US2195111A

US2195111A - Machine for applying folders to cans

Info

Publication number: US2195111A
Application number: US244233A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert W Kagley
Original assignee: Lindsay Ripe Olive Co
Current assignee: Lindsay Ripe Olive Co
Priority date: 1938-12-06
Filing date: 1938-12-06
Publication date: 1940-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1957-03-26

Description

Mrch 26, 1940. H. w. KAGLEY MACHINE FOR APBLYING FOLDERS T0 CANS Filed Dec. e, 195e- 4 snags-Sheet 1 hm l 93 l l l Qo ooe.

.March 26, 1940 H. w. KAGLEY MACHINE FOR APPLYING FOLDERS `T0 CANS Filed Dec. 6, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 o ,au o M 5 .L w O- o I .Il 3

- W m z. w H# @u 2 a 13 Hseefer I4( ,616455,

Mardi 26, 1940' H. w. KAGLEY MACHINE FOR APPLYING FOLDERS T0 CANS Filed Dec. s; 195s 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fleece/e1 I4. KAGLE);

March ze, 1940. H.'W.'KAG1 EY 2,195,111

MACHINE FOR APPLYING FOLDERS T0 CANS Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Herbert W. Kagley, Lindsay, Calif., assigner to Lindsay Ripe Olive Company, Lindsay, Calif.,

a corporation Application December 6, 1938, Serial No. 244,233

1o claimsj (ci. 21e-55) This invention relates to the canning art and has particular utility inthe application of folders to cans, a practice which is coming into fairly wide use in the canning art. These folders generally contain instructions or suggestions as to how the contents of the can may be most profitably used.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved machine for applying folders to cans.

l0 While machines have previously been provided for this general purpose they have been diflicult to operate because when a folder failed to feed, the feeding of folders was interrupted until attention was given to the machine and no folders were applied to the cans passing through the machine during said interruption.

It is another object of my invention to provide a machine for applying folders to cans in which the feeding of folders will not be interrupted by the failure of a single folder to feed and in` which the normal feeding will be resumed as soon as the cause of said failure is corrected.

In the machines formerly provided for applyg5 ing folders to cans, a break in continuity of the stream of cans being fed through said machine resulted in the folder intended for that can being dropped into the machinery and damaged so as to be unt for use.

It is yet another object of my invention to provide a machine for applying folders to cans which is adapted to receive and apply folders to an intermittent stream of cans without loss of said folders.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made 'manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational View of the folder feeding and applying mechanism, there being portions of the folder applicator rotor broken away to illustrate the means for utilizing suction in the operation of the applicator.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the applicator rotor of the machine with the folder magazine removed and may be considered as a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and illustrates the means for utilizing suction in the operation of the applicator rotor.

v Referring specifically to the drawings, I shall designate the folder applying machineillustrated therein by the reference numeral I0. This machine includes a frame I I having a pair of chanv nel beams I2 upon which rest a can track I3 having a chain groove I4 in which an endless 5 conveyor chain I5 of aconveyor I 6 travels. The chain I5 is trained about sprockets I1, only one of which is shown, this sprocket being mounted on a shaft I8 by which the conveyor I6 is continuously driven. Certain links I9 of the chain 10 I5, which links are uniformly spaced, have can pushers 20 provided thereon which extend upwardly when these links are disposed in the chain groove I4. Extending laterally from the track I3 are ears 22 uponwhich angle iron can guards 15 23 and 24 are adjustably secured by cap screws 25. Thus the

guards

23 and 24 may be set closer together or farther apart to accommodate cans differing in diameter.

Provided on the can guide 24 is a vertical bear- 20 ing 26, the purpose of which will be made clear hereinafter.' This guide also has -a relatively long narrow slot 21, explanation of which also will be deferred.

Rigidly mounted at their lower ends on the 25 frame I I so as to extend vertically upward at the rear of the conveyor I6 is a pair of heavy screws 29. The screws 29 have nuts 30 which support an elevated frame 35 which can be raised or lowered by rotating the nuts 30. V The elevated 30 frame 35 has bearings 36 and 31 in which shafts 38 and 39 are journalled.v At the rear of the elevated frame 35,. these shafts have sprockets 4U about which is trained an endless chain 4l. Fixed on the shaft 39 is a rubber gluing wheel 45 hav- 35 ing four circumferentially spacedlfaces 46 which,v as the shaft 39 rotates, are brought successively into tangential contact with a roller 41. This roller is mounted on the frame 35 on a horizontal axis parallel Withthe shaft 39 so as to extend 40 are adapted to guide a supply of folders 55 when the latter is placed between the rails 54 so as to 50 rest on the bottom.v plate 52. Provided on the lower end of the bottom plate 52 is a brush 60 for preventing more thanione folder being removed from the magazine at one time.

