US2049761A - Bottle capping mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Aug 4, 1936- R. J. DANIELs y 2,049,761

BOTTLE CAPPING MECHANISM l 'l-l of Figure 1.

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Patented ug. 4, i936 ,BOTTLE CAMPING CHANHSM Ransom ll. Daniels, "e

testone, N. Y., assigner to American Seal-Kap Corporation, Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application .lluly 29, 1933, Serial No. 682,812

. 11 Claims.

. This invention relates to mechanism for applying caps to bottles and more particularly, though in its broader aspects not limited thereto, to the application to milk' bottles of caps of the general type shown in the Baum patent, No. 1,169,283, March l, 1927, for Bottle caps. This invention may be embodied in capping mechanism of the hand operated type, or in a power operated mechanism such as is used in conjunction with bottle lling machines.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a better'and more positive control of the capsv as they are taken successively from a stack Y and applied in sealing relation to the bottles.

Further advantages will appear from a more complete description of an embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figures 1 and 2 are views partly in side elevation and partly broken away and in section showing a milk bottle capper of the hand operated type and showing a cap feeding mechanism in retracted and advanced positions, respectively.

Figure 3 is a perspective of the cap feed plate.

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary views partly in section and showing successive stages in the bottle capping operation.

Figure 6 is a transverse central section through the capping plunger head on line 6 6 of Figure 4.-

Figure 7 is a section to a larger scale on line oppositely disposed positions, at the upper ends of which on each side areA positioned pairs of outwardly extending ears 5, shown best in Figure '7. These ears are provided with openings 6 within which are mounted plugs 1 which may turn therein. Each o'f these plugs is shown as provided with a screw-driver slot at its outer end andat its inner end with a perforation within which extends an end of Ya pivot shaft 8. Each shaft extends through the shank portion 9 of a cap supporting platform lll, each platform being thus pivotally mounted on the axis of a shaft 8 so that it may take a position extending transversely of the axis `of the bore of the member l, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or be moved downwardly into a recess ll, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. These platforms are normally held in their upper cap-supporting positions, for this purpose 5 apair of torsion springs l2 being shown. The intermediate portion of each of these springs l2 passes through a perforation i3 ln one of the shank portions 9, is coiled around the shaft i2 and its ends are inserted in perforations M in 10 oppositely disposed plugs 6. By turning each plug 'l with the aid of a screw-driver engaging in its slot, each end portion of the torsion spring may be tensioned to the proper degree and then the plug may be ilxed in adjusted angular posii5 tion by tightening a set screw i5 thereagainst. Above the tubular member i is a tubular support which is` secured to the member l as by screws passing through openings l2i of mating flange portions on the members i and 2U.' Within the 20 member 2U is reciprocably mounted a cap` applying plunger 25. As shown this plunger is provided with a head 2t which presents the cap to -the bottle and a tubular actua-ting portion 2l secured to this head.

The member 2@ is provided with an upwardly extending sleeve portion 3@ coaxial therewith -and through which the tubular member 2l of the plunger passes. The upper end of this portion 3U is closed 0E as by a cap 3l through a central opening of which the member 2l passes and within this portion 3l) is positioned a coil spring 32. This spring bears at its upper end against the lower face of the plug 3l and at its lower end against a. washer which is normally held 35 against the base of the portion 30 by this spring. The portion 2l is rovided with a slot 36 within which rides a crosspin 3l, thefends of which are supported in the slotted extremities of a pair of arms 38 of bell crank levers 39. These bell crank levers are pivoted at opposite ends of a boss 40 shown as integral with the portion 30 and through which passes a pivot shaft 4l. The opposite arms 42 of these bell crank levers are pivoted as at 43 to a pair of links 44. which, in turn, are pivotallysecured at their outer ends to a cap feed slide 45. This feed slide is mounted for reciprocation in a lateral extension of the member 20, which has adjacent to the portion 20 a socket 54 for the reception of the lower end of 50 a tubular casing 5I within which may be positioned a stackof caps as indicatedat 52. 'Ihe feedfslide 45 is shown as provided with an arcuate forward end 55 which may engage with the lowest cap of the stack so that on reciprocation 55 26, as shown in dottedlines in Figure l and in full lines in Figure 2.

