Inline processing and irradiation system

Abstract

A stream of products is packaged and biologically treated by the system. The system has an index conveyor with a filling station and a packaging station. Discrete packages are filled with the stream of products, sealed and moved on an index conveyor. The system moves the discrete packages an irradiation chamber at a steady rate on a continuous speed conveyor. A controller matches the cyclical rate of the index conveyor with the steady rate of the continuous speed conveyor and uses a buffer to transition from the cyclical rate to the steady rate.

1 . A packaging and biological treatment system for a stream of products comprising:
 means for conveying the stream of products;   means for sequentially enclosing the products into a plurality of discrete packages, wherein said discrete packages are enclosed and connected by a web enclosure; and   means for routing said discrete packages through an irradiation chamber via a circuitous path within said conveying means.   
   
   
       2 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein said conveying means is comprised of a package forming station where a packaging material web is molded into an array of packages, a product filling station where the stream of products is deposited onto said array of packages, and a conveyor operatively connecting said package forming station and said product filling station with said enclosing means. 
   
   
       3 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein said enclosing means is comprised of a sealing station having a web enclosure supply roll, a sealing die, and a thermosealing element in operative communication with said web enclosure and overlying said sealing die. 
   
   
       4 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein said routing means comprises an entry region, a buffer region, and an exit region, wherein said buffer region selected from the group of buffers consisting of bucket accumulator, a roller accumulator and a linear accumulators. 
   
   
       5 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 4 , wherein said irradiation chamber further comprises a beam generator, a beam distributor, a target region, a beam generator shield, a target region shield, and a serpentine shield, wherein said serpentine shield surrounds said circuitous path from said entry region to said target region and from said target region to said exit region. 
   
   
       6 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein said conveying means further comprises an index conveyor wherein said discrete packages are moved from a first position to a second position in a series of spaced intervals having a cyclical rate and wherein said routing means comprises a continuous speed conveyor wherein said discrete packages move through said irradiation chamber at a steady rate. 
   
   
       7 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 6 , further comprising a controller for matching said cyclical rate of said index conveyor with said steady rate of said continuous speed conveyor. 
   
   
       8 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , further comprising a serpentine shield surrounding said circuitous path, said circuitous path comprising an entry point, an exit point, a substantially straight path within said irradiation chamber, a first arcuate path between said entry point and said substantially straight path and a second arcuate path between said substantially straight path and said exit point. 
   
   
       9 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein said conveying means further comprises a conveyor moving in a continuous, steady state manner. 
   
   
       10 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 1  wherein said discrete packages traverse said irradiation chamber in a single layer array and remain connected by said web enclosure through said circuitous path. 
   
   
       11 . A packaging and biological treatment system for a stream of products comprising:
 means for conveying the stream of products from a first position to a second position incrementally in a series of spaced intervals;   means for sequentially enclosing the products into a plurality of discrete packages during said series of spaced intervals, wherein said discrete packages are enclosed and connected by a web enclosure; and   means for routing said discrete packages through an irradiation chamber at a steady rate corresponding with the incremental movement of said conveying means.   
   
   
       12 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said web enclosure connects said discrete packages within said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       13 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said discrete packages are disconnected from said web enclosure within said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       14 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said conveying means is comprised of a package forming station where a packaging material web is molded into an array of packages, a product filling station where the stream of products is deposited onto said array of packages, and an indexed conveyor operatively connecting said package forming station and said product filling station with said enclosing means. 
   
   
       15 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said enclosing means is comprised of a sealing station having a web enclosure supply roll, a sealing die, and a thermosealing element in operative communication with said web enclosure and overlying said sealing die. 
   
   
       16 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , further comprising a means for matching a cyclical rate of said conveying means with said steady rate of said routing means. 
   
   
       17 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said routing means comprises an entry, a buffer, and an exit, and wherein said matching means comprises a controller and said buffer is further comprised of a circuitous path between said entry and said exit. 
   
