US1883078A

US1883078A - Machine for handling canned goods

Info

Publication number: US1883078A
Application number: US520697A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl B Stretch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1931-03-06
Filing date: 1931-03-06
Publication date: 1932-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 1949-10-18

Description

Oct. 18, c. B STRETCH MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED GOODS Filed March 6, 1931 5 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR Q ATTORNEYS Oct. C B STRETCH 1,883,078

MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED GOODS Filed March 6, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Och 3 c. B. STRETCH 1,833,078

MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED GOODS Filgd March 6, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 1932i c. B. STRETCH 1,883,078

MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED Goons}:

Filed March 6, 1931 --:-'.}5sn ,ts-sheet 4 Oct. 18, 1932. c. B. STRETCH 1,883,078

MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED GQODS Filed March 6, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTODNEYg 3.! z 7 4 a I 4 6 7 6 7 m "m. w M wwmww m Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES CARL B. STRETCH, OF BRIDGE'I'ON, NEW JERSEY MACHINE FOR HANDLING CANNED GOODS Application filed March 6,

This invention relates to an improved ma chine for handling canned goods, of such a design that the canned goods will be carried to and through a discharge opening of a chute, and deposited on a conveyor (not shown), which in turn will carry the canned goods to an automatic boxer or to a labeling machine.

In canning factories, after the canned goods leave the canning machines it is neces sary to pack the canned goods in boxes or crates, and to facilitate this work it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a machine for arranging the canned goods in sequential order, so that they may be easily carried on a conveyor to a point to be packed. In other words the canned goods may be emptied into a hopper chaoticall and from which they are carried by a conveyor up wardly to a compartment of the machine and automatically deposited upon a second conveyor, and then upon a vibrating or shaking cradle, the various cans tumbling or falling over each other during this course, and as the canned goods are passing through the ma chine, they become gradually and automatically arranged in order lying down on their sides, so that they can be easily and conveniently in sequential order carried to a point to be packed.

In handling the canned goods, the invention'has .for its purpose to provide means to retard the canned goods periodically, before they pass on to feed rolls, which act toplace the cans one behind the other, on to a third conveyor, which carry the canned goods to a chute, through which they pass inlying down positions.

When the canned goods are passing from the feed rolls on a conveyor, some are lying down and some are/standing on end, and in this instance it is the aim to arrange all the cans in a lying down position on the con veyor. At :a point beyond the feed rolls abutment means is provided to knock those 1931. Serial no. 520,697.

cans which are standing on their end over upon the sides. To facilitate this the machine also includes means to retard the cans one at a time, while a preceding can is being tilted: over upon its side. The reason for rctarding a can at this point is to prevent the can being tilted from striking the can in the rear. 1

It is to be understood that the particulars herein given are no way limitative, and

that while still keeping within the scope of the invention, any desired modification of details and proportions may be made in the construction of the appliance according tocircumstances.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts to behereinaiter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved machine for handling canned goods from the canning machine to a point or location where the canned goods are packed for shipment, illustrating a hopper and a portion of a conveyor immediately adjoining the receiving compartment of the machine proper, the machine being constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1 ting the hopper shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4.- is a sectional View on line 4-4 of Figure 2, more clearly showing the passage of the canned goods through the receiving compartment.

Figure 5 is a sectional View on line 55 of Figure 1 illustrating the screw feed rolls as well as the carrier belts in the guide channels for the canned goods.

Figure 6 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the channel way of the machine, at a point'beyond the screw feed rolls, illustrating the intermittent operating checking means for the canned goods in its passage.

omit- Lyl Figure 7 is a side elevation of Figure 6. Flgure 8 1s an enlarged sectional perspective of a retarding gate or device at one end ing from the receiving compartment to and between the screw feed rolls.

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the terminal of the chute where the cans are discharged in order to be packed.

Referring to the drawings 1 identifies the base frame of the machine for handling canned goods, and this frame merges into a superimposed frame 2 which includes a can ned goods receiving compartment 3, and to be disposed a requisite distance from one end of the machine is a hopper 4, which receives the canned goods in a chaotic order from any conventional type of canning machine (not shown). In the lower part of the hopper 4 the lower end of an inclined conveyor 5 has its operating roll 6 journaled in bearings of the hopper, in such wise as to receive and convey the canned goods upwardly and out of the hopper. Supporting brackets 7 are carried by one end of the superimposed frame 2, and journaled in bearings thereon is the upper operating roll 8 of the conveyor 5. A suitable inclined guide 9 extends from a point immediately adjacent the roll 8, for guiding the canned goods into the receiving compartment of the superimposed frame.

