US2056120A - Cap applying machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1936. c. H. BRINTON YCAP APPLYING MACHINE Filed De'c. 1, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w l QM, w, \J MW. 1 rmw n. IIWW n ILN JWN Hlwrfvniw u QW Q w RWE L 1 Vl u. n1.., L E \l Arti l|\|l mw @WR w k) m R. w .7@ ww o o QQ um, w A mw mi w mw N NM L M @www .Ml l KQ .v L. mw RN mm, k\\..\. NN mw m n .W10 md, nu \N\ mm. ,um RT- mm Mm. 6mm Nm. .mm

MLM @W- Sept. 29,1936. c. H. BRIN'roN CAP APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec. l, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Eden 0r' CHR/sfu BRI/vrom Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATESv CAP APPLYING MACHINE Christian Harrison Brinton, Oak Park, Ill., as-

signor to Standard Cap and Seal Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Virginia Application December 1, 1932, Serial No. 645,290

Claims.

A This invention relates to limprovements in cap applying machines, and more particularly pertains to such a machine for securing skirted caps of pliable material, such as thin soft metal, over 5 the necks of containers or bottles.

Objects of the invention are to provide such a machine which will secure the-caps in such a manner whereby the cap skirt evenly conforms to the neck of the bottle; to provide such a machine that will exert uniform conforming pressure on the skirt of the cap placed on the neck of a bottle having a protuberance about the mouth thereof, such as a bead, whereby the cap is tightly drawn down over and firmly secured to l5 the -neck of the bottle and into any groove or recesses thereof.

In the attainment of the foregoing objects, the machine is provided with a capping device including a ring of resilient material, such as rubber, which is adapted to surround the skirt of the cap placed onvthe bottle neck. The device includes means for compressing the ring fiatwise, causing the ringfto spread inwardly, which exerts the forming pressure on the cap skirt.

It is another object of the invention to provide a capping machine having such a capping device mentioned, and actuating ,means therefor which is initially rendered operable by the presence of a bottle in connection with the capping device, and maintained in operation thereafter in applying a cap, by separate control means. This results in the effective life of the resilient' rubber ring being prolonged, and also eliminates the possibilityl of the bottles being damaged in the as a mechanical element' in the cappirg device 'beingo maintained in` operation during the application of the cap.

Furtherobjects and advantages of the invention willv become apparent in the following description, with reference to the accompanying fdrawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cap applying machine embodying theinvention, with the lower part of the machine in section and parts broken away and parts omitted.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken substantially on the section line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with parts broken away and parts omitted.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic developed elevation of the machine with certain parts omitted, and as viewed looking toward the right hand side of the machine in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the section line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

machine, for the reas`on that it does not function Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the capping device taken substantially on .the section line 5 5 of Fig. 2 with certain cooperating parts of the machine being diagrammatically 5 illustrated therewith.

Fig. 6 is a. view similar to Fig. 5 showing certain parts in changed position, the view being taken substantially on the section line 6 6 o f Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the neck portion of a container or bottle, showing the skirted cap applied thereto.

Since the cap applying mechanism of this invention is shown as applied to container or bottle conveying means which are well known in the art, in describing the machine embodyingmy invention, I will first dwell briefly on the bottle-transporting means with a general description of the capping mechanism and its cooperative connection therewith.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bottle conveying mechanism includes a continuously-moving feed belt I in the form of a sprocket chain having cleated links. The upper stretch of the 'belt is supported horizontally upon side rails 2 mounted at each `end on pedestals 3 and :4 secured on the base frame 5 at the left end and central portion thereof respectively, as seen in Fig. 1.l The feed belt passes over an idler sprocket 6 on the shaft 'l rotatably mounted in suitable bearings "at the outer end of the rails, and passes over a drive sprocket 8 on the shaft 9 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings on the pedestal 4. Adjustably mounted on the rails arev guide bars l0 at each side of the belt for guiding the bottles on the belt.

The filled bottles Il which are ready to be capped are placedvon the feed belt at the left side of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1. The bottles are then carried toward the center of the machine andare brought into cooperative relation with a cap feeding device I2 mounted on the pedestal 3 and disposed over the feed belt, and which is operated by the bottles as they pass for placing a pliable cap I 4 of skirted formation loosely over the necks of the bottles.

