US2611522A

US2611522A - Die

Info

Publication number: US2611522A
Application number: US235865A
Authority: US
Inventors: George W Stockburger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-07-09
Filing date: 1951-07-09
Publication date: 1952-09-23
Anticipated expiration: 1969-09-23

Description

Sept. 23, 1952 G. w. STOCKBURGER 2,611,522

' DIE I Original Filed March 5, 1947 I 4 Sheet s-Sheet 1 I F ,INVENTOR. v 65036 k/J-mmwwm v a. w. STOCKBURGER DIE Sept. 23, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 5 1947 INVENTOR. 650%: M

SracmunaER ATM RNEY P 1952 G. w. STOCKBURGER 2,611,522

DIE

Original Filed march 5, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTOR. GEoRaEVSTa k GER ATTORNEY Sept. 23, 1952 G. w. STOCKBURGER DIE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed March 5, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

0A My W i M M J m 6 M f 6 Patented Sept. 23, 1952 I UNITED STATES PATQSENT osmos- DIE George W. Stockburger, Philadelphia, Pa.

Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 732,553, March 5, 1947. This application July 9, 1951, Serial No. 235,865

has vexed manufacturers, suppliers and users of containers for many years. The closures must adhere tightly to the containers to prevent efilux of the contents andto prevent influx of foreign matter, and yet they must be readilyremovable by the ultimate consumer's hands or by the simple tools available to the ultimate consumer. Some of the closures have had discs of cork or other resilient material which were held in contact with the mouths of the containers by metal caps that fitted over the outsides ofthe containers. Others consisted of circular discs that fitted recesses adjacent the mouths of the containers, and those closures were held in place by friction. Still other closures were'hood-like in form and fitted over the necks of the containers; and those closures were held in placeby being crimped or pressed against the containers. In addition, closures have been used that were of resilient material and ,fitted into or over the mouths of containers and were held in place by friction. Each of these various closures is usable with varying degrees of success, but none of them is completely satisfactory from the standpoints of cost, tightness, ready removability, and protection against contamination of the contents of the containers. As a result, a definite need existed for an improved closure for containers; that need was met by the invention disclosed in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 772,378, for Receptacle Closure,'now Patent No. 2,586,446.

When closures, made in accordance with said invention, are pressed against containers in the presence of heat, those closures become firmly sealed and attached to the containers in such a way that they completely protect the contents of the containers but are themselves readily removed from the containers when desired. "Those but must be small enough to avoid injury to the containers. It is therefore necessary to have a heated die that provides a firm, controlled pressure against the closures while the closures are heated to the required temperature; The present invention provides such a die and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a die that heats closures for containers while applying a firm, controlled pressure to those closures r y The die'provided by the present invention has a closure-receiving recess anda number of extensible andretractible fingers adjacent that recess. The fingers and the recess are suitably heated and serve to apply'heat to the top and sides of the closures, thus insuring rapid and even heating of the closures. This facilitates the attainment of a good seal between the closures and the containers and also permits rapid application of the closures to the containers. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a die that has a heated recess to act against the tops of closures and has heated fingers to act against the sides of the closures.

Containers which hold their contents under pressure, and are closed by readily removable closures, are generally provided with enlarged portions adjacent the mouths thereof, and those enlarged portions are useful in facilitating the securing of closures to the containers. For example, in many instances thelower portions of the containers are initially provided with inner diameters greater than the. outer diameters of the enlarged portions of the containers and, during the operation wherein the closures are affixed to the containers, the lower portions of the closures are slipped over the enlarged portions of the containers and are then made to have inner diameters which are smaller than the outer diameters of the enlarged portions of the containers; this prevents undesired separation of the closures from the containers. Where the closures are made of flexible material, as are the closures of my application Serial No. 772,378, it is desirable to iron and smooth the lower portions of the closures against thecontainers. The

die of the present invention acts to iron and smooth the lower portions of the closures against the containers by providing a plurality of. circumierentially spaced, radially acting fingers that urge the lower portions of the closures against the containers. These fingers" are not confined in guides but are, free to move circumferentially as well as radially and this circumferential movement facilitates smoothing and ironing of the the present invention to provide a die with a plurality of radially and circumferentially movable fingers.

