EP2177331B1 - Mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers - Google Patents
Mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2177331B1 EP2177331B1 EP20090173484 EP09173484A EP2177331B1 EP 2177331 B1 EP2177331 B1 EP 2177331B1 EP 20090173484 EP20090173484 EP 20090173484 EP 09173484 A EP09173484 A EP 09173484A EP 2177331 B1 EP2177331 B1 EP 2177331B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- bush
- plates
- mould
- moulding
- moulds
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 239000007799 cork Substances 0.000 title claims description 34
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 title claims description 21
- 239000008187 granular material Substances 0.000 claims description 28
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 23
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000002441 reversible effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004809 Teflon Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920006362 TeflonĀ® Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000011230 binding agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000013519 translation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003749 cleanliness Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003292 glue Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007769 metal material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 231100000252 nontoxic Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 230000003000 nontoxic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002994 raw material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B27—WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL
- B27J—MECHANICAL WORKING OF CANE, CORK, OR SIMILAR MATERIALS
- B27J5/00—Mechanical working of cork
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the field of the machines for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers, and more particularly it relates to a mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers as per the preamble of claim 1.
- a method for forming agglomerated cork stoppers using such a mould as per the preamble of claim 11 is also an object of the invention. Such a mould and method is disclosed by document US 2 830 326 .
- agglomerated cork stoppers are manufactured according to different methods, depending on the quality of the raw material available. In high quality productions the stoppers are manufactured in a single piece from a compact cork matrix directly coming from a tree bark, while in lower quality products use is made of agglomerated cork granules obtained from the processing waste of high quality stoppers, or from batches that do not possess the required quality for one-piece stoppers; the granules are bonded by a non-toxic glue matrix.
- agglomerated stoppers Various methods are known for manufacturing agglomerated stoppers.
- One of these methods provides for the introduction of doses of agglomerated granules mixed with binding agents into moulds comprising moulding bushes.
- the agglomerate with binding agent is then pressed and subsequently transferred into an oven for the time required for solidification.
- the stopper is removed from the moulding bush by applying pressure using an extraction rod-like body.
- the preparation of the correct amount of granules to be introduced into the corresponding mould is carried out through dosing machines.
- the system for forming the stoppers provides for drive means made up of chains to which a sequence of moulds is connected. Such drive means carry the moulds according to a cycle comprising a passage in front of the dosing machine, through an oven and then in an extraction area.
- the moulds for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers are made up of a framework with two elongated plates and a series of moulding bushes aligned between such plates. Holes are formed in the plates, one for each bush.
- the bushes are fixed to a common translation actuator which brings about a linear movement of the bushes from a position wherein the same are arranged in a manner corresponding to the holes to allow for the introduction of the doses of cork granules, to a displaced wherein the bushes are closed by the inner faces of the plates, in view of the forming step.
- Such moulds e.g. the one disclosed in US 2830326 are generally bulky and poorly adapt to the possibility of varying the size of the moulding bushes.
- the entire mould needs be dismounted, hence making the operation scarcely practical.
- the use of the mould is not flexible, given that only two pre-set sizes are provided for, in the construction stage of the mould.
- Such presetting is due to the fact that the mould comprises an intermediate plate arranged between an elongated plate of the framework, and the bush.
- Such intermediate plate is perforated in an identical manner with the holes of the elongated plate. The bush abuts against such intermediate plate.
- the bush may move from an open position to a closed position on said intermediate plate, while, alternatively, it may move integrally with such intermediate plate which, in correspondence with its hole, shall provide for an "extension" of the bush itself.
- the bush with the intermediate plate shall be closed by the elongated plate.
- moulds are manufactured with a large number of cavities, thus being poorly flexible when it comes to obtaining batches with a reduced number of agglomerated cork stoppers.
- the main object of the present invention is that of overcoming the drawbacks of the moulds of the above mentioned known type, and in particular of providing a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers which can be particularly flexible in use.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers which can be mounted and remounted easily.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers that works in a reliable manner.
- a further object of the present invention is to obtain a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers in which the size of the stoppers obtainable is easily adjustable.
- a still further object of the present invention is to provide a system for forming cork stoppers that is flexible in use and capable of reducing waste of material with respect to the prior art.
- Such configuration of the mould allows for better and quicker management of the operations for replacing the moulding bushes in order to vary their capacity, because the bushes are no longer sequentially linked with each other.
- such mould has a single moulding bush, in such a manner to be able to fully control the dimensions of the production batch.
- the lower weight of each "single-cavity" mould makes the task of the operators easier when the mould is installed.
- the simplified structure of a mould having a single moulding cavity results in a more reliable operation and makes the size adjustments much simpler.
- the invention also provides for a method for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers having the features as in attached claim 11.
- a mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers according to the invention is indicated in its entirety at number 10.
- Such mould 10 comprises two opposite plates 11, substantially symmetric, separated by four spacer elements 12, such as bars fixed to the plates 11 in proximity to the edges of the latter through screws 13.
