US2182472A - Method and apparatus for applying hood caps to bottles - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 5, 1939.

E. T. FERNGREN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS T0 BOTTLES Filed July 31, 1934 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 R a In a Z Dec. 5, 1939. E. T. FERNGREN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD GAPS T0 BOTTLES Filed July 51, 1934 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 fnoofi Try/rarer, 4 mv wlm Dec. 5, 1939. r 1- FERNGREN 2,182,472

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS T0 BOTTLES Filed July 31, 1934 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 i i I Dec. 5, 1939. E. T. FERNGREN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS TO BOTTLES Filed July 51, 1934 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 72 jmmrm Inca/1 TFer/vereh,

Dec. 5, 1939. E. T. FERNGREN Filed July :51, 1954 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS T0 BOTTLES 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 5, 1939. FERNGREN 2,182,472

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS TO BOTTLES Filed July 31, 1934 7 Sheets-Sheet-G Dec; 5, 1939. T FERNGQEN 2,182,472

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS TO BOTTLES Filed July 31, 1934 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 flee T /we w, 4, mwfimm W Patented Dec. 5, 1939 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HOOD CAPS T BOTTLES Enoch T. Ferngren, Toledo, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Plax Corporation, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application July 31, 1934, Serial No. 737,797

16 Claims.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for applying hood caps to the tops of milk bottles or other containers.

These caps may be applied to the top portions of the heads at the mouths of milk bottles or other containers, and when applied thereto under pressure, will tightly adhere to the glass surfaces of the bottles in a manner to form a practical vacuum seal therewith. This is in part due to the construction and in part to the material of which the caps are made.

The materialsof which these plastic caps are formed may vary in nature. Different materials may have similar properties, so that different plastic materials may be used to produce caps having similar nature or like properties. For instance, a suitable thermoplastic composition for making caps for application according to my present invention may be obtained by combining cellulose acetate with different resins,

plasticizers and solvents, from which a filmforming compound may be prepared which can be sheeted, dip-formed or molded directly to form caps having the shapes herein disclosed. Such material may also be formed into sheets and then pressed into the required cap shape, which pressing preferably should occur prior to the actual capping operation in the dairy, for the reason that nearly all milk bottles are required to have a relatively low temperature, ap-

proximately 27 to 40 F., at the time they are capped. Aso milk bottles as a general thing are coated with moisture which, of course, is substantially below the normal cap-shaping temperature. This condition practically prohibits the shaping of a thermoplastic sheet stock into -caps or cap shapes directly on the top of the bottle, as the temperatures which must be employed to soften the plastic sheet material must 40 of necessity be high in order to penetrate the entire body of the sheet stock and to overcome the low temperature present in the mouth portion of the bottle where the cap is to be formed and shaped to the contour of the bead in order 45 that it may be held and firmly sealed thereto.

The temperatures required for sufiiciently softening a thermoplastic sheet blank from which the cap is to be made when such blank is resting upon the mouth of a milk bottle which has 50 been cooled by refrigeration will of course be higher than would be required with a bottle at room temperature, and even with a higher temperature such operation might be too slow as the heat absorbing properties of a chilled glass 55 bottle are so high that excessive time might be required in which to soften the plastic blank. Such operation is thus impractical as the present day requirements in capping call for the ability of applying from 40 to ,140 caps per minute dur- 60 ing the capping operations in a dairy.

While my invention may be used on a plastic sheet blank of special softness or adhesive properties as well as on a preformed cap in so far as the operations of the capping apparatus are concerned, the loss of time incident to the shapingof a cellulose ester blank directly on the bottle makes it preferable to employ a capping operation with a preformed blank, that has been given the actual cap shape under conditions conducive to a true retention of form, although such conditioning of a proper plastic in sheet form may occur only slightly before it is placed on the bottle in the form of a preformed cap.

Several of the caps herein shown are molded or otherwise prepared by various processes directly from unformed bodies, solutions or dispersions of plastic compounds, which, of course, is the preferable way of obtaining a true set of a permanent nature in the plastic material in the particular cap shape required, from which set it is diflicult to deflect the particles forming the wall structure of the cap.

Such molding processes are disclosed in several of my copending applications, Serial Nos. 586,184, 629,697, 654,374 and 208,825, filed respectively January 12, 1932, August 20, 1932, January 31, 1933 and May 19, 1938, the second and third of which are respectively Patent Nos. 2,090,528, granted August 17, 1937, and 2,120,328, granted June 14, 1938. One of these processes comprises the dipping of a cap-shaped tool into a suitable solution and thereby coating it with a film of the plastic material. Others of these processes comprise the forming by internal molding, such as spinning, of a plastic mass into the shape of a cap and the coating of a cap-shaped mold cavity by suction to produce the cap structure as a film from a fluent body of a plastic compound.

All these processes will provide caps which may be molded to the contour or curvatures of the neck, mouth or lip portion of the bottle. When thus formed the plastic composition is more readily conformable at the time of capping to effect a vacuum seal with the Wall portions that surround the mouth of the bottle as the upper side wall of the cap will be entirely smooth and lie close to the wall of the bottle and be free of folds at such portion.

On the other hand, these caps may be formed by the pressing process disclosed in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,120,328, in which the cap is produced from a sheet, film or foil from which blanks are made and shaped up into preliminary cap shapes and have the required seating-in shape at their upper end so as to fit snugly the upper portion of the bead at the mouth of a bottle at the time they are placed thereon before the capping operation takes place. This avoids the delay or lack of speed incident to the shaping of a heat-sealing sheet blank intoa cap after such sheet blank is placed on top ofthe bottle at the time of capping.

For purposes of, clearly bringing out in this application the various essentials in the. production of caps from cellulose esters and ether compositions, the pressing process of my aforesaid patent is illustrated in part so as to give a comprehensive understanding thereof in so far as it relates to the production of a permanent shape different from the original sheet formation of such material.

The compounds, of which the caps may be made, as stated before, may be varied. For inil stance a nitro-cellulose composition with resins, I

natural or synthetic, numerous plasticizers, fillers and solvents may be had, which when formed into a cap, will be practically odorless and tasteless, and germicidal in nature, so that ideal caps 80 may be made therefrom. when such caps are made by dipping or by internal molding processes of different kinds, great economy of material is obtained. However, such caps; must be nested when shipped to the dairy and therefore will require to be separated by mechanical devices and placed on the bottles before they are capped or sealed. Such devices are of simple nature and require very little attention. However, certain advantages are obtained in supplying large dairies 80 with rolls of plastic sheet stock from which the caps are shaped directly at the dairy and placed on the bottles as the latter are moving toward the capping station. Such procedure, of course, eliminates the necessity of nesting and sub- 85 sequently separating the caps, thereby effecting an economy which, to a degree, balancesthe saving eflected by the other shaping processes.