In securing closures to containers by the use of pressure and heat it is necessary "to force the closures against the containers without delay and then to hold the closures against the containers by means of pressure until the closures are firmly sealed to the containers. These considerations must be coupled with the considerationfoigcushioning the term applied to the closures and "to the containers. The die provided by the present invention affords prompt contact between the pressure-applying fingers and -the closures and yetcus'hions the 'iorceapplied by those "fingers to the closures and containers Thy providing a plurality of cams that ,pa's'sfloe'twe'en Spring-biased pins and the pressure-applying fingers. Tl'l' cams cooperate with the spring-biased pins to move the fingers toward the containers without delay but the springs thataet upon 'thepins will yield before the forces on the fingers can increase to values at which the containers would be injured. .Itis therefore an, object of the pr'es ent invention "toprovid'ea die'vvhich has 'a number of'cams that pass between lspr'ingbiase'dfpins and pressure-applyingfingers. v

Where a dieis used to apply closures to bottles containing coinest'ibles. as in a dairy or brewery, it is of the'utrnos't importance {that the die have its parts readily acc'essiblefo'r cleaning purposes. Moreover, it is 'impcrtant'tha't no part of'the die have a configuration or form which would cause it to batch and hold dirt or other foreign'matter. The present invention providesTsuch a die byhaving 'allpar t's thereof free-draining and readily washable. It is therefore Ianqbject of the present invention to have a die 'whiohh'as all'parts thereof free-draining and readily'was'ha'ble.

Many closures ro'r containers consistot'a pr'eformed metal cup thatis provided with an inner disc of resilient'materi'ah Inapplyingsuch closures to'cont'a'iner it is only necessary to fplace the closures on the tops of'the'containers and I strike them with an uninterrupted annulus. Such dies canbe made'quite compactly and in many instances machines farefmade which have a number 'ofsuch die-sin closely spaced relation. In order to replace the closures and "dies of this type, it necessary that a new closure and the die therefor be of such size that "a number of the dies canbe inserted and operated in the machines built for the present annulus type of'dies.

The present. invention provides such "adie by utilizing a compact housing that supports the movable fingers andhas leaf springs mounted on the exterior thereof to bias the pins carried by the housing.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the drawing and accompanyin description.

In the drawing and accompanyingdescription a preferred embodiment of the present'invention is shown and described but it is tobe understood the. principles and teachings of the present in vention, I v

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cup-shaped housing that is a part of the die shown in Fig. i, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cup-shaped housing of Fig. 2, and it shows the fingers or jaws of the dig in retractedposition Within said housing,

sass side elevational view of the fingers or jaw's show n in-Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is. a side elevational view of a castellated member which is normally positioned within the cup-shaped housing of Fig. 2, p

Fig. '7 is a plan view j'df v the ca-steliateri mem ber'shown in'Fig. 6,;

Fig. 8 is 'a bottom Fig. "1, I I 7 7 v Fig. 9 is a plan viewbf -a caih carrier'usedfwith View of tile shown in the dieof Fig.1, I

Fig. frills a sideelevational view cfth'e earn carrierofFig.9 'and j J t Fig.* 11 is a ve' ica-l centralsectional view oi the diefshown i' 1.