- guide means 14 are arranged for making a moulding bush 15 slide between an open position (see figures 1 and 2 ) for introducing cork granules and removing the formed stopper, and a closed position (see figure 3 ).
- the bases of the bush 15 are in contact with the inner faces 11a.
- Such guide means 14 comprise, for each inner face 11 a, a track 16 made up of two parallel rails 16a defined at the side edges of the plates, spaced from each other by a length substantially equivalent to the outer diameter of the bush 15.
- Such rails are for example made up of a substantially U-shaped foil and welded on the inner faces 11a.
- the track 16 defines the displacement direction (indicated at L in figure 1 ) of the bush 15.
- the upper part of the track 16 ends with two sections of the rails 16 converging with respect to each other to define upper stop abutments 17 for the bush 15.
- the bush 15 when the bush 15 is in abutment against such upper stop abutments 17, it is in the opening position for introducing cork granules or for removing the stopper once it is formed.
- the bush In such an open position, the bush is coaxial with two corresponding opposite circular apertures 18 formed through respective plates 11.
- the maximum inner diameter of the bushes 15 useable in the mould is smaller than the diameter of the circular apertures 18. Therefore, the bases of the bush 15, that are formed by circular rings, radially project inwards with respect to the apertures 18 thus defining an abutment for the nozzles of the dosing containers, as better explained hereafter.
- the end of the track 16 opposite to the upper stop abutments 17 is open downwards in correspondence with the closed position of the bush (see figure 3 ).
- removable stop means 19 when present, define the positioning abutment of the bush 15 in closure; on the contrary, when removed, the stop means 19 permit the extraction or insertion of the bush from/to the plates.
- the removable stop means 19 comprise for example, for each plate 11, a seat 20, defined on the inner face 11a, for accommodating a stop insert 22 transversely projecting with respect to the sliding direction of the bush in the track 16.
- reversible locking means 23 for locking the same insert in the seat 20.
- the seat 20 is made up of a circular through hole inserted into which is a pin with the head protruding in the track 16 and the opposite end locked by an elastic ring which forms the reversible locking means 23.
- a length adjusting element 24 In order to reduce the length of the moulding bush, for example to have a smaller stopper, use is made of a length adjusting element 24, practically made up of a sheet having a thickness equivalent to the difference between the maximum bush length available between the plates 11 (in the example of the description, the distance between the plates) and the length of the bush to be used for forming the stopper.
- a sheet is inserted into one of the two tracks 16 and locked at an end using the stop insert (in a longer version with respect to the case when element 24 is not present) associated to that track.
- the sheet has a circular through hole 25, substantially having the same size as the apertures 18 formed in the plates 11. When the sheet 24 is arranged in position, such through hole 15 is coaxial with respect to the apertures 18.
- the end of the sheet 24 opposite to the locking end is counter-shaped to the upper stop abutments 17 of the track 16.
- Respective stirrups 26 are arranged on the outer faces 11 b of the plates 11 for allowing the connection of the mould 10 to drive means for driving the mould throughout the forming apparatus, such means being described hereafter.
- a system for forming cork stoppers using a plurality of such moulds 10 can be seen in figure 6 and it is indicated at S in its entirety.
- Such system provides for means 30 for driving the moulds 10 throughout various work stations, among which a dosing station D which comprises, facing each other, two devices 31 for dosing granules inside the bushes 15 of the moulds 10.
- the devices 31 are of a type known as such.
- the drive means 30 comprise two chains 30a (denoted with a dash-dot line) mounted parallel on respective motorized pulleys 33 (only one of them is shown in figure 6 ) and corresponding idler means (not shown) which allows the chains to move on two parallel vertical planes.
- each stirrup 26 of a mould 10 is reversibly fixed to a respective chain.
- the moulds 10 are fixed to the chains (for example through bolts screwed onto counter-supports provided for on the same chains) in such a manner that the track 16 takes on a vertical arrangement.
- FIG 6 there is shown a lower branch 30a' of the chain which carries the moulds 10 returning from the stopper extraction zone, to a couple of granule dosing devices 31. From the lower branch 30a' the moulds are rotated by 180Ā° on the pulley, thus positioning them on an upper branch 30a" of the chain which carries them to the dosing station.
- Each granule dosing device 31 comprises a hopper 33 for introducing granules, drawers 34, delineated by a dashed line in figure 7 , wherein the doses are prepared, and nozzles 35 for introducing the doses of granules into the bushes 15 of the moulds 10.
- the path of the granules is marked in figure 7 by a dashed line G.
- each granule dosing device 31 comprises two dosing drawers 34 with corresponding nozzles 35 which simultaneously feed two respective moulds.
- the two dosing devices 31 facing each other work simultaneously and each prepare a half of the dose.