Mounted in the receiving compartment is a horizontal conveyor 10, the rolls 11 of which are ournaled in bearings 12 on the interior of the compartment. This conveyor is immediately adjacent one end of the guide 9, so that when the canned goods reaches the end of the guide they deposit onto the conveyor which carries the goods to a shaking cradle 13, which is pivoted at one end adjacent one end of the conveyor 10.

This shaking cradle may be of any conventional construction, though it comprises a frame 15 and a flooring 16. The end 17 of the flooring of the cradle terminates in a plurality of varying lengths of fingers, the purpose of which is to deliver the canned goods to and between the screw guide rolls 70 and 71 at different points. In other words some of the fingers act to deposit the canned goods immediately at one end of the screw guide rolls, While the medium length of fingers deliver certain other of the canned goods a slight distance beyond, whereas the maximum length of fingers deliver certain other of the canned goods a greater distance beyond at a point adjacent the base portion of the superimposed frame 2. Just above the under frame structure a crank shaft 19 is journaled in bearings 20, and connected to the cranks 21 thereof are links 22, which in turn are pivoted at 23 to blocks 24 bolted or otherwise secured to angle beams 25, which constitute reinforcings for the frame 15 of the siaking cradle. Obviously when the crank shaft 19 rotates, the links impart up and down movements to one end of the cradle, acting to shake or vibrate the canned goods in order to arrange them in symmetrical order as much as possible.

In order to prevent the canned goods from leaving the cradle too rapidly a suitable retarding gate 26 is provided at one end of the receiving compartment. This gate is pivoted at 27 and is adapted to move to varying open positions as will be hereinafter obvious; Carried by the lower edge of this retarding gate is a buffer foot piece 28, which is provit ed with a rubber head 29 shown clearly in Figures 4 and 8. The ends of this buffer foot piece are mounted in the guides 30, which are carried by the end edges of the gate. The foot piece is carried by the headed rods 31 which pass through the thickness of the gate as shown at 32, and the ends of the headed rods terminate in openings formed in the The ends of the headed rods have retaining nuts 34, which can be adjusted to limit the downward movement of the rods and therefore limit the downward movement of the buffer foot piece. yields upwardly according to the position of the gate and according to the number of canned goods passinguuder the foot piece. Suitable springs 35 are connected to the plates 36 carried by the gate, and in turn con ected to the pins 37 projecting from the sides of the receiving compartment 3. These springs tension the gate and act to prevent the gate from too freely opening. Journaled in bearings of the under base frame structure 1 is a shaft 88 provided witha pull 3 39 thereon and having "ms 40 on its opposite ends, there being a belt 41 passing about the pull y, for the purpose of transmitting power to the shaft.

In bearings of the lower part of the frame 1 a shaft 42 is journaled, and on one extreme end of the shaft a drive pulley 43 is carried, adapted to receive power from any suitable source, such as a motor or the like (not shown). Also on the shaft 42 near the center thereof a pulley 44 is mounted and about which the belt 41 travels. This belt 41 in turn passes about the pulley 39. In this manner power is transmitted to the shaft 38.

Pivotcd to the arm-40 and to an ear of an angle plate 46 on the gate is a pitm'an 47, and by means of this connection, when the shaft 38 rotates movements are imparted to the gate, allowin it to move to varying open positions against the action of the springs 35. In this manner the passage of canned goods from the shaking cradle may be controlled, that is the rapidity with which the canned goods may pass from the cradle to and between the screw guide rolls. v

lhe retarding gate has auxiliary retard- Obviously the footpiece mg elements 48, which are hinged at 49 to the inner face ofthe gate 26, as shown clearly in Figures 3 and 4. These elements are located more or less in position adjacent the ends of the minimum length of fingers 50 of the shaking cradle, while the gate 26 operates more in conjunction with the medium and .maxinnun length of fingers 51 and 52, to control the passage of the canned goods. Suitable curved rods 53 are carried by the gate 26 and engage through the auxiliary retarding elements 48, and surrounding the rods intermediate the elements 48 and the gate 26 are coil springs 54, which act to tension the elements 48 and hold them against the circular abutment plates 56.. The abutment elements 48 will therefore yield in the direction of the gate 26, according to the number of canned goods passing along the shaking cradle.

