US2313040A - Drying of hollow containers - Google Patents

Description

March 9, 194:3. E. YR'. ALLING :sT/1u.`

DRYING OF' HOLLOW CONTAINERS 1941 5 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26

MWILHWIWHHHHHH /N vg/vrofs,

E'. R. ALLING ErAL i DRYING oF HoLLow CONTAINERS vMar-ch 9, 1943.

Filed Febl 2e, 1941 s sheets-'sheet 2 AIII lll ,4 Trae/V675.

March 9, 1943. R. ALL-ING ETAL 2,313,040

DRYING 0F HOLLOWv CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 26, 1 941 f7 am? Patented Mar. 9, 1943 DRYlNG or HOLLOW CONTAINERS Y E. Roy Alling, Kenmore, and Carl F.` Ulrich,

Buffalo, N. Y.; said Adams Corporation,

Ulrich assignor to Rice ,& Buffalo, N. Y.

Application-February 26, 1941, Serial Noi. 380,682

17 Claims.

This invention relates to the drying of Ahollow containers and particularly to those having substantially restricted mouths or passageways communicating with the interior thereof. Containers of this type for which this invention is particularly useful are the milk cans for conveying fluid milk from the producers to the receiving plant, it being necessary that such c'ans after the milk is emptied be thoroughly washed, sterilized and dried before being returned to the producer.

Can washers commonly used for this purpose guide the cans, with their covers removed, in inverted positions along a selected path by a step by step movement, with substantial periods of rest in selected treating stations between movements. Heretofore, it has been customary to dispose a pipe below said path for directing upwardly into the inverted cans diierent treating fluids, the last of which is a stream of hot, dry air. Such a stream of hot air is under relatively low pressure, and, in order to dry the containers within the relatively short interval of time available in a treating station, the cross sectional area of the stream must be relatively large with respect to the-size of the open mouth of the can. Because of the restricted opening of the can at its mouth, the delivery of such an upwardly directed stream of hot air has heretofore not produced an adequate drying action, and according to this discovery, this apparently has been due tothe fact that the -air within the can acts as a compression chamber or baiiie which resists the entrance of a stream of hot air, with the result that much of the stream is merely deflected laterally and only a minor amount actually enters the can where it must diffuse through the mass of wet-air withinl the can and exert its drying effect.

One object of this invention is to provide improved mechanism for drying hollowcontainers.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device for drying cans with an air stream, in which resistance to flow of air passing through the necks of said cans will be reduced to a minimum, in which the air will iiowin intimate drying contactwith all ofthe interior surfaces of said cans and which will be eective in operation, and relatively inexpensive.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device for drying milk cans which will be positive and effective in operation, and which may be readily adapted for use oncan or container washers previously installed as well as on new washers.

A further object of this invention is to provideY improved means fordryingthe interiors of hollow containers such as milk cans, with Whicha more eiective and rapid drying ofthe entire interior ofthe can is possible within a given interval fof time, with which the drying gasY will-be. more effectively utilized in drying the cans, which may (Cl, 34e-105) be incorporated in existing. types of can washers without material changes intheirdesignvas to other details of treatment, with which thecapacity of the machine in handling cans need not be materially diminished, and .which will be rela.- tively simple, compact, durable, dependable and inexpensive.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for drying the interiors of containers, with which the danger of .injury to. the.

containers will be reduced to a minimum in the.

event yof misplacement of la container.

Various other objects Vand advantages .willbe apparent from the following description of an embodiment'of the invention, and the novelfeatures will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a sideY elevation with partsbroken away, of part of a can ywasher constructed in accordance with my invention, and showing several washing and drying stations;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation of a part ofa can washer, showing the airintake and heater for Ythe drying air which is used. to

dry cans;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partially, in section,

of part of the drying .mechanism of a washer, il-

lustrating the position ofthe .cans in drying stations, with the rising jets or nozzles retracted,

just `as the cans are aboutto .be advanced iorward;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat similarview, of the same showing the cans while at restin drying positions with the rising jets or. spouts inserted through the necks of the cans intothe interior thereof.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of part of a washer, showing the position of the air ducts and blower which provide the drying air to cans in a washer;

Fig. 6 is a plan of a portion ci the apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, showingY the position of the can as it is being advanced along supporting rails into a drying 'station above an upwardly open. air jet; and

Fig. 'I is a sectional plan of a pair of jets showing the mechanism by which those jets are simultaneously lifted together into a drying position and retracted therefrom.

