US2860464A

US2860464A - Automatic bottle filling machine

Info

Publication number: US2860464A
Application number: US540306A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barthelemy Max
Original assignee: PARISIENNE D EXPANSION CHIMIQU
Current assignee: PARISIENNE D EXPANSION CHIMIQU; Parisienne D'expansion Chimique Specia Ste
Priority date: 1954-10-21
Filing date: 1955-10-13
Publication date: 1958-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1975-11-18

Description

Nov. 18, 1958 M. BARTHELEMY AUTOMATIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed 001;. 13, 1955 Inuentr fdi Biff/1e /e. m5

A ttorn e ys Nov. 18, 1958 M. BARTHEL EMY AUTOMATIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13, 1955 Inventor HQ Barthe/EMJ Nov. 18, 1958 M. BARTHELEMY AUTOMATIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 13, 1955 Inventor 7* Banrtke/Q y I An... W

Attorneys United States Patent Ofiic 2,860,454 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 AUTOMATIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE Max Barthelemy, Deuil, France, assignor to Societe Parisienne dExpansion Chimique S. P. E. C. I. A., Paris, France, a French body corporate Application October 13, 1955, Serial No. 540,306

Claims priority, application France October 21, 1954 5 Claims. (Cl. 53-115) This invention relates to an automatic bottle filling machine.

Lozenges, tablets and like articles (hereinafter referred to simply as lozenges) are frequently marketed in a bottle, into which a wad of cotton wool is first introduced, followed by a predetermined number of lozenges, and finally by a second wad of cotton wool, the cotton wool serving to hold the lozenges in position within the bottle and to protect them from shock. It is desirable that the wads of cotton wool should be of regular thickness and should have no burrs which might interefere with the subsequent stoppering of the bottle.

Machines exist for introducing a wad of cotton wool into a bottle by cutting or tearing a wad from a slub of cotton wool and introducing the wad so formed into the bottle by means of movable fingers. These fingers, however, have to be given somewhat complicated movements with the result that burring of the wads frequently occurs. There also 'exist lozenge-dispensing machines, more especially of the type comprising a perforated turntable, the machines being adapted to fill bottles with a predetermined number of lozenges. It has previously been necessary, however, when filling a bottle with lozenges and cotton wool as described above, to employ three separate machines, namely a machine for introducing the bottom wad, a lozenge-dispensing machine, and a machine for introducing the top wad.

According to the invention there is provided an automatic bottle filling machine comprising 'a turntable having a compartment adapted to receive a bottle, means for introducing an empty bottle into and withdrawing a filled bottle from the compartment, and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the turntable whereby the compartment is first moved into alignment with a device adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the bottom of the bottle, is then moved into alignment with a device adapted to introduce a predetermined number of lozenges into the bottle, and is finally moved into alignment with a device adapted to introduce a wad of cotton Wool to the top of the bottle.

Preferably each device for introducing a wad of cotton wool comprises a hollow guide, means for feeding a slub of cotton wool to the interior of the guide, means for moving the slub downwardly within the guide so that an end of the slub projects beneath the bottom of the guide; means for cutting off the projecting portion so as to form a wad, and means for introducing the wad into the bottle. The means for moving the slub downwardly within the guide may comprise a comb whose teeth pass through a vertical slot in the guide, means being provided for reciprocating the teeth of the comb in the slot. Each guide is conveniently formed with an inverted frustroconical interior surface and the means for cutting off the projecting portion of the slub may comprise a rotating knife which is continuously urged against the bottom of the guide. A flat piston may be employed for introducing the wad of cotton wool into the bottle.

The hollow guides of the two devices for introducing a wad of cotton wool are preferably secured to each other and are mounted for movement about the axis of the turntable, movement of the axis effecting movement of the turntable through a rachet wheel and a pawl.