.The connecting rods 47 each comprising two

sections

57 and 58, the latter being pivoted to the plate 46 on the gate while the former is pivoted to the arm 40 and is telescopically united in a tubular portion 59 of the latter. The purpose of this connection is that the arm 40 operates to move the rod in the direction of the arrow (1, and thereby tend to open the gate 26, due to there being a certain amount of frictional contact between the tubular portion 59 of the section 58 and the section 57 on the return movement of the arm, the springs 35 act to return the gate toward its closed position. The co-operation of the parts of the rod 47 together with the springs 35 act to so control the gate 2621s to prevent clogging of the canned goods in its passage along and when leaving the cradle.

Mounted on the frame 1 just beyond the discharge of the compartment 3 and substantially immediately below the fingers of the cradle are channel guides or

troughs

60 and 61, which consistof the remote inclined guide walls 62 and the intermediate inclined guide walls 63. The lower portions 64 of the guide channels or troughs have parallel guide walls.

Supports

65 and 66 support the

inclined walls

62 and 63.

In suitable bearings 67 on the frame 1 at the ends of the guide channels or troughs are shafts 68 and 69 carrying screw rolls 70 and 71. Extending spirally around the circumference of the rolls are ribs 72, which are V shaped in cross section. The screw rolls 7 are in pairs, and the V shaped ribs act to distribute the canned goods on the conveyor 7 3, which feeds them toward the chutes 74.

The rear ends of certain of the shafts 68 and 69 are provided with pulleys 75, while the rear ends of certain other of the shafts 68 and 69 have pulleys 76. The pulleys and 76 in pairs are connected by the bolts 77. Adjacent the pulleys on the ends of certain of the shafts 68 and 69

pulleys

78 and 79 are mounted, and these pulleys are connected by belts 80 and 81 topulleys 82 on the shaft 42, which carries the drive pulley 43, and thereby in this manner imparting movement to the shafts 68 and 69 and therefore the screw rolls 7 0 and 71, which rotate in the direction of the arrows b. These-screw rolls act to distribute the canned goods on to the conveyor belts 7 3, the conveyor belts 7 3 operate to carry the canned goods toward chutes 74.

J ournaled in bearings 83 of the frame 1 are

shafts

84 and 85 which carry pulleys 86, about which the conveyor belts 73 operate for carrying the canned goods toward the chutes 74. On one end of theshaft 84 a pulley 87 is carried, engaged by a belt 88, which in turn passes about a pulley 89 on the shaft 42, for the purpose of transmitting power to the conveyor belt 73. 7

On one end of the shaft 19 a pulley .90 is mounted, and engaging therewith is a belt 91, which passes about a pulley 92 on the shaft 42, thereby transmitting motion to the shaft 19 and hence to the shaking cradle, for

the purpose of agitating the canned goods on r the cradle.

It is obvious that when the canned goods enter the guide channels or

troughs

60 and 61 and finally are carried by the conveyor belts 73, some of them will be lying down and some standingon end. Therefore it is p the purpose to cause such of the canned goods to lie down on the conveyor belt, and in order to accomplish this it is necessary to not only keep the canned goods separated properly at a point before they leave the conveyor belt 73, but also to retard certain of the canned goods, while a precedingcan is being tilted over on its side by means of a yieldable abutment 93.

The opposed walls 94 of the lower parts of the guide channels or troughs have extension side walls 95, as in Figures 4 and 6, and as also shown in Figures 2 and 4, and formed in one of each of these extension side walls 95 is an openin 96, as more clearly shown in Figures 6 and through the wall are pins or

rods

97 and 98. On the pin or rod 97 an arm 99 is fixed, and on the lower end of the pin or red 97 a coil springv 100 is mounted, the construction and arrangement of which is such as to tension the rod or pin 97 and hold the'arm 99 against-a stop pin 101, the arm 99 protruding through the slot or opening 96 in the path of'one of the canned goods. On the upperend of the pin or rod 98 an arm 102 is fixed, while the lower end of the rod or pin 98 carries a coil spring 103, the construction and arrangement of which is such as to hold the arm 1.02 normally against the stop pin. 104. Hinged at 105 to each wall having a slot or opening 96 is a holding detent 106,which is tensioned by the lock spring 107. By referring to Figures 6 and 7 the slot or opening 96 has an intermediate wall 108, thereby dividing the opening 7, and passing vertically or slot 96 in two

