Flapper gate forming tube assembly for packaged produce containers

Abstract

A system for reducing metal and product-in-seal contamination in a package of produce product is provided. The system includes a tube and a flapper gate assembly. The flapper gate assembly is connected to the top of the tube, and includes a pivot and a flapper gate. The pivot is positioned outside the tube. The flapper gate is positioned inside the tube and is connected to the pivot. The flapper gate is configured to regulate product flow in the tube by rotating around the pivot when the pivot is rotated.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A system for reducing metal and product-in-seal contamination in a package of produce product, the system comprising:
 a tube positioned substantially vertically, the tube having a top, bottom, inside, and outside;   a partially-enclosed cavity for containing the produce product, the partially-enclosed cavity having a cavity opening positioned below the bottom of the tube;   a flapper gate assembly, connected to the top of the tube, comprising a linkage assembly, a pivot assembly, and a flapper gate,
 the linkage assembly having a bracket attached to the outside of the tube and a linkage arm connected to the bracket in a fixed position relative to the tube; 
 the pivot assembly positioned outside the tube and attached to the linkage arm, the pivot assembly comprising an actuator, a piston rod, a pivot arm, and a hinge,
 wherein the actuator is configured to drive the piston rod, and the piston rod is connected to the pivot arm, which rotates around the hinge when the piston rod is driven; and 
 
 the flapper gate positioned inside the tube and connected to the pivot arm via the hinge, wherein the flapper gate is configured to rotate around the hinge when the pivot arm is rotated to regulate product flow in the tube; and 
   a sealing assembly configured to seal the partially-enclosed cavity to form a fully-enclosed package.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the flapper gate assembly is connected to a vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) machine. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the package is a polypropylene bag. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the flapper gate is a single-piece stainless steel gate. 
     
     
         5 . A system for reducing metal and product-in-seal contamination in a package of produce product, the system comprising:
 a tube having a top and bottom; and   a flapper gate assembly, connected to the top of the tube, comprising a pivot and a flapper gate,
 the pivot positioned outside the tube; and 
 the flapper gate positioned inside the tube and connected to the pivot, wherein the flapper gate is configured to regulate product flow in the tube by rotating around the pivot when the pivot is rotated. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the flapper gate assembly is connected to a vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) machine. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the package is a polypropylene bag. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the flapper gate is a single-piece stainless steel gate. 
     
     
         9 . A flapper gate device for reducing metal contamination in a package of produce product, the flapper gate device comprising:
 a linkage assembly having a bracket and a linkage arm connected to the bracket in a fixed position relative to the bracket;   a pivot assembly attached to the linkage arm, the pivot assembly comprising an actuator, a piston rod, a pivot arm, and a hinge, wherein the actuator is configured to drive the piston rod, and the piston rod is connected to the pivot arm which rotates around the hinge when the piston rod is driven; and   a gate connected to the pivot arm via the hinge, wherein the gate is configured to rotate around the hinge when the pivot arm is rotated,   wherein the flapper gate device is configured to connect to the top of a tube such that the pivot assembly is outside the tube and the gate is positioned inside the tube to regulate the flow of the produce product through the tube.   
     
     
         10 . The flapper gate device of  claim 9 , wherein the flapper gate device is connected to a vertical fill-form-seal (VFFS) machine. 
     
     
         11 . The flapper gate device of  claim 9 , wherein the package is a polypropylene bag. 
     
     
         12 . The flapper gate device of  claim 9 , wherein the gate is a single-piece stainless steel gate. 
     
     
         13 . A method of reducing metal and product-in-seal contamination in a package of produce product, the method comprising:
 loading the produce product into a tube;   opening a flapper gate located at the top of the tube to allow the produce product to flow through the tube into an opening of a partially-enclosed cavity positioned below the tube;   closing the flapper gate to stop the flow of produce product through the tube; and   sealing the partially-enclosed cavity to produce a fully-enclosed package containing the produce product.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising collecting the produce product inside the tube using the flapper gate. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the partially-enclosed cavity is sealed when the partially-enclosed cavity is determined to be full. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the method is implemented as part of a vertical fill-form-seal (VFFS) packaging operation. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the package is a polypropylene bag. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the flapper gate is a single-piece stainless steel gate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein opening the flapper gate occurs before loading the produce product into the tube. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein loading the produce product into the tube occurs before opening the flapper gate.