US3624773A - Continuously moving apparatus for uprighting bottles - Google Patents

Continuously moving apparatus for uprighting bottles Download PDF

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US3624773A
US3624773A US47513A US3624773DA US3624773A US 3624773 A US3624773 A US 3624773A US 47513 A US47513 A US 47513A US 3624773D A US3624773D A US 3624773DA US 3624773 A US3624773 A US 3624773A
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Prior art keywords
bottles
belts
travel
neck
flight
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US47513A
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English (en)
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Robert J Krooss
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Pace Packaging Corp
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Pace Packaging Corp
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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
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
    • B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
    • B65G47/12—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles
    • B65G47/14—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding
    • B65G47/1407—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl
    • B65G47/1442—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of movement of the bottom or a part of the wall of the container
    • B65G47/1471—Movement in one direction, substantially outwards
    • 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
    • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
    • B65G15/10—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface
    • B65G15/12—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts
    • B65G15/14—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts the load being conveyed between the belts
    • 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
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • 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
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0235—Containers
    • B65G2201/0244—Bottles
    • 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
    • B65G2207/00—Indexing codes relating to constructional details, configuration and additional features of a handling device, e.g. Conveyors
    • B65G2207/14—Combination of conveyors

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT Bottles in a hopper are picked by a flight bar conveyor and delivered between a pair of conveyor belts [54] CONTINUOUSLY MOVING APPARATUS FOR spaced apart to grip the bottles and convey them past orient- UPRIGHTING BOTTLES 21 Claims, 25 Drawing Figs.
  • the flight bars are cantilevered and pass laterally between the conveyor belts to deliver bottles in a generally horizontal position, and the tops of the belts are spaced apart to form a V-shaped opening of decreasing size where the flight bars pass between the belts.
  • Plastic bottles are now in widespread use and commonly require some means for erecting the bottles with their necks up and conveying them to a filling position.
  • the shape of the bottles may vary widely, and consequently it is desirable to employ apparatus which can be readily adapted to handle different shapes.
  • the present invention is directed to apparatus capable of receiving bottles in a hopper with random orientation. and delivering them in a neck-up condition to an output conveyor, in a reliable manner.
  • Orienting fixtures are employed which can readily be changed to suit bottles and the like of diflerent size and shapes.
  • a pair of conveyor belts are spaced apart to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween, and conveyor means is provided for delivering bottles laterally between the belts with their longitudinal axes extending generally in the direction of travel of the belts but with the necks thereof indiscriminately leading or trailing.
  • An inclined guide is provided between the belts downstream of the region of delivery of the bottles for guiding the bottles laterally of the belts to approximately the same lateral level. Fixtures are positioned between the belts downstream of the inclined guide for orienting the bottles while gripped by the belts so that the necks of the bottles extend in the same general direction relative to the belts.
  • the conveyor belts move generally horizontally in side-by-side, generally vertical, planes.
  • the conveyor includes an endless chain of flight bars supported near one end thereof to form cantilevered flight bars.
  • the conveyor has an upward flight positioned to receive bottles from a hopper and carry them upwards between successive flight bars, and a downward flight passing between the conveyor belts in a direction transversely thereof.
  • the bottles are gripped by the belts and carried past the open ends of the bars.
  • the tops of the conveyor belts are spread apart to form a V-shaped opening at the flight bars which gradually decreases in the direction of travel of the belts. This insures that there will be some spacing of the bottles along the conveyor belts, even though several bottles may lie between a given pair of flight bars and even though the necks may overlap.
  • an inclined guide moves all bottles, whether neck-leading or neck-trailing, to approximately the same lateral level of the belt, preferably either at the top of the belts or at the bottom thereof.
  • the orienting fixtures are positioned between the belts downstream of the inclined guide. As specifically disclosed, the fixtures first orient the bottles so that all bottles are neck-trailing, regardless of their initial orientation, and then the bottles are turned to an upright position.