In the illustrated embodimentofthe invention for the treatment of milk cans, a somewhat box like housing or frame l is supported by, suitable legsor brackets 2. Milk cansand their covers. to be washed and driedjare passedthrough the housing from end-to end vand through various positions or stations in which they arev washed and rinsed and then dried with air. Asshown inFig. 1, the Acans are inverte,dwith their mouths, opening downwardly. They .areguidedA through the various positions or stations in the can `washer by guide rails 4 (Fig. 6) which slidingly support the cans, and the cans are shifted from station to station by dogs 5 pivoted on dog bars 6 as is usual in this type of can Washer.

Somewhat similar provision is made for guiding the covers through an upper part of the housing, and in the illustrated embodiment in Fig. l, covers I shown in dotted lines roll on the rail 8 and are held in an upright position bythe rods 9 and I0 which also extend lengthwise through the housing. The rail 8 has suitable notches or indentations at regularly spaced intervals arresting the covers in proper positions to receive washing iluid or drying air as the case may be. Dogs II', similar to dogs 5, mounted upon the reciprocating dog bar I2 advance the coversfrom station to station through the frame.

A rotatable, power actuated shaft I3 (Fig. l) supplies motive power for the reciprocation of the dog bars 6 and I2 in a manner which will nowbe described. A disk or cam I4 is mounted on the shaft I3 and has suitably shaped cam surfaces I5 and IS form'ing a track or cam groove which engages a roller or cam follower I'I that is pivotally mounted on an arm I8 at a point intermediate of the ends thereof. The arm I8 is pivotally secured by a pin I 9 to a stationary support 20 and is oscillated about the pin I9 by the camming action of the surfaces I5 and I6 of the disk against the roller I'I. The upper end of the reciprocating arm I 8 is pivotally connected to a link 2| (Fig. 1) Which is in turn pivotally connected to a pin 2 Ia thatis in turn pivotally connected to an arm 2lb on a shaft 2Ic. The arm 2Ib is articulately connected to dog bars 6, and shaft 2 Ic carries an arm 2 Id which is articulately connected by link 2Ie to the cover operating dog bar I2, so that those dog bars 6 and I 2 are reciprocated in directions lengthwise of the can washer and in the same general direction as that of the upper end of arm I8 under actuation of the cam disk I4. The details of this dog bar actuation alone form no part of this invention, and are common in the can washer art.

It will be understood that as the dog bars reciprocate in the direction of the advance of a can through the washer, the dogs 5 engage the open ends of the various cans, and sincev the dogs are confined to a limited clockwise rotation, as shown in Fig. l, by horizontal flange portions of the dog bars 6 (Fig. 5) they will push against and carry the cans in the direction of advance of the dog bar. The dogs are held in their normal positions .shown in Fig. 1 by overweighting the lower ends thereof and as the dog bar E is retracted from its advanced position, the upper edge of a dogupon coming in contact with the lowermost parts of the next can in succession, will be cammed downwardly thereby so that the dog will pass beneath the can and will then assume its normal pushing position upon the other side of the can preparatory for :advancing that can forward into .its new position. The dogs II are similarly operable when the dog bar I2 is shifted lengthwise of the frame for advancing successive covers from one position or station to another through the can Washer.

During the time in which the dog bars 5 are being 'retractedror shifted to the right in Fig. 1

preparatory to the engagement of the dogs with E the next can in succession, the cans remain at rest. Thus, the cans are moved by increments from one position or station to thenext with relatively short intervals of 'rest in between. In the earlier stations through which the cans pass, they of upstanding conduits or pipes 3I and w slidably mounted are washed and rinsed with streams or sprays of uid from suitable outlets, such as the outlets 22 (Fig. 1), disposed adjacent the cans while in their positions or stations of rest as is usual in this type of Washer. In the last of the stations in the can washer through which the cans are passed, after washing and rinsing in previous stations, they are dried by a stream of warm air usually directed upwardly therein through the open mouths of the cans. Two of such drying stations are shown (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) in which heated air is delivered through the nozzles or delivery pipes 23 and 24 into the cans in the stations above them in a manner which will hereinafter be described.