The methods of capping disclom herein will apply to any types of caps whether dipped, molded or pressed. The pressing apparatus as shown herein isfso positioned as to deliver the pressed caps directly to the tops of the bottles during their travel toward the cap-sealing station.

I will now describe 'my rinvention'in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates substantially in central ver-- tical section theworking parts of acapping head of a capping device, which may operate with eight of such capping heads, and illustrating the so neck of a milk bottle in capping position anddifferent relationships of the operative parts on opposite sides of the cap;

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing a set of levers for 66 carrying pressure-applying rollers and also indicating the relationship of com parts for bringing the rollers toward and away from sealing position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, partly in horizontal section and on an enlarged scale, illustrating the operative parts for actuating the film stretching and holding shoe mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section showing the form of the '05 roller carrying levers and a spring connection therewith for holding the rollers in contactwith the skirted portion of a cap, when the same has been placed on a bottle and is operated upon as shown at the right in Fig. 1;

70 Fig. 5'is a view substantially in plan with parts in horizontal section of a portion of the film stretching and holding shoe mechanism, showing the location of the spring therein;

Fig. 6 is a view principally in side elevation and 7s diagrammatically showing the mechanisms which control the cam parts which actuate the roller carrying levers;

Fig. 'l is a fragmentary top view showing parts illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in horizontal sec- 5 tion taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, illustrating the crank and lever arrangement which controls the relationship of the levers shown in Fig. 2 and the operation of the shoes shown in Figs. 1 and 5;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section showing-a capping arrangement for applying a soft extensible cap to the top of a bottle;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view principally in ver- 15 tical section illustrating a similar arrangement with an internally heated roller for causing the setlilng of a stiifer cap about the mouth of a ho e;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view principally in vertical section illustrating a capping arrangement comprising a preshaped cap being treated prior to the placing thereof over the mouth. of a milk bottle;

Fig. 12 is a flmenmview partlyin elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating how a cap maybe printedprior totheactual cappin pe on;

Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate principally in perspective different embodiments of hood caps with paper parts added at their top porticns; Fig. 15 isaviewpartlyinverticalsectionand partly in elevation of a device for forming caps -by pressing from a sheet plastic material and illustrating how each cap may be delivered from 35 one of the series of cooperative mold elements directly 'onto milk bottles;

Fig. 16 is a view in vertical section taken through one set of cap shaping means of the type shown in Fig. 15; 4 Figs. 1'? and 18 are views similar to Fig. 16 illustrating progressive steps of shaping a cap so that it may conform to the outline and curvature of the beaded portion at the mouth of a milk bottie, Fig. is being acomposite view illustrating 45 i two stages of the process; 1 Fig. 19 is an enlarged detail of a portion of Fig. 15 showing a construction and a method of delivery from the shaping guide of a pressed cap onto the top of a milk bottle while the bottle is movo ing towards a capping station; and

Figs. 20, 21 and 22 are views illustrating in whole or in part different caps press-shaped from plastic sheet materials.

The capping devices herein shown are particularly related to the handling of films and film caps and sealing thereof under the beads at the mouths of bottles and may handle any type of preformed or partly formed hood caps and, of

course, also such caps as are shaped more comso pletely for the encasement of the lip-walls at the mouths of bottles.

In this connection it must be noted that ii a diskfilmwhlchiscutfrom sheetstockis to serve asacap,suchfilmmay alsobeplaceduponand g5 sealed to the bead of a milk bottle by the process and .means herein disclosed. providing that the film structure and the plastic material thereof be correctly compounded for such purpose so as to be amendable to shaping under pressure or by means of heat and pressure as hereinafter disclosed.

A suitable compound which will form a film body having toughness, yieldability, impressibility, and adhesive properties can be formed from 1.

the following ingredients in about the following proportions.

Cellulose acetate parts 10 Acetone do 35 o-Cresyl-p-toluene-sulphonamide do 1 Phenol-formaldehyde-resin do 1 Glycerol-phthalic-anhydride resin do 1 Diamyl-phthalate do A Tricresyl phosphate drops 45 High boiling solvents added to the above:

- Parts Butyl-lactate 1 Tetrachlorethane 2 Methyl-Cellosolve" 2 Dioxan" 2 Butanol 2 A film made from the above materials will be relatively soft and tenacious in structure which will also tend to retain a certain small percentage of the high boiling solvents by which a degree of latent adhesiveness is induced therein by reason of the action of such solvents on the resinous ingredients of the compound. If a greater amount of tackiness is required to be developed as an aid for the sealing of the film structure with itself at folded points under the bead of the bottle or to the surface of the bottle, the compound may be further modified by adding part of a Rezyl (alkyl type) resin of non-drying nature, which will further increase the adhesiveness of the film body so that such films may have a superficial coalescing type of sealing when applied to the surface of a bottle and when folded and the folds pressed.

The addition of small portions of water absorbing or retaining fiuids will further increase the adhesiveness of the film structure, so that when coming in contact with a moist portion of the surface at the mouth of the bottle, adhesion will be promoted by the absorption of the moisture thereon, particularly when the film is acted on by heat and pressure.

Such a film may be readily fused by the application of heat and pressure.

Any number of compositions containing a total of zero up to 50 per cent of different resins as compared with the amount of cellulose acetate present therein may be formed with different percentages of plasticizers and give films having desired degrees of stiffness, pliability and extens-ibility under normal temperatures, when chilled, or when heated.

The main requirement in preparing thesecompositions is that a serviceable cap for use in a dairy should preferably be of a heat-sealing.

nature. That is, under normal temperature the cap structure should have a certain amount of firmness and should not be over-plasticized, but should contain sufficient additions of synthetic resins of a nature which will give a firm film, but be of low melting point, so that when exposed to heat, the proper degrees of tackiness and ability to reshape and partially fuse the structure may be present at the time of capping.

A preshaped cap, as before stated, is the preferable embodiment, but if a disc of plastic film structure is to be shaped into a cap by the apparatus herein shown, the composition thereof should be such as immediately to respond to the action of heat during the capping operation in order that the film material may be drawn tightly around the mouth of a bottle and sealed with itself at folded points. Such film should preferof the bead of the bottle.

upon, is first placed on the bottle by any suitable.

automatic means. If the cap is of the preformed type which has been nested, it must be separated from its nested position prior to its transfer to the bottle neck. Many devices for performing this operation are well known in the art and in actual operation. However, as shown in Figs. 15 and 19, a greatly improved method is illustrated in connection with apparatus as shown in my Patent No. 2,120,328 which relates to making a preformed cap from sheet material of plastic nature a few second before the cap is applied to a bottle.

