US3686824A

US3686824A - Bottle handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3686824A
Application number: US81463A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilhelm Rink; Alfred Blecher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-10-20
Filing date: 1970-10-16
Publication date: 1972-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-29
Also published as: DE1607972B2; DE1607972A1

Abstract

This invention has to do with bottle handling apparatus consisting of a conveyor on which bottles in cases are carried and of sleeves that are movable over the bottle necks to count the number of bottles and to remove remaining bottle closures.

Description

United States Patent Rink et a]. 1 Aug. 29, 1972 [s41 BOTTLE HANDLING APPARATUS [56] References Cited [72] Inventors: Wilhelm Rink, Littfeld; Alfred UNITED STATES [PA'IENTS 1 he E rf ,both f Germany 3,589,103 6/1971 Calvillor ..s3/3s1 A (731 /3 h l Rink, Llttfeld. Germany 3,520,102 7/1970 Henrion ..s3/77 m, 0... 1970 5 1 g g APPLNO': 81,463 ermany l Primary Examiner-Theron E. Condon [30] Foreign A li fl p i 1)., Assistant ExaminerNeil Abrams Oct. 20, 1969 Germany ..P 16 07 972.4

TRACT 521 US. 01. ..,53/381A ABS 51 1m. (:1. ..B65b 43/40,B67b 7/12 Thls mvenflon has to do wlth bottle handlms p- [58] Field of Search ..s3/3s1 A; 81/31 A, 3.1 B, paratus consisting of a conveyor 011 which bottles in 81/3.1 C, 3.1' D, 3.2, 3.3 A, 3.31, 3.32, 3.38 A

cases are carried and of sleeves that are movable over the bottle necks to count the number of bottles and to remove remaining bottle closures.

19 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Pmmmma 29 um SHEET 1 UF 3 A A B A 7 U AUQ T L AUG .5 l

Fig. 4

PATENTEU I973 3.686324 sum 2 IF 3 Fig. 2

BOTTLE HANDLING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When bottles are returned to the bottling plant, they are carried in partitioned cases. Before washing and subsequent filling, it is necessary not only to count them, but also to be sure that all the bottles are free of closures. This checking for quantity and for remaining closures has been accomplished in the past by unskilled labor. This has meant an added expense due to the laborers pay, but has also meant a slowing-down of the process. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a bottle handling apparatus which reduces the time required for closure removal and, therefore, increases the efficiency of the entire bottling apparatus, while assuring that all bottle closures left on the bottles are removed and checked.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a bottle handling apparatus having a movable conveyor on which is arranged a working device which determines the control andturning of pins located and attached to the conveyor for removing closures.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a bottle handling apparatus, wherein the mounting of the working device within the platform is easily constructed in such a way that a group of pins each have its own clutch and driving device.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a bottle handling apparatus adapted to improve the working conditions in a bottling plant and especially to shorten the bottling cycle; closures from the drinking bottles are removed without falling into the bottle cases arranged beneath the bottles; in increasing the efficiency of the device, it is not required, after working on bottles of one bottle case, to remove it and to wait for the next bottle case until eventually all bottle-closures are removed. v

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a bottle handling apparatus arranged in such a way that several sizes of bottle cases may be worked on, and so that the device may-be changed quickly and without difficulties to provide for bottle cases containing a dif ferent number of bottles; according to this invention, these tasks are solved in such a way that a vertically reciprocable platform is provided with additional devices which are able to receive and guide away the bottle closures which are removed; the device may be provided with several platforms arranged on a revolving base and can be brought into working position simply by swinging a lever.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the invention consists of a platform which is divided in accordance with the dimensions of bottle cases and is equipped with sensing devices which, during a lowering of the platform, make contact with hottles located below. The sensing devices operate a signal device which permits a counting and checking of the bottles. Apparatus is provided in the form of pins extending downwardly from the platform for the removal of any closures left on the bottle necks. These pins are designed with a point and are mounted so that they are able to turn. They are designed with a steep thread and can be forced into the bottle neck by the lowering of the platform and thereafter lifted, so that the bottle closures left on the bottles are removed. The bottles within the case are gripped and held down by sleeves, which are connected to and lowered with the platform. For practical purposes, these sleeves for holding the bottles down are bell-shaped on the side facing the bottles, so that they may also center the bottles. They are mounted so as to permit vertical displacement and maintained against the bottles by springs supported by a stop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structural forms, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1' is a side elevational view of a bottle handling apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the apparatus,

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of :a portion of the apparatus for use in the removal of free closures from the apparatus,