Air to be used for drying the cans is drawn into the can washer through a screen or lter 25 (Fig. 2) and is then conducted through a suitable heater 26 somewhat diagrammatically shown. The heated air then passes through an air duct 21 into a centrifugal blower or suitable air pump 28. Ihe blower 28, which is driven by a motor 29 delivers airunder a relatively low pressure vbut in substantial volume to a manifold or duct 30 which is advantageously disposed beneath the air nozzles 23 and 24 and extends lengthwise of the path of movement of the cans (Figs. 5 and 7). A pair 32 are connected at their lower ends to the manifold 30 and extend upwardly and terminate adjacent but below the cans in the drying stations (Figs. 4 and 5), so as to discharge a stream of air upwardly towards the mouths of those cans when at rest in those drying stations. IThe nozzles or extension members 23 and 24 are telescopically and upon the pipes 3| and 32 and are movable on those pipes in directions lengthwise thereof so that the effective lengths of those pipes may be adjustably extended upwards and the heated `air effectively discharged through the upper ends of the nozzles 23 and 24 at a point well Within or past the restricted neck of a can into the interior of a can in each of the drying stations as shown in Fig. 4. Since the cans remain in each station only .a relatively short time, a considerable volume or quantity of drying air must be quickly circulated through the cans while in each drying station. The air delivery conduits must therefore be of considerable size, and it will be noted that the cross sectional area of the nozzles 23 and 24 is of a considerable size when compared with the area of the restricted mouth or can. Since the air is under relatively low pressure, it will be apparent that an air stream of such size, if merely directed upwardly towards the mouth of the can, would encounter considerable resistance to its passage through that restricted neck since the air leaving the can would tend to meet the stream delivered toward the can in the restricted neck, and a considerable part of the air intended to flow into and delivered toward the can would be deflected aside by the confined body of air within the can and would not penetrate very far into a can without in any way assisting or contributing to the drying of the can. It would not effectively displace the moisture saturated air already within a can and the drying air entering would merely mix somewhat with wet air. This would not create a rapid drying action on the can. When, however, the length of the pipes SI' and 32 is effectively extended so that the stream of :air is guided entirely into the can and discharged at a point well above or sufficiently through the restricted neck of a can, the drying air will all tend to flow upwardly into the can and displace thewet air from ,the can without any considerable oppositionfrom the` air leaving :the can, and `,upon being deflected bythe uppermost interior walls of the inverted can, it will flow outwardly and downwardly in intimate contact-with the side walls of the can where it is eiective in drying the can walls, and finally will leave the can through the area of the neck around the nozzle. The air streams entering and leaving the can will not be intermingled at a restricted point or entrance, and the drying air will therefore eiectively come into Contact with all the interior walls of the` can for a very eiiicient and rapid drying thereof.

To effect the insertion of the jets or nozzles 23 and 24 into the interior of the cans in the drying stations, a pair of link members or bars 33 and 34 are secured to opposite sides of the lower ends of the nozzles 23 and 24 (Fig. '1) in any suitable manner, such as by pins 35 on the nozzles which loosely engage elongated slots 36 in the links 33 and 34. The bars 33 and 34 are secured together in any suitable manner such as by bolts 31 which pass through spacing members 38 and the bars 33 and 34 and clamp those bars against the spacing members to form a yoke for raising. andl lowering the jets simultaneously. An arm 39 extending somewhat lengthwise of the path of movement of the cans is xed on shaft 40 rockably supported by brackets 40a secured to the frame. One end of the arm 39 is pivotally connected to the middle of the yoke formed of arms 33 and 34 in any suitable manner, such as by a pin 4I which is secured to the yoke andpasses through a somewhat elongated slot 42 inthe arm 39. A weight 43 is secured to the oppositevend of the arm 39 for adjustment therealong and yieldingly urges the arm 39 to rotate in a clockwise direction and to raise the nozzles 23 and 24 towards the positions shown in Fig. 4. The weight 43 is sufficiently heavy that when free it will easily raise the nozzles into the Fig. 4 position, but it is also of a size such that an obstruction, for example a misplaced can, which might be in the path of movement of the rising nozzles 23 and 24, would arrest the upward movement of the jets without danger of injury to the can or strain on the mechanism.

In order to retract the nozzles from the cans so that they will be out of the path of movement `of the cans while the cans arebeing advancedk from station to station, the apparatus is providedwith a positive means for forcibly loweringthe nozzles. To this effect, an arm 44 is secured to the shaft 40 for integral rocking movement therewith, as by a key 45 (Figs. 3 and 4). and shaft 40 forms a unit which may betermed a lever, The arm 44 extends generallyin an upward direction and carries at its yupper end a pin or eye member 46 which is swiveled for rocking movement upon its own axis tothe arm 44. A rod or shaft 41 passes transversely through a suitable aperturein-the pin 46 in a direction generally lengthwise of the path of movement of the cans and carries at one end thereof a c ollar or abutment 49. A coil 'spring 49 is disposed about the rod 41 between pin 46`and collar 48 for e11- gagement against the collar 48 and the pin 46.