portions

109 and 110. Journaled on the pin or rod 98 and located in the portion 110 01": the slot or opening 96 is a cam 111, the action or" which is to retain the hold ing detent 106 in a normal position as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6, that is to say when there are no canned goods passing through he channel. In other words while the springs 100 and 103 are in weal: tension, just enough to hold the

arms

99 and 102 in contact with the stop pins 101 and 1, the spring 103 is of sufiicien tension to overcome the action of he loch spring 107 and hereby retain the holding dotent in the position indicated in dotted lines at 112.

As the canned goods pass through exten sion portions of the channel guides or troughs, that is those portions caused to be formed by the walls 95, those that are lying down on their sides, and particularly should it be the very first one, it i engage with the arm 09 and pass under me arm 102. However should the very canned goods be standing on its ens and the next one lying down, the one s I n its end will sweep by the action of the spring 100, a:. arm 102, moving spring 103, hence of the way of the ho ing the detent t mo of the arm 99, i i to prevent the a canned goods as in Fi canned goods standing on on to travel owing to being conve 73, moving thee 1 102 s c' the can will pass can goods standing on end reachex cam 111 out .nt 106, all owot the body s eh position and by the til ie t hill; the an d has abutment back 0:), the arm 102 has moved in engagem i e stop pm 101, and consequentl caused the cam 111 to remove i. of the ar the arm 09. l c three ilCljZlCQRl] canned goods on end approaching the 99 and then the arm 102 the actions of the arms are identical in 15 onend and the ic ieo. ard

ed b the free and un- The abutment J 1 the and passes tl o k er and unattached portion 111. tensions the abutment, to hold it tion shown in Figures'1 and essors when one of the canned goods strikes the abutment it will yield to a certain extent against the action of the spring 116.

The chute 71 extends slightly beyond one end of the frame 1, and when the canned good reaches the terminal of the chute it discharges therefrom at a point identified at 118, which is no more or less than an opening. This opening 118 is formed by one of the bars or the chute terminating at 119. The various bars forming the side walls of the chute 7- 1 held in spaced positions in cylindrical formation by

rings

121 and 122, which are in turn bolted to the bars. It will be noted that one of the bars having the free and unattached portion 114 has its extremity beyond the ring 122 bent downwardly at 123 with its bent extremity 12 1 bolted at 125 to the ring 122. A buffer 126 is located at the end of the chute 7 1 immediately in close position to th ring 122. This buffer is operatiyely associated 'ith the bent portion 123 of one of the bars, and is conveniently spring tensioned at 127, so that when each of the canned goods reaches the opening 118 it will strike the buffer to relieve the force of travel, anc then drop through the opening 118, upon a suitable conveyor (not shown) so that the goods can be carried to an automatic boxing or crating machine. When the canned goods drop through the opening they will fall on their sides upon such conveyor. The

shaft of the operating roll 8 around which 1111' conveyor belt 5 passes has at one of lts pulley 129, with which a belt 130 ongages. he belt 130 in turn engages with and operates a pulley 128 on the end of one of the rolls 11. It is obvious that the shaft of the roll 6 may receive power from any suitable source, which is transmitted to the belt 5 and thence to the belt 130 and the conveyor 10. w

'1 he invention having been set forth,what is claimed is:

1. In a machine for handling canned goods, :1 f me having a receiving compartment and provided with m ans for delivering the canned goods chaotically thereinto, said compertinenthaving a. discharge end an agitatcrac le constituting the bottom of the compertinent for agitating the canned goods toward the discharge end, means for regulating s of the canned goods through the dis :e end, said frame having guide chanor troughs just beyond the discharge end, e enl portion of the agitating cradle adjacent the discharge end having means for regulating the canned goods into the channels or troughs in substantial equal quantities, conveying chutes beyond an communieating with the guide channels or troughs for receiving the canned goods, and means in said channels justprior to reaching the chutes for arranging the canned goods in sequential order lying on their sides, whereby they may enter the chutes end for end, said means at the end edge of the cradle comprising varying lengths of fingers.

