US3119139A - Bottle case inverter - Google Patents

Bottle case inverter Download PDF

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Publication number
US3119139A
US3119139A US87388A US8738861A US3119139A US 3119139 A US3119139 A US 3119139A US 87388 A US87388 A US 87388A US 8738861 A US8738861 A US 8738861A US 3119139 A US3119139 A US 3119139A
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carriage
case
bottle
movement
conveyor
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US87388A
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John H Beard
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Taylor Manufacturing Co
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Taylor Manufacturing Co
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G65/00—Loading or unloading
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2814/00—Indexing codes relating to loading or unloading articles or bulk materials
    • B65G2814/03—Loading or unloading means
    • B65G2814/0301—General arrangements
    • B65G2814/0314—General arrangements for moving bulk material downwards
    • B65G2814/0316—General arrangements for moving bulk material downwards to a storage room
    • B65G2814/0317—General arrangements for moving bulk material downwards to a storage room by tipping a container

Definitions

  • This invention generally relates to an improved apparatus for cleaning containers such as bottle cases and the like and more particularly to a simple and effective means for automatically inverting bottle cases and analogons articles with extreme rapidity and to return the same to original upright position so as to dislodge and dump any dust, dirt, trash or other foreign matter out of the cases.
  • the bottle case inverter of the present invention comprises an improvement over the bottle case inverter shown and described in the co-pending application Serial No. 822,771, filed by Charles Chalich and John H. Beard on June 25, 1959, now Patent No. 3,058,606.
  • the bottle case inverter of said co-pending application comprises an intermittently driven conveyor for feeding successive cases, and a case receiving and inverting carriage which operates in synchronism with but in alternation to the intermittently driven conveyor for receiving cases therefrom and for inverting said cases, jarringly or joltingly stopping the cases in inverted position and immediately returning the same to upright position.
  • the present invention was developed to obviate the aforementioned problems and difiiculties encountered in the use of the device of the co-pending application and others encountered in the prior art.
  • the present apparatus generally comprises a case inverting carriage, a continuously driven conveyor for successively feeding cases to said carriage, means for feeding successive cases to the continuously driven conveyor in timed relation to the movement of the carriage, and a continuously driven foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath the carriage when in the inverted position for receiving foreign matter from the cases and to move the same to a point spaced from the apparatus.
  • FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the carriage of the apparatus shown in FIG- URE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the framework of the apparatus with portions broken away for clarity;
  • FIGURE 4 is an end elevation looking from the right in FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away;
  • FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially along line 7-7 of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 8 is an end elevation looking from the left in FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 9 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially along line 9-9 of FIGURE 8 with the motor shaft and drive pulley and the gear reduction end added;
  • FIGURE 10 is a schematic view showing a wiring diagram of the apparatus of the present invention with structural parts shown schematically.
  • the apparatus generally indicated at 10 comprises a continuously driven conveyor 11, a case discharge conveyor 12, a carriage 13 for inverting successive cases and a foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
  • Apparatus It includes a frame 15 (FIGURE 3) which is supported on a surface, such as a floor or the like, by posts 16.
  • a pair of lower transverse angle members 17, 18 are connected at each end to one of the posts 16.
  • a longitudinal frame member 19 made of suitable angle material connects two of the posts 16 at one end of members l7, l8 and is spaced thereabove.
  • a pair of longitudinally extending angle members 29 and 21 connect the transversely extending members 17 and 13 adjacent the other ends thereof at a point spaced from the two posts 16.
  • Another longitudinally extending angle member 22 connects the transversely extending angle members 1'7 and 18 intermediate their ends and serves to support bearing brackets to be later described.
  • the frame 15 further includes a longitudinally extending angle member 23 connecting the upper ends of two of the posts 16 and a longitudinally extending angle member 24 spaced therefrom. Angle members 23 and 24 are interconnected at opposite ends by transversely extending angle members 25 and 26. Longitudinally extending angle member 24 and the ends of transversely extending angle members 2'5 and 26 are supported on the transversely extending angle members 17 and 18 by a pair of posts 27, 30.
  • a longitudinally extending angle member 31 interconnects the upper ends of the other two posts 16.
  • Two transverse angle members 32, 33 are connected at either end to the longitudinally extending angle member 31 and extend outwardly therefrom in parallel relationship to u the transverse angle members 17 and 18.
  • Transverse angle member 32 is supported on the transverse angle member 18 by a suitable post 34 and transverse angle member 33 is supported on the transverse angle member 17 by a suitable post 35.
  • a bearing supporting bracket 36 is connected at either end to member 33 and the transverse angle member 17.
  • a transversely extending angle member 37 connects longitudinally extending angle members 1? and 22 intermediate their ends and serves to support one end of a bracket 40 which is connected at its other end to the longitudinally extending angle member 31 intermediate the ends thereof.
  • a hearing supporting bracket 41 is supported at one end on the longitudinally extending angle member 22 and at its other end on the bracket 40.
  • a bracket supporting angle member 42 is mounted on the transversely extending angle member 17 and on the vertically extending posts 39 and 35 in any known manner such as welding or the like. Bracket 42 supports one end of a pair of conveyor supporting brackets 43, 44 constructed of any suitable angle material. Conveyor supporting brackets 43, 44 are connected intermediate their ends by a pair of braces 45, 46. A second pair of conveyor supporting brackets 56, 51 are mounted on the transversely extending angle member 17 in any known manner such as by welding or the like to support one end of the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
  • Another pair of conveyor supporting brackets 52, 53 are mounted on the transversely extending angle member 18 and extend downwardly and outwardly therefrom to support the other end of the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 in a manner to be presently described.
  • a pair of spaced longitudinally extending plates 54, 55 are connected to the transversely extending angle members 17 and 18 at opposite ends and serve as guiding members to insure that no foreign matter may fall from the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 underneath the machine.
  • a pair of suitable motor supports 60, 61 are connected at one end to the longitudinally extending angle member 21 and extend transversely outwardly thereof.
  • a channel member 62 is mounted at one end on the transversely extending angle member 17 by any suitable means such as welding or the like and extends outwardly therefrom to support a suitable gear reduction unit in a manner to be presently described.
  • Conveyor 11 comprises a pair of endless pliable elements which may be in the form of belts, but are shown in FIGURES 1, 5, 6 and 9, in the form of sprocket chains indicated at and 71.
  • the end of sprocket chains 79 and 71 adjacent the carriage 13 are mounted on respective sprocket wheels 72, 73 and the ends of sprocket chain 70, 71 remote from carriage 13 are mounted on sprocket wheels 74, 75.
  • Sprocket wheels 74, 75 are fixed on a shaft 76 journaled in suitable bearings 77 and 86 mounted on the conveyor supporting brackets 43 and 44.
  • Sprockets 72, 73 are fixed on a shaft 83 journaled in suitable bearings 84, 85 mounted on the frame members 35, 30, respectively.
  • Opposed ends of a pair of flight bars 86, 87 (FIGURE 6) are connected to sprocket chains 70, 71 and are spaced 180 degrees apart around the periphery thereof.
  • a plurality of case supporting rollers 88 are mounted for rotation in suitable frame members 89 for supporting a case C for sliding movement therealong. Flight bars 86, 87 are adapted to pass above the rollers 83 and frame members 89 to engage the end of a case and move the same toward the carriage 13 on the rollers 88.
  • a pair of case guide plates 90, 91 (FIGURE 1) are fixed to the conveyor supporting frame members 43, 44 at either end of the supporting rollers 88 and are adapted to guide the case in its movement along the conveyor 11. It is noted that the forward end of the case guide member 91 extends outwardly of the end of the conveyor chains 7%, 71 remote from the carriage 13 for reasons to be presently described. The forward ends of the case guide members 99, 91 are flared outwardly for guiding the case therebetween into position on the rollers 88.
  • Conveyor 11 is driven from a suitable electric motor 92 (FIGURE 1) by means of a motor output shaft 93 having a pulley 94 thereon which supports one end of a suitable belt 95.
  • the other end of belt 95 is supported by a pulley 96 mounted on an input shaft 97 of a suitable gear reduction unit 93.
  • a second pulley 103 is mounted on shaft 37 and supports one end of a belt 101 in driving relationship.
  • the other end of belt 191 is supported by a pulley 132 mounted on an input shaft 163 of a second gear reduction unit 104 mounted on the channel member 62.
  • An output shaft 165 of gear reduction unit 104 has a sprocket 186 mounted thereon for rotation therewith which drivingly supports one end of a chain 197.
  • the other end of chain 167 is supported by a sprocket mounted on the end of the conveyor chain driving shaft 83 in driving relationship.
  • Sprocket 119 is adapted to drive shaft 83 which in turn rotates the sprockets 72, 73 and drives the conveyor chains 70 and 71 in their rotative movement.
  • This intermittent case feeding means comprises a feed roller 111 (FIGURE 1) covered by any suitable friction material such as rubber or the like and mounted on a shaft 112 for rotation therewith. Shaft 112 is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 113 mounted on the frame members 43, 44.
  • Shaft 112 and hence roller 111 are positively driven from the conveyor 11 by a sprocket 114 fixed to the end of shaft 76 for rotation therewith.
  • Sprocket 114 drivingly supports one end of a suitable chain 115, the other end of which is supported by a sprocket 116 mounted on the end of shaft 112 in driving relationship.
  • the intermittent case feeding means further comprises a stop member 117 (FIGURES 1 and 8) mounted on the frame member 43 and extending inwardly thereof toward the conveyor 11 and into the path of a case C being moved thereon by roller 111.
  • Stop member 117 is adapted to be engaged by a case C as the same is moved forwardly by the roller 111 and to stop the forward movement thereof so that the case will remain on the roller 111 until moved out of contact with the stop 117.
  • a case moving member 120 is pivotally mounted by a suitable pivot pin 121 on the member 43 for pivotal movement thereabout.
  • Member 126 has a case engaging roller 122 mounted on the forward end thereof which is adapted to be moved into contact with the side of a case C and to move the same out of contact with the stop member 117 and into contact with the forwardly projecting end of case guiding member 91.
  • Member 120 has a cam follower 120a mounted on the rearward end thereof for reasons to be presently described.
