초록 ▼

A strip of coherent packets of compacted batches of ground coffee between two overlapping webs of water-permeable material is formed along the upper reach of an endless conveyor with plates having supporting surfaces facing upwardly during travel along the upper reach and provided with recesses whic

A strip of coherent packets of compacted batches of ground coffee between two overlapping webs of water-permeable material is formed along the upper reach of an endless conveyor with plates having supporting surfaces facing upwardly during travel along the upper reach and provided with recesses which communicate with a suction generating device. The first web is deposited onto the supporting surfaces of successive plates at a first station, followed by deformation of the web at a second station to form therein pockets which extend into the respective recesses and receive batches containing metered quantities of ground coffee at a third station. The batches are compacted in two stages to form cakes from which loose particles are sucked up by a nozzle before the second web is placed over the first web and the cakes. The two webs are then bonded to each other around the respective cakes, and the resulting packets are subjected to a quality control before the continuous strip of coherent packets is subdivided into lengths each of which contains a selected number of packets. The second compacting stage involves rotation of a tool relative to the batch therebelow so that the underside of the tool is free of particles of ground coffee when it is lifted above and away from the thus obtained cake.

대표청구항 ▼

1. In an apparatus for making a strip of coherent packets containing batches of metered quantities of flowable solid material, particularly coffee, between overlapping first and second elongated webs at least one of which includes a liquid-permeable material, the combination of an endless conveyor c

1. In an apparatus for making a strip of coherent packets containing batches of metered quantities of flowable solid material, particularly coffee, between overlapping first and second elongated webs at least one of which includes a liquid-permeable material, the combination of an endless conveyor comprising a series of mobile plates having supporting surfaces; means for intermittently advancing said conveyor in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path having a section wherein the supporting surfaces of said plate face upwardly; means for depositing successive increments of the first web on the supporting surfaces of successive plates in a first portion of said section; means for feeding batches onto the first web in a second portion of said section downstream of said first portion, as considered in said direction, during the intervals of dwell of said conveyor so that each batch is disposed above one of said supporting surfaces; means for densifying the batches in a third portion of said section downstream of said second portion during the intervals of dwell of said conveyor, including at least one rotary compacting tool, adjustable means for biasing said tool from above against the batch in the third portion of said section with a variable force, and means for rotating said tool while the latter is biased against the batch in said third portion; means for depositing successive increments of the second web onto the first web in a fourth portion of said section downstream of the third portion so that the second web overlies the batches on the first web; and means for bonding the first and second webs to each other around successive batches in a fifth portion of said section downstream of said fourth portion. 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said rotating means includes an adjustable torque transmitting device arranged to transmit to said tool a progressively decreasing torque in response to decreasing force which said biasing means applies to said tool. 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the webs contain heat-sealable materials and said bonding means includes means for applying heat to selected portions of the webs in said fifth portion of said section. 4. The combination of claim 3, wherein said heat applying means includes a welding member having raised portions arranged to bond said selected portions of the webs to each other. 5. The combination of claim 3, further comprising mobile carrier means for intermittently raising and lowering said heat applying means in synchronism with the operation of said advancing means. 6. The combination of claim 5, further comprising a universal joint interposed between said carrier means and said heat applying means. 7. The combination of claim 1, wherein said tool is arranged to condense successive batches into cakes of coherent solid particles and further comprising means for gathering those particles on successive plates which do not adhere to the respective cakes, said gathering means being adjacent to a sixth portion of said section between said third and fourth portions. 8. The combination of claim 7, wherein said gathering means includes a nozzle having an intake adjacent to said sixth portion and suction generating means arranged to draw air and non-adherent particles of successive batches through said intake. 9. The combination of claim 1, further comprising signal generating detector means for monitoring the quality of successive compacted batches. 10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said detector means is located in a seventh portion of said section downstream of said fifth portion and is arranged to monitor the shapes of those portions of the second web which overlie compacted batches. 11. The combination of claim 9, further comprising means for applying indicia to at least one of said webs in the region of a detected defective batch. 12. The combination of claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises a source of flowable solid material, means for monitoring the supply of material in said source, and means for admitting additional material when the supply of material in said source is depleted below a predetermined value. 13. The combination of claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises a source of flowable solid material, a metering device receiving material from said source, and means for conveying batches from said device onto the first web in said second portion of said section. 14. The combination of claim 13, wherein said metering device is adjustable and further comprising means for adjusting said metering device to thereby vary the quantity of material in the batches. 15. The combination of claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises means for deionizing the particles of the batches before such particles reach the first web. 16. The combination of claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises means for neutralizing the electrostatic charges of particles which advance toward the second portion of said section. 17. The combination of claim 1, wherein the plates of said conveyor are movable relative to each other, as considered in said direction, and further comprising means for causing such plates to move nearer to each other in the region of said section in response to stoppage of said conveyor. 18. The combination of claim 1, wherein said means for moving said plates nearer to each other comprises a brake for said conveyor. 19. The combination of claim 1, wherein said conveyor comprises additional plates, one for each of said mobile plates, and means for articulately connecting such additional plates to the respective mobile plates so that the additional plates are movable to and from positions of overlap with the supporting surfaces of said mobile plates. 20. The combination of claim 1, wherein said densifying means comprises a second tool which is disposed ahead of said rotary tool, as considered in said direction, and is arranged to effect preliminary compacting of successive batches.