US3237289A - Cap remover - Google Patents

Description

March 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,239

CAP REMOVER Filed Juhe 15, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS INHOLD A. PEARSON WILLIAM DEWEY RIGG ATTYJ.

March 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,289

CAP REMOVER Filed June 15, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 LEE-3 INVENTORS RE/NHOLD A. PEARSON WILLIAM ozwzr R166 24% w zw A T TYS.

March 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,289

CAP REMOVER 6 SheetsSheet 5 Filed June 15, 1964 INVENTORJ REINHOLD A. PEARSON WILLIAM DEWEY RIGG March 1, 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,289

CAP REMOVER 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15, 1964 MN mm. m fi EY WPW. A 0 AE .8 a m 4 om 0 HI H B w m MN 43 a I 6 w 5 5 5. w 8 5 n u March 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,239

CAP REMOVER 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 15, 1964 INVENTORS RE/NHOLD A. PEARSON WILLIAM DEWEY RIGG A TTYS.

March 1966 R. A. PEARSON ETAL 3,237,239

CAP REMOVER Filed June 15, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORj REM/HOLD A. PEA RS 0N {Sig/LIAM DEWEY RIGG A TTY6.

United States Patent 3,237,289 CAP REMOVER Reinhold A. Pearson, R. A. Pearson Co., S. 12 Division,

Spokane, Wash., and William Dewey Rigg, 3211 Fairfield Road, Olympia, Wash.

Filed June 15, 1964, Ser. No. 375,283 7 Claims. (Cl. 29208) This invention relates to an apparatus for removing caps from bottles such as are used in the sale of beer and soft drinks where the bottles are covered by a compressed cap having a rim that frictionally grips the bottle opening to hold the cap in place.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a produc tion machine for continuously removing caps from bottles .for use in areas such as a brewery where large quantities of bottles are prepared for filling. Many returnable bottles are returned with the caps fitted back onto the bottles. Often bottles must have caps removed for other reasons prior to filling. This is normally done manually, and is both time consuming and expensive. The present invention provides a machine to continuously remove caps from a line of bottles and does not require any manual operation.

his a first object of this invention to provide a device that can accurately grip and remove caps from a continuously moving line of bottles. The bottles do not stop at any time during this operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a device that can be placed in any conventional bottle conveyor, so that the bottles can have their caps removed during transfer of the bottles from one location without interrupting the normal flow in a bottle plant.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a device having cap removing elements that are very simple in structure and which can be readily replaced when necessary. The entire apparatus is fully adjustable and extremely accurate in governing the placement and control of the caps to be removed.

- These and further objects will be evident from a study of the following disclosure, taken together with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one preferred form of the invention. It is to be recognized at the start that other forms of the invention might be produced to carry out the basic principles involved. For these reasons, the following description is not intended to limit the structure of the invention but is set out only as an example of a preferred form of that structure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the apparatus, with the conveyor mechanism broken away at both ends thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the apparatus as seen along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional View of the apparatus as seen along line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the apparatus as seen along line 55 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus as seen along line 66 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the wheel holding the magnets;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIGURE 3 showing the driving arrangement for the various components; and

FIGURES 9 through 12 are a series of enlarged fragmentary views showing the progressive removal of a cap from a bottle using the instant apparatus.

The basic structure with which this invention is concerned is designed to be fitted onto a conventional single file conveyor for bottles. The conveyor assembly is not shown except as it concerns the cap removing apparatus.

The basic arrangement of the structure is seen best in FIGURES 1 through 6. In these drawings, there is shown a rigid supporting framework 10 which carries all of the instant apparatus and which serves to guide the conveyor along this portion of its length. The conveyor itself is carried by means of a central conveyor chain 11 that is entrained about sprockets 12 located at its respective ends. The conveyor chain 11 has fixed to it a series of parallel rectangular plates :13 that form the actual conveyor surface on which the bottles ride. Plates 13 slide along guide plates 14 fixed to the framework 10 to provide a horizontal top flight on the conveyor on which the bottles rest during movement relative to framework 10. The bottles are only frictionally engaged by the top surface of the plates 13 anddo not necessarily move at the same rate of speed as the plates 13. The plates 13 can freely slide beneath the bottles resting thereon.

At the inlet side of the apparatus, seen to the left in FIGURES 1 and 2, there are provided vertical guide plates 15 at each side of the plates 13 and extending above tect the presence of a bottle at the offset portion 16. The

use of this feature will be described below.

