US2811917A - Automatic can marking machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 5, 1957 A. e. RIDDLE 2,811,917

AUTOMATIC CAN MARKING MACHINE Filed July 3, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 11 V V V 13 Q h I I INVENTOR.

ALLAN C. RIO/3L5 k BY 4 1 l A W 36 I ii @442 76 W Arro uey Nov. 5, 1957 A. G. RIDDLE AUTOMATIC CAN MARKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1953 Till TE. 11

INVENTOR. ALLAN C. RIDDLE United States Patent AUTOMATIC CAN MARKING MACHINE Allan G. Riddle, Nutley, N. J., assignor to Robal Manufacturing Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 3, 1953, Serial No. 365,978

2 Claims. (Cl. 101-35) The present invention relates to a machine for auto matically marking or stamping cans or other similar articles and, more particularly, it relates to an automatic can marking machine which simultaneously marks opposite sides of a series of cans continuously fed thereto by a conveyor system and which employs a light sensitive means to insure that each can is marked in the proper place.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for automatically marking cans which has a light sensitive means adapted to insure that the marking occurs in proper register with the area on the can to be branded.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machine of the above character which is adapted to simultaneously mark opposite sides of a can.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic can marking machine having a pair of solenoid operated marking units which are actuated in timed relation with the passage of the cans.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an automatic can stamping machine which can be adjusted to accommodate various size cans.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent as it is described in detail below with particular reference to the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the automatic can marking machine of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 2-2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 4-4 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a view on lines 55 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a view taken on lines 66 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the electrical circuit employed with the solenoid operated marking units and light sensitive means.

Briefly describing the present invention it comprises a frame having a pair of opposed solenoid operated marking units mounted on either side thereof. Each marking unit has a head portion which is adapted to receive various rubber or plastic stamping elements for marking the cans. And endless conveyor belt is disposed slightly below and intermediate the marking units and is adapted to carry between the marking units a series of flat sided cans or similar articles which are to be stamped. This conveyor belt may have either an intermittent forward motion or a continuous slow forward motion as may be desired. On either side of each marking unit there is positioned a pair of ribbon spools which are adapted to carry an inking or marking ribbon past the face of the stamping element of that particular marking unit. At one end of the machine there is disposed a light sensitive means which consists of a light source, such as an electric light, to cast a beam over and perpendicular to the path of travel of the conveyor belt, and a photo-cell disposed on the opposite side of the conveyor belt to receive the light beam. As each can passes into and interrupts the beam, the solenoid operated marking units will be energized through suitable electrical connections so that the stamping elements advance and stamp that particular can then disposed there between.

In order to release the can from the grip of the two stamping elements after it has been branded, a circuit breaker or timer is utilized to break the electrical circuit energizing the solenoid operated marking units and to keep the circuit open until the branded can has passed out of the path of the light beam. After the branding and interruption of the electrical circuit, each marking unit is then pulled back to its initial position by a pair of suitably mounted spring members. A pair of adjustable guide rails are disposed above the endless conveyor belt and parallel thereto and these guide rails serve to hold the cans in proper position as they advance toward the marking units. Brushes are provided at both the entrance and the exit to the automatic can stamping machine to wipe the sides of the moving cans.

he solenoid operated marking units are so mounted that they may be adjusted laterally and vertically of and toward and away from the conveyor belt so that cans of all sizes may be accommodated. When larger or smaller cans are to be marked the guide rails may be moved closer or apart to provide for the differences in the sizes of the cans.

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 3, there is shown a frame comprising two spaced apart and opposing members 11 which may be mounted on any suitable platform (not shown). Each member 11 has a base 11a, end wall 11b and side walls 110. Since the members 11 are spaced apart, they define a passage 12 in which travels an endless conveyor belt 13 driven by any suitable source of power. The base 11a of each member 11 carries a pair of parallel angle irons 14 which extend from end wall 11]; toward passage 12. A flat bar 15 having a centrally located raised portion 16 is mounted on each pair of angle irons 14 and connected thereto by the end threaded rods 17 positioned at either end of the flat bar. Each fiat bar 15 is positioned parallel to the passage 12. The upper threaded ends of the rods 17 extends through the slots 18 in the flat bar 15. The lower threaded ends of the rods 17 extend through the slots 19 in the angle irons 14. The slots 19 are at the right angles to the slots 18, i. e., slots 18 extend parallel to passage 12 and slots 19 extend perpendicular thereto. A pair of lock nuts 29 are mounted at each threaded end of each rod 17 to position the flat bar 15 with relation to the angle irons 14. Each flat bar 15 carries thereon a solenoid operated marking unit 21, which will be described in detail below.