The cap feeding device shown relates to my application for patent, Serial No. 637,812, filed October 14, 1932, andwhile forming an operative combination with the subject matter of this invention, the caps could also be placed on the bottles by hand or' manually while they are moving with the feed belt. Therefore, a detailed description of the cap feeding device will not be r dwelt on, however, it is thought sufcient to mention that the device includes a cap magazine or chute l5 llocated directly over the feed belt, being inclined downward theretoward in the direction of travel of the belt. The chute is adapted to contain a supply of caps arranged ln single order which are supplied to the chute by cap forming mechanism I6 at the top end of the chute. At the bottom end of the chute is dispensing mechanism I1 which releasably positions a cap so that its open side is in the path of the neck of a bottle on the feed belt. The neck of the moving bottle enters the cap and releases same from said mechanism, whereby the cap then restsloosely over the mouth of the bottle.

As a bottle continues on toward the center of the machine after being so loosely capped, it engages a point of the six-pointed star wheel |8 on a vertical shaft I9 rotatably mounted in a bearing at the outer end of .anw arm extension 20 of` the pedestal 4. After passingthe star wheel and turning same, the bottle engages in a pocket in the periphery of a driven fourpointed star wheel 2| which transfers the bottles from the end of the feed belt to a carrier structure 'including a turntable 22 arranged in coplanar relation with. the belt. The turntable is mounted on a Vertical driven shaft 23 rotatably mounted in a bearing 24 on the base frame and a bearing 25 in the center of a spider frame 26 mounted at the top end of the four vertical uprights 21 equally spaced about the turntable and being mounted on the base frame. A small shelf 28. extends between the end of the feed belt and the turntable for supporting the bottles in passing therebetween. The star wheel 2| is sei cured to the top end of a vertical driven shaft A tles from jamming.

Upon being transferred to the turntable, the bottles are positioned upon vertically reciproca ble bottle supports 33 in the form of plungers of which there are six'equally spaced about the axis of the table on which they are mounted. The bottlesare then carried around and raised by the plungers into cooperative relation with capping devices 34 mounted in connection with the carrier structure by way of a star shaped bracket 35 which is adjustably mounted on the turntable shaft 23, on which bracket said devices are reciprocably mounted, each being disposed above a bottle support. The capping devices constrict 'or form the skirt of the caps tightly over the necks of the bottles, whereupon the bottles are lowered by the plungers and upon reaching the level of the table, are transferred from the supports by the driven star wheel 36 coacting with the arcuate deector guide member 31 ontoV an ejector belt conveyor 38 for transporting the bottles from the machine, and whose upper stretch is in coplanar relation with the table. A shelf portion 39 surroundsthe table level and is interposed between same and the ejector belt, and mounted on the uprights 21, for supporting the bottles in transport. Although the ejector belt 38 is only partly shown in Fig. 1, taken to gether'with Fig. 2 wherein it is completely illustrated in plan, it will be clearly understood that said belt construction is similar to the feed belt arrangement. To this end the ejector belt passes over a drive sprocket 40 mounted on the driven shaft 9 and also passes overv an idler sprocket 4| suitably mounted in bearings at the right hand end of the machine on the shelf portion 39.-,

'The bottle supports or plungers 33 are in the form of vertically disposed hollow cylinders reciprocably mounted in bearings 42 in the turn table, the top of the cylinders being closed and normally located level with the top surface of the tum-table. Upon rotation of the table, the plungers are raised and lowered by a segmental cam 43 mounted on the base and arranged concentric with the table. A cam operated lever 44 is interposed between the cam and the plungers for providing an operable connection, wherein the lever .is pivotally mounted at 45 to the bottom end of a bracket 4'6 depending from the table, and whose free end is provided with a roller 41 for engagement with the cam. The lever has resilient pivotal connection with the plunger through jthe intermediation of a link 48 which is in turn pivotally connected to a plug 49 slidably mounted in the bottom end of the plunger and which is resiliently held against a stop flange 56 at said end by a compression spring 5| disposed within the plunger and engaging said plug.

For driving the turntable, the conveyor belts and the transporting star wheels, an electric motor 52 is employed which is mounted on the base frame at the left hand end ofthe machine and has a drive pulley 53 for driving an enlarged power pulley 54 through the intermediation of a belt 55. Thepulley 54 is mounted on the end of a horizontal stub shaft 56 suitably mounted in bearings in the housing 51 on the base. Under the base is a horizontal worm shaft 58 driven by the shaft 56 through the intermediation of gears 59 connecting the ends of the shafts. A clutch device 60 is provided in connection with the shaft 56 for controlling its connection with the worm shaft. The worm shaft has a worm formation 6| in mesh with a worm wheel 62 mounted on the bottom end of the turntable shaft 23 for driving same. Above the worm wheel 62 is a spur gear 63 mounted on the turntable shaft and which meshes with the spur gearl 64 at the bottom end of the star wheel shaft 29 for driving same. Said spur gears 63 and 64 are so proportioned as to 'effect the proper timing of the star wheel 2| and the turntable in 'acting upon the bottles. The