After the bottle cap 25 has been seated on the mouth portion 26 of a milk bottle 21 about in the manner indicated in Figs. 15 and 19, the bottle 21 is preferably advanced to the capping station and elevated into contact with a rubber ring 28 and a rubber cushion 29. The cushion is mounted on a head 30 which may recede and is urged toward its lowermost position by a compression spring 3| hearing at its upper end against a pin 32.

When the bottle cap 25 encounters the rubber cushion 29, the central portion 33 of the cap will act to elevate the rubber cushion 29 against the compression of the spring 3|. This results in a slight tensional drag of the cap wall portion 34 against the curvature 35 at the upper and outer lip-end of the head of the milk bottle 21.

While this is taking place, the rubber ring 28 tends to push the wall 34 of the cap in an opposite direction so that the film material structure of the cap is forced into a very tight contact with the exterior surface around the upper curvature This tight setting is productive of a vacuum attachment with the lip wall of the bottle, particularly in case the material is of an impressible nature when acted upon by exterior pressure, such as can be communicated by the cushion 28. A similar method of vacuum sealing bottles and an apparatus for performing it are disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 28,008, filed June 22, 1935, now Patent No. 2,145,975 granted Feb. 7, 1939. The pressure communicated to the cap at the upper end of the bottle depends entirely upon the amount of upward pressure thrust, resilient or otherwise, which is directed against the bottom of the bottle at the time it is elevated into engagement with the rubber parts of the capping head generally indicated at 36. The means for thrusting the bottle upwardly are not shown, but may be of any'conventional type or the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,145,975 above referred to.

With the bottle 21 now firmly held in its capping position and with the cap seated thereon, the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and the bottle 21 are caused to advance along a circular path, during which travel the cap 25 is fully sealed about the mouth portion 26 of the bottle and preferably gathered in and then looked under the bead and to the neck portion 31 therebelow.

This is accomplished by bringing a series, in this case six, of stretching and holding shoes 38 radially inwardly against the skirted portion 88 of the cap, so that starting at point 88 and sweeping inwardly and downwardly against the milk bottle to a point 4| the skirted portion 88 of the cap structure will be stretched downwardly and held in close confinement with the small diameter of the neck of the bottle.

This action of the shoes 88 is induced by the action of a roller 15 moving in the closed cam slot 18 which extends entirelyaround a cylindrical pedestal 44, by which the roller I5 which. is moimted on a pin 11 of an arm 18 is caused to move or to rock the outer end of the arm upwardly and downwardly. The arm 18 is pivoted at I8 to a supplemental housing part 88, so that the movement imparted by the cam moves the arm 18 around the point I8, thereby raising or lowering a structure 8|, the arm 18 having a forked end portion 82 in which slide blocks pivotally mounted on pins 88 projecting from the number 8|, Figs. 1 and 8.

This upward and downward movement imparted to the structure 8| 'also acts to move vertical links 84 upwardly and downwardly by which action parts 85 and 88 are actuated around their stationary pivotal points 81 and 88 respectively. The part 85 extends from and is integral or rigid with a housing member 88, which carries a slidable member 8| and retains a compression spring 88, by which each of the sliding members of the series is constantly urged concentrically inwardly toward the space which' is to be occupied by the neck of the bottle. The downward movement imparted to each link 84 will bring the upper end of a slot 82 therein against the upper side of i a pin 88 fixed in the part 85 and by which it is moved downwardly around the point 81. bringing the housing 88 into the position shown at the left in Fig. 1. As this takes place the part 88 is likewise moved downwardly by its pivotal connection with the part 84 shown as a pin 84. The part- 88 is a crank extension of a trigger member 85. The movement causes the trigger to engage the rear end of the slidable member 8| and draw it backwardly away from capping position, compressing the spring 88.

This action takes place as the bottle 21 is elevated into contact with the rubber cushion 28. During and immediately following such contact and such relationship of the parts 88, 8| and 85, the roller 15 is constantly moved onward in the cam-way 18, thereby elevating the part 8| and the links 84. By this movement the housing 88 is swung downwardly around the pivotal point 81 while simultaneously .therewith the trigger 85 is turned around the pivotal point 88 in the direction of the spring 88, thereby permitting the member 8| to advance by spring action. Thus,

the rubber shoe 88 will first be permitted to engage the skirted portion 88 of the cap at about the point indicated by the dotted lines at the left of Fig. 1, due to the provision of the lost motion slot 82, and thereafter the housing 88 and the shoe 88 will move simultaneously. The entire movement of these parts ends as indicated at the right of the figure, thereby both stretching and holding the cap taut against the bottle.

Following this action, rollers 85 -are caused to operate for the purpose of ironing the film into the shape of the head. This sealing action is caused by the operation of a roller 42 moving in a slotted passage or closed cam track 48 of the stationary cylindrical pedestal 44, the roller 42 being mounted on a crank arm 45 which is secured to a shaft 48 supported in a bearing 41 of means a housing 48. The crank arm 45 is moved upwardly and downwardly as the housing 48, which is mounted on rotating portion 48. is progressing forwardly along a circular path. The movement of the crank 45 actuates a cam member 50 which may be a part of the shaft 48. This cam member by its movement will determine the exact position of a locking trigger 5|, the cam member 58, Fig. 8, deflecting rollers 52 and 88, which are carried by the locking trigger 5|, either upwardly or downwardly. By this action a roller 54 held by the member 5| will change the position of a cylindrical member 58 which is movable around a rotating inner supporting structure 58 as shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. The cylindrical sleeve member 58 has a flange portion 51 which has four projecting cam lugs 58 (best shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2) and will be shifted either forwardly or backwardly with a 20 movement. In so doing, the lugs 58 will engage rollers 58, one on each of four lever arms 88. Each of the arms 88 is mounted on a pin 8| secured in a gear webbing 82 of the rotating structure so that the forward end 88 of each lever which carries a pin 84 on which is mounted the roller 85, will be oscillated accordingly, either toward the bead or mouth portion 28 of the bottle or toward the flange of the member 58.

A spring 81, Figs. 1 and 4, mounted on the lower end of the pin 8| acts to press the roller 85 against the bead of the bottle. The action of the cam lugs 58 normally is to retract the roller 85 in opposition to the spring 81 and so as to move the roller 85 toward a heating member 88.

