Apparatus for transferring material strips onto a web

{
  "publication_number": "EP0465256A1",
  "country": "EP",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Apparatus for transferring material strips onto a web",
  "abstract": "An apparatus (10) for transferring individual strips of material which are sliced from a material supply to a support web (20; 20′) includes two counter-rotating rollers. The first roller (24; 24′) is disposed proximate to a slicing station (14) and material supply while the second roller (34) is disposed proximate to the first roller. Both of the first and second rollers have hollow inner cores (25, 35) which are encircled by rotatable outer shells (26, 36). A vacuum is drawn in the inner cores of the first and second rollers which causes individual material strips (17) to adhere to the outer shell (26) of the first roller and the support web (20; 20′) to the outer shell of the second roller. Bands which encircle the first roller (24; 24′) urge the material strips (17) off onto the support web (20; 20′).",
  "claims": [
    "1. An apparatus for transferring strips of material severed from a material supply to a support web, comprising: first rotating means disposed proximate to the material supply, the first rotating means having an outer surface with at least one discrete material strip receiving portion thereon adapted to receive successive material strips severed from the material supply, said first rotating means having first pneumatic means for applying negative air pressure to said at least one discrete material strip receiving portion, second rotating means operatively associated with said first rotating means, the second rotating means being adapted to receive a continuous support web on an outer surface thereof, said second rotating means further being adapted to convey the continuous support web to a location proximate to said first rotating means, said second rotating means rotating in synchronization with said first rotating means, said second rotating means including second pneumatic means for applying negative air pressure to a portion of the second rotating means outer surface to draw said continuous support web over said second rotating means outer surface, said first rotating means further including means for urging successive material strips off of said first rotating means outer surface and onto said continuous support web.",
    "2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first pneumatic means includes a plurality of air apertures extending through said first rotating means, the air apertures leading from the interior of said first rotating means to said at least one discrete material strip receiving portion of said first rotating means.",
    "3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first rotating means includes a plurality of discrete material strip receiving portions, for example four discrete material strip receiving portions.",
    "4. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said first rotating means includes means for selectively stopping the flow of said negative air pressure to said first rotating means outer surface at least one discrete material strip receiving portion.",
    "5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the material strip urging means includes third pneumatic means for applying positive air pressure to said first rotating means outer surface at least one discrete material strip receiving portion.",
    "6. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said material strip urging means includes band means encircling said first rotating means, a portion of said band means engaging said successive material strips at said first rotating means outer surface at least one discrete material receiving portion.",
    "7. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said first rotating means includes a stationary inner core having a preselected opening operatively associated with a rotatable outer shell thereof, the first rotating means outer shell having a plurality of first air apertures extending therethrough, said first pneumatic means applying negative air pressure to the interior of the inner core and to said first rotating means outer shell by way of said opening.",
    "8. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said second rotating means includes a stationary inner member having an opening operatively associated with a rotatable outer shell thereof, the second rotating means outer shell having a plurality of air apertures extending therethrough, said second pneumatic means applying negative air pressure to the interior of the inner member and to said second rotating means outer shell plurality of air apertures by way of said opening.",
    "9. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said first and second rotating means are driven in synchronization with a means for severing successive material strips from said material supply whereby said at least one discrete material strip receiving portion of said first rotating means outer surface is proximate to said material supply.",
    "10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said second rotating means includes means for engaging said continuous support web.",
    "11. A machine for slicing strips of material and transferring the strips of material onto a support web into a format suitable for packaging comprising, in combination: means for supplying a supply unit of material to a slicing station, the slicing station including means for slicing individual strips from the material supply unit, means for transferring the individual strips from the slicing station and placing said individual strips onto a support web, means for severing a predetermined length of the support web after said individual strips have been placed thereon, means for assembling successive lengths of said support web into a form suitable for packaging, the transferring and placement means including two elongated cylindrical rollers operatively associated with each other and operatively associated with said slicing station, the first roller having a discrete portion defined on an outer surface thereof and adapted to receive an individual material strip after the slicing thereof from said material supply unit, said first roller having first pneumatic means for adhering said individual material strip to said first roller discrete portion, said first roller also having means for urging said individual material strip off of said first roller discrete portion and onto said support web, the second roller being disposed proximate to said first roller, said second roller including means for engaging said support web and second pneumatic means for drawing said support web over an outer surface of said second roller.",
    "12. A machine according to claim 11, wherein said second roller second pneumatic means includes at least one air passage disposed in the outer surface of said second roller.",