veyor belts is in driven connection with thelstar wheel shaft 29 through the intermediation of the bevel gears 65. The star wheel 36 is in driven connection with the sprocket shaft 9 throughithe intermediation of a vertical stub `shaft suitably mounted in a bearing on the shelf portion 39, on which the wheel is mounted, and bevel gears and shafting 66, diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2` in dotted outline.

- The capping devices 34 and the instrumentalities controlling the operation thereof, will now.

be described. Said devices are inclusive of a hollow capping head 61 of cylindrical shape which is located above the bottle support plungers and being coaxial therewith. Each head 61 is mounted at the bottom end of a sleeve shaft 66 which is reciprocably mounted coaxial .with respect to the head in a bearing 69 at the end of each arm of the star shaped bracket 35. The sleeve shaft has an annular abutment formation 10 for engagement with the bottom end of the bearing 69 in limiting its movement to raised position, and also driven sprocket-- shaft 9 -which operates the coni gagement with the bearing in limiting its movement to lowered position. Coaxially located within the head is a ring 12 of resilient material such as rubber, which is peripherally confined in the head and is supported on the inner annular formation or shoulder 19. Said shoulder formation comprises a cap-ring in threaded engagement with the open bottom end of the head so as to facilitate the replacement 'of the rubber ring. Reciprocably mounted in the sleeve shaft 68 is another sleeve shaft 14, at the bottom end of which is a cupped shaped plunger head 15 dis-,-y

posed in the hollow head 61 and normally engages the top iiat side of the ring 12. The sleeve shaft 14 extends upward beyond the sleeve 68 and has a collar 16 secured to its top end. A coil compression spring 11 surrounds the sleeve 14 and is interposed between the collar .16 and the collar 1I on the sleeve 68 for resiliently holding the plunger head 15 in normally retracted position in the capping head. Mounted in the inner sleeve 14 is a stem or spindle 18 which is xedly secured to the outer sleeve 68 by means of a cross pin 19 which also passes through and secures the collar 1| to the sleeve 68. T'he sleeve 14 is provided with elongated slots 8|) in opposite sides..

through which thepin passes and whereby said sleeve is maintained reciprocable in the sleeve 68. The stem extends upward and is slidably supported in a bearing 8| at the top of an upright extension 82 of the star shaped bracket 35. i

At the bottom of the stem is an enlarged formation 83 which is normally disposed within the top portion of the rubber ring for providing an abutment for thebottle when being raised on they bottle support, in raising the capping head therewith. The abutment formation 83 also serves to position and maintain the bottle neck within the rubber ring so that the skirt of the cap placed on the bottle is closely surrounded by the ring in the raisedposition of the head.

Upon the capping head reaching its raised position, actuating means are provided, elective upon rcontinued rotation of the turntable, for depressing the plunger head 15 in compressing the rubber ring so as to spread same; or contract. same inwardly to exert forming pressure on the cap skirt I 4a and form same tightly over and about the protuberance or bead I Ia about the bottle mouth IIb, as best seen in Figs. 5, 6 and '7.-

Said means includes a forked lever 84 pivotally mounted at its forked ends at 85 on the upright extension of the bracket 35, and straddles the collar 16 which has an annular groove 86 within which is received the opposed pins 81 in the forked part of the lever for providing a pivotal connection. When the capping head is in lowered position, the lever 84 normally extends radially of the turntable axis, from its pivotal connection, downwardly inclined from the horizontal. At the outer end ofA the' lever 84 is a roller 88 which, when the capping head is raised, and the lever is thus raised also toincline upward, engages an arcuate segmental cam 88a.' mounted on the two uprights 21 at the right hand end of the machine, Ywhich depresses the lever and thus operates the plunger head 15. 'I'he cams 88a-and 43 are so shaped and arranged in cooperative relation to simultaneously' hold the bottle support plungers in raised position and actuate the ring compressing plunger during about 120 degrees rotation of the turntable.