The device adapted to introduce lozenges into the bottle preferably comprising a hopper for lozenges, a distributor disc onto which lozenges may fall from the hopper, and a chute for delivering lozenges from the distributor disc to the bottle. The distributor disc is preferably divided into a plurality of sectors each of which is provided with a plurality of perforations for the passage therethrough of lozenges. Means are preferably provided for rotating the distributor disc, while the turntable is stationary, through an angle equal to the angle of the said sectors. Means may also be provided for preventing rotation of the distributor disc whenever an empty compartment is aligned with the device for introducing lozenges. Thus there may be provided a feeler adapted to detect the presence or absence of a bottle in the compartment, means for driving the distributor disc, and means controlled by the detector, for coupling the distributor disc to the driving means when a bottle is present and for uncoupling the distributor disc from the driving means and preventing rotation of the distributor disc when a bottle is absent.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the acompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a machine according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary vertical view, in developed form, of the machine shown in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a detailed view of a control and safety device employed on the machine of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, a machine according to the invention comprises a turntable 1 provided with a plurality of angularly spaced apart compartments 2 formed at the periphery of the turntable 1. Each compartment 2 is adapted to receive a bottle 3, a bottle 3 being introduced into an empty compartment 2 when the latter is suitably aligned with a conveyor belt 4 which feeds the bottles 3 to the machine. Situated above the turntable 1 and detachably secured thereto is an annular member 5 having angularly spaced apart circular holes 6 co-axial with the compartments 2, the diameter of the holes 6 being equal to or slightly smaller than that of the necks of the bottles to be filled. The turntable 1 and the annular member 5 are given an intermittent rotational movement in the direction of the arrow F by means to be described hereinafter, the amplitude of each displacement of the turntable and annular member being equal to the angular distance between two consecutive compartments 2.' Assuming that the machine has been started, the first displacement of the turntable 1 brings a bottle 3 in a compartment 2 below a cotton Wool feeding device adapted to introduce a bottom wad of cotton wool into the bottle. The said device comprises a hollow guide 7 whose interior has an inverted frustro-conical shape, a slub 8 of cotton wool being fed to the interior of the guide 7, the diameter of the slub 8, prior to its introduction into the guide 7, being substantially the same as that of the bottom of the bottle 3. Tapered teeth 9 of a comb 9' pass through a longitudinal slot in the guide 7. The comb 9' is lowered as soon as the turntable 1 is stopped whereby a quantity of cotton wool is introduced into an opening 6 of the annular member 5 situated below said device. The quantity of cotton wool may be regulated as desired by varying the amplitude of the vertical movement of the comb. The turntable 1 then performs a further movement in which it is accompanied by the cotton wool feeding device, which moves from a position A to a position B (as indicated in Figure l) and, in the course of this movement, the cotton wool slub is cut by a continuously rotating knife 10. During this movement, the comb 9 rises to its higher position, whereafter an arm 11, which carries the guide 7, returns from B to A, and the teeth 9 of the comb 9 are again introduced into the cotton wool slub 8. The next movement of the turntable 1 brings the bottle 3 below a flat piston 12 of slightly smaller diameter than the neck of the bottle. The piston 12 descends while the bottle is stationary and in so doing forces the wad of cotton wool to the bottom of the bottle. The piston 12 then rises and is disengaged from the annular member 5. The wad of cotton wool has been compressed by the guide 7 so as to have a diameter corresponding to that of the neck of the bottle 3. When, however, the wad is placed at the bottom of the bottle, it expands to its original diameter, whereby the bottom of the bottle is lined with a wad of regular thickness. A further movement of the turntable 1 brings the bottle 3, whose bottom is now lined with cotton wool, below a chute 13 by means of which lozenges are fed to the bottle. The lozenges are automatically counted by means of distributor disc 14, which is subdivided into a number of equal sectors each having a number of perforations (of the dimension of one lozenge) equal to the number of lozenges which it is desired to introduce into each bottle. The distributor disc 14 is fed with lozenges from a hopper l5, and a suitable device (for example a brush or scraper not shown) ensures that one lozenge is introduced into each perforation. While the turntable 1 is stationary, the distributor disc 14 rotates through an angle equal to the angle at the centre of the aforesaid sectors. The tablets then fall into the chute 13 and from there into the bottle 3. At this instant the bottle is preferably given a series of vibrations, for example by means of an eccentric, in order to compact the lozenges within the bottle. The top wad is then introduced into the bottle by means of a second cotton wool feeding device 7', 9", a second continuously rotating knife 10 and a second piston 12', the top wad being introduced into the bottle in the same manner as the bottom wad. Thus the cotton wool is fed to the guide 7' at A and is cut by the knife 10' in the course of its movement from A to B. On being introduced into the top of the bottle, the top wad expands, whereby the top of the bottle is lined with a wad of regular thickness, the wad having no burrs which may be gripped during the stoppering of the bottle and prevent fluid-tightness thereof. The bottle is then delivered from the machine by means of the conveyor belt 4.