- Means 27 for centering the mould 10 with respect to granule dosing devices for dosing the granules in the bush, are associated to the same mould. Such means are required due to the fact that the center-to-center distance between the moulds along the chain may vary over time (for example due to wear and occurrence of clearances on the chain and in the mechanisms associated thereto, and due to the stretching of the same chain) and it is therefore necessary to ensure a correct positioning of the mould on the dosing station in case of a displacement induced by the chain which might not be sufficiently precise.
- centering means 27 comprise two opposite centering references 28 defined on the lateral edges of the plates 11, such as two concave lateral recesses of the plates which are adapted to be coupled with respective centering pins 35a of respective nozzles 35.
- Figure 7 shows a dosing station wherein a mould 10 is represented during the step of introducing a dose of granules with the bush at the open position to allow for the loading.
- the nozzles 35 which are performing the loading step, are moved towards the bush by means of horizontal translation actuators 36, such as cylinders. It should be observed how the nozzles end up in abutment against respective bases of the bush that project with respect to the diameter of the respective circular apertures 18 formed in the opposite plates 11. In practice, the nozzles 35 have dimensions in the range between the diameter of the circular apertures 18 and the inner diameter of the bush 15.
- the bush 15 is displaced vertically through displacement means.
- a vertical displacement actuator 37 such as a cylinder
- a second vertical displacement actuator 38 At the upper part of the bush, in contact therewith, there is a second vertical displacement actuator 38.
- the second vertical displacement actuator 38 When the bush is filled with granules, the second vertical displacement actuator 38, the upper one, is activated with a consequent pressure exerted on the bush 15 (see figure 8 ).
- the latter lowers, abutting against the vertical displacement actuator 36, which, retracting, still continues to support the bush.
- the bush 15 Upon reaching the closed position, the bush 15 is in abutment against the lower stop means 19.
- the nozzles 35 are moved backwards, freeing the mould, and the chain drive means transport the granule-filled moulds outside the dosing station, driving the subsequent moulds to be filled into the same station.
- the described mould which advantageously has only one moulding bush, can be made up of two opposite plates between which parallel guide means are arranged for guiding two bushes which may displace parallel with respect to each other but on distinct displacement lines.
- the mould may also comprise three bushes that are displaced on parallel lines.
- the interaction of the nozzles of the dosing devices with the loading apertures of the mould according to the invention permits to avoid wasting granules during the loading step, and at the same time the cleanliness of the components is improved.
- the particular structure of the mould allows for a wider adjustment range of the capacity of the moulding bushes with respect to the moulds of the prior art, in that a length adjusting element 24 of the moulding bush can be selected having the desired thickness, and replaced anytime at will.
- the variant embodiment illustrated in figure 9 and figure 10 is capable of attaining a further important advantage.
- the guide tracks 116 and i.e. practically the foils which, welded to the inner faces 111a of the plates 111, define the tracks themselves, have a slightly greater thickness (increased for example to about 3 mm), in such a manner to allow the insertion, still between the plates 111, of small auxiliary plates 124 contoured identically to the above mentioned length adjuster of the bush (shown in figure 4 ).
- auxiliary plates 124 Mounting of such contoured auxiliary plates 124 is carried out in a manner analogous to the length adjuster, by inserting the same auxiliary plates into respective tracks 116, and locking by means of the upper stop means 117 and the stop inserts 122, suitably increased in length.
- the auxiliary small plates 124 in turn have through holes 125 corresponding to the apertures 118 formed in the main plates 111, having a diameter greater with respect to the inner diameter of the bush 115, hence the latter is held tight by the abutment of the two small plates 124 on both sides.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Forests & Forestry (AREA)
- Dry Formation Of Fiberboard And The Like (AREA)
- Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to the field of the machines for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers, and more particularly it relates to a mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers as per the preamble of
claim 1. A method for forming agglomerated cork stoppers using such a mould as per the preamble ofclaim 11 is also an object of the invention. Such a mould and method is disclosed by documentUS 2 830 326 . - As known, agglomerated cork stoppers are manufactured according to different methods, depending on the quality of the raw material available. In high quality productions the stoppers are manufactured in a single piece from a compact cork matrix directly coming from a tree bark, while in lower quality products use is made of agglomerated cork granules obtained from the processing waste of high quality stoppers, or from batches that do not possess the required quality for one-piece stoppers; the granules are bonded by a non-toxic glue matrix.
- Various methods are known for manufacturing agglomerated stoppers. One of these methods provides for the introduction of doses of agglomerated granules mixed with binding agents into moulds comprising moulding bushes. The agglomerate with binding agent is then pressed and subsequently transferred into an oven for the time required for solidification. After suitable cooling, the stopper is removed from the moulding bush by applying pressure using an extraction rod-like body. The preparation of the correct amount of granules to be introduced into the corresponding mould is carried out through dosing machines. Most commonly, the system for forming the stoppers provides for drive means made up of chains to which a sequence of moulds is connected. Such drive means carry the moulds according to a cycle comprising a passage in front of the dosing machine, through an oven and then in an extraction area.