  • an escapement wheel is positioned in the path of travel of the bottles from the inclined guide arid has a peripheral speed substantially lower than that of the conveyor belts. AFter the bottles have been properly oriented with their necks up, they are transferred to a lower speed conveyor for subsequent filling, etc.
  • Particular orienting fixtures are provided which are suitable for a wide variety of bottle shapes and sizes.
  • both the conveyor belts and the initial flight bar conveyor can move continuously, thereby avoiding timing and other problems associated with intermittent motions.
  • FIG. 1 is a general view of apparatus in accordance with the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a cross section of the hopper and flight conveyor
  • FIG. 3 is a detail of the flight bar mounting arrangement
  • FIG. 4 is a detail showing the flight bar oscillating arrangement
  • FIG. 5 shows the outlet portion of the flight conveyor with cover removed, and the inlet portion of the orienting section
  • FIG. 6 is a detail of the outlet portion of the flight conveyor, with cover removed;
  • FIG. 7 is a plan view of the inlet portion of the orienting section. with top removed;
  • FIG. 8 is an elevation of the inlet portion of the orienting section with a portion of the belt broken away;
  • FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 are cross sections taken along the lines 9-9, 10 10 and 11-11 of FIG. 7;
  • FIGS. 12-17 are views of the orienting section with one side removed, illustrating one type of orienting fixtures and their operation with neck-leading and neck-trailing bottles;
  • FIGS. 18 and 19 show a difierent arrangement of orienting fixtures and their operation with neck-leading and neck-trailing bottles
  • FIGS. 20 and 21 are elevation and sectional views of a portion of the orienting fixtures of FIGS. 18 and 19, FIG. 21 being taken along the line 21-21 of FIG. 20;
  • FIGS. 22 and 23a-23c show a modification of the fixtures of FIGS. 20 and 21.
  • a supply of bottles is dumped into hopper 10 with random orientations.
  • the apparatus can be adapted to handle bottles of many different shapes, the bottles here shown have an oval body and round neck, with the smaller dimension of the oval at the bottom slightly greater than the maximum diameter at the top.
  • Hopper 10 is open at the bottom and back to a flight conveyor having flight bars 11.
  • the flight bars are mounted in a cantilever manner on conveyor chains 12, 12 (FIG. 4) which pass over a pair of sprockets 13 at the top, a pair of driving sprockets 14 at the bottom, and a pair of sprockets 15. Only one sprocket of each pair appears in the drawings.
  • Driving sprockets 14 are driven by a motor, generally indicated as 16.
  • Behind the flight bars 11 is an endless chain of slats 17 carried by a pair of sprockets 18 at the top, and a pair of sprockets 19 at the bottom (only one shown).
  • the two pairs of sprockets 13 and 18 at the top are affixed to axle 20 so that the endless chains of flight bars 11 and of slots 17 move at the same speed.
  • each flight bar 11 has a bracket extension 21 which is rotatably mounted on a bracket 22.
  • Bracket 22 is attached to the links of chains 12, 12' by angle members 23, 23'.
  • bracket extension 21 is pivoted to bracket 22 by a long-threaded rod 24 and a short rod 25.
  • the short rod 25 is attached to the end of spring 26. Pairs of locknuts 27 and 28 maintain spring 26 in compression.
  • pin 25 is pushed inwards until it clears the hole in extension 21 in which it seats.
  • the flight bars 11, and the slats 17 behind the openings between the flight bars form elongated pockets to receive bottles from hopper 10.
  • the flight bars may be provided with bent tongues 11, to aid in holding bottles in the pockets.
  • Some bottles will lodge flatwise against the slats 17. as indicated at 31a. Others, such as indicated at 31b, are not properly lodged, and fall off as the flight bars ascend on their upward flight. Inasmuch as slats 17 move with the flight bars, any abrasion of the bottles as they travel upwards is avoided.
  • FIG. 4 shows the oscillating means.
  • a cam bar 33 having one or more indentations 33.
  • Each flight bar extension 21 has a projecting rod 34 attached thereto which rides on the cam bar 33.
