US2506791A

US2506791A - Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers

Info

Publication number: US2506791A
Application number: US96844A
Authority: US
Inventors: John C Johnson; Walter H Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-06-03
Filing date: 1949-06-03
Publication date: 1950-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1967-05-09

Description

y 1950 J. c. JOHNSON ET AL 2,506,791

DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLE CLOSURE CAP HOPPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1949 INVENTORS. I (3 Johnson M y 9, 1950 J. c. JOHNSON ET AL 2,506,791

DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLE CLOSURE CAP HOPPERS 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 3, 1949 INVENTORS J C Jamison BY W. H Jk/msan Wqzzi' Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES ATNT OFFICE DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLE CLOSURE CAP HOPPER/S Application June 3, 1949, Serial No. 96,844

4 Claims.

This invention relates to hoppers for holding and delivering receptacle closure caps in predetermined position to apparatus for working on said closure caps, such as apparatus for assembling sealing pads therein or apparatus for applying lassembled closure caps to receptacle, commonly known as cappers.

The invention is particularly related to discharge means for said hoppers and it is the object of the invention to provide means of this character which will facilitate the discharge of closure caps from the hopper in an orderly manner and prevent jamming of the closure caps.

The object of the invention is accomplished by providing a passage in said means formed by a traveling endless belt at one side and a yielding portion in the opposite side wall of the pas-' sage and dividing said passage into two parts at the inlet end thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the detailed description of the invention.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a hopper provided with the improved discharge means forming the embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the discharge means with portions of fixed and hinged covers broken away to show the structure of said means.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view looking at the left hand side of Figure 2.

The embodiment of the invention is shown mounted on a hopper shown in a general manner in Figure 1 and of the type shown in Patent No. 2,069 762, issued February 9, 1937, to John A. Johnson, consisting of a hopper casing for holding a supply of closure caps and having a hopper supply opening, as shown at 4 in Figure 1. The discharge opening of the hopper casing is provided with an annular member 5 secured to said hopper casing and arranged with a swinging arm 6 for rotatably supporting a drum having one end juxtaposed to. the discharge opening of the hopper casing to receive closure caps therefrom and the opposite end closed and provided with an annular channel by a disk 1 secured in spaced relation to said opposite end of the drum on a shaft 8 rotatably supported by the arm 5. The drum is also secured to and supported by the shaft &. The annular channel is closed for the greater part of its circumference by a part of the annular memher 5 and open at the lower portion where the annular member is arranged with a pedestal portion 9. The hopper is supported in elevated position by shown at H. connected in communication with the upper end a standard It] on which the pedestal portion is mounted. The annular channel positions the closure caps to extend in a vertical plane and the closure caps are delivered in said position from the annular channel through the opening at the lower portion thereof.

A detailed description and disclosure of the hopper is not deemed necessary as it forms no part of the invention and is fully illustrated and described in Patent No. 2,069,762.

Means are provided to receive the closure caps discharged from the opening in the annular channel and deliver said closure caps in an orderly manner to a chute H for delivering the closure caps in a row to the desired apparatus for working on said closure caps, indicated in a general way at I2. The discharge end of the chute is supported by the apparatus l2, as shown at 5|, and arranged with a pawl l3 pivotally supported by a side wall of the chute and having a laterally extending pin Hi to facilitate reciprocation of the pawl by suitable actuating means, not shown, to control the discharge of closure caps from the chute II to the apparatus l2.

The means to receive the closure caps discharged from the hopper and deliver said closure caps to the chute comprises a plate l5 having at the upper edge portion a rearwardly offset flange it to be engaged and secured on the rear face of a depending portion of the annular member 5, as The lower edge of the plate is of the chute II by providing said upper end of the chute with a rearwardly offset flange secured to the rear face of the plate with the front face of the plate and the closure cap supporting surface of the chute extending in the same end of the chute ll.

plane, as shown at la in Figure 3. A passage is formed on the front face of the plate l5 extending from the flange 16 to the upper One side wall of the passage is formed by one stretch of an endless belt in the form of a sprocket chain l9 engaged around sprocket wheels 20 secured to shafts 2| and 22 rotatably mounted in bosses 23 integral with and projecting from the rear face of the 5 plate l5. The belt is actuated from the actuating means for rotating the drum and disk of the hopper by a transmission belt 2e engaged around a pulley 25 secured to an extended end portion of the shaft 22 and a pulley 26 secured on a shaft shown in Figure 2. Said side wall of the pas- 3 sage is completed at the peripheries of the sprocket wheels 20 by

blocks

28 and 29 secured to the front face of the plate and each block having an arcuate edge extending around the portions of the endless belt engaged by the sprocket wheels, as shown in Figure 2. The edge of the block 28 completing the upper end portion of the side wall of the passage extends as a continuation of the stretch of the endless belt, as shown at 30, and the edge of the block 29 completing the lower end portion of the side wall extends as a continuation of the adjacent side wall of the chute II, as shown at 3| in Figure 2.

