US2646156A

US2646156A - Elevator divider

Info

Publication number: US2646156A
Application number: US42040A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford H Neer
Original assignee: Burt Machine Co Inc
Current assignee: Burt Machine Co Inc
Priority date: 1945-09-24
Filing date: 1948-08-02
Publication date: 1953-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1970-07-21

Description

July 2l, 1953 c. H. NEER 2,646,156

ELEVATOR DIVIDER Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet l .CV/ffard H Neer July 21, 1953 c, H, NEER 2,646,156

ELEVATOR DIVIDER Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 C/If/OYC H. Neer July 21,- 1953 c. H. NEER 2,646,156

ELEVATOR DIVIDER Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Elmo/whom c/ /fford H, Nee? mw wy 1953 c. H. NEER 2,646,156

ELEVATOR DIVIDER Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 CV/f/orcZH Nee? July 21, 1953 c. H. NEER ELEVATOR DIVIDER '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 y 21, 9 3 c. H. NEER 2,646,156

I ELEVATOR DIVIDER Original Filed Sept. 24, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 ISO C/ff/ord 'Neer may Patented July 21, 1953 Machine Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a cornotation of Maryland Original application September 24, 1945 Serial No. 618,278. Divided and this application August 2, 1948, Serial N0. 42,040

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a case filling machine, particularly to a machine for'filling cases or cartons with cans that have previously been filled and labeled and in preparation for storage or shipment. Such machines are composed of a plurality of ways or tracks over which the cans roll, and they are taken from a single rolling line and arrangedinto a plurality of rolling lines, side by side and in tiers so that they may be placed in cases or cartons of varying sizes. One object of this invention is to arrange the cans from a single line into these multiple parallel lines.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid forceful movement of the cans on their ways or moving mechanism that may crush or otherwise injure or deform the cans.

Another object of the invention is to make a machine that may be adapted to fill cases with several tiers oiv or one layer only, and the elements of whichmay he adapted to machines for easing any desired number of layers of cans;

or any desired number of cans in the rows of each layer.

Another object of the invention is to make a machine that will operate quietly, and with a minimum of supervision and from which cans that may become out of line may he quickly removed without interfering with the complete case charge and assembly.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the timing of the dilierent operations that there will be the least possible lost time or action between those operations, and so that if for any reason the supply of cans to the machine were delayed, the line dividing means would he stopped, and yet which will permit any full case loads in the magazine of the machine to be cased.

Another object of the invention is to arrange the cans in the magazine or section of the machine just prior to their passage to the casing section evenly, rather than filling one of the section ways and then another.

This application is a division of the application I filed September 24, 1945, Serial No. 618,278, Patent No. 2,559,655, July'lO, 1951, directed to the case filling part of the machine.

which are superimposed at their upper ends which are connected to the elevator-divider and the elevator-divider discharges the cans, each alternate can going to one of the respective runways. These runways are also inclined downwardly and they diverge outwardly from one another so that at their delivery ends they are no longer superimposed but they rather deliver two rows of cans abreast of one another. These two rows of cans are then dropped into the boot of a second elevator-divider having again a single elevator but with two tracks or sets of guides, or sections, each section receiving cans from one of preceding runways. This elevator then raises the two lines of canaagain substantially vertically and two groups or tiers of three superimrunways each is attached to the delivery side of this elevator-conveyor, one tier for each section and the cans discharged from the clevatcr"onveyor so that all the cans of each section go to one tier of runways and every third can goes tothe same receiving runway of that tier. There are two groups or tiers of these superimposed ways, so that each group receives three rows of superimposed cans and the cans are arranged as they leave this elevator three deep and two abreast as they roll down the runways. From these runways the cans are delivered to acasing apparatus described in the above identified copen'ding application. 7 The instant machine is also designed so that it may be operated to produce a single layer of cans for each carton in which case only half of the second elevator-divider would be utilized.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the infeed end of the machine, showing the first elevator-divider.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the can runway switch actuating shelf.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the infeed switch.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the second elevator-divider, being a continuation to theleft of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the rear end of the machine, being a continuation from'the left 7 similar parts 5 and having an angle bracket 1 on each side to' limit its vertical swing. Mercoid switch 8 which is open when no cans are on the runway, is operated by the swinging shelf 5 through pivoted angular member 9 to close the switch when a line of cans accumulates in the runway [*and up to the swinging shelf 5. The elevator-dividers of the machine do not operate until this switch is closed. The weight required to tilt the switch 8 may be varied by adjustment of the weight It on the bar 1 I attached to the member 9.