j Refeifringt edrawing finf'detail. the numeral 2 0 jdenot'esa cup-shaped housing {that is a part of a-die madeinjaccordance with the'principles andteachings of the' prese'nt invention. The cup shap'ed manager has a centralfiopening 22 in the bottom thereof, and it also *hasaa plurality of circunrferentiaflly spacedopeningsffit in the bottom thereof. The centralopening 322 will he dimensioned to receive ft-he' mouth "of the container that-is tq'loeprovided with a closure and the mouth "of that container will extend up through the opening dainto the -space within the housing 20; Tliedie provided hythe-present invention can apply and-seal closures to beer bottles, milk :bottles, jell'y glasses, fruit jars, metal OT earthenware containers, and to many other typesand' -kiridsfof 'containers,-and me ts case the opening fi in-the housin he "will -be dimensioned to receive the mouth-"of the "cortainer with which thef die is to he used. The openings {2} are acedoutwardly from'the' central opening 2i2 ,fandfthey are-alleduidistant from the "geometriccenter 0f the housing 212. n numher of radial-iy-di'spose'd, 'sinooth-bore, "circular openings 26 areprovided in the "side wall of-"the housing "123, and those "openings receive reciproeating pins as, Tlhmop'enin'gs "26 "are *l'ocated'at the ends of radii which-pass through the 'open ings 24 and the inner ends er "the'pins 28 overlie the circumferentially -spaced openings 'j4. The outer ends of the *are "provided with enlarged heads that will not pass tlrrougl'i the openings 26 finfthefwall of the "housing 2-U, and those heads limit inwardmovement of '-the"=pins 2S to a predetermined distance. Anu'mber of radially-disposed "threttkd'ropehihgs 30 are provided in. the ivall' ofthe' cup shaped housing 28, and those "opriingsia'respaced vertically-above the pin-receivin openings-'26 The-ppen-ings 39 receive machine screws 3 2 and the screws 3 2 ex- V tend through "openings -in the upperendsof flat leaf springs 'ii'd'to nia intain those -springs in assembled relation with-th'e 1 ne te. Each *of the springsSA is shown asfia 'singla l eaf. Where desired, other typeset springs can he used but leaf springs are preferred as the most desirable from the s'tandpoints of compactness, length of I of the housing 28 is also provided with circumferentially-spaced, radially-disposed, threaded opening-s 38and those openings receive machine screws 48.

The inner surface of the bottom of the housing 20 is made smooth, and that surface receives a plurality of individual fingers or jaws 42. Each of these fingers or jaws 42 has a multi-planar arcuate inner periphery 44 and a slotted outer periphery 46. A slot 48 is provided in the outer periphery 48 of each finger or jaw 42, and each of the slots 48 terminates in a bi-planar surface 58. The sides of the fingers or jaws 42 are plane and they are inclined relative to each other. Openings 52 are provided in the sides of the jaws 42, and those openings are in register with the openings 52 of adjacent fingers or jaws 42. The openings 52 in the jaws 42 are dimensioned to receive small diameter, helical springs 54 and the springs 54 are dimensioned to extend between adjacent jaws or fingers 42, as shown in Fig. 3. These fingers or jaws 42 are particularly usable in sealing closures to containers which have em larged portions adjacent the mouths thereof, because the innermost portions of the multiplanar peripheries 44 will press the closures against the lower sections of those enlarged portions. Where the die is used to apply and seal closures to containers which are not provided with enlarged portions adjacent the mouths thereof, the inner periphery of each of the fingers 42 may have a different surface than that shown in the drawings and with a smooth-walled container, the inner peripheries of the fingers 42 may be smooth. In each instance, the inner peripheries of the fingers 42 should be complementary to the outer periphery of the container so they can press the closure tightly against the container.

The fingers or jaws 42 can be made in various ways but they must be made so they can be brought together to pressa closure against a container. Moreover, the fingers or jaws 42 must be made so they can apply smooth and uniform pressure around the entire periphery of the closure and container. One certain and simple way of making the jaws 42 is to machine an annulus with an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of a closure that is sealed onto a container and thereafter to out along radii of the annulus to form the fingers or jaws 42. Where this is done the fingers 42 can be held in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit the insertion and removal of a container and closure through the opening 22 in the cup-like housing 28; or the fingers can be moved to extended position to again form an annulus with an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of a closure that is sealed to a container. In making the fingers or jaws 42 in this manner, openings 58 are formed in the annulus to secure it to the metal working machine and thoseopenings are shown in several of the fingers 42.

The multi-planar inner periphery 44 of each of the fingers or jaws 42, isvdimensioned to press a portion of a closure into sealing engagement with s 6" the enlarged portion of a container, and those peripheries 44 cooperate to press all sides of the closures into sealing engagement with the containers. TheouterperipheriesAB of the fingers or jaws 42are made tohave configurations approximately complementary-to the inner surface of the Wall of housing 28;:therefore the fingers can be pressed against that wall and still main-- taintheir properposition and orientation. The slots 48 in the rearperipheries 48 of the fingers 42 are dimensioned to receive and telescope over the inner ends of the pins 28, but the slots 48 are so much wider than the pins 28 that the pins do not impede radial movement of. the fingers 42- The fingers or jaws 42 can move radially and circumferentially .of the housing 28 since the upper surface of the bottom of that housing is plane and smooth and since the fingers 42 are biased apart as shown in Fig. 3. The springs 54, which are seated in the openings 52 in the sides of the jaws 42 andwhich extend between adjacent fingers or jaws .42, act to bias the jaws 42 for movement away from each other and radially.