- The moulds for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers are made up of a framework with two elongated plates and a series of moulding bushes aligned between such plates. Holes are formed in the plates, one for each bush. The bushes are fixed to a common translation actuator which brings about a linear movement of the bushes from a position wherein the same are arranged in a manner corresponding to the holes to allow for the introduction of the doses of cork granules, to a displaced wherein the bushes are closed by the inner faces of the plates, in view of the forming step.
- Such moulds e.g. the one disclosed in
US 2830326 are generally bulky and poorly adapt to the possibility of varying the size of the moulding bushes. For example, in order to vary the gauge of the bushes, the entire mould needs be dismounted, hence making the operation scarcely practical. Even as far as the variation of the length of the bushes is concerned, the use of the mould is not flexible, given that only two pre-set sizes are provided for, in the construction stage of the mould. Such presetting is due to the fact that the mould comprises an intermediate plate arranged between an elongated plate of the framework, and the bush. Such intermediate plate is perforated in an identical manner with the holes of the elongated plate. The bush abuts against such intermediate plate. Depending on the activation of a given command, the bush may move from an open position to a closed position on said intermediate plate, while, alternatively, it may move integrally with such intermediate plate which, in correspondence with its hole, shall provide for an "extension" of the bush itself. The bush with the intermediate plate shall be closed by the elongated plate. - Another problem with the moulds of the known type is related to the fact that part of the cork granulate remains outside the bush, in correspondence with the thickness of the elongated plates. Such excess granulate dirties the mould and also represents a loss of material.
- Another more general problem is related with the fact that, in order to reduce production costs, moulds are manufactured with a large number of cavities, thus being poorly flexible when it comes to obtaining batches with a reduced number of agglomerated cork stoppers.
- The main object of the present invention is that of overcoming the drawbacks of the moulds of the above mentioned known type, and in particular of providing a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers which can be particularly flexible in use.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers which can be mounted and remounted easily.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers that works in a reliable manner.
- A further object of the present invention is to obtain a mould for agglomerated cork stoppers in which the size of the stoppers obtainable is easily adjustable.
- A still further object of the present invention is to provide a system for forming cork stoppers that is flexible in use and capable of reducing waste of material with respect to the prior art.
- These and other objects, that will be made clearer hereinafter, are achieved with the mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers according to the invention, the features of which are defined by
claim 1 - Such configuration of the mould allows for better and quicker management of the operations for replacing the moulding bushes in order to vary their capacity, because the bushes are no longer sequentially linked with each other.
- Advantageously, in a preferred embodiment, such mould has a single moulding bush, in such a manner to be able to fully control the dimensions of the production batch. Furthermore, the lower weight of each "single-cavity" mould makes the task of the operators easier when the mould is installed. The simplified structure of a mould having a single moulding cavity results in a more reliable operation and makes the size adjustments much simpler.
- The invention also provides for a method for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers having the features as in attached
claim 11. - The features and advantages of the mould and of the manufacturing method according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, provided for exemplifying and non-limiting purposes, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
-
figure 1 represents a front view of a mould according to the invention; -
figure 2 represents a sectional side view of the mould offigure 1 showing the moulding bush in an open position; -
figure 3 represents a sectional side view of the mould offigure 1 showing the moulding bush in a closed position; -
figure 4 shows a front view of a bush length adjuster of the mould of the previous figures; -
figure 5 represents a sectional side view of the mould of the previous figures with the length adjuster offigure 4 arranged therein; -
figure 6 represents a schematic front view of a portion of an apparatus for forming agglomerated cork stoppers; -
figure 7 represents a schematic side view of a detail of the apparatus offigure 6 wherein the bush of the forming mould is in the open position for loading the granules; -
figure 8 represents a detail offigure 7 wherein the bush of the forming mould is shown in closed position; -
figure 9 represents a sectional side view of a mould according to a variant embodiment of the present invention; -
figure 10 is a front view of a removable contoured small plate, used in the mould offigure 9 . - With reference to the above figures, a mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers according to the invention is indicated in its entirety at
number 10. -
Such mould 10 comprises twoopposite plates 11, substantially symmetric, separated by fourspacer elements 12, such as bars fixed to theplates 11 in proximity to the edges of the latter throughscrews 13. - On the
inner faces 11 a of suchopposite plates 11, guide means 14 are arranged for making amoulding bush 15 slide between an open position (seefigures 1 and 2 ) for introducing cork granules and removing the formed stopper, and a closed position (seefigure 3 ). The bases of thebush 15 are in contact with theinner faces 11a. - Such guide means 14 comprise, for each