The speed of bottles passing along the conveyor plate 13 is governed by two sets of star wheels located in vertically stacked pairs at each side of the apparatus and best seen in FIGURES 5 and 6. Each pair of star wheels 20 includes one wheel spaced above the other so as to contact bottles at two different heights. The star wheels 20 have outer peripheries recessed complementary to the shape of the bottles received between them, so that a bottle is accurately grasped between the star wheels 20 as it passes their respective axes. The star Wheels 20 are timed in an opposed relationship as can be seen in FIG- URE 5. The two pairs of star wheels 20 are mounted respectively on upright vertical shafts 21, 22 journalled on the framework 10 for rotation about parallel vertical axes.

Mounted above and between the star wheels 20 is a vertical wheel 24 that is the cap engaging member of this apparatus. The wheel 24 is fixed to a shaft 25 rotatably journalled within a movable frame 26. The frame 26 is rectangular in shape and is pivoted at its rear end, being freely rotatable on a pivot shaft 27 which in turn is rotatably mounted on the framework .10. The front end of the rectangular frame 26 carries an adjustable stop member 28 that selectively engages an arch 30 formed integrally with the framework 10. A tension spring 29 located at the front end of the rectangular frame 26 norrnally maintains the stop 28 in contact with the top surface of arch 30. The spring 29 is connected between the front end of the frame 26 and the framework 10.

The vertical wheel 24 has a series of radially located books 31 embedded therein, each hook 31 protruding be-' yond the circular periphery of the wheel 24, as can be best seen in FIGURE 4. Each hook 31 includes a straight 1 radial shank 32 that is gripped within a slot formed through the periphery of the wheel 24. The shanks 32 are locked in place by means of expandable slots 34 and tapered locking screws 35. By clamping the shank 32 it is rigidly mounted for movement with the wheel 24. Each book also includes a ledge 33 bent back in the direction opposite to the intended motion of the Wheel 24 as indicated by the arrows in the drawings, the ledge 33 being separated from the periphery of wheel 24 by a minimum distance equal to the height of the cap to be engaged thereby. The surface of the ledge 33 facing the wheel 24 is actually directed toward the wheel 24 to form a definite hook terminating at a sharp outer edge. Also located on the periphery of the Wheel 24 are guide screws 36 having protruding heads that taper outwardly so as to guide caps engaged thereby toward the hook 31 adjacent to it. Each of these screws 36 is placed on the wheel 24 at a distance substantially equal to the width of the cap to be engaged by the hook 31, and in a high speed operation, the screws assist in properly locating the bottle cap within the hook.

After a cap has been removed by the hook 31, it is desirable that it be carried to a receiving container of some sort. This could be done in many Ways. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, it is accomplished by means of magnets 37 carried on a wheel 38 fixed to shaft 22 directly above the star wheels 20 fixed thereon. The spacing of magnets 37 on wheel 38 is such that a magnet 37 will be brought into proximity with each hook 31 as the book 31 passes the area at which it engages a cap. The cap will then be drawn to the magnet 37, which will carry the cap to the outer portion of the wheel 38, where it will engage an upright stripping plate 40 fixed to the framework .10, that will cause the cap to fall down a chute 41 to a receiving container (not shown).

The various components described are powered from a single motor 42. There is not shown a driving connection for the conveyor chain 11, since it will be independently powered in the normal fashion. The motor 42 turns a driving sprocket 43 which in turn rotates a large horizontal sprocket 44 on shaft 21 by means of a connecting sprocket chain 45. Above the large sprocket 44 is a smaller sprocket 46 that turns an identical sprocket 47 fixed to the corresponding shaft 22 for the remaining set of star wheels 20. Thus, the two shafts 21 are turned at an identical rate of speed by means of the identical sprockets, but are turned in opposite directions as can be seen in FIGURE 8. The two sprockets 46, 47 are connected by means of a chain 48 that also engages an idler sprocket 50 carried on a stub shaft 51 and a driven sprocket 52 carried on a vertical shaft 53.

In order to turn the wheel 24, a driving connection must be made to the pivot shaft 27, which is rotatably mounted on the framework for movement about a transverse horizontal axis. This driving connection is made through a horizontal shaft 54 rotatably journalled in bearings 55 by the framework 10. Shaft 54 is driven from the vertical shaft 53 by means of a pair of bevel gears 56, 57. Shaft 54 is provided with a driving sprocket 58 that turns a driven sprocket 60 on shaft 27 by means of a connecting chain 59.

The wheel 24 itself is turned by means of a driving sprocket 61 on shaft 27 and a connecting chain 63 that turns a driven sprocket 62 fixed to the wheel shaft 25. An idler sprocket 64 is provided on the frame 26 to eliminate any slack in the chain 63. Thus all of the components are mechanically connected by a positive drive with no slack in any of the chains that connect the various sprockets. In this manner the timing of the various elements, which is quite critical to the operation of this machine, is maintained without fail.