  • Member 120 is moved about pivot pin 121 by a cam 123 (FIGURES 8 and 10) which is driven by a sprocket wheel 124 mounted on the shaft thereof (not shown) in driving relationship.
  • Sprocket 124 supports one end of a sprocket chain 125, the other end of which is drivingly supported by a sprocket 126 mounted for rotation with the conveyor chain drive shaft 83.
  • Cam 123 is of the groove type and has cam follower 120a mounted projecting into the groove whereby the cam 123 imparts positive movement, in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 1, to the member 120 for moving the case C out of contact with the stop 117 and for returning the pivotal member 120 to the retracted position shown in FIGURE 1.
  • Cam 123 has a cam portion 127 projecting on the outer face thereof for contact with a switch to be presently described.
  • the case discharge conveyor 12 may be any conventional type but is shown in FIGURE 1 as comprising a pair of side frame members 130, 131 having a plurality of rollers 132 journaled for rotation therein. Discharge conveyor 112 is inclined downwardly from the end adjacent the carriage 13 to provide a gravity feed of the cases C on the rollers 132. Although a roller type discharge conveyor has been shown and described, it is contemplated that a discharge conveyor of any type including a driven conveyor for positively moving the cases from the carriage 13 may be provided.
  • Carriage 13 (FIGURES 2 and 7) comprises a pair of arms 133, 134 mounted on a shaft 135 journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 136, 137 (FIGURE mounted on frame members 33, 41, respectively.
  • Each of the arms 133, 134 have portions 138, 139, respectively, extending downwardly from the shaft 135 at an acute angle from the horizontal and horizontally extending portions 140, 141 extending outwardly from the angled portions 138, 139.
  • the angled portions 138, 139 extend downwardly a suflicient distance so that the horizontally extending portions 146, 141 are spaced below the shaft 135 to allow cases to be fed thereon at a low level While positioning the top of the case a suflicient distance above the foreign matter discharge conveyor in the inverted position to allow foreign matter to be discharged therefrom.
  • a case supporting member 142 is mounted on the horizontally extending portions 149 and 141 of the arms 133, 134 and is adapted to receive a case thereon.
  • An upstanding end portion 143 is attached to the ends of arms 133, 134 opposite the shaft 135 and extends upwardly therefrom a distance greater than the combined height of the cases C and any cartons which might be placed therein.
  • Member 143 has an inturned portion 144 at its upper end which serves as a stop member for any case which might become dislodged and fall downwardly thereagainst.
  • a case securing roller 145 is mounted on bracket 14-6 mounted for pivotal movement on a bracket 147 which is fixed by any suitable means to the arm 133.
  • Bracket 146 has an arm 151) extending outwardly therefrom to which one end of a suitable tension spring 151 is attached. The other end of spring 151 is connected to the arm 134 for biasing the roller 145 into the path of movement of a case C onto the case supporting member 142.
  • a bolt 152 is threadably mounted in a suitable bracket 153 for movement into the path of the arm 15% for serving as a stop to limit the pivotal movement of the roller 145 into the path of movement of the case C. It will be seen that when the bolt 152 is moved into the path of the arm 150 the distance the roller 145 projects into the path of the case may be controlled and thereby the pressure the roller 145 exerts on the end of the case may be controlled.
  • a pair of case engaging rollers 154 are suitably mounted on the sides of the member 143 for guiding the case C in its movement onto the case supporting member 142 and for serving with roller 145 as a holding means for the case.
  • This case guiding means comprises an arm 155 (FIGURES 1, 6 and 8) pivotally mounted on the frame member 44 and extending inwardly thereof into the path of a case moving along the conveyor 11.
  • a case engaging roller 156 is mounted on the inward end of arm 155 for guiding the case onto case supporting member 142.
  • a suitable tension spring 157 is connected to the other end of arm 155 and to frame member 26 for biasing arm 155 and hence roller 156 into the path of movement of the case along conveyor 11.
  • a counterweight 158 (FIGURE 2) is mounted on the arms 133 and 134 on the opposite side of shaft 135 from the case supporting member 142 and serves to counterbalance the carriage when the case C is in position thereon.
  • Suitable retaining wires 159 (FIGURES 1 and 2) are connected at one end to the member 143 and at the other end to brackets 160 mounted on arms 133, 134 for retaining any cartons in the case C when the same is inverted. It is noted that the retaining wires 159 may be removed if desired so that the cartons may be dumped from the case C onto the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
  • a member 161 of suitable angle material is fixed at either end to the ends of arms 133 and 134 to serve as a stop member for engaging a suitable rubber bumper 1 62 (FIGURE 7) when the carriage 13 is moved to the case receiving position from the inverted position.
  • a stop member 163 is mounted on the member 143 and serves to jarringly or joltingly stop the carriage 13 in the inverted position when the same contacts a rubber block or bum-per 164 mounted on a suitable piece of angle material 165 fixed to the longitudinally extending frame member 31. It is noted that the longitudinal frame member 31 is cut away to allow the stop member 163 to pass downwardly therethrough into contact with the rubber block 154.
  • Oscillatory movement is imparted to the carriage 13 by the motor 92 (FIGURES 1 and 4) through the gear reduction unit 98.
  • An output shaft 166 is driven by gear reduction unit 98 which in turn drives a shaft 167 through an electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170 (FIG- URES 9 and 10).
  • the electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 171) may be of any conventional type but is shown herein as comprising a clutch 171 and a brake 172.
  • Clutch 171 comprises a first clutch element 173 fixed to shaft 166 and a second clutch element 174 mounted in driving relationship with but for sliding movement along shaft 167.
  • Element 174 is moved along shaft 167 into engagement with element 173 by an electromagnetic device 175 in known manner when energized for drivingly connecting shaft 167 to shaft 166. Element 174 is moved out of engagement with element 173 when the electromagnetic device 175 is de-energized by any known means (not shown) such as a spring or the like.
  • Brake 172 comprises a first brake element 176 mounted on shaft 167 for rotation therewith but for sliding movement therealong and a second brake element 177 fixed to a bracket 1S1) mounted on the frame 15.
  • Element 176- is moved along shaft 167 out of engagement with element 177 by an electromagnetic device 181 when energized in any known manner for allowing free rotation of shaft 167.
  • Element 176 is moved into contact with element 177 when electromagnetic device 181 is de-energized by any known means (not shown) such as a spring or the like for braking shaft 167 to a stop.
  • Shaft 157 has a crank 132 mounted on the end thereof opposite the clutch-brake mechanism 170 for rotation therewith.
  • Crank 182 (FIGURES 1 and 4) is pivotally connected to one end of a connecting rod 183, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a crank 184.
  • Crank 134 is drivingly mounted on a shaft 185 journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 136, 187 (FIGURE 5) mounted on frame members 18, 37, respectively.
  • a drive gear 1% is mounted on shaft 185 for rotation therewith and drivingly engages a pinion gear 191 drivingly mounted on shaft 135.
  • a microswitch 192 (FIGURES 4 and 10) is mounted on the frame member 32 and has a plunger 193 extending downwardly therefrom. Plunger 193 is adapted to be engaged and opened by an arm 194 projecting from a collar 195 (FIGURE 5) mounted on shaft 185 for rotation therewith when the carriage 13 is moved to the case receiving position.
  • Microswitch 192 is connected to the electromagnetic devices 17 5, 181 of the clutch-brake mechanism 170 (FIGURE 10) and is adapted when opened to de-energize the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 so that the clutch may be disengaged and the brake engaged to stop the drive of the carriage 13 in the case receiving position.
  • a by-pass switch 1% (FIGURES 8 and 10) is connected in parallel with the switch 192 and has a plunger 197 thereon which extends into the path of travel of the raised position 127 on the face of cam wheel 123.
  • Switch 196 is adapted to be engaged and closed thereby to bypass the switch 192 and energize the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 to disengage the brake 172 and engage the clutch 171 to drive the shaft 167 and hence carriage 13.
  • cam portion 127 maintains switch 196 closed for a suflicient length of time for the shaft 167 to rotate the shaft 185 through crank 1152, rod 183 and crank 184 a sufiicient distance to move arm 194 out of engagement with plunger 193 allowing switch 152 to close.
  • the closing of switch 192 maintains the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 energized after cam portion 127 has moved out of contact with plunger 197 allowing switch 196 to open.
  • Switch 192 will remain closed and the electromagnetic devices will remain energized until the carriage 13 has been moved to the inverted position and back to the upright position. At this time, arm 194 will again engage plunger 193 opening switch 192 and de'energizing the electromagnetic devices 175, 181.
  • a pair of air nozzles 290 and 261 (FIGURE are mounted on frame members 37 and 17, respectively, and are angled upwardly at an acute angle to the horizontal such that a blast of air may be directed into a case as the carriage 13 is approaching the inverted position.
  • Nozzles 200, 201 are so positioned that their respective air streams will converge creating substantial turbulence within a case to loosen some of the dust, dirt and foreign matter therein before the case reaches the inverted position.
  • Nozzles th, 201 are connected by air lines 262, 203 (FIGURE 10) to a solenoid operated valve 204 of any known type.
  • Valve 204 is connected to an air compresser 265 of any conventional type by an air line 206.
  • a switch 267 is connected to the solenoid valve 204 and is positioned in the path of travel of the carriage 13 to the inverted position.
  • Switch 207 is adapted to be engaged and closed by carriage 13 as the same approaches the inverted position to energize and open the solenoid valve 2% allowing air to pass through lines 202, 203 to nozzles 209, 201.
  • Foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 (FIGURES 1 and 8) comprises a drive roller 210 mounted on a shaft 211 for rotation therewith which is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 212, 213 mounted on the brackets 50, 51.
  • a sprocket 214 is drivingly mounted on the shaft 211 and supports one end of a sprocket chain 215.
  • a sprocket 216 is mounted on shaft 83 for rotation therewith and drivingly supports the other end of sprocket chain 215.
  • Roller 211 drivingly supports one end of a conveyor belt 217 constructed of suitable wire mesh or the like such that dust and dirt may fall therethrough while larger pieces of foreign matter are received thereon.