outwardly'against the wall of the housing 28, but they are compressible and extensible to permit the fingers or jaws 42 to'move toward and away from each other. The pins 28, which extend into the slots 48 in the outer peripheries 48 of the fingers or jaws 42 will limit, but will not prevent, circumferential movementof the fingers 42 when those fingers are in retracted position. As a result, while the fingers or jaws 42 will normally be held approximately in the position shown in Fig. 3, they will be movable radially and circumferentially relative to that position.

A castellated member is denoted by the numeral 58, and that member has a series of axiallyextending, radially-disposed slots 6i) that provide the castellated formation for the member 58. A circular recess 59 is provided in the under side of the member 58, and that recess can receive and fit over the top of a closure for containers. Many containers that receive closures, are provided with smoothly rounded mouths; and as a result the edges of the recess 59 are smoothly rounded. Where the mouths of the containers are not smoothly rounded, the edges of recess 59 need not be so rounded. The castellated member 58 is dimensioned to fit snugly within the cup-shaped housing 28; and threaded openings Bl are provided in themember 58 to receive machine screws 40 that will hold the housing 28 and the castellated member 58 in assembled relation. A central rod 81 is integrally secured to the castellated member 58, and the upper end of that rod extends above the rest of the member 58. An opening 88 is provided in the rod 61.

A heating element H, such as an electrical resistance heater which is provided with

leads

64 and 66, is positioned within an annular piece of metal 62; and the annulus 62 is intimately secured to the castellated member 58 by machine screws 63. The heating element H will heat the surface of the recess 59 as well as all other parts of'the castellated member 58; and since the castellated member 58 is snugly fitted inside of the housing 28, heat from the heating element H will enter and heat the housing 20.

Therod 81 is dimensioned to fit within the axial recess 10 of a hollow rod H that is a part of the cam carrier shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The rod 8'! andthe recess 10 in the rod H are dimensioned to'permit ready telescoping movement of the rods 67 and 1 I The rod H is provided with a slot-TZ that extends through to the recess 18,

and that slot receives "a pin 14 carried by the transverse opening .68 in the rod 61 of castel'lated member 58. A collar '16 is mounted on the rod H of the cam carrier, and it is normally maintained in position on that rod by a set screw H which is seated in thethreaded opening 1?. The cam carrier has a transversely extending flange '58 which is integrally secured to the hollow rod 1! and the flange 18 is provided. with a plurality of radially-disposed, .circumferentially-spaced slots 89. The slots 80 receive the upper ends of vertically-disposed, elongated cams .82, and pins 84 are provided that extend through the upper ends of cams 82 and extend to the walls of the slots so. The pins 84 maintain the cams .82 in assembled relation with the'cam carrier while permitting swinging of the cams 82 relative to the cam carrier. Each of the cams 82 has an inner cam surface 85 and an outer cam surface as. The inner cam surface 85 has a relatively steep cam face which provides quick actuation, and the outer cam surface 85 has a relatively shallow cam face that provides slower actuation.