Secured to the supporting arm 49 by screws 6I 55 edge thereof and,`forwardly from said notch, a bearing 14 in which is `journalled a shaft- 15.

which is held in place by

collars

16 and 11. Ex-

tending inwardly into the notch 13 past the col- .Iar 11 is a pin 18 formed eccentrically on the Ainner end of the shaft 15. 'I'his pin has a roller 19 rotatably mounted thereon. 'I'his roller is of such diameter as -to rest constantly on the upper surface of the spring plate 62.

Fixed uplon the outer end of the shaft 15 is an arm 85 having a blade 86. .Secured to the upper face of the vertical body 12 is a bracket 81 on which is formed a vertical bearing 88. The bracket 81 is positionedv in its relation to the body 12 so that the .bearing 88 is in vertical alignment with the bearing 26 on the can guide 24,

Journalled in the

bearings

26 and 88 ,is a vertical shaft 90 on which are fixed a can responsive arm 9| and 2:11 upper arm 92. The arm 9| is held inwardly by a spring 93 yso that this arm ex- Yplate to spring upwardly into the position in which it is shown -in Fig. 2. With this upward movement the spring plate 62 lifts the supply 55 of folders upwardly in the folder magazine with a result which will be made clear hereinafter.

Secured to the frame 35 is a stationary vacuum disc 98, having a central bore through which the shaft 38 extends. In its face 99 is a vacuum slot having a restriction IOI. Communicating with the upper, unrestricted portion of the/ slot is a pipe |02 which leads to a vacuum pump (not shown). By reason of the restriction .IOI, the vacuum produced below the restriction is considerably less than it is above the restriction. Slightly beyond the lower end of slot |00 is a hole extending through'the vacuum disc to provide an air vent the function of which is later described. A

Fixed as by a pin ||0 on the forward end of the shaft 38 is a folder applicator rotor or vacurum wheel III the face IIIa of which is groundl -which are vacant.

shafts 38 and 39 which includes a sprocket |20v on the rear end of theshaft 38 and a chain |2I. 'This chain is trained about this sprocket and about idler sprockets |22 and |23 to bring it into reverse engagement with a sprocket (not shown) on he rear end of shaft 28 so as to produce a timely rotation of the wheel 45 and rotor III. relative to the travel of\the conveyor I6.

Operation Before beginning operations with the machine I 0, the magazine 5| is furnished wltha supply of folders 55 and the glue pot 48 is furnished with a supply of glue. The vacuum pump (not shown)` which is connected to\ the pipe |02 is now actuated so as to draw a constant vacuum orf the slot |00. The conveyor I6 is now set in motion and cans C are fed onto this conveyor so that insofar as possible there is a can propelled along in front of each of the pushers when the latter are disposed over the can and track I3. As .these cans proceed along the conveyor I6, the rotating wheel 45A brings the faces 46 thereof into contact with the periphery of the glue wheel l1 which applies glue to the faces I6. In this manner glue is transferred to the top of each of the cans C as this can comes underneath the wheel 4s.

As these cans progress, each one in turn comes in contact with the arm 9| so as to continually maintain this positioned substantially as indicated by the dotted lines |30 in Fig. 3. The swingin g outward of the arm 9| rocks the shaft 15 so as to shift the roller 19 and depress the spring' of the next advancing face II3v on the rotor III.

With the rotation of the rotor that face I I3 thus l comes into face to face contact with the lowermost folder 55. The sucking of air inwardly 'through the suction mouth II 4 in that face produces a semi-vacuum which takes hold of that folder and carries it with the rotor thereby removing it from the magazine. The rotation of the rotor being in timely relation with the conveyor I6, each boss as it swings downwardly extends right into the chine of -a can as the latter travels along the conveyor therebeneath. When a boss carries a folder as above described, the latter is pushed into the chine of the can against the spot of glue formerly applied by the glue Wheel 45. 'I'hus a folder is glued to the upper end of each can passing along the conveyor, I6.