By adjusting the rods 17 in the slots 18 and 19 and tightening the lock nuts 21) to hold the rods in position, it is possible to move the marking unit 21 laterally and vertically of and toward and away from the path of travel belt 13.

For purposes of clarity and simplification, I shall describe a single marking unit and its related and cooperating parts on one side of the belt 13, it being fully understood that a similar marking unit and associated parts are located on the opposite side of the belt. The marking unit 21 is mounted on the raised portion 16 of the flat bar 15 and has a base plate 22 which lies on raised portion 16 and is connected thereto by bolts 23. The base plate 22 has a groove 22a in its undersurface which extends transversely of the raised portion 16. Thus the nndersurface of base plate 22 and the upper surface of raised portion 16 define an enclosed channel 24 open at both ends only.

An arm 25 is slidably received within the channel 24. The forward end of the arm 25 carries a head portion 26 having inturned flanges 27 at the bottom and side edges of its forward face 2611, which flanges are adapted to receive a stamping element 28 usually consisting of an aluminum mounted rubber or plastic marking die. The stamping element 28 is replaceable in the head portion 26 so that different brands may be applied to the cans as and when desired.

A pin 29 is integrally connected to the lower part of rear face 26b of the head portion 26 and extends outwardly thereof. A second pin 30 is integrally connected to the bottom of raised portion 16 and depends downwardly thereof. A spring 31 is joined to both pins 2 and 3ft and is adapted to normally pull the arm 25 and thus the head portion 26 away from the path of travel of belt 13. The rear end of the arm 25 has an upright L-shaped extension member 25a which is attached by the bolt 32 to a link member 33, which in turn is attached by bolt 34 to the armature 35 disposed in the core 37a of the solenoid unit 37. The solenoid unit 37, which has the usual laminations 370, is mounted on the L-shaped bracket 37b which is fixedly positioned on the top of raised portion 16 of the flat bar 15.

When the solenoid unit 37 is energized, the armature 35 will move forwardly in the core 37a toward the conveyor belt 13. Forward movement of the armature 35 will bring the arm 25 and the head portion 26 toward a can on the belt 13 thereby causing the stamping element 28 to brand the can. When the solenoid unit 37 is deenergized, the head portion 26 will be pulled back to its normal position by spring 31 thus returning the armature 35 to its initial position.

The flat bar 15, which carries the marking unit 21, has two forwardly extending platforms 38 disposed near the ends thereof. A vertical shaft 39 is fixedly connected to and extends up through each platform 38. As best seen in Figure 5, a gear 40 is rotatably mounted on each shaft 39 above the platforms 38. A ribbon spool 41 is also rotatably mounted on each shaft 39 above each gear 40. A stud 46a is disposed on the top face of each gear 40 and is adapted to fit into a hole 41a at the bottom of each ribbon spool 41 so that the ribbon spool and gear will jointly rotate when a turning force is applied to either.

The two ribbon spools 41 on the flat bar 15 carry a marking ribbon which has previously been impregnated with a color or pigment to be applied to the cans. The ribbon 56 extends from ribbon spool to ribbon spool in front of the stamping element 28. A shelf 52 is attached to the bottom of fiat bar 15 and extends forwardly thereof. This shelf 52 has a pair of upright guide pins 51 at opposite sides thereof which serve to keep the ribbon 50 parallel to the face of the stamping element 28.

A pair of lever arms 42 are pivotally mounted on the flat bar near either end thereof. Each arm 42 has a boss portion 43 which rotatably embraces a dual headed vertical shaft 44 extending up through the flat bar 15. The rear ends of each arm 42 are pivotally joined to each other through the link member 45. The forward end of each arm 42 carries an idler gear 46 connected thereto by rivet member 4611. The lever arms 42 are so positioned that movement of either arm will bring one of the idler gears 46 into meshing engagement with the gear 40, which is located at the same end of the flat bar 15, and cause disengagement of the other idler gear 46 with its corresponding adjacent gear 40.