When the rod 41 is moved in a, direction to compress the spring between the member 46 and the collar 48, it urges the arm 44 and the arm 39 and shaft 49 to rock in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of shaft 40 andrthereby lowers or retracts the nozzles from, the cans. Forv this purpose the rod 41 is pivotally connected tp one end of a link 50; which is in turn pivotally The arm 44 with arm 39 connected to. crank arm-'5I` (Fig. l)v secured on the-power `actuated. shaftl I3', which is thereby op erable tooreciprocate thelinlk 50 in directions generallylengthwise of the-path of. movement of the cans. An arm 52 vis pivoted` at oneend to the pin connecting link 50 and-rod 41 and at its other endto the frame.` The. arm 52:is operable to guide the movements of arm 59 and rod 41 and limit their reciprocations to aprescribed path. It will thus be seen that as the shaft I3 irotates, it willi cause` the link 5I) andr rod 41 to reciprocate in one direction, and, through the spring 49 engaging the pin 46, cause a counterclockwise (Figs. 3 and 4) rocking of thearm 39 and retraction of the nozzles. Upon reciprooation of rod 41 in the opposite direction, the compression on the spring 49 isgradually reduced until it is no longer sufficient to overcome the Aopposing action of the weight 4,3, and thereupon the nozzles, under the influence of the weight 43, are elevated into the upper or raised positions shown in Figr 4. It is noteworthy that the shaft I3,- as previously mentioned, also drives the dog bars and that the synchronism of the movement of the dog bars and of they retraction ofthe nozzles from their upper positions is effected -byproperly adjusting therelatively angular positions of the cam disk I4 and the arm 5I on the powerV driven shaft I3. IThe disk I4 and arm-5I may beso adjusted that when the cans are -at restA in their quiet positions or treating stations, the rod rod 41 is reciprocated tothe right as shown in Fig. 4,' which releases the pin or member 46 from the engagement by and pressure of the spring 49 rto permit elevation of the nozzles into the upper positions shown` in Fig. 4 by the actionof the weight43. Before the cans are once again advancedby movementof the dog bars, the rod-41 which the spring 49 re-engages the member 46, and forcibly rotates the arm 39 'in a counterclockwise direction to retract the nozzles from the cans.

The covers also are supplied with drying air when in the drying 1positions correspondingwith those of the cans. For this purpose, a 'branch duct 53(Figs.' 1 and 5) communicateswitn the manifold 30, extends upwardly and connects with branch pipes 54 and 55 which discharge air against the can covers in a well known manner.

To overcome clashing and noise,y Aand to. avoid undue shockand wear on the nozzle actuating parts, there is preferablyprovided rubber or resilient bumpers or abutments 60, Figs. 3 to 5 which are mounted in sockets .6I secured Ato theundersideof the housing I. disposed as to be engaged by the pin 4| as the nozzles 23 and 24 reach their upper positions under the influence of the weight 43 (Figs. Band 5), thereby quietly, and gently arresting the movement of the parts in this direction. A somewhat similar result is effected by the compression of the spring 49 between the swivel 46 and abutment 48 on rod 41, when the parts move to their extreme opposite orreverse position in shifting the nozzles 23 and 24 to their retracted positions (Fig. 3).

As shown and described, the members 33 and 34 ofthe yoke forimparting simultaneous move-l f ment ,to the two nozzles 23 and24, are loosely connected tothose nozzles and to the slotted-end of the lever 3-9: Since it is desirable-that this Yoke Should maintain an. epnrximatelv boris" zontal position at-alltimes'in order` to mainwilly be reciprocatedto the leftvin Fig. 4 Vinto the position shown inl Fig. 3, during These bumpers 60 are so` contact with the pin 46 K tinues. its movement toward its limit of move-l tain the discharge ends of the nozzles at the same respective elevations, under all `conditions of use, means are vprovided whereby theyoke is prevented from assuming` a substantially tilted position, such as would cause'unequal movement and possible binding of the nozzles23 and 24 relatively to their respective guide or telescopic tubes 3| and 32.

'I'hemeans shown for this purpose comprises, laterally extending wings or projections 65 vse-` cured to and extending from opposite sides of the nozzles 23 and lcent the upper edges of the yoke members-33 and 34. Thus, should the yoke, for any reason act to tilt, a relatively slight movement of :this kind would cause the upper edges of the members 33 and 34 to engage the wings 65 with-the result that tilting of the yoke to an objectionable extent will be prevented and the nozzles actuatedin-unison and at substantially like elevations.

In order to facilitate assembly of the apparatus, the fan housing 28, the manifold 3U, lower section of thevduct 53, the nozzles structures and parts of their actuating means are secured together as a unit. On the unit is securednapertured lugs 66, preferably four in number,y to the four upper corners of the manifold 30. V On the under side of the housing I are a corresponding number of fixed depending rods 61, the lower ends of which are threaded and are disposedto. extend through the lugs 66 and be stationarily securedthereto as by nuts or other attaching devices, as clearly shownin Figs. 3 to 5 and 7.