Coacting with said actuating means are means for holding the capping head in raised position during. the vdepressing of the plunger, whereby the downward pressureexerted upon the head by the compressing of the rubber ring is not transferred to the bottle, thereby precluding the possibility of the bottles being broken or damaged. Said means comprises a forked lever 89 pivotally mounted at its forked ends at .98 on the upright extension of. the bracket 35, and'straddles the collar 1| in which there is a peripheral groove 9| within which is received the opposed pins 92 in the forked part of the lever for providing a pivotal connection. When the capping head is in lowered position, as seen in Fig. 5, the levers 84 and 89 are normally disposed in parallelism, in which relation they remain during the raising of the capping head. At the outer endv of the lever 89 is a roller 93 which, upon the capping head reaching its raised position, engages on the top of a dwell cam 94 in the form ofan arcuate segment arranged concentric with the turntable and being mounted on the two end uprlghts 21y below the cam 88B. Thecam is so cooperatively related to' the cam 88a, whereby the head is held fin raised position during the operation of the ringcompressing plunger.

As best seen in Figs. and 6, in the event a bottle is not placed on a bottle support plunger when same is raised, the capping head thereover is neither raised nor is the ring `compressing plunger actuated, for the reason that the rollers 88 and 93 of the levers 84 and 89 respectively, pass under and clear of the cams 88a and 94. Thus the rubber ring is not unnecessarily compressed when a bottle is not present therein. Therefore, the effective life of the rubber ring is prolonged. r

The structure disclosed effects an important function, in that the rubber ring exerts downwardly rubbing forming pressure on 4the cap skirt when the ring is compressed, which not only forms the cap skirt over the bead about the bottle mouth, but also draws the cap down tightly over the mouth-end of the bottle. Referring to Figs. 5 and 6 in which said function is best ascertainable, it will be seen that the normal shape of the rubber ring is tubular, when initially entered by a cap.y Thus as the ring is gradually compressed, the particular portion of the inner cylindrical surface 95 of the ring that initially contacts with the cap skirt when being con.- stricted, gradually works downward therealong as the ring is further compressed, for the reason that the ring is being gradually -shortened in length. The result is that the cap skirt is evenly formed about the bottle neck.

It may be stated that the containers illustrated are ordinary milk bottles within the mouth of which is an annular recess 96 for snuglyreceiving the customary disc cap 91. The purpose 'of the skirted cap I4 is to protect or shield the mouth of the'bottle from contamination.

. surrounding the skirt of a cap placed on a bottle,

means for peripherally confining the ring, means for elevating said ring, means cooperating with said elevating means to hold said ring in one position, and stationarycam actuated means for lin which the ring is peripherally confined andl compressing the ring so as to spread the same in- ,wardly to exert pressurev for forming the cap skirt on: the bottle.

- 2. In a bottle capping machine for pliable skirted caps, means for moving a bottle being capped, a ring of resilient material for closely surrounding the skirt of a cap placed on a bottle, means for peripherally confining the ring, means for elevating said ring, a stationary cam for holding said ring in elevated position and mechanically operable elements engaging both at sides of the ring for compressing the same ilatwise to spread the ring inwardly for exerting forming pressure on the ,cap skirt.

3. In a bottle capping machine for pliable skirted caps, means for moving a bottle being capped, a ringof resilient material for closely surrounding-the skirt of a cap placed on a bottle, means for causing relative movement between said bottle'and said ring, a hollow member withhaving an annular shoulder formation supporting one ilat side of'the ring, amember movably connected with the hollow member and engaging the other flat side of the ring for compressing the same flatwise so as to spread the ring inwardly in exerting a forming pressure on the cap skirt, and stationary means for holding said hollow member and ring in an elevated position during compression of said ring.

4. In a machine for securing pliable skirted caps over the mouths of bottles, the combination of a ring of resilient'm'aterial for closely surrounding the skirt of acap placed on the mouth of the bottle, means for causing relative movement between a bottle and said ring, means for periodically holding said ring in raised position,

andmeans for compressing said ring iiatwise so i as to spread the same inwardly in exerting pressure on the cap skirt and form the same over the mouth of the bottle, said means being'responsive to the relative movement between said bottle and said ring.

5. In a container capping machine, a reciprocably mounted container support adapted to be moved lto raised and lowered positions, an operating cap applying device reciprocably mounted above the support and adapted' to be moved to raised position by engagement with the container on the support upon raising thereof, a stationary cam, means actuated by said cam for operating the cap applying device upon reaching its raised position, and means for holding the.'

ing device after'reaching its raised position, andv means for holding the device in raised position duringa cycle of cap applying operation.