inner face 11 a, atrack 16 made up of twoparallel rails 16a defined at the side edges of the plates, spaced from each other by a length substantially equivalent to the outer diameter of thebush 15. Such rails are for example made up of a substantially U-shaped foil and welded on theinner faces 11a. Thetrack 16 defines the displacement direction (indicated at L infigure 1 ) of thebush 15. - The upper part of the
track 16 ends with two sections of therails 16 converging with respect to each other to defineupper stop abutments 17 for thebush 15. As noticeable infigures 1 and 2 , when thebush 15 is in abutment against suchupper stop abutments 17, it is in the opening position for introducing cork granules or for removing the stopper once it is formed. In such an open position, the bush is coaxial with two corresponding oppositecircular apertures 18 formed throughrespective plates 11. The maximum inner diameter of thebushes 15 useable in the mould is smaller than the diameter of thecircular apertures 18. Therefore, the bases of thebush 15, that are formed by circular rings, radially project inwards with respect to theapertures 18 thus defining an abutment for the nozzles of the dosing containers, as better explained hereafter. - The end of the
track 16 opposite to theupper stop abutments 17 is open downwards in correspondence with the closed position of the bush (seefigure 3 ). In such closed position, removable stop means 19, when present, define the positioning abutment of thebush 15 in closure; on the contrary, when removed, the stop means 19 permit the extraction or insertion of the bush from/to the plates. The removable stop means 19 comprise for example, for eachplate 11, aseat 20, defined on theinner face 11a, for accommodating a stop insert 22 transversely projecting with respect to the sliding direction of the bush in thetrack 16. Associated to thestop insert 22 are reversible locking means 23 for locking the same insert in theseat 20. In particular, in this embodiment, theseat 20 is made up of a circular through hole inserted into which is a pin with the head protruding in thetrack 16 and the opposite end locked by an elastic ring which forms the reversible locking means 23. - Reference will be made now in particular to
figures 4 and 5 . In order to reduce the length of the moulding bush, for example to have a smaller stopper, use is made of alength adjusting element 24, practically made up of a sheet having a thickness equivalent to the difference between the maximum bush length available between the plates 11 (in the example of the description, the distance between the plates) and the length of the bush to be used for forming the stopper. In particular, such sheet is inserted into one of the twotracks 16 and locked at an end using the stop insert (in a longer version with respect to the case whenelement 24 is not present) associated to that track. The sheet has a circular throughhole 25, substantially having the same size as theapertures 18 formed in theplates 11. When thesheet 24 is arranged in position, such throughhole 15 is coaxial with respect to theapertures 18. As clearly observable, the end of thesheet 24 opposite to the locking end is counter-shaped to theupper stop abutments 17 of thetrack 16. -
Respective stirrups 26 are arranged on the outer faces 11 b of theplates 11 for allowing the connection of themould 10 to drive means for driving the mould throughout the forming apparatus, such means being described hereafter. - A system for forming cork stoppers using a plurality of
such moulds 10 can be seen infigure 6 and it is indicated at S in its entirety. Such system provides formeans 30 for driving themoulds 10 throughout various work stations, among which a dosing station D which comprises, facing each other, twodevices 31 for dosing granules inside thebushes 15 of themoulds 10. Thedevices 31 are of a type known as such. - The drive means 30 comprise two
chains 30a (denoted with a dash-dot line) mounted parallel on respective motorized pulleys 33 (only one of them is shown infigure 6 ) and corresponding idler means (not shown) which allows the chains to move on two parallel vertical planes. In particular, eachstirrup 26 of amould 10 is reversibly fixed to a respective chain. Themoulds 10 are fixed to the chains (for example through bolts screwed onto counter-supports provided for on the same chains) in such a manner that thetrack 16 takes on a vertical arrangement. - In
figure 6 there is shown alower branch 30a' of the chain which carries themoulds 10 returning from the stopper extraction zone, to a couple ofgranule dosing devices 31. From thelower branch 30a' the moulds are rotated by 180Ā° on the pulley, thus positioning them on anupper branch 30a" of the chain which carries them to the dosing station. - Each
granule dosing device 31 comprises ahopper 33 for introducing granules,drawers 34, delineated by a dashed line infigure 7 , wherein the doses are prepared, andnozzles 35 for introducing the doses of granules into thebushes 15 of themoulds 10. The path of the granules is marked infigure 7 by a dashed line G. - In this example, each
granule dosing device 31 comprises twodosing drawers 34 with correspondingnozzles 35 which simultaneously feed two respective moulds. The twodosing devices 31 facing each other work simultaneously and each prepare a half of the dose. - Means 27 for centering the
mould 10 with respect to granule dosing devices for dosing the granules in the bush, are associated to the same mould. Such means are required due to the fact that the center-to-center distance between the moulds along the chain may vary over time (for example due to wear and occurrence of clearances on the chain and in the mechanisms associated thereto, and due to the stretching of the same chain) and it is therefore necessary to ensure a correct positioning of the mould on the dosing station in case of a displacement induced by the chain which might not be sufficiently precise. - In particular, in this embodiment such centering
means 27 comprise two opposite centeringreferences 28 defined on the lateral edges of theplates 11, such as two concave lateral recesses of the plates which are adapted to be coupled with respective centeringpins 35a ofrespective nozzles 35. -
