US3552942A

US3552942A - Multiple mold charge handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3552942A
Application number: US784803A
Authority: US
Inventors: Urban P Trudeau
Original assignee: Owens Illinois Inc
Current assignee: OI Glass Inc
Priority date: 1968-12-18
Filing date: 1968-12-18
Publication date: 1971-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-05
Also published as: DE1947219B2; BE743208A; NL146470B; DE1947219A1; NL6910947A; FR2026388A1; DE6945207U; ES370146A1; JPS4934173B1

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR OSCILATING A SET OF THREE SCOOPS OR CHUTES WHICH DIRECT SEGREGATED MOLD CHARGES OR GOBS OF MOLTEN GLASS TO THREE-CAVITY MOLDS OF A PLURAL-SECTION FORMING MACHINE, SUCH SCOOPS BEING ARRANGED IN TANDEM, OR NESTED, AND EACH HAVING AN UPPER END CONSTANTLY IN REGISTER WITH A BOTTOM OUTLET, OR ORIFICE, OF A FEDDER,THE OSCILLATING MEANS BEING A PARALLEL LINK UNIT DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY WITHIN A RIGID HOUSING OR JACKET, ONE END OF THE PARALLEL LINK UNIT BEING SUPPORTED ON A SHAFT WHICH IS JOURNALED IN BEARINGS WITHIN THE JACKET, WHILE THE OTHER END OF SUCH UNIT IS CONNECTED TO AND SUPPORTED BY A VERTICAL SHAFT, THE LATTER ALSO FUNCTIONING TO ACTUATE THE PARALLEL LINK UNIT.

Description

u. P. TRUDEAU Jan. 5, 1971 MULTIPLE MOLD CHARGE HANDLING, APPARATUS 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 18, 1968 INVENTOR. URBAN PROBE/w FIG.

A' voawcws Jan. 5, 1971 U, TRUDEAU v I 3,552,942

MULTIPLE MOLD CHARGE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

FIG. 5 r5 INVENTOR. URBAN QTRUDQAU BY Q 9 Am K may? United States Patent 3,552,942 MULTIPLE MOLD CHARGE HANDLING APPARATUS Urban P. Trudeau, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 784,803 Int. Cl. C03b 7/00 US. Cl. 65-304 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for oscillating a set of three scoops or chutes which direct segregated mold charges or gobs of molten glass to three-cavity molds of a plural-section forming machine, such scoops being arranged in tandem, or nested, and each having an upper end constantly in register with a bottom outlet, or orifice, of a feeder, the oscillating means being a parallel link unit disposed horizontally within a rigid housing or jacket, one end of the parallel link unit being supported on a shaft which is journaled in bearings within the jacket, while the other end of such unit is connected to and supported by a vertical shaft, the latter also functioning to actuate the parallel link unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention, in principle, corresponds to the apparatus disclosed in my copending US. application for patent, Ser. No. 681,650, filed Nov. 9, 1967. In the apparatus of that pending case, the parallel link unit is both inadequately supported and unprotected. Hence, not only can particles of glass, etc. fall into and jam the unit, but beyond that the inadequate support renders the scoops or chutes more or less unstable. Consequently, proper delivery of mold charges is not a certainty.

Both the inventions of the present application and said copending application are intended for utilization with glass feeder, gob delivery troughs and a forming machine substantially as disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 681,651, filed Nov. 9, 1967, wherein I have disclosed schematically an eight-section IS-type forming machine, each section of which embodies a double-cavity blank mold and wherein there are pairs of inclined gob delivery troughs individual to the molds.

An important object of my invention is to enclose the parallel link unit to a substantial extent in a rigid housing or jacket and interconnect such unit and housing so that the latter functions to firmly support one end of the former. Thus, stability of this end of the unit is assured. Additionally, there is a vertical drive shaft at the other end of the unit which serves the two-fold function of actuating the parallel link unit and rigidly supporting the adjacent end of this unit.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional elevational view of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, it is positioned beneath a conventional flow-type feeder 10, which, at regular time intervals, synchronized with the cycle of a plural section forming machine, as in the later of my identified copending applications, simultaneously delivers three mold charges 11, or gobs, of molten glass Patented Jan. 5, 1971 ice to the upper, or receiving end 12 of a set of three vertical guide tubes 13, these leading to the upper receiving end 14 of scoops 15. These scoops are moved in unison on the axes of the vertical tubes 13, preferably, though not necessarily by mechanism (as shown in my earlier copending application), which registers the lower discharge end 16 of the scoops with troughs (not shown herein) leading to the forming machine blank molds, there being three such troughs for each section or blank mold of the forming machine. As stated above, the gob delivery and movement of the scoops are properly synchronized with the forming cycle of the article forming machine, for obvious reasons.

