US2387240A - Fish canning machinery - Google Patents

Description

5 Sheets-Sheet l E. M. BORG FISH CANNING MACHINERY Filed July 13, 1942 INVENTOR Eon/4,20 50/26 ATTORNEYJ Oct. 23, 1945.

c 1945. E. M. BORG FISH CANNING' MACHINERY Filed July 13, 1942 '5'SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR Eowneo M. 8026 ATTORNEYS Oct. 23, 1945. E. M1 BORG FISH GANNING MACHINERY Filed July 13, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR EDWHEO M. Bees B MW ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 23, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISH CANNING MACHINERY Edward M. Borg, Seattle, Wash.

Application July 13, 1942, Serial No. 450,701

4 Claims.

This invention relates to fish canning machinery and has reference more particularly to improvements in machines designed for the compressing of the fish after it has been placed in cans, but prior to operation of seaming the end closures Onto the filled cans; this invention being designed for the same purposes of the machines which have been described and illustrated in my copending application filed May 16, 1942, under Serial No. 443,209, and for use in carrying on the method disclosed in my copending application filed February 17, 1942, under Serial No. 431,255.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a machine of the above character, designed for the quick, effective and economical compressing of fish'in the cans for the purpose of extraction or displacement of liquid content therefrom; the desirability of which is explained in the above mentioned application on the meth od. Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a machine of a continuous, progressive type; that is, to provide a machine in which the filled cans are to be received in rapid succession at one end thereof, to progress in a continuous stream through the machine while certain devices operate to apply mechanical pressure to their contents for the extraction or displacement of liquid content.

More specifically stated, the objects of the present invention residein the provision of va machine of the character and for the purposes above stated, wherein the cans are conveyed horizontally, between two spaced and similarly moving pressure applying belts, on one of which belts,

abutments or tables are arranged to seat against the closed ends of the cans, and on the other of which, pistons or plungers are arranged for entering the open ends of the cans to compress the fish or other contents thereof; also, there being guideways in which supports for the pressure applying belts travel and whereby the belt which carries the plungers is caused to so advance the plungers into the cans as to efiect a predetermined, desired pressure against the contents of the cans as they travel through the machine.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the details of construction of belts, guideways,

and other parts, and in the combination and mode of operation of parts as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- CJI Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the roller guideways.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one ofthe guideways for the belt which carries the pressure applying plungers.

Briefly described, the present machine which is of the horizontal type as distinguished from the vertical, rotary type, comprises a continuous conveyor belt, having one run thereof operable along a horizontal guideway; this belt being equipped, at regular intervals of spacing, with means for receiving and holding the filled cans horizontally and transversely of the belt as they are conveyed thereby from one end of the machine to the other. Operable along this horizontal run of this can conveyor belt, at opposite sides thereof and adjacent the opposite ends of the conveyed cans, are coacting pressure applying belts which, respectively, are equipped with abutment pads for engaging against the closed ends of the cans, and with plungers for entering their open ends for the compression of the cans contents. The belts are all operated in synchronism to cause the pads and plungers to travel along in synchronism with the travel of the cans, and in functional registration therewith. Also, guideways'are provided for the pressure applying belts so that they will be properly spaced and will be moved relative to each other as required to first bring the pressure devices into position, and then to bring about the compressing of the contents of the cans as they progress through the machine.

Referring mor in detail to the drawings- As will best be observed in Figs. 1 and 3, the filled cans l are delivered by gravity down a guide chute 2 and to an indexing star wheel 3 which operates to space and time the delivery of cans into the receiving end of the machine, where they are discharged onto a conveyor belt 4. The belt 4 is continuous, and in its construction comprises a succession of belt links ll, all of the same dimensions and joined together in succession by hinge shafts 6, extended through ears I that project into overlapped relationship from the adjacent edges of the links. At the ends of the hinge shafts t are rollers I, designed to support th 'horisontally extended top run of the belt for easy travel upon a horizontally extending guide plate or rail I which is fixedly supported in the frame structure of the machine.

