US3455434A - Apparatus for manipulating bottles or or the like - Google Patents

Apparatus for manipulating bottles or or the like Download PDF

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Publication number
US3455434A
US3455434A US661473A US3455434DA US3455434A US 3455434 A US3455434 A US 3455434A US 661473 A US661473 A US 661473A US 3455434D A US3455434D A US 3455434DA US 3455434 A US3455434 A US 3455434A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
bottles
articles
support
arms
levers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US661473A
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English (en)
Inventor
Helmut Lorken
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Holstein und Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix GmbH
Original Assignee
Holstein und Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of US3455434A publication Critical patent/US3455434A/en
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Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
    • B65B57/10—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
    • B65B57/14—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged

Definitions

  • the platform is adjustable with the levers in and counter to the direction of the feed of bottles, and the levers are adjustable longitudinally of the rows of bottles on the platform.
  • the present invention relates to apparatus for manipulating bottles, cans, canisters, flasks or like articles. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus which can effect orderly transfer of empty or filled bottles or like articles from one or more belts into crates or other types of containers wherein the bottles are accommodated prior to filling or subsequent to filling and during shipment to storage or to purchasers.
  • a feed including several endless conveyors transports individual files of bottles to an arraying station where the foremost bottles of such files are arranged in rows prior to to transfer into a crate.
  • the arraying step is carried out on a platform along which the foremost bottles advancein response to pressure transmitted thereto by the next-following bottles.
  • Each foremost bottle advances toward engagement with one of a line of series-connected switches and, when the entire line of switches is engaged by bottles, such switches produce or initiate the generation of a signal which causes a transporting conveyor to remove the foremost bottles (which are then properly arrayed) from the platform and to place them into a crate.
  • a serious drawback of such apparatus is that too much time and expert work is required to convert them for manipulation of different types of bottles, different numbers of bottles and/or different arrays of bottles. Such conversion necessitates complete dismantling of the signal generating system. For example, if the apparatus is to be converted from treatment of large-diameter bottles to treatment of small-diameter bottles, switches must be added to the previously employed switches and the wiring of the signal generating unit must be redesigned accordingly. Inversely, conversion from processing of smallerdia-meter bottles to treatment of larger-diameter bottles necessitates removal or disconnection of certain switches and/or redistribution of remaining switches. This consumes much time so that the apparatus is idle for long intervals whenever it becomes necessary to carry out a conversion.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a novel signal generating system which can be used in an apparatus of the just outlined character and which is simpler and less prone to malfunction than presently known systems.
  • An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be converted for treatment of different numbers and/or different types and sizes of articles with negligible interruptions in operation and wherein such conversion does not require expert work and/or the use of special tools.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which insures that the articles are invariably stacked in a desired array prior to delivery of such articles into a crate or the like.
  • the improved apparatus comprises a support, a feed for delivering articles to and for forming on the top face of the support rows of articles which advance sideways, yieldable arresting devices which preferably take the form of bell crank levers having first arms extending into the path of movement of articles in the foremost row on the support and second arms which are rockable by the first arms from first to second positions when the respective first arms are engaged by and rocked by the articles of the foremost row until the articles come to a halt in predetermined positions with reference to the support, a transfer conveyor Which is operative to remove at least the foremost row of articles from the support when such articles assume the aforementioned predetermined positions, and actuating means for operating the transfer conveyor.
  • the actuating means comprises a light source which emits a beam of light in a direction toward a light-sensitive signal generating cell or the like.
  • the beam can reach the cell when the second arm of each lever is rocked by the first arm in response to engagement of the corresponding lever by an article of the foremost row on the support.
  • FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of an apparatus which embodies my invention and is employed to stack bottles in crates, the foremost row of bottles on the support being ready for delivery into a crate;
  • FIG. 2 illustrates some of the structure shown in FIG. 1 and a row of bottles during movement to requisite position for transfer into a crate;
  • FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus with the transfer conveyor omitted.
  • the improved apparatus comprises a feed which includes one or more endless belts 1 serving to advance bottles 3 in the direction indicated by arrow A.
  • the feed further includes a plate-like bridge 1a which is adjacent to the discharge end of the belt 1 shown in the drawing and serves to support bottles 3 from below while such bottles advance toward and onto the top face 11a of a support 11 constituted by a plate-like platform located immediately downstream of the bridge 1a.
  • the platform 11 supports one or more rows of bottles 3 while such bottles travel toward the upper arms 13 of a line of twoarmed arresting levers 7 mounted on a horizontal shaft 6.
  • the arms 13 extend upwardly beyond the top face 11a and into the path of bottles 3 in the foremost row B shown in FIG. 1.
  • a back support or barrier 14 is located behind the arms 13 and prevents further pivotal movement of the levers 7 at a time when the bottles of the foremost row B assume predetermined positions on the top face 11a.
  • the foremost row B is then located in the range of a transfer conveyor having a set of downwardly extending heads or grippers 15:: which engage the bottles of the row B and transfer them into a crate C supported by a further conveyor D or the like.
  • the exact manner in which the conveyor 15 is driven to transfer one or more rows of bottles from the platform 11 into one or more crates C forms no part of the present invention.
  • the conveyor 15 is set in motion to leave the starting position of 'FIG. 1 and to lift and transfer at least the foremost row B of bottles when all of the arms 8 assume the positions shown in FIG. 1, i.e., when each arm 13 is properly engaged by a bottle 3 of the foremost row B so that all of the arms 13 bear against the back support 14.
  • the actuating means for producing signals which are employed to start the conveyor 15 downwardly into engagement with the bottles of the foremost row B or with the bottles of two or more foremost rows includes a source 9a of light which emits a beam of light transversely below the platform 11 in parallelism with the foremost row B and a light-sensitive cell 9 which is located in the path of the beam and produces a signal when the beam is free to impinge upon its light-sensitive surface.
  • the operative connection 9b between the cell 9 and the conveyor 15 is indicated by a phantom line. It will be seen that the conveyor 15 receives a signal only when the foremost row B assumes a predetermined position on the top face 11a of the platform 11 so that the crates C invariably receive properly arrayed bottles.
  • the levers 7 are readily removable from and shiftable along the shaft 6 so that they may be placed at desired intervals in front of the platform 11.
  • the latter is detachable from its carriage and can be replaced by a wider or narrower, longer or shorter platform, depending on the number of articles in the rows and on the dimensions of such articles.
  • the front edge of the platform 11 is provided with locating recesses or notches 10 which allow the arms 13 of the levers 7 to pivot by gravity to the normal positions shown in FIG. 2 in which their upper ends extend into the path of movement of bottles in a row E which advances toi ward the back support 14.
  • the lower arms 8 are then located in such positions in which they interrupt the light beam and prevent light from reaching the cell 9.
  • the locating notches 10 facilitate the work of personnel during conversion of the apparatus. Thus, all an operator has to do is to select and to properly install a given platform 11 and to thereupon distribute the levers 7 in such a way that the upper arm 13 of each lever is free to enter one of the notches 10.
  • Means may be provided to hold the levers 7 against axial movement along the shaft 6 when their arms 13 extend into the adjoining notches 10.
  • the arresting levers 7, their shaft 6, the platform 11 and the signal generating means are mounted on and movable by a displacing assembly which can shift them in and counter to the direction indicated by the arrow A.
  • This displacing assembly comprises a frame F, a pair of threaded spindles or feed screws 5 which are journalled in bearings 5a of the frame F, a handwheel 5b on one of the spindles, spindle nuts 50 meshing with the spindles, and a carriage 5d which is connected with the nuts 50 and supports the platform 11 and the shaft 6.
  • the means for synchronizing movements of both spindles includes a chain drive 5e which causes the left-hand spindle of FIG. 3 to rotate in response to rotation of the right-hand spindle on turning of the wheel 511. It is clear that the wheel 5b can be replaced by a reversible motor or by a transmission which receives motion from the drive for the belt 1 and/or conveyor 15.
  • Apparatus for manipulating bottles or like articles comprising a support; a feed for delivering articles to and for forming on said support rows of articles which advance sideways; yieldable arresting devices associated with said support and having first portions each extending into the path of movement of an article forming part of the foremost row and second portions movable by the respective first portions between first positions in which the respective first portions are out of engagement with articles and second positions in which the respective first portions maintain the foremost row of articles in a predetermined position on said support; actuating means comprising means for emitting a beam of light and light-sensitive signal generating means located in the path of said beam to produce signals in response to movement of all of said second portions to second positions, said beam being interrupted by each of said second portions in one of their positions and being free to reach said signal generating means in the other positions of said second portions; and conveyor means operative to remove the foremost row of articles from said predetermined position in response to signals from said signal generating means.
  • each of said arresting devices comprises a two armed lever, all of said levers being pivotable about a common axis and having first and second arms respectively constituting said first and second portions thereof.
  • Apparatus as defined in claim 6, further comprising displacing means for moving said arresting devices and said support, said displacing means comprising a frame, threaded spindles mounted in said frame "and connected with said support and said arresting devices, said spindles extending in parallelism with the direction of article feed, and means for rotating said spindles to thereby move said support and said arresting devices.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
US661473A 1966-08-17 1967-08-17 Apparatus for manipulating bottles or or the like Expired - Lifetime US3455434A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEH0060260 1966-08-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3455434A true US3455434A (en) 1969-07-15

