US2813644A - Inverting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1957 H. D. LATHROP ETAL 2,813,644

INVERTING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 12, 1953 NVENTORS: 3y

Arrow/5g;

United States Patent 'INVERTIN G APPARATUS Harry D. Lathrop and Emil'E. Hageline, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The Lathrop-Paulson. Company, Chicago, 111, a corporation" of Illinois Application November 12, 1953,;Serial No. 391,572

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-130) This invention relates to an inventing apparatus, and more particularly to a cradle which is employed for upending an article and to means employed with the cradle for centering the article thereon.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application, Serial No. 336,594, filed February 12, 1953, and now Patent No. 2,696,822, for Convertible Can and Case Washer.

In the operation of a can washer or other article washer or treater, it is common to pass the article through the apparatus in one position and then to invert it as it leaves the apparatus. It is found that articles passing through the washer or other treating device and falling downwardly into the cradle receptacle move forwardly under the momentum of their movement and bounce about, leaving the article often improperly centered upon the cradle so that it slides off the cradle during the inverting action, or even if inverted, is misplaced upon the receiving conveyor.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for positively centering an article delivered to the end of the machine under various speeds of movement and under difierent conditions, the mechanism operating positively and seating the article in the desired position irrespective of such varying speeds and conditions. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a broken side view in elevation of apparatus embodying our invention; Fig. 2, a detail sectional view, the section being taken as indicated at line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a broken view on a reduced scale showing the apparatus in position for engaging the article as it leaves the treating portion of the machine; Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the cushioning device under compression as a result of contact with the article; and Fig. 5, a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 but showing the final operation in which the device centers the article upon the cradle.

In the illustration given, designates a washing machine or other type of machine for treating an article which is designated by the numeral 11. The article may be a can, a box, a crate, or any other article. In the usual operation of a can washing machine, the milk can having a bell mouth is passed through the machine in inverted position with the mouth of the can resting upon the track so that washing fluids may be introduced into the can to clean it. At the end of the machine, the can cover is conveyed to the bottom of the receiver 12 so that the can may be dropped in inverted position upon the cover to cause the cover to be thus seated firmly within the can. The can, with its cover in position, is then engaged by the cradle and inverted to bring the bottom of the can upon a conveyor so that the can may be moved away in upright position. A machine for advancing cans in the manner described is illustrated in Hageline Patent 2,364,971. The present invention is connections (not shown).

2,813,644 Patented Nov. 19 1957 'ice 2 applicable .to. .the inverting .of milk cans washed and treated in the manner .described, or for any other elongated article -which.is treated in upended position while being .passedthrough amachine and whichis to herestored .tozits original vertical' position .at the. end ,of ,the machine.

In the illustration ;given,.a cradle shaftJ13 is journaled forrotarytmovementand isdriven intermittently. by .drive The cradle, as shown more clearly in .Fig.;2, may beformed ofa pair of side members 14 equipped.at.one.end .with. an'angular arm.15 .and at the other end withan arm 16 extending in the opposite direction. As the cradle thus rotates, it will pick up an article received within the support 12 and upend the same so as to place it upon a conveyor or other receiving device laterally of the machine. Since the washing or treating machine and the cradle apparatus which has now been described are both old in the art and well known in structure, a further detailed description is herein believed unnecessary.

In combination with the foregoing apparatus, we provide at the end of the machine a vertical stop member 17 to which is secured a rod or support 18, the rod 18 being slidably mounted within the support 17 and carrying at its forward end centering pad 19 which is slightly spaced laterally of the cradle. The compression spring 20 normally urges the centering pad 19 toward the case or can 11. The cradle moves the can or case laterally upon a discharge platform or conveyor (not shown).

In the operation of the device, the case or article 11, as it leaves the machine 10, presses against the pad 19, causing the spring 20 to be compressed, and then the pad 19, under the influence of the compressed spring 20, centers the case or article 11 upon the cradle 13 so that it may be accurately moved to one side of the machine.

In actual operation, it is found that the cans or cases, etc. leaving the machine, fall downward toward the support 12 with varying speeds and in various angular positions. Under the momentum of such movement and the fall of the article, the article moves forwardly against the pad 19 to compress the spring 20, as illustrated best in Fig. 4. After the movement of the can or case has been checked and absorbed by the pad 19, the compressed spring 20 serves as a motor to move the can laterally to center it properly upon the cradle 13. The pad 19 may be formed of metal or any other suitable material, and the arrangement of the parts is such that the pad stops just short of the cradle in its return movement. If desired, a stop may be used for this purpose or the parts may be so tensioned in the position shown in Fig. 1, that the pad is spaced slightly laterally of the beams 14 of the cradle 13.

In the series of movements illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the can or article 11 is shown approaching the pad 19 in Fig. 3, the article is shown compressing the springurged pad 19 in Fig. 4, and the return action of the pad to center the article upon the cradle is illustrated in Fig. 5. The spring-urged pad is found to absorb the blows from the articles or cans even though they be greatly unequal, while at the same time compressing spring 20 and then, in the falling action, the spring urges the can or article laterally against a relatively uniform resistance so that it is centered precisely in the same place each time upon the cradle 13, thus assuring the deposit of the upended can or case in the desired location on the receiving platform or conveyor, etc.

While, in the foregoing specification, we have shown a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with means for advancing an article to be inverted and a cradle supported at one end of said means and adapted to receive articles discharged from said means onto the cradle, an end wall spaced from the end of said means and at one side of the cradle, a pad supported upon said end wall in longitudinal alignment with said means and at one side and spaced from the cradle, and spring means interposed between the pad and the end wall permitting said pad to be retracted toward said end wall under impact from a discharged article and then shifting said article under the force of the compressed spring rearwardly upon said cradle to center the same within said cradle, said pad being limited in movement so as to remain spaced laterally of the path of travel of said cradle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,644,386 Kendall Oct. 4, 1927 1,837,846 Appleyard Dec. 22, 1931 1,943,530 Hoefileur Jan. 16, 1934 2,119,642 McClatchie June 7, 1938 2,709,013 1955 Hartzog May 24,

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