The runways I feed the cans into the boot 12 of the first elevator-divider d which consists of endless chains 13 having flights or bars M thereon. The cans entering the boot fall between two flights. As the cans enter the boot 52 they ride between guides H and are pulled around and up by the flights it and then the cans ride between the fli hts 64 and upon the guides 55, the cans being slightly overbalanced toward the guides it. As shown in Figure 10, this overbalance is about 17 from the vertical. The guides 16 at the top are turned upwardly and outwardly as at I? to guide or push the cans off the conveyor flights E4.

Toward the top of the elevator-divider i are two runways i8 and i9 and the curved part H" of the guides 16 would force all cans to runway l3 were not other provision made. Immediately opposite the opening of runway I9 is a shaft 28 having pushers 2! thereon. These pushers rotate with the shaft 29.

The conveyor chains it ride over upper sprockets 22 and around lower sprockets 23 which sprockets are on

shafts

24 and 25 respectively mounted in the frame of the elevator-divider d. This frame is supported on rails 28 of the machine and these rails are in turn supported by frames 2?. The conveyor chains l3 have slack take up sprockets 28-29, the latter being adiustable. A motor 36 furnishes power through speed varying pulleys 3i and belt 32 driving pulley 3; fast on shaft 315 which in turn drives slip pulley 35 and pulley 36 fast to shaft 2t through means of belt 8?. Shaft 24! is driven from sprocket 38 on shaft 26 by chain 39 and sprocket M) on shaft 25. Belt 32 on speed varying pulley 3! may be tightened or loosened by pulley ll on arm s2 fast to hand lever 13 which may be fixed in position on bracket i l. The sections of pulley iii are urged together by spring means. Handwheel 35 on shaft 3d may be used to move the chains l3 small distances;

The flights hi are so placed upon the conveyor chains l3 and the ratio of the sprockets is such that the pusher shaft 29 on which the pushers 2i are fixed rotate them once, or one revolution, with the passage of every other flight of the chains 13 so that in the machine shown every other can in the elevator-divider will be discharged on shelf 58 and the remaining can on the conveyor passes to the top of the guides i8 and is pushed by the inclined portion [1 of the guide It onto the shelf or runway [8. The pushers 25 at their outwardly extending ends pass through openings '36 in the guides 16.

As best shown in Figure 10, illustrating a portion of the second elevator-divider, the action of the conveyor flight is to slide the can up the guide, and the flrst contact of the pusher is to unbalance the can, to roll it forward, off the flight, and the can tilts forward to the runway, and as it becomes overbalanced outwardly, the

continued upward movement of the flight further 'overbalances it, so that both the flight and the pusher force the can to the runway down which it rolls.

This elevator-divider 4 divides the group of cans received as a single line into two lines, initially superimposed and the elevator-divider A has its motor connected with the switching mechanism 8 so that the elevator-divider is operated only when the initial runways I are full of cans, at least as far from the elevator-divider 5 as the pivoted shelf 5. When cans are lacking on this pivoted shelf 5 the elevator-divider conveyor operation is stopped. It will be noted that the drive for the conveyor of the elevator-divider being non-positive because of the slipping driv ng pulley 35, the conveyor will not crush the cans if by any chance they should be misplaced.

The runways i8 and 19 have side members 37 which are pivoted at one end at 48 and are fastened at the other end with thumbscrews 39 so that the side members 47 could be quickly opened and an unsuitable can removed by the operator without disturbing the other cans in the runway. The runways i3 and i9 fork outwardly at their lower delivery ends as shown in Figure 9, so that they enter the second elevator-divider 56 shown best in Figures 4 and 8 substantially abreast by means of guides 5l52 and 5354.

The second elevator-divider 58, mounted on rails has in it chains tiiriding on upper and lower sprockets 5t and 57 respectively, these sprockets being on

shafts

53 and 59 respectively and shaft 58 is driven by sprocket 50 fast thereon and chain 6i from sprocket 62 on shaft 24 of the first elevator-divider The chains have on them flights 63.

Guides 5i-52 and 5354 drop the cans between the flights 63 in the lower part or boot of the elevator-divider 5B, in two rows, each of which is guided in its entrance by guides 6d and G5 and between which the cans pass on their entrance to the flights. As the cans pass around the bottom of the elevator-divider 5G, in two rows, they are lifted by flights 63 into two sets of guides, 66 and El.

The flights 63 on the chains 55 are slightly over twice the height of the cans in length so that they carry the two rows of cans abreast in their movements. This is best shown in Figure 8.

The chains 55 likewise have slack take-up sprockets 68 and t9, the latter being adjustable.

