Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
IUS FOR PACKING AND P~X~SING A ME~T PRDDUCT 1 3 2 6 3 9 8
The invention concerns an apparatus and method for
packing and processing a meat product, such as ham, in foil, use
being made of a mould.
It is usual to pack pieces of meat, after pre-
treatment, in a tin, and to process the meat further in the tin,
for example by warming up or heating it to a particular
temperature such as pasteurization temperature, by which process
the meat achieves its final condition. The meat product in the
tin is then ready for transport, storage, sale and consumption.
The disadvantages of packing the meat in tins are the
high cost, and the weight, involved. The weight, in particular,
is disadvantageous during transport and storage.
In a mould of this Xind a number of pieces of meat are
deposited, after which the meat is cooked in the mould in order
to obtain the desired product like ham. The mould serves here
as a support for obtaining the correct shape.
The invention aims to provide an apparatus by use of
which the mould is lined with foil and filled with pieces of
meat, and the bag-shaped foil can be sealed airtight, and this
in such a way that the foil remains free of fat or meat particles
at the places where the seal is made, in order to realize an
absolutely airtight seal.
According to one aspect of the present invention an
apparatus for packing a meat product, such as ham in foil,
whereln a mould is used to accommodate a bag-chaped foil which
has a collar portion located at its open end, is characterized
by:
a first support member for supporting the bag and the
mould, and a first means, displaceable relative to the su ~ort
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member for turning-down the collar of the bag around the top edge
of the mould;
a second support member for supporting the mould
containing the bag-shaped foil, and a second means, displaceable
with respect to the second support member for returning-up the
collar of the bag;
a third support member for supporting the mould with
the filled bag-shaped foil, equipped with a sealing appliance
for sealing the collar.
In order to let the turning-down and returning of the
collar of the packing foil occur without the formation of
creases, it is preferable to form the means for turning-down
and/or returning the collar by two or more blades displaceable
along the outer wall of the mould.
The turning-down blades are hereby preferably supported
pivotably on an axis transverse to the displacement direction,
in order first to stretch the collar before turning it down.
The returning blades are preferably formed as hooks,
the hook length corresponding at least to the height of the
collar of the bag-shaped foil. The aim of thi~ latter feature
is to grasp the collar approximately at the position of the edge
of the mould, so that the turning-down or returning begins
immediately at the edge of the mould.
To provide a large packing capacity, the second support
member i3 made ln the form of a turntable which is mounted in a
conveyor track, the returning blades being set up in groups
around the turntable.
If the mould used ls polygonal, there are, according
to the invention, as many turning-down ~and returning) blades
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needed as there are corners. By preference, the turning-down and
returning means are so arranged that they act at the corners of
the mould which is placed in the apparatus, an arrangement which,
in trials, caused the least puckering of the collar.
Accordingly to a further aspect of the present
invention, the third support member may be formed as a vacuum
chamber which can be closed with a door, and in which the sealing
means are incorporated. These latter are preferably formed as
a horizontally extensive table at the height of the collar, and
a reciprocably moveable pressing punch, folding member being
fitted in the vacuum chamber for holding the collar flat over the
horizontal table.
According to a further aspect of the present invention,
a mould for use in a meat packing machine comprises;
a cylindrical-shaped body having a mould cavity formed
thereln, a bottom wall closing the mould cavity and a cover plate
proportioned to fit in a close fitting relationship within said
open end of sald mould, sald cover plate comprlsing a plurality
of sections which are movable with respect to one another between
a retracted posltion ln whlch the perlmeter of the cover plate
ls reduced in length and an extended position in which the
peximeter of the cover plate is extended in length so as to fit
in a close fitting relationship within the mould as aforesaid.
To improve the close fit of the cover-section, thls may
be dlvlded lnto two or more mutually dlsplaceable members, so
that any clearance can be taken up by movement of the cover
members .
In a preferred embodiment, the cover members are
mutually connected by curved spring strips whlch stand
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perpendicularly on the cover members. When the cover is inserted
in the mould, the cover members can be pressed close to one
another against the spring pressure so that after insertion the
springs ensure a constant pressure of the cover members against
the inside of the mould.
A preferred embodiment of the mould-section is one in
which it has a rectangular shape in cross-section, the side walls
being provided with one or more reinforcement ridges. This
results in a block-shaped meat product, the ridges increasing
the stability of shape of the mould-section.