7. In a container capping machine, means for ,f moving a bottle being capped, a reciprocably mounted cap applying device movable to raised and lowered positions, said device including mechanism for applyi'n'g a cap,' actuating means for operating said mechanism, a cam, control aosaiao 'l means associated with said cam and arranged whereby said actuating means is respectively rendered in and out of cooperative operable relation with said mechanism when the device is in raised and lowered positions, and means` for holding said device in raised position during a cycle of operation of the cap applying mecha- -nism. m8. In a bottle capping machine for pliable skirted caps, a reciprocably mounted capping head movable to raised and lowered positions,

with said cam for operating said mechanism,

control means arranged whereby the operating means is in effective operable connection when the head is in raised position.

9. In av bottle capping machine for pliable',

skirted caps, a reciprocably mounted capping head movable( to raised and lowered positions, a ring of resilient material mounted in the head and adapted to closely 4surround the skirt cfa cap placed on the neck( oi.' a bottle, mechanism for compressing the ring flatwise so as to spread same inwardly to exert forming pressure on the cap skirt, a stationary cam, means engageable with said cam for operating said mechanism,

control means arranged whereby the operating means is in effective operable connection when the head is in raised position, and mechanism arranged to hold the head in raised position during a cycle of operation of the ring compressing mechanism.

l0. In a bottle capping machine for pliable skirtedcaps, means for moving a bottle being capped, a reciprocably mounted bottle support associated therewith and adapted to be moved to raised and lowered positions, acapping head reciprocably mounted above the support, a ring of resilient material mounted in the head and adapted to closely surround the skirt of the cap on a bottle upon initial raising of the support, means operable through the intermediation of the bottle being on the support for causing the support to raise the head upon the continued raising thereof, mechanism associated with the head for compressing the ring so as to spread same inwardly to exert forming pressure on the cap skirt,` actuating means for operating said mechanism, control ymeans arranged whereby said actuating meansY is brought into and out of cooperative operable connection respectively when the head is moved to raised and lowered positions, and means arranged to hold the head in raised position during a cycle of operation of the ring. compressing mechanism.

11. In a bottle capping machine for pliable caps of skirted formation, a rotatable carrier, a

, capping head mounted on the carrier for movement to raised.and lowered positions and having anV annular isupport formation, a ring of resilient material supported on said formation and adapted to closely surround the skirt of a cap on a bottle, a plunger member reciprocablymounted in the head and normally engaging the ring side opposite the support formation, cam means operable upon part rotation'of the carrier and when the head is in raised position for holding same in said position, and cam means operable upon said part rotation of the carrier and -when the head is in raised position for re- 12. In avbottle capping machine lfor pliable caps of skirted formation, a ring of resilienty material adapted to receive the neck of a bottle so as to surround the skirt of the cap, a. reciprocable hollow member within which the ring is peripherally confined and having an annular bottle engaging abutment element connected to the hollow member for positioning the bottle neck in the ring, means for holding the bottle engaged with the abutment element, means for operatingthe plunger, and means for holding said hollow member inv raised position during "compression of said ring.

13. In a machine for securing caps over the mouths of bottles, the combination of a ring o-f resilient material for closely surrounding the portion of a cap placed over the mouth of a bottle; means for causing relative movement between the bottle and said ring; mechanism for periodically holding said ring in raised position; means for compressing said ring so as to spread the same inwardly in exerting pressure on said cap and forming the same over the mouth of the bottle, said compressing means l rendered effective by the presence of a bottle to be .capped and rendered ineffective by the absence of a bottle to be capped. v

14; In a machine for securing skirted pliable caps over the mouths and ends of bottles, the

combination of a head having a ring of resilient material for closely surrounding the skirt portle; mechanism for causing relative movement between the bottle and said head; mechanism for periodically holding said head in raised position independently of said bottle; and mechanism independent of said bottle for compressing said ring both upwardly and downwardly to spread the same inwardly and exert a pressure on said cap and skirt to form the same over themouth of the bottle.

15. In a machine for securing skirted pliable caps over themouths and ends of bottles, the combination of a head having a ring of resilient material for closely surrounding the skirt portion of the cap placed over the mouth of a bottle; means for causing relative movement between the bottle and said head; mechanism for periodically holding said head in, raised position independently of said bottle; and mechanism independent of said bottle forcompressing said ring both upwardly and downwardly to spread the same inwardly and exert a pressure on said cap and skirt to form the same over the mouth of the bottle, the operation of said compressing mechanism being controlled by the presence or absence of a bottle to be capped.

CHRISTIAN HARRISDN BRIN'I'ON.

' tion of thecap placed over the mouth of a bot- Y,

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