FR2849010A1 - Holder for container such as bottle in capping plant has projections with straight edges that oppose any movement of bottle while cap is fitted - Google Patents

Abstract

The container holder (12), especially for a bottle with a neck shaped to receive a screw cap, has surfaces (28) shaped to match those of the bottle neck, and one or more projections (29) shaped to grip and complementary component such as a collar on the bottle neck to prevent it rotating while the cap is fitted. The projections are e.g. in the shape of triangular prisms with free ends (32a) that have straight edges designed to oppose any movement of the bottle caused by the cap fitting operation.

Description

i

  The invention relates to a holding device intended to allow the holding of a container provided with a neck delimiting an opening in a given relative position desired during and for the installation of a plug on said neck in a capping installation. , as well as a capping installation comprising such a holding device.

  There are already known such holding devices, which aim to allow the correct mounting and positioning of the stopper on the neck of the container. In the embodiment under consideration, the container, typically a cylindrical bottle, has a neck which is generally externally threaded, delimiting an opening, intended to receive the closing plug generally internally threaded and, on the neck but spaced from the opening, a projecting collar In the embodiment considered, the container is arranged with its vertical or substantially vertical axis, the neck being in the top part.

  Such a known device generally comprises a part in the form of a half cylinder arranged to be able to be placed around the neck of the container, the transverse end face, active (upper face in the case of the envisaged positioning) of the half cylinder having a generally planar shape. and being intended to be placed opposite the collar, opposite the opening of the neck (under the collar in the case of the envisaged positioning).

  The container is placed so that its flange rests on the device, then moved to the zone for fitting the stopper forming part of the capping installation. In this zone, the neck of the container is located between guide means for the capping installation and the holding device.

  The transverse end face, active (upper) of the half cylinder is provided with three or five pyramidal teeth of a height close to 1.5 mm to 2 mm, 30 uniformly distributed. In a known embodiment, each of these teeth has a base of general triangular shape and a pointed summit.

  When the stopper is placed on the neck of the container, a vertical axial force is exerted by the stopper on the container. Consequently, the teeth penetrate into the constituent material of the flange, the objective being to prevent displacement of the container to allow perfect placement of the cap. However, these toothed devices are not entirely satisfactory. In fact, first of all, the teeth do not always allow the container to be held effectively in the desired position. In the case of containers with a threaded neck, for example, the correct positioning of a threaded plug, by screwing, often causes a rotation of the container despite the penetration of the teeth into the flange Thus, on the one hand, the risks that the plug is incorrectly positioned are increased and, on the other hand, deterioration of the flange by the teeth following the rotation of the container is often observed.

  In addition, the fact that the teeth have a relatively large height, so as to ensure as much as possible the maintenance of the container in the desired position, presents two main major On the one hand, the teeth can penetrate the flange over a significant height , and thus risk damaging the flange On the other hand, in the zone for fitting the stopper, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the end of the teeth is relatively large, and can for example reaching 3.5 mm It follows that the container is inclined relative to the vertical, the risks that the cap is mounted obliquely to the neck being therefore greater.

  Finally, the forces exerted on the container during the fitting of the stopper are located in three or five almost point zones, corresponding to the tops of the teeth. These zones are particularly stressed, which can lead to significant deformations of the flange, this who is not

desirable.

  The object of the invention is to provide a device for holding the containers which is more efficient than the devices of the prior art, so as to make it possible to considerably reduce the number of plugs imperfectly mounted on the neck of the said containers.

  To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a holding device arranged to cooperate with complementary means provided on the container to allow the holding of the container during and for the establishment of a stopper on the neck in a capping installation The device 5 has a face intended to be placed opposite said complementary means of the container, said face comprising at least one projection able to penetrate at least partially into the material of said complementary means when a vertical force is exerted by the stopper on the container when fitting the stopper.

