GB2092981A

GB2092981A - Air-bed conveyors

Info

Publication number: GB2092981A
Application number: GB8204076A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-02-14
Filing date: 1982-02-11
Publication date: 1982-08-25
Also published as: GB2092981B

Abstract

An air-bed conveyor for transporting light-weight plastics containers of the type having an integrally formed neck (12) and a laterally extending integral flange (14), comprises a housing (20) defining a passage (22) having a slot (26) in a lower wall (24). A container is slidably located in the passage (22) with its neck (12) extending through the slot (26) such that the container is retained by engagement of its flange (14) on the lower wall. Each side of the passage (22) is formed with a generally louvered arrangement where openings are directed towards one end of the passage (22). Compressed air is blown into the housing (20) and passes through the side wall openings into the passage (22). The air passes under the flange (14) of the container to raise the container slightly and then blow the container towards said one end of the passage (22). A skirt (39) is provided to concentrate the air flow on the container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for transporting objects This invention relates to apparatus for transporting objects, particularly containers, and especially containers of a lightweight plastics material which are used to contain liquids such as soft drinks.

Recently soft drinks manufacturers have been using lightweight plastics containers in preference to glass bottles to bottle their soft drinks, and such a container generally has on an integrally formed neck, a laterally extending integral flange below the threaded part of the neck on which a top for the container can be engaged. Use of the term "flanged" hereinafterwill be a reference to a container having a neck of such a design.

Attempts have been made to convey these containers when empty from one part of a bottling plant to another but, because the containers are so lightweight, transporting on a conventional conveyor by standing the containers upright on the conveyor has not proved successful, as the containers tend to topple and only one container needs to topple to start a chain reaction.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for transporting a container, said apparatus comprising means defining a path for movement of the container therealong, and means for providing an upwardly directed pressure on the container whereby to raise the container off a support and for causing the container when so raised to move in a predetermined direction along the path.

According to the present invention there is also provided apparatus as described in the preceding paragraph for transporting a flanged container as hereinbefore defined, wherein the means for providing an upwardly directed pressure is arranged to apply the pressure to a lower side of the container flange.

Preferably the support is formed as a lower wall of the path defining means, the lower wall having a through slot of a width less than the width of the container flange, and the side walls of the path defining means being provided with openings facing in one direction along the path, means being provided for causing a compressed gas to flow through the openings into the path, whereby, when a container has its neck extending through the slot to be located in the path and be retained by engagement of the flange on the lower wall, flow of the gas moves the container along the path in said one direction.

Further the invention provides a method of transporting a container, said method comprising locating a container means defining a path of movement for the container, providing an upwardly directed pressure on the container which raises the container off a support and moves the container in a predetermined direction along the path.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of an apparatus according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing the location of a container.

Flanged containers of the type hereinbefore defined are formed of a lightweight plastics material and comprise a body 10 (Figure 2) and an integral neck 12, the neck 12 having a laterally extending integral flange 14 and abovetheflange 14 an externally threaded part 16 for receiving an integrally threaded cap (not shown).

An apparatusfortransporting such containers when empty comprises an elongate housing 20 formed with an internal longitudinal passage 22 opening through a lower wall 24 of the housing by a central slot 26. The passage 22 is further defined by side walls 28,30 and a top wall 32. The slot edges define guides 25 and the width of the slot 26 is such that a container can be slidably located in the passage 22 towards one end thereof (or upstream), with the flange 14 above the guides 25 whereby the container is prevented from passing downwardly out of the passage 22 by the engagement of the flange 14 on the guides 25.

Each of the side walls 28,30 of the passage 22 is provided with respective longitudinally spaced openings 34,36 which are formed by making vertical cuts in the wall material and pressing the material outwardly at the downstream sides of the cuts, so as to form a generally louvred arrangement, with the openings 34, 36 being directed towards the downstream end of the passage 22. The outwardly pressed edge of each of the openings 34,36 is substantially parallel with the opposed edge on the respective wall, with the edges being connected at the upper and lower ends by arcuate portions. The locations of the openings 34 are offset relative to the locations of the openings 36.