FIG. 5 is a vertical elevational view of a modified form of the apparatus, and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, wherein are best shown the general features of the invention, the bottle handling apparatus is shown as having a roller conveyor 1 on which empty drinking bottles 2 within bottle cases 3 are carried from right to left. The bottle cases are kept back by a division barrier 4 and move in a single row by transport rollers 5 which are driven faster than the rest of the rollers. The bottle cases 3 are guided towards a scanning barrier 6. The bottle case 7 in front of the scanning barrier 6 operates a control switch 8, which activates a counting device for counting the number of bottle cases and at the same time brings about the lowering of a platform 9. The platform is guided by columns 10 and is controllably lowered by hydraulic cylinder 11 which is supported by a column-connecting traverse 12. The platform 9 contains a number of centering bells or sleeves 13 equal in number to the maximum of bottles that can be carried within the bottle case. During the lowering of the platform, the sleeves surround the bottle necks underneath them for any necessary centering. The length of each centering sleeve 13 is determined in such a way that its lower edge, which is equipped with a rubber band 14 for the protection of the bottle in the extreme lower position of the platform 9, rests under pressure on the wall of the bottle. It does so in such a way that, despite variations in the sizes of the bottle cases, undesirable high loading pressure on the bottles is prevented and, at the same time, the bottles are gripped tightly while being pressed against the bottom of the bottle case 7.

The platform is equipped with limit switches and ,16 which limit the movement of the platform. After release by operating switch 8, the plaflorm 9 is lowered by the hydraulic cylinders 11 until, in the extreme lower position, the limit switch 16 is activated and stops the lowering of the platform. Thereafter, the pressure in the cylinder 11 is reversed until the working cycle in the extreme upper position of platform is terminated by the operation of the limit switch 15.

Individually, the design and construction of the platform 9 is explained in FIG. 2 which shows a cross-section of the platform lowered on top of the bottles 2. The main parts of the platform are supported by a carrier plate 17 which is supported by a cover plate 18. Two pull devices are shown within this view. For practical purposes, the platform is equipped with a plurality of pull devices which correspond in number and arrangement to the bottle recesses within the bottle cases and are of the same shape. FIG. 2, however, shows two different forms of

pull devices

19 and 20 in which

pins

21 and 22, respectively, deviate from one another in shape and action. The shafts of

pins

21 and 22 have each a gear 23 for driving. The gears 23 on the platform 9 are engaged with intermediate gear wheels 24 so that all pins of the platform are turned by one drive device in the same direction at the same distance. A worm gear 25 is connected to the gear 24 and is engaged by a worm 26, the latter being driven by a drive apparatus 28 through a clutch 27.

The pull device 19 contains a slide piece 29 arranged concentrically of the pin 21 and has a flange 30 which is connected to the carrier plate 17. On the slide piece 29 is attached the centering sleeve 13 which is capable of displacement in the axial direction. Its free lower end is equipped with the rubber band 14 and is pressed by a spring 31 against a stop. A laterally-extending cover plate 32 is connected to the centering sleeve 13 and engages a slot in the slide piece 29 to secure the sleeve against undesirable turning. The free end of the cover plate 32 engages the underside of a counting contact 33. Inside of the sleeve near its opening and protected and kept in place by a ring 34 and a wall 36 is located a ring hose 35 which may be blown up with compressed air through a conduit 37. During operation, the platform 9 is lowered as soon as the control switch 8 is operated by the bottle case 7 moving against the scanning barrier 6. FIG. 2 shows an intermittent phase of this lowering operation in which the rubber band 14 of the sleeve 13 is positioned on a bottle neck and the pin 21 with its pointed tip is located just above a bottle cap or closure 38. For practical purposes, the clutch is already operative, so that the pins are driven and are rotating. Further lowering of the platform 9 causes the tip of the pin to penetrate the closure 38 of the bottle 2 and screws itself forwardly through the hole. For practical purposes, the revolution of the pin 21 with its pitch and feed are coordinated (at least during the last phase of the lowering operation) in such a way that the pin screws itself into the bottle closure without any important pressure on the edges and, in the case of a clockwise turn, screws into a crown cork of the bottles, as shown in FIG. 2. During further lowering, the sleeve 13 is displaced further by the pressure of the spring 31 on the slide piece 29 in direction of the carrier plate 17 The bottle 2 during this procedure is clamped tightly under the action of the spring 31, between the bottom of the bottle case and the rubber band 14 of the sleeve 13, so that turning and displacement lengthwise is prevented. During positioning of the rubber rim, the necessary centering of the individual bottle has been brought about.