Figure 7 shows a dosing station wherein amould 10 is represented during the step of introducing a dose of granules with the bush at the open position to allow for the loading. Thenozzles 35 which are performing the loading step, are moved towards the bush by means ofhorizontal translation actuators 36, such as cylinders. It should be observed how the nozzles end up in abutment against respective bases of the bush that project with respect to the diameter of the respectivecircular apertures 18 formed in theopposite plates 11. In practice, thenozzles 35 have dimensions in the range between the diameter of thecircular apertures 18 and the inner diameter of thebush 15. - The
bush 15 is displaced vertically through displacement means. In particular, when the bush is in the open position, it is supported at the lower part by avertical displacement actuator 37, such as a cylinder, and abuts against theupper stop abutment 17. At the upper part of the bush, in contact therewith, there is a secondvertical displacement actuator 38. When the bush is filled with granules, the secondvertical displacement actuator 38, the upper one, is activated with a consequent pressure exerted on the bush 15 (seefigure 8 ). The latter lowers, abutting against thevertical displacement actuator 36, which, retracting, still continues to support the bush. Upon reaching the closed position, thebush 15 is in abutment against the lower stop means 19. At this point, thenozzles 35 are moved backwards, freeing the mould, and the chain drive means transport the granule-filled moulds outside the dosing station, driving the subsequent moulds to be filled into the same station. - The described mould, which advantageously has only one moulding bush, can be made up of two opposite plates between which parallel guide means are arranged for guiding two bushes which may displace parallel with respect to each other but on distinct displacement lines. Such a solution slightly limits the flexibility in the control of the production batch, but not the characteristic of easy maintenance and adjustment of the capacity of the mould. Analogously, the mould may also comprise three bushes that are displaced on parallel lines.
- It is clear that the described invention attains its prefixed objects. As a matter of fact, having obtained a mould wherein the bushes can be displaced parallel to each other, allows for avoiding the use of those intermediate elements between one bush and the other, which are required in the prior art moulds and imply long operations during the maintenance and capacity adjustment steps.
- Besides, having obtained a forming system wherein the moulds are single-cavity moulds, permits to achieve greater management flexibility of the production batch and easier general assembly of the components.
- Furthermore, the interaction of the nozzles of the dosing devices with the loading apertures of the mould according to the invention permits to avoid wasting granules during the loading step, and at the same time the cleanliness of the components is improved.
- Moreover, the particular structure of the mould allows for a wider adjustment range of the capacity of the moulding bushes with respect to the moulds of the prior art, in that a
length adjusting element 24 of the moulding bush can be selected having the desired thickness, and replaced anytime at will. - Thanks to the particular configuration of the guide means of the moulding bush both the bush and the length adjusting element can be removed in an easy and quick manner.
- Specifically with reference to the dismounting problems, the variant embodiment illustrated in
figure 9 and figure 10 is capable of attaining a further important advantage. According to such variant, the guide tracks 116, and i.e. practically the foils which, welded to the inner faces 111a of theplates 111, define the tracks themselves, have a slightly greater thickness (increased for example to about 3 mm), in such a manner to allow the insertion, still between theplates 111, of smallauxiliary plates 124 contoured identically to the above mentioned length adjuster of the bush (shown infigure 4 ). - Mounting of such contoured
auxiliary plates 124 is carried out in a manner analogous to the length adjuster, by inserting the same auxiliary plates intorespective tracks 116, and locking by means of the upper stop means 117 and the stop inserts 122, suitably increased in length. The auxiliarysmall plates 124 in turn have throughholes 125 corresponding to theapertures 118 formed in themain plates 111, having a diameter greater with respect to the inner diameter of thebush 115, hence the latter is held tight by the abutment of the twosmall plates 124 on both sides. - Given that the elements at contact with the cork are - in this case - only the
bush 115 and the auxiliarysmall plates 124, and considering that the TeflonĀ® deposition treatment (or similar anti-stick treatments on the metal material) is limited to such parts only, when it comes to remedying the wear of said treatment, it is sufficient to slip the bush and the small plates off, after removal of theinserts 122, hence not requiring dismounting the entire mould from the chain. - In this way, the operations of maintenance and restoration of the TeflonĀ® layer are significantly simplified, hence considerably reducing machine downtimes required periodically to this purpose.
- The present invention has been here described with reference to preferred embodiments. It is clear however that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, which may undergo variants and/or modifications without for this reason departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.
Claims (16)
- A mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers, comprising at least one moulding bush (15) arranged between two opposite plates (11) separated by spacer elements (12) fixed to the plates (11), and displaceable along a displacement direction (L) between an open position for introducing cork granules or removing the formed stopper, and a closed position, a single moulding bush (15) being arranged along said displacement direction (L), said mould being characterised in that guide means (14) are arranged on an inner face (11a) of at least one of said plates (11), for permitting the sliding of said single moulding bush (15) from said open position to said closed position, said guide means (14) comprising removable stop means (19) adapted to define an abutment for the bush at said closed position, and, when removed, to allow for the extraction/insertion of the bush (15) from the plates (11).
