Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: MECHANISM FOR AN AUTOMATIC SOCKING
MACHINE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to the handling of socking material (netting
sleeves), and more particularly, it pertains to the bundling up of netting
sleeves prior to filling the sleeves with shell fish or other products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The expressions "netting sleeve"; "sock" and "netting sleeve material" are
used herein to designate a tubular open-mesh fabric.
Netting sleeves are used in the food industry as packaging bags for onions
and other produce, and for hams and turkeys, for examples. The
applications of interest herein, however, belong to the aquaculture industry.
Netting sleeves are installed over mussel culture ropes to protect the
mussels from predators and for preventing the mussels from falling off the
ropes as they grow in size and overcrowd the ropes.
Examples of netting sleeves used in the aquaculture industry are described
in the following documents:
US Patent 3,811,411 issued to Henry W. Moeller on May 21, 1974;
US Patent 5,511,514 issued to M. W. Hitchins et al. on April 30, 1996.
In both applications described in the prior art documents, a length of
netting sleeve material is bundled up on the discharge spout of a funnel.
The end of the netting sleeve material is tied into a knot for example, and
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juvenile mussels (spats) and water are fed through the funnel and into the
sleeve. The process creates flexible sock-like columns of cultured mussels.
A rope is sometime fed through the funnel with the mussels, and is used to
support the sock-like column of mussels to a floating structure. These
socks are hung in sea water where the mussels continue to grow. At
harvest time, the culture socks are simply collected and emptied. The
netting material is often made of cotton which eventually dissolves to
facilitate harvest.
Although the culture of mussels using culture ropes encapsulated into sock-
like netting sleeves is well documented in the prior art, there is very little
literature written about the manipulation of the netting sleeve material prior
to making socks of mollusks. As understood, all prior art socking
installations require the step of manually bundling up a specific length of
netting sleeve material over the spout of a funnel.
Therefore, it is believe that a need exists in the aquaculture industry for a
mechanism capable of bundling up netting sleeves automatically so that the
making of mollusk culture socks can be carried out more efficiently.
A major challenge faced by designers of machinery for automatically
bundling up netting sleeve material on a hollow retainer is the fact that the
netting material is tubular. Any guide mandrel or arbor that is used to open
up and to guide the netting sleeve material from a dispenser to a hollow
retainer cannot have any fixed support on its outside surface and cannot
have inside support extending from any point along the path of the netting
sleeve material. When the netting sleeve material is fed from a spool of
netting sleeve material, the challenge of expanding and working the strand
of netting sleeve material is greater as this must be done at a region of the
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strand of netting sleeve material that is between its ends.
Because of this difficulty, basically, it is believed that there has been very
little progress made in the art of automatically bundling up tubular netting
sleeves on the spout of a funnel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, there is provided a mechanism for dispensing
lengths of netting sleeve material onto a filler tube of a filling machine.
The mechanism comprises a floating mandrel that is movable to engage
with the filler tube. A strand of netting sleeve material is mounted to
encapsulate the floating mandrel. Traction wheels are used to support the
mandrel and to move the netting sleeve material along the mandrel and
over the filler tube.
In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mechanism for
dispensing a length of netting sleeve material onto a tubular element. The
mechanism comprises a spool of a strand of netting sleeve material and a
mandrel for opening and guiding the strand of netting sleeve material from
the spool. The strand of netting sleeve material is expanded over the
surface of the mandrel. A tubular element is connected to an end of the
mandrel for receiving a netting sleeve thereon. A first series of traction
wheels is mounted thereto in rolling contact with a surface of the netting
sleeve material expanded over the mandrel such that a rotation of the
traction wheels causes the strand of netting sleeve material to move along
the mandrel and onto the tubular element. A cutter is mounted thereto for
operation between the mandrel and the tubular element for cutting a netting
sleeve from the strand of netting sleeve material.
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A major advantage of this mechanism is that several netting sleeves can be
serially made, cut, tied and filled with shell fish or other products, while
maintaining control of the forward end of a strand of netting sleeve
material. After each cycle, the forward end of the strand of netting sleeve
material remains fully expanded, under the traction wheels, ready to be fed
onto the filling tube.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic
socking machine for making socks of mollusks. The automatic socking
machine comprises a primary funnel; a conveyor for delivering mollusks
into the primary funnel; a sock-filling tube communicating with the
primary funnel; and a mechanism for dispensing a length of netting sleeve
material onto the sock-filling tube. The mechanism comprises a spool of
a strand of the netting sleeve material and a mandrel for opening and
guiding the strand of netting sleeve material from the spool. The strand of
netting sleeve material is expanded over a surface of the mandrel and
covers an entire outside surface of the mandrel. The mandrel is movable
to engage with an end of the sock-filling tube for delivering a netting sleeve
onto the sock-filling tube.