The lowest point to be reached by the platform is determined by the limit switch 16. In the case of contact, the double-acting hydraulic cylinder 11 is reversed and the platform is raised until the upper position is reached, which position is determined by limit switch 15 which stops the hydraulic cylinder 11. During the first phase of upward movement, the pin 21 has a tendency to press further into the crown cork because of its steep pitch 39. The bottle closure 38, by reason of the turning and simultaneous lift, is pulled from its seat on the bottle top and guided upwardly. Immediately thereafter, by operation of a time-delay relay operated by the limit switch 16, the clutch 27 is switched off so that the pins 21 stop. At the same time, the pressure conduit 37 will be pressured through an air pressure valve (not shown). This causes the ring hose 35 to be blown up so far that the bottle closure may not fall down through the opening of the sleeve 13. The sleeve 13 and its rubber band 14, still resting on the neck of the bottle 2, slides over the lifting slide piece 29, because of the action of the spring 31, until its upper edge rests on the stop of the slide piece 29. With the relative movement between the sleeve 13 and the platform 9, the stripper wall 36 connected with the sleeve will be displaced against the pin 21 and pushes the bottle cap 38 from the pin. At this point in time, the bottle cap falls on top of the expanded ring hose 35.

As soon as the necks of the bottles 2 positioned in the bottle case 7 of FIG. 1 are free of the pull device, the scanning interlock is opened, so that the scanned case (which contains exclusively bottles without caps) may be removed and guided away from the roller conveyor 1. The air supply lines 37 will now be exhausted, so that the ring hoses 35 deflate and free the bottle caps 38 which have been kept there until now so that they fall down into a collector 40. It is possible that the air supply lines be controlled and relieved non-simultaneously and group-by-group or row-by-row to relieve the pressure in such a way that first the back row of pull devices lets the collected bottle caps free and then the following etc., so that bottle closures are thrown off after the passage of the back row of bottle case 7 and before the front edge of the following bottle case 3 arrives.

FIG. 2 also shows a variant of the pull device. It will be understood that this invention may be used for all known types of bottle closures, such as plastic closures, crown corks, and screwed caps made from metal or plastic. A slide piece centering and surrounding the pin 22 of the pull device 20 is connected by a flange 41 to the carrier plate 17. A spring 42 arranged within the slide piece places a sleeve 43 in spring tension against a stop. The sleeve is equipped on its lower end with a form piece 44 made from an elastomer material for the purpose of holding the bottle down; this part is so soft and viscous that a special rubber rim is not necessary to insure against damage or destruction of the bottles.

Within the lower part of sleeve 43 is arranged a special housing 45 which contains a ring hose 46 which may be supplied by air pressure through a line 47. The housing has slots 48 and, when the ring hose is under pressure, parts of the hose bulge out of these slots. The hose is reinforced in the area of such penetration, so that the wear in these areas is reduced. The pin 22 has a steep thread of infinite pitch, i.e., the pitch 49 of the thread runs parallel to theaxis of the pin.

By contact of a bottle case 7 with the control contact 8 of the scanner interlock, pressure is admitted to the hydraulic cylinder 11 in FIG. 1 which results in lowering the platform 9. As described in connection with the pull device 19, the sleeve 44 tightly surrounds the neck of the bottle 2 during the lowering operation, centers the bottle, and presses it against the bottom of the bottle case to be checked. The pin 22 penetrates the bottle closure 50, shown here as in the form of a screw cap. The operation of the stop switch 16 interrupts the lowering operation. Nowthe clutch 27 is operated so that the pin starts turning and takes with it the screw cap on its rib-shaped thread 49. For practical purposes, now the upward movement of the platform starts, so that the bottle closure 50 also rises. There is also provided a stripper wall 51 surrounding the pin 22 and located above the housing 45. The pin moves through the stripper in the last phaseof the lowering operation and returns through this opening during lifting of the platform as long as the sleeve 44 still rests on the gripped bottle 2. Also, in this case the bottle caps thus removed are not able to fall down, but are kept on top of the parts of the ring hose 46 which penetrate the slots of housing 45 until such time that no bottle case is underneath the pull device 20, so that the bottle caps which have been removed fall only into the collector 40.