The earns 32, that are pivoted totjhe flan e 78 of the cam carrier by the pins 8%, can swing about the axes provided by those pins. In addition, by reason of machining tolerances, the earns 82 will be able to tilt slightly from side to side. This tilting of the cams will be limited, but not completely prevented, by the casteliated portions of the member 58 that form the slots 69. Consequently, even when the cams. 32 are in the position shown in Fig. '1, those cams can tilt to a limited degree. The lower ends of the earns 82 extend into the slots Iii; in the outer peripheries so of the fingers or jaws 42 and the slots d8 are dimensioned relative to the ends of the cams 82 topermit tilting of the cams 8.2 relative to the fingers 42 and to permit limited circumferential movement of the fingers or jaws 152 relative to the cams 82. The inner cam surfaces 85 will bear against the loiplanar surfaces 53 at the inner ends of the slots 48 of the jaws c2, and the outer cam surfaces 86 will bear against the inner ends of the pins .28 during the operation, wherein a closure is afiixed to a container. The cams 82 are so dimensioned relative to the fingers 42 and the pins as that when the fingers or jaws 42 are in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 3, the cams 82 will not press against the biplane-r surfaces 59 at the inner ends of the slots E8 of the lingers 32. This initial spacing between the cams 82 and the surfaces 50 is due to the fact that the enlarged heads of the pinsZB, which are held against the wall of the housing 20 by the leaf springs 3%, act to hold the inner ends of the pins 28 against further inward movement; that spacing is also due to the fact that the depth of the slots 48 is greater than the combined length of the pins 23 and the width of the small-thickness ends of cams 82. As a result, when the jaws 42 are in retracted position, the outer peripheries 46 thereof can bear against the inner surface of the wall of the housing 20 and this arrangement facilitates the maintenance of the fingers 42 in properly oriented position relative to the opening 22 in the housing 2! The outer peripheries 4t of the fingers or jaws t2 are cutto a smaller radius than is the inner surface of the housing 29, but that diflerence has not been found to cause improper orientation of the jaws 42. r

In assembling the various elements of the die, the pins 28 are seated in the opening 2% of the housing 20, and the leaf springs 34 and washers 36 are secured to the housing 20, by the machine screws 52. The fingers or jaws 42 are then placed within the housing 28 so the slots 48 thereof telescope over the inner ends of the pins 28, and the springs 54 are compressed and slipped into the openings 52 of jaws 52. Thereafter, the castellated member 58, which has had the heatercontaining annu1us'62 secured thereto by screws E3, is telescoped within the housing 20. The screws ie are then rotated until they seat in the openings 33' and 65, thus securing the castellated member 58 and the housing 29 together. Once this-has been done, a compression spring 69 is placed within recess 'iii'of the rod ll andthe cam carrier, with its previously attached cams 82, is lowered until the recess it telescopes over the rod 6?- and until the cams 82 pass through the slots 5%; and extend between the pins'28 and the surfaces 50. A slight downward force is exerted on the upper end of rod ii to compress the spring 69 in the recess fit and to bringthe opening 83 in register with the, slot 2; at this time the pin id is passed through the slot 12 into the opening 435, The collar 76 is thereupon secured to the rod '32, and the die is ready for use. Thepin 'id and the slot i2 hold the elements of the die in assembled relation but perm-it reciprocation of the cam carrier relative to the castellatedmember E58 and housing 20,

When the various elements of the die are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, the fingers or laws #22 are free to move to a slight extent relative to each other because of the tolerances between the cams 82 and the fingers t2, because of the tolerance between the slots. '69 and the earns 82, and because of the tolerance between the cams 82 and the slots 8t of the flange 73. However. the fingers or jaws 42 will "normally beat rest and will normally. be held in spaced relation relative to each other by the helical springs 54 that are seated in the openings 52 in the sides of the fingers or jaws 4-1. The pins .28 will fit Within the slots 48, of the fingers 42 and will prevent undue shifting of the fingers 12, but will not prevent slight movement of those fingers relative to each other. Similarly, the ends of the cams 82 will fit within the slots 43 in the fingers t2 and will assist in preventing undue shifting of those fingers, but will not prevent limited movement of those fingers or jaws. The leaf springs 34 will press against the enlarged heads of the pins 28 with considerable force and will tend to hold the pins 28 against movement outwardly of the housing 28, but the pins 28 are short enough so the earns 32 do not press against the fin ers 42 when the earns 82 and the fingers 42 are in retracted position. The retracted position of the cam carrier and the cams 82 is attained by the compression spring that is positioned in the recess it of the hollow rod H of the cam carrier and bears against the top of the rod 81 of the castellatedmember 58. This spring causes the cam carrier to rise upwardly relative to the rod 57, but suitable application of force to the rod i! will cause compression of the spring in the recess it. When the cams 82 are in retracted position, the jaws 4 2 will also be in retracted position, because of the action of the helical springs 54!; and in that position the fingers or jaws G2 will rest against the inner surface of the wall of the housing 28.