A first series of traction wheels is mounted thereto in rolling contact with
a surface of the netting sleeve material over the mandrel such that a rotation
of the traction wheels causes the strand of netting sleeve material to move
along the mandrel and onto the sock-filling tube. A cutter is mounted
thereto for operation between the mandrel and the sock-filling tube for
cutting a netting sleeve from the strand of netting sleeve material.
In this aspect of the present invention, the mandrel is mounted along an
angle between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane and the sock-filling
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tube is moveable as a pendulum between the vertical plane and that angle.
In yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method for dispensing a netting sleeve onto a tubular element. This method
comprises the steps of:
- sliding a strand of netting sleeve material over a mandrel;
- connecting the mandrel with the tubular element;
- sliding the strand of netting sleeve material over and along the mandrel,
and onto the tubular element;
- separating the tubular element from the mandrel;
- cutting a netting sleeve from the strand of netting sleeve material,
between mandrel and tubular element; and
- closing an end of the netting sleeve.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention
may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the
invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description
of the preferred embodiment thereof in connection with the attached
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts
throughout the several views, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a partial elevation view of a spat socking machine with a partial
view of the mechanism according to the first preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
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FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the mechanism for an automatic socking
machine according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged details of the connection of the mandrel and the filler
tube in the mechanism for a socking machine according to the first
preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a mechanism for an automatic socking
machine according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,
as seen along line 4-4 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a perspective side, top and end view of the mechanism for a
socking machine according to a second preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the mechanism according to the second preferred
embodiment;
FIG. 7 is an elevation view of a preferred basket and bundle of tubular
socking material made on the mechanism for a socking machine according
to the second preferred embodiment;
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a fishing boat and a fisherman using the
preferred basket and socking material of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an elevation view of a mussel culture rope and a preferred basket
being used to deploy a sock over the culture rope.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings in FIGS. 1-4, the mechanism for a socking
machine according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention will be described. In FIG. 1 in particular, a socking machine is
partially illustrated to complement the description of the present invention.
The socking machine 20 comprises a conveyor 22 for feeding spats or
juvenile mollusks 24 into a primary funnel 26. The conveyor 22 has flights
30 on its conveyor belt 32 and these flights move against a fixed deflector
plate 34 mounted above the conveyor, to even out the number of mollusks
24 between flights 30 and to control the flow of mollusks 24 into the
primary funnel 26.
The primary funnel 26 has a raisable stopper 36 selectively blocking the
discharge spout 38 thereof A rotatable agitator finger 40 is mounted below
the stopper 36 for rotation inside the discharge spout 38 when the stopper
36 is raised.
A pair of water nozzles 42 is mounted quasi-tangent to the rim of the
primary funnel 26 to create a vortex of water and mollusks 24 in the
discharge spout 38 of the primary funnel 26 when the stopper 36 is raised,
to facilitate the flow of mollusks 24 through the discharge spout 38 of the
primary funnel 26. Further illustration and description as to the operation
and structure of the stopper 36 and the agitator finger 40 are not provided
herein as these items alone are not the focus of the present invention.
The discharge spout 38 of the primary funnel 26 communicates with a
secondary funnel 44. The secondary funnel 44 has a sock-filling tube 46
extending from a discharge end thereof A netting sleeve 48 is bundled up
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on the sock-filling tube 46. The lower end of the netting sleeve 48 is tied
with a staple or knot 50, such that when mollusks 24 are dropped into the
netting sleeve 48, the netting sleeve 48 extends into a discharge tray 52
from where the sock of mussels (not shown) can be manipulated and stored
for later placement in a mussel-growing habitat.
The netting sleeve material 54 is fed from a spool 60 of netting sleeve
material 54 onto a floating mandrel 62 before it is transferred onto the
sock-filling tube 46. The netting sleeve 48 is then separated from the
strand of netting sleeve material 54 and tied as a bag of netting material.