. During this operation the supporting structure 55, which is provided with a ring gear 88, is rotated by a gear 88 mounted on a shaft 18 which rotates in a vertical housing portion H of the housing 48. A rotary movement is communicated to the shaft 18 by a gear 12 which is driven by a gear 18 mounted on a central spindle I4, which is located centrally of the stationary cylindrical pedestal 44. Thus, during the rotation of the several capping devices, the gear 88 can be driven or rotated continuously, intermittently or variably at all times. The cams 58 are of course actuated and locked at least once during the entire movement of each of the capping devices around the stationary standard 44, so that the rollers may have the opportunity to withdraw from capping contact when the bottle is lowered and be brought in contact with the heating element. 88. The rollers are locked in this position for a desired time under control of the cam 48 by the rollers 58 riding up onto the flat surfaces 88a of the cams 58. 1

The rollers 85 are so shaped and revolve at suc an angle relative to the curved surface of the bead 28 of the bottle that the peripheral speed will be nearly correct at each point of contact with the cap on the bottle and no slippage will exist between the peripheral speeds at opposite ends of the roller 85. This results in a uniform ironing action on the skirted side wall of the cap during the time it is held close to the bottle neck by the rubber shoes 88.

As the cap, particularly the molded type, is only slightly larger in diameter than the neck of the milk bottle, there is very little excess material to be folded or crimped by the combined action of the shoes and the rollers. The tendency of the shoes is to fornra series of small puckers or projected pleats at the lower portion of the bead 28. These small projections are rolled over, fiattened down and fused together more or less, ac-

cording to the anmunl of heat and pressure employed and the number of i'btations of the rollers 65 around the skirted portion of the cap.

These results may also be assisted by the presence in the film material of certain percentages of solvents and/or heat softening materials which will promote adhesiveness of the material with itself at those points which have been gathered, folded or fused by the combined action of the shoes, rollers, pressure and heat.

The supporting structure 55 is mounted by means of two series of radial ball bearings 91 and 98 on a stationary tubular member 99, which is supported at its upper end by a supporting frame I99.

In operation successive bottles with caps located thereon are continuously advanced for co-. operation with successive capping devices, the

seating of each cap on a bottle progressing as the bottle and the capping device are brought together and moved along a circular path around the stationary standard 44.

The capping arrangement shown in Fig. 9 is a simple one which may be used with a more adhesive type of film cap which also should be made as to be reshapable and sealable to bottles and weldable to or with itself at folded points under the bead of the bottle. Such a cap may be prepared by allowing the retention in the film of a solvent or heat-softening resin in sufiicient quantity to render the cap tacky when heated, particularly if the body and surface of the cap has been exposed to heat before it is placed on the bottle or after it is thus located. For instance, if the cap has been freshly made by a process in which heat is employed in the final stage of its formation and used directly thereafter, it may be received and sealed on a bottle by a capping device such as shown in Fig. 9.

Referring now to Fig. 9, a cupped plug I92, which is of a resilient material, is held and carried by a casing I93 and a reciprocating portion I94 operating in a part I95. The plug I92 has air-exhausting passages I96 communicating with a passage I9I in the portions I94 and I95, to hold the bottle cap by suction. The plug I92 also has a depending portion I91 effective thereafter to seat and press a sunken portion I99 of the cap into the recessed portion I99 at the mouth of the bottle.

A paper disk cap II9 shown in Fig. 9 may be an integral part of the cap portion I99 or may be attached to the cap portion I98 by any desired means after the cap has been molded or may be a separate article inserted in the bottle recess I99, before the molded cap is located therein or thereover. Both the paper disk and the outside cap may be forced into place in the recess I99 at the same instant to eliminate duplication of effort or two capping operations.

The useful features of the cap portion I98 reside in that the depending central portion I91 will first locate the center portion I98 of the cap in the recess I99 while the suction passages I96 will pull the upper curved wall portion I I2 slightly upwardly and away from the top end of the beaded section I I3 of the bottle, allowing the air to escape from the recess I 99, and secondly in that when the plug I93 is fully pressed down, the outer elastic wall portion II4 thereof is efiective flexibly to grip and to urge on the film wall shoulder curve II5 of the cap, Fig. 14, downwardly where it joins the skirted portion 39 of the cap. This gives the cap a snug or a tight fit over the beaded mouth of the bottle and holds the film comprising the outer cap portions without inflicting injury thereto during the subsequent rolling operation of resilient twisting rollers IIS on the skirted portion 39 and the flared edge II1 of the cap.

Each roller II9, of which at least three should operate at the same time, is made of rubber, and as shown in Fig. 9, has been-advanced to bear against the side wall 39 of the cap. Each roller is rotated by means of a flexible cable 8, and is advanced toward or away from the bottle neck by means of a bearing arm I I9, while simultaneously a rotational movement is given to the capping device and the bottle as a unit, either in the same, or in the opposite direction of rotation as or from roller 9, the result of the combined stretching, twisting and folding action being to form the cap about as shown at I29 in Fig. 9.

In Fig. 10 is shown an internally heated roller I2I for twisting and drawing the skirted portion of acap around the bead H3 at the bottle neck. In order that the heat of the hollow roller I2I may have a softening effect on the film material of the wall 39 of the cap before the roller comes into actual contact therewith, from live to seven of these rollers should be provided and spaced equal distances apart from one another. These rollers should also be equally spaced from the neck portion of the bottle, so that a zone of sulficient heat radiation will be provided to give pliancy to the materials which enter into the .composition of or comprise the heat-sensitive component of the wall portions of the cap.

The hollow roller I2I is made of any suitable material and may be provided with suitable diagonal grooves around its periphery. The roller is rotatable in a hub I22 of an arm I23 by means of a short tubular shaft I24, which is connected at its lower end to a nipple I25 secured to a hollow flexible tube I26 by means of a flange I21 as by welding the shaft to the nipple.

The nipple I25 has an upwardly extending tubular portion I29 which ,is spaced from the inner sides of the tube I24 and extends into a hollow space I29 within the roller I2I.

