GB2280658A

GB2280658A - Container formed from bonding two sub-containers together

Info

Publication number: GB2280658A
Application number: GB9401195A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roderick Alastair Lyons; Brian O'hara; John Bartley Coonan
Original assignee: CUMBERLAND HOLDINGS Ltd
Current assignee: CUMBERLAND HOLDINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1993-08-03
Filing date: 1994-01-21
Publication date: 1995-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-21
Also published as: GB9401195D0; BE1006236A6; IES930584A2; IES61772B2; GB2280658B

Abstract

A liquid container having two separate compartments defined by sub-containers, eg bottles 11, 12, is manufactured by applying adhesive to a joint face of at least one of the sub-containers, pressing the complementary joint faces together and curing the adhesive. The sub-containers are placed on a carriage 32 with a pusher (44, Figure 4) to align associated vertical faces of the sub-containers, the carriage being moved upwardly by a ram to engage neck portions of the sub-containers in an alignment head 50. A brace 22 issuing from a magazine 60 is used to clamp the aligned sub-containers together during curing of the adhesive in an oven. Screening doors (70, Figure 2) may be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements relating to containers" This invention relates to containers and in particular to a process apparatus for producing a beverage container formed by composite bottle, comprising two separate compartments defined by sub-containers formed separately and subsequently bonded together.

According to the invention there is provided a method for producing a liquid container having two separate compartments defined by sub-containers bonded together to form the container, including the steps applying adhesive to a joint face of at least one of the sub-containers; pressing complementary joint faces of the two sub containers together; aligning the two sub-containers; clamping the sub-containers in the aligned position by mounting a brace around an exterior of the sub containers; and curing the adhesive.

In one embodiment of the invention the two sub-containers are aligned by aligning two or more surface portions of the two sub-containers.

In one embodiment of the invention associated surfaces on each sub-container are aligned to align the subcontainers.

In one case the aligned surfaces include associated vertical surfaces on each sub-container. The aligned surfaces preferably also include associated horizontal surfaces on each sub-container. Preferably the aligned surfaces include associated neck portions on each subcontainer.

The invention also provides a liquid container whenever produced by a method of the invention.

The invention further provides apparatus for aligning and clamping sub-containers to form a container by a method of the invention, the apparatus comprising: a support frame for supporting two sub-containers to be aligned and clamped; a container carriage for aligning associated vertical surfaces of the sub-containers; means for aligning associated neck portions of the sub containers; a brace for clamping the aligned sub-containers; means for raising and lowering the container carriage; and means for moving a brace into alignment with the sub containers on raising of the container carriage.

In one embodiment of the invention the container carriage includes pusher means for engaging the sub-containers together.

Preferably the apparatus includes a magazine for receiving a plurality of braces, the brace carrier being movable into alignment with the magazine to receive a brace for the sub-containers.

In one embodiment of the invention the means for raising and lowering the container carriage comprises carriage ram means.

Preferably the means for moving a brace into alignment with the sub-containers comprises ram means which is operable on raising of the container carriage.

In a further embodiment of the invention the means for aligning associated neck portions of the sub-containers comprises an alignment head having a shoulder for engagement with and alignment with neck portion of each sub-container.

The invention also provides a container whenever manufactured using the apparatus of the invention.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a method for producing a beverage container according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of an apparatus used in the method for aligning an associated pair of bottles to form the beverage container; Fig. 3 is a front partially sectioned elevational view of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a side partially sectioned elevational view of the apparatus; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the apparatus in another working position,and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a brace used in the process.

Referring to the drawings a method and apparatus according to the invention will be described for preparing a beverage container 10 comprising an associated pair of adhesively bonded sub-containers formed by bottles 11,12.

Each of the bottles 11,12 has one flat end face 13,14 by which they are joined together. At a gluing station 15 glue is applied to an end face 13,14 of one of the bottles 11,12 and the end faces 13,14 of the bottles 11,12 are brought together. The bottles 11,12 are then correctly aligned in an alignment apparatus 20 described in more detail later. When in alignment, a brace 22 (See Fig. 6) is mounted around an outside of the bottles 11,12 to securely clamp the bottles 11,12 together in alignment.

The brace 22 has a body 23 with a central cut-out slot 24 for reception of the bottles 11,12. Arcuate end portions 25 of the slot 24 engage outer end walls of the bottles 11,12 to press the bottles 11,12 firmly together. It will be noted that each inner side face 27 of the slot 24 is recessed to accommodate any irregularities in the front and rear faces of the bottles 11,12.

The clamped bottles 11,12 are then passed through an oven to cure the resin adhesive in step 18 thus firmly bonding the bottles 11,12 together to form the beverage container 10. The oven comprises a heating tunnel through which a conveyor carries the clamped bottles 11,12 for a period typically of between ten and fifteen minutes to cure the resin. At an outlet end of the oven, there is provided a cooler having fans to blow ambient air over the heated containers 10 to cool the containers 10.

When the containers 10 are discharged from the cooler, the brace 22 is removed and each container 10 is delivered to a packing station 19.