To the same end of stability of shape, the edge strip
of the mould-section can also, or instead, be reiniorced by a
thickening of the wall of the mould.
According to a still further aspect of the present
invention there is provided a method for preparing meat products
such as hams, starting from pieces of meat which have undergone
necessary prior treatment such as salting, characterized by the
following steps;
filling a mould, which is prepared with an impermeable
releasable lining, with pieces of meat,
evacuation and airtight sealing of the lining,
heating the meat for a predetermined length of time,
with simultaneous exertion of a pressure on the closed lining in
the mould,
taking the meat product, ready and packed in the
airtight lining, out of the mould.
The invention will be further explained in the
description of the drawings, below.
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In the drawings:
Figure 1 shows a side view of a part of the apparatus
provided with the first support member,
Figure 2 shows a standing longitudinal section of part
of the apparatus of figure 1, indicated by arrow II;
Figure 3 shows a section corresponding to figure 2 of
that part of the apparatus according to the line III-III in
figure 4, however with a different position of the turning-down
means;
Figure 4 shows an upright transverse section of the
apparatus of figure 2;
Figures 5a to 5e inclusive show a side view of the
apparatus of figure 2 in various stages of usage;
Figures 6 and 7 show upright front and side views,
respectively, of part of the apparatus, provided with the second
support member in the form of a turntable;
Figure 8 shows a top view of the apparatus of figure
6;
Figures 9a to 9e inclusive show the returning means
applied in the apparatus according to figure 6, in various stages
of usaqe;
Figures 10 and 11 show a front and side-elevation
respectively of a part of the apparatus provided with the third
support member, made as a vacuum chest
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Figure 12 ~hows, on an enlarged scale, a view of the
apparatus corresponding to figure 10;
- Figures 13 and 14 3how a standing section according to line
XIII-XIII in figure 12 through the sealing means, in two respective
positions thereof.
~ Figures 15a to 15f inclusive show various phases of the
; method according to the invention;
Figure 16 shows a perspective bottom view of a mould
suitable for the method of figure 15, and al~o perspective top view
of the cover-~ection which can be applied therein;
Figures 17a and 17b each ~how a pQrspective top view of one
- of two alternative embodiments of cover-sections;
Figure 18 3hows a perspective side view of a holder for
moulds from figure 16;
Figure 19 shows a side view of part of the holder from
figure 18.
; Figure 1 show~ the first part of the apparatus, which
consists of a base 1 upon which a frame 2 is mounted, in which
box-shaped frame the support member 3 i~ placed, the support member
partially pro~ectlng out of the frame 2. The support organ 3 serves
for accommodation of a bag-shaped foil, and subsequently for a mould
which i8 pu~hed thereover. The cross-section of the left-hand part`
of the ~upport member 3 therefore corresponds to that of the mould
to be placed upon lt, here understood as a rectangular mould 4,
which i8 lndicated by dashed line 4 in figure 4. The mould is
de~cribed in detail here below.
The support member 3 is further embodied with a central
spindle 5, which is fastened in the frame 2. Around spindle 5 there
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i~ mounted a slidable carriage 6, which is provided at one end
with a standing flange 7 of rectangular shape (see figure 4).
Flange 7 i~ made with a hinge pin 8 at each corner, about which
an elongate arm 9 can be swivelled. Arm 9 is extended at the end
remote from the hinge pin 8 by a blade 10, whose function will
be further explained below.
On the outside of carriage 6 a sleeve 11 is fitted, the
sleeve also being provided with a radially outward projecting
flange 12, in which a hinge arm 13 is pivotably ~ournalled. The
other end of hinge arm 13 is rotatably attached to arm 9.
Between flange 12 and flange 7 to slide 6, a
compression spring 14 is fitted.
Flange 12 is at one side also provided with a
protecting arm 15, to which there is fastened the rod 16 of a
piston 17 in a cylinder 18. The cylinder 18 is fixed to the
frame 2.
Slide 6 iB provided, opposite flange 7, with a second
flange 17 mounted thereon, flange 17 being made with plain
bearings 48 which are slidable along slide rod~ 19, which are
mounted in frame 2 parallel to spindle 5.
Between flange 17 and flange 7 there is a dowel 20
fitted, alonq which a bush 21 of flange t2 ls slidable, for the
purpose of guidlng the sleeve 11.
The length of arm 9 with the blade 10 i9 such that in
the position according to figure 2, the free end of the blade 10
rests against the inward facing end surface of support member 3
~ee figure 2). The extremity of the blade i~ bent inwards to
a ~mall extent, in order to ensure a smooth passage of the foil
thereover.