The arm I-23 is provided with projecting portions pivotally mounted at I39 in ring members I3I and has a split rearward extension I32 to which one end of an actuating arm I33 is pivoted by means of a pin I34. An inlet tube I35 passes through one of the ring members "I, this tube acting as a pivot pin for the upper end of the arm I23. The interior passage I36 of the tube I35 is connected with a horizontal passage I31 of the arm I23. The tubular shaft I24 has several perforations I 38, which communicate with an outer annular portion of the passage I31 in the hub I22, so that constant communication is provided between the interior bore I39 of theshaft I24 and the passages I36 and I31. Steam or other heat conducting media may be caused to advance through the connected passages into the cavity I29 of the roller I2I and thence outwardly through the tube I29 and the flexible tubing I26, the roller I2I-becoming highly heated and thereby capable of reshaping the skirted portion 39 of the cap so that it will take on and permanently hold the same shape as the bottle bead or neck surface along which it is drawn, wrapped, stretched and/or folded by the action of the rollers, mechanically and/or by heat.

Each roller I2I is rotatedby the flexible tubing I26 andis brought forwardly into contact with the cap and the bottle neck by a tangen- Iil which carries the several rollers at equal distances around the bottle neck is rotated; or the bottle may be slowly rotated by the action of the several rollers III, such rotation of the bottle being partly resisted with a breakshoe action on the outside of the bottle or on its holding parts. The rotation of the bottle and capping device as a unit may, if desired, be independent of the rollers- V 7 When a cap I42, Fig. 13, is being attached to the bead portion III of a bottle, there is no need of a center plug Il'l, centrally of the cap pressing portion 28, as shown in Flg. 9. The object now, due to the addition of a central paper portion I48 of the cap, is to push downwardly on the shoulder portion I44 of the cap only and to cause an adhesion between the inner face of the film body I45 of the cap and the exterior of the bottle at this point.

As a preming ring 24 is caused to press the cap which is already seated on the mouth of the bottle, the resilient material I46 of the ring engages the shoulder wall I44 of the cap, urging and forcing it downwardly over the exterior of the bead III of the bottle, thereby slightly expanding the cap structure at the shoulder and causing the surface of the glass bottle to be intimately impressed into the inner surface I45 of the portion I44 of the cap, also squeezing out the air along the contact area and efiecting a tight grip of the cap to the: bead of the bottle.

If desired, an expedient such. as is shown in Fig. 11, may be adopted with the caps of Figs. 12, 13 and 14. As shown, a suction transfer head I58, which alsomay be the subsequent capping head, is arranged to dip the lower margin I" ofa cap into a solution I5I for imparting adhesion to the portion of the cap subsequently to be gathered to form folds, as shown at I20, Fig. 9.

The solution I5I may contain different solvents, a resin or an adhesive, or an adhesion inducing composition, so thata stiff composition cap may be readily but temporarily softened and also have a coating applied which is of a nature to promote fusion and coalescence of adjoining faces and body portions of the cap, as shown at I20, Fig. 9.

The solution I5I may also contain coloring matter. The main purpose thereof is, however, that the effect of the solution on the cap shall be such that the film b y. although adherent to the bottle, may be readily stripped off leaving a clean bottle neck.

During transit of the bottle caps toward capping position, they may be printed or embossed as shown in Fig. '12. The cap shown in that figure is carried on a constantly advancing transfer head I52 along a predermined path, during which a part I53 which serves as a carrier and guide for a reciprocating piston I54 is caused to come into alignment with the recessed or sunken portion I08 of the cap while moving in the same direction as the member I52.

Each piston I54 carries die parts I55 and I55 of which the part I58 may be an impression member. This member should preferably be formed of a fairly elastic or non-rigid compound when applying impressions to fragile or soft films. However, any type of suitable material may be used for this die member I56. When embossed or raised effects are wanted, the upper surface of the head I52, which may be a yieldable-rubber cushion, may be provided with an insert die of firmer or more rigid material.

The upper die member I" may be heated to facilitate the draw in certain film materials when co-active pper and lower impression membcs are used for obtaining diiferent effects. The upper surface of member I52 may also be used as means for transferring a color pigment to the iilm portion Ill. For obtaining two or threecolor effects the easiest procedure is to employ sucessive printing devices of the type shown in Fig. 12 which devices are timed and synchronized in a manner to-move at the same speed as the heads III.

A preferred process of producing caps for bot-- particularly a mechanism which may be employed for actuating the shaping members. The subject matter as to process is disclosed and claimed in a copending application, which is now Patent No. 2,120,328, granted June 14, 1938, and as to apparatus in'another copending application, divisional thereof, Serial No. 208,825, filed May 19, 1938.

Upper and lower die members I51 and I58, Figs. 16 to 18, with their associated parts, 'are positioned, ready for operation on film or plastic sheet stock I58, these dies and associated parts comprising cutting, stretching, treating and pressing means, which may be actuated by the mechanisms of the machine shown in Fig. 15. The die assemblies are progressively adapted, first, to clamp down and hold the sheet stock; second, to stretch the same at the point where it is to be cut and to draw the stock into shape in part or completely before cutting; third, successively to cut the same into blanks of predetermined shape; and fourth, to form and draw each blank into shape of the dies. The dies may be heated or cooled, oiled or parailined, steamed or wetted, or used for chemical and solvent treatment, as conditions require and in any suitable way so that the sheet material may be treated rendered soft and pliant, or having moisture to be.

removed therefrom may have the benefit of this treatment. Plastic materials in general will conform more readily to the shapes of dies if heat is employed. Also, many materials may be permanently set to the shape of dies only by means of heat. Sheet stock which must be softened by some form of moisture, may be speedily dried by the application of a dry heated atmosphere within the-dies and. thus have a permanent shape imparted thereto. Dry steam may also be used and, of course, any cooling agents and/or materials for impregnating the sheet stock may be introduced into the dies as required.

The die I51, Fig. 16, has a cover plate I 'attached thereto, this plate being provided with a central hub portion II into which the lower threaded end I52 of a hollow shaft I54 is screwed.

The hollow shaft I84 of each upper die assembly has a larger diameter rim edge I85 at its upper hub portion IN and the lower end of the shaft I61. The spring I68 is further compressible to act as a shock absorber during the downward movement of the shaft I61 to advance the die I51 into engagement with the lower die I58.

The shaft I61 is slidable in a hollow guiding standard I69 of a supporting arm I10. The upper end of the shaft I81 is securely joined to a hollow hub part "I, Fig. 15, of a depressing arm I12. A compression spring I13 which is shown as surrounding the standard I69 normally serves to support the arm I12 and all the upper die members in the various positions shown. The spring I13 is compressed when the arm I12 is acted upon by a sumcient force to give it a downward movement in the direction of the lower die and serves thereafter and when the effective force on the arm I12 is relieved to retract the upper die I T. The die I51 is thus depressibly supported from the arm I and elastically related to the arm I12, the spring I68 serving to cushion the downward thrust of the shaft I61 and to modify the amount of compressive force used during the movement of the die members in reshaping the material which is being formed into caps.