As noted in Figs. 1 and 4, thisframe comprises a plurality of spaced, horizontal cross, beams i and'vertical legs i I, all of which would be rigidly Joined to give the machine the required strength.

Details of the conveyor belt 4 are shown in -a,ss7,a4o.

various belts and the timing-the delivery of cans to the machine and to the -belts.-

. Mounted on alternate links of the belt ii are abutment pads, or tables II. and their spacing is exactly in accordance with the conveying disposition of cans on the conveyor 4 and, in the operation of the machine, these pads will be brought flatly into engagement with the close ends of the cans upon their entrance into the machine. Preferably, these pads would lit within the countersink of the can end.

Likewise, mounted on alternate links of the belt it are the plungers ll, spaced in accordance x withthe spacing of the cans as carried by the In the belt 4, adjacent links are provided with Y upwardly diverging. arcuately curved seats lt-l 4, designed to cooperatively receive the cans therein and to hold them properly registered with the abutments and plungers on belts ii and I whereby the liquid extracting pressure is applied to the cans contents. As will be seen in Fig. 2, the wheel I! is located at the receiving end of the machine, below the star wheel and endof chute 2, and by reason of the curvature of the belt, in its passing about the wheel, adjacent seats ll-l 4 will be opened apart as noted, to easily receive the cans between them, then as the belt in passing onto the rails I, straightens out, the seats will close together and conform to the cylindrical curvature of the can body, and will hold the can against lateral play on the belt, and by reason of their engaging the double seam and flange at opposite ends of the can bodies, will hold them against endwise shifting.

belt I and adapted to freely enter the open ends ofthe cans as they are brought into the machine. The hinge shafts il which Join the links of the belts II and II are equipped at their ends with rollers ll adapted for travel in continuous, horizontal guideways which are arranged in the frame structure as shown in Fig. l, and these guideways are so shaped, or designed, that they will cause'cooperatively arranged plungers and pads to gradually converge toward the can ends at the entrance of the machine, and to likewise diverge at the discharge end oi the machine.

Along the top or main run of the belt 4, the adiacent run of the belt, I l is straight, and is par- Supported for travel in the same horizontal plane. and at opposite sides of the line of cans as supported on rail 9 by the top run of the conveyor I, are the pressure applying belts, designated in their entireties, respectively, by numorals II and It. Each of these belts is coextensive with belt 4 and is a continuous link belt with the links of rectangular plate form and joined hingedly together at adjacent edges by pivot or hinge shafts l'l extended through ears l1 formed on the link edges.

The belt I! operates at its ends about sprocket wheels I I and is carried on vertical shafts lid and Na. Likewise, belt it operates about sprocket wheels 20 and II carried on vertical shafts 20a and 2 la. These vertical shafts are rotatably supported in suitable bearings provided therefor in the frame structure as at 22 in Fig. 2, and both belts are driven in unison andin an exact timing allel with rail 9 upon-which the belt 4 operates. The guideway which carries the elt I is straight for the most part and parallel with rail 8. but at intervals. has slight outward bends as at 42 in Fig. 6, whereby brief intervals of release of pressure are made possible. The spacing of the guideways whereby the belts II and It are carried. is such, with respect to the line of causes carried by the belt 'I on rail 9, that the desired pressure may be gradually applied to the cans contents by the plungers on belt it while the apbolaifidupressure is sustained by the abutments on The guideway for belt it may be so inclined that, after the plungers have been brought into i to any extent that might be found necessary as canned.

with the belt 4 by any suitable means, such as that shown in Fig. 2, wherein it is a gear that is fixed on the shaft Ila to operate in driving mesh with a gear 2' fixed on the lower end of shaft Ila which mounts the sprocket wheel is about which the belt it operates. A similar gear arrangement would be provided to drive shaft 2la on which the sprocket wheel 2| is fixed and about which belt It operates. v

At-its upper end, the shaft "a has a geared driving connection with shaftjawhich mounts the indexing wheel 8, as at 28 in Fig. 2, and it will be understoodthat these connections provide for the desired synchronous travel of the.

determined by the character of the product being In order to compensate for slight differences in the extent of filling of the cans, the'plungers 38 are fixedly mounted on stems l4 and these are slidable in bearings 45 in the links. Coiled springs 4i bear against the links and against the plungers to urge them into the cans but the extent of outward movement is limited by nuts It adiustably threaded onto the inner ends of the stems.