When the capping plunger'is raised, as by moving the tubular member 21 upwardly, above the position shown in Figure 1, the cross pin 31 is engaged by the lower end of the slot 36 and is moved upwardly with the member 21, thus moving the feed slide from its retracted position shown in Figure 1 to its advanced position shown in Figure 2, which feeds a cap 53 into position on the platforms I0 and beneath the plunger head 26. As shown, the raising of this member 21 is accomplished by pulling upwardly on the handle 60 shown as secured to its upper end, though it should be understood that this member may be raised by power when the mechanism is applied to a. power operated lling and capping machine. yThe weight of the parts may be sufficient to vcause this feed action when the entire mechanism is lifted by the handle 66, or a han-A dle 6| (see Figures 4 and 8) secured lto any suitable portion of the mechanism support may be grasped by one hand'to hold the support while the handle 60 is grasped by the other and pulled upwardly. This upward motion of the member 21 acts to'tension the spring 32, the cross pin 31 engaging the lower face of the washer 35 and moving it upwardly, as shown in Figure 3. The tubular member I may then be applied to the neck of a bottle and the handle 6U allowed to descend, whereupon the spring 32 pulls downwardly on the member 21 and retracts the feed slide 45, the plunger head 26 being then lowered into proximity with the cap 53. On pressing the hanneck of a bottle and the handle 60 allowed to descend against the cap, further downward motion of the plunger being a lost motion with respect to actuation of the feed slide, the cross pin 31 riding in the slot 3 6. The actuation of the feed device, both in feeding and retracting, takes place during the motion of the capping plunger within the upper portion of its stroke when .it is remote from cap-applying position, and out of the way of the cap, and the retraction is accomplished regardless of the final extent of downward capping motion of the plunger.

When the cap mechanism is intended to apply caps of the general construction shown in the Baum patent, to which reference has heretofore been made, the head 21 is provided in its lower face with an annular recess 65 within which the pouring lip housing 66 (see Figure 4) of the cap may extend, this pouring lip housing being an annular generally U-shaped marginal portion of the cap which in capping position fits over the pouring lip 61 at the top oi the bottle, as lshown best in Figure 5, the central portion of the cap extending down into the mouth of the bottle and into contact with the usual annular ledge 68 therein. Y

As shown best in Figure 6, this capping head is provided with means for grasping the cap so as to control its movement to setting position on thebottle. Referring to this figure and Figure 9, it will be seen that the head is provided with oppositely disposed marginal openings or recesses 10 within which are positioned cap-grasping ngers 1I. They are shown as yieldingly pressed toward each other at their lower ends by means of a spring 12 which extends across the head through openings 13 and has its ends engaged in perforations 14 and 15 in these fingers, The

upper ends of these fingers are rockingly held to the head as by means of a pin 16 carried by each and engaging in an opening 11 in an upwardly extending flange portion 18 of the capping head.

In order to retract the supporting platforms Iii ,into their recesses so that the caps may be passed ure 5, the cap to be applied is grasped by the fin-4 gers 1i of the plunger and the supporting platforms I0 are retracted so that the plunger with a cap carried thereby passes between them and down into the capping position. Extension wings projecting upwardlyfrom the marginal portions of the capping head engage the faces of the platforms I0 and hold them in their retracted position, as shown in Figure 5, while the plunger is depressed, acting to cause them to be retained retracted as long as the lower or cap applying face of the head is below the level of the upper faces of these platforms. When' the plungerV is raised they are permitted to spring upwardly into cap-supporting position only'after the plunger has been retracted thereabove.

From 'the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the Aspirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.'

I claim:

1. In a bottle capping mechanism, a cap-applying plunger having a cap-engaging face provided with an annular recess to receive a pouring lip housing portion of a bottle cap, said plunger having side recesses, and fingers positioned in said recesses and engageable with side wall portions of said pouring lip housing to retain a cap on said plunger.

2. In a bottle capping mechanism, a cap-applying plunger having a cap-engaging face provided with an annular recess t'o receive a pouring lip housing portion of a bottle cap, said plunger having oppositely disposed side recesses, fingers positioned in said recesses and engageable with side wall portions of said pouring -lip housing, and

tending through said aperture and joining saidl fingers for holding said fingers in yielding engagement with said cap.