  • An idler roller 220 (FIGURE 4) mounted on a shaft 221 for rotation therewith supports the other end of conveyor belt 217.
  • Shaft 221 is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 222, 223 mounted on frame brackets 52, 53, respectively.
  • a conveyor anti-jam safety device 224 (FIGURES 9 and 10) comprises a sprocket 225 mounted on one arm 226 of a bell crank 227 mounted for pivotal movement on the gear reduction unit 104.
  • the other arm 23% of hell crank 227 is connected to one end of a suitable tension spring 231, the other end of which is connected to the frame member 42.
  • Spring 231 maintains sprocket 225 in engagement with chain 107 which is driven from gear reduction unit 104 by sprocket 106 and which drives sprocket 110 mounted on the conveyor chain drive shaft 33.
  • Arm 226 of bell crank 227 has an arm 232 mounted thereon and extending outwardly thereof. Arm 232 is positioned above a plunger 233 of a switch 234 connected in the circuit to motor 92. Bell crank 227 is adapted to be pivoted against the action of spring 231 when chain 107 is tightened due to excessive resistance to the rotation of conveyor chains 70, 71. As bell crank 227 is pivoted, arm 232 will engage plunger 233 of switch 234 opening the same and stopping motor 92.
  • switch 234 will remain open until the cause of the excessive resistance, such as a jammed case, has been removed. At this time, spring 231 will pivot bell crank 227 back to the original position allowing switch 234 to close and restarting motor 92.
  • a carriage anti-jam safety device 235 (FIGURES 1, 7, 8 and 10) comprises a pair of frame supports 236, 237 mounted at either ends on posts 240, 241, 242 and 243, respectively.
  • Posts 240, 242 are supported on frame member 24; post 243 is supported on bracket 41; and post 241 is supported on frame member 35.
  • a pair of feeler arms 244, 245 are pivotally mounted on the supports 236, 237, respectively, and are connected by 2. connecting member 246.
  • Feeler arm 245 has an upstanding member 247 mounted on the end thereof for movement therewith.
  • Member 247 has a bracket 250 mounted on the side thereof positioned below a plunger 251 of a switch 252.
  • Switch 252 is connected to motor 92 and is adapted to stop the same when plunger 251 is contacted by bracket 250 upon engagement of either feeler arm 244, 245 with a case C.
  • a locking mechanism is provided for holding switch 252 open until the jammed case can be removed and comprises an upstanding arm 253 pivotally mounted on support 237 in substantial parallelism to member 247.
  • Arm 253 has a horizontally projecting pin 254 mounted thereon and extending outwardly thereof toward member 247 a distance greater than the distance between arm 253 and member 247.
  • Member 247 has a slot 255 cut therein which is adapted to receive pin 254 therein when memher 247 is moved upwardly by feeler arms 244, 245.
  • a suitable tension spring 256 is connected to arm 253 at one end and to a bracket 257 fixed to support 237 at its other end to maintain pin 254 in contact with member 247 and to move the same into the slot 255 when aligned therewith. Spring 256 maintains pin 254 in slot 255 until the same is manually released therefrom.
  • the control mechanism for the apparatus includes a wiring diagram shown in FIGURE 10 comprising a male plug 260 for insertion into any suitable electric outlet.
  • a power line 261 connected to plug 260 and to one side of a start switch 262 and a ground line 263 connected to plug 260 and to one side of motor 92.
  • Start switch 262 is of the normally open type and is adapted to be closed by the finger of the operator of the apparatus.
  • Start switch 262 is connected to one side of a normally closed stop switch 264 by a line 265.
  • Stop switch 264 is connected in a holding circuit for maintaining motor 92 energized after start switch 262 is allowed to open due to the removal of the operator's finger.
  • This circuit comprises a line 266 connecting the same side of stop switch 264 which is connected to start switch 262 with one side of the normally closed conveyor anti-jam safety switch 234, a line 267 connecting the other side of switch 234 with one side of the normally closed carriage anti-jam safety switch 252, a line 270 connecting the other side of switch 252 with one side of a switch operating solenoid 271 and a line 272 connecting the other side of solenoid 271 to the ground line 263.
  • Solenoid 271 is adapted, when energized, to close a pair of switches 273, 274.
  • Switch 273 is connected to the op posite side of stop switch 264 from line 265 by a line 275 and to the power line 261 by a line 276.
  • Switch 274 is connected to line 276 by a line 277 and to the opposite side of motor 92 from the ground line 263 by a line 280.
  • a line 231 connects one side of the solenoid valve 205 to the power line 261.
  • a line 282 connects the other side of valve 205 to one side of valve control switch 207, the other side of which is connected to ground line 263 by a line 233.
  • a line 284 connects the power line 261 to one side of the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 of the electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170.
  • a line 285 connects the other side of the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 to one side of normally closed control switch 192, the other side of which is connected to ground line 263 by a line 286.
  • a first by-pass line 287 is connected to line 286 and to one side of the normally open by-pass switch 196.
  • a second by-pass line 290 connects the other side of switch 196 and line 285.
  • Electromagnetic devices 175, 181 disengage the brake 172 and engage the clutch 171 to drive the shaft 167.
  • Shaft 167 rotates crank 182 and crank 182 rotates crank 184 through the connecting rod 183.
  • Crank 184 rotates shaft 185 which drives the drive gear 191) and hence the pinion 191.
  • Pinion 191 rotates the shaft 135 which moves the arms 133 and 134 therewith to invert the carriage 13 and the case C carried thereby.
  • stop member 163 engages the rubber bumper 164 bringing the carriage to a jarring or jolting stop thereby releasing any dust, dirt, trash, or foreign matter contained therein which falls downwardly onto the foreign matter discharge conveyor belt 217 which carries the same to a point spaced from the carriage inverted position.
  • the carriage 13 As the carriage 13 nears the inverted position, it contacts the solenoid valve control switch 207 closing the same and energizing the solenoid valve 205 to open position. As valve 205 opens, air is passed therethrough to the nozzles 2% and 201 which direct a blast of air under pressure upwardly into the case C to aid in the removal of dust and dirt therefrom. Carriage 13 is immediately returned to the upright position and, as it nears the upright position, the arm 1% on shaft 185 contacts the plunger 193 of the switch 192.
  • Switch 192 breaks the circuit to the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 on the electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170 de-energizing the same and allowing clutch 171 to be disengaged 10 and brake 172 to be engaged to bring the shaft 167 and hence the carriage 13 to a smooth stop with the stop member 161 resting on the rubber bumper 162.
  • Arrn 194 on shaft 185 will maintain switch 192 open until the cam portion 127 engages the plunger 137 on switch 196 closing the same and re-energizing the elec tromagnetic devices 175, 181 to engage clutch 171 and disengage brake 172 to drive shaft 167.
  • crank 182 will rotate crank 184 through the connecting rod 133 which, in turn, will rotate shaft to move the arm 194 out of engagement with the plunger 193 on switch 192 allowing the same to move to the closed position and thereby maintaining the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 energized after the cam portion 127 has moved out of contact with the plunger 197 on switch 1% allowing switch 196 to move to the open position.
  • Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position Wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the bottle case receiving portion thereof,
  • stop means projecting into the path of travel of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the driven movement of said carriage at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the momentum built-up in said case and by the jolt imparted to the carriage,
  • said carriage has a bottom wall adapted to receive bottle cases thereon and a side wall at the opposite side of said bottom wall from the pivot about which said carriage moves, and wherein said clamping means comprises (1) a pair of vertically disposed rollers carried by opposite sides of said side wall and adapted to engage one side of the bottle cases received on said bottom wall,
  • Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally ofiset to one side of the bottle case receiving portion thereof,
  • (a') drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage throughout the arc of substantially 180 from said upright position to said inverted position at a sufan arc of substantially 180 between an upright ficient speed to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage, said drive means including a continuously operating motor and a clutch-brake arrangement between said motor and said carriage, said clutch being disengaged and said brake being engaged when said carriage is in said upright position,
  • stop means projecting into the path of travel of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the motor driven movement of said carriage at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by the carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and by the momentum built-up in the case and foreign matter during movement thereof to the inverted position,
  • (It) means operable upon the return of the carriage to the upright position for disengaging said clutch and engaging said brake for smoothly terminating movement of said carriage at said upright position.
  • Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the portion thereof adapted to receive the bottle case therein,
  • means operatively associated with said conveyor means for intermittently delivering bottle cases thereto and comprising (1) a continuously driven horizontally disposed roller adjacent the end of said conveyor means opposite said discharge end thereof and having a length exceeding the width of said conveyor means, said roller being adapted to successively receive bottle cases thereon in a first position out of lateral alinement with said conveyor means,
  • second stop means projecting into the path of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and to the momentum builtup in said case
  • a foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath said inverted position of said carriage and adapted to receive the foreign matter removed from the bottle case carried thereby for transporting the foreign matter through a point spaced from the inverted position of said carriage.
  • Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially 180 between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the portion thereof adapted to receive the bottle case therein,
  • continuously driven conveyor means having a discharge end disposed adjacent said carriage for feeding successive bottle cases to be cleaned onto said carriage and into operative association with said clamping means
  • first stop means positioned adjacent said roller and in the path of the bottle cases received on said roller in said first position for preventing delivery of such bottle cases to said conveyor means while the same occupy said first position
  • cam operated means operable in timed relation to the movement of said carriage for moving a bottle case occupying said first position on said roller laterally of said roller to a second position out of engagement with said first stop means and into alinement with said conveyor means so that said roller may deliver said botttle case to said conveyor means for subsequent feeding to said carriage
  • drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage through the arc of substantially from said upright position to said inverted position at a speed sufiicient to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage, said drive means including a continuously operating motor, and an electromagnetic clutch-brake arrangement disposed between said motor and said carriage for controlling movement of said carriage, said clutch being disengaged and said brake being engaged when said carriage is in said upright position,
  • (g) means disposed adjacent the inverted position of said carriage and operable in response to movement of said carriage toward said inverted position for directing high velocity jets of air into the bottle case carried by said conveyor as the same approaches said inverted position to aid in loosening and dispelling foreign matter from the bottle cases.