    "13. A machine according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein said means for assembling successive lengths of said support web includes means for transversely folding said support web upon itself along discrete, spaced apart transverse fold lines, each of the transverse fold lines being associated with an individual material strip.",
    "14. A machine for transferring material strips sliced from a material supply to a support web to form a support web-material strip assembly and forming the support web-material strip assembly into a format suitable for packaging, comprising, in combination: means for supplying a supply unit of material to a slicing station, a slicing station including means for slicing successive individual strips from the material supply unit, means for transferring the successive individual material strips from the slicing station and placing the individual material strips onto a length of support web, the transfer and placement means including two elongated rollers operatively associated with each other, the first roller having at least one discrete portion defined on an outer surface thereof and adapted to receive an individual material strip thereon after slicing from said material supply unit, said first roller having first pneumatic means for adhering the individual material strip to said first roller at least one discrete portion, the second roller being disposed proximate to said first roller, said second roller having second pneumatic means for adhering a support web over an outer surface of said second roller, said first roller also including means for urging said individual successive material strips off of said first roller at least one discrete portion and onto the support web in a predetermined spacing and in alignment with a potential line of folding associated therewith, means for supplying a length of said support web to said second roller, and means for folding said support web along each of the support web potential lines of folding such that said support web is folded between successive individual material strips.",
    "15. A machine according to claim 14, wherein said support web is a continuous length of support web.",
    "16. A machine according to claim 14 or claim 15, wherein said second roller includes means for engaging said support web.",
    "17. A machine according to any one of claims 14 to 16, further including means for urging said individual successive material strips off of said first roller at said at least one discrete portion and onto said support web.",
    "18. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein said first and second rollers are driven in synchronization with each other.",
    "19. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein said first and second rollers are driven in synchronization with said slicing station, whereby said first roller outer surface discrete portion is positioned proximate to said material unit when an individual material strip is sliced from said material unit.",
    "20. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein said first and second rollers include means for respectively blocking said first and second pneumatic means.",
    "21. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 20, wherein said first roller has four material strip receiving discrete portions disposed on the outer surface thereof, each of the four discrete portions including a first air passage leading from said first roller outer surface to said first roller first pneumatic means, and said second roller including an air passage leading from said second roller outer surface to said second roller second pneumatic means.",
    "22. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 21, wherein said first roller slice urging means includes third pneumatic means for supplying positive air pressure to said first roller discrete portion.",
    "23. A machine according to claim 22, wherein said first roller slice urging means further includes band means encircling said first roller, the band means engaging said first roller proximate to said third pneumatic means.",
    "24. A machine according to claim 22 or claim 23, wherein said belt means includes at least one belt encircling said first roller and engaging a circumferential groove of said first roller.",
    "25. An apparatus for transferring successive material strips cut from a material supply to a substrate web, characterized in that it comprises: first rotating means, second rotating means, the first rotating means having a generally cylindrical outer surface, the first rotating means having first pneumatic means for engaging a material strip and holding the material strip on the first rotating means outer surface, the second rotating means having a generally cylindrical outer surface and having second pneumatic means for holding a continuous substrate web to the second rotating means outer surface, the first rotating means further including means for urging said material strip off of said first rotating means outer surface and onto said continuous substrate web.",
    "26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said means for urging said material strip off of said first rotating means includes third pneumatic means for selectively applying positive pressure to said first rotating means outer surface.",
    "27. An apparatus according to claim 25 or claim 26, wherein said means for urging said material strips off of said first rotating means includes band means operatively intersecting the first rotating means outer surface.",
    "28. An apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein said first rotating means includes a rotating drum having a plurality of discrete material strip engaging areas on its outer surface, and said first pneumatic means includes at least one air passage operatively associated with each of said discrete material strip engaging areas, said first pneumatic means further including means for drawing a vacuum through the rotating drum air passages.",
    "29. An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said rotating drum includes four discrete material strip engaging areas and means for blocking the vacuum drawn through said rotating drum air passages.",
    "30. An apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein said second rotating means includes a rotating drum, the second rotating means rotating drum having a plurality of air passages extending therethrough, said second pneumatic means further including means for drawing a vacuum through said second rotating means rotating drum air passages.",
    "31. An apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the outer surfaces of said first and second rotating means operatively intersect.",