4. A bottle capping mechanism, comprising a tubular member within which the mouth of a bottle to be capped may he presented, downwardly yieldable means on which a cap may be supported within said member above said bottle mouth, and a plunger movable relative to the bottle for forcing said cap axially of said tubular member past said supporting means and seating 75 it on said bottle, said plunger having a portion engageable with said yielding meansand moving it out of cap-supporting position during the capping motion.

5. A bottle capping mechanism, comprising a tubular member within which the mouth of a bottle to be capped may be presented, downwardly yieldable .means on which a cap may be supported within said member above said bottle Imouth, a plunger movable relative to the bottle for forcing said cap axially of said tubular member past said yielding means and seating it on said bottle, and means carried by said plunger for grasping said cap.

6. A bottle capping mechanism comprising a tubular member within which the top of a bottle to be capped may be presented, a platform normally extending transverse to the axis of said tubular member spaced from said bottle top and yieldable theretoward, and upon which a cap to be applied may be supported, a cap-applying plunger movable axially within said tubular member, means acting to move said plunger to press the cap supported on said platform toward said bottle past said platform and to apply said cap to said bottle, and means on said plunger lfor holding said platform in yielded position while said plunger is in cap-pressing position.

' 7. A bottle capping mechanism comprising a tubular member engageable with a-bottle, a capapplying plunger reciprocable in said member from and to capping position, a platform normally extending transverse to the axis of said member for supporting a cap beneath said plunger preparatory' to a capping movement thereof, said member having a pair of spaced ears extending therefrom, and a slot between said ears into which said platform may be retracted from the path of said plunger, said platform having a shank portion extended between said ears, a pair of oppositely disposed plugs seated in openings in said ears, a pivot shaft carried by said plugs and forming a pivotal axis for said shank portion, a

torsion spring surrounding said shaft and engaging said shank portion and having its ends inserted in openings in said plugs, and means for securing said plugs against rotation in said ears.

8. A bottle capping mechanism, comprising a tube within which the mouth of a bottle to be capped may be presented, a pair of platforms each pivoted transverse to the axis of said tube and outwardly of the bore thereof, means yieldingly holding said platforms extended toward each other transverse to said axis so as together to form a support on which a cap to be applied to said bottle may rest, a capping plunger movable axially within said tube in position to force said cap downwardly and tilt said platforms to permit said cap to pass therebetween and to seat said cap on said bottle mouth, and means on said plunger for holding said platform in yielded position while said plunger is in cap pressing position.

9. A bottle capping mechanism, comprising a tube within which the mouth of a bottle to be capped may be presented, a-pair of platforms each pivoted transverse to the axis of said tube and outwardly of the bore thereof, means yieldingly holding said platforms extended toward each other transverse to said axis so as together to form a support on which a cap to be applied to said bottle may rest, and a capping plunger movable axially within said tube in position to force said cap downwardly and tilt said platforms to permit said cap to pass therebetween and to seat said cap on said bottle mouth, said plunger having portions engageable with said platforms and holding said platforms downwardly tilted whenever the lower face of said plunger is below the level of their cap-supporting faces.

10. In a capping mechanism, a tube for ennected to said plunger for positively feeding a cap from said stack beneath said plunger by upward motion of said plunger from a position intermediate the ends of the stroke thereof, means for holding said cap beneath said plunger, means yieldingly connecting said feeding means and plunger for retracting said feeding means on descent of said plunger to said intermediate position above said cap, and a yieldable mounting for said holding means to permit downward movement of said plunger from said intermediate position to present and apply said cap to said bottle.

1l. A bottle capping mechanism comprising a member engageable with a bottle adjacent to its top, a cap-applying plunger reciprocably carried by said member, means carried by said member for holding a stack of caps, a device for feeding caps successively from said stack into cooperative relation to said plunger, a spring connection to said plunger for retracting said device from capfeeding position, and connections between said plunger and cap feeding device for actuating said device to feed a cap on reciprocation of said plunger beyond an intermediate position and including lost motion from said intermediate position to capping position of said plunger without effect on said device.

RANSOM J. DANIELS.

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