Adjacent elevator-divider 513, and supported thereon at their upper ends are two horizontally spaced groups of three shelves or inclined runways Efi, H and "32. These are inclined downwardly away from the elevator-divider 5t. Elevator-divider 59 has the two sets of guides and 61 against which the cans ride in overbalanced position when carried upwardly by the flights 63, see Figure 10. Toward the top the guides are directed outwardly as at 13, so that when acan reaches the top of the guides it is pushed from the flights 63 to the top runway 10.

'82, 33, 3t and 85 thereon.

from sprockets I16 and I'll.

' 'l-heguides 56 and (i7 curved at their tops I3,

actupon the cans to overbalance them outwardly, at which time the flights 63 aid in their further removal from the conveyor to the runways.

Below shaft 58 are shafts 'M and I5 having sprockets I6 and -'II thereon connected by chain It and shaft M- has sprocket I9 thereon connected by chain 52! with sprocket 8| on shaft 58 from which the two other shafts I4 and I5 are driven; Shafts is andlii have sets of pushers Guides 66 and 67 have openings 86 therein for the passage of the extending, ends-31 of the pushers therethrough. Again the spacing of the flights 63 on chains 55 and the relation of the size of the sprockets is such thatevery third can in each vertical set of runways is moved by a pusher M or 85 ,to one of the runways I2 and two adjacent cans, above those discharged on runways I2 are discharged to runways II and two'cans, on the flights t3 riding above the four previously discharged reach the upper part of the guides 6t and- El and are pushed from the guides by the sloping portion 73 onto the two runways I3. By this action six cans, two abreast and three deep are rolled from the elevator-divider 50 with every complete rotation of the shafts I4 and I5.

The runways llili and "I2, each numeral re ferring to two runways abreast arefixed at their lower ends to uprights 88 on rails 26 and deliver the rolling cans from the magazine formed by these runways to the loading space indicated generally at cs. Thelength of these runways, of the magazinesection, is such as to hold substantially two charges for the loading space and the upper end of one runway H has a pivoted bottom section it which operates a Mercoid switch 3! to shut off both elevator-dividers t and 59 when the magazine is full. The bottom 98 of the runway is counterbalanced by counterweight 92 so that the switch may be made to opcrate when precisely the right weight is upon the lower runway i2 and the machine thusfar described operates continuously to fill the magazine when cans are on the initial runway I and it stops operating when the magazine is full.

The loading space 89 is fully described in the abovev designated copending application.

- Asshown in Figures 6 and 8, sprockets 60 and t2 and chain 6! are enclosed in a housing I'II, fast to a panel I72 passing between elevatordividers d and 5B. I

' At times it isdesirable to operate the machine to fill a carton with one layer of cans, and the from elevator-divider 4 by the curved top of guides It, and pass to the upper runway I8.

Figure 11 shows an alternate form of drive for elevator-divider 56, which may be installed originally if desired. In this drive,a panel I14 connects elevator-dividers ti and 50, and shaft 24 is elongated, as shown at I15, and has on it two sprockets, Ilfi and ill. Likewise shaft 58 is extended, with a section H8, on which are mounted two clutch sections I19 and I80, to freely rotate thereon. These sections both have sprockets integral therewith, driven by chains IBI and I82 Collars I83 and I84, and I85 and I86 maintain the longitudinal positions of clutch members I80 and I19 on the shaft I78. Shaft I'IB has splined thereon clutch I81, which has pins I88 therein projecting on each side, these pins being adapted to be placed in holes I89 in either clutch member I19 or I80.

When elevator-divider 4 is feeding to both runways, I8 and 59, the clutch I3! is set to operate clutch member I19. When only runway I8 is fed, clutch I87 is set to operate clutch member I80; this doubles the speed of elevator divider 50, but, of course, the delivery capacity of the machine is cut in half, because only single layers of cans are delivered to the loading space 89. A housing E90 covers the drive mechanism just described and clutch I8! is held in its longitudinal position on shaft section I18 by set screw I9 I, to which access may be had through opening I82 in housing I90.

ivlany modifications and changes of proportion and design maybe made in the illustrative form of the structure described and shown in the drawings without departing from the invention.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by LettersiPatent is:

1. In a can arranging machine, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon. superimposed at their upper ends, a distributor adjacent the said upper ends of said ways, means to feed a continuous line of cans to said dis tributcr, said distributor comprising guides, a power driven conveyor having flights thereon, each flight receiving a can from said means, said conveyor cooperating with said guides carrying a canto adjacent the upper ends of each of said ways and means in said distributor to periodically discharge adjacent cans from said conveyor to diiferent ones of said inclined ways, certain of said discharge means comprising a continuously rotating pusher timed to contact and push its respective can from said conveyor to the adjacent inclined way.