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The operation of the apparatus according to figures 1
to 4 inclusive is explained with reference to figures 5a to 5e
inclusive.
A foil F, which is made with an already attached collar
M, is slid over support member 3. The length of foil F and
collar M is such that this collar can be entirely slid over the
blades 10 (see figure 5b~.
The mould 4 is then fitted over the foil F (see figure
5c), whereby sensing members 21 and 22 detect the presence, and
the final position, respectively, of mould 4, and subsequently
energize cylinder 18. On actuation of cylinder 18, arm 15 of
sleeve 11 is first slid leftwards in figures 2 and 3, whereby
hinge arms 13 press blades 10 outwards, because slide 6 initially
remains stationary. As soon as flange 12 strikes flange 7,
further pushing of piston rod 16 out of cylinder 18 results in
slide 6 also moving to the left. The outward directed movement
of blades 10 is shown in figure 5d. On further leftward movement
of blades 10, which are fa~tened to slide 6, collar M is folded
preclsely over the edge of mould 4, without occurrence of
puckering. This i8 effectuated by the above described widening
of the collar M close to the end edge of mould 4, before
beginning folding over of the collar.
The mould 4 with the turned-down collar can then be
taken off support member 3 and brought to a filling station,
which operation is indlcated schematically by the hand in figure
5e. Obviously, this operation can be carried out entirely
mechanically. The filling of the mould with the foil fitted
therein and the folded-down collar falls outside the scope of the
present invention, and is not further shown. Every ~uitable
filllng machlne can be used for thi~, and it will be clear to the
reader that the mould can
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easily be mechanically filled with pieces of meat without ~oiling
the folded-down collar.
The filled mould is then brought to a second ~upport member
of the apparatus, which is here embodied as a table which is
rotatable around a vertical spindle, shown in figures S to 9
inclusive.
In the drawing~ numeral 30 indicates the frame, which
consists of four columns, ~oined at their top ends by a rectangular
table 31 (see figure 8). In this rectangular table there is mounted
a turntable 32, which is journalled on a vertical spindle 33. The
driving of table 32 is carried out by a motor and transmission unit
34 mounted in the frame 30. The driving unit can be made in any
arbitrary way and therefore needs no further description.
The two rear columns 30' are extended above table 31, and
at their upper end~ a connecting plate i~ fitted for accommodating
the upper end of ~pindle 33. Around the top part of spindle 33
there are two supporting plates 36 and 37 fitted, one at a distance
above the other, between which pairs of guiding bars 38 are
mounted. 8etween the guiding bars there i8 a carriage 39, with
wheels 40, rollable in a vertical direction, at each of its four
corner8. The carriage bears on its under~ide arm~ 49, each of which
i8 extended by a blade 41, which can reach almost to the turntable
32. The arms are ~uspended pivotably at 42 from the underside of
carriage 39, and during upward or downward vertical movement are led
guide roller~ 43. The arrangement is such that, on de~cending
movement, the blades 41 spread away from one another, 80 that the
lower ends amply clear the upper edge of a mould 4 which is situated
on turntable 32, and come to rest against the outer wall of mould 4
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at some distance beneath the upper edge thereof. On an ascending
movement, the blade 41 remain in contact with the outer wall of
mould 4, and come into place under the folded-down collar of the
foil.
The rising and descending movement of carriage 39 along
guide bars 38 can also take place in any arbitrary way, and is
not further described.
The turntable 32 forms part of a conveyor track 44,
upon which the filled moulds are delivered from the right in
figure 8, and are brought into a place 46 on the turntable by a
rotating transport mechanism 45, and, after the moulds have
passed through the five stations of turntable 32 illustrated in
figure 8, in the direction of arrow P1, they are replaced on the
conveyer track 44 by a rotating transport organ 47.
The position of blade 41 in relation to the mould 4 at
each of the five stations are indicated in figures 9a to 9e
lnclusive.
Thus, figure 9a shows the position in which the filled
mould 4 with turned-down collar M is situated beneath the blade
41.
During descent of the blade 41, these move down with
an ample margin past the upper edge of mould 4, after which they
come to rest close to the bottom of the mould, in contact with
its outer wall. Durlng ascent, the hook-like lower ends of blade
41 pass under the turned-down collar M, (see figure 9c), after
which, on further ascent of the levers 41, they pull the collar
back into the position according to figure 9e.