The apparatus 20 for aligning the two bottles 11,12 to form the container 10 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. The apparatus 20 comprises a support frame 30. A bottle carriage 32 is vertically movable on the support frame 30 and has a pair of spaced-apart downwardly depending guide rails 33 which slidably engage complementary guide holes 34 in the frame 30. A ram 35 mounted on the frame 30 engages in underside of the carriage 32 for raising and lowering the carriage 32 on the frame 30.

The carriage 32 has a base 38 with upstanding walls on the base, namely a front wall 39 a rear wall 40 and side walls 41. A ram 43 mounted on an inner face of the rear wall 40 carries a pusher block 44 for urging bottles 11,12 mounted on the carriage 32 against an inner face of the front wall 39 for alignment of vertical front faces of the bottles 11,12. It will be noted that a pair of spring loaded plates 47,48 (Fig. 3) are mounted on the base 38 of the carriage 32, one plate 47,48 being associated with each bottle 11,12 to accommodate some relative displacement of the bottles 11,12 for alignment purposes. A top alignment head 50 for the bottles 11,12 is mounted on the frame 30 above the carriage 32.The top alignment head 50 has a stepped recess 51 having a shoulder 52 for engagement with and alignment of horizontal upper surfaces 53,54 at a neck 55,56 of each bottle 11,12.

Also mounted on the frame 30 above the carriage 32 is a magazine 60 carrying a number of the braces 22. The braces 22 are gravity fed from the magazine 60 into a carrier 65 which is slidably mounted in tracks 66 on the frame 30. The carrier 65 is slidably movable on the tracks 66 by means of a ram 67 between a retracted position below the magazine 60 (Fig. 4) and an extended position (Fig. 5) in which the brace 22 is held below the alignment head 50 for mounting the brace 22 on the bottles 11,12.

In use, a pair of bottles 11,12 to which glue has been applied are mounted in the carriage 32 and the ram 43 is operated to urge the bottles 11,12 against the front wall 39 of the carriage 32 for alignment of front faces of the bottles 11,12. Simultaneously, the carrier 65 supporting a brace 22 is advanced to the extended position shown in Fig. 5. Then the carriage 32 is raised by means of the ram 35 such that the bottles 11,12 pass through the opening 24 in the brace 22 and the upper surfaces 53,54 at the necks 55,56 of the bottles 11,12 engage against the shoulder 52 within the alignment head 50, thus bringing them into alignment. As the bottles 11,12 engage against the shoulder 52 they also wedge into engagement with the brace 22 to securely clamp the bottles 11,12 in an aligned position. The carriage 32 is then retracted to the lowered position from which the clamped bottles 11,12 are removed. The carrier 65 also retracts under the magazine 60 for reception of another brace 22.

It will be noted that a pair of screening doors 70 are mounted on the frame 30 for enclosure of the carriage 32 during movement of the carriage 32. Switches 72 on the frame 30 are engageable by the doors 70 in the closed position for movement of the carriage 32. When the doors 70 are open the switches 72 are also in an open position thus preventing movement of the carriage 32.

While the magazine 60 is shown in illustrations as being of fully sheeted construction other arrangements are possible. For example, a vertical slot may be provided in a side wall of the magazine 60 so an operator can view the contents of the magazine. Alternatively, the magazine may be of open framework construction facilitating viewing of the contents. For example, the magazine may be formed by a number of spaced-apart upright steel rods between which a stack of braces is supported.

Spacers may be mounted on the fixed walls 39,41 of the carriage 32 to accommodate bottles of different size.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described which may vary in both construction and detail.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for producing a liquid container having two separate compartments defined by sub containers bonded together to form the container, including the steps applying adhesive to a joint face of at least one of the sub-containers; pressing complementary joint faces of the two sub-containers together; aligning the two sub-containers; clamping the sub-containers in the aligned position by mounting a brace around an exterior of the sub-containers; and curing the adhesive.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two sub-containers are aligned by aligning two or more surface portions of the two sub-containers.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein associated surfaces on each sub-container are aligned to align the sub-containers.

4. A method as claimed in claim -3 wherein the aligned surfaces include associated vertical surfaces on each sub-container.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein the aligned surfaces include associated horizontal surfaces on each sub-container.

6. A method as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the aligned surfaces include associated neck portions on each sub-container.

7. A method for producing a liquid container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A liquid container whenever produced by a method as claimed in any preceding claim.

9. Apparatus for aligning and clamping sub-containers to form a container by a method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, the apparatus comprising: a support frame for supporting two sub containers to be aligned and clamped; a container carriage for aligning associated vertical surfaces of the sub-containers; means for aligning associated neck portions of the sub-containers; a brace for clamping the aligned sub containers; means for raising and lowering the container carriage; and means for moving a brace into alignment with the sub-containers on raising of the container carriage.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the container carriage includes pusher means for engaging the sub-containers together.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claims 9 or 10 including a magazine for receiving a plurality of braces, the brace carrier being movable into alignment with the magazine to receive a brace for the sub containers.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11 wherein the means for raising and lowering the container carriage comprises carriage ram means.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12 wherein the means for moving a brace into alignment with the sub-containers comprises ram means which is operable on raising of the container carriage.

14. Apparatus claimed in any of claims 9 to 13 wherein the means for aligning associated neck portions of the sub-containers comprises an alignment head having a shoulder for engagement with and alignment with neck portion of each sub-container.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A container whenever manufactured using the apparatus of any of claims 9 to 15.