  • the cam bar 33 may be replaced by a slotted bar in which pins 34 travel, so as to provide a positive oscillation rather than relying upon an offset center of gravity.
  • bottles 31 travel downwards with their longitudinal axes extending generally horizontally.
  • the number of bottles between adjacent flight bars 11 may vary, and some spaces may be empty. Also, the bottles may have their necks toward the left or toward the right.
  • conveyor belts 41, 41' which travel generally horizontally in side-by-side, generally vertical, planes, and are spaced apart to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween.
  • the belts and their mounting and driving members are supported on frame structures 40 and 40'. The latter can be moved outwards to change the separation between conveyor belts 41 and 41' so as to accommodate bottles of different sizes, and also to facilitate changing the orienting fixtures as mentioned hereafter.
  • the frame structure 40 has been moved outward from its operating position to facilitate illustration.
  • Belts 41, 41' travel on rollers 42, 42' (FIG. 7) and similar pairs of rollers at the other end, one of which is shown at 42" in FIG. 16.
  • the rollers are driven simultaneously in opposite directions, so that belts 41, 41' move simultaneously as indicated by the arrows 50 in FIG. 7.
  • the belts may be driven by motor 16 (FIG. 2) through suitable gears, shafts, belts, etc. which may follow conventional practices, and hence are not shown in detail. Or, a separate motor (not shown) may be employed to drive the belts.
  • the upper portions of the belts are arranged to provide a V-shaped opening of decreasing size from inlet to outlet portions thereof in the region of the flight bars.
  • a pair of fixed guide plates 43, 43' are positioned to extend longitudinally approximately the length of the flight bars.
  • the separation of the plates is such as to establish a belt separation slightly less than the width of the bottles so as to grip the bottles as they are brought therebetween.
  • the top edges 44, 44' of the guideplates are inclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts
  • the spacing of the rollers 42, 42 is greater than that of plates 43, 43'.
  • bottles traveling downwards on the flight conveyor near the free ends of the cantilevered flight bars 11 will be gripped by side belts 41, 41 more quickly than bottles travelling downwards near the center or rearward portions of the flight bars. This will then establish a horizontal separation between the bottles, even though they may initially somewhat overlap.
  • bottles 31-1 and 31-2 travel toward the free ends of flight bars 11, they will be forced downward by the flight bars above the bottles. It will therefore be understood that bottles passing by the free ends of the flight bars may be positioned variously from the top of the belts down toward the bottom of belts.
  • the relative speeds of the flight bar conveyor and the belts 41, 41 are selected so that bottles issue from the free ends before they are forced below the belts.
  • a ramp fixture 51 is positioned between belts 41, 41 and is inclined upwards from below the belts so that all bottles removed from the flight bars will be forced upwards to the top of the ramp, indicated at 52, and will be at approximately the same level for subsequent reorienting.
  • the bottles may be quite close to each other.
  • the space between two adjacent flight bars 11 may be filled with bottles, and the V-opening may not provide adequate separation.
  • an escapement wheel 53 is provided whose peripheral velocity is substantially less than the velocity of the side belts.
  • the separation of the escapement wheel from the opposite wall is slightly less than the width of the bottle. Therefore each bottle is pinched between the wheel and the wall so that it passes by the wheel at a lower speed than that of the side belts. Consequently a leading bottle as indicated by 31c, after passing by escapement wheel 53, will be carried a substantial distance horizontally by the side belts before a subsequent bottle indicated by 31d passes the escapement wheel.
  • the top 52 of the ramp may be high enough so that the bottles ride on the edges of the belt as they reach the wheel 53, or are only weakly gripped by the belts.
  • Guide 54 provides a top constraint for the bottles.
  • the peripheral velocity of the escapement wheel 53 is sufficiently high, with respect to the vertical speed of the flight bars 11, so that all bottles delivered by a given pair of flight bars are fed past the escapement wheel by the time the next group of bottles are delivered thereto.
