrounds said seat (10) and whose upper face is at a higher level than this seat (10) and has annular gaskets (12, 13) on which the lower edges (101, 101′

, 201) of the upper housing (1) bear in a sealed way, when the upper housing is closed onto the lower housing (8), with the interposition of the film (H) which is thus suitably raised above the edge of the tray to form said main chamber (P), an annular recess (14) being provided between said seat (10, 110) and said annular flat surface (11, 11′

) and having said holes and/or slots (22, 22′

) opening into it, through which the main chamber (P) can be connected to said vacuum forming means (21) and/or to said process gas supply means (25).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said first circuit (24) is connected to a manifold (23) which is located inside the lower housing (8) and which is connected to said holes (22) opening on at least one side of the tray, while said second circuit (17) communicates with the inner chambers (9, 109) of the lower housing (8) which are directly connected to the holes (22′

) opening on at least one opposing side of the tray, said first and second circuits (24, 17) being connected to a shut-off unit with valves (18), controlled by a processor (19) with a programming terminal (20) and connected to said vacuum forming means (21) and to said process gas supply means (25).

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said annular recess (14) also has supplementary holes and/or slots (22″

) opening on the other two sides of the tray, these supplementary holes communicating with the inner chamber (9, 109) of the lower housing (8) directly or with the interposition of the controlled shut-off means, the whole arrangement being such that, in the vacuum step (A), said auxiliary holes (22″

) are also active, while in the gas injection step (G) the auxiliary holes (22″

) are closed or constricted, in such a way that the air flows out of the main chamber (P) including the tray solely or predominantly through the holes (22′

) opposite the holes (22) for the inflow of the process gases.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for setting the apparatus, using the programming unit (20) of the processor (19), for the actuation of any one of a number of cycles specified for the production of packages of the MAP type or for the production of packages of any other suitable type, including conventional packages.