GB1000770A - Method and apparatus for seating containers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,000,770. Sealing jars, bottles and the like. ALUMINUM CO. OF AMERICA. Sept. 12, 1963 [Sept. 18, 1962], No. 35955/63. Heading B8T. A method of sealing container having screwthreaded necks comprises loosely placing a plain-skirt cap upon the mouth of a container, subjecting the cap to the lifting force of upwardly and inwardly directed vapour and/or inert gas jets to raise the cap and to purge the head space, forcibly pressing the cap into hermetic sealing relationship with the container to trap a portion of the vapour and/or inert gas, terminating the vapour flow and then deforming the cap skirt about its periphery into conformity with the screw-thread on the container neck. Filled containers 6, Fig. 1, are moved into a capping machine by means of a conveyer 4, spaced by a screw 7 and picked up by an intake star-wheel 9, each container receiving a cap from a reservoir and feeding device 34, described in Specification 944,815, at the point of pick up. From the intake star-wheel 9 the containers are transferred to a rotary table 23 which supports sealing heads 29 and from the table 23 the sealed containers are returned to conveyer 4 by means of star-wheel 11. In operation, each container 6 is received upon a rotatable support pad 36, Fig. 4, or transfer to table 23, and the overhanging sealing head 29 is moved downwardly to an intermediate position by the cooperation of a cam roller 68 in a cam groove 60. In this positon a ring 82 having ports 83 embraces the neck of the container and steam and/ or inert gas from a supply pipe 53, Fig. 1, led by a conduit 54 to a valve 84, Fig. 4, is opened by the co-operation of a further cam roller 89 with a cam 90. Steam and/or gas issuring from the ports 83 lifts the cap 35 into contact with a rotating pressure plate 80 and the air is purged from underneath the cap and from the head space of the container. The sealing head 29 is now moved downwardly to reseat the cap and furthermore to depress the support pad 36 which comes into frictional driving contact with a flange 38 of a constantly rotated stub shaft 39. The rotation of pressure plate 80 is derived from a sun gear 61 via a spindle 71 and that of stub shaft 39 from an identical sungear 44, both rotations being of the same magnitude. Shortly after reseating of the cap 35, the steam and/or gas supply is cut off. Deformation of the cap skirt is effected by rolling discs 91 connected to lever systems 92, 96 which are operated by a cam 70 displacing rollers 98 on levers 96. This occurs when casing 64 of head 29 is moved downwardly relative to spindle 71 as cam roller 68 reaches the lowermost point of groove 60. The discs 91 progressively deform the cap skirt downwardly and around its periphery into conformity with the screw-thread on the container neck. The rolling operation is effected during container travel between points G and H, Fig. 1, and at point H the sealing head 29 rises to release the container from the discs 91 and pressure plate 80 and the pad 36 rises under the action of a spring around a bearing plunger 41 to its normal stationary position.