  • Suitable orienting fixtures are positioned between the side belts in the path of travel of the bottles so as eventually to orient them in the same direction, that is, with all neck-leading or all neck-trailing, and then turn them upright.
  • orienting fixtures are selected so that the necks trail before uprighting them. It will be understood that the orienting fixtures will depend on the shape of the bottles, and may depart from the particular arrangement shown.
  • a neck-leading bottle 31e has its neck forced downwards by slanting guide 55 and further forced downwards by slanting guide 56 so that the neck extends laterally of the belts and the bottle slides along the guide, as indicated at 31f, and travels past guide 56 generally as indicated at 31g.
  • the bottle specifically shown is thickest at the bottom,
  • guides 55 and 56 are inclined at obtuse angles to the direction of belt travel.
  • FIGS. 14 and 15 show the effect of guides 55 and 56 on a bottom-leading bottle, and it will be observed that the general orientation after passing guide 56 is similar to that shown in FIG. 13, as indicated likewise by 31g. the exact effect of the guides depends on the orientation and height of the bottles as they reach guide 55. In some instances they pivot about the bottom of guide 55 through a sufficient angle so that they reach guide 56 somewhat sideways in much the same manner as shown in FIG. 13, and they slide down guide 56 as depicted in FIG. 14. In other instances they may not be rotated through as large an angle by guide 55, and reach guide 56 bottom foremost and then slide down the guide as depicted in FIG. 15. In such case they will pivot about the bottom of guide 56. In some cases it may be feasible to omit guide 55.
  • FIGS. 13-15 The final orientation is much the same in FIGS. 13-15, namely, a bottle carried along by the belts with its longitudinal axis more or less vertical and its neck down. Throughout this reorientation the bottles are gripped between the belts 41, 41. It will be understood that the several positions shown in FIGS. 13-15 are illustrative only, and that variations occur in practice. For successful operation it suffices that the bottles hang generally neck downwards as they reach the next fixture.
  • the neck-downward bottles are carried along by the belts until they reach a ramp guide 57 which engages the bottle below the point at which it is gripped by the belts. Consequently, the bottle is pulled onto and along the ramp to the position shown at 3111.
  • a vertical abutment 58 which arrests movement of the lower edge of the bottom of the bottle.
  • Abutment 58 is positioned below the point at which the belts grip the bottle, so that the bottle fulcrums about abutment 58 in a direction shown by arrow 59. Consequently, the bottle will assume a generally upright position as it passes abutment 58.
  • a series of narrow intermediate belts 61 are provided which move at the same speed as belts 41, 41 Interleaved with belts 61 is a series of relatively slowly moving belts 62.
  • a bottom conveyor belt 63 traveling at the same speed as belts 62, slopes upwardly until it reaches a desired level as indicated at 63' in FIG. 17.
  • Belts 61 grip the upright bottles as they reach the end of belts 41, 41' and, since they are interleaved with belts 62 which likewise grip the sides of the bottle, the bottles very quickly slow to the speed of belts 62.
  • top halves of the bottles have a somewhat smaller width than the bottoms, the top halves are not gripped as firmly and there is a tendency for the bottles to pitch forward as they are suddenly slowed by belts 62. Accordingly, a guide 64 is positioned so that it touches the top of a bottle passing thereby and tilts the bottle slightly backward as indicated at 31 As the bottles reach the horizontal portion 63' of the conveyor they are traveling sufficiently slowly so that the side belts are no longer necessary. The conveyor 63 is ex tended as desired for filling the bottles and subsequent packaging.
  • FIGS. 18 and 19 show a different set of orienting fixtures.
  • the bottle is generally similar to the preceding ones, but differs in that the smaller oval dimension is greatest at about the middle of the body portion, and slightly greater than at the bottom.
  • a ramp fixture 71 has an opposite inclination to ramp 51 in FIG. 12, and forces all bottles down toward the lower edge of belts 41, 41' to a common level which leaves the bottles gripped by the belts.
  • the bottles then slide up ramp 72 to a generally horizontal section 72'.
  • a fixture 73 shown in more detail in FIGS. and 21.