Positioned outwardly of each idler gear 46 is a power driven gear 47 which is driven by a motor 48 positioned in the housing 49 underneath the bar 15. The two motors 48 under each end of the flat bar 15 are so arranged that they rotate their corresponding gears 47 in opposite directions. Each gear 47 is so located with respect to its corresponding idler gear 46 that when the idler gear 46 is moved into meshing engagement with its adjacent ribbon spool gear 40, it will also mesh with the adjacent power driven gear 47. Thus power is transmitted from the motor driven gear 47 through the idler gear 46 to the ribbon spool gear 40. This arrangement causes the ribhon 50 to be unwound from one spool 41 onto the opposing spool at the other end of the flat bar 15.

When the ribbon 50 has been wound as far as possible on one spool 41 during operation of the machine, the rear end of the lever arm 42 carrying the disengaged idler gear 46 is moved inwardly thereby bringing the disengaged idler gear into mesh with the adjacent gear 40 and motor driven gear 47. This will cause the empty ribbon spool 41 to wind the ribbon 50 upon itself and cause the filled spool to unwind.

Adjustably mounted on rear wall 11b of one of the Jembers 11 is a light sensitive means such as a photo cell of which intercepts a light beam from a light source 61 also adjustably mounted on the rear wall 11b of the opposing member 11. By suitably positioning the photo cell 69, a light source 61 and marking units 21, an advancing can on the conveyor belt 13 can be brought into proper position for branding just as the leading edge of the can interrupts the light beam. When the beam is broken, operation of the photo cell causes current to flow in the circuit shown schematically in Figure 7 so as to energize the solenoid units 37 located on either side of the belt 13. This of course brings the stamping elements 28 forwardly to brand the can.

It is obvious that unless the stamping elements 28 are retracted to normal position immediately after the branding operation, they will remain in extended position and grip the moving can because the light beam is still interrupted by the can. This would cause the jamming of the machine.

In order to prevent the stamping elements 28 from continually gripping the moving can, I employ a timing mechanism 62 which keeps the electrical circuit open immediately after branding until the rear edge of the branded can has completely cleared the light beam. A timing mechanism suitable for these purposes, and which I use, is one manufactured by Photoswitch Incorporated of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and described in their bulletin PC 478B (February 1951) at page 2, Figure 2. The timing mechanism 62 may be adjusted to permit suflicient time to elapse between each branding depending upon size of the cans and speed of the belt 13. Figure 7 of the drawings shows a schematic view of the electrical circuit employed for the photo cell 60, timing mechanism 62 (enclosed in dotted lines) and solenoid operated marking units 21.

A pair of adjustable guide rails 63 may also be provided above and parallel to the belt 13. These guide rails 63 may be moved vertically and horizontally to accommodate various size cans. Moreover, they should always be adjusted so as not to interfere with the stamping elements 28.

Brushes 64 are also adjustably provided at the entrance and exit to the machine. One pair of opposing brushes 64 is positioned on side walls at the entrance to the machine. The brush portions extend partly over belt 13 and wipe the sides of the cans to give them a clean surface prior to branding. A second set of brushes 13 are mounted in like fashion on side walls He at the exit area of the machine. These latter brushes set the color or ink on the brand and eliminate the tendency of an ink impression to shrink due to the high lacquer finish that may he on the can.

Operation In operation, cans are placed on a moving conveyor belt 13. As the leading edge of the first can interrupts the light beam from the light source 61, the solenoid operated marking units 21 will be energized by operation of the photo cell 60 and the stamping elements 28 will be brought forwardly to brand the sides of the can. Instantly the can is branded, the timing mechanism 62 will interrupt the electrical circuit and keep it so interrupted until the rear edge of the branded can has passed the light beam. The timing mechanism is capable of adjustment depending upon the particular size of the can being branded and speed of the belt 13 to allow suflicient time to elapse before the photo cell 60 is operative again. Immediately upon branding and upon interruption of the electrical circuit by the timing mechanism 62, the springs 31 retract the arms 25 and thus the stamping elements to their initial position. This entire operation is repeated as the next can is brought into the path of the light beam by the conveyor belt 13.

