Campbell Soup Company

Other

John Baranowski

Talia Salamon-Hickey

Timothy Michael Brown

John Michael McComb

William John Cramer

Jamie Melissa Clark

Michael Roy Fairs

Talia Salamon Hickey

Susan Marie Caime

John Allen Sinclair

Embodiments of the invention include apparatus for filling containers and related methods. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a rotary turret assembly rotatably coupled to a filler frame. The rotary turret assembly can include a rotary base and a plurality of hollow columns mounted on the rotary base and arranged in a circle. A plurality of piston assemblies can be configured to move up and down within the hollow columns. Each piston assembly can include a piston body and a top hat assembly configured to releasably engage the top of the piston body. The piston body and the top hat assembly can release from one another when a release lever is engaged. Rotation of the rotary column group causes the cam contact members of the piston assemblies to move over a surface of a cam track causing vertical movement of the top hat assemblies. Other embodiments are included herein.

Rotary filling apparatus and methods

Embodiments of the invention include apparatus for filling containers and related methods. In an embodiment, the invention includes an apparatus for filling containers including a filler frame, a rotary turret assembly, a filler plenum assembly, piston assemblies, a cam track, and a fluid supply group. The cam track can include a first rising portion, a second rising portion, a first declining portion, a first flat portion, and a second declining portion. In some embodiments, the apparatus for filling containers can include a sensor and a lever actuator. The piston assemblies can move up and down within the plurality of hollow columns and can include a piston body, and a top hat assembly. The top hat assembly can include a cam contact member and a release lever. The top hat assembly can be configured to releasably engage the top of the piston body in some embodiments. The release lever can allow the piston body and the top hat assembly to release from one another when the release lever is engaged. In some embodiments, the apparatus for filling containers can include a container conveyor system including an infeed timing screw, a discharge timing screw, and a container elevation system. In an embodiments the apparatus can include a fluid supply group can include a liquid supply tank, a supply conduit, a reclaim trough, a reclaim conduit, a pump, a plenum return conduit, and a pumped return conduit. Other embodiments are included herein.

Embodiments of the invention include instant food systems and methods regarding the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method for preparing a hot instant food product. The method can include adding a heated liquid to a container, adding a substantially dry food product mixture to the container, wherein the volume of the dry food product mixture is equal to at least 20% of the volume of heated liquid, placing a mixing head into the container, and rotating the mixing head for a period of less than sixty seconds in order to form a fully hydrated frothed food product. In an embodiment, an instant food preparation machine is included. In an embodiment, a mixing head is included. In an embodiment, an instant food preparation kit is included. Other embodiments are also included herein.

Systems and methods for instant food preparation

Container cover

A dispensing system dispensing items includes a dispensing station and a first conveyor for transporting containers to the dispensing station. The dispensing station includes a dispenser for dispensing items to the containers, a mechanism for spacing the containers to a predetermined pitch, a transfer wheel for removing the containers from the first conveyor, a star wheel for receiving the containers from the transfer wheel and for transporting the containers in synchronization with the dispenser, and a turret for removing the containers from the star wheel.

Dispensing systems and methods

A dispenser includes a feeder bowl for receiving items to be dispensed, and a first vibration device for vibrating the feeder bowl. the dispenser also includes a plurality of dispensing paths positioned around the feeder bowl, and a rotation drive for rotating the dispensing paths. Moreover, the dispensing paths include a second vibration device for vibrating the dispensing paths proportionately to a physical characteristic of each of the items, such that the dispensing paths dispense the items singularly.

Dispensers and methods of dispensing items

A control system for regulating a dispenser that includes a feeder bowl and a plurality of dispensing paths is disclosed. The control system includes a control unit for controlling a rotation drive for rotating the dispensing paths, a feeder bowl vibration device for vibrating the feeder bowl, and at least one dispensing path vibration device for vibrating the dispensing paths, such that the feeder bowl receives a plurality of items and supply the items uniformly to each of the dispensing paths, and the dispensing paths dispense the items singularly.

Control systems and methods of dispensing items

A system for dispensing items includes a dispenser, a sensing unit, a plurality of container chutes, and a plurality of diversion chutes. The dispenser comprises a plurality of dispensing paths for dispensing the items. The sensing unit measures a physical characteristic of each of the dispensed items. The plurality of container chutes directs each of the dispensed items, the measured physical characteristic of which is within a predetermined range of physical characteristics, to containers. The plurality of diversion chutes diverts each of the dispensed items, the measured physical characteristic of which is greater than or less than the predetermined range of physical characteristics, away from the containers.

Dispensing and diversion systems and methods

An apparatus for filling containers with a liquid which includes a plurality of independent tanks positioned successively along a track that supports a series of containers. Each tank includes a weir for dispensing a liquid into the containers. The tanks are selectively fed with the liquid depending on the volume needed in the container. As a result, the volume of liquid dispensed into each container can be more accurately controlled. Funnels are provided for directing the liquid dispensed by the weirs into the open tops of the containers. The funnels are oriented vertically and close to the chain drive, even with the containers inclined, in order to lessen the loads placed on the chain drive for the funnels and thereby increase the mechanism's useful life. In addition, the funnels are passed through a cleaning assembly during a return segment to alleviate the need to shut down the machine to clean the funnels and thereby maximize the efficiency of the operation. The apparatus further includes a filling assembly, a closing assembly and a single drive mechanism for moving the containers through the filling assembly and the closing assembly.

Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid

A system for handling cylindrical cans or the like and conveying them from filler and closure equipment to and into hydrostatic sterilizer carriers. After the cans have been filled and closed, they are conveyed upright to a receiving area. A screw assembly is periodically actuated, taking cans from the receiving area, grasping their cylindrical sidewalls and laying them down and forward into a metered can stick. This can stick is rolled laterally by a clamp-kicker assembly into the hydrostatic sterilizer carriers as they are conveyed past it. The screw assembly includes a pair of horizontally disposed screws, both rotatable downwardly and inwardly and with the axis of one spaced above that of the other. With one complete rotation of the screws a can held therebetween on its cylindrical sidewalls is positively laid forward onto its side. With an adequate supply of cans in the receiving area, the controlled rotation of the screws determines how many cans are laid forward to thereby form the can stick. Also, if a sensor detects that a can being conveyed to the screws has fallen down then the rotation of the screws is automatically stopped.

Kicker clamp for containers

A conveyance system particularly adapted for food processing utilizes an article handling apparatus including a feed device which is particularly adapted to convey cans in clusters of a predetermined uniform number to a toppler apparatus for manipulating the cans from an axis-vertical to an axis-horizontal condition. The feed device utilizes screw elements effective to receive cans from a double row and to merge them into a single row for conveyance to the toppler apparatus. The screw elements while merging the cans into a single row place the cans on a predetermined mutual spacing for unencumbered toppling.

Growing community of inventors

Bensalem, PA, United States of America

John Baranowski