Each upper die I51 has associated therewith a cylindrical cutting knife, I14 which is vertically adjustable relative to the lower part of the die by a threaded connection I so that the sheet material may be cut into blanks at the proper instant, before or after the lower edge of the foremost depending portion of the upper die contacts with or bears down against the sheet material I59. It is essential that the cutting action .of the knife I14 be adjustable to suit different materials, or their conditions of rigidity, yieldability and flexibility, as for instance a relatively soft or extensible sheet material must be impressed, tensioned and placed under a constant attenuating pressure so it may remain taut before it is cut. This is accomplished by first engaging the material between the die members as shown in Fig. 17 before the material is cut, after which the knife I14 may cut through the material by coacting with the edge I11 of the lower die assembly.

The first portion of the die assembly to engage the sheet material is a cylindrical clamping member I18, which surrounds the knife and the upper die assembly, but is not strictly a part thereof, as it is largely independent of any movement given to the die proper. However, this sheet holding clamp is actuated by any pressure applied to the arm I10 in a downward direction, which assists in clamping the plastic sheet material. The clamp I18 is normally mounted on the lower face of the arm I10, but may also have an individual vertically movable support, and is so adjusted with relation to a clamp member I19 of the lower die assembly that when the dies are brought opposite one another, the sheet stock will be instantly held in a non-slip grip by a compressible, elastic rubber facing I80 of which a cushion is formed at the edge I 8I of the upper clamping member I18, said cushion entering a recess I82 in the lower clamping member I19. This V-shaped annular recess is highly desirable for firmly holding a light weight sheet tissue or plastic film stock when the die assemblies are brought into operation.

The upper die member I51 has an inner space I83 which communicates with a passage I84 in the hollow shaft I64. This passage may act as a conduit for air or other fluid, either gaseous or liquid and under suitable pressure and temperature if the sheet material calls for a specific treatment during the shaping in the dies. As herein shown, these passages may be used for delivering heated or cold air under compression into the molding cavity of the upper die member, to effect delivery of the shaped article, to eject it for delivering it to a bottle, or to confine it by suction in the upper die member prior to delivery. I

The air admitted to the enclosed space I83 within each upper die is forced out through two series of small orifices I85 which are arranged at suitable points in the walls I86 and I81 of the' die I51, so that pressure or vacuum treatment may be given to the material. Another purpose of these orifices is to admit air under pressure between the forming face of the die when the inner surface of the fiat sheet material has been shaped, the air being admitted at the time of delivery so that the formed cap may be delivered directly from the die I51 onto the top of a milk bottle 21, as shown in Fig. 19.

The die I58 has a hollow interior space I88 communicating with an enclosed space I89 of the lower supporting arms as shown in Fig. 15. When air or other fiuid under pressure is introduced into the spaces I89 and I88, two series of "orifices I90 and I9I will act to conduct the fiuid to the outside of the wall I92 of the lower die I58 and will disengage the formed sheet stock therefrom. These conduits may also serve to admit water, steam, solvents, vapor, paraflln, gases for chemical treatment, etc.

The lower die I58 is held by a threaded supporting portion I93 which also supports the clamping portion I19.

All the die members as shown in Fig. 15 are advanced in a continuous manner as a continuous conveyor or belt, so that the sheet stock I59 is progressively acted upon between a plurality of dies at the same instant, but at different points of its travel. The several dies are shown as being depressed by means of a cam I94, but as these mechanical parts form no part of the present invention and relate to means for actuating the die assemblies during the operation of shaping a milk bottle cap from a flat sheet material, attention will now be given to the various steps of preshaping of the sheet material shown in Figs. 17 and 18.

In operating on plastic sheet material such as a cellulose acetate compound film containing synthetic ingredients such as resins and plasticizers, and possibly also solvents, because the films may be derived from a solution of these materials, it is essential first to clamp securely that portion which is to form the blank for a cap. This is accomplished as the sheet material is advanced vertically downwardly between the clamping members as shown in Fig. 15.

Prior to cutting out these blanks, a certain amount of stretching is given to the sheet material so that the cutting operation may be effective at all times and at the same time the sheet stock which is to become the subsequent blank is positively located over and in respect to the lower die member I58 as shown in Fig. 17. The upper projecting portion I98 of the lower die member has the same contour and body form as the beaded portion of a milk bottle. The object of this is to impress this particular shape on the film stock under conditions which can only be accomplished in an enclosed pressure cavity such as shown and which may be formed by the upper and lower die assemblies. Then as the projecting portion I91 of the upper die bears down and forms a concentric annular cupping in the sheet stock which is to form the blank, a certain amount of attenuation is important and a certain amount of tension which predisposes the material to yield in the direction of the pressure applied thereto. If at this instant dry heated air is introduced into spaces It. and I" on opposite sides of the material to be formed as well as an exterior space I", a considerable yielding of the sheet material will take place in the direction of force supplied thereagainst by the dies. If at this instant the cutting knife I14 operates to sever the sheet material at the edge I", there will result a rapid shaping of the sheet stock.

In this connection it should be observed that a heated vapor may be beneficial in softening the plastic body of the sheet stock. Sometimes combinations of low boiling, medium boiling and high boiling solvents and non-solvents of like character may be mixed and introduced as the softening agent into the spaces I98, I99 and 200. With certain soft sheet material the dies shouldbe precooled, so that if steam is injected for the purpose of softening the material, immediate condensation of water will result to prevent sticking of the film to the dies.

As the blank is out the sheet material is immediately shaped and may then remain in formative dwell between the shaping dies during its movement to the point of delivery where it may be ejected from the upper dies directly onto the mouth of a bottle, as shown in Fig. 19. The advantage of this immediate transfer from the forming means to-the correspondingly shaped mouth of the bottle lies in that the material can be maintained in a soft and pliantstate or can have a surface treatment which will promote adhesion and sealing under the bead of the bottle.

- All of the various showing herein are related in kind and may be changed in some instances, also any type of gathering in of the skirted portion may be accomplished in the pressing operation just described, depending of course upon the shape of the dies. It should be noted, and this is the most important feature of the press-formed cap, that the upper portions thereof as at H2 and 3| are shaped to provide an entirely smooth wall section without any folds at the shoulder of the cap where it rests on the outer portion of the bead of the bottle.

Toothed conical sections 204 and 205 of the dies intermesh, but do not contact although they are so related that the blank will be slightly pressed when the dies are completely closed as shown at the right of Fig. 18.