The invention may also have further variations. The drive can be brought about by use of one of several types of driving devices. For example, each row or group of rows of the pull devices can be driven by one driving device. In the example shown, an electric motor is used and the switch-on and switch-0E of the drive is brought about by a clutch 27 arranged between the motor and the device. Particularly where high power or speed is not required and small drives can be used, it is possible to leave out the intervening controlled clutch and to switch the driving motors on or off directly. The connection of the drive to the pins can be made through bevel gears or sprocket chains. It has also proven to be practical to equip shafts which extend from the motor and a clutch with a number of worm gears, bevel gears, or chain sprockets, so that, within each row of the pull device, a special drive is arranged. The strippers and also the members which hold the stripped-off bottle closures until the corresponding case emerges from beneath the pull device, can be varied considerably. Mechanical media can be used as strippers or holding devices, which are designed like a lever and may be moved from the top againstthe bottle closures in the case of stripping. Levers which are used as holding members can be moved from underneath against the bottle closures until the release takes place. It has proven useful to use levers which are placed against the bottle closures from the side and which grip underneath the bottle closures with books arranged at the inside of the lever. The life span of the ring hoses which are used to keep the closures from falling through may be increased by making the wall thickness and contact areas somewhat stronger. Such reinforcements can be ribor bar-shaped. In the case of the use of the type of housing 45 shown in FIG. 2 which contains slots, further steps are offered which are explained in connection with FIG. 3. This figure shows the housing 45 in horizontal cross-section and equipped with slots 52. To show two variations in one figure of the drawing, there is shown only a section of the inserted ring hose within the housing. The ring hose is equipped with a thicker wall on the inside in comparison to its outside because of the greater stress to which it is exposed. The inside is additionally reinforced by ribs 53 at the area of the slots 52. Because of the elasticity of the ring hose, the hose will actually not penetrate through the slots 52 in its rest position. If the ring hose is then supplied with pressure air, the ribs 53 then .jwill be pressed out through the slots and are able to keep bottle closures from falling through. A further variation of the holding member is shown in FIG. 3. In another area of the housing 45 is also shown a ring hose 54 which serves to support holding pins 55. These holding pins are guided in the slots 52 in the housing and are pressed radially outwardly. With. an enlarged back 56, they are supported on the ring hose 54. When the ring hose is expanded by pressure air, then the holding pins 54 are pressed by the hose radially outwardly, so that they enter into the space surrounded by the housing 45 through the slots 52. Since axial or circumferential forces created by this operation are absorbed by the guide areas of the slots 52 and by the supporting holding pins 54, it is possible, in case of exclusive use of screw caps, to use these holding devices as hollow cylindrical pins and, in some cases, to use additional pins. The described holding device does make it possible to grip the screw closures by the ribs 53 or the holding pins 55 alone and to twist them off the bottle tops.

Also, the bottles from which closures have been removed may be directed away in different ways. The device shown in FIG. 4 has proven to be useful, since it does not require any additional space and is active within the space (limited by the upper position of platform 9) between the sleeves 13 and the necks of bottles 2 in cases 7 carried on the roller conveyor 1. At the side of the roller conveyor is arranged a roll 57 on which is rolled by spring force a screen 58. The screen may be pulled down by a wire cable 59 driven by a hydraulic cylinder 60. The cables are guided over guide rollers in such a way that they run outside of the path of platform 9 or in lowered position of the platform running between the platform and the sleeves 13. Underneath the roll 57 is arranged a chute 61 which leads to a collecting container 62. After the execution of the control and of closure removal, when the platform is lifted again, the closures removed from the bottles are kept within the sleeves 13 by means of the gripping devices. When the platform 9 has nearly reached its upper position, the hydraulic cylinder 64]) is operated and the screen is drawn into the space between thesleeves 13 and the roller conveyor 1 with the bottle cases and bottles. Thereafter, the gripping devices are released so that removed bottle closures fall on the spread-out screen 58. Thereafter, the screen is guided back into the position shown in the drawing and rolled up on the roll 57. Bottle closures on top of the screen are thrown onto the chute 61 during this operation and are guided into the collector 62. To accomplish such transport of the removed bottle closures, a length of time is available which lasts the length of time between the up-anddown movements of the platform 9, so that special sensitive time controls are not required during removal from the roller conveyor 1; especially, any reaction to the loading of the bottle cases or lowering of the flow rate will be prevented.

As already mentioned, the pins inside the platform are arranged in number and distance from each other in such a way that they correspond to the arrangement and number of bottles within the bottle cases. In a number of factories, not only bottle cases of one size and division are used, but, becauseof the different packings and especially because of difl'erent beverages (which are packaged differently for each type), different bottle cases have to be used. In a number of situations, it is possible that for each type of bottle case separate devices can be arranged and balanced. Very often, however, this will not be possible. Therefore, it is suggested that platforms or drives be changed. The parts which carry the pins can be exchanged as a unit to take care of the bottle case type which is next in line. A device designed in accordance with FIG. was found to be favorable. On this device is mounted a vertical column 64 within a foundation 63. The column is surrounded by a vertically displaceable sleeve 65 and a vertically displaceable and turnable sleeve 66. The vertical displaceable sleeve 65 is mounted on hydraulic support devices 67 mounted on a console 68 of the foundation. The underportion of the vertically displaceable and turnable sleeve 66 rests on top of the upper face area of the sleeve 65. The sleeve 66 is equipped with short, lever-type carrier arms 69 equally spaced about the axis and terminating in clamping areas 70. In FIG. 5, only two such carrier arms are shown which are arranged in opposition at an angle of 180, and they are shown as stretched, double-arm levers. The number of carrier arms can be adapted to any number of platforms when necessary.

