Ishida Co. Limited

Ishida Europe Limited

Robert Bennett

Adrian M Sunter

Simon John Richardson

Ryoichi Sato

Kenneth W Franklin

Michihiko Yonetsu

Takumi Kawamura

Masahiko Muramiya

A method of removing a foreign object from a food piece detects the location of a foreign object in a food piece (); conveys the food piece to a cutting tool (); and operates the cutting tool to cut around the detected location of the foreign object and subsequently to engage and eject the foreign object from the food piece.

Method and apparatus for removing foreign objects from food pieces

A method and apparatus for the conditioning of articles. According to one aspect of the invention, a conveyor conveys articles in a conveying direction along a path. A rotatable belt assembly extends adjacent to the path. The rotatable belt assembly includes a belt having a conditioning run extending generally in the conveying direction to contact articles being conveyed along the path. The belt is mounted so that it is capable of displacement to vary the spacing of the conditioning run from the conveying path. The rotatable belt assembly moves vertically and/or with a rocking movement to condition the articles contacted by the conditioning run. The speed of rotation of the rotatable belt assembly may be varied to adjust the spacing between the articles being conveyed.

Conditioning of articles

A stacking conveyor conveys packets so that the conveyed packets become stacked together in a standing up configuration as an array of packets. First and second gripping members are automatically controlled so that the first and second gripping members mechanically move independently of each other to grip the array between the first and second gripping members and move the gripped array to a different location such as, for example, to a packaging station for packaging the array.

Gripping members gripping and moving packets stacked by a conveyor

A packing system for articles. According to one embodiment of the invention, a receiving and dropping assembly comprising one or more doors that are displaceable between a holding configuration and a dropping configuration. The doors define a receptacle while in the holding configuration. The receptacle receives and holds an article, which is received by a leading edge of the article being guided by guide surfaces in the doors. The doors drop the article being held while in the dropping configuration. An output conveyor line receives the articles dropped by the receiving and dropping assembly. A controller controls the dropping and conveyance of the articles to convey the dropped articles along the output conveyor line in predetermined arrays. A pick-and-place robot system picks up the articles or arrays of articles from the output conveyor line and places the picked up articles in receptacles.

Packaging system

An apparatus to test integrity of a seal of a package. The apparatus includes a height detector detecting a height of the package, a test portion determining the integrity of the seal based upon a position of the test portion as a function of time when contacting the package, and a mover moving the test portion into an initial position of contact with the package based upon the detected height. The test portion includes a test head contacting the package, and the mover includes a servo motor driving the test head, and a ball screw linking the servo motor and the test head.

Package handling apparatus detecting package height

An apparatus and method for the reorientation of articles. According to one aspect of the invention, a conveyor having a support surface for an article to be reoriented displaces the support surface in a conveying direction. The article being conveyed by displacement of the support surface contacts an abutment, adjacent to the support surface, having an elongate abutment surface extending at an angle to the conveying direction. Continued displacement of the support surface turns the article as it slides in contact with the abutment surface. An orienting gate assembly, located downstream of the abutment surface in the conveying direction, has a pair of gates that are displaceable between two configurations. In a closed configuration, the gates define a channel that narrows in the conveying direction to trap the article. In an open configuration, the channel is widened at the downstream end to release the trapped article.

Reorientation of articles

An article handling system and method comprising a flow path along which articles travel and a metal detection system to detect the passage of metal items along the flow path. The system has a metal detector test system to support a metal test piece and positively move it along the flow path, and a metal detector to detect the metal test piece.

Article handling system

An apparatus to evenly distribute loose articles within a package. The apparatus includes a conveyor unit to convey and agitate the package and a pressing unit to press on and thereby smooth the package. The conveyor unit includes a plurality of tapered rollers which are tapered on alternating sides.

Distributing apparatus having tapered rollers

A combinatorial weighing apparatus that combines articles after aligning same. The articles are input to the apparatus via hoppers, which can be selectively discharged to an alignment tray based upon the weight of the articles within the hoppers. A predetermined weight, or at least a weight within a margin of error of the predetermined weight, is discharged through a chute to an alignment tray. The chute narrows from an inlet position to an outlet position, and aligns the articles as they pass therethrough. Once in the alignment tray, the tray is shaken in an unsymmetrical manner so as to further align the articles. Once the alignment is complete, a gate beneath the tray opens and the aligned articles drop into a receptacle. The present invention is particularly useful in aligning elongate articles, such as bread sticks, and other food stuffs.