The floating mandrel 62 is set along an angle of about 60 as can be seen
from FIG. 4. The sock-filling tube 46 and the secondary funnel 44 are
hung as a pendulum to a pivot (not shown)so that it can be moved from a
sock-filling position oriented straight down, as shown in FIG. 1, or tilted
to a 60 sock-loading position as also shown in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 4. The
tilting of the sock-filling tube 46 in one position or the other is effected
by
pneumatic actuator (not shown) or otherwise.
When the sock-filling tube 46 is aligned with the sock-loading mandrel 62,
a smooth transitional connection 64 is made between the sock-filling tube
46 and the sock-loading mandrel 62, as it can be appreciated from the
illustration in FIG. 3. The sock-loading mandrel 62 has a first bell-
shaped delivery end 66 mating with a bell-shaped receiving end 68 on the
sock-filling tube 46. Precise mating is effected by a conical male portion
70 on the bell-shaped receiving end 68 engaging with a conical female
portion (not shown) in the bell-shaped delivery end 66 on the sock-loading
mandrel 62. Mating of the tube ends 46, 62 is done by moving the sock-
loading mandrel 62 toward the sock-filling tube 46 or vice-versa.
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,
The sock-loading mandrel 62, is held in a floating mode so that the
continuous strand of netting sleeve material 54 can be moved unobstructed
on its outside surface. As can be appreciated from FIGS. 2 and 4, the sock-
loading mandrel 62 is held to a frame 80 by two pairs of clamps 82 or four
pairs of traction wheels 84. The traction wheels 84 are mounted
diametrically opposite from each other relative to a cross-section of the
mandrel 62.
In this first preferred embodiment, the frame 80 is movable along the axis
of the sock-loading mandrel 62 by a pneumatic cylinder 86 for example, to
engage the connection 64 between the sock-loading mandrel 62 to the sock-
filling tube 46, as may be appreciated from FIGS. 1-4. During the
engagement of the sock-loading mandrel 62 to the sock-filling tube 46, the
sock-loading mandrel is held fixed to the frame 80 by the clamps 82. The
loading of netting sleeve material 54 onto the sock-filling tube 46 is
effected by simultaneously releasing the clamps 82 and engaging a rotation
of the traction wheels 84. The traction wheels 84 are driven by motors 88
and power transmission belts 90.
A rotation of the traction wheels 84 causes the netting sleeve material 54
to slide along the sock-loading mandrel 62, over the bell ends 66-68 and on
the sock-filling tube 46. A pull-back mechanism 92 including a pair of
movable grippers 94 are provided on the sock-filling tube 46 to assist in
bundling up the netting sleeve 48 at the upper end of the sock-filling tube
46. These grippers 94 are operable and movable along the sock-filling
tube 46 on a pair of rods 96, by air pressure or by other programmable
linear actuator.
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The motors 88 also contain servo drives or step counters such that these
motors 88 are programmable to deliver a specific length of netting sleeve
material 54 onto the sock-filling tube 46.
Two pairs of traction wheels 84', diametrically opposite from each other,
are also provided and mounted for rolling contact against the bulge-forming
bells 66, 68 to assist the movement of the netting sleeve material 54 onto
the sock-filling tube 46.
It will be appreciated that a mechanism for braking and moving the traction
wheels 84' along the sock-filling tube 46 can be designed and used to do
the same function as the pull-back mechanism 92.
The bulge-forming bells 66,68 cause the netting sleeve material 54 to
expand and shrink back onto the sock-filling tube 46. This retraction or
shrinking of the netting sleeve material 46 causes the netting sleeve
material 54 to adhere by friction to the sock-filling tube 46. This makes it
easier to bundle up the netting sleeve material 54 into a netting sleeve 48.
After a predetermined amount of netting sleeve material 54 has been
dispensed onto the sock-filling tube 46, the motors 88 stop, the mandrel
retracts and a netting cutter/stapler 98 is operated to cut a netting sleeve
48
from the strand of netting sleeve material 54, and to place a staple 50 on the
cut end of the netting sleeve 48.
The sock-loading mandrel 62 is retracted away from the sock-filling tube
46 by way of the movable frame 80 and linear actuator 86 with the clamps
82 closed against its surface.
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After the mandrel 62 is retracted and the end of the netting sleeve 48 has
been tied, the sock-filling tube 46 can then be tilted back in a vertical
alignment, as shown in FIG. 1, for dispensing mollusks 24 into the netting
sleeve 48 as previously explained.