  According to a general definition of the invention, the free end of said projection forms not a point but substantially a substantially linear edge arranged so as to be able to oppose the movement of the container that would cause the establishment of the stopper on the neck. the absence of said holding device 15.

  The fact of providing such a substantially linear edge significantly increases the efficiency of the projections, in terms of holding the container, relative to the teeth of the prior art.

  Thus, the risks that the cap is improperly mounted on the neck, due to the unwanted movement of the container during assembly, are considerably reduced. According to a possible embodiment, the projection has the form of a prism with a triangular base lying, said prism projecting from the face of the holding device intended to be placed opposite the complementary means of the container from one of its longitudinal faces, I the longitudinal edge opposite to said longitudinal face being able to penetrate into the material of said complementary means.

  The face of the holding device intended to be placed opposite the complementary means of the container comprises for example a plurality of projections substantially parallel to one another.

  This results in better vertical stability and better seating of the container.

  In addition, the forces exerted on the container and on the elements of the capping installation are better distributed.

  The height of the projections can be between 0.4 and 1 mm.

  The height of the projections according to the invention is less than that of the teeth of the prior art, but the maintenance of the container in the desired position is nevertheless better. The fact of limiting the height of penetration of the projections in the material of the container allows also reduce the risk of deterioration. According to one possible embodiment, the device comprises a wall substantially in the form of a half cylinder arranged to be able to be placed around the neck of the container, a transverse end face of the half cylinder having a generally planar shape and comprising one or more projections capable of enter a flange provided on the container, from the face of the flange opposite the opening of the container neck.

  According to other characteristics, the substantially linear edge of the projection can extend orthogonally to the axis of the half cylinder and parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of said half cylinder.

  The holding device may further comprise a side wall 25 substantially in the form of a portion of a crown extending towards the outside of the half cylinder, substantially perpendicular to the axis of the half cylinder, said side wall comprising means allowing its fixing in a capping installation.

  For example, the projections extend, on the transverse end face of the half cylinder, substantially over the entire thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder. According to a second aspect, the invention relates to an installation for capping containers fitted with a neck comprising at least one device for holding the container as described above.

  s The capping installation may include means for guiding the container, arranged so that the container can be kept in the desired position for placing a plug on the neck between said guide means and the holding device, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the substantially linear edge of the projection 10 of the holding device being less than 2 mm.

  Thus, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the substantially linear edge of the projection of the holding device is less significant than in the prior art. It follows that the inclination of the container before and during the fitting of the plug is less, which reduces the risk of incorrect fitting of the plugs.

  The other characteristics of the invention result from the following description of embodiments, description made with reference to the appended figures 20 in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic representation, in top view, of a capping installation in which the holding device according to the invention is used; Figure 2 is a schematic representation, seen along arrow F of Figure 1, of a container held in position by the holding device, during the establishment of a plug on the neck of said container; Figure 3 is a top view of the holding device according to the invention Figure 4 is a front view of the holding device; Figure 5 is a sectional view along line AA of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a schematic perspective representation of the holding device; Figure 7 is a schematic perspective representation of the projections of the holding device according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figures 8 a to 8 c are schematic perspective representations of the projections of the holding device according to other embodiments of the invention. First of all, reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 which represent a capping installation 1 intended for the installation of plugs 2 on the neck 3 of containers 4.

  The installation 1 comprises an upstream routing path 5 by which the 10 containers 4 are routed to a plate 6 in the general form of a disc, as well as a downstream routing zone 7 by which the containers 4 are moved from the plate 6 to another station in installation 1.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the upstream 5 and downstream 7 routing paths are substantially horizontal and aligned along the same axis 8, at least in the vicinity of the plate 6, itself horizontal. The containers 4, typically bottles, are moved with their substantially vertical axis, the neck 3 being in the upper part.

  The plate 6 is movable in rotation here in the direction of clockwise in top view around a substantially vertical axis 9, intersecting the horizontal axis 8 of the routing paths 5, 7.