On a top wall 38 of the housing 20 there is provided a fan 40 with its outlet opening into the housing 20, the internal configuration of the latter being such that when compressed air is blown by the fan 40 into the housing 20, the air passes through the openings 34, 36 into the passage 22.

In operation, when compressed air enters the passage 22 to flow in a downstream direction, some of the air passes under the flange 14 of a container to raise the container slightly, and the container is then blown by the compressed air from said one end of the passage to the other. When the apparatus is not in use, the container may rest with its lower end on a support and the raising of the container by the compressed air moves the container off such a support such that no drag is encountered. A downwardly extending skirt 39 is provided in the housing 20 at each side of the passage 22 to concentrate the air flow on the container.

Each of the guides 25 may be provided with a cover or coating of a material with a low coefficient of friction, and also it is preferred that such a cover presents a rounded upper surface for minimal contact with the flange 14 of a container. This is particularly desirable where the passage does not extend horizontally but is upwardly angled for movement of the containers from a lower to an upper position. The guides 25 may alternatively be formed of a material having a low coefficient of friction.

Various modifications may be made withot departing from the invention. It is envisaged for example that other methods may be provided of applying pressure to the underside of the neck flanges of the containers to raise the containers off a support and allow movement of the container in a predetermined direction. Such techniques may include engagement of a chain or the like underthe neck flanges of the containers, and means for driving the chain to move the containers from one location to another. The embodiment specifically described is however advantageous in that compressed air can be used instead of any mechanical drive and support, and therefore breakdown and repair is less likely, while the arrangement is much less costly.

It is to be appreciated that, in the described embodiment itself, modifications may be made, as, for example, the location of the fan can vary on the top wall of the housing and indeed the fan may be located on other than the top wall. Also the configuration of the passage may alter although the particular arrangement described has been found to be the most desirable configuration.

Claims

1. Apparatus for transporting a container, said apparatus comprising means defining a path for movement of the container therealong, and means for providing an upwardly directed pressure on the container whereby to raise the container off a support and for causing the container when so raised to move in a predetermined direction along the path.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 fortransporting a flanged container as hereinbefore defined, wherein the means for providing an upwardly directed pressure is arranged to apply the pressure to a lower side of the container flange.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support is formed as a lower wall of the path defining means, the lower wall having a through slot of a width less than the width of the container flange, and the side walls of the path defining means being provided with openings facing in one direction along the path, means being provided for causing a compressed gas to flow through the openings into the path, whereby, when a container has its neck extending through the slot to be located in the path and be retained by engagement of the flange on the lower wall, flow of the gas moves the container along the path in said one direction.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the side walls each have a generally louvered configuration.

5. Apparatus according to claims 3 or 4, wherein a displaced edge of each opening is substantially parallel to the opposed wall edge and has arcuate ends terminating in said opposed wall edge.

6. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the openings in each side wall are spaced apart and the locations of the openings in one side wall are offset relative to the locations of the openings in the opposed side wall.

7. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 6, wherein a skirt is provided to extend downwardly from the lower wall outside of the path.

8. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support is formed as a lower wall of the path defining means, the lower wall having a through slot of a width less than the width of the container flange, whereby a container can be located in the path with its neck extending through the slot and can be retained in the path by engagement of the flange on the lower wall, means being provided for mechanically raising the container flange off the lower wall and moving the container along the path in said one direction.

9. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 7 or claim 8, wherein edges defining the through slot in the lower wall have a cover or coating formed of a material with a low coefficient of fricton.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 7 or claim 8, wherein the lower wall is formed of a material having a low coefficient of fricton.

11. Apparatus according to claims 9 or 10, wherein the edges defining the through slot in the lower wall present arcuate upwardly facing surfaces for minimum contact with the container flange.

12. Apparatus for transporting a container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of transporting a container, said method comprising locating a container means defining a path of movement for the container, providing an upwardly directed pressure on the container which raises the container off a support and moves the container in a predetermined direction along the path.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the pressure is applied to a lower side of the container flange of a flanged container as hereinbefore defined.

15. A method of transporting a container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.