During the initial placement of a new strand of netting sleeve material 54
onto the sock-loading mandrel 62 from a new spool 60 of netting sleeve
material for example, the traction wheels 84 are preferably lifted off the
sock-loading mandrel 62. The sock-loading mandrel 62 can then be taken
away from the frame 80 to facilitate the sliding of the netting sleeve
material 54 thereon. Preferably, a fixed location guide 100 is provided to
locate the sock-loading mandrel 62 relative to the frame 80 when
repositioning the sock-loading mandrel 62 with a new strand of netting
sleeve material 54 thereon into the frame 80.
It will be appreciated that the sock-loading mandrel 62 is movable along its
axis between the location guide 100 and the bell-shaped end 68 of the sock-
filling tube 46.
It will also be appreciated that the movement of the frame 80 is not
essential. The movement of the sock-loading mandrel 62 toward and way
from the sock-filling tube 46 may be effected by the traction wheels 84, by
adjusting the spacing, the width and the down pressure of the traction
wheels 84.
Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, the mechanism 120 for an automatic socking
machine according to the second preferred embodiment of the present
invention will be described. This second preferred mechanism 120
comprises a floating sock-loading mandrel 162 for loading a netting sleeve
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148 onto a sock-filling tube 146. In this second preferred embodiment, the
sock-filling tube 146 is a bottomless basket 146, which has a similar
function as the sock-filling tube 46 described in the first preferred
embodiment.
The sock-loading mandrel 162 has a rounded nose end. The nose end is
oriented toward a spool 160 of continuous netting sleeve material 154. A
strand of netting sleeve material 154 is expanded over the floating sock-
loading mandrel 162. Four pairs of traction wheels 184 are used to pull the
netting sleeve material 154 along the floating sock-loading mandrel 162.
These traction wheels 184 are movable toward and away from the surface
of the sock-loading mandrel 162. The mechanisms for moving the traction
wheels 184 toward and away from the surface of the sock-loading mandrel
162 have not been illustrated because this is not the focus of the present
invention.
When the traction wheels 184 are moved away from the surface of the
sock-loading mandrel 162, two pairs of clamps 182 are brought against the
surface of the sock-loading mandrel 162 to retain the mandrel 162 in a
fixed position. Similarly, the mechanisms for moving the clamps 182
toward and away from the mandrel 162 have not been illustrated because
this is not the focus of the present invention.
The netting sleeve material 154 is moved along the floating sock-loading
mandrel 162 by the traction wheels 184. Traction wheels 184, 184' are
provided on both the sock-loading mandrel 162 and on a netting sleeve-
receiving basket 146. A bulge 166 may also be provided on the delivery
end of the sock-loading mandrel 162 to provide the advantage described
before.
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A reference guide 200 may also be provided to initially position the sock-
loading mandrel 162 with a new strand of netting sleeve material thereon
between the traction wheels 184. The sock-loading mandrel 162 is
movable axially between the reference guide 200 and the netting sleeve
receiving basket 146. Similarly to the first preferred embodiment, the
second preferred mechanism has a cutter/stapler 198 mounted thereto to
close the end of a netting sleeve 148 bundled up on the netting-sleeve-
receiving basket 146.
The primary difference in the mechanism according to the first and second
preferred embodiments 20, 120 is in the structure of the netting-sleeve-
receiving basket 146, and in the receiving station 190 for holding the
netting-sleeve-receiving basket 146 during the bundling up of a netting
sleeve 148 onto the basket 146.
A basket holder 192 is mounted near the tail end 194 of the sock-loading
mandrel 162. The basket holder 192 is mounted on a carriage 196 such that
it can be moved toward and away from the tail end 194 of the sock-loading
mandrel 162. The basket holder 192 is configured to retain the basket 146
in alignment with the sock-loading mandrel 162. This bottomless basket
146 is preferably made of two halves hinged together along one side
thereof, at hinge 150 for example, such that is can be opened for straddling
the basket holder 192. The basket holder 192 has a spigot 198 on its end.
This spigot 198 is configured for entering with a precise fit into the tail
end
194 of the sock-loading mandrel 162. This spigot 198 is used to retain the
tail end 194 of the sock-loading mandrel 162 in a fixed position relative to
the basket 146 during the formation of a netting sleeve 148 over the basket
146.
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A pair of traction wheels 184' are used to move the netting sleeve material
along the basket 146 for bundling the netting sleeve 148 on the far end of
the basket 146, as illustrated.