  • second stop means projecting into the path of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the motor driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and by the momentum built-up in the case,
  • a foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath said inverted position of said carriage and adapted to receive the foreign matter removed from the bottle cases carried thereby for transporting the foreign matter to a point spaced from the inverted position of said carriage
  • (k) means operable upon the return of said carriage to the upright position for disengaging said clutch and engaging said brake for smoothly terminating movement of said carriage at said upright position.

Description

Jan. 28, 1964 J. H. BEARD BOTTLE CASE INVERTER 6 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6. 1961 INVENTOR. JOHN H. BEARD BY @am-LW ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1964 J. H. BEARD BOTTLE CASE INVERTER a Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1961 ATTORNEYS P liq INVENTOR J. H. BEARD BOTTLE CASE INVERTER v 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 JOHN H. BEARD ATTORNEYS o :N a Q M om i mm I \l E mm Q Q t m2 S m M M I .JINIQMI! fiw mww Q. 9 i R M1 up u 5 2 5 02 5 mm I J m@ 3 Q; 1 u u w 1 l H f l d l J- l m: o N a. g m \mm 6. m 45 5. 0m 2 \L F S5 .Esasiaiiiii m Jan. 28, 1964 Filed Feb. 6. 1961 N. m h m u ..n w
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Jan. 28, 1964' J. 1-1. BEARD BOTTLE CASE INVERTER 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 6. 1961 mm. m.
INVENTOR. JOHN H. BEAEB 0151, IMQAX HW ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1964 J. H. BEARD 3,119,139
BOTTLE CASE INVERTER Filed Feb. 6. 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1964 BEARD 3,119,139
BOTTLE CASE INVERTER Filed Feb. 6, 1961 6 Sheets-Shqet 6 INVENTOR. JOHN H. BEARD ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,119,139 BG'EILE tCAE HNVERTER John H. Beard, Salisbury, N.., assignor to Taylor Manufactoring Company, Salisbury, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 6, 1961, er. No. 87,383 Claims. (til. -394) This invention generally relates to an improved apparatus for cleaning containers such as bottle cases and the like and more particularly to a simple and effective means for automatically inverting bottle cases and analogons articles with extreme rapidity and to return the same to original upright position so as to dislodge and dump any dust, dirt, trash or other foreign matter out of the cases.
The bottle case inverter of the present invention comprises an improvement over the bottle case inverter shown and described in the co-pending application Serial No. 822,771, filed by Charles Chalich and John H. Beard on June 25, 1959, now Patent No. 3,058,606. The bottle case inverter of said co-pending application comprises an intermittently driven conveyor for feeding successive cases, and a case receiving and inverting carriage which operates in synchronism with but in alternation to the intermittently driven conveyor for receiving cases therefrom and for inverting said cases, jarringly or joltingly stopping the cases in inverted position and immediately returning the same to upright position.
Some difliculties have been encountered in use of the case inverter of the co-pending application in that the intermittently driven conveyor for feeding successive cases to the carriage requires an extremely complicated drive for imparting the intermittent movement to the conveyor and for synchronizing this intermittent movement with the movement of the carriage. This compli cated driving mechanism includes a plurality of one way clutches and means for alternatively driving a pair of shafts extending outwardly in opposite directions from a gear reduction unit. Further, a problem encountered in the use of the device of the co-pending application was the build up of foreign matter under the portion of the machine where the cases were inverted. This build up required that the apparatus be stopped and the area manually cleared of the dirt and foreign matter resulting in increased cost of operation due to loss of time and the requirement of additional manual labor.
The present invention was developed to obviate the aforementioned problems and difiiculties encountered in the use of the device of the co-pending application and others encountered in the prior art. The present apparatus generally comprises a case inverting carriage, a continuously driven conveyor for successively feeding cases to said carriage, means for feeding successive cases to the continuously driven conveyor in timed relation to the movement of the carriage, and a continuously driven foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath the carriage when in the inverted position for receiving foreign matter from the cases and to move the same to a point spaced from the apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved bottle case inverting apparatus having a continuously driven conveyor for successively feeding cases to a carriage which imparts a rapid inverting movement to each successive case which inverting movement terminates with a sudden jolt or jarring stop which is further pronounced by instantly returning the cases to upright position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvid apparatus of the character described including a continuously driven conveyor for successively feeding cases to a carriage for rapidly inverting each 3,ll,i39 Patented Jan. 2 8, 19%4 successive case which inverting movement terminates with a sudden jolt or jarring stop which is further pronounced by instantly returning the cases to the upright position and which further includes means for feeding successive cases to said continuously driven conveyor in timed relation to the movement of said carriage whereby a case will be moved onto the carriage when the same is in the case receiving position Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the carriage of the apparatus shown in FIG- URE 1;
FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the framework of the apparatus with portions broken away for clarity;
FIGURE 4 is an end elevation looking from the right in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away;
FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially along line 7-7 of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 8 is an end elevation looking from the left in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 9 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially along line 9-9 of FIGURE 8 with the motor shaft and drive pulley and the gear reduction end added; and
FIGURE 10 is a schematic view showing a wiring diagram of the apparatus of the present invention with structural parts shown schematically.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1, the apparatus generally indicated at 10 comprises a continuously driven conveyor 11, a case discharge conveyor 12, a carriage 13 for inverting successive cases and a foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
Apparatus It includes a frame 15 (FIGURE 3) which is supported on a surface, such as a floor or the like, by posts 16. A pair of lower transverse angle members 17, 18 are connected at each end to one of the posts 16. A longitudinal frame member 19 made of suitable angle material connects two of the posts 16 at one end of members l7, l8 and is spaced thereabove. A pair of longitudinally extending angle members 29 and 21 connect the transversely extending members 17 and 13 adjacent the other ends thereof at a point spaced from the two posts 16. Another longitudinally extending angle member 22 connects the transversely extending angle members 1'7 and 18 intermediate their ends and serves to support bearing brackets to be later described.
The frame 15 further includes a longitudinally extending angle member 23 connecting the upper ends of two of the posts 16 and a longitudinally extending angle member 24 spaced therefrom. Angle members 23 and 24 are interconnected at opposite ends by transversely extending angle members 25 and 26. Longitudinally extending angle member 24 and the ends of transversely extending angle members 2'5 and 26 are supported on the transversely extending angle members 17 and 18 by a pair of posts 27, 30.
A longitudinally extending angle member 31 interconnects the upper ends of the other two posts 16. Two transverse angle members 32, 33 are connected at either end to the longitudinally extending angle member 31 and extend outwardly therefrom in parallel relationship to u the transverse angle members 17 and 18. Transverse angle member 32 is supported on the transverse angle member 18 by a suitable post 34 and transverse angle member 33 is supported on the transverse angle member 17 by a suitable post 35. A bearing supporting bracket 36 is connected at either end to member 33 and the transverse angle member 17.
A transversely extending angle member 37 connects longitudinally extending angle members 1? and 22 intermediate their ends and serves to support one end of a bracket 40 which is connected at its other end to the longitudinally extending angle member 31 intermediate the ends thereof. A hearing supporting bracket 41 is supported at one end on the longitudinally extending angle member 22 and at its other end on the bracket 40.
A bracket supporting angle member 42 is mounted on the transversely extending angle member 17 and on the vertically extending posts 39 and 35 in any known manner such as welding or the like. Bracket 42 supports one end of a pair of conveyor supporting brackets 43, 44 constructed of any suitable angle material. Conveyor supporting brackets 43, 44 are connected intermediate their ends by a pair of braces 45, 46. A second pair of conveyor supporting brackets 56, 51 are mounted on the transversely extending angle member 17 in any known manner such as by welding or the like to support one end of the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
Another pair of conveyor supporting brackets 52, 53 are mounted on the transversely extending angle member 18 and extend downwardly and outwardly therefrom to support the other end of the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 in a manner to be presently described. A pair of spaced longitudinally extending plates 54, 55 are connected to the transversely extending angle members 17 and 18 at opposite ends and serve as guiding members to insure that no foreign matter may fall from the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 underneath the machine.
A pair of suitable motor supports 60, 61 are connected at one end to the longitudinally extending angle member 21 and extend transversely outwardly thereof. A channel member 62 is mounted at one end on the transversely extending angle member 17 by any suitable means such as welding or the like and extends outwardly therefrom to support a suitable gear reduction unit in a manner to be presently described.
Conveyor 11 comprises a pair of endless pliable elements which may be in the form of belts, but are shown in FIGURES 1, 5, 6 and 9, in the form of sprocket chains indicated at and 71. The end of sprocket chains 79 and 71 adjacent the carriage 13 are mounted on respective sprocket wheels 72, 73 and the ends of sprocket chain 70, 71 remote from carriage 13 are mounted on sprocket wheels 74, 75. Sprocket wheels 74, 75 are fixed on a shaft 76 journaled in suitable bearings 77 and 86 mounted on the conveyor supporting brackets 43 and 44.
Sprockets 72, 73 are fixed on a shaft 83 journaled in suitable bearings 84, 85 mounted on the frame members 35, 30, respectively. Opposed ends of a pair of flight bars 86, 87 (FIGURE 6) are connected to sprocket chains 70, 71 and are spaced 180 degrees apart around the periphery thereof. A plurality of case supporting rollers 88 are mounted for rotation in suitable frame members 89 for supporting a case C for sliding movement therealong. Flight bars 86, 87 are adapted to pass above the rollers 83 and frame members 89 to engage the end of a case and move the same toward the carriage 13 on the rollers 88.
A pair of case guide plates 90, 91 (FIGURE 1) are fixed to the conveyor supporting frame members 43, 44 at either end of the supporting rollers 88 and are adapted to guide the case in its movement along the conveyor 11. It is noted that the forward end of the case guide member 91 extends outwardly of the end of the conveyor chains 7%, 71 remote from the carriage 13 for reasons to be presently described. The forward ends of the case guide members 99, 91 are flared outwardly for guiding the case therebetween into position on the rollers 88.