   
       18 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 17 , wherein said irradiation chamber further comprises a beam generator, a beam distributor, a target region, a beam generator shield, a target region shield, and a serpentine shield, wherein said serpentine shield surrounds said circuitous path from said entry to said target region and from said target region to said exit. 
   
   
       19 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 18 , wherein said serpentine shield further comprises a substantially straight path within said irradiation chamber, a first arcuate path between said entry and said substantially straight path and a second arcuate path between said substantially straight path and said exit. 
   
   
       20 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , wherein said incremental movement of said conveying means is a continuous rate. 
   
   
       21 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 20 , wherein said web enclosure connects said discrete packages within said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       22 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 11 , further comprising a serpentine shield surrounding said routing means, said serpentine shield comprising an entry point, an exit point, a substantially straight path within said irradiation chamber, a first arcuate path between said entry point and said substantially straight path and a second arcuate path between said substantially straight path and said exit point. 
   
   
       23 . A packaging and biological treatment system for a stream of products comprising:
 an index conveyor comprising a filling station and a packaging station, wherein a plurality of discrete packages are filled with the stream of products, sealed and moved from a first position to a second position in a series of spaced intervals having a cyclical rate;   a irradiation chamber;   a continuous speed conveyor wherein said discrete packages are moved through said irradiation chamber at a steady rate;   a buffer wherein a set of said discrete packages moving at said cyclical rate are transitioned to said steady rate; and   a controller matching said cyclical rate of said index conveyor with said steady rate of said continuous speed conveyor.   
   
   
       24 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 23 , wherein said web enclosure connects said discrete packages within said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       25 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 23 , wherein said discrete packages are disconnected from said web enclosure within said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       26 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 23 , wherein said routing means comprises an entry region, a buffer region, and an exit region, wherein said buffer region selected from the group of buffers consisting of a linear accumulator, a roller accumulator, a bucket accumulator, and a slackening trough. 
   
   
       27 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 23 , wherein said routing means comprises an entry, a buffer, and an exit. 
   
   
       28 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 27 , wherein said buffer is further comprised of a circuitous path between said entry and said exit. 
   
   
       29 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 28 , wherein said irradiation chamber further comprises a beam generator, a beam distributor, a target region, a beam generator shield, a target region shield, and a serpentine shield, wherein said serpentine shield surrounds said circuitous path from said entry to said target region and from said target region to said exit. 
   
   
       30 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 29 , wherein said serpentine shield further comprises a substantially straight path within said irradiation chamber, a first arcuate path between said entry and said substantially straight path and a second arcuate path between said substantially straight path and said exit. 
   
   
       31 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 27 , wherein said buffer further comprises a separating station wherein said web between said connected discrete packages is cut to form a set of packages disconnected from said web enclosure, said buffer receiving said discrete packages at said entry with said cyclical rate of said conveying means and passing said set of disconnected packages at said exit to said irradiation chamber. 
   
   
       32 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 31 , wherein said irradiation chamber further comprises a beam generator, a beam distributor, an entry region, an exit region, a target region between said entry region and said exit region, a beam generator shield, a target region shield, and a pair of shutter shields, wherein said shutter shields open for a first period of time while a treated set of packages exit said irradiation chamber from said exit region and an untreated set of packages enter said irradiation chamber, and wherein said shutter shields close for a second period of time while said untreated set of packages are moved from said entry region through said target region to said exit region. 
   
   
       33 . The packaging and biological treatment system of  claim 23 , further comprising a radiation sensitive label on each of said discrete packages. 
   
   
       34 . A method for packaging and treating a stream of products comprising the steps of:
 conveying the stream of products from a first position to a second position in a series of spaced intervals;   sequentially enclosing the products into a plurality of discrete packages during said series of spaced intervals; and   routing said discrete packages through an irradiation chamber at a steady rate corresponding with the incremental movement of said conveying means.   
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein said enclosing step is further comprised of connecting said discrete packages with a web enclosure. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein said discrete packages remain connected by said web enclosure during said routing step. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein said discrete packages are disconnected from each other prior to entering said routing step. 
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising the step of matching said incremental movement of said conveying means with said steady rate of said routing means.