Carousel loading apparatus

Abstract

An embodiment includes a carousel machine designed to slowly deliver a premeasured weighment of product to a receptacle (e.g., bag, box, sack, container, bin). The receptacle, such as a bag or a box, may be manually hung on pneumatic clamps as the carousel rotates. This may help eliminate the jamming of product that normally occurs on existing carousel baggers. Other embodiments are described herein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A carousel loading apparatus comprising:
 first, second, and third troughs respectively coupled to first, second, and third pusher plates; and   a hub coupled to a motor and the first, second, and third troughs;   wherein the first, second, and third pusher plates are respectively configured to advance within the first, second, and third troughs to distribute first, second, and third loads of food articles into first, second, and third receptacles while the motor rotates the hub and the first, second, and third troughs.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  comprising:
 pneumatically operable bag clamps, coupled to each of the first, second, and third troughs, to couple the first, second, and third receptacles to the first, second, and third troughs; 
 wherein the first, second, and third receptacles include first, second, and third hanging bags. 
 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the first, second, and third troughs respectively include output end portions where the first, second, and third loads of food articles are emptied from the first, second, and third troughs into the first, second, and third hanging bags. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the output end portions each include a horizontal planar floor non-orthogonally coupled to sidewalls and the floor and sidewalls are all monolithically formed with one another. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein each floor includes a maximum width and the bag clamps include a setting that statically holds the first, second, and third bags open a width generally equal to the maximum width and an additional setting that statically holds additional bags open an additional width greater than the maximum width. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the bag clamps are configured for adjustable load widths. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the bag clamps each couple to a set of differently sized paddles configured to hold open differently sized bags. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein a portion of the bag clamps (a) move towards one another to couple the first, second, and third bags to the bag clamps, and (b) away from one another to expand the first, second, and third bags to receive the first, second, and third loads of food articles. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein an additional portion of the bag clamps (a) move away from one another to couple the first, second, and third bags to the bag clamps, and (b) towards one another to grip the first, second, and third bags between the portion and additional portion of bag clamps. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the horizontal planar floor has a maximum width of less than 4.5″. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the bag clamps coupled to the first trough comprise at least two inner clamps to expand the first bag and at least two outer clamps to hold the first bag against the two inner clamps. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein each of the first, second, and third troughs is configured to hold up to 25 lbs of the first, second, and third loads of food articles. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein each of the first, second, and third pusher plates advance from a back end portion of the first, second, and third troughs, through the first, second, and third troughs, and to the output end portions of the first, second, and third troughs to distribute the first, second, and third loads of food articles into the receptacles. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second troughs are located opposite one another across the hub and a pusher rod, coupled to the first and second pusher plates, is configured to advance the first pusher plate while retracting the second pusher plate and advance the second pusher plate while retracting the first pusher plate. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the first pusher plate is configured to maximally advance within the first trough when the second pusher plate is maximally retracted within the second trough. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor rotates the hub and the first, second, and third troughs through an arching path that is greater than 180 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the first pusher plate is configured to advance within the first trough to progressively distribute the first load of food articles into the first receptacle along multiple locations of the arching path. 
     
     
         18 . A carousel loading apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of troughs respectively coupled to a plurality of pusher plates and a motor;   wherein the pusher plates are respectively configured to advance within the troughs to distribute a plurality of articles into a plurality of receptacles while the motor rotates the troughs.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  comprising:
 receptacle clamps, coupled to troughs, to couple the receptacles to the troughs; 
 wherein the receptacles include a plurality of hanging receptacles. 
 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the receptacle clamps are configured for adjustable load widths. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein:
 a portion of the receptacle clamps (a) move toward one another to couple the receptacles to the receptacle clamps, and (b) away from each other to secure the receptacles to receive the articles; and 
 an additional portion of the receptacle clamps (a) move away from one another to couple the receptacles to the receptacle clamps, and (b) towards one other to secure the receptacles between the portion and additional portion of receptacle clamps. 
 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein each of the pusher plates advance from a back end portion of the troughs, through the troughs, and to the output end portions of the troughs to distribute the articles into the receptacles. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the troughs are located opposite one another and a pusher rod, coupled to first and second plates of the pusher plates, is configured to advance the first pusher plate while retracting the second pusher plate and advance the second pusher plate while retracting the first pusher plate. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the motor rotates the troughs through an arching path that is greater than 180 degrees. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the pusher plates are configured to advance within the troughs to progressively distribute the articles into the receptacles along multiple locations of the arching path.