- The mould according to claim 1, characterised in that said guide means (14) comprises a track (16) open at the end corresponding to said closed position of the bush.
- The mould according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said stop means (19) comprises a seat (20), formed in the inner face (11 a) of a corresponding plate (11), for accommodating a stop insert (22) transversely projecting with respect to the sliding direction of the bush (15), reversible locking means (23) being associated to said stop insert (22) for locking the same in said seat (20).
- The mould according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said track (16) comprises two parallel rails (16a) defined at the lateral edges of the plates (11), spaced from each other by a distance substantially equivalent to the outer diameter of the bush (15), said rails being connected to the upper part of the track (16) to define upper stop abutments (17) for the bush (15).
- The mould according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that it comprises a removable length adjusting element (24) for changing the length of said at least one removable bush (15), adapted to be arranged against the inner face (11a) of one of said plates (11), a base of said bush abutting against said length adjusting element (24), which has a through hole (25) having a size substantially equivalent to apertures (18) formed in said plates (11), said through hole (25) being adapted to become coaxial with said apertures (18) when coupled to the corresponding plate (11).
- The mould according to claim 5, characterised in that said length adjusting element (24) is made up of a sheet having a thickness equivalent to the difference between the maximum bush length available between said plates (11) and the length of the bush intended to be used for forming the stopper, said sheet being adapted to be inserted into one of said tracks (16) and locked at an end with a corresponding stop insert (22).
- The mould according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it comprises contoured auxiliary plates (124) adapted to be removably inserted into said guide means for providing an abutment to respective ends of said bush, said contoured plates (124) comprising through holes (125) which correspond to apertures (118) formed in said plates (111), and having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of said bush (115).
- The mould according to claim 7, characterised in that said plates (124) are locked at an end by a corresponding stop insert (122).
- The mould according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said guide tracks (116) have an increased width in such a manner to allow the insertion of said plates.
- The mould according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that a single moulding bush (15) is comprised between said plates (11).
- A method for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers with a plurality of moulds (10) with cork moulding bushes (15), said moulds being driven through work stations (D) which comprise at least one dosing device (31) for dosing cork granules into the bushes (15) of the moulds (10), the bushes (15) being displaced along a displacement direction (L) from a bush opening position, for the loading of the granules and the removal of the formed stopper, and a bush closure position, a single moulding bush (15) being arranged along said displacement direction (L), characterised in that said single moulding bush (15) slides along guide means (14) arranged on an inner face (11 a) of at least one of said plates (11), from said open position to said closed position, the bush at said closed position abutting on stop means (19) of said guide means (14), said stop means (19) being removed to allow for the extraction/insertion of the bush (15) from the plates (11).
- The method for manufacturing cork stoppers according to claim 11, characterised in that the bushes (15) of said moulds (10) are displaced vertically.
- The method for manufacturing cork stoppers according to claim 11 or 12, characterised in that a loading nozzle (35) of said at least one dosing device (31) directly corresponds with the inside of said moulding bush (15) of the mould (10) during the granule loading step.
- The method for manufacturing cork stoppers according to claim 13, characterised in that said nozzle (35) abuts against the base of said bush (15).
- The method for manufacturing cork stoppers according to any of the claims 14 from 12 to 17, characterised in that each mould (10) is centered with respect to said at least one granule dosing device (31).
- The method for manufacturing cork stoppers according to claim 15, characterised in that two opposed centering references (28) of centering means (27) defined on the lateral edges of said plates (11), couple with respective centering pins (35a) of respective nozzles (35).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
ITFI2008A000202A IT1391079B1 (en) | 2008-10-20 | 2008-10-20 | MOLD FOR THE CREATION OF CORK CAPS IN AGGLOMERATE |
ITFI20080058 ITFI20080058U1 (en) | 2008-12-10 | 2008-12-10 | MOLD FOR THE CREATION OF CORK CAPS IN AGGLOMERATE |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2177331A1 EP2177331A1 (en) | 2010-04-21 |
EP2177331B1 true EP2177331B1 (en) | 2013-01-30 |
Family
ID=41624845
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20090173484 Active EP2177331B1 (en) | 2008-10-20 | 2009-10-20 | Mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2177331B1 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2403216T3 (en) |
PT (1) | PT2177331E (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
ITUA20162476A1 (en) * | 2016-04-11 | 2017-10-11 | Meacci S R L | MOLDING EQUIPMENT FOR THE CREATION OF CORK AGGLOMERATE CAPS |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB177474A (en) * | 1922-01-05 | 1922-03-30 | Charles Edward Mcmanus | Improvements in carriers for cork rod bakers |
US1627601A (en) * | 1922-08-18 | 1927-05-10 | Crown Cork And Seal Company Of | Apparatus for compacting granular material |
US1673904A (en) * | 1925-07-01 | 1928-06-19 | Crown Cork & Seal Co | Apparatus for producing articles of compacted granular material |
US2477258A (en) * | 1944-07-01 | 1949-07-26 | Hpm Dev Corp | Turret injection machine |
US2830326A (en) * | 1953-06-08 | 1958-04-15 | Weisenburg Andrew | Art of extruding cork for the manufacture of bottle caps and the like |
IT1218538B (en) * | 1987-03-19 | 1990-04-19 | Meacci Srl | EQUIPMENT FOR THE AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION OF AGGLOMERATED CORK STOPPERS |
-
2009
- 2009-10-20 PT PT09173484T patent/PT2177331E/en unknown
- 2009-10-20 ES ES09173484T patent/ES2403216T3/en active Active
- 2009-10-20 EP EP20090173484 patent/EP2177331B1/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2177331A1 (en) | 2010-04-21 |
ES2403216T3 (en) | 2013-05-16 |