  The installation 1 also includes a supply path 10 for the plugs 2, 25 which is substantially horizontal, perpendicular to the axis 8 and situated above the transport paths 5, 7.

  The installation 1 also includes guide means 11 forming a horizontal crown portion extending over an angle between 100 and 30 170 The guide means 11 are located substantially in the same plane as the plate 6, and partially surround the plate 6 near its periphery, between the upstream routing path 5 and the downstream routing path 7, in the direction of rotation of the plate 6.

  Finally, the installation 1 comprises four holding devices 12 according to the invention, said holding devices 12 being placed regularly at the periphery of the plate 6, so as to form the vertices of a square The devices 12 will be described in detail later.

  We are now interested in the general operation of the capping installation 1. This operation will be described in the case of containers 4 comprising a neck 3 10 provided, on its outer face, with a thread 13 and a flange 14 located under the thread 13 The cap 2 intended to be associated with the neck 3 comprises on its inner face has a complementary thread 15.

  When a container 4 arrives from the upstream routing path 5 in the vicinity of the periphery of the plate 6, said container 4 is placed on a holding device 12.

  The plate 6 is then turned 90 towards the zone 16 for fitting the plug 2, the neck 3 of the container 4 being guided in this movement by the guide means 11, from a first end 17 of said guide means 11 located near the upstream route 5.

  The plug 2, moved on the supply path 10, is then mounted on the neck 3, at the level of the zone 16, by vertical axial displacement downwards.

  Once the stopper 2 is in place on the neck 3 of the container 4, the plate is again turned 90, so that the container 4 can be released on the one hand from the guide means 11, after having passed the second end 18 of said guide means 11, and on the other hand of the holding device 12, so as to then be moved onto the downstream routing path 7.

  Reference is now made to FIGS. 3 to 6 which represent the holding device 12.

  The holding device 12 has a wall 19 in the form of a cylinder portion and substantially of a half cylinder 19 with an axis 20 and an internal radius Ri slightly greater than the radius of the neck 3 of the container 4 For example, the internal radius Ri of the half cylinder 19 is between 18 and 20 mm, and the height of the half cylinder 19 is between 3 and 5 mm.

  The half cylinder 19 is extended downwards by a frustoconical wall 21 flaring from its first end 22, linked to the lower part of the half cylinder 19, in the direction of its second end 23 The inner face 24 of 10 la truncated cone wall 21 is arranged to match the outer face 25 of the part of the container 4 located under the neck 3, under the flange 14.

  Finally, a side wall 26, substantially flat and in the form of a portion of a crown, extends from the external face of the wall in a truncated cone 21 towards the outside, substantially perpendicular to the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19, on a distance close to the internal radius Ri of the half cylinder 19.

  The side wall 26 has two orifices 27 intended to receive a fixing member, such as a screw, for securing the holding device 12 to the plate 6 of the capping installation 1 The two orifices 27 are placed symmetrically with respect to in the longitudinal plane of symmetry P of the half cylinder 19.

  The upper end transverse face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 is generally flat and comprises a plurality of projections 29.

  Each projection 29 has the shape of a straight prism lying whose base 30 is in the shape of a right triangle and whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19 and parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry P of said 30 half cylinder 19.

  The prism-shaped projection 29 has three longitudinal faces 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, as well as three longitudinal edges 32 a, 32 b, 32 c.

  The prism projects from the upper face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 from the first of its longitudinal faces 31a The edge 32 a opposite to the longitudinal face 31 has substantially coincides with the upper face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 forms the free end of projection 29.

  The edge 32 a is able to penetrate into the material constituting the flange 14 of the container 4, as will be explained below.

  To this end, the material constituting the projections 29 and the holding device 12 10 is sufficiently hard and resistant, relative to the material of the container 4, to be able to ensure sufficient penetration of the projections 29 in the flange 14 and allow effective retention of said container 4 in the desired position, without however risking damaging the container 4.