2. In a machine for handling canned goods, a frame having a receiving compartment and provided with means for delivering the canned goods chaotically thereinto, said coinpartment having a discharge end an agitating cradle constituting the bottom of the compartment for agitating th canned goods toward the discharge end, means for regulating passage of the canned goods through the discharge end, said frame having guide channels or troughs just beyond the discharge end, the end portion of the agitating cradle adjacent the dischar e end having means for regulating the canned goods into the channels or troughs in substantial equal quantities, conveying chutes beyond and communicating With the guide channels or troughs for receiving the canned goods, and means in said channels just prior to reaching the chutes for arranging the canned goods in sequential order lying on their sides, whereby they may enter the chutes end for end, said means at the end edge of the cradle comprising varying lengths of fingers, and means in the guide channels or troughs for feeding the canned goods t-herethrough, and unitary means operat-ively connecting with the cradle and the feeding means for transmitting motion thereto.

8. In a machine for handling canned goods, a frame having a receiving compartment and provided with means for delivering the canned goods chaoticallythereinto, said compartment having a discharge end an agitating cradle constituting the bottom of the compartment for agitating the canned goods toward the discharge end, means for regulating passage of the canned goods through the discharge end, said frame having guide channels or troughs just beyond the discharge end, the end portion of the agitatin cradle adjacent the discharge end having means for regulating the canned goods into the channels or troughs in substantial equal quantities, conveying chutes beyond and communicating with the guide channels or troughs for receiving the canned goods, and means in said channels just prior to reaching the chutes for arranging the canned goods in sequential order lying on their sides, whereby they may enter the chutes end for end, said means at the end edge of the cradle comprising varying lengths of fingers, the construction and arrangement of the troughs or channels at a point substantially adjacent the fingers being such as to permit the canned goods to enter the troughs in substantial equal amounts.

4. In a machine for handling canned goods, a frame having a receiving compartment and provided with means for delivering the canned goods chaotically thereinto,

said compartment having a discharge end an agitating cradle constituting the bottom of the compartment for agitating the canned goods toward tiie discharge end, means for regulating passage of the canned goods through the discharge end, said frame having guid channels or troughs just beyond the discharge end, the end portion of the agitating cradle adjacent the discharge end having means for regulating the canned goods into the channels or troughs in substantial equal quantities, conveying chutes beyond and communicating with the guide channels or troughs for receiving the canned goods, and means in said channels just prior to reaching the chutes for arranging the canned goods in sequential order lying on their sides, whereby they may enter the chutes end for end, and means in the guide channels or troughs for feeding the canned goods there through, and unitary means operatively connecting with the cradle and the feeding means for transmitting motion thereto, the

construction and arrangement of the troughs or channels at a point substantially adjacent the discharge end of the cradle being such as to permit the canned goods to enter the troughs in substantial equal amounts.

5. In a machine for handling canned goods, a frame having a receiving compart ment for the canned goods, and means for delivering the canned goods chaotically into the compartment, said compartment having a discharge end, guide channels or troughs just beyond and slightly below the discharge end, yieldably mounted gates in the discharge end, an agitating cradle constituting the bottom of the compartment for agitating the canned goods toward the discharge end, the end of the cradle adjacent the discharge end having varying lengths of fingers acting to co-operate with the gates for regulating the canned goods in substantial equal amounts into the guide channels or troughs, feed means in the channels or troughs, chutes beyond and communicating with the guide channels or troughs, and means in the guide channels or troughs for arranging the cans in sequential lying down positions on the feed means just prior to entering the chutes.

6. In a machine for handling canned goods, a frame having a receiving compartment for the canned goods, and means for delivering the canned goods chaotically into the compartment, said compartment having a discharge end, guide channels or troughs just beyond and slightly below the discharge end, yieldably mounted gates in the discharge end, an agitating cradle constituting the bottom of the compartment for agitating the canned goods toward the discharge end, the end of the cradle adjacent the discharge end having varying lengths of fingers acting to co-operate with the gates for regulating the canned goods in substantial equal amounts into the guide channels or troughs, feed means in the channels or troughs, chutes beyond and communicating with the guide channels or troughs, and means in the guide channels or troughs for arranging the cans in sequential lying down positions on the feed means just prior to entering the chutes, and means for operating the gates to Varying open positions to insure regulating the Canned goocls into substantial equal amounts when discharging into the channels or troughs.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CARL B. STRETCH.