The operation of theuapparatus briey is as follows: Cans are fed by suitable means (not shown) into one end of the housing and `are advanced through the housing along the rails 4 by means of the dog bars and dogs 5. In Fig. 1, the cans are advanced from right to left and the apparatus is illustrated at a time when the dog bars are J'ust to left to advance the cans from one position to the next and start a cycle of operations. .At this moment, the arm 59 and rod 41, controlled by the crankarm 5I, have almost their greatest limit of movement to about to pass deadcenter position, and the spring 49 controlled thereby is compressed against the member 46 and holds the telescoping nozzles 23 and 24 in retracted positions well out of the way of the cans which may be advancedl from one station to the next. Y

As the shaft I3 rotates, the. cam disk and the roller I'I Vcause an advance'of the dog bars 6 and the cans pushed thereby, During this advance the spring 49 continues to press .against the member -46 and holds the nozzles retracted. After completion of their forward movement, the dog bars 6, under control of the cam disk I4, are immediately right in Fig. 1 into a position for engagement of each of the dogs .5 with another of the successive cans passing through the apparatus. Beginning at this point in the cycle, the car'n'follower I1 remains stationary while the shaft I3 rotates through an angle of approximately`180 degrees, and during this part of the period of rotation of shaft I3, the cans remain at rest in their respective positions or stations. 4During the period of rest, however, the link 50 is moved to the right in Fig. 1 to such. an extent that compression of spring 49 on pin 46 is reduced, and the spring 49 may even pass entirely out of while the shaft 41. conabout to be moved from right the left, crank arm 5I. is..

reciprocated back toward thesubstantially into ment to the right as shown in Fig. 4 and back again. When spring pressure against pin 46 is su'lciently reduced, the weight 43 operates to oscillate or rock the arm 39 in a clockwise direction and to raise the nozzles into the upper positions shown in Fig. 4. As the shaft I3 continues to rotate and while the dog bars 6 are still at rest, the rod 4'I is moved to the left in Fig. 1 until the spring 49 once again engages the pin 46 and causes a withdrawal of the nozzles from their upper positions into their non-obstructing positions shown in Figs. 1 and 3. At this point, the shaft I3 has been rotated through one complete cycle and the apparatus is then set for a repetition of that cycle as previously described.

During the above mentioned cycle of operation, air is drawn linto theapparatus through lthe lter or screen 25 and passes through the heater 26 and duct 2'I to the centrifugal blower or fan 28. The heated air is then discharged therefrom into the manifold 30 and ows continuously through the conduits 3| and 32and the nozzles or members 23 and 24 to effect the drying of the cans. Another stream of -air is discharged from the manifold 30 through the conduit 53 and branches 54 and 55 against the covers in their respective drying stations. It will be understood, ofcourse, that the covers also are advanced throughthe respective stations by operation of the dog bar 8 and the dogs II in a well known manner.

One will `observe that the apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention provides for most effective use of heated air in large volume under relatively low pressure for drying the details which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of thev invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. Improved apparatus for drying a hollow container having a restricted opening communicat ing with the interior thereof with an injected stream of gas of relatively large cross sectional area withrespect to theY area of said opening, which comprises means for advancing said container through a drying station with a period of rest in that station', a source of drying gas under pressure, a conduit for delivery of drying gas therethrough to the opening in said container when in said station, a tubular discharge extension member telescopically connected to said end of said conduit and shiftable lengthwise along said conduit while in telescopic relation therewith for selectively increasing and decreasing the effective length thereof, means for yieldingly urging said member in a direction outwardlyalong said conduit into a drying position in which said member extends through the 'restricted opening of said container the interior of said container while said container is in said station, and means operable Vin timed relation to said advancing means for positively retracting said member from said position before said .container leaves said station whereby a stream ofY drying gas will flow effectively through the interior of said container when in said station.

2. Improved apparatus for drying a hollow container having a restricted opening communicating with the interior thereof with an injected stream of gas of relatively large cross sectional area with respect to the area of said opening, which comprises means for advancing said container through a drying station with a period ci rest in that station, a source of drying gas under pressure, a conduit connected to said source and having an outlet end adjacent said station for delivery of drying gas therethrough to the opening in said container when in said station, a tubular discharge extension member telescopically connected to said end of said conduit and shiftable lengthwise along said conduit while in telescopic relation therewith for selectively increasing and decreasing the eiective length thereof, means yieldingly urging said member outwardly along said conduit towards a drying position in which said member extends through the restricted opening of and substantially into the interior oi said container when in saidstation, andretraction means for withdrawing said member back along said conduit from said drying position and holding said member in a position in which it will not obstruct'the advance of said container while said container is moving into and out of said station.