As long as the machine I0 continues to be fed with an unbroken stream of cans C, and so long as an orderly supplyof folders 55 is maintained inv the magazine 5|, the operation of the machine goes on as above described. In the event of a break in the continuity of the stream of lcans on the conveyor I6, by the omission of one or more cans from the stream, the arm 9| is not held out when the can spaces on the conveyor come along The spring 93 thereupon shifts arm 9| inward, rotates shaft 90 which rocks shaft 15 to lift roller 19 and release spring plate 62. 'Ihe latter now rises as shown in Fig. 2 thereby lifting the supply of folders 55 to where the lowermost folder in the magazine lies beyond the reach of the advancing bosses II2. This prevents each boss, which is timed to have delivered a folder to a can in one of the vacant spaces on the conveyor, from taking a folder from the magazine. Thus folders are not dropped into the machinery and wasted when breaks occur in the continuity of the stream of cans on the conveyor I6.

As soon as the next can comes along on the conveyor I6, however, it shifts the lever 9| outward again and depresses the spring magazine end plate 62 to lower the supply of folders into feeding position. VThe next advancing boss |I2 accordingly picks up a folder from the bottom of the stack and applies it to thenext canfollowing the break. From here on the feeding of folders continues until one or more vacant spaces again occur in the stream of cans C whereupon the feeding of folders will be correspondingly interrupted but only to omit feeding folders to said vacant spaces.

The vacuum created in the upper unrestricted portion of the slot |00 exerts a strong suction in taking hold of a folder. As the rotor revolves, less vacuum is needed to retain the folder on the boss ||2, and the vacuum transmitted through the duct ||5 after it passes the restriction |0| is adequate. When the duct I |5 passes the air vent |05 the vacuum is wholly destroyed at the suction mouth ||4 at that particular position and the folder more readily deposited on the can.

As -the slot |00 is long enough to communicate with two of the ducts I |5 at one time, the absence of a folder from one of the mouths Ill would interfere with the vacuum and hinder its function, if no provision were made to maintain the vacuum notwithstanding. Under such a contingency the machine would have to be stopped, and the uncovered vacuum mouths be temporarily closed. My invention overcomes this difficulty by use of the restriction IDI. The passage in this restriction is small enough so that even if the mouth of the duct I5 which is passing along the slot below the restriction is uncovered as by reason of the folder supply having been interrupted due to the absence of a can, or for other failure, the vacuum in the upper portion of the slot is not materially impaired and will continue to function.

This latter feature is of advantage not only in resuming the feeding of folders after a break in the stream of cans on the conveyor I6, but in a resumption of the folder feeding no matter what the cause had been. for its interruption. Sometimes, for instance, the folders might be stuck together and thus the bottom folder would not feed out when engaged by the rotor. Where any such thing occurs in my invention, the supply of folders merely needs to be straightenedout in the magazine and thefee'ding will automatically be resumed without any halt in the operation being necessary. If any cans should go throughV without getting folders during such an interruption in the feeding of folders, these cans can readily be supplied with 'folders by hand, as the top surface of each can has already been spotted With glue.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for applying folders to cans, the combination of conveyor means for conveying a series of cans along a given path; magazine means for containing a multiplicity of folders; rotary suction means for removing folders one by one from said magazine and applying said folders to said cans, said rotary means having a plurality of circumferentially spaced suction mouths each of which is adapted to remove a folder from said magazine when it is disposed adjacent thereto and apply said folder to one of said cans; means for sucking air inwar\dly through each of said suction mouths as the latter comes opposite said magazine and maintaining said suction until the folder removed by said last mentioned mouth from said magazine has been applied to a can; and means for restricting communication between said suction means and each of said suction mouths when the latter is be Ween folder receiving and folder applying positi ns and as the next following suction mouth approaches folder receiving position. y

2. In a machine for applying folders to cans, the combination of a conveyor for feeding a series of cans along a given path; a magazinev for holding a multiplicity of folders; a rotor having a plurality of circumferentially spaced suction mouths thereon, each of said mouths being adapted to receive a folder from said magazine and apply it to a can; suction means including a slot, there being ducts in said rotor connecting each of said mouths with said slot when said mouth is brought into operative relation with said magazine, said slot providing a substantially restricted communication between 'said suction means and each of said ducts when the mouth served by said duct is moving between folder receiving and folder applying positions; and means for coordinately rotating said rotor and operating said conveyor.

3. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising can conveying means and a magazine for retaining folders in position to be fed, a Vacuum wheel having circumferentially spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in proximity to the folder magazine and adapted to successively withdraw folders therefrom and deliver same to a. position for application to cans, a continuous suction means having an arcuate passage with an intermediate restriction therein, and ducts inthe vacuum wheel communicating with the suction mouths and with the arcuate passage by which a strong suction and subsequently a weaker suction is created at the suction mouths during rotation of the wheel.

4. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising can conveying means and a magazine for retaining folders in position to be fed, a

vacuum Wheel having circumferentially spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in proximity to the folder magazine and adapted to successively withdraw folders therefrom and deliver same to a position for application to cans, a vacuum and control means cooperating with the suction wheel to create a strong suction at the Vacuum mouth in proximity to the folders, a weaker suction beginning at a point of rotation intermediate between folder receiving and folder applying posi-2 tions, an air exhaust at folder applying position, and no suction between the latter position and the point of starting.

5. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising can conveying means, a magazine for retaining folders in position to be fed,'and means shifting the folders out of such position in the event a can is not present to receive the folder, a vacuum wheel having circumferentially spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in prox'- irnity to the folder magazine and adapted to successively withdraw folders therefrom and deliver same to a position for application to cans, the vacuum being partially maintained by the folders covering the suction mouths, and means partially sustaining the vacuum sufficiently for succeeding operative purposes inthe event no folder is fed to a suction mouth.

6. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising can conveying means, a magazine for retaining folders in position to be fed. and means shifting the folders out of such position inv the. 5 event a can is not present to receive the folder,

a vacuum wheel having circumferentially spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in `proximity to the folder magazine and adapted to successively withdraw folders therefrom and deliver lo sal/ne to a position for application to cans, the vacuum being 'partially maintained by the folders covering the suction mouths, and being temporarily impaired if no folder is fed to a suction mouth, means vpartially restoring the vacuum in .15 such latter event pricnto the next succeeding s vacuum mouthv vreaching the folder receiving position.

7. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising can conveying means, a magazine .l n for retaining folders in position to be fed; and

provided with an arcuate slot located in the pathA of said openings, and a continuous vacuum means communicating with said slot. 8. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising canconveying means, -and a magazine for retaining folders in position to be fed, a vacuum wheel having circumferentially` spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in proximity to the folder magazine and adapted to successively withdraw folders therefrom and deliver same to a position for application to cans, the vacuum "flu -with circumferentially spaced suction mouths wheel having a ilatend face and ducts leading from the suction mouths and opening into the said'face, a stationary vacuum disc having a surface hermetically engaging'the said wheel face and provided with an arcuate slot located in the f5 path of said openings, a continuous suction means withdrawing air from one end of said slot, and a restriction in the slot between the ends thereof reducing the communication of suction from one side of the restriction to the other. 10

9. In a machine for applying folders to cans comprising a can conveyor, a folder magazine having a bifurcated end plate supporting the lowermost of a stack .of folders, a vacuum wheel rotatablypassing in proximityv to the lowermost folder between the bifurcations of said end plate to Withdraw the said folder from the magazine,

lspring means tending to urge the magazine end plate away froml the suctionA mouths to render them inoperative to withdraw folders, and a vmechanism actuated by the presence of a can in position to receive a folder opposing the spring means to render same ineffective.'

10. In a machine for applying folders to cans i" comprising a can conveyor, `a folder 'magazine having a bifurcated end plate supporting the lowermost of a stack of folders, a vacuum wheel ,f with circumferentially spaced suction mouths rotatably passing in proximity to the lowermost I0 -folder between the bifurcations of said end plate to Withdraw the said folder from the magazine, spring means tending to urge the magazine end plate away from the suction mouths torender them inoperative to withdraw folders, and a n mechanism actuated by the presence of a can in position to receive a folder opposing the spring means to render same ineffective, the control comprising a cam engagingthe springyancl can engaging ymeans operating the cam. I ,4p

HERBERT wp KAGLEY.v