It should be understood that my device is susceptible of many obvious and expedient modifications. For example, it may be so arranged that only one side of a can is branded. This could be achieved by disconnecting from the electrical circuit one of the solenoid operated marking units 21.

Also, the light beam may be placed at the entrance area to the machine so that branding would take place when the rear edge of the can to be branded clears the light beam. This is known as branding by making the beam. As shown in the drawings, I have described branding by breaking the beam.

Moreover, the belt 13 may carry the cans forwardly into the machine with a slow continous movement or with an intermittent movement, in which latter case branding would occur when the belt is stationary.

In addition, various combinations of single and dual motor systems may be employed to drive the gears 47, e. g., a pair of reversible motors or one reversible motor may be used to drive all gears 47 through suitable linkage.

Finally, it should be understood that concave or convex surfaced cans may be branded by employing correspondingly shaped stamping elements 28.

While the invention has been described in detail and shown with respect to the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence, it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language and scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for automatically and simultaneously marking both sides of a can, comprising in combination, a frame having two spaced apart and opposing members defining a passage therebetween, each said member having a can marking unit positioned thereon, said marking units being in opposed relation; each marking unit including a solenoid and an armature, a slidable branding element having a printing face, said branding element being operatively connected with said armature so that said armature induces movement of said branding element when said solenoid is energized, a movable ribbon disposed across the printing face of each branding element, said ribbon being impregnated with a coloring medium, and spring means adapted to retract said branding element after each said induced movement; a conveyor belt adapted to carry continuously a plurality of cans in said passage and between said opposed marking units, said marking units being laterally and vertically adjustable with respect to said cans on said belt, a photoelectric cell disposed on one side of said belt, a light source disposed on the other side of said belt opposite said photoelectric cell and casting a light beam transversely of the path of said moving cans on said belt so that each can will interrupt said beam as it is carried along by said belt, said photoelectric cell adapted to close a circuit in conjunction with the passage of each can through said beam so as to cause said solenoids to be energized whereupon said branding elements will move toward said can to simultaneously mark the sides thereof; a timing mechanism adapted to interrupt said circuit instantly after said solenoids have been energized and to keep said circuit open until said marked can has been carried beyond said marking units; means to control the direction of movement of each said ribbon and guide rails associated with said frame for positioning said cans equidistant between said opposed marking units, said guide rails being vertically and laterally adjustable with respect to said belt.

2. A machine for automatically and simultaneously marking both sides of a can, comprising in combination, a frame having two spaced apart and opposing members defining a passage therebetween, each said member having a can marking unit positioned thereon, said marking units being in opposed relation; each marking unit including a solenoid and an armature, a slidable branding element having a printing face, said branding element being operatively connected with said armature so that said armature induces movement of said branding element when said solenoid is energized, a movable ribbon disposed across the printing face of each branding element, said ribbon being impregnated with a coloring medium, and spring means adapted to retract said branding element after each said induced movement; a conveyor belt adapted to carry continuously a plurality of cans in said passage and between said opposed marking units, said marking units being laterally and vertically adjustable with respect to said cans on said belt, a photoelectric cell disposed on one side of said belt, a light source disposed on the other side of said belt opposite said photoelectric cell and casting a light beam transversely of the path of said moving cans on said belt so that each can will interrupt said beam as it is carried along by said belt, said photoelectric cell adapted to close a circuit in conjunction with the passage of each can through said beam so as to cause said solenoids to be energized whereupon said branding.

elements will move toward said can to simultaneously mark the sides thereof; a timing mechanism adapted to interrupt said circuit instantly after said can has been marked and to keep said circuit open until said marked can has been carried beyond said marking units; means to control the direction of movement of each said ribbon and guide rails associated with said frame for positioning said cans equidistant between said opposed marking units, said guide rails being vertically and laterally adjustable with respect to said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,677,927 Pettee July 24, 1928 1,770,029 Eberhart July 8, 1930 1,811,358 Kern June 23, 1931 1,988,486 Ferenci Jan. 22, 1935 1,998,069 Beutel Apr. 16, 1935 2,022,831 Smallen Dec. 3, 1935 2,515,854 Bodkin July 18, 1950 2,635,532 Stewart Apr. 21, 1953 2,646,746 Muller July 28, 1953 2,654,312 Phipps Oct. 6, 1953

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