3. In' a can washer of the-type in which the washed cans are passed through a drying station in which a stream of gas of relatively large cross sectional area with respect to the area across the neckof a can is injected'into said cans, the improvement which comprises a power actuated membei", a-sourcel oi'heated gas under relatively low pressure, a-conduit connected to said source and having an open discharge outlet adjacent said drying station, meansV driven by said member for advancinga can intosaid drying station, means yieldingly urging said conduit outlet through the neck ofy said can into a-drying position substantially within said can while in said station, means driven by said member for advancing said can out of said station after said canhas remained an interval at rest therein, and means driven by said member in timed relation to said advancing means for retracting and holding said'conduit outlet retracted fromsaid drying position and out of the path of movement of said can while said can is advancing into and out of said station, wherebyk drying gas will effectively flow'throughout-the entire interior of said can in said station.

4: Improved apparatus for drying a hollow containerhaving a restricted passageway communieating with the interior thereof which comprises means for advancing said container into av drying station, leaving said Vcontainer at rest in said station during an interval, and Ythen advancing said container out of said station, a source of drying, gas under pressure, a 'tubular conduit connected to said sourceandhaving an outlet terminal disposed adjacent to said station and extending towards the passageway` of'said container whenat rest in saidstation, a tubular discharge spout telescopically connecting with said terminal to receive^iiuid passing therethrough and mounted for telescopic movement with 1respect to and lengthwise'ofsaid-terminal, means for continuously and yieldingly urging said spout outwardly from said conduit `into adrying position in which said spout extends through said passageway and dischargesat a'point substantially within said container at rest in said station, and power actuated means for retracting said spout from said drying position and holding it out of the path of movement of said container while said container is moving into and out of said station.

5. In a can washer of the type in which inverted cans are guided along an approximately horizontalpath through drying stations in which a stream of drying gas of relatively large diameter with respect'to the diameter of theneck of a can is injected through said'neck into said can, the improvement which comprises meansfor advancing said cans in succession into a dryingv station, leaving'said cansiat rest in said station during an intervalof time, and then removing said cans from said station, a source of drying gas under pressure, a conduit in communication with said source, said conduit having a discharge tube extending upwardly adjacent said station in` a direction toward' the mouth of any can when at rest in said station, a, tubularv extension member telescoping with said discharge'tube and movable lengthwisewith respect thereto for increasing and decreasing the effective length of said discharge tube, means operable when released for shifting said telescoping member upwardly along said tube through the neck of andk substantially into the interior of a can at rest in said station, whereby said conduit will eiectively discharge a stream of drying gas at a point substantially within said can, and means for retracting said member downwardly outof the path of movement of said can, holding'it retracted for an interval during which said'cans are advanced, and then releasing it.

6. In a can washer 'of the typeA in which inverted cans are guided along anv approximately horizontal path through a drying station iin which a stream of drying gasv of relativelylarge diameter with respect to the diameter of the neck of a can is injected through said neck into said can, the improvement which comprises means for advancing said cans in succession into said drying station, leaving said cans at rest in said station during an interval of time, and then removing said cans from said station, a source of drying gas under pressure, aconduit in communicationwith said source, said conduit having a discharge tube extending upwardly adjacent said station in a direction toward the mouth of any can when at rest insaid station, a tubular extension member telescoping-with said discharge tube and movable lengthwise with respect thereto for increasing'and decreasing the eiective length of said discharge tube, means yieldingly urging said memberupwardly along said tube into a drying position in which yit discharges at a point substantiallywithin saidA can when at rest in said station, and power actuated means operable in timed relation with said advancing means ior retracting said member downwardly out ofthe path of movement of said can, and holding saidmember in retracted position-while said can is moving into and! out of said station, and then releasing it.

7. In a can washer of the type in which inverted, open mouth cans are guided along a sub- `stantially horizontal path through a plurality cf'washing and drying stations, the improvement which comprises, means forl advancing each of said cans into successive'drying stations, leaving said cans at rest during-aninterval 'of 'time in each of said stations and advancing said cans out of each of said stations, a source of drying gas under relatively low pressure, a pipe extending upwardly toward and terminating adjacent one of said drying stations, and having an open end for the emission of drying gas toward a can in said station, another pipe similarly terminating adjacent another of said drying stations, mea-ns for connecting the other ends of said pipes to said source, a tubular extension member telescopically connected to the said terminal end of each of said pipes, and shiftable lengthwise of said pipes into and out of drying positions in which each of said members extends substantially through the neck and'into the interior of a ca-n at rest in each of said stations, whereby drying gas may be eiectively circulated through said cans, an element connecting said members for movement therewithg means yieldingly urging said element in a rising direction, and means operable in timed relation to the advancement of said cans through said stations for forcibly lowering said element and holding it lowered while said advancing means operates to advance the cans, and then releasing it.