Family

ID=7160880

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US661473A Expired - Lifetime US3455434A (en) 1966-08-17 1967-08-17 Apparatus for manipulating bottles or or the like

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3455434A (xx)
AT (1) AT281687B (xx)
BE (1) BE700350A (xx)
ES (1) ES342738A1 (xx)
FR (1) FR1547513A (xx)
NL (1) NL6709824A (xx)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3731790A (en) * 1970-11-18 1973-05-08 Equipment Corp Pallet retrieving system
US4005562A (en) * 1975-07-24 1977-02-01 Coors Container Company Container packer
US6419076B1 (en) * 1999-03-11 2002-07-16 Toya Jidoki Co., Ltd. Intermittent container discharge device in continuous-filling packaging system

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN116374501B (zh) * 2023-06-05 2023-08-15 常州市蓝博氢能源科技有限公司 用于绿色氢能生产的氢气罐输送线

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2744609A (en) * 1950-11-04 1956-05-08 Kellog Co Apparatus for separating and feeding articles

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2744609A (en) * 1950-11-04 1956-05-08 Kellog Co Apparatus for separating and feeding articles

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3731790A (en) * 1970-11-18 1973-05-08 Equipment Corp Pallet retrieving system
US4005562A (en) * 1975-07-24 1977-02-01 Coors Container Company Container packer
US6419076B1 (en) * 1999-03-11 2002-07-16 Toya Jidoki Co., Ltd. Intermittent container discharge device in continuous-filling packaging system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AT281687B (de) 1970-05-25
ES342738A1 (es) 1968-08-01
FR1547513A (fr) 1968-11-29
NL6709824A (xx) 1968-02-19
BE700350A (xx) 1967-12-01

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