Conveyor 11 is driven from a suitable electric motor 92 (FIGURE 1) by means of a motor output shaft 93 having a pulley 94 thereon which supports one end of a suitable belt 95. The other end of belt 95 is supported by a pulley 96 mounted on an input shaft 97 of a suitable gear reduction unit 93. A second pulley 103 is mounted on shaft 37 and supports one end of a belt 101 in driving relationship. The other end of belt 191 is supported by a pulley 132 mounted on an input shaft 163 of a second gear reduction unit 104 mounted on the channel member 62. An output shaft 165 of gear reduction unit 104 has a sprocket 186 mounted thereon for rotation therewith which drivingly supports one end of a chain 197. The other end of chain 167 is supported by a sprocket mounted on the end of the conveyor chain driving shaft 83 in driving relationship. Sprocket 119 is adapted to drive shaft 83 which in turn rotates the sprockets 72, 73 and drives the conveyor chains 70 and 71 in their rotative movement.
Means is provided at the forward end of the conveyor 11 for intermittently feeding successive cases onto the conveyor 11 in timed relationship to the movement of the carriage 13. This intermittent case feeding means comprises a feed roller 111 (FIGURE 1) covered by any suitable friction material such as rubber or the like and mounted on a shaft 112 for rotation therewith. Shaft 112 is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 113 mounted on the frame members 43, 44.
Shaft 112 and hence roller 111 are positively driven from the conveyor 11 by a sprocket 114 fixed to the end of shaft 76 for rotation therewith. Sprocket 114 drivingly supports one end of a suitable chain 115, the other end of which is supported by a sprocket 116 mounted on the end of shaft 112 in driving relationship.
The intermittent case feeding means further comprises a stop member 117 (FIGURES 1 and 8) mounted on the frame member 43 and extending inwardly thereof toward the conveyor 11 and into the path of a case C being moved thereon by roller 111. Stop member 117 is adapted to be engaged by a case C as the same is moved forwardly by the roller 111 and to stop the forward movement thereof so that the case will remain on the roller 111 until moved out of contact with the stop 117. A case moving member 120 is pivotally mounted by a suitable pivot pin 121 on the member 43 for pivotal movement thereabout. Member 126 has a case engaging roller 122 mounted on the forward end thereof which is adapted to be moved into contact with the side of a case C and to move the same out of contact with the stop member 117 and into contact with the forwardly projecting end of case guiding member 91. Member 120 has a cam follower 120a mounted on the rearward end thereof for reasons to be presently described.
Member 120 is moved about pivot pin 121 by a cam 123 (FIGURES 8 and 10) which is driven by a sprocket wheel 124 mounted on the shaft thereof (not shown) in driving relationship. Sprocket 124 supports one end of a sprocket chain 125, the other end of which is drivingly supported by a sprocket 126 mounted for rotation with the conveyor chain drive shaft 83. Cam 123 is of the groove type and has cam follower 120a mounted projecting into the groove whereby the cam 123 imparts positive movement, in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 1, to the member 120 for moving the case C out of contact with the stop 117 and for returning the pivotal member 120 to the retracted position shown in FIGURE 1. Cam 123 has a cam portion 127 projecting on the outer face thereof for contact with a switch to be presently described.
The case discharge conveyor 12 may be any conventional type but is shown in FIGURE 1 as comprising a pair of side frame members 130, 131 having a plurality of rollers 132 journaled for rotation therein. Discharge conveyor 112 is inclined downwardly from the end adjacent the carriage 13 to provide a gravity feed of the cases C on the rollers 132. Although a roller type discharge conveyor has been shown and described, it is contemplated that a discharge conveyor of any type including a driven conveyor for positively moving the cases from the carriage 13 may be provided.
Carriage 13 (FIGURES 2 and 7) comprises a pair of arms 133, 134 mounted on a shaft 135 journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 136, 137 (FIGURE mounted on frame members 33, 41, respectively. Each of the arms 133, 134 have portions 138, 139, respectively, extending downwardly from the shaft 135 at an acute angle from the horizontal and horizontally extending portions 140, 141 extending outwardly from the angled portions 138, 139. The angled portions 138, 139 extend downwardly a suflicient distance so that the horizontally extending portions 146, 141 are spaced below the shaft 135 to allow cases to be fed thereon at a low level While positioning the top of the case a suflicient distance above the foreign matter discharge conveyor in the inverted position to allow foreign matter to be discharged therefrom.
A case supporting member 142 is mounted on the horizontally extending portions 149 and 141 of the arms 133, 134 and is adapted to receive a case thereon. An upstanding end portion 143 is attached to the ends of arms 133, 134 opposite the shaft 135 and extends upwardly therefrom a distance greater than the combined height of the cases C and any cartons which might be placed therein. Member 143 has an inturned portion 144 at its upper end which serves as a stop member for any case which might become dislodged and fall downwardly thereagainst.
A case securing roller 145 is mounted on bracket 14-6 mounted for pivotal movement on a bracket 147 which is fixed by any suitable means to the arm 133. Bracket 146 has an arm 151) extending outwardly therefrom to which one end of a suitable tension spring 151 is attached. The other end of spring 151 is connected to the arm 134 for biasing the roller 145 into the path of movement of a case C onto the case supporting member 142.
A bolt 152 is threadably mounted in a suitable bracket 153 for movement into the path of the arm 15% for serving as a stop to limit the pivotal movement of the roller 145 into the path of movement of the case C. It will be seen that when the bolt 152 is moved into the path of the arm 150 the distance the roller 145 projects into the path of the case may be controlled and thereby the pressure the roller 145 exerts on the end of the case may be controlled. A pair of case engaging rollers 154 are suitably mounted on the sides of the member 143 for guiding the case C in its movement onto the case supporting member 142 and for serving with roller 145 as a holding means for the case.
Means is provided at the rearward end of conveyor 11 for guiding the cases onto the carriage 13 between the rollers 145 and 154. This case guiding means comprises an arm 155 (FIGURES 1, 6 and 8) pivotally mounted on the frame member 44 and extending inwardly thereof into the path of a case moving along the conveyor 11. A case engaging roller 156 is mounted on the inward end of arm 155 for guiding the case onto case supporting member 142. A suitable tension spring 157 is connected to the other end of arm 155 and to frame member 26 for biasing arm 155 and hence roller 156 into the path of movement of the case along conveyor 11.
A counterweight 158 (FIGURE 2) is mounted on the arms 133 and 134 on the opposite side of shaft 135 from the case supporting member 142 and serves to counterbalance the carriage when the case C is in position thereon. Suitable retaining wires 159 (FIGURES 1 and 2) are connected at one end to the member 143 and at the other end to brackets 160 mounted on arms 133, 134 for retaining any cartons in the case C when the same is inverted. It is noted that the retaining wires 159 may be removed if desired so that the cartons may be dumped from the case C onto the foreign matter discharge conveyor 14.
A member 161 of suitable angle material is fixed at either end to the ends of arms 133 and 134 to serve as a stop member for engaging a suitable rubber bumper 1 62 (FIGURE 7) when the carriage 13 is moved to the case receiving position from the inverted position. A stop member 163 is mounted on the member 143 and serves to jarringly or joltingly stop the carriage 13 in the inverted position when the same contacts a rubber block or bum-per 164 mounted on a suitable piece of angle material 165 fixed to the longitudinally extending frame member 31. It is noted that the longitudinal frame member 31 is cut away to allow the stop member 163 to pass downwardly therethrough into contact with the rubber block 154.
Oscillatory movement is imparted to the carriage 13 by the motor 92 (FIGURES 1 and 4) through the gear reduction unit 98. An output shaft 166 is driven by gear reduction unit 98 which in turn drives a shaft 167 through an electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170 (FIG- URES 9 and 10). The electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 171) may be of any conventional type but is shown herein as comprising a clutch 171 and a brake 172. Clutch 171 comprises a first clutch element 173 fixed to shaft 166 and a second clutch element 174 mounted in driving relationship with but for sliding movement along shaft 167. Element 174 is moved along shaft 167 into engagement with element 173 by an electromagnetic device 175 in known manner when energized for drivingly connecting shaft 167 to shaft 166. Element 174 is moved out of engagement with element 173 when the electromagnetic device 175 is de-energized by any known means (not shown) such as a spring or the like.
Brake 172 comprises a first brake element 176 mounted on shaft 167 for rotation therewith but for sliding movement therealong and a second brake element 177 fixed to a bracket 1S1) mounted on the frame 15. Element 176- is moved along shaft 167 out of engagement with element 177 by an electromagnetic device 181 when energized in any known manner for allowing free rotation of shaft 167. Element 176 is moved into contact with element 177 when electromagnetic device 181 is de-energized by any known means (not shown) such as a spring or the like for braking shaft 167 to a stop.
Shaft 157 has a crank 132 mounted on the end thereof opposite the clutch-brake mechanism 170 for rotation therewith. Crank 182 (FIGURES 1 and 4) is pivotally connected to one end of a connecting rod 183, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a crank 184. Crank 134 is drivingly mounted on a shaft 185 journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 136, 187 (FIGURE 5) mounted on frame members 18, 37, respectively. A drive gear 1% is mounted on shaft 185 for rotation therewith and drivingly engages a pinion gear 191 drivingly mounted on shaft 135.
A microswitch 192 (FIGURES 4 and 10) is mounted on the frame member 32 and has a plunger 193 extending downwardly therefrom. Plunger 193 is adapted to be engaged and opened by an arm 194 projecting from a collar 195 (FIGURE 5) mounted on shaft 185 for rotation therewith when the carriage 13 is moved to the case receiving position. Microswitch 192 is connected to the electromagnetic devices 17 5, 181 of the clutch-brake mechanism 170 (FIGURE 10) and is adapted when opened to de-energize the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 so that the clutch may be disengaged and the brake engaged to stop the drive of the carriage 13 in the case receiving position.
A by-pass switch 1% (FIGURES 8 and 10) is connected in parallel with the switch 192 and has a plunger 197 thereon which extends into the path of travel of the raised position 127 on the face of cam wheel 123. Switch 196 is adapted to be engaged and closed thereby to bypass the switch 192 and energize the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 to disengage the brake 172 and engage the clutch 171 to drive the shaft 167 and hence carriage 13.
