GB2310203A

GB2310203A - Delivery apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2310203A
Application number: GB9603036A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher John W Litherland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-02-14
Filing date: 1996-02-14
Publication date: 1997-08-20
Also published as: GB9603036D0

Description

PRODUCT DELIVERY APPARATUS This invention relates to product delivery apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively, to the delivery, to a container, of a plurality of 'pre-forms'.

Pre-forms are test-tube shaped products of plastics material produced by injection moulding. After delivery to containers they are dispatched to bottle-forming plants where they are converted, by a blow-moulding process, into bottles for containing liquids.

A problem exists in transferring the pre-forms from the injection moulding machines to their containers prior to dispatch. The pre-forms retain injection moulding heat and are liable to damage if not handled carefully.

One form of product delivery apparatus used to deliver pre-forms to a container comprises an openable, bucket-like receptacle which can be lowered into the container, and subsequently opened to release the preforms it carried. However, such apparatus is expensive whereas the present invention seeks to provide a much less expensive apparatus of more simple form.

According to the invention, product delivery apparatus comprises a depending receptacle of flexible material having an open upper end for receiving the products, a product outlet at the lower region of the receptacle, and means for adjusting the configuration of the receptacle so as to vary the position of the product outlet.

In a preferred form of the invention the receptacle comprises a depending loop of flexible material, and means are provided for adjusting the effective length of the loop.

Means are preferably provided for retarding outward passage of products through the product outlet.

The product retarding means may comprise at least one curtain formed by a plurality of flexible filamentary members.

Alternatively, the product retarding means may comprise one or more flap members.

The product delivery apparatus may be provided with product counting means, operable to count products being delivered to the receptacle.

The invention also resides in a method of automatically delivery products to a container, comprising the steps of delivering, under the influence of gravity, a pre-determined number of products to one internal portion of the container, followed by delivery of a pre-determined number of products to another internal portion of the container, the delivery steps being repeated sequentially.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of product delivery apparatus, Figure 2 is a fragmentary side view, looking in the direction of arrow II of Figure 1, and Figures 3 to 8 are side views, partly in section, illustration operation of the apparatus.

With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, product delivery apparatus 1 comprises a frame support 2, and an open-sided receptacle 3 of flexible sheet material depending downwardly from the frame support 2. The receptacle 3 has an open upper end 4 for receiving the products and a product outlet 5 at the lower region of the receptacle 3. Means 6 are provided for adjusting the configuration of the receptacle 3 (see Figures 3 to 8) so as to vary the position of the product outlet 5 relative to a storage container 7.

The receptacle 3 comprises a downwardly extending loop provided by a portion of flexible belt 10. The ends of the belt 10 are wound round rollers 11, 12 which are rotated by electric motors 13, 14 under the control of a programmable computer 15m, by way of signal lines 17, 18.

Controlled rotation of the rollers 11, 12 adjusts the effective length of the looped belt 10. The adjustment can be made to vary the position of the product outlet 5.

Means 16 are provided for retarding outward passage of products through the outlet 5. As best seen in Figure 2, the means 16 comprise a pair of curtains, each formed by a plurality of flexible, filamentary members 20.

The finger-like members 20 flex to allow retarded passage of product through the outlet 5.

Instead of members 20, one or more flap members may be used to retard passage of products through the outlet 5.

The product delivery apparatus 1 is provided with electronic product counting means 21 and 22 (see Figures 3 to 8), operable to count products entering the looped belt 10 and thus subsequently discharged to the container 7. The counting means 21, 22 are electronically connected to the computer 15 by signal lines 23, 24.

With reference now to Figures 3 to 8, in operation a conveyor (not shown) discharges pre-form products 25 to the apparatus 1 whereby they enter the open top 4 of the receptacle 3, which is formed by the looped belt 10.

As the pre-form products 25 tumble into the space defined by the looped belt 10 they are counted. They subsequently discharge through the product outlet 5 which, in Figure 3, is disposed adjacent the lower right-hand corner of the container 7. As the pre-form products 25 fall downwardly, under the influence of gravity, they tend to contact the inner surface of the looped belt 10 which, being of flexible material, yields under impact. Thus damage to the falling products 25 is avoided.

Furthermore, outward passage of the products 25 through the outlet 5 is retarded by contact with the flexible members 20 so that, when the product fall on to others already in the container 7, impact forces are substantially reduced. In addition, as the outlet 5 is positioned close to the bottom of the container 7, the pre-form products 25 do not have to fall very far. Thus impact forces are further reduced.

After, say, 200 pre-form products 25 have been delivered to the container 7, the counter means 21, 22 signal the computer 15 accordingly. The computer 15 then causes the electric motors 13, 14 (Figure 1) to rotate the rollers 11, 12, whereby the configuration of the receptacle 3 is changed to that shown in Figure 4. The outlet 5 is now positioned adjacent the lower left-hand corner of the container 7.

After, say, another 200 pre-form products 25 have been delivered to the container 7, computer 15 and counter means 21, 22 cause the configuration of the receptacle 3 to be changed once more.

As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the configuration of the receptacle 3 is constantly changed, under the control of the programmed computer 15, until the receptacle 7 is filled.

It will be noted that not only is the position of the product outlet 5 switched from side to side, in a sequential manner, but also the depth of the receptacle 3 is reduced until finally, as shown in Figure 8 (and in dotted lines in Figure 1) it is fully retracted.

In the embodiment described and illustrated, a pre-forms product 25 has a length of 12.0cm and a diameter of about 3.0cm. The belt 10 is of food grade polyurethane. Typically, the width of the belt 10 is 700mm, the thickness thereof is 1.5mm to 4.00mm, and the extended depth of the belt is 1.0 metres.

Claims

1. Product delivery apparatus comprising a depending receptacle of flexible material having an open upper end for receiving the products, a product outlet at the lower region of the receptacle, and means for adjusting the configuration of the receptacle so as to vary the position of the product outlet.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle comprises a depending loop of flexible material, and means are provided for adjusting the effective length of the loop.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ends of the loop are wound around rollers and means are provided for controlled rotation of the rollers.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means for adjusting the configuration of the receptacle comprises computer means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, provided with counter means for counting the number of products delivered to the receptacle, said computer means being operable by said counter means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein said computer means comprise programmable computer means.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, provided with means for retarding outward passage of products through the product outlet.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the product retarding means comprise at least one curtain formed by a plurality of flexible filamentary members.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the product retarding means comprises one or more flap members.

10. A method of automatically delivering products to a container, comprising the steps of delivering, under the influence of gravity, a predetermined number of products to one internal portion of the container, followed by delivery of a pre-determined number of products to another internal portion of the container, the delivery steps being repeated sequentially.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the products are delivered by apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. The method of claims 10 or 11, wherein the products comprise bottle pre-forms of plastics material.

13. Product delivery apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of automatically delivering products to a container, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.