  • the fixture has two sides 74, 74 spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate the threaded neck of bottle 70, but to obstruct the flared neck section or shoulder 70 of the bottle.
  • a pin 75 is positioned downstream of the leading edges of sides 74, 74' and spaced intermediate of the sides so as to engage the neck of a neck-leading bottle.
  • the height of the fixture is such that at least a portion of the bottle is gripped above the fixture so as to produce a turning force therearound.
  • neck-leading bottles it is desirable to keep the neck down on section 72' of the ramp. They may be accomplished by using a friction surface on section 72.
  • FIG. 22 shows a modification of the fixture 73 of FIGS. 18-21.
  • a U-shaped fixture 80 has side portions 81, 81' functioning like side portions 74, 74' of fixture 73.
  • fixture 80 has a downstream portion 82 spaced intermediate of the side portions.
  • FIGS. 23a-23c as a neck-leading bottle reaches the fixture, the shoulder of the bottle engages the leading edges of the side portions and the bottle starts rotating. The neck of the bottle enters the space between the side portions and, upon further travel, abuts against the downstream portion 82 so that further rotation occurs.
  • the action is similar to that of fixture 73.
  • the orienting fixtures of FIGS. 13-15 have been found very satisfactory for oval bottles which are thicker at or near the base than near the neck, so that the center of grip by the belts is near the base. They may also be useful for bottles having a small region near the neck of approximately the same thickness as near the base, since the greater gripping area near the base will predominate. That is, the center of major grip is still near the base.
  • the orienting fixtures of FIGS. 18-23 may also be used with bottles in which the center of major grip is near the base and where the bottles have an adequately defined shoulder with a neck extending therefrom. However, the fixtures occupy a greater length of belt travel. They may also be useful for bottles where the center of major grip is farther from the base, and for generally cylindrical bottles.
  • the ramp 57 in FIG. 16 may be extended to the right and downward, like ramp 77 in FIG. 18, to assure that bottles passing the lower edge of ramp 56 will be drawn forward with their bases leading.
  • the flight bars 11 can readily be removed and replaced by the proper size bars to suit the particular bottle being handled.
  • the outer frame 40' may be adjusted to suit the thickness of the bottle so that it is properly gripped and carried along.
  • the orienting fixtures may be adapted to the particular size and shape of the bottle. To facilitate changing the fixtures, upper and lower sideplates of the frame 40 may be perforated and the fixtures arranged to be bolted thereto in the desired positions. Inasmuch as the orienting section is open at the bottom, adequate room is provided for reorienting different size bottles without major structural changes.
  • Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. a pair of conveyor belts spaced apart to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween.
  • conveyor means for delivering bottles laterally between said belts with their longitudinal axes extending generally in the direction of travel of said belts but with the necks thereof indiscriminately leading or trailing
  • said conveyor means includes an endless chain of flight bars supported near one end thereof to form cantilevered flight bars, said cantilevered flight bars passing between said conveyor belts in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the belts, the direction of travel of said conveyor belts being toward the open ends of said cantilevered flight bars whereby bottles between adjacent flight bars are gripped by the conveyor belts and carried past the open ends of the cantilevered bars.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including means for producing a generally V-shaped opening of the sides of said conveyor belts which receive the bottles from said flight bars, said V-shaped opening decreasing in size toward the open ends of said flight bars.
