US3060661A

US3060661A - Tools for affixing lids to cup-like containers

Info

Publication number: US3060661A
Application number: US110559A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruun Otto Johannes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-05-16
Filing date: 1961-05-16
Publication date: 1962-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1979-10-30

Description

Oct. 30, 1962 o. J. BRUUN 3,060,661

TOOLS FOR AFFIXING LIDS T0 CUP-LIKE CONTAINERS Filed May- 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0a. 30, 1962 o. J. BRUUN 3,0

TOOLS FOR AFFIXING LIDS T0 CUP-LIKE CONTAINERS Filed May 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Oflfice 3,050,661 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 3,060,661 TOOLS FOR AFFG LHDS TO CUP-LEE CONTAINERS Gtto Johannes Bruun, The White House, Stoke Park, Slough, England Filed May 16, 1961, Ser. No. 110,559 Claims priority, application Great Britain May 16, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-342) This invention relates to apparatus for securing to a container having around its mouth an outwardly projecting flange, a lid of deformable sheet material laid across the container mouth with its margin projecting beyond the flange.

The apparatus of the invention operates in the course of a single axial stroke to bend downwardly the projecting margin of the lid to form a depending flange surrounding the container flange, then to bend this lid flange inwardly beneath the container flange, and then to press the lid flange upwardly against the underside of the container flange.

Further features of the invention will appear from the appended claims when read in the light of the following description of one particular embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a part-sectional elevation of the apparatus with a container and lid in position therein;

FIGURES 2 to are fragmentary sectional views, corresponding to parts of FIGURE 1 but on a larger scale, showing the apparatus container and lid at diflerent stages of the sealing operation.

The particular apparatus illustrated is intended for sealing a cup-like container 1 of roughly truncated conical form open at its upper end and having a flange 2 extending horizontally outwards from its rim. This cup is made of rigid material such as tinplate, plastic or the like. The lid 3 with which said cup is to be sealed is made of soft metal foil and, as first supplied (see FIG- URE 2), is of dished form with a flange extending horizontally outwards from the rim of the dish. The dished portion of the lid fits into the mouth of the cup with the horizontal flange of the lid resting flush on the horizontal flange of the cup. The flange of the lid is wider than the flange of the cup so that the outer portion of the flange of the lid overhangs the flange of the cup.

The sealing machine comprises a horizontal ejector plate 4 of disc form which constitutes a platform on which the cup, with the lid loosely in place thereon, is first stood. Said ejector plate has its surface formed to receive the bottom portion of the cup with a close fit so that said cup is accurately centered. The ejector plate is mounted on the upper end of a vertical guide rod 5 which passes slidably through a long vertical bearing member 6 carried by a stationary horizontal bottom plate 7. A helical spring 8, which supports said ejector plate and biasses it upwardly towards a limiting position, is coiled about said guide rod and is in compression between said ejector plate and said bottom plate. The bottom portion of said guide rod 5 extends to the underside of said bottom plate and carries a washer 9, secured by nuts 11 which engages the undersurface of said bottom plate and thereby limits the upward movement of said ejector plate and determines its normal position. By adjusting said nuts, said normal position is adjusted.

At a level below the top of the cup 1 when the ejector plate 4 is in its normal, uppermost position is an annular sealing tool which surrounds the cup when the ejector plate moves down. This sealing tool comprises a fixed annular base plate 11, supported from bottom plate 7 by vertical spacer rods 12, and an annular stop plate 13 fast to the base plate. The

plates

11 and 13 provide a cavity which accommodates a ring divided radially into a plurality (say six or eight) of arcuate sections 14, which are held together by an annular tension spring 15 against a stop 16, formed by an annular shoulder on plate 11. The sections 14 of the ring are restrained against axial movement by

plates

11 and 13 but can move radially outwards against the tension of spring 15. The inner surface of the ring sections is flared conically upwards, as shown at 17.

The machine also comprises a plunger unit including a plunger 18 which can be moved vertically downwards on to said cup and lid. The plunger at its bottom end terminates in a horizontal disc shaped press plate 19, whose underside may have an embossed centre portion fitting into the dish cavity of the lid, the radius of the press plate being equal to that of the outer edge of the flange of the cup. The plunger unit also comprises a vertical prefolding sleeve 20 which slidably surrounds said press plate, the inner surface of the lower portion of the sleeve being flared conically as shown at 21. The prefolding sleeve 20 depends downwardly from the edge of an annular disc 22 which is vertically slidable on plunger 18. A horizontal ring 23 is secured on the plunger and a biasing spring 24 for said prefolding sleeve is coiled around the plunger in compression between ring 23 and disc 22, so that the disc is normally held flush on said press plate with the flared portion 21 of the prefolding tool projecting below the lower surface of the press plate, as shown in FIGURES 1 to 3.