It should be noted here that the length of the hook-
like portion 41' ls greater than the height of the turned-down
collar M, ~o that thæ extremity of the hook travels in the top
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fold of the collar of the foil while the collar is being folded
back up. Since the outside of the collar M, during filling, has
remained free from fat and other contamination, its inner wall,
after it has been folded up again, will equally have remaine~
clean, which is important for the sealing phase which follows~
The sealing phase will be further explained by
reference to figures 10 to 14 inclusive.
Directly following conveyor belt 44 of figure 8, there
is situated a third supporting organ in the form of a vacuum
- chest 50. The bottom 51 of the vacuum chest lies at the same
level as the conveyor belt 44 (see figure 11), so that the
insertion of a mould 4 can repeatedly take place without
; interruption. The vacuum chest consists of two adjacent
sections, each of which can be separately evacuated. Both
sections rest on top of a plinth 52, in which the pump for
evacuation is situated. The sections can be closed airtight by
a cover or door 53. To this end, door 53 is provided at its
circumference with a flexible sealing strip, which creates a seal
against the flat edge 54 of the vacuum section.
The door can be slid along a top rail 56 across the
front faces of the vacuum sections, an action which can take
¦ place manually or mechanically.
, In the vacuum chest there are situated sealing means
i ~see figures 12 to 14 inclusive), which consist of a horizontallyextending table 55, which is securely ~oined to the rear side of
the vacuum chest 50, and of which the height above the bottom 51
i~ such that it approxlmately at the level of collar M pro~ecting
above mould 4. Collar ~ is either manually or mechanically
folded flat, so that the opposing parts come into contact with
each other.
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Above ~upporting table 55 there ic situated a heatable
pressing punch S6, which i~ fixed to the lower side of a flexible
hose 57. Hose 57 i8 sealed airtight, and contains a medium under a
definite pressure.
The pressing punch 56 is equipped on the side facing the
front with a folding-member 58, which is joined with a hinged
connection to the punch at 59. The folding-member consists of a
bent plate whose breadth corre~ponds to that of collar M when folded
flat ~see figure 12). The folding member can be turned in the
direction of arrow Pl to a position under the pressure punch 56, and
back again.
The above described apparatus works as follows:
After mould 4 has been po~itioned and the collar M has been
folded out flat (see figure 12), the folding-member can fold the
collar over through an angle of 90 onto the supporting table 55,
and ~mooth lt out. Through this folding process, the collar M can
no longer pucker, which helps during airtight ~ealing.
Then the operator can close the vacuum chest by applying
the cover 53 in front of the appropriate section. Consequent to the
evacuation of the section, tube 57 will, because of the pressure of
the medium, automatically push pressing punch 56 in the direction of
pre~ing table 55, and thus weld the two layers of the collar
together. After the sealiny operation, the air pressure in the
sect10n can be allowed to return, the mould can be taken out, and
tho contents of the evacuated foll can be proces~ed further, for
oxample by pasteurization or cooking.
In figure 15 number 61 indicates a bag-shaped lining, which
conslsts of a lower portion 62 and an extended upper position 63
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whereof the inner circumference is greater than that of the lower
position 62, the reason for which will be explained below. This
widening of the inner circumference can easily be brought about,
starting with a foil material, such as transparent plastic, which
is folded shut at the bottom in the usual way, and which is
sealed along the side by means of a longitudinal seam, the inner
circumference of the bag automatically becomes correspondingly
wider.
Figure 15b shows the mould according to the invention,
which consists of a cylindrical portion 65, with a fixed bottom
66 (see also figure 16). It should hereby be noted that the
cross-section of the cylindrical portion 65 has a principally
rectangular shape. The lower and upper edges of cylindrical
portion 65 are reinforced by thickenings 67, in the wall~, which
can be made by, before bending a cylinder from sheet material,
first folding the edges over through 180 (see item 68 in figure
16). The wide side-wall of the cylindrical portion 67 is
strengthened by a recessed portion forming a reinforcement rib
69. Hereby, potential bulging outwards of the side-wall of
cylindrical part 65 during pressurization of the contents is
avoided.
Figure 15c shows the mould in which lining 61 is
fitted, with the extended portion 63 being folded down over the
upper edge 67, of the mould. This is possible owlng to the
larger lnner dimensions of the extended portion 63.