It is noted that cam portion 127 maintains switch 196 closed for a suflicient length of time for the shaft 167 to rotate the shaft 185 through crank 1152, rod 183 and crank 184 a sufiicient distance to move arm 194 out of engagement with plunger 193 allowing switch 152 to close. The closing of switch 192 maintains the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 energized after cam portion 127 has moved out of contact with plunger 197 allowing switch 196 to open. Switch 192 will remain closed and the electromagnetic devices will remain energized until the carriage 13 has been moved to the inverted position and back to the upright position. At this time, arm 194 will again engage plunger 193 opening switch 192 and de'energizing the electromagnetic devices 175, 181.
A pair of air nozzles 290 and 261 (FIGURE are mounted on frame members 37 and 17, respectively, and are angled upwardly at an acute angle to the horizontal such that a blast of air may be directed into a case as the carriage 13 is approaching the inverted position. Nozzles 200, 201 are so positioned that their respective air streams will converge creating substantial turbulence within a case to loosen some of the dust, dirt and foreign matter therein before the case reaches the inverted position. Nozzles th, 201 are connected by air lines 262, 203 (FIGURE 10) to a solenoid operated valve 204 of any known type. Valve 204 is connected to an air compresser 265 of any conventional type by an air line 206. A switch 267 is connected to the solenoid valve 204 and is positioned in the path of travel of the carriage 13 to the inverted position. Switch 207 is adapted to be engaged and closed by carriage 13 as the same approaches the inverted position to energize and open the solenoid valve 2% allowing air to pass through lines 202, 203 to nozzles 209, 201.
Foreign matter discharge conveyor 14 (FIGURES 1 and 8) comprises a drive roller 210 mounted on a shaft 211 for rotation therewith which is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 212, 213 mounted on the brackets 50, 51. A sprocket 214 is drivingly mounted on the shaft 211 and supports one end of a sprocket chain 215. A sprocket 216 is mounted on shaft 83 for rotation therewith and drivingly supports the other end of sprocket chain 215.
Roller 211 drivingly supports one end of a conveyor belt 217 constructed of suitable wire mesh or the like such that dust and dirt may fall therethrough while larger pieces of foreign matter are received thereon. An idler roller 220 (FIGURE 4) mounted on a shaft 221 for rotation therewith supports the other end of conveyor belt 217. Shaft 221 is journaled for rotation in suitable bearings 222, 223 mounted on frame brackets 52, 53, respectively.
A conveyor anti-jam safety device 224 (FIGURES 9 and 10) comprises a sprocket 225 mounted on one arm 226 of a bell crank 227 mounted for pivotal movement on the gear reduction unit 104. The other arm 23% of hell crank 227 is connected to one end of a suitable tension spring 231, the other end of which is connected to the frame member 42. Spring 231 maintains sprocket 225 in engagement with chain 107 which is driven from gear reduction unit 104 by sprocket 106 and which drives sprocket 110 mounted on the conveyor chain drive shaft 33.
Arm 226 of bell crank 227 has an arm 232 mounted thereon and extending outwardly thereof. Arm 232 is positioned above a plunger 233 of a switch 234 connected in the circuit to motor 92. Bell crank 227 is adapted to be pivoted against the action of spring 231 when chain 107 is tightened due to excessive resistance to the rotation of conveyor chains 70, 71. As bell crank 227 is pivoted, arm 232 will engage plunger 233 of switch 234 opening the same and stopping motor 92.
It is noted that switch 234 will remain open until the cause of the excessive resistance, such as a jammed case, has been removed. At this time, spring 231 will pivot bell crank 227 back to the original position allowing switch 234 to close and restarting motor 92.
A carriage anti-jam safety device 235 (FIGURES 1, 7, 8 and 10) comprises a pair of frame supports 236, 237 mounted at either ends on posts 240, 241, 242 and 243, respectively. Posts 240, 242 are supported on frame member 24; post 243 is supported on bracket 41; and post 241 is supported on frame member 35. A pair of feeler arms 244, 245 are pivotally mounted on the supports 236, 237, respectively, and are connected by 2. connecting member 246. Feeler arm 245 has an upstanding member 247 mounted on the end thereof for movement therewith. Member 247 has a bracket 250 mounted on the side thereof positioned below a plunger 251 of a switch 252. Switch 252 is connected to motor 92 and is adapted to stop the same when plunger 251 is contacted by bracket 250 upon engagement of either feeler arm 244, 245 with a case C.
If a case C is either moved too far or not far enough onto the carriage 13, the case will contact one of the feeler arms 244, 245 as the carriage begins its inverting movement opening switch 252 and stopping motor 92. This will prevent damage to both the case and apparatus and possible injury to a person nearby.
A locking mechanism is provided for holding switch 252 open until the jammed case can be removed and comprises an upstanding arm 253 pivotally mounted on support 237 in substantial parallelism to member 247. Arm 253 has a horizontally projecting pin 254 mounted thereon and extending outwardly thereof toward member 247 a distance greater than the distance between arm 253 and member 247. Member 247 has a slot 255 cut therein which is adapted to receive pin 254 therein when memher 247 is moved upwardly by feeler arms 244, 245. A suitable tension spring 256 is connected to arm 253 at one end and to a bracket 257 fixed to support 237 at its other end to maintain pin 254 in contact with member 247 and to move the same into the slot 255 when aligned therewith. Spring 256 maintains pin 254 in slot 255 until the same is manually released therefrom.
The control mechanism for the apparatus includes a wiring diagram shown in FIGURE 10 comprising a male plug 260 for insertion into any suitable electric outlet. A power line 261 connected to plug 260 and to one side of a start switch 262 and a ground line 263 connected to plug 260 and to one side of motor 92. Start switch 262 is of the normally open type and is adapted to be closed by the finger of the operator of the apparatus. Start switch 262 is connected to one side of a normally closed stop switch 264 by a line 265.
Stop switch 264 is connected in a holding circuit for maintaining motor 92 energized after start switch 262 is allowed to open due to the removal of the operator's finger. This circuit comprises a line 266 connecting the same side of stop switch 264 which is connected to start switch 262 with one side of the normally closed conveyor anti-jam safety switch 234, a line 267 connecting the other side of switch 234 with one side of the normally closed carriage anti-jam safety switch 252, a line 270 connecting the other side of switch 252 with one side of a switch operating solenoid 271 and a line 272 connecting the other side of solenoid 271 to the ground line 263.
Solenoid 271 is adapted, when energized, to close a pair of switches 273, 274. Switch 273 is connected to the op posite side of stop switch 264 from line 265 by a line 275 and to the power line 261 by a line 276. Switch 274 is connected to line 276 by a line 277 and to the opposite side of motor 92 from the ground line 263 by a line 280.
It will be seen that when start switch 262 is closed, a circuit is completed to solenoid 271 through lines 261, 265, 266, 267, 270, 272 and 263 energizing the same and closing switches 273, 274. As soon as switches 2'73, 2'74 are closed, a circuit is completed to motor 92 through lines 261, 276, 277, 280 and 263 energizing the same and starting operation of the apparatus. Solenoid 271 is maintained energized after start switch 262 is opened by the completed circuit through line 276, switch 273, line 275, stop switch 264, line 266, conveyor anti-jam safety switch 234, line 267, carriage anti-jam safety switch 252, line 270, line 272 and ground line 263. It is noted that when either one of stop switch 264, safety switch 234 or safety switch 252 is opened solenoid 271 is de-energized opening switches 273, 274 stopping motor 92.
A line 231 connects one side of the solenoid valve 205 to the power line 261. A line 282 connects the other side of valve 205 to one side of valve control switch 207, the other side of which is connected to ground line 263 by a line 233.
A line 284 connects the power line 261 to one side of the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 of the electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170. A line 285 connects the other side of the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 to one side of normally closed control switch 192, the other side of which is connected to ground line 263 by a line 286. A first by-pass line 287 is connected to line 286 and to one side of the normally open by-pass switch 196. A second by-pass line 290 connects the other side of switch 196 and line 285.
in operation, assume that a case C is in position on the intermittent feed roller 111 with the forward edge thereof in contact with the stop 117 and the motor 92 is energized. cam 123 will pivot member 120 about its pivot 121 moving roller 122 into engagement with the side of the case and moving the case along the roller 111 into contact with the forwardly projecting end of case guide member 91. With the case out of engagement with the stop member 117, roller 111 will feed the same onto the case supporting rollers 88 between the case guiding members 31 91. One of the flight bars 86, 87 will be moved into contact with the rearward end of the case C by the conveyor chains 70, 71 and will move the case along the rollers 88. The case will contact the case guide roller 156 and will be guided onto the case supporting member 142 on the carriage 13 between the rollers 145 and 154. Rollers 145 and 154 will securely grip the case C therebetween holding the same in position on the case supporting member 142.
Cam portion 127 on the cam 123 will engage plunger 137 on switch 196 completing the circuit to the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 of the electromagnetic clutch brake mechanism 170. Electromagnetic devices 175, 181 disengage the brake 172 and engage the clutch 171 to drive the shaft 167. Shaft 167 rotates crank 182 and crank 182 rotates crank 184 through the connecting rod 183. Crank 184 rotates shaft 185 which drives the drive gear 191) and hence the pinion 191. Pinion 191 rotates the shaft 135 which moves the arms 133 and 134 therewith to invert the carriage 13 and the case C carried thereby.
As carriage 13 reaches the inverted position, stop member 163 engages the rubber bumper 164 bringing the carriage to a jarring or jolting stop thereby releasing any dust, dirt, trash, or foreign matter contained therein which falls downwardly onto the foreign matter discharge conveyor belt 217 which carries the same to a point spaced from the carriage inverted position.
As the carriage 13 nears the inverted position, it contacts the solenoid valve control switch 207 closing the same and energizing the solenoid valve 205 to open position. As valve 205 opens, air is passed therethrough to the nozzles 2% and 201 which direct a blast of air under pressure upwardly into the case C to aid in the removal of dust and dirt therefrom. Carriage 13 is immediately returned to the upright position and, as it nears the upright position, the arm 1% on shaft 185 contacts the plunger 193 of the switch 192. Switch 192 breaks the circuit to the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 on the electromagnetic clutch-brake mechanism 170 de-energizing the same and allowing clutch 171 to be disengaged 10 and brake 172 to be engaged to bring the shaft 167 and hence the carriage 13 to a smooth stop with the stop member 161 resting on the rubber bumper 162.