  • Apparatus for handling bottles and the like comprising a. a pair of conveyor belts moving generally horizontally in side-by-side generally vertical planes and spaced apart to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween,
  • a hopper for receiving bottles
  • a conveyor including an endless chain of flight bars sup ported near one end thereof to form cantilevered flight bars
  • said conveyor having an upward flight positioned to receive bottles in said hopper and carry them upwards between successive flight bars and having a downward flight passing between said conveyor belts in a direction transversely thereof, the direction of travel of said belts being toward the open ends of said cantilevered flight bars whereby bottles between the flight bars are gripped by the belts and carried past the open ends of the flight bars with their longitudinal axes extending generally horizontally but with the necks thereof indiscriminately leading or trailing,
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including means for oscillating said flight bars during the upward flight thereof to shake off bottles which are insecurely lodged between the flight bars.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including stationary inner and outer guides between which the flight bars pass during said downward flight for guiding bottles toward said belts.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 including an endless chain of slats mounted behind the openings between successive flight bars during said upward flight and moving therewith to provide elongated pockets for receiving bottles, the path of travel of said chain of slats separating from the path of travel of the flight bars above said conveyor belts on said downward flight.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including means for advancing said conveyor belts toward said flight bars with a spacing substantially greater than the spacing required to grip said bottles, and a pair of guide plates positioned outside the active stretches of said belts at said flight bars and spaced apart to establisha gripping engagement of said belts with said bottles, said guide plates having top edges inclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts to thereby form a V-shaped opening of the tops of the belts which decreases in the direction of travel of the belts.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including an escapement wheel mounted in the path of travel of bottles downstream of said inclined guide and having a peripheral speed substantially less than the speed of said conveyor belts, said escapement wheel being positioned and adapted to grip bottles with a force. greater than the gripping force exerted thereon by said belts, whereby bottles are conveyed to said orienting fixtures with at least a minimum spacing therebetween.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including means for advancing said conveyor belts toward said flight bars with a spacing substantially greater than the spacing required to grip said bottles, and a pair of guide plates positioned outside the active stretches of said belts at said flight bars and spaced apart to establish a gripping engagement of said belts with said bottles, said guide plates having top edges inclined upwards in the direction of travel of the belts to thereby form a V-shaped opening of the tops of the belts which decreases in the direction of travel of the belts.
  • said orienting fixtures orient said bottles in generally erect neck-up positions at the output and of the conveyor belts, and including a first pair of multiple strand side belts positioned to receive and grip erect bottles from said conveyor belts and moving at substantially the same speed, a second pair of multiple strand side belts interlaced with said first pair of multiple strand belts and moving at a substantially lower speed, a bottom conveyor belt rising from a position below bottles gripped between said first pair of multiple strand side belts to a position supporting bottles conveyed between the second pair of multiple strand belts and moving at said lower speed, and means for engaging the tops of bottles on the rising portion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottles slightly backward.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including an endless chain of slats mounted behind the openings between successive flight bars during said upward flight and moving therewith to provide elongated pockets for receiving bottles, means for oscillating said flight bars during the upward flight thereof to shake off bottles which are insecurely lodged in said elongated pockets, and stationary inner and outer guides between which the flight bars pass during said downward flight for guiding bottles toward said belts, the path of travel of said chain of slats separating from the path of travel of the flight bars above said conveyor belts on said downward flight.
  • said orienting fixtures orient said bottles in generally erect neck-up positions at the output end of the conveyor belts, and including a first pair of multiple strand side belts positioned to receive and grip erect bottles from said conveyor belts and moving at substantially the same speed, a second pair of multiple strand side belts interlaced with said first pair of multiple strand belts and moving at a substantially lower speed, a bottom conveyor belt rising from a position below bottles gripped between said first pair of multiple strand side belts to a position supporting bottles conveyed between the second pair of multiple strand belts and moving at said lower speed, and means for engaging the tops of bottles on the rising portion of said bottom belt to tilt the bottles slightly backward.
  • said guide means having at least one guide inclined at an obtuse angle to the direction of belt travel
  • said guide means being adapted to engage the necks of neck-leading bottles and turn the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts and the bottles slide along the guide means until they pass thereby and to engage the bases of neck-trailing bottles and pivot the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts as the bottles pass thereby,
  • said further guide means including means for directing the bottles neck upward.
  • Apparatus for handling bottles and the like having a shape such that, when gripped between parallel belts, the center of major grip is near the base thereof, said apparatus comprising a. a pair of conveyor belts spaced apart in parallel face-toface relationship to grip and convey bottles delivered therebetween,
  • said guide means having at least one guide inclined at an obtuse angle to the direction of belt travel
  • said guide means being adapted to engage the necks of neck-leading bottles and turn the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts and the bottles slide along the guide means until they pass thereby and to engage the bases of neck-trailing bottles and pivot the bottles so that the necks thereof extend laterally of the belts as the bottles pass thereby.