Upon movement of the cam carrier downwardly, as by suitable application of force to the rod H or the collar 16 thereon, the cams 82 will'move relative to the bi-planar surfaces 59 at the inner ends of the'slots- 48 of the fingers or jaws 42. The inner cam surfaces 85, which are displaced downwardly below the outer cam-surfaces 86, upon the firststage of the downward movement, will cause the cams 82 to exert forces on the inner ends of the pins-28 and'on the biplanar surfaces 53 of the fingers 42; 28 will be held in position by such firm pressure from th leaf springs, 34 that they will not move until after the fingers or jaws 42 move; and this stage of downward movement of the'cam ,car rier will cause the inner surfaces 85 of the cams 82 to act against the surfaces 50 and force the fingers 42 to mov inwardly toward the geometric center of the housing 20. -.As the cam carrier continues to move downwardly, the outer cam surfaces 85 will come into action and again the pins 28 will be held against movement. Not until the fingers or jaws42 have reached the inner limits of their travel will the pressure exerted by the cams 82 be great enough to cause the Springs 34 to yield and permit outward movement of the pins 28. The outer limits of travel of the fingers or jaws 42 are determinedso that there will still be slight gaps between adjacent jaws 42 when the jaws are in contact with the closure on a container that extends upwardly through the aperture 22 in the housing 28. Consequently the fingers 42 willbe pressing against the closure rather than just. pressing against each other. At this time the springs 54 will be wholly within the openings 52 of adjacent jaws 42.

As soon as the jaws or fingers 42 touch the closure on the container, a pressure will be applied that will press the closure tightly against the container, and when that pressure reaches a predetermined value, further inward movement of the fingers or jaws 42 will cease. Thereafter, continued downward movement of the cam carrier will force the pins 28 outwardly and will force the springs 34to bend and yield. The cams 82 above the cam surfaces 85 and 88, are provided with gradual tapers that progressively increase the width of those cams; once the cam surfaces 85 and 88 have passed between the biplanar surfaces of the fingers 42 and .the inner surfaces of the pins 28, the tapered surfaces of the cams 82 will begin to act. Thosetapers will cause further bending of the springs 34, and thus will cause the exertion of, even greater pressures on the fingers 42. However, th earns 82 and spring 34 are dimensioned so even the greatest pressure exertable by the fingers or jaws .42 on a container inserted through the aperture 22 is insufficient to cause breakage, cracking or chipping of that container. The exact pressure in each instance will have to be determined in view of the size and type ofclosure and the size,

shape and strength of the container; but springs 34 that have exerted pressures of from thirty (80). to one hundred (100) pounds have been found to be satisfactory in sealing closures to beer bottles and milk bottles The successive actions of the various surfaces on the cams 82provide extremely rapid movemember 58, and they are also in register with The pins 10 the cams 82. Consequently the cams 82 can move downwardly as far as is, needed to move the fingers orjaws 42. r V 'I The heating element I-I carried by the ca'stellated member 58 will heat all portions of that .member, including the surfaces of the recess 59.

In addition, that element will heat the housing 20 which is in intimate contact with the member 58. 'Moreover, heat from thebottom of the member 58 and heat from the sides and bottom of the housing 20 will pass to the fingers or jaws 42' that are immediately adjacent the member 58 and the housing 20. As a result, the fingers 42 and the recess 59 in the bottom of the castellated member 58 will possess suflicient heat .to seal closures to containers as they press and hol those closures against the containers. The exact amount of heat required willvary in each case and will be determined by the'size, thickness and nature of the closure, the characteristics of the adhesive or cement used with the closure, and the size, has ture, and initial temperature of. the containers. In most instances, the rate at which closuresare to be applied and sealed to the containers will be relatively constant, and the closures, adhesives and containers will be constant; and in'those cases an unregulated heating element can be used- For example, unregulated heating elements have been used to apply and afiix closures to beer bottles and milk bottles. In other instances, where variables are to be expected, a

rheostat or other device (not shown) can be inserted between the heating element H and the source of electricity to vary the heating effect.

In addition, if desired, a thermostat (not shown) could be mounted on-or in the annulus 62"to maintain the temperature of the die at a predecam carrier upwardly, thus permittingiheleaf springs34 to move the pins28 inwardly until their enlarged heads press against the wall of the hous-' ing 28, and also permitting the helical springs 54 to cause thefingers 42 to move away from'the closure on the container and toward the Wall: of the housing 20. This permits removal of the container from the die.