Figure 15d shows the situation in which the mould with
the lining 61 fitted therein is filled with pieces of meat, V.
After sui'ficient pieces of meat have been put lnto the mould,
edge 63 i~ folded back again, and then fir~tly the lining is
evacuated at the top by means of a vacuum apparatu~ 70 and,
subsequently, it is
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sealed airtight by a welding apparatus 71. The projecting sealed
part 63 of the lining is folded down in the usual way, for example
in the same way as the bottom, after which cover-section 72 is
placed in the open end of the mould, according to figure 15f.
~ over-section 72 consists, in the form shown according to
figure 17, of two members 73 and 74, which are mutually connected by
means of spring ~tr~ps 75, standing perpendicularly thereon, for
example by securing the end~ of the curved spring strips by welding
at 76. One of the members 73, i8 provided with a lip 77, which fits
into a recess 78 of the other cover-member 74. In this
construction, a sideways relative movement of members 73 and 74 in
the direction of arrow Pl is permissible. In the position during
assembly by welding, there i8 a narrow gap 80 between the members,
such that on insertion in mould 65, the member 73 and 74 must be
pre~sed towards one another against the prssure of spring leaves
75. As soon as cover-section 72 has been in~erted in cylindrical
mould-section 65, after releasing of the lid, spring strips 75 press
cover-member 73 and 74 firmly against the inside of the side-walls
of mould part 65, 80 that all clearance between cover-~ection 72 and
the inside of form part 65 i~ prevented. The strengthened outer
edge 67, as well as the reinforcement rib 69, help ensure a correct
contact. It ~hould be noted that po~sible a smaller clearance 20
remains between members~73 and 74, but this is covered by the
folded-up weld seam of the extended part 63 of lining 61, 80 that on
a possible pressing action on cover-section 72 and the contents of
mould section 65, a uniform pressure on the content~ is ensured.
Figures 17a and 17b show alternative embodiments of lid
part 72. The gap 80 between elements 73' and 74' is dependent for
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its direction on the manner of folding the lining 61 in mould 65.
Should the welding seam run diagonally then a fonm of lid
corresponding to figure 17a is advantageous. If the extended part
63 of the lining i8 folded cros~ways, then the embodiment of the lid
shown in figure 17b is preferable.
The cover-members 73, 74, in the various embodiments are in
each case mutually connected by curved leaf springs 75, which are
welded ~ecurely by their end part~ at 76 to the cover-members. In
this way a freedom of movement of members 73, 73', 74 and 74' in the
directions of arrows Pl or Pl' is made possible.
Figures 18 and 19 show, in perspective, a holder 81, which
consists of a framework of longitudinal and tran~verse profiles,
which ensure that guides 82 are made available for a number of
ad~acently arranged cylindrical mould ~ections 65. The adjacently
situated moulds 65 are 80 positioned that lid section 72 liss with
the spring strips 75 which are mounted thereon against the bottom 66
of the ad~acent mould. The filling of the form with meat pieces is
~uch that the spring leaves pro~ect beyond the edge 67 of mould 65.
Either the guide 82 or the holder 81 is provided at one end
with a eixed end partition 83, against which rests the bottom edge
67 of the first mould. At the opposite end, there is elastically
compliant end partition 84 fitted/ which here has the form of a
ram. The ram lies against the lid section 72 of the mould on the
rlght in flgure 19, and is elastically supported by a helical spring
85, which travels along a pin 86 of a clamping frame 87. The
clamping frame 87 is made with straps 88 which fit around knobs 89
of the frame of the holder 81. The side of the straps 88 and the
placing of knobs 89 i8 such that when clamping frame 87 is fitted on
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the front of holder 81, the compliant partitions 84 come into
spring-loaded contact with the lid sections 72 of the front
moulds of each row in a guide 82. By this means, the whole row
of moulds is subject to a definite spring pressure, and after
closing the entire holder 81 with moulds 65 can be placed in a
heating space, for example a steam vessel. Through the supply
of heat, the meat expands and becomes pasteurized, whilst the
lining 61 shrinks as a result of the heat. Owing to this
permanent pressure on the contents of the moulds 65 as the result
of springs 85, the contents take on the exact shape of the
cylindrical mould section 65, and the lining 61 fits closely
around the moulded meat product.
The end product i8 obtained by removing moulds 65 from
the holder, removing cover section 72, and taking out the lining
with the shaped meat product in it from the mould.
The invention is not restricted to the above described
embodiments .
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