The main action of the intermeshing portions of the dies is to draw the plastic film between the opposing ridges of each die. The resistance of a cellulose derivative film structure to this kind of action is considerable unless heat is communlcated to the film.

If the dies are kept at a working temperature of about to F., air heated to a higher temperature may be admitted at early stages of the pressing before the cutting of the blank, so that the film body may become soft and be reshaped.

Cooled air must then be delivered into the cavities I88. I91 and 200 to displace the heated air at about the time when the dies are positioned as shown at the left of Fig. 18, which will immediately restore firmness to the film body and set it in the shape which is imposed thereon.

If the film structure contains a resin as that resulting from the reaction of para-toluene-sulfonamide and formaldehyde and which has solvent properties on the'cellulose acetate or solvent type plasticizers which remain in the film, the heating will cause a complete readjustment of I the particles forming the film body into their new alignments.

Translucent films having good firmness at normal temperatures, but which also have good sealing properties to the bead of a bottle when 10 heated can be obtained by adding one part of a hard cumar (coumarone-indene) resin and one part of a chlorinated diphenyl resin to the ingredients hereinbefore mentioned,

Thecumarresin alsohelpsinbrlnsingoutll the surface shine and lustre. and pastel tones when coloring dyes and metallic bronzes are added to the acetate compodtion hereinbefore ven.

Each of the six rubber shoes 38, which sweeps downwardly over the skirted portion 80 of the cap, may be a segment of a cylindrical rubber ring and each segment may overlap at its end portions with the adjacent segments if a complete enclosure of the skirted portion of the cap is wanted. Also, if desired, these segments may becutshortensoastobespacedadistance apart at their adjacent ends for the folding of surplus film wall portions of the cap at six points adjacent to the narrow portion of the neck of a 80 bottle, which folds are then flattened down and superficially fused between the surfaces of the folded portion by the action of the heated rollers 65 thereon.

Each of the six shoes it retains its lowermost 35 holding position at 4|, until the rollers I have completed the flattening of the folds formed between the adjacent ends of the shoes 30 or until the rollers have fused or welded the series of small folds or corrugations which have been gathered in against the bead 26 of a bottle by the sweeping action of the shoes; but as soon as the rollers 65 move to the position shown at the left of Fig. 1, the shoes 38 are immediately withdrawn from the cap and also tilted away from the head of the bottle. I

At this instant the bottle is lowered by the usual means employed for such action and thereafter moved as the dairy equipment will permit.

In connection with the usually moist condition of amilkbottlewhichisto be capped,itisbest to remove all or as much as possible of the moisture which is present on the exterior of the bottle before a cap is placed thereon. For this purpose a rotary brush and air dryer 2", Fig. 15, may be caused to engage the necks of the bottles as they are moving into cap-receiving position to clean, sterilize, heat and dry the cap-receiving portion of the bottle. If an ordinary paper disk should be pressed into the mouth of the bottle at this time, the heated current of air may impinge on the inner face of the bottle bead.

The central rubber cushion 29 of the capping head I6, Fig. 1, may have any shape required; that is, it may be fiat on its under side or it may be restricted in size so as to touch only a small area of the top surface of the cap adjacent to the inner side wall of the beaded neck of the bottle. Also this cushion may be perforated to avoid adhesion to the cap structure.

It is advantageous to dry the moisture present at the sealing point of the bottle, as too much water on the outside of the neck of the bottle may prevent a quick adhesion of the folding film at the fusing point at the desired adhesion none. 75

For best results the bottle should be somewhat cold and dry and the hood cap slightly heated after it is applied to the bottleneck. This is advantageous with stifler or firmer film caps, which for one reason or another may have a smaller proportion of thermoplastic resin.

This application is a continuation-impart of application Serial No. 586,184, filed January 12, 1932, now Patent No. 2,178,393, granted October 31, 1939.

1, The method of applying a plastic sheet film as a seal to the mouth of a bottle, which comprises preshaping a portion of the film required for effecting said seal into the shape of the upper beaded mouth portion of the bottle, heating and thereby removing moisture from the mouth portion of the bottle to be sealed, applying the preshaped film portion to the dried mouth portion of the bottle, and thereafter shaping another portion of said film to seal around the mouth portion of the bottle.

2. The method 01 sealing a hood cap of organic plastic material to the bead at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises seating the cap on the bead of the bottle, holding the top and bottom portions of the cap in position on said head, and then reshaping an intermediate portion of the cap to the curvature of said head while it is so held.

3. The method of sealing a hood cap of organic plastic material to the bead at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises seating the cap on the bead of the bottle, holding the top and bottom portions of the cap in position on said head, and then reshaping an intermediate portion of the cap to the curvature of said head by the use of an implement having a rolling contact with the cap.

4. The method of attaching a hood cap of thermoplastic material to the bead at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises seating the cap on the bead of the bottle by mechanical pressure, holding the cap at its top and bottom portions rigid with the bottle and in close contact therewith, and then applying heat and pressure to the intermediate side wall portion of the cap around the lower portion of the bead of the bottle to cause a superficial coalescing of the material and to reshape it to conformity with said head.

5. The method of sealing a hood cap of organic thermoplastic material to the head at the mouth of a bottle, comprising applying the cap snugly to the bottle so as to draw it into a vacuum sealing contact with the bead thereof, confining and holding the lower sidewall portion of the cap against the bottle, and then exposing an intermediate portion of said side wall to the influence of suificient heat and pressure to develop surface tackiness in the plastic material of the cap to cause its adhesion to the contiguous portion of the bead of the bottle.

6. The method of sealing a hood cap of material which will weld with itself under the infiuence of heat and pressure and which has a smooth shoulder portion and a corrugated skirted side wall to the beaded portion of the mouth of a bottle, which comprises seating said cap on the mouth of a bottle with the smooth shoulder portion of the cap in contact with the bead of the bottle, gathering in and flattening the corrugated skirted wall portion of the cap against the under side of the bead of the bottle, holding the upper portion of the cap tightly to the mouth portion of the bottle and the lower portion of the cap tightly'against the outside of the bottle beneath the bead thereof, and sealing the intermediate portion of the corrugated or pleated wall of the cap to the bead oi the bottle by the application of heat and pressure while it is thus held to weld the pleats together and shape them to conform to the bead of the bottle. I

7. The method of causing adhesion between a hood cap of relatively firm body structure and a beaded portion at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises raising the temperature of the mouth portion of the bottle and thereby removing the moisture from the surface thereof, thereafter applying the hood cap thereto, exposing the cap to heat, and then pressing the cap to the shape of the mouth portion of the bottle.