  The container 4 is, in the embodiment considered, made of plastic.

  The holding device 12 and the projections 29 are made in one piece, in a material capable of withstanding aseptic food conditions. The holding device 12 can be made of metal, for example of stainless metal 20 with a surface treatment.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the projections 29 have a base 30 in the shape of a right triangle. A second longitudinal face 31b is thus substantially perpendicular to the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19, while a third face longitudinal 31 c is inclined with respect to the second longitudinal face 31 b by an angle oc, for example close to 45.

  The projections 29 extend, on the upper face 28, over substantially the entire thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder 19. The height of the projections 29 is close to 0.6 mm.

  For example (FIGS. 3 to 5), the upper face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 has thirteen regularly spaced parallel projections 29, spaced about 3.3 mm apart (between two successive edges 32a).

  According to other possible embodiments, shown in FIGS. 8 a to 8 c, the projection 29 can take other forms: base 30 in the form of an isosceles triangle, the equal sides of which are one in the plane of the second longitudinal face 31 b and the other in the plane of the third longitudinal face 31 c (FIG. 8 a); shape similar to that of Figure 8a, the edge 32a being slightly rounded, but sharp enough to be able to maintain the container 4 in the desired position (Figure 8b); base 30 in the shape of a triangle, but "wavy" prism, the edge 32 a forming a curved line (FIG. 8 c).

  In the description, the term "edge" is understood either in the mathematical sense, that is to say as the intersection of two planes, or as an elongated pointed projecting line, allowing linear contact with the container 4, or even surface, and not substantially punctual as is the case in the prior art.

  We will now describe how the device 12 allows the container 4 to be held effectively in the capping installation 1.

  Each device 12 is fixed to the plate 6 so that the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19 is vertical, the projections 29 being directed upwards, the opening of the half cylinder 19 being directed towards the outside of the plate 6.

  Thus, when a container 4 arriving from the upstream routing path 5 is placed 30 on the device 12, the longitudinal axis of the projections 29 is parallel to a diameter of the plate 6 and substantially parallel to the axis 8 of the path. upstream routing 5.

  The configuration of the projections 29 has numerous advantages during the movement of the containers 4 in the capping installation 1 and in the zone 16 for fitting the plug 2 on the neck 3.

  First of all, when a container 4 arrives, from the upstream routing path 5, in the vicinity of the periphery of the plate 6, said container 4 is placed so that its flange 14 rests on the projections 29 of a device holding 12.

  Thus, the container 4 can slide parallel to the longitudinal direction of the projections 29, corresponding to the direction of the axis 8, and be perfectly positioned on the holding device 12, the axis of the container 4 then being vertical and coincident with the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19.

  Furthermore, due to this possibility of sliding parallel to the longitudinal direction of the projections 29, the container 4 is perfectly centered between the guide means 11 and the holding device 12 fixed to the plate 6.

  In addition, in zone 16, the projections are arranged to oppose the rotational movement following the screwing of the cap 2 on the neck 3 of the container. In fact, when the plug 2 is placed on the neck 3 of the container 4, an axial downward force is exerted on the container 4, this force leading to the penetration of the projections 29 into the material of the flange 14 , at least over a certain height of the projections 29.

  The longitudinal axis of the projections 29 is then substantially perpendicular to the rotational movement imparted to the plug 2. In addition, the forces exerted by the plug 2 tend to move the container 4 in rotation towards the second longitudinal face 31b of the projections 29. , said second longitudinal face 31b blocking this movement more effectively than can do the pyramidal teeth whose transverse face to the movement is of much smaller dimensions.

  Thus, the rotational movement of the container 4 is prevented by the projections 29, especially when the second longitudinal face 31b is at right angles to the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19 (embodiment of Figure 7).

