US2439075A

US2439075A - Can transfer and orienting mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2439075A
Application number: US543448A
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew L Christiansen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1944-07-04
Filing date: 1944-07-04
Publication date: 1948-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 1965-04-06

Description

April 6, 1948. A. L. CHRISTIANSEN 2,439,075

CAN TRANSFER AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Filed July 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 III/4 q [AWE/V702 I Aime/vex A. L. CHRISTIANSEN CAN TRANSFER AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Filed Juiy 4, 1944 April 6, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

i W x4/VD/PEWL CHE/SWA/VSf/V i -5555 BY 1 fii ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6, 1948 CAN TRANSFER AND ORIENTING MECHANISM Andrew L. Christiansen, Willowbrook, Calif.

Application July 4, 1944, Serial No. 543,448

4 Claims.

:My invention relates to a can transfer and conveying mechanism.

-'One of the principal objects of this invention is toprovide relatively simple and efficient means for transferring cans,.,particularly cans open at one end, from oneconveyor to another, so that the cans may be conveyed with their openings directed upwardly.

An important object also of this invention is to provide a mechanism of this class in which cans which are lying on their sides, and open atone end (that is, with the openings of the loans on the side), are turned with such openings directed upwardly, and in which such turning of the cans is effected while transferring the cans from one conveyor to another.

An important object also of this invention is to provide-a novelmeans for turning an article from one position to'a position substantially at right'angles thereto.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a mechanism of this class in which theturningoperation is performed with a minimum of vibration or shock to the can and the contents "therein, and particularly while the can is being received and transferred froina conveyor.

With these and otherobjects in View, as will appear hereinafter, I have devised a mechanism for transferring and conveying cans, and onehaving certain novel features of construction, combination, and-arrangement of parts and 'portions as will be hereinafter described in detail -andpar ticularly set forth in he appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and tothe characters of reference thereon, Whichiforrn apart of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of my can transfor and conveying mechanism, in a preferred form, fortransferring cans from a can packing ma'c'l'n'ne toa conveyor;

Fig. 2 .is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through 2-2 of-Fig. 11, showing the 2 tional views thereof, taken through 33 and L of Fig. 1, showing intermediate stages in the tilting or turning of'the packing cans in the transfer mechanism Fig. 3 showing .by dotted lines a can in a slightly greater:tilted position than that shown inFig. 2; and,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end-elevational view of the transiermechanism-irom which the cans are discharged to a conveyor inupright position, a can being shown on such conveyor.

My present 'machine is an improvement of United States Patent No. 2,195,882, issued to me, April 1940, fora Canpacking machine. The frame I, the can conveyor *2, mounted thereon, and the packing conveyor 3 also mounted on the frame, are similar to those shown .in the above patent. Only thedischarge ends of these conveyors are here shown. The discharge end of the conveyor .2 is shown as carired on a sprocket d which is mounted on a shaft '5,.revo1ub1y supported in a horizontal position. at one end of the frame I.

The conveyor 2 consists primarily of a continuous series of transverse blocks 2 carried by a link belt 2*. The adjacent sides of the blocks have semi-cylindrical recesses which together form a cylindrical pocket. lIn each of such cylinrical pockets is positioned a correspondingly shaped can. This can, designated C, with one end of the can open, and which has'been previously packed by this machine with a suitable product, is carried in such pocket, transversely of the longitudinal extentof the conveyor. The :blocks 2 when carried around the discharge end of the conveyor, are "separatedas shown, causing the pocket to be opened and allowing the can between the adjacent blocks to be carried by the leading block until 'it assumes a receding and inclined position, as the block designated 2 The can carried by the block is then discharged, or allowed to fall by gravity, from the cradle of the carrying block.

My present invention relates to a mechanism which receives the packed .cans in a lying position, that is, with the opening at the side, from the aforementioned conveyor, and turning the same, with the openings of the cans directed upwardly, and depositing the same on another conveyor.

Such turning mechanism, as shown in the drawings, consists primarily of a helical passageway embodied in an open chute II. This chute extends from the discharge end and in the direction of the conveyor 2, but downwardly therefrom. It consists of a plurality of rectangular frames I! which are connected by a plurality of twisted strips or guides Il These strips or guides are so twisted that the passageway within the chute assumes the shape of a helix, for receiving, at the high end of the chute, the cans in a lying position from the conveyor 2, tending to cause the same, aided by the force of gravity, to be directed toward the opposite or low end of the chute, and to be gradually turned from a lying position to a substantially upright position at said lower end. The arrangement of the strips or guides, as shown best in the enlarged section in Fig. 4, may consist of a bottom strip or guide and two strips or guides at the opposite sides.