Assuming the machine to be so constructed, its use and mode of operation is as follows:

Cans i, filled to the designated extent, are delivered down chute 2 and are timed in their'individual delivery to seats of the belt conveyor 4,

which 'operates to move the cans along rail 9 throughthe machine. As the cans thus enter the machine, the belts i5 and i8, traveling in I their guideways 40, are caused to slightly converge and thus to bring the abutmenis into engagement with closed ends of the cans, and the plungers into their open ends. Then, as the cans advance, the plungers are caused to move slightly inward and to exert a gradually increased pressure on the cans contents, with periodic relief of the pressure, that causes a sort of pumping action that will eii'ectively extract liquid confrom contents of the cans. "This flows out.

and may be caught in a receptacle if desired. The pressure applied may be varied as desired either by adjustment of the guideways, or by spring pressure, and the extent of entrance of the plungers may be determined by the adjustin of the nuts 48 on their mounting stems.

At the discharge end of the machine, the belts l5 and [6, by reason of guideway design, are caused to diverge and thus to release the cans. The cans are then discharged from belt 4 into a delivery chute 50 for conveyance to a point of further operation.

In this way, the desired extraction of liquid from the fish, or other contents of the cans, may be economically and expeditiously accomplished, and the invention becomes very desirable in the method as set out in my previously mentioned copending application covering a method of canning fish.

It is to be understood that the details of construction herein disclosed might be varied to meet certain special requirements or conditions, and that size and length of the machine may be govemed to some extent by the capacity desired,

the product being canned, and the size of cans employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a. machine of the character described, a conveyor guiding and supporting rail, belt guides at opposite ends of the rail, an endless conveyor belt operable over the said guides and upon the said rail, and comprising hingedly joined links; adjacent links being equipped with parts coacting to form can seats and adapted to open apart in the passing of said links about said belt guides, means for driving the belt, means for placing filled, unclosed cans in the open seats at one end 01' the rail, for conveyance along the rail, a pair of endless belts operable along the guide rail at opposite sides of the conveyor belt, abutments on one belt for engaging the closed ends of conveyed cans, plungers on the other belt arranged to enter the open ends of the cans and press against the contents thereof, and cam rails for guiding said belts to cause the abutments to hold the cans in their seats and the plungers to apply pressure against the cans contents. 1

2. A machine as recited in claim 1 wherein the plungers are yieldingly mounted on the belt, and wherein the cam rail for that belt is 50 located as to cause a yielding application of pressure to the cans contents.

3. A machine as recited in claim 1 wherein the paired endless belts that are operable along the guide rail at the opposite sides of the conveyor belt are link belts, and wherein the links are wheel mounted for travel on the cam rails.

4. In a machine of the character described, an elongated guiding and supporting rail, 2, traveling endless belt conveyor arranged to ride upon said rail and equipped at intervals therealong with can mounting seats, belt guideways extended along said rail at opposite sides thereof, belts movable in said guideways in accordance with direction and rate of travel of the said conveyor. abutments on one of said belts adapted to be brought against the closed ends of cans placed in the seats of the conveyor in its travel along the rail, plungers mounted on the other belt and adapted to be advanced thereby with travel of the conveyor along the rail into the open ends of the cans to effect compression of their contents, and means for disengaging the abutments and plungens from the cans after the compression of their contents for the removal of the cans from their mounting seats.

EDWARD M. BORG.

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