  In addition, when the projections 29 are partially pressed into the flange 14, the difference in height between the upper face 33 of the guide means 11 and the lower face 34 of the flange 14 is relatively small, of the order of 1.5 at 2 mm.

  This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the protrusions have a lower height than in the prior art and, on the other hand, the protrusions penetrate into the flange 14 over a lesser height, without however harming the quality of holding the container in position 4.

  Thus, the container 4 is slightly inclined, its axis thus remaining substantially vertical, and the plug 2 can be perfectly placed on the neck 3, without the risk of being positioned "askew".

  Finally, the sliding of the container 4 on the projections 29, parallel to the axis 8 of the downstream routing path 7, allows the containers 4 to exit from the tray 6 more easily, after the plug 2 has been put in place.

  The projections allow the container to be held perfectly in the desired position, in particular by preventing its rotation, before, during and after the fitting of the cap 2.

  The invention does not require any significant modification of the installation 1, since it is only a question of replacing the holding devices of the prior art by the holding devices 12 according to the invention, by simple unscrewing / screwing .

Claims (9)

  1 holding device intended to allow the holding of a container (4) provided with a neck (3) delimiting an opening in a given desired position 5 when and for the establishment of a plug (2) on said neck (3) in a capping installation (1), said device (12) being arranged to cooperate with complementary means (14) provided on the container (4) to allow said container (4) to be held, said device (12) having a face (28) intended to be placed opposite said complementary means (14) of the container (4), said face (28) comprising at least one projection (29) able to penetrate at least partially into the material of said means complementary (14) when a vertical force is exerted by the plug (2) on the container (4) during the fitting of the plug (2), characterized in that the free end (32 a) of said 15 projection (29) forms not a point but sensiblemen t a substantially linear edge arranged so as to be able to oppose the movement of the container (4) that would cause the establishment of the plug (2) on the neck (3) in the absence of said holding device (12).   2 holding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the projection (29) has the shape of a prism with a base (30) lying triangular, said prism projecting from the face (28) of the holding device (12) intended to be placed opposite the complementary means (14) of the container (4) from one of its longitudinal faces (31a), the longitudinal edge (32a) opposite to said longitudinal face (31a) being able to penetrate into the material constituting said complementary means (14).   3 holding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the face (28) of the holding device (12) intended to be placed opposite the complementary means (14) of the container (4) comprises a plurality of projections (29) substantially parallel to each other.   4 holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the height of the projections (29) is between 0, 4 and 1 mm.   5 holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a wall substantially in the form of a half cylinder (19) arranged to be able to be placed around the neck (3) of the container (4), a transverse end face (28) of the half cylinder (19) having a generally planar shape and comprising one or more protrusions (29) capable of penetrating into a flange (14) provided on the container (4), from the face of the collar (14) opposite the opening of the neck (3) of the container (4).   6 holding device according to claim 5, characterized in that the substantially linear edge 15 (32 a) of the projection (29) extends orthogonally to the axis (20) of the half cylinder (19) and parallel to the plane of longitudinal symmetry (P) of said half cylinder (19).   7 holding device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it further comprises a side wall (26) substantially in the form of a portion of crown extending towards the outside of the half cylinder (19), substantially perpendicularly to the axis (20) of the half cylinder (19), said side wall (26) comprising means (27) allowing its fixing in a capping installation (1).   8 holding device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the projections (29) extend, on the transverse end face (28) of the half cylinder (19), substantially over the entire thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder (19).   9 Capping installation for containers (4) provided with a neck (3), characterized in that it comprises at least one holding device (12) for the container (4)   according to one of the preceding claims.   Capping installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it includes means for guiding (11) the container (4), said guide means (11) being arranged so that the container (4) can be kept in the desired position for placing a plug (2) 5 on the neck (3) between said guide means (11) and the holding device (12), and in that the difference in height between the upper face (33) guide means (11) and the substantially linear edge (32 a) of the projection (29) of the holding device (12) is less than 2 mm.