The cans are retained in the path of the blocks 2*, at the discharge end of the conveyor 2, and

also at a slight angle backwardly, by a guard I2 which is supported by the frame I beyond the discharge end of the conveyor 2. The cans C fall from the cradles in the blocks 2 against the guard I2, and as the blocks are withdrawn from the guard, the cans drop toward the receiving end of the chute. At the opposite sides of the guard I2 are other guard plates l3 for locating the ends of the cans and definitely guiding the cans into the chute.

In order to facilitate the transfer of the cans from the conveyor 2 to the chute I I, I have provided a pair of link belts or chain conveyors I t and I immediately below the discharge end of the conveyor 2, these belts l4 and I5 extending into the receiving end of the chute II. The end of the upper stretches of the belts l4 and I5, positioned under or near the discharge end of the conveyor 2, are of the same height, that is, they are horizontal with respect to each other, but the opposite or lower ends of these belts, that is, the ends extending into the chute II, are such that the conveyor I5 is lower than the conveyor Hi. The cans drop on the horizontal ends of the belts I4 and I5, and are thereby given an initial turn in the direction of the helical passageway of the chute.

In order to carry out such arrangement of the belts, the receiving end of the belts I4 and I5 extend around like diameter sprockets I5 mounted on the shaft IT. The opposite ends of the upper. stretches of these belts respectively extend around a large sprocket l8, and a smaller sprocket l9, both mounted on the same shaft 20. These belts areof the same length and are held taut by idler sprockets 2| and 22, arranged on difierent axes, substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

Both of these link belts or chain conveyors are provided with stops or lugs 23 for checking the progress of the cans and feeding the same individually from the conveyor 2 through the chute II onto thereceiving conveyor 24.

The cans may be deposited directly from the chute II onto the conveyor 24. There may be provided a guard (not shown) at the side of the conveyor 24 to prevent the cans from being projected beyond the latter conveyor.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to the same, but desire to include in the scope of my .invention the construction, com- 4 bination, and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

- 1. In a mechanism of the class described, a pair of horizontal conveyors, the first having means for holding cans transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent of the latter conveyor and for conveying the same, means for transferring said cans from the latter conveyor to a substantially upright position on the other conveyor, said means comprising a downwardly inclined helical passageway of substantially rectangular cross-section for receiving at one end the cans transversely therein from the first conveyor and in substantially the positions of the cans on said first conveyor, said passageway directing said cans toward the opposite end thereof and simultaneously turning the same so that they may be deposited in said substantially upright position on the other conveyor, and a third conveyor positioned at the bottom of the receiving end of the helical passage means the upper stretch of the third conveyor being inclined to conform to the downward inclination of the helical passage means, one end of the third conveyor being positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor for receiving cans in substantially horizontal positions from the first conveyor, the upper portion of the opposite end of the third conveyor being inclined transversely at substantially the transverse angle of the helical passage means into which said end of the third conveyor extends, the third conveyor having lonitudinally spaced partitions for receiving singly the cans from the first conveyor.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, a conveyor having means for holding cans transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent thereof, and for conveying the same, means in association therewith for receiving said cans from said conveyor and turning the same upwardly at an angle, said means comprising a helical passageway of substantially rectangular cross-section for receiving said cans one end thereof from said conveyor and directing the same toward the opposite end thereof and simultaneously turn ing said cans so that they may be turned in a substantially upright position at said opposite ends, and a second conveyor positioned at the bottom of the receiving end of the helical assage means, the upper stretch of the conveyor being inclined downwardly, one end of the second conveyor being positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor for receiving cans in substantially horizontal positions from the first conveyor, the upper portion of the opposite end of the second conveyor being inclined transversely at substantially the transverse angle of the helical passage means into which said end of the second conveyor extends, the second conveyor having longitudinally spaced partitions for receiving singly the cans from the-first conveyor.

3. In a mechanism of the class described, a pocket conveyor having transverse pockets for conveying cams on the side, another conveyor positioned below the former for receiving the cans and partly turning the same with one end upwardly, a guard extending around the discharge end of the first conveyor for directin cans sidewise to said second conveyor, and a downwardly inclined helical chute for receiving cans sidewise from the second conveyor and. rotating the same to an upright position.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, a pocket conveyor comprising an endless chain having transverse pockets therein and a wheel around which the discharge end of said chain extends, cans adapted to be placed sidewise in the pocket and adapted to be discharged therefrom when said cans are positioned substantially laterally from the axis of said wheel, another conveyor positioned below the former for receiving the cans and partly turning the same with one end upwardly, a guard extending around the discharge end of the first conveyor for directing the cans sidewise to said second conveyor, and a downwardly inclined helical chute for receiving cans side wise from the second conveyor and rotating the same to an upright position.

ANDREW L. CHRISTIANSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 699,244 Rubin May 6, 1902 1,752,340 Holm Apr. 1, 1930 2,097,368 Frank Oct. 26, 1937