2. In a can arranging machine, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, a distributor adjacent the said upper ends of said ways, means to feed, a continuous line of cans to said distributor, said distributor comprising acontinuously driven conveyor means adjacent the face of the upper ends of said ways, said conveyor means having flights thereon, each flight receiving a can from said feed means and continuously carrying the cans to discharge position, one adjacent each of said ways, means to push one can from the conveyor to one of said ways and continuously operating rotary pushing means to periodically push the adjacent can to another of said ways.

3. In a can arranging machine, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, a distributor adjacent the said upper ends of said ways, means to feed a continuous line of cans to said distributor, said distributor comprising a continuously driven endless conveyor having flights therein, said feeding means feeding a can to each flight, said conveyor carrying a vertical row of cans to the upper ends of said ways, one in front of each way, and means to periodically discharge adjacent cans to their respective adjacent different ways, certain of said last named means comprising a continuously rotating pusher timed to contact and push its respective can from the conveyor to the adjacent inclined way.

4. In a can arranging machine, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon, superimposed at their upper ends, a distributor adjacent the said upper ends of said ways, means to feed a continuous line of cans to said distributor, said distributor comprising an endless conveyor having flights therein, said feeding means feeding a can to each flight, said conveyor carrying a vertical row of cans to the upper ends of said ways, one in front of each way and guides pushing certain of said cans from the conveyor to one way and continuously rotating power driven means to contact and pushing other of said cans to other of said ways.

5. A rolling can line separator comprising a power driven conveyor, means to feed a continuous line of rolling cans to the conveyor, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, the upper end of each way being adjacent said conveyor, said conveyor carrying a continuous line of cans opposite the upper ends of each way and separate means to push each adjacent can from the conveyor to different ways, certain of said separate means comprising a continuously rotating pusher timed to contact and push its respective can from said conveyor to the adjacent inclined way.

6. A rolling can line separator comprising a power driven conveyor, means to feed a continuous line of rolling cans to the conveyor, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, the upper end of each way being adjacent said conveyor, said conveyor carrying a continuous line of cans opposite the upper ends of each way and separate means to push each adjacent can from the conveyor to different ways, certain'of said separate means comprising a continuously rotating pusher timed to contact and push its respective can from said conveyor to the adjacent inclined way, means controlled by said feeding means to stop the conveyor in the absence of a continuous line of cans in said feeding means.

7. A rolling can line separator comprising a power driven conveyor, means to feed a continuous line of rolling cans to the conveyor, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, the upper end of each way being adjacent said conveyor, said conveyor carrying a continuous line of cans opposite the upper ends of each way, one in front of each way, a guide to push certain of said cans to one of said ways and continuously rotating power driven means to contact and push other of said cans to other of said ways from the conveyor.

8. A rolling can arranger comprising a power driven conveyor, means to feed a continuous line of rolling cans to the conveyor, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon, the upper end of each way being superimposed over the next lower way and being adjacent said conveyor, said conveyor carrying a continuous line of cans opposite the upper end of each way and means to push each adjacent can from the conveyor to different ways, each of said ways diverging horizontally from each of the others at their lower ends and a sectioned power driven conveyor one section receiving the cans from each of said ways, a plurality of groups of superimposed inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon the upper end of each said way of one group being adjacent one section of said last named conveyor, each section of said last named conveyor carrying a continuous line of cans opposite the upper end of each of said superimposed ways of each group and means to push each vertically adjacent can from its conveyor section to different vertically superimposed ways of the respective group.

9. A can arranging machine, a plurality of inclined ways for the rolling of cans thereon superimposed at their upper ends, a distributor adjacent the said upper ends of said ways, means to feed a continuous line of cans to said distributor, said distributor comprising guides, a power driven conveyor having flights thereon, a boot within which said conveyor operates, said boot guiding a can from said feed means to space one can between each pair of adjacent conveyor flights, said conveyor being spaced from said guides to overbalance the cans toward the guides, said conveyor cooperating with the guides to carry, a can to adjacent the upper ends of each of said ways, means in said distributor to periodically discharge adjacent cans from said conveyor to different ones of said inclined ways, certain of said discharge means comprising a continuously rotating pusher timed to overbalance its respective can from the conveyor and urge it to the adjacent inclined way.

CLIFFORD H. NEER.

References Cited m the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,140,807 Englar May 25, 1915 1,467,008 Parker Sept. 4, 1923 1,476,023 Phelps Dec. 4, 1923 1,799,106 LaXo Mar. 31, 1931 1,856,262 Rebstock May 3, 1932 2,020,552 Hills Nov. 12, 1935 2,359,522 Hesson Oct. 3, 1944 2,390,261 Le Roy Dec. 4, 1945 2,417,753 Hesson Mar. 18, 1947