The opposite wall of the passage on the front face of the plate I5 is formed by an abutment member 32 secured along the side edge portion of the plate I5 opposite the side edge portion provided with the endless belt I9. The upper end of the abutment member terminates at the lower edge of the flange I 6 and the lower end of said abutment member extends in an oblique direction to form an abutting face for the free end portion of an arm 34 pivotally mounted on a block 35 secured to the plate IS in line with the side wall of the chute I I opposite the side wall in line with the edge 3| of the block 28, as shown in Figure 2. The free end of the arm 34 is yieldingly urged into engagement with the lower oblique edge of the abutment member 32 by a spring 31 having one end supported by a pin secured to and extended from a post 39 mounted on the front face of the plate I5. The opposite end of the spring is engaged on a pin 40 mounted in the arm 34 intermediate the ends thereof. The arm 34 forms a yielding portion in the side wall of the passage formed by the abutment member 32, arm 34 and block 35, so that a jamming of the closure caps in said passage will move the free end of the arm 34 outwardly from the adjacent side edge of the plate I5 and said movement of the arm relieving said jam of closure caps.

To further facilitate the discharge of closure caps from the hopper to the chute H, the upper end of the passage on the front face of the plate I 5 adjacent to the flange I6 is separated into two even parts by an elongated member or block 4| secured to the front face of the plate IS in parallel relation to the abutment member 32, as shown in Figure 2. The member 4| will separate the closure caps discharged from the hopper into two rows which will become one row of closure caps at the entrance to the chute H by the arm 34 diverging from the abutment member 32 to the chute and the travel of the endless belt [9.

The endless belt I!) is covered by a plate 42 secured to the

blocks

28, 29 by screws 43. The passage on the front face of the plate I5 is covered by a closure plate 44 pivotally mounted on the plate 42 by hinges 45, as shown in Figure 1. The cover plate 44 in closing position will abut the abutment member 32 and block 35 which are of greater thickness than the arm 34, so that the cover plate 44 in closed position will not interfere with the pivotal movement of said arm. The closure plate 44 is releasably retained in closing position by a latch in the form of a wing bolt 46 screw threaded in a block 41 secured to the front face of the plate I5 and the bolt adapted to engage a slot 48 extending into the cover plate from an obliquely extending edge 49 at the lower free corner of the cover plate. The slot 48 is engaged with the bolt 46 when the wings thereof extend in the direction of the slot 48 and the cover plate is retained in closing position by rotating the bolt to position the wings to extend transversely of the slot, as shown in Figure 1. The closure plate 44 will also abut the block 41 in closing position. The closure plate 44 is provided with slots 50 to inspect the closure caps in the passage on the front face of the plate I5 and permit insertion of instruments to break-up a jam of closure caps without opening the closure plate.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers, a plate mounted at the upper edge portion on the hopper, a chute mounted at the upper end portion on the lower edge portion of the plate intermediate the side edges of the plate, an endless belt supported by the plate relative to a side edge portion of the plate with one stretch of the endless belt traveling relative to a side of the chute, an arm pivotally mounted on the plate relative to the other side of the chute to have movement transversely of the lower corner of the plate at the side portion of the plate opposite the side portion arranged with the endless belt, a spring supported by the plate to engage the outer side of the arm, and an abutment member secured to the plate to engage the free end of the arm under the force of the spring and form with said arm one side of a passage on the plate having the opposite side formed by the endless belt.

2. In discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers, a plate mounted at the upper edge portion on the hopper, a chute mounted at the upper end portion of the lower edge portion of the plate intermediate the side edges of the plate, and a passage on the plate extending from the upper edge to the chute formed by an endless belt supported by the plate with one stretch of the belt forming a side wall of the passage, and the opposite side wall of the passage being formed by an abutment member secured to the plate juxtaposed to a side edge and adjacent to the upper end of the plate, an arm pivotally mounted on the plate at one side of the chute with the free end adapted to engage the abutment member and a spring supported by the plate to yieldingly position the free end of the arm in engagement with the abutment member and form with the arm a yielding portion of said side wall of the passage.

3. Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper portion of the passage is divided by an elongated member secured to the plate to extend parallelly of the abutment member and spaced from the opposite side walls of the passage.

4. Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers as claimed in claim 3, wherein the endless belt is covered by a second plate secured to the first plate in spaced relation thereto, and the passage is covered by a closure plate pivotally mounted on the second plate and adapted to be releasably retained to the first plate in spaced relation thereto.

JOHN C. JOHNSON. WALTER H. JOHNSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,072,790 Tevander Sept. 9, 1913 1,469,557 Goebel Oct. 2, 1923 2,069,762 Johnson Feb. 2, 1937 2,13 3 J son Oct. 18, 1938