8. The method of sealing a hood cap of organic plastic material to the head at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises seating the cap on the bead of the bottle, simultaneously drawing the skirt portion of the cap downwardly at difi'erent points around the periphery thereof to draw the shoulder portion of the cap into close contact with the head of the bottle, and reshaping a portion of the skirt of the cap about the outer portion of said bead by the action of heated rollers.

9. Apparatus for sealing a hood cap around the head at the mouth of a bottle, comprising means for seating a hood cap on a bottle including means to supply pressure to the cap axially of the bottle to hold the shoulder portion of the cap against the head of the bottle, a roller for rolling the skirt portion of the cap against the outside of the bead of the bottle by a bodily movement of the roller around the bottle combined with a rotational movement of the roller about its own axis, means to swing the roller to and from a position engaging the cap by a bodily movement of the roller, and means eflective independently of the relative position of the roller around the axis of the bottle for heating the roller.

10. Apparatus for sealing ahood cap around the head at the mouth of a bottle, comprising a plurality of wiper means arranged at spaced intervals around the periphery of a bottle and cap thereon and constructed and arranged to engage the cap initially adjacent to the shoulder thereof and to wipe downwardly along the skirt of the cap to establish and maintain a close contact between the shoulder of the cap and the bead oi the bottle and to tend to shape the skirt of the cap to the neck of the bottle, each of said wiper means including a housing pivoted on a substantially horizontal axis arranged tangentially of the bottle, a wiper member slidable axially in said housing, a compression spring extending between a portion of said housing and said wiper member and tending to urge said wiper member toward the cap and the bottle, trigger means arranged to retract said wiper member against the compres sion of said spring, a vertically arranged link arranged to operate said trigger means, and a lost motion driving connection between said link and capped inserted' in place thereof and said wiper member then may be moved forwardly under the action of said spring to engage the skirt portion of a cap surrounding the bead of the said other applying heat and pressure to an intermediate portion of the skirt of said cap to reform it to conformity with the outside of the bead and neck portion of the bottle above the held part of the skirt of the cap and during the time the lower portion of the skirt of the cap is held to the bottle.

12. Apparatus for sealing a hood cap around the bead -at.the mouth of a bottle. comprising means for engaging and holding the lower pe riphery of the skirt portion of a cap in contact with the neck of a bottle, a plurality of rollers arranged to engage the portion of the skirt of the cap above the held portion and form it to the shape of the outside of the bead and neck of the bottle; means for urging said rollers resiliently into contact with the cap, means for bodily rotating all said rollers around the axis of the neck of the bottle, and means for moving all said rollers to inoperative positions in respect to the bottle and the cap and for holding them in such inoperative positions during a selected period in the cycle of the machine as a whole to permit the removal of a capped bottle and introduction of another bottle and cap into capping position. a v

13. Apparatus for sealing a hood cap about the bead and mouth of a bottle and for conforming the skirt portion of the cap about non-uniform diameter portions of the bead and neck of 'the bottle, comprising a non-uniform diameter roller shaped to conform to a non-uniform diameter portion of the bead and-neck of the bottle, means for bodily moving said roller about the axis of the bottle neck, and means for supporting said roller in such manner in respect to the peripheral contour thereof that a relatively large diameter portion of the roller will engage a relatively large diameter portion of the cap and bottle neck so that there will be substantially no relative peripheral movement between any portion of the roller in contact with the cap and the portion of the cap in contact therewith.

14. Apparatus for sealing a hood cap of temperature-sensitive material around the bead at the mouth of a bottle, comprising a heated roller for applying heat and pressure to the skirt portion of the cap to reform it to conform to the outer surface of the bead and neck of the bottle, means for moving said roller to and from an operative position in contact with the cap, means for substantially continuously rotating said roller bodily about the axis of the neck of the bottle, said roller having a non-cylindrical cap-contacting surface arrangedto conform to the portion of the bead and neck of the bottle opposite that por-v tion of the cap with which it is arranged to contact, and stationary heating means shaped to conform to the cap-contacting surface of said roller and to be engaged thereby when said roller is away from its operative position in contact with a cap for transmitting heat to the roller to be transmitted in turn thereby to a cap.

15. Apparatus for sealing a hood cap around the bead at the mouth of a bottle, comprising means for exerting mechanical pressure on a cap from above to hold it in position on the bead of a bottle, a plurality of rollers arranged to engage the skirt portion of the cap and shape it to conformity'with the outside of said bead, an arm mounting each of said rollers, a rotatable supporting structure to which all said arms are pivoted, means for rotating said structure to rotate said rollers bodily about the axis of the neck of the bottle, means for resiliently urging said rollers toward the cap and bead of the bottle,

and a second rotatable structure movable with and in addition in respect to the first named supporting structure and carrying means arranged to operate said arms by relative movement in respect to the first named supporting structure, and means for controlling the relative rotational movement between said supporting structures to control the movements of said rollers into and out of their operative position in contact with acap on a bottle.

16. Apparatus for sealing hood caps of organic thermoplastic material to the bead at the mouth of a bottle, which comprises means for engaging the shoulder portion of a cap and pushing it downwardly onto the shoulder portion of the bead of a bottle, a resilient center plunger means to de press a center portion of a cap into the mouth of a bottle, a plurality of wiper members arranged to engage the skirt portion of the cap initially at the upper portion thereof and wipe such portion of the cap downwardly, tending to shape it toward a position in conformity with the bead of the bottle and efiective to hold the lower periphery of the skirt portion of the cap against the neck of the bottle at the termination of the wiping action, automatic means for operating said wiping means as aforesaid, the last named means being so further constructed and arranged as to move the wiper means on their return stroke in paths spaced from the capping position of a bottle and a cap thereon so as to permit the removal of a capped bottle and the introduction of another bottle to be capped, a plurality of heated rollers arranged to engage an intermediate portion of the skirt of a cap during the time the lower periphery thereof is being held by said wiper means and to conform such intermediate portion by heat and pressure to the shape of the bead and neck of the bottle, a rotatable supporting structure for said rollers, means to rotate said structure to move said rollers bodily around the axis of the neck of a bottle, resilient means associated with each roller for urging it toward the cap and head of the bottle, other rotatable means operative by a cam-controlled differential movement in respect to the first namjed rotatable supporting structure for moving said rollers between their operative positions in contact with a cap covering the bead of a bottle and inoperative positions at which they are spaced a greater distance away from the axis of the bottle neck, and-a stationary heating means for said rollers arranged to be engaged in a rolling contact by said rollers while they are at their inoperative positions. in respect to the axis of the bottle.

ENOCH .T. FERNGREN.

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