Arrn 194 on shaft 185 will maintain switch 192 open until the cam portion 127 engages the plunger 137 on switch 196 closing the same and re-energizing the elec tromagnetic devices 175, 181 to engage clutch 171 and disengage brake 172 to drive shaft 167. As shaft 167 begins its rotation, crank 182 will rotate crank 184 through the connecting rod 133 which, in turn, will rotate shaft to move the arm 194 out of engagement with the plunger 193 on switch 192 allowing the same to move to the closed position and thereby maintaining the electromagnetic devices 175, 181 energized after the cam portion 127 has moved out of contact with the plunger 197 on switch 1% allowing switch 196 to move to the open position.
When carriage 13 is returned to the retracted position with the case thereon, the next succeeding case will be carried onto the carriage 13 by the conveyor chains 70, 71 and will move the preceding case off of the case supporting member 142 and onto the rollers 132 of the case discharge conveyor 12. The case will be moved along the discharge conveyor 12 on the rollers 132 by the action of gravity.
If a case becomes jammed between the roller 111 and the carriage 13, the same will resist the rotation of the conveyor chains 75, '71 which will cause a tightening of the chain 1117 which drives the shaft 83. As chain 107 tightens, bell crank 227 is pivoted against the action of tension spring 231 and arm 232 opens switch 234 breaking the circuit to motor 92 de-energizing the same. Likewise, if a case is not correctly positioned on the carriage 13, the same will contact one of the feeler members 244, 245 when the carriage attempts to move to the inverted position which will raise the member 247 opening switch 252 and tie-energizing the motor 92.
It will therefore be apparent that a simple and completely automatic apparatus is provided for receiving cases thereon, inverting the same with the inverting movement being joitingly or jarringly stopped with the case in the inverted position, directing a pair of air streams into the inverted case and immediately returning the case to the upright position where it is moved off of the carriage onto the discharge conveyor by the next succeeding case being moved onto the carriage 13. Any large pieces of foreign matter such as paper, broken bottles or the like which fall from the case C will come to rest on the foreign matter discharge conveyor belt 217 and will be carried from beneath the machine thereby to a point spaced from the apparatus which will reduce the stoppage time since the apparatus need not be stopped for the foreign matter to be cleared from beneath the apparatus.
In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.
I claim:
1. Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position Wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the bottle case receiving portion thereof,
(b) means carried by said carriage for clamping a bottle case in position on said carriage and for securely holding the same in position on said carriage throughout the movement of said carriage between said upright and inverted positions,
(c) means operable in timed relation to the oscillatory movement of said carriage for intermittently feeding successive bottle cases to be cleaned onto said carriage and into operative association with said clamping means,
(d) drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage through the arc of substantially 180 from said upright position to said inverted position at a speed sufiicient to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage,
(8) stop means projecting into the path of travel of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the driven movement of said carriage at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the momentum built-up in said case and by the jolt imparted to the carriage,
(f) said drive means instantly returning said carriage and the case carried thereby to the upright position upon the interruption of the driven movement of said carriage to further facilitate the cleaning of the bottle case, and
(g) means for smoothly stopping said carriage in the upright position when the same is returned thereto by said drive means.
2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said carriage has a bottom wall adapted to receive bottle cases thereon and a side wall at the opposite side of said bottom wall from the pivot about which said carriage moves, and wherein said clamping means comprises (1) a pair of vertically disposed rollers carried by opposite sides of said side wall and adapted to engage one side of the bottle cases received on said bottom wall,
(2) a second vertically disposed roller mounted on the other side of said bottom wall from said side wall for pivotal movement toward and away from said side wall and adapted to engage the other side of bottle cases received on said bottom wall, and
(3) spring means biasing said second roller toward said side wall and said pair of rollers with sufi'icient force to securely clamp 21 bottle case therebetween and to hold the same in position on said carriage during movement thereof between said upright and inverted positions including the jolting interruption of such movement at the inverted positionv 3. Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally ofiset to one side of the bottle case receiving portion thereof,
(b) means carried by said carriage for clamping the bottle cases in position on said carriage and for securely holding the same in position thereon throughout the movement of said carriage between said upright and inverted positions,
(c) means operable in timed relation to the oscillatory movement of said carriage for intermittently feeding successive bottle cases to be cleaned onto said carriage and into operative association with said clamping means,
(a') drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage throughout the arc of substantially 180 from said upright position to said inverted position at a sufan arc of substantially 180 between an upright ficient speed to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage, said drive means including a continuously operating motor and a clutch-brake arrangement between said motor and said carriage, said clutch being disengaged and said brake being engaged when said carriage is in said upright position,
(e) means operable in timed relation to a bottle case being fed onto said carriage for disengaging said brake and engaging said clutch to connect said motor to said carriage to move the carriage from the upright position to the inverted position,
(f) stop means projecting into the path of travel of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the motor driven movement of said carriage at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by the carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and by the momentum built-up in the case and foreign matter during movement thereof to the inverted position,
(g) said drive means instantly returning said carriage and the case carried thereby to the upright position upon the interruption of the driven movement of said carriage by said stop means, and
(It) means operable upon the return of the carriage to the upright position for disengaging said clutch and engaging said brake for smoothly terminating movement of said carriage at said upright position.
4. Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the portion thereof adapted to receive the bottle case therein,
(b) means carried by said carriage for clamping a bottle case in position on said carriage and securely holding the same in this position throughout the movement of said carriage between the upright and inverted positions,
(c) continuously driven conveyor means having its discharge end disposed adjacent said carriage for feeding successive bottle cases to be cleaned onto said carriage and into operative association with said clamping means,
(d) means operatively associated with said conveyor means for intermittently delivering bottle cases thereto and comprising (1) a continuously driven horizontally disposed roller adjacent the end of said conveyor means opposite said discharge end thereof and having a length exceeding the width of said conveyor means, said roller being adapted to successively receive bottle cases thereon in a first position out of lateral alinement with said conveyor means,
(2) a stationary first stop means positioned adjacent said roller and in the path of bottle cases received on said roller in said first position for preventing the delivery of said bottle cases to said conveyor means While the same are in said first position, and
(3) means operable in timed relation to the movement of said carriage for moving bottle cases occupying said first position on said roller laterally of said roller to a second position out of engagement with said first stop means and into alinement with said conveyor means so that said roller delivers said bottle case to said conveyor means for subsequent feeding onto said carraige,
(e) drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage through the arc of substantially 180 from said upright position to said inverted position at a speed suflicient to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage,
(7) second stop means projecting into the path of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and to the momentum builtup in said case,
(g) said drive means instantly returning said carriage and the case carried thereby to the upright position upon the interruption of the driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position, and
(h) a foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath said inverted position of said carriage and adapted to receive the foreign matter removed from the bottle case carried thereby for transporting the foreign matter through a point spaced from the inverted position of said carriage.
5. Apparatus for cleaning bottle cases and the like comprising (a) a carriage having a bottle case receiving portion and being mounted for oscillatory movement through an arc of substantially 180 between an upright position for the receipt of at least one bottle case to be cleaned therein and an inverted position wherein said carriage is inverted along with the bottle case carried thereby, said carriage movement being about a horizontal pivot laterally offset to one side of the portion thereof adapted to receive the bottle case therein,
(b) means carried by said carriage for clamping a bottle case in position on said carriage and securely holding the same in this position throughout the movement of said carriage between the upright and inverted positions,
() continuously driven conveyor means having a discharge end disposed adjacent said carriage for feeding successive bottle cases to be cleaned onto said carriage and into operative association with said clamping means,
(d) means operatively associated with said conveyor means for intermittently delivering bottle cases thereto and comprising (1) a continuously driven horizontally disposed elongate roller disposed adjacent the end of said conveyor means opposite said discharge end and extending transversely thereof, said roller having a length exceeding the width of said conveyor means and being adapted to successively receive bottle cases thereon in a first position out of lateral alinement with said conveyor means,
(2) first stop means positioned adjacent said roller and in the path of the bottle cases received on said roller in said first position for preventing delivery of such bottle cases to said conveyor means while the same occupy said first position, and
(3) cam operated means operable in timed relation to the movement of said carriage for moving a bottle case occupying said first position on said roller laterally of said roller to a second position out of engagement with said first stop means and into alinement with said conveyor means so that said roller may deliver said botttle case to said conveyor means for subsequent feeding to said carriage,
(e) drive means operatively connected to said carriage for rapidly and positively moving said carriage through the arc of substantially from said upright position to said inverted position at a speed sufiicient to build up considerable momentum in a case carried by said carriage, said drive means including a continuously operating motor, and an electromagnetic clutch-brake arrangement disposed between said motor and said carriage for controlling movement of said carriage, said clutch being disengaged and said brake being engaged when said carriage is in said upright position,
(i) means operable in timed relation to a bottle case being fed onto said carriage for disengaging said brake and engaging said clutch for connecting said motor to said carriage to move said carriage from the upright position to the inverted position,
(g) means disposed adjacent the inverted position of said carriage and operable in response to movement of said carriage toward said inverted position for directing high velocity jets of air into the bottle case carried by said conveyor as the same approaches said inverted position to aid in loosening and dispelling foreign matter from the bottle cases.