As shown, the three vertical guide tubes 13 are directly connected to, or formed as integral parts of elements of a parallel link unit 17, which is disposed horizontally, such comprising spaced-apart longitudinal parallel side bars 18 which are connected together at their ends by a pair of cross-heads 19, or links, and intermediate these cross-heads are three guide-tube carrying cross-links 20. Pivot pins 21 connect the links and cross-heads to the side bars 18. As is apparent, the medial portion of each cross-link 20 may well be an integral part of one of the guide tubes 13, so that with reciprocation of the side bars in proper fashion, said links 20 will oscillate the scoops 15 on the axes of the tubes.

The parallel link unit 17 is rigidly supported within and in part encased in a housing 22 or jacket which comprises a roof 23 having a vertical opening 24 therein through which the upper charge receiving ends of the guide tubes 13 receive mold charges 11 from the feeder. Opposed side Walls 25 and end walls 26 depend from the room 23 If desired, this housing or jacket may be water or air-cooled in any preferred manner (not shown). There is a short horizontal floor section 27 at one end of the housing and a narrow transverse flange 28 at the other end. A pair of vertically aligned bearings 29 on the adjacent surfaces of the roof 23 and floor section 27 support a vertical shaft 30 which extends both above and below one of the cross-heads 19, of which it may be, and preferably is an integral part. Thus, the adjacent end of the parallel link unit 17 is rigidly supported, lending essential stability to the scoops 15 and insuring proper registry of same with the troughs which lead to the molds.

The opposite end of the parallel link unit 17 is connected to the upper end of a vertical shaft 31 whichserves the two-fold purpose of supporting said end and providing means for actuating said unit. This shaft 31 is suitably connected at its upper end to the adjacent cross-head 19 or link at its medial point so that rotary motion of said shaft actuates the parallel link unit 17 and consequently moves the scoops 15 in unison on the axes of the guide tubes 13. The shaft 31 is journaled in bearings 32 provided in a vertical cylinder-like housing 33 which at its upper end supports one end of the parallel link unit housing 22. It is understood, as indicated heretofore, that this shaft 31 may well be operatively connected to a web cam power plant, as in my identified early copending application.

With the structure described, it is evident that the parallel link unit 17 and guide tubes and scoops carried thereby, will be so rigidly supported that the scoops 15 will accurately register with the delivery troughs (not shown), thus insuring smooth uninterrupted How of mold charges or gobs of molten glass to the blank molds of the forming machine. Also, the mechanism is adequately protected by the housing 22 or jacket, against possible damage or jamming, perhaps by pieces of glass, etc., which, in the absence of the housing, could fall onto the parallel link unit.

Modifications may be resorted to within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with apparatus for feeding plural mold charges from a plural orifice glass feeder to a plurality of forming machines, of charge distributing means interposed said feeder and machines adapted to handle plural charges at the same time, a plurality of elongated, inclined scoops having horizontally aligned upper moldcharge receiving ends, the scoops being mounted for oscillation in unison on individual vertical axes extending through said upper ends, a parallel link unit from which the scoops are suspended, a vertical shaft connected to one end of the parallel link unit for supporting and actuating same, and supplemental supporting means for said unit connected to the other end thereof.

2. In a combination as defined in claim 1, the last named means comprising a housing for said shaft and a rigid connector between the housing and opposite end of the parallel link unit.

3. In a combination as defined in claim 1, the lastnamed means comprising a housing for the shaft, a jacket for the parallel link unit rigidly supported at one end by said housing and means rigidly interconnecting the other end of the jacket and said unit.

4. In a combination as defined in claim 3, the lastnamed means comprising a vertical rock-shaft connected to one end of said unit and bearings for the shaft within the jacket.

5. In a combination as defined in claim 3, the jacket having an upwardly facing opening through which mold charges fall en route to the scoops.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENT ARTHUR D. KELLOGG, Primary Examiner t US. Cl. X.R. 6S225, 243