In operation, with the plunger raised and the ejector plate 4 in its normal position, a cup with a lid applied is placed on the ejector plate and the plunger is moved downwardly. During the first part of the stroke the press plate 19 and the prefolding sleeve 20 move as one piece towards the lid 3 and cup 1, as shown in FIGURE 2. The flared lower portion 21 of the prefolding sleeve first engages the portion of the flange of the lid which projects beyond the flange of the cup and bends it progressively downwards and subsequently the cylindrical portion of the inner surface of the prefolding sleeve reaches the projecting portion of the flange of the lid and bends it down to the vertical, as shown in FIG- URE 3.

The horizontal undersurface of the press plate now presses down upon the inner portion of the lid flange, thereby forcing downwardly the lid, cup and ejector plate, until (as shown in FIGURE 1) an outer flange 25 on the prefolding sleeve engages the stop plate 13 which forms part of the sealing tool. Said prefolding sleeve is therefore stopped, but the plunger 18 with its press plate 19 continues to descend and thereby forces the cup and lid and the ejector plate downwards with it. It will be understood that, at this stage, the spring 24 which biasses the prefolding sleeve and also the spring 8 which biasses the ejector plate are both being compressed.

As the press plate, cup and lid continue descending, the lower edge of the now vertical outer portion of the flange of the lid engages the conical surface 17 of the segmental ring 14 and said outer flange portion is accordingly bent inwards underneath the horizontal flange Z of the cup, to an angle of, say, 45 degrees, as shown in FIGURE 4. Immediately after said outer flange portion of the lid has assumed this inwardly bent position the cup flange 2 with applied lid is forced against the inner coned surface 17 and thereby, as it continues to descend, expands the segmented ring until the segments 14 are clear of the inwardly bent outer portion of the lid flange, so that the container with the lid can pass downwardly between the segments. The outer portion of the lid flange then engages the horizontal surface of the base plate 11 of the sealing tool and thereby is bent upwardly to the horizontal position, as shown in FIGURE 5. In this lowermost position of the plunger the three flange layers i.e. the inner portion of the lid flange, the cup flange and the bent under outer portion of the lid flangeare tightly compressed between the press plate 19 and the base plate 11. Thus a perfect seal between the lid and the cup is effected.

The plunger unit is now returned upwards to its normal position and the sealed cup and lid are raised by the ejector plate to a position such that they may be readily removed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for securing a lid of deformable sheet material to a container having an outwardly projecting flange around its mouth by bending the marginal portion of the lid downwardly, inwardly, and upwardly around the flange, said apparatus comprising means for supporting a container with a lid of sheet material laid over its mouth and projecting beyond the container flange, a prefolding sleeve positioned above the flange and adapted to fit with small clearance around the flange, a sealing tool positioned below the flange and including an expansible ring having an inner surface which tapers downwardly and a flat horizontal annular base plate positioned below the expansible ring, and means for producing relative axial movement first between the container with lid loosely applied thereto and the prefolding sleeve, and then between the container and the sealing tool, whereby in the course of a single axial stroke the prefolding sleeve engages the projecting margin of the lid and bends it downwardly to form a depending lid flange, the tapering surface of the expansible ring engages this lid flange and bends it inwardly, the container flange pressing axially upon the tapering surface expands the ring and passes therethrough, and finally the base plate presses the inturned lid flange against the underside of the container flange.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the prefolding sleeve surrounds a press plate for engaging the top of the lid and pressing the lid and container against the sealing tool, the prefolding sleeve being axially moveable relative to the press plate against a biassing force, so that it can move clear of the lid flange to allow the sealing tool to operate.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the sealing tool is mounted in fixed position and there is provided an axially moveable container support which is biassed upwardly to hold the top of the container above the sealing tool, the container being moved down to bring the lid into engagement with the sealing tool by an axially moveable press plate which engages the top surface of the lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,116,068 Gantzer May 3, 1938 2,611,522 Stockburger Sept. 23, 1952 2,750,094 Magill June 12, 1956 2,974,455 Ravn Mar. 14, 1961