  • said further guide means including means for erecting the bottles neck upward.
  • Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 in which the firstmcntioned guide means is inclined forward from the tops of said belts toward the bottoms thereof, whereby bottles passing thereby are oriented neck downward.
  • said fixture being dimensioned so that the necks of neckleading bottles engage said downstream portion and such bottles are rotated through an angle greater than as they pass by the fixture whereas the bases of neck-trailing bottles engage said side portions and such bottles are rotated through a smaller angle than neck-leading bottles, a guide in the path of travel of bottles passing by said fixture extending partially across said belts and inclined at an obtuse angle to the direction of belt travel so that bottles slide therealong with their bases leading,
  • a fixture positioned in the path of travel of bottles gripped between said belts having side portions spaced apart more than the width of the neck of the bottle but less than the shoulder thereof and a downstream portion spaced intermediate of said side portions,
  • said fixture being dimensioned so that the necks of neckleading bottles engage said downstream portion and such bottles are rotated through an angle greater than 90 as they pass by the fixture whereas the bases of neck-trailing bottles engage said side portions and such bottles are rotated through a smaller angle than neck-leading bottles,

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
  • Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
US47513A 1970-06-17 1970-06-17 Continuously moving apparatus for uprighting bottles Expired - Lifetime US3624773A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US4751370A 1970-06-17 1970-06-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3624773A true US3624773A (en) 1971-11-30

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US47513A Expired - Lifetime US3624773A (en) 1970-06-17 1970-06-17 Continuously moving apparatus for uprighting bottles

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3624773A (enExample)
JP (1) JPS5514008B1 (enExample)
CA (1) CA948142A (enExample)
DE (1) DE2129606A1 (enExample)
GB (1) GB1351233A (enExample)

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4082177A (en) * 1976-10-21 1978-04-04 Aidlin Samuel S Container conveying apparatus
US4271954A (en) * 1979-04-03 1981-06-09 New England Machinery, Inc. Bottle orienting apparatus
US4457421A (en) * 1981-04-24 1984-07-03 Krooss Robert J Bottle orientation apparatus
US4463846A (en) * 1979-04-23 1984-08-07 New England Machinery, Inc. Bottle orienting apparatus
US4651864A (en) * 1984-04-19 1987-03-24 Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche (A.C.M.A.) Apparatus for arranging containers horizontally and in sequence
US4679685A (en) * 1983-10-20 1987-07-14 Ab Tetra Pak Accumulating commodity conveyor
US4789290A (en) * 1986-10-14 1988-12-06 Carson/Burger/Weekly, Inc. Machine for orienting and stacking receptacles
US4844233A (en) * 1987-11-16 1989-07-04 Aidlin Stephen H Bottle orientation apparatus and method
US4934510A (en) * 1984-04-27 1990-06-19 Thomassen & Drijver-Verblifa N.V. Device for spacing bottles
US5460271A (en) * 1993-10-19 1995-10-24 Magnetic Separation Systems, Inc. System and method for singulating inhomogeneous materials
US5810150A (en) * 1996-03-29 1998-09-22 F. R. Drake Company Collator for a food product packaging machine, and method of use thereof
US6257393B1 (en) 1999-10-29 2001-07-10 Planet Products Corporation Product collator
US6401906B1 (en) 2001-01-22 2002-06-11 Timothy G. Franz S-shaped board unscrambler
EP1652801A1 (en) * 2004-11-02 2006-05-03 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orienting apparatus
US20090071799A1 (en) * 2007-09-18 2009-03-19 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orientating apparatus