As the fingers 42 move inwardly toward the closure, under the action of cams 82, those fingers may contact the closure at different times,ybe-

cause of slight tilting of the container or slight out-of-roundness of the closure or because the closure may be initially wrinkled or crimped to facilitate pressing it against the container while it is being sealed to the container. In such; cases, the time-intervals betweenthe contacts of the jaws 42 with the various portions of the closure will be almost infinitesimal because the fingers or jaws 42 move quite rapidly; but those intervals will be large enough to permit some displacement and circumferential movement of one or moreof th fingers or jaws 42. This displacement and circumferential movement can continueas the fingers or jaws 42 move radially inwardly toward the closure on the container; and in some in.- stances the circumferential movement will occur,

because of variations in the stiffness of difierent sections of the closures, even though all of the jaws 42 contact the closures at the same instant. This circumferential movement of the fingers 42 isof value because it enables the fingers 42 to give an added smoothing 01', ironing action to the sures, thus facilitating the attainment of firm and complete seals between the closures and the containers. This circumferential movement of the fingers o1- jaws 42 is of course not unlimited, but it. is of great value.

The large central opening 22 of the housing that receives the container and the closures thereon, and the circumferentially spaced openings 24 that receive the ends of earns 82 when they move downwardly; permit cleaning and free-draining of the die in the event it is frequently washed, as it must be in a brewery, dairy, or other places where comestibles are bottled. The vertically extending slots 60 of the castellated member 58 facilitate free draining of that member, and the open character and vertical disposition of the cams B2 and leaf springs 34 promote free draining of the die. One of the few places where foreign matter could lodge is the openings 52 in the jaws or fingers G2, but the recurrent expansion and contraction of the helical springs 55 would dislodge such matter and work it out of, the openings 52. Consequently, thedle is exceptionally clean in operation and maintenance.

It will be noted that the fingers or jaws 42 in their retracted position, form an interrupted annulus that is coextensive with the annular bottom of the housing 20, thus obviating any wasted space. Moreover, it will be noted that the leaf springs 34 lie close to the housing 20'. As a result, it is possible to make the die compact enough so it can be used with the multiple spindle machines that are presently being used to afiix closures to containers.

The bi-planar surfaces 59 at the inner ends of the slots 48 of the fingers 42 facilitate. the action of cams 82. The inclined portions of those surfaces cooperate with inner cam surfaces 8 5 to provide smooth applications of force to th fingers 42, and the vertical portions of those surfaces cooperate with the tapers of the cams 82 to exert pressure on the fingers 42 and the pins 28.

The electrical leads 64 and 65 of the heating element 52 are connected to a suitable source of current, not shown. Those leads can extend up.- wardly through the space between any two cams 82 and thus be free from any danger of entanglement or injury.

As" the cam carrier moves downwardly relative to the housing 20, the cams 82 will rotate inwardly and cause the jaws or fingers 42 to move promptly into contact with the closures on the containers. Thereafter, as the cams 82 continue to move downwardly under the force applied to the rod H or collar 16 of the cam carrier, the

cams 82 will swing outwardly and cause bend- 12 should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes can be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

This application is a substitute for my prior abandoned application filed March 5, 1947, Serial No. 732,553.

I claim:

1. A die that is adapted to secure closures to containers which comprises a plurality of reciprocable fingers that are circumferentially and radially spaced to receive a container and are movable toward and away from said container, means operable to move'said fingers toward said container, said means including a plurality of pivotally mounted axially movable actuators that engage said fingers, said actuators being narrower than said fingers, and said fingers and actuators having interacting surfaces permitting circumferential movement of said fingers as the fingers move radially of said container, and resilient members interposed between said fingers respectively and biasing them apart while permitting circumferential movement of said fingers.