    "32. An apparatus for receiving strips of a meat product and printing it onto an elongated substrate, comprising: a first roller having an elongated, generally cylindrical outer surface with a plurality of discrete meat slice receiving surfaces thereon, the first roller having first means for pneumatically adhering individual, successive meat product slices to the first roller outer surface, said first roller further having belt means for engaging individual, successive meat slices adhered to said first roller outer surface and urging said individual, successive meat slices off of said first roller outer surface and printing said individual, successive meat slices onto an elongated substrate conveyed to a printing location proximate and adjacent said first roller by a second roller having an elongated, generally cylindrical outer surface with a plurality of air apertures therein, the second roller having second means for pneumatically adhering said elongated substrate to the outer surface thereof.",
    "33. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said meat slice urging means includes third means for pneumatically removing said individual, successive meat slices from said first roller outer surface.",
    "34. A method for transferring material strips from a material supply to a substrate web comprising: feeding a material supply to a material cutting location; providing a first roller adjacent to the material cutting location, the first roller having a material strip engaging portion; providing a second roller adjacent to said first roller; feeding a substrate web over the second roller; engaging a material strip with the first roller after the material strip is cut from the material supply; rotating said first roller to transfer said material strip from the material supply to a material transfer location, and rotating the second roller to advance the substrate web to the material transfer location; and urging said material strip off of said first roller and onto said substrate web of said second roller.",
    "35. A method of transferring strips according to claim 34, further including the steps of drawing a vacuum at said first roller material strip engaging portion and releasing the vacuum after said first roller is rotated to said material transfer location and before said material strip is urged off of said first roller.",
    "36. A method according to claim 34 or claim 35, further including the steps of: drawing a vacuum at said first roller material strip engaging portion; drawing a vacuum at one area of said second roller to adhere said substrate web to said second roller at the second roller one area; and releasing the vacuum drawn at said first roller material strip engaging portion after said first roller is rotated to said material transfer location and before said material strip is urged off at said first roller, and releasing the vacuum drawn at said second roller one area before the said material strip is urged off of said first roller and onto said substrate web.",
    "37. A method according to any one of claims 34 to 36 including the step of applying positive air pressure to said material strip to urge said material strip off of said first roller.",
    "38. A method according to any one of claims 34 to 37, wherein said material strip is urged off of said first roller by at least one belt encircling said first roller in a circumferential groove.",
    "39. A method according to any one of claims 34 to 38, wherein the step of urging said material strip off of said first roller includes the steps of: applying air pressure to said material strip at said material strip transfer location and engaging said material strip at said material strip transfer locations of a band encircling said first roller in a circumferential groove.",
    "40. A method according to any one of claims 34 to 39, further including the steps of urging said material strip off of said first roller onto said substrate web proximate to a transverse fold line of said substrate and folding said substrate web upon itself along the transverse fold line.",
    "41. A method according to any one of claims 34 to 40, wherein said material strip is a strip of bacon.",
    "42. A method of transferring strips of material comprising rotating a first roller so that the first roller engages an individual material strip, passing a substrate web over a second roller to a location proximate to said first roller, rotating the first roller so that the individual material strip is closely adjacent the second roller substrate web and urging said individual material strip off of said first roller and onto said substrate web."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus for packaging strips of material and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for transferring a strip of material cut from a supply source to a support web or thin substrate, such as paper, and depositing the strip on the support web at a predetermined location and having a predetermined spacing between successive strips.\n\nVarious devices are known in the meat production field for the transfer of food material strips, such as bacon slices, to a support web for conveyance to a packaging station. In the transfer of the slices from the supply to the support web, the individual strips or slices must be assisted as they travel from the bacon supply to a supply stack or a take-off conveyor. Quite often, the slices are transferred by way of a mechanical pin or other member which engages them and flings them through the air space separating the material supply and a slice receiving means. This method has a number of drawbacks. One drawback is that the operating speed of the mechanical member is limited because the slice encounters air resistance as it is thrown through the air, and the travel of the slice through the air and the resultant placement thereof becomes random rather than ordered. In addition, the texture of the sliced product and the temperature of it may affect the speed of operation. Thus, the exact placement onto a support web or take-off conveyor belt is not always ensured with a mechanical transfer system of this type and the operating speed of the entire production is limited by the maximum operating speed of the transfer member.",
  "cpc": [
    "B26D 7/325",
    "B26D 7/32",
    "B65B 25/08",
    "B65G 47/91"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B26D 7/32",
    "B65B 25/06",
    "B65B 25/08",
    "B65B 35/18",
    "B65G 47/91"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "MAYER OSKAR FOODS"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "MALLY TIMOTHY G"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1991-07-04",
  "publication_date": "1992-01-08",
  "priority_date": "1990-07-05",
  "application_number": "EP-91306101-A",
  "family_id": "24187712",
  "citations": [
    "EP0159183A2",
    "US3907095A"
  ]
}