Article alignment device

A hopper for a weighing machine which has a tubular body and a closing valve which is comprised of several plates which are pivotably mounted around the bottom of the hopper for movement in a plane transverse to the axis of the hopper. The plates are simultaneously driven between open and closed positions by a common belt or chain so that the closing forces of the plates are balanced. The belt is coupled to a driving mechanism through a lever mounted on the hopper which disconnects from the driving mechanism when the plates are fully closed so that the hopper is freely suspended for weighing purposes. The plates scrape against the bottom of the hopper when opening so that material clinging to the plates is scraped off.

Weighing machines

To easily position and bond together a preceding strip-like film and a succeeding strip-like film and with improved operational performance, pairs of front and rear clamp members (27, 32, 28, 33) are arranged on a running path 10 of a strip-like film (F). A preceding film (F1) clamped by these clamp members is cut by a cutter (49). The rear clamp only is then released, and a portion of the preceding film (F1) backward from a cut position (C) is removed. A succeeding film (F2) is moved forwardly until the succeeding film (F2) comes in contact with the front clamp member (32) whereby the succeeding film (F2) can be positioned with respect to the preceding film (F1). The succeeding film (F2) is clamped again by the rear clamp, electricity is conducted to a heater (45) under this state whereby overlapped portions of the two films (F1, F2) are bonded. Thereafter the two clamps are released and the running of the bonded film is restarted.

Method of connecting strip-like film and connecting device thereof

Accelerating the processing speed of a form-fill-seal packaging machine by continuously running a strip-like film, even if using a printing device of an intermittent printing type. Arm members (35) pivot around support axes (36) and are provided on a feed path of a strip-like film (F). Rollers (37,38) guiding the film (F) are provided at front and rear end portions of the arm members (35) whereby portions of the film (F) meander. A stopper member (32) stops the running of the film (F) and is disposed between accumulating portions (A, B). Printing is carried out on the film (F) by a printer (28) of an intermittent printing type in a period of time during which a portion of the film (F) is stopped by the stopper member (32). The continuous running of the film (F) is not hampered during this stoppage period since a portion of the film (F) is accumulated at the accumulating portion (A) on the downstream side.

Method of printing film at form-fill-seal packaging machine and

A form-fill-seal packaging machine in which a packaging material (F) is sealed crosswise by bringing a pair of sealing jaws (41, 42) into contact with each other. The sealing jaws (41, 42) are caused to follow the packaging material along the packaging material transfer direction while they are kept in the same condition, to cause the sealing jaws to take contacting and following motions by means of a single drive source. The rotation of a motor (25) is converted into a linear reciprocating motion along the transfer route of the packaging material through a cam mechanism comprised of a circular cam plate (24) and an arm (33) and the converted reciprocating motion is transmitted to a block (30). Similarly, the rotation of the motor (25) is converted into a linear reciprocating motion in a direction intersecting the packaging material transfer route at right angles through vertically elongated cam plates (50, 50) and the converted reciprocating motion is transmitted to blocks (37, 38). Thus, by supporting these blocks (37, 38) by the block 30, it is possible to allow the sealing jaws (41, 42) to take elevating and contacting motions using the single motor (25).

Form-fill-seal packaging machine

A form-fill-seal packaging machine capable of easily performing positioning between the two side edge portions of a strip-like film to be sealed and a vertical sealing device when the position of the portions to be sealed is shifted or offset, without complicating a support mechanism of the vertical sealing device bonding the portions of the strip-like film which is made to wrap on a cylindrical chute. A forming unit (7) and a cylindrical chute (8) are attached to a support unit (18). The support unit (18) is disposed opposite to a vertical sealing device (10) by engaging it with pins (16) and an adjusting screw (17) which are protrudingly provided on frames (3) of the apparatus. When the adjusting screw (17) is rotated, the support unit (18) is transversely moved with respect to the vertical sealing device (10) as designated by arrow marks L and R via the engagement with the screw (17), by which the overlapped portion A and the vertical sealing crevice (10) can easily be brought into alignment with each other even if the position of the overlapped portion A of the film F that is formed on the peripheral face of a chute (8), is shifted or made offset.

Growing community of inventors

West Midlands, United Kingdom

Robert Bennett