2'. A die for securing closures to the tops of containers comprising a housing having an in terior bottom wall with an opening for the reception of the top of the container, a plurality of reciprocable fingers circumferentially and radially spaced and supported by said bottom wall and movable towards and away from said container top, a cam carrier vertically movable with respect to said housing and having mounted thereon a downwardly extending cam bar for each of said fingers, each of said cam bars having an outer cam surface and an inner cam surface, a resilient member carried by said housing for each of said fingers, and a pin interposed between each of said resilient members and the outer cam surface of the corres czond-ing cam bar, the inner surface of each cam bar engaging the corresponding finger for moving the same inwardly.

3. A die for securing closures to the tops of containers comprising a circular housing having an interior bottom wall with an axial opening for the reception of the top of the container, a plurality of reciprocable fingers circumferentially and radially spaced and supported by said bottom wall and movable towards and away from said container top, a cam carrier vertically axially movable with respectto said housing and having movably mounted thereon a downwardly extending cam bar for each of said fingers, each of said cam bars having an outer cam surface and an inner camsurface, a resilient member on the exterior of said housing for each of said fingers, a pin interposed between each of said resilient members and the outer cam surface of the corresponding cam bar, the inner surface of each cam bar engaging the corresponding finger for moving the same inwardly, and a plurality of resilient members interposed between said fingers and biasing them apart while permitting circumferential movement of said fingers.

4. A die for securing closures to the tops of containers comprising a circular housing having aninterior horizontal bottom wall with an opening for the reception of the top of the container, a plurality of reciprocable fingers circumferentially and radially spaced and supported by said bottom wall and movable towards and away from said container top, a cam carrier vertically axially movable with respect to said housing and having loosely pivotally' mounted thereon a downwardly extending cam bar for each of said fingers, each of said cam. bars having an outer cam surface at a predetermined location and an inner cam surface at a predetermined lower location with tapered surfaces thereabove, a leaf spring mounted at one end on the exterior of said housing for each of said fingers, a pin interposed between the other end of each of said leaf springs and the outer cam surface of the corresponding cam bar, the inner surface of each cam bar engaging the corresponding finger for moving the same inwardly.

5. A die for securing closures to containers comprising a central member having an upwardly extending axially disposed rod, said member having on the lower side thereof a central recess for the reception of a closure "and the mouth of a container and having on the outer portion thereof a plurality of axially extending slots, a heating element in said member above said central recess, a cam carrier mounted on said rod for axial movement, said cam carrier having mounted thereon a plurality of downwardly extending cam bars movable in said slots, said cam bars at the lower end portions having inner and outer cam surfaces with tapered surfaces thereabove, a

housing having a side wall portion enclosing said central member and said cam bars and having a bottom wall with an opening for the reception of the top of the closure, a plurality of reciprocablc fingers one for each of said cam bars circumferentially and radially spaced and supported by said bottom wall and movable towards and away from said closure top, each of said fingers having an inner closure engaging end and an outer end for engagement by the inner cam surface of the corresponding cam bar, a resilient member for each of said fingers mounted on said housing, and radially disposed pins interposed between each of said resilient members and the outer cam surface of the corresponding cam bar. 1

6. A die for securing closures to containers 7 comprising a central member having an upwardly for the reception of a closure and the mouth of a container and having on the outer circumferential portion thereof a plurality of axially extending slots, a heating element in said member above said central recess, a cam carrier mounted on said rod for axial movement, a spring interposed. between said rod and said cam carrier, said cam carrier having loosely pivotally mounted thereon a plurality of downwardly extending cam bars movable in said slots, said cam bars at the lower end portions having inner and outer cam surfaces with tapered surfaces thereabove, a housing having an axially extending side Wall portion enclosing said central member and said cam bars and a bottom wall with an opening for the reception of the top of the closure, a plurality of reciprocable fingers one for each of said cam bars circumierentially and radially spaced and supported by said bottom wall and movable towards and away from said closure top, a plurality of resilient members interposed between said members and urging them apart, each of said fingers having an inner closure engaging end and an outer end for engagement by the inner cam surface of the corresponding cam bar, a leaf spring member for each of said fingers mounted at one end on the exterior of said side wall portion, radially disposed pins interposed between each of said resilientmembers and the outer cam surface of the corresponding cam bar, said pins having stops for limiting the inward movement thereof.

GEORGE W. STOCKBURGER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 892,988 Godman July 14, 1908 994,179 Meyer June 6, 1911 1,060,201 Meyer Apr. 29, 1913