The general operation of the machine having been explained, a number of characteristic details thereof will now be described.

The two guides 7, 7' are secured to one another, and the horizontal rocking movement of the said guides from A to B and from A to B respectively and vice versa is imparted thereto by means of a cam (not shown). This rocking movement drives the turntable 1 through a ratchet wheel 1, which is secured to said turntable 1, and a pawl 11" which is connected to the arm 11.

The continuously rotating knives are constantly urged, by springs (not shown), against the lower portions of the said hollow guides 7 which form counter-blades, the space between each guide and the top of the annular member being just sufficient to allow the respective knife to pass, so that a clean cutting of the slub of cotton wool without burring is ensured.

The holes 6 in the annular member 5 constitute a reserve space capable of receiving surplus lozenges or tablets if the latter are not properly fed into the bottle. The annular member 5 may moveover be replaced so that bottles of different sizes may be employed without in any way changing the position of the various parts of the machine.

A special device is provided to disengage and hold fast the distributor disc 14 for the distribution of the lozenges if no bottle is situated below the chute 13. This device is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 3.

A feeler member 16 is secured to a bell-crank lever 17 to which is secured a spring 13. The lever 17 carries a roller 19, which co-operates with a cam 20, and the lever 17 also carries a clutch fork 21. The latter is in engagement with a collar 22' of a dog clutch 22 slidably keyed on a. shaft 23 on which the distributor disc 14 is mounted.

The shaft 23 is journalled within an upper bearing 24 having a number of notches 25 equal to the number of sectors of the distributor disc 14. The shaft 23 is also journalled in a lower bearing 26 on which is rotatably mounted a pinion 27 having two holes 28 adapted for driving engagement with pins 29 of the dog clutch 22.

The pinion 27 meshes with a pinion 30 carrying a member 31 shaped as a Maltese cross. The member 31 is driven by a finger- 33 mounted on a motor shaft 34. Thus rotation of the motor shaft effects rotation of the member 31 and hence intermittent movement of the distributor disc 14.

The motor shaft 34 drives a shaft 35 on which is mounted the cam 20.

When the feeler 16 engages a bottle the dog clutch 22 is in engagement with the pinion 27 and the distributor disc 14 advances by one sector when the member 31 is started.

If, however, no bottle is present, the feeler member 16 advances under the action of the spring 18 and the dog clutch '22 is moved upwards through the lever 17 and the clutch fork'21. The pins 29 are withdrawn from the holes 28, while fingers 32 of the dog clutch 22 engage in th'e recesses 25 in the upper bearing 24'and thus holds the distributor disc 14fast'.

When the cam 20 is turned through with respect to the position shown in Figure 3; by which time the bottle will have been filled with lozenges, the roller 19 is pushed towards the right and the filled bottle may therefore be replaced by an empty bottle.

I claim:

1. An automatic bottle filling machine comprising a turntable; means defining a compartment in said turntable adapted to receive'a bottle; means for introducing an empty bottle into and withdrawing a filled bottle from the compartment: three spaced-apart devices mounted above said turntable, the first device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the bottom of the bottle, the second device being adapted to introduce a predetermined number of lozenges into the bottle, and the third device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the top of the bottle; and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the turntable whereby the compartment is moved into alignment below each of the said devices in turn; the said first and third devices comprising a hollow guide formed with a vertical slot therethrough, means for feeding a slub of cotton wool to the interior of the guide, a comb, teeth on said comb projecting through the said slot, means for reciprocating the teeth in the slot whereby to move the slub downwardly within the guide so that an end of the slub projects beneath the bottom of the guide, means for cutting off the projecting portion of the slub so as to form a wad, and means for introducing the wad into the bottle.