8. Improved apparatus for drying a hollow container having a restricted aperture therein which comprises a source of heated air under relatively low pressure, a pipe connected with said source and having a discharge end opening upwardly, means for advancing said container into a station above said discharge end in which said pipe discharges towards said aperture, means for yieldingly urging relative approach of said discharge end and said container in a direction to insert said discharge end entirely through said aperture into said container, and means operable to forcibly withdraw it out of the interior of said container, and means for advancing said container out of said station while said discharge end is entirely outside of said container.

9.V Improved apparatus for drying the interior of a hollow container having an opening therein, which comprises means for advancing a container through a drying station, a source of drying gas under pressure, a conduit connected to said source and having a discharge outlet adjacent said station for delivery of a stream of drying gas therethrough into said container, means operable in timed relation to said advancing means for yieldingly inserting said outlet of said conduit through the opening in said container and a substantial distance into the interior thereof while said container is in said station and for forcibly removing said outlet from said container before it leaves said station, whereby drying gas passing through said outlet will iiow in intimate contact with the inner walls of said container.

10. Improved apparatus for drying the interior of a hollow container having an opening therein, which comprises means for advancing a container through a drying station, a source of drying gas under pressure, a conduit connected to said source and having a discharge outlet adjacent said station for delivery of a stream of drying gas therethrough into said container, said conduit outlet being mounted for movement into and out of a drying position substantially within said container when in said; station, means for yieldingly urging said outlet toward said drying position, and means operable in timed relation to said advancing means for retracting, and holding retracted, said outlet from said drying position while said container is entering and leaving said station, and then releasing it whereby said container may be thoroughly dried by gas flowing in intimate contact with the interior walls thereof.

- 11. A machine for drying the interiors of cans having substantially restricted open mouths, which comprises means for conveying said cans in succession and in inverted positions along a prescribed path, with intervals of rest at selected points in said path representing treating'stations, a source of drying gas under relatively low pressure, a pipe connected to said source and having a discharge end disposed below saith.l path at one of said stations and discharging upwardly into the mouth of an inverted ca-n in that station a stream of said drying gas, and means operable in timed relation to the movement of the cans along said path for yieldingly urging the discharge end of said pipe through the restricted mouth of any can in said station while that can is substantially in said station, and for forcibly removing it fully from said container and holding it removed during the interval whenever there is any movement of the cans along said path.

12. A machine for drying the interiors of cans having substantially restricted open mouths, which comprises means for conveying said cans in succession and in inverted positions along a prescribed path, with intervals of rest at selected points in said path representing treating stations, a source of drying gas under relatively low pressure, a pipe connected to said source and having a discharge end disposed below said path at one of said stations and discharging upwardly into the mouth of an inverted can in that station a stream of said drying gas, means normally urging the discharge end of said pipe yieldingly and continuously in a direction upwardly through the restricted mouth of any can in said station, means operable in timed relation to the movement of said cans along said path for normally holding said terminal below said path during movement of said can conveying means and for releasing said terminal for upward movement while the conveying means is inactive, whereby the stream of gas then entering a can into which the terminal discharges may rise to the top of the interior of the inverted can and displace all of the air within the can with said drying gas, and for then lowering said discharge end below said path before said cans are moved along said path, and holding it lowered until the can movement has been completed.

13'. Improved apparatus for drying the interiors of hollow containers having relatively restricted open mouths, which comprises means for conveying said containers in inverted positions along a selected path in a step by step movement, with substantial intervals of rest between movements so as to convey said inverted containers in succession through treating stations with periods of rest in said stations, a source of drying gas under pressure, a pipe connected to said source and disposed beneath said path at one of said stations and directed upwardly towards the open mouth of any container in that station, a nozzle telescoping with said pipe and movable thereon into and outof the restricted mouth of any container in said station, the eX- tent of movement being suiiicient to carry the discharge end of said nozzle substantially through the restricted open mouth, means yieldingly and continuously urging said nozzle upwardly into any container in said station, and means operable in timed relation to the movement of said cans and operable to positively pull said nozzle downwardly below said path during the interval of movement of said cans along said path and to release it duringthe interval between such movements.