Referring back to the basket holder 192 and the carriage 196, the basket
holder 192 is movable toward and away from the tail end 194 of the
mandrel 162, for the purpose of separating a netting sleeve 148 from the
strand of netting sleeve material 154. For the purpose of separating a
netting sleeve 148, a cutter/stapler 198 is provided near the tail end 194 of
the sock-loading mandrel 162. When a length of netting sleeve material
154 has been accumulated over the basket 146, the traction wheels 184,
184' are stopped; the clamps 182 close against the surface of the sock-
loading mandrel 162, securing the sock-loading mandrel 162 in place; the
carriage 196 is actuated to move the basket holder 192 away from the tail
end 194 of the sock-loading mandrel 162; and the cutter/stapler 198 is
brought down to cut the netting sleeve material 154 and to staple the end
of the netting sleeve 148, as shown.
In order to better understand the purpose and the industrial applications of
the mechanism for a socking machine according to the second preferred
embodiment of the present invention, reference is now made to FIGS. 8
and 9. The illustration in FIG. 9 in particular, shows a mussel-growing
rope 210 suspended underwater to a main line 212. When mussels grow to
a certain size, they tend to loose grip from the rope and fall to the bottom
of the ocean, thereby reducing the crop. In order to avoid this
inconvenience, and to protect the mussels from predators such as diving
ducks, most shell-fish growers enclose their mussel-growing ropes with
bag-like sleeves of sock material, as shown in the prior art publications
mentioned before.
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The bottomless basket 146 with a netting sleeve 148 mounted thereon are
used to facilitate the encapsulation of mussel-growing ropes 210. A long
handle 214 is attached to a basket 146, to lower the basket 146 below the
end of a mussel-growing rope 210. The basket 146 is then pulled up over
the rope 210, working the handle 214 to deploy a netting sleeve over the
mussel-growing rope 210.
The mechanism for a socking machine according to the second preferred
embodiment of the present invention is preferably mounted in a fishing
boat 220, wherein several baskets 146 and netting sleeves 148 can be
prepared beforehand or during a sailing to the mussel-growing farm.
In summary a preferred method of operation of the mechanism for a
socking machine according to the second preferred embodiment is
described as follows, with reference to FIGS. 5-7.
a) With the clamps 182 and traction wheels 184 retracted from the surface
of the sock-loading mandrel 162, the mandrel 162 is manually inserted
inside a continuous strand of netting sleeve material 154.
b) The sock-loading mandrel 162 is manually positioned in a fixed location
relative to the carriage 196, using the fixed guide 200 for example, and the
clamps 182 are closed against the mandrel 162 to retain the mandrel in that
position.
c) A bottomless basket 146 is mounted to the basket holder 192 and the
basket holder 192 is moved forward on the carriage 196 to engage its spigot
198 into the tail end 194 of the mandrel 162.
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d) The traction wheels 184 are brought in contact with the surface of the
sock-loading mandrel 162, and the clamps 184 are pulled back from the
surface of the mandrel 162.
e) The traction wheels 184 and 184' are rotated to move a certain length of
netting sleeve material 154 over onto the basket 146 and to bundle this
length of netting sleeve material 154 onto the basket 146 to form a netting
sleeve 148 on the far end of the basket 146.
0 When the desired length of netting sleeve material 154 has been moved
onto the basket 146, the traction wheels 184 and 184' are stopped. The
clamps 182 close on the sock-loading mandrel 162 to retain the mandrel
162 at a fixed location. The basket holder 192 is moved away from the
sock-loading mandrel 162, thereby stretching the netting sleeve material
154 between the basket 146 and the sock-loading mandrel 162.
g) The cutter/stapler 198 is lowered, cutting the strand of netting sleeve
material 154, and setting a staple to the end of the netting sleeve 148 that
has been formed onto the basket 146.
h) The netting sleeve 148 and basket 146 combination is removed from the
basket holder 192. The steps c) to h) are repeated with a new basket 146,
to form another netting sleeve 148.
The mechanism according to the first preferred embodiment is used to
make pre-filled socks of mollusks, and the mechanism according to the
second preferred embodiment is used to encapsulate existing mussel-
culture ropes.
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As to other details of construction and operation of the mechanisms
according to the present invention, these details should be apparent from
the present description and drawings to those skilled in the art, and
accordingly, further description relative to these aspects is deemed
unnecessary.
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