PT2177331E (en) | 2013-05-06 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US4462783A (en) | Mechanism for exchanging molding dies in an injection molding machine | |
EP2845813B1 (en) | Clamping unit for containers on container handling machines | |
DE112010004993B4 (en) | TIRE VULCANIZER | |
DE3222828A1 (en) | METHOD FOR REDUCING THE OPERATIONAL DOWNTIME WHEN RETURNING A PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE FROM A TEMPERATURE INJECTION MOLD TO ANOTHER AND PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PROCESS | |
EP2177331B1 (en) | Mould for manufacturing agglomerated cork stoppers | |
US4767302A (en) | Exchangeable multiplunger transfer molding die apparatus | |
EP3036077A1 (en) | Multi-component injection-molding machine having a rotatable center part | |
EP0190276B1 (en) | Moulding apparatus | |
EP0397674A1 (en) | Process and installation for manufacturing plastic mouldings. | |
CA1096121A (en) | Injection molding divers articles in selectably ordered sequence | |
DE102014207591B4 (en) | Multishot injection molding device | |
EP0567843A1 (en) | Mould closing unit for a plastic injection moulding machine | |
JP3612388B2 (en) | Injection blow molding apparatus and injection blow molding method | |
US9475228B2 (en) | Adjustable platen assembly for use in a clamp station | |
EP1939010B1 (en) | Quire moulding and pressing machine | |
EP2691229B1 (en) | Tool for injection-moulding articles | |
WO2017147714A1 (en) | Injection molding machine with second injection unit | |
US20080131547A1 (en) | External Sprue Bar Position Alignment Apparatus | |
CN110900990A (en) | Injection molding sprue gate remains shearing mechanism | |
DE102010047812A1 (en) | Method for spraying semi-finished products with thermoplastics, like elastomer in injection molding machine for disk machine, involves coupling semi-finished product with mold half of injection die | |
DE2838079A1 (en) | STATION FOR FILLING CLOSED MOLDS WITH FOAMABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL | |
DE819132C (en) | Device for making injection molding | |
DE1579292A1 (en) | Device for molding and vulcanizing pneumatic tire covers | |
KR101042607B1 (en) | Mold continuous supply structure having stamping divice | |
ITFI20080058U1 (en) | MOLD FOR THE CREATION OF CORK CAPS IN AGGLOMERATE |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK SM TR |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20100908 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20101118 |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: B27J 5/00 20060101AFI20120426BHEP |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK SM TR |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: EP |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: REF Ref document number: 595629 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20130215 Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: EP |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R096 Ref document number: 602009013122 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20130321 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: PT Ref legal event code: SC4A Free format text: AVAILABILITY OF NATIONAL TRANSLATION Effective date: 20130426 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: ES Ref legal event code: FG2A Ref document number: 2403216 Country of ref document: ES Kind code of ref document: T3 Effective date: 20130516 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: MK05 Ref document number: 595629 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20130130 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: LT Ref legal event code: MG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: NL Ref legal event code: VDEP Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: NO Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130430 Ref country code: IS Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130530 Ref country code: BG Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130430 Ref country code: BE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: LT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: AT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: NL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: FI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: PL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: SI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: GR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130501 Ref country code: LV Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: HR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: CZ Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: EE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: RO Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 Ref country code: SK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: CY Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20131031 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20131021 Year of fee payment: 5 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R097 Ref document number: 602009013122 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20131031 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: MC Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: PL |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20131020 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: MM4A |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131020 Ref country code: LI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131031 Ref country code: CH Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131031 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131020 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R119 Ref document number: 602009013122 Country of ref document: DE |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SM Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: TR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: HU Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT; INVALID AB INITIO Effective date: 20091020 Ref country code: LU Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20131020 Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20150501 Ref country code: MK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: MT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130130 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 9 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 10 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20181219 Year of fee payment: 11 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20191031 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: ES Payment date: 20231222 Year of fee payment: 15 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: PT Payment date: 20231012 Year of fee payment: 15 Ref country code: IT Payment date: 20231004 Year of fee payment: 15 |