14. Improved apparatus for drying the interiors of hollow containers having relatively restricted open mouths, which comprises means for conveying said containers in inverted positions along a selected path in a step by step movement, with substantial intervals of rest between movements so as to convey said inverted containers in succession through treating stations with periods of rest in said stations, a source of drying gas under pressure, a pipe connected to said source and disposed beneath said path at one of said stations and directed upwardly towards the open mouth of any container` in that station, a nozzle telescoping with said pipe and movable thereon into and out of the restricted mouth of any container in said station, the extent of movement being sufficient to carry the discharge end of said nozzle substantially through the restricted open mouth, a lever mounted for rocking movement, means connecting said lever to said nozzle for causing elevation and lowering of said nozzle upon oscillation of said lever, means urging said lever yieldingly to rock in a direction to elevate said nozzle, a pin mounted on said lever for rocking movement therewith and having an aperture therethrough from face to face, a rod slidingly passing through said aperture and having an abutment, a spring on said rod between said abutment and said pin, means connected to said rod and operable in timed relation to the conveying means for operating said rod endwise in one direction to compress said spring against said pin and through the spring rock said lever in a direction to cause a lowering of said nozzle and hold it lowered during the interval in which said conveying means is advancing containers from station to station, and in the opposite direction to shift said rod through said pin, release said pin from the action of said spring sufficiently to enable a rocking of said lever in a direction and for a distance to elevate said nozzle through said open mouth of a container thereabove between container advancing movements of said conveying means.

15. Improved apparatus for drying the interiors of hollow containers having relatively restricted open mouths, which comprises means for conveying said containers in inverted positions along a selected path in a step by step movement, with substantial intervals of rest between movements so as to convey said inverted containers in succession through treating stations with periods of rest in said stations, a source of drying gas under pressure, a pipe connected to said source and disposed beneath said path at one of said stations and directed upwardly towards the open mouth of any container in that station, a nozzle telescoping with said pipe and movable thereon into and out of the restricted mouth of any container in said station, the extent of movement being sufficient to carry the discharge end of said nozzle substantially through the restricted open mouth, a lever mounted for rocking movement, means connecting said lever to said nozzle ior causing elevation and lowering of said nozzle upon oscillation of said lever, means urging said lever yieldingly to rock in a direction to elevate said nozzle, a pin mounted on said lever for rocking movement therewith and for independent oscillation thereon about an axis parallel to the oscillation axis of said lever, and having an aperture therethrough from face to face, a rod slidingly passing through said aperture and having an abutment, a spring on said rod between said abutment and said pin, means connected to said rod and operable in timed relation to the conveying means for operating said rod endwise in one direction to compress said spring against said pin and through the spring rock said lever in a direction to cause a lowering of said noz- :zle and hold it lowered during the interval in which said conveying means is advancing containers from station tostation, and in the opposite direction to shift said rod through said pin, release said pin from the action of said spring suficiently to enable a rocking of said lever in a direction and for a distance to elevate said nozzle through said open mouth of a container thereabove between container advancing movements of said conveying means.

16. Improved apparatus for drying the interiors of hollow containers which comprises power operated means for conveying said containers along a selected path successively through a drying station in a step by step movement, with substantial intervals of rest between movements, a source oi drying gas under pressure, a tube, means connecting said source to said tube, means supporting said tube and any container in said station for relative movement in a direction to cause entry of said tube into said container in said stations and its retraction therefrom, a crank operated by said power operated means in timed relation thereto, an arm for causing said relative movement of the tube and container, means urging said arm in a direction to cause entry of said tube into said container in said station, and connecting means acting between said arm and said crank for forcibly moving said arm in a direction to cause relative removal of said tube from said container in said drying station during one portion of each revolution of said crank, for releasing said arm in another portion of said revolution, and for holding said arm in tube withdrawn position during continued movement of said crank in another portion of each revolution following each relative withdrawal of said tube from said container in drying position.

17. Improved apparatus for drying the interiors of hollow containers which comprises power operated means for conveying said containers along a selected path successively through a drying station in a step by step movement, with substantial intervals of rest between movements, a source of drying gas under pressure, a tube, means connecting said source to said tube, means supporting said tube and any container in said station for relative movement in a direction to cause entry of said tube into said container in said station and its retraction therefrom, a crank operated by said power operated means in timed relation thereto, an arm for causing said relative movement of tube and container, means yieldingly urging said arm in a direction to cause entry of said tube into said container in said station, and means operatingly connecting said crank and arm to cause` said relative retraction of said tube against the action of said urging means under the force transmitted by said crank.

E. ROY ALLING. CARL F. ULRICH.

Images