2. An automatic bottle filling machine comprising a turntable; means defining a compartment in said turntable adapted to receive a bottle; means for introducing an empty bottle into and withdrawing a filled bottle from the compartment; three spaced-apart devices mounted above said turntable, the first device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the bottom of the bottle, the second device being adapted to introduce a predetermined number of lozenges into the bottle, and the third device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the top of the bottle; and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the turntable whereby the compartment is moved into alignment below each of the said devices in turn; the said first and third devices comprising a hollow guide formed with an inverted frustro-conical interior surface and with a vertical slot therethrough; means for feeding a slub of cotton wool to the interior of the guide, a comb whose teeth project through the said slot, means for reciprocating the teeth in the slot whereby to move the slub downwardly within the guide so that the end of the slub projects beneath the bottom of the guide; a rotating knife which is continuously urged against the bottom of the guide and which serves to cut off the projecting portion of the slub so as to form a wad, and means for introducing the wad into the bottle; the hollow guides of the said first and third device being secured to each other and being mounted for movement about the axis of the turntable, movement of the guides efiecting movement of the turntable.

3. An automatic bottle filling machine comprising a turntable; means defining a compartment in said turntable adapted to receive a bottle; means for introducing an empty bottle into and withdrawing a filled bottle from the compartment; three spaced-apart devices mounted above said turntable, the first device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the bottom of the bottle, the second device being adapted to introduce a predetermined number of lozenges into the bottle, and the third device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool to the top of the bottle; and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the turntable whereby the compartment is moved into alignment below each of the said devices in turn; the said first and third devices comprising a hollow guide formed with an inverted frustro-conical interior surface and with a vertical slot therethrough, means for feeding a slub of cotton wool to the interior of the guide, a comb, whose teeth project through the said slot, means for reciprocating the teeth in the slot whereby to move the slub downwardly within the guide so that the end of the slub projects beneath the bottom of the guide; a rotating knife which is continuously urged against the bottom of the guide and which serves to cut ofi the pro jecting portion of the slub so as to form a wad, and a fiat piston for introducing the wad into the bottle; the hollow guides of the said first and third device being secured to each other and being mounted for movement about the axis of the turntable, movement of the guides effecting movement of the turntable.

4. An automatic bottle filling machine comprising a turntable; means defining a compartment in said turntable adapted to receive a bottle; means for introducing an empty bottle into and withdrawing a filled bottle from the compartment; three spaced-apart devices mounted above said turntable, the first device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool into the bottom of the bottle, the second device being adapted to introduce a predetermined number of lozenges into the bottle, and the third device being adapted to introduce a wad of cotton wool to the top of the bottle; and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the turntable whereby the compartment is moved into alignment below each of the said devices in turn; the said first and third devices comprising a hollow guide, means for feeding a slub of cotton wool to the interior of the guide, means for moving the slub downwardly within the guide so that an end of the slub projects beneath the bottom of the guide, means for cutting ofi the projecting portion of the slub so as to form a wad, and means for introducing the wad into the bottle; the hollow guides of the said first and third device being secured to each other and being mounted for movement about the axis of the turntable, movement of the guides effecting movement of the turntable.

5. An automatic bottle filling machine according to claim 4 in which the device for introducing lozenges into the bottle comprises a hopper for lozenges, a distributor disc on to which lozenges may fall from the hopper, the distributor disc being divided into a plurality of sectors each of which is provided with a plurality of perforations for the passage therethrough of lozenges, a chute for delivering lozenges from the distributor disc to the bottle, and means for rotating the distributor disc, while the tumtable is stationary, through an angle equal to the angle of the said sectors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,625 Smith Feb. 4, 1919 1,717,403 Popov June 18, 1929 2,412,089 Kelly Dec. 3, 1946 2,515,594 Fischman July 18, 1950