Pouch filling station
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for filling food pouches are inefficient, often resulting in overfilling and spills, and require manual effort with plungers that lack precise control and effective sealing, leading to increased cleaning time and potential for spills.
Innovation Solution
A tabletop appliance with a canister and air pump system that uses mechanical or electric actuation to fill pouches through a valve and spout, ensuring controlled and efficient filling by pressurizing the canister to push contents into the pouch, with features like a slanted bottom and trough to guide contents and a plunger disk seal for even pressure distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional plunger and canister methods are used to fill pouches, then manual control is possible, but the filling process is slow and requires multiple canisters for different pouch sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The air pump system serves multiple functions: it pressurizes the canister to dispense contents, controls filling speed through regulated air pressure, and can accommodate different pouch sizes by adjusting pressure and volume parameters. This single multi-functional system replaces the need for multiple dedicated canisters and plungers for different pouch sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses an air pump system to pressurize the canister, creating controlled airflow that pushes food contents through the spout into the pouch. This pneumatic mechanism enables rapid, consistent filling while maintaining control over filling speed and amount, significantly improving productivity compared to manual plunger methods.
2Ease of operation
If pouring from a container through a zipper opening is used, then filling is simple, but overfilling and spills occur requiring cleanup time
Solution Approach 1:
The air pump system provides controlled pressurization with automatic pressure regulation, creating a self-regulating filling process. The system monitors and adjusts air pressure to maintain consistent filling flow, preventing overfilling and spills without requiring manual intervention or cleanup, thus eliminating loss of time while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically controls the filling process through pneumatic pressure regulation, self-regulating the flow of contents into the pouch. The air pump system and valve assembly work together to prevent overfilling without human intervention, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for post-filling cleanup.
3Device complexity
If the plunger is not affixed at the top with alignment features, then the structure is simpler, but the plunger tips and loses its seal causing food to float on top
Solution Approach 1:
The air pump system pressurizes the canister contents uniformly, eliminating the need for mechanical plunger seals that tip and lose contact. The pneumatic pressure distributes force evenly across the food contents, maintaining consistent flow through the spout without requiring complex plunger alignment features, thus improving reliability while keeping the structure simple.
4Measurement precision
If multiple mini-canisters and plungers are used for different pouch sizes, then precise filling control is possible, but cleaning time increases and spill potential increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single air pump system with adjustable pressure and volume controls serves all pouch sizes, providing precise filling control through parameter adjustment rather than physical customization. This universal system eliminates the need to clean multiple dedicated canisters and plungers, reducing cleaning time while maintaining measurement precision through pneumatic control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables rapid, efficient, and automated filling of pouches with precise control, reducing overfilling and spills, and minimizing cleaning time, while ensuring a proper seal to maintain food flow and prevent leakage.
Implementation Method 1
an air pump system included with the lid and located on the top of the canister... the pump to pressurize the pump housing and the canister through the one or more check valve seals... the air pressure from the canister pushes the contents of the canister through the canister spout and the valve into the pouch
Data Source
AI summary
A table top appliance rapidly fills a pouch through some mechanical actuation or automation by inserting the pouch into the appliance and the machine fills the pouch. One embodiment of the food pouch filling station may be a mechanical version that includes a method to pump or push the contents of the container into the pouch. A second embodiment of the food pouch filling station may be an electric pump version that fills pouches and may have the option of controlling the amount of food dispensed. The food pouch filling station may also include a valve that connects to the pouch to control the flow to the pouch.