It is important to note that the axis of the Wheel shaft 25 is offset slightly to the rear of the axes of the shafts 21 and 22. The reason for this will be evident, since it must be borne in mind that the bottle 65, shown in FIGURES 9 through 12, must be most firmly gripped at the time the cap is being pried from it. As shown in FIGURE 9, the bottle 65, together with its attached cap 66, rides along the conveyor plates 13 and is individually guided between the continuously rotating star wheels 20. In FIGURE 9, the bottle 65 would be first contacted by the star wheels 20 along its front surface. At this time, the wheel 24, which is rotating along its contacting surface in the same direction as the bottle 65 is moving, brings a hook 31 forward of the cap 66. Continued movement of the bottle 65,.

governed by rotation of star wheel 20, allows the cap 66 to fit between the minimum separation between the ledge 33 and the periphery of wheel 24. Again it must be recognized that the periphery of wheel 24 is turning at precisely the same rate of speed as the top surface of cap 66 is moving relative to framework 15. There is no relative movement between the contacting surface of the wheel 24 and the cap surface contacted thereby.

In FIGURE 11, the cap 56 is grasped by the moving hook 31 and the wheel 24 has passed the center of cap 66. At this moment, the wheel 24 will have moved slightly upward relative to the framework 10 due to the allowable pivoting movement of frame 26 about the axis of shaft 27. Also, the bottle 65 will be rather firmly gripped by the four star wheels 20 in addition to the weight of the frame 26 and wheel 24 that bears against the top surface of the cap 66. In FIGURE 12, as the bottle 65 reaches the center of the star wheels 20, the cap 66 will be pried from the bottle and the separated cap will then be immediately drawn toward one of the moving magnets 37 as described above.

By means of the offset relation of the central axis of wheel 24, the continuously moving cap 66 is allowed to fit beneath the hook 31 at the moment that the shank 32 is in a vertical position as shown in FIGURE 10. The offset relation of the star wheels Zil provides the maximum engagement with the bottle 65 at the time the cap 66 is being pried from bottle 65 as shown in FIGURE 12.

In order to be sure of the proper reception of bottles 65 between the star wheels 20, it is necessary to insure that the star wheels 20 be always receiving an abutting row of bottles 65. The purpose of the lever 17 in the offset portion 16 of the inlet guide plates 15 is to detect the presence of bottles 65 at this area. If a bottle passes the lever 17, the switch 18 will be opened. Switch 18 is utilized to directly control the motor 42, so that the motor 42 can only be operated when a bottle is in the offset portion 16. In this manner, a stacked row of bottles will always be fed between the star wheels 20. After the bottles have passed the star wheels 20, they continue on the conveyor plates 13, guided by rods 23 fixed to the framework 111. During the time that the bottles pass the star wheels 20, they are laterally guided by rods 24 that extend over the star wheels 20, as can be seen in FIG- URES 1 and 4.

This apparatus is rather simple in structure, and its operation requires no manual manipulation, it being entirely automatic. Every bottle that passes between the star wheels 20 will be contacted by one of the continuously moving hooks 31 so that the cap on the bottle will be removed without ever stopping the movement of the bottle relative to the framework. The device is capable of high production, and could be duplicated in a side by side relation to handle two rows of bottles rather than one. The fact that the peripheral surface of wheel 24 is movable relative to the frame insures that undue pressure will not be exerted downwardly upon any particular bottle, minimizing the chance of breakage of the bottle. The pressure exerted by the wheel 24 on the cap being pried from a bottle insures that the neck of the bottle will not be subjected to undue strain and possible breakage.

Various modifications can be readily recognized in the basic structure without deviating from its underlying principles. Therefore, only the following claims are intended to limit and restrict the scope of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In an apparatus for removing caps from bottles:

a rigid supporting framework;

timed bottle conveyor means mounted on said framework for carrying capped bottles relative to said framework;

wheel means rotatably mounted on said framework adjacent to said conveyor means, including a peripheral surface for yieldably engaging outer surfaces of caps on bottles as they are moved past said wheel means by said conveyor means;

hook means fixed to said wheel means and extending radially outward therefrom for engagement beneath the edges of caps contacted by the peripheral surface of said wheel means;

and drive means operatively connected to said wheel means and said bottle conveyor means for moving the cap contacting portion of the peripheral surface of said wheel means in unison with caps contacted thereby in a timed relationship to cause said hook means to pry caps engaged thereby from bottles as the bottles successively pass said wheel means.