US20090229951A1 (en) * 2008-03-14 2009-09-17 Marchesini Group S.P.A. Device For Individual Conveying Of Elongate Articles
US20100108466A1 (en) * 2008-10-31 2010-05-06 Herzog Kenneth J Bottle orienting device
US20130167974A1 (en) * 2010-03-12 2013-07-04 Cesare Ronchi Bottle Feeding and Processing System

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5738648A (en) * 1980-08-14 1982-03-03 Toyota Motor Corp Choke valve controller for carburetor
DE102008052330A1 (de) * 2008-10-20 2010-06-17 Envipco Holding N.V. Verfahren und Transporteinrichtung zur Rücknahme von Leergut, insbesondere von Flaschen und Dosen

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3100562A (en) * 1960-10-26 1963-08-13 Pneumatic Scale Corp Container handling apparatus

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3100562A (en) * 1960-10-26 1963-08-13 Pneumatic Scale Corp Container handling apparatus

Cited By (25)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4082177A (en) * 1976-10-21 1978-04-04 Aidlin Samuel S Container conveying apparatus
US4271954A (en) * 1979-04-03 1981-06-09 New England Machinery, Inc. Bottle orienting apparatus
US4463846A (en) * 1979-04-23 1984-08-07 New England Machinery, Inc. Bottle orienting apparatus
US4457421A (en) * 1981-04-24 1984-07-03 Krooss Robert J Bottle orientation apparatus
US4679685A (en) * 1983-10-20 1987-07-14 Ab Tetra Pak Accumulating commodity conveyor
US4651864A (en) * 1984-04-19 1987-03-24 Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche (A.C.M.A.) Apparatus for arranging containers horizontally and in sequence
US4934510A (en) * 1984-04-27 1990-06-19 Thomassen & Drijver-Verblifa N.V. Device for spacing bottles
US4789290A (en) * 1986-10-14 1988-12-06 Carson/Burger/Weekly, Inc. Machine for orienting and stacking receptacles
US4844233A (en) * 1987-11-16 1989-07-04 Aidlin Stephen H Bottle orientation apparatus and method
US5460271A (en) * 1993-10-19 1995-10-24 Magnetic Separation Systems, Inc. System and method for singulating inhomogeneous materials
US5810150A (en) * 1996-03-29 1998-09-22 F. R. Drake Company Collator for a food product packaging machine, and method of use thereof
US6378691B2 (en) 1999-10-29 2002-04-30 Planet Products Corporation Product collator
US6257393B1 (en) 1999-10-29 2001-07-10 Planet Products Corporation Product collator
US6401906B1 (en) 2001-01-22 2002-06-11 Timothy G. Franz S-shaped board unscrambler
EP1652801A1 (en) * 2004-11-02 2006-05-03 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orienting apparatus
US20060090984A1 (en) * 2004-11-02 2006-05-04 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orientating apparatus
US7117987B2 (en) 2004-11-02 2006-10-10 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orientating apparatus
US7565959B2 (en) 2007-09-18 2009-07-28 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co, Inc. Article orientating apparatus
US20090071799A1 (en) * 2007-09-18 2009-03-19 John R. Nalbach Engineering Co., Inc. Article orientating apparatus
US20090229951A1 (en) * 2008-03-14 2009-09-17 Marchesini Group S.P.A. Device For Individual Conveying Of Elongate Articles
US7743904B2 (en) * 2008-03-14 2010-06-29 Marchesini Group S.P.A. Device for individual conveying of elongate articles
US20100108466A1 (en) * 2008-10-31 2010-05-06 Herzog Kenneth J Bottle orienting device
US7819234B2 (en) * 2008-10-31 2010-10-26 Herzog Kenneth J Bottle orienting device
US20130167974A1 (en) * 2010-03-12 2013-07-04 Cesare Ronchi Bottle Feeding and Processing System
US8875867B2 (en) * 2010-03-12 2014-11-04 Ronchi Mario S.P.A. Bottle feeding and processing system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2129606A1 (de) 1971-12-23
JPS5514008B1 (enExample) 1980-04-12
GB1351233A (en) 1974-04-24
CA948142A (en) 1974-05-28

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