(11) second stop means projecting into the path of said carriage and adapted to be struck thereby for joltingly interrupting the motor driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position to loosen any dust, dirt and other foreign matter in the bottle case carried by said carriage and to dispel the same from the bottle case by the jolt imparted to the carriage and by the momentum built-up in the case,
(i) a foreign matter discharge conveyor disposed beneath said inverted position of said carriage and adapted to receive the foreign matter removed from the bottle cases carried thereby for transporting the foreign matter to a point spaced from the inverted position of said carriage,
(j) said drive means instantly returning said carriage and the case carried thereby to the upright position upon the interruption of the driven movement of said carriage when the same arrives at said inverted position, and
(k) means operable upon the return of said carriage to the upright position for disengaging said clutch and engaging said brake for smoothly terminating movement of said carriage at said upright position.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,295,195 Parker Feb. 25, 1919 1,973,767 Kimball et a1 Sept. 18, 1934 2,549,062 Davis Apr. 17, 1951 2,593,119 Davis Apr. 15, 1952 2,701,071 Cavalieri Feb. 1, 1955 2,832,090 Ross Apr. 29, 1958 2,932,415 Brown Apr. 12, 1960 3,058,606 Chalich et al Oct. 16, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 508,254 Great Britain June 28, 1939

Claims (1)

  1. 5. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOTTLE CASES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING (A) A CARRIAGE HAVING A BOTTLE CASE RECEIVING PORTION AND BEING MOUNTED FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT THROUGH AN ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY 180* BETWEEN AN UPRIGHT POSITION FOR THE RECEIPT OF AT LEAST ONE BOTTLE CASE TO BE CLEANED THEREIN AND AN INVERTED POSITION WHEREIN SAID CARRIAGE IS INVERTED ALONG WITH THE BOTTLE CASE CARRIED THEREBY, SAID CARRIAGE MOVEMENT BEING ABOUT A HORIZONTAL PIVOT LATERALLY OFFSET TO ONE SIDE OF THE PORTION THEREOF ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE BOTTLE CASE THEREIN, (B) MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE FOR CLAMPING A BOTTLE CASE IN POSITION ON SAID CARRIAGE AND SECURELY HOLDING THE SAME IN THIS POSITION THROUGHOUT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE BETWEEN THE UPRIGHT AND INVERTED POSITIONS, (C) CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING A DISCHARGE END DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CARRIAGE FOR FEEDING SUCCESSIVE BOTTLE CASES TO BE CLEANED ONTO SAID CARRIAGE AND INTO OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION WITH SAID CLAMPING MEANS, (D) MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY DELIVERING BOTTLE CASES THERETO AND COMPRISING (1) A CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN HORIZONTALY DISPOSED ELONGATE ROLLER DISPOSED ADJACENT THE END OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS OPPOSITE SAID DISCHARGE END AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, SAID ROLLER HAVING A LENGTH EXCEEDING THE WIDTH OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND BEING ADAPTED TO SUCCESSIVELY RECEIVE BOTTLE CASES THEREON IN A FIRST POSITION OUT OF LATERAL ALINEMENT WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, (2) FIRST STOP MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID ROLLER AND IN THE PATH OF THE BOTTLE CASES RECEIVED ON SAID ROLLER IN SAID FIRST POSITION FOR PREVENTING DELIVERY OF SUCH BOTTLE CASES TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS WHILE THE SAME OCCUPY SAID FIRST POSITION, AND (3) CAM OPERATED MEANS OPERABLE IN TIMED RELATION TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE FOR MOVING A BOTTLE CASE OCCUPYING SAID FIRST POSITION ON SAID ROLLER LATERALLY OF SAID ROLLER TO A SECOND POSITION OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST STOP MEANS AND INTO ALINEMENT WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS SO THAT SAID ROLLER MAY DELIVER SAID BOTTLE CASE TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SUBSEQUENT FEEDING TO SAID CARRIAGE, (E) DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIAGE FOR RAPIDLY AND POSITIVELY MOVING SAID CARRIAGE THROUGH THE ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY 180* FROM SAID UPRIGHT POSITION TO SAID INVERTED POSITION AT A SPEED SUFFICIENT TO BUILD UP CONSIDERABLE MOMENTUM IN A CASE CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE, SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING MOTOR, AND AN ELECTROMAGNETIC CLUTCH-BRAKE ARRANGEMENT DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID MOTOR AND SAID CARRIAGE FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE, SAID CLUTCH BEING DISENGAGED AND SAID BRAKE BEING ENGAGED WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS IN SAID UPRIGHT POSITION, (F) MEANS OPERABLE IN TIMED RELATION TO A BOTTLE CASE BEING FED ONTO SAID CARRIAGE FOR DISENGAGING SAID BRAKE AND ENGAGING SAID CLUTCH FOR CONNECTING SAID MOTOR TO SAID CARRIAGE TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE FROM THE UPRIGHT POSITION TO THE INVERTED POSITION, (G) MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE INVERTED POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE AND OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE TOWARD SAID INVERTED POSITION FOR DIRECTING HIGH VELOCITY JETS OF AIR INTO THE BOTTLE CASE CARRIED BY SAID CONVEYOR AS THE SAME APPROACHES SAID INVERTED POSITION TO AID IN LOOSENING AND DISPELLING FOREIGN MATTER FROM THE BOTTLE CASES. (H) SECOND STOP MEANS PROJECTING INTO THE PATH OF SAID CARRIAGE AND ADAPTED TO BE STRUCK THEREBY FOR JOLTINGLY INTERRUPTING THE MOTOR DRIVEN MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE WHEN THE SAME ARRIVES AT SAID INVERTED POSITION TO LOOSEN ANY DUST, DIRT AND OTHER FOREIGN MATTER IN THE BOTTLE CASE CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE AND TO DISPEL THE SAME FROM THE BOTTLE CASE BY THE JOLT IMPARTED TO THE CARRIAGE AND BY THE MOMENTUM BUILT-UP IN THE CASE, (I) A FOREIGN MATTER DISCHARGE CONVEYOR DISPOSED BENEATH SAID INVERTED POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FOREIGN MATTER REMOVED FROM THE BOTTLE CASES CARRIED THEREBY FOR TRANSPORTATING THE FOREIGN MATTER TO A POINT SPACED FROM THE INVERTED POSITION OF SAID CARRIAGE, (J) SAID DRIVE MEANS INSTANTLY RETURNING SAID CARRIAGE AND THE CASE CARRIED THEREBY TO THE UPRIGHT POSITION UPON THE INTERRUPTION OF THE DRIVEN MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE WHEN THE SAME ARRIVES AT SAID INVERTED POSITION, AND (K) MEANS OPERABLE UPON THE RETURN OF SAID CARRIAGE TO THE UPRIGHT POSITION FOR DISENGAGING SAID CLUTCH AND ENGAGING SAID BRAKE FOR SMOOTHLY TERMINATING MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE AT SAID UPRIGHT POSITION.
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US3964624A (en) * 1974-12-18 1976-06-22 Alvey Inc. Container dumping apparatus
EP0010686A1 (en) * 1978-10-20 1980-05-14 Seitz Enzinger Noll Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Packing machine for bottles with separated feeding conveyors
US5295780A (en) * 1992-05-21 1994-03-22 Sokichi Tanaka Dumping apparatus for bag filled with molten substance
US5330045A (en) * 1981-06-02 1994-07-19 Rexnord Corporation Low backline pressure chain
US20030115710A1 (en) * 2001-12-15 2003-06-26 Young Cheol Choi Apparatus for cleaning bottles
US9067773B2 (en) 2010-09-10 2015-06-30 Pepsico, Inc. Prevention of agglomeration of particles during sterilization processes
US9120587B2 (en) 2010-09-10 2015-09-01 Pepsico, Inc. In-package non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation sterilization
US11890333B2 (en) 2013-11-04 2024-02-06 Immatics Biotechnologies Gmbh Personalized immunotherapy against several neuronal and brain tumors

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US1295195A (en) * 1916-09-12 1919-02-25 George D Parker Receptacle-inverting apparatus.
US1973767A (en) * 1931-06-16 1934-09-18 Standard Knapp Corp Crate dumping apparatus
GB508254A (en) * 1938-05-30 1939-06-28 British Mathews Ltd Improvements in and relating to conveyors
US2549062A (en) * 1942-12-30 1951-04-17 Allan C Davis Bottle crate shaker and cleaner
US2593119A (en) * 1942-12-30 1952-04-15 Allan C Davis Defective crate detector and ejector
US2701071A (en) * 1949-07-13 1955-02-01 Macchine Ind Dolciaria Carle & Receptacle emptying device
US2832090A (en) * 1954-04-09 1958-04-29 Miller Hydro Company Automatic case cleaner machines
US2932415A (en) * 1955-02-25 1960-04-12 Joseph L Brown Apparatus for compaction, transportation and discharge of bulk material
US3058606A (en) * 1959-06-25 1962-10-16 Taylor Mfg Company Inc Bottle case inverter

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1295195A (en) * 1916-09-12 1919-02-25 George D Parker Receptacle-inverting apparatus.
US1973767A (en) * 1931-06-16 1934-09-18 Standard Knapp Corp Crate dumping apparatus
GB508254A (en) * 1938-05-30 1939-06-28 British Mathews Ltd Improvements in and relating to conveyors
US2549062A (en) * 1942-12-30 1951-04-17 Allan C Davis Bottle crate shaker and cleaner
US2593119A (en) * 1942-12-30 1952-04-15 Allan C Davis Defective crate detector and ejector
US2701071A (en) * 1949-07-13 1955-02-01 Macchine Ind Dolciaria Carle & Receptacle emptying device
US2832090A (en) * 1954-04-09 1958-04-29 Miller Hydro Company Automatic case cleaner machines
US2932415A (en) * 1955-02-25 1960-04-12 Joseph L Brown Apparatus for compaction, transportation and discharge of bulk material
US3058606A (en) * 1959-06-25 1962-10-16 Taylor Mfg Company Inc Bottle case inverter

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3964624A (en) * 1974-12-18 1976-06-22 Alvey Inc. Container dumping apparatus
EP0010686A1 (en) * 1978-10-20 1980-05-14 Seitz Enzinger Noll Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Packing machine for bottles with separated feeding conveyors
US5330045A (en) * 1981-06-02 1994-07-19 Rexnord Corporation Low backline pressure chain
US5295780A (en) * 1992-05-21 1994-03-22 Sokichi Tanaka Dumping apparatus for bag filled with molten substance
US20030115710A1 (en) * 2001-12-15 2003-06-26 Young Cheol Choi Apparatus for cleaning bottles
US9067773B2 (en) 2010-09-10 2015-06-30 Pepsico, Inc. Prevention of agglomeration of particles during sterilization processes
US9120587B2 (en) 2010-09-10 2015-09-01 Pepsico, Inc. In-package non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation sterilization
US11890333B2 (en) 2013-11-04 2024-02-06 Immatics Biotechnologies Gmbh Personalized immunotherapy against several neuronal and brain tumors

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