2. In an apparatus for removing caps from bottles;

a rigid supporting framework;

timed bottle conveyor means mounted on said framework for carrying capped bottles in upright positions in a longitudinally aligned row along the length of said framework;

wheel means rotatably mounted on said framework about a transverse axis above said conveyor means, said wheel means including a peripheral surface for yieldably engaging the top surfaces of capped bottles passing beneath said wheel means on said conveyor means;

timed drive means operatively connected to said wheel means and to said bottle conveyor means for moving the cap contacting portion of the peripheral surface of said wheel means in unison with caps contacted thereby;

and hook means :fixed to said wheel means extending radially outward therefrom beyond the peripheral surface thereof, said hook means including a cap engaging ledge spaced outwardly from said peripheral surface and bent back in a direction opposite to the direction of motion of a cap engaged thereby, the timing between the movement of said conveyor means and said Wheel means being such that said hook means engages and pries the cap from each bottle as it passes beneath said wheel means.

3. In an apparatus for removing caps from bottles;

a rigid supporting framework;

a bottle supporting conveyor mounted on said framework having a horizontal top flight for supporting and frictionally engaging the bottom surfaces of bottles placed thereon;

fixed guide means mounted on said framework alongside said conveyor adapted to align bottles on said conveyor into a straight file for travel relative to said framework;

star wheel means extending above said conveyor at each side thereof and mounted on said framework for rotation about parallel vertical axes, said star wheel means having the outer peripheries thereof recessed complementary to the bottle surfaces engaged thereby on said conveyor;

timed drive means on said framework operatively connected to said star wheel means adapted to rotate said star wheel means about said axes in a timed relation to thereby engage individual bottles on said conveyor and control their motion past said axes;

wheel means mounted in said framework above said conveyor for rotation about a transverse axis, said wheel means including a circular peripheral surface for yieldably engaging the top surfaces of capped bottles passing beneath said wheel means on said conveyor, the transverse axis of said Wheel means being displaced slightly from said axes of said star Wheel means in a direction opposite to the direction of motion of said conveyor relative to said framework;

said timed drive means being operatively connected to said wheel means for rotating said wheel means about said axis to thereby move the cap contacting portion of the peripheral surface of said- Wheel means in unison with caps contacted thereby;

and hook means fixed to said wheel means extending radially outward from the peripheral surface thereof, said hook means including a cap engaging ledge spaced outwardly from said peripheral surface and bent back in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said wheel means about said axis, the timing between the motion of said star wheel means and said Wheel means being such that said hook means engage and pry the cap from each bottle as it passes between said star wheel means.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

means on said framework for directing caps from said hook means to a receiving container. 5. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, futher comprising:

a plurality of magnets mounted on a rotatable wheel supported by said framework, said wheel being operatively driven in a timed relation to said wheel member so as to bring a magnet into proximity with said hook means as each cap is removed from a bottle;

and means on said framework operatively engageable by said magnets adapted to remove caps from said magnets and direct them to a receiving container.

6. In an apparatus for removing caps from bottles, a

cap engaging wheel comprising:

a circular disk adapted to be mounted with the central rotational axis thereof perpendicular to the central axes of bottles from which caps are to be removed, the periphery of said disk being adapted to contact caps to be removed from the bottles;

a plurality of radially extending hooks fastened to said disk and protruding outwardly therefrom beyond the periphery thereof, each hook being bent back at its outer end to form a ledge directed toward the disk periphery, the minimum spacing between the ledge and disk being substantially equal to the height of a cap rim to be engaged thereby.

7. In a Wheel as defined in claim 6:

radially protruding cam elements extending from the peripheral surface of said wheel having a tapered surface facing each hook and spaced therefrom by a distance equal to the width of a cap to be engaged thereby.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,386,152 10/1945 Wahl 813.2X 2,709,936 7/1955 Brennan 813.2

WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN AN APPRATUS FOR REMOVING CAPS FROM BOTTLES: A RIGID SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK; TIMED BOTTLE CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK FOR CARRY CAPPED BOTTLES RELATIVE TO SAID FRAMEWORK; WHEEL MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK ADJACENT TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE FOR YIELDABLY ENGAGING OUTER SURFACE OF CAPS ON BOTTLES AS THEY ARE MOVED PAST SAID WHEELS MEANS BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; HOOK MEANS FIXED TO SAID WHEEL MEANS AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD THEREFROM THE ENGAGEMENT BENEATH THE EDGES OF CAPS CONTACTED BY THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID WHEEL MEANS; AND DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WHEEL MEANS AND SAID BOTTLE CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE CAP CONTACTING PORTION OF THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID WHEEL MEANS IN UNISON WITH CAPS CONTACTED THEREBY IN A TIMED RELATIONSHIP TO CAUSE SAID HOOK MEANS TO PRY CAPS ENGAGED THEREBY FROM FROM BOTTLES AS THE BOTTLES SUCCESSIVELY PASS SAID WHEEL MEANS.

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