The clamping areas'70 of the carrier arms are connected with carrier plates 71 under which are arranged platforms 72. They are guided by guide bars 73 within sleeves on the carrier plates 71. The platforms are sup ported on the piston rods of pneumatic cylinders arranged on the carrier plates 71. A supply of pressure air as a working media is brought in by hoses 75 which end in a distributor 76 which is connected to the column 64 so as to be air-tight and rotatable. The distributor is supplied with pressure air through a nipple 77 and a bore 78 located within the column connecting the distributor and the nipple, so that the platforms are able to operate in any position. The pressure air may also be i brought in by a conduit inserted through the bore hole or by a hose. It is of advantage to design the distributor 76 in such a way that only the platform which is in working position is supplied with pressure media by designing opposed areas of the distributor in such a way that they can be operated as valves.

In order to exchange an active platform which lies over the roller conveyor with another one mounted on another carrier arm, it is only necessary to move all platforms into the uppermost position by means of their cylinders 74. In order to move freely over parts of the roller conveyor, bottle cases, protectors, etc., the

sleeves

65 and 66 are lifted with the hydraulic cylinders and, thereafter, the sleeve 66 is turned until the selected platform is positioned over the conveyor and bottle cases. Then, the hydraulic cylinders 67 are lowered to the corresponding working height. The

movement allows an automatic adjustment for exact working position and fixing to be made. A key for securing the sleeve 65 against turning, placed partially into the vertical column 64, extends over the upper face area of the sleeve 65 which is in working position. The sleeve 66 receives in its different working positions the upper end of the key surrounded by the keyways. During lifting of the sleeve 66 by the hydraulic cylinder 67, the sleeve is lifted from the upper end of these keys and is now able to turn. During lowering, the keyway moves toward the upper, beveled or rounded end of the key to the corresponding working position and corrects the position of the sleeve, if necessary. After lowering is completed, it secures the sleeve by locking the key against any further turning. On the other hand, it is also possible to omit the special sleeve and hydraulic support device 67 when the stroke of the piston of the hydraulic cylinders 74 are sufficient to lift the corresponding working platforms completely oif the conveyor, bottle cases, and the like.

By virtue of their design incorporating relatively few parts, the platforms 72 permit a rational fabrication and a reduction of maintenance procedures. The main parts of the platforms 72 are shown in FIG. 6. A detailed description can be omitted here, since the pull devices of this platform are similar to the pull devices 20 of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 shows in section and enlarged the drive and construction of the pull device. The main parts of the platform are a rugged working plate 79 and a motor plate 80 maintained spaced and parallel and connected to each other by bolts and sleeves at the desired distance. A gear motor is connected with its flange 81 to the motor plate and its drive shaft drives a pinion gear 82 movable by means of an electromagnetic clutch 95. The free end of the hollow shaft carrying the pinion gear is supported on the working plate 79 by means of a ball bearing 83. In bore holes of the working plate are located other bearing housings for two more ball bearings which are of the same design and are held and clamped by a ring nut 85 in one case and by the free end of a slide piece 86 with inside thread in the other case. The shafts supported in the bearings are short bolts 87 for the mounting of intermediary pinion gears 88 which serve to drive the pull devices, shown in the drawing. They can also be designed as shafts 90 equipped with pins. As in the case of the pull device 20, there is a sleeve surrounding the slide piece 86. The sleeve is maintained in tension by means of a spring. It is limited in motion by a bolt engaging a slot and serving as a stop (not shown). The

ring nuts 85, the slide piece 86, the sleeves 91 and the bells 92 are made from plastic material and into the sleeve is screwed a housing 93 made from bronze which protects a ring hose 94 serving as a gripping device. The use of the same type of pinion, bearing housings, two types of bolts and shafts, ring nuts, and slide pieces throughout the platform results in logical fabrication and assembly.

The described devices are not only of simple design, but because of the parallel working of a number of pull devices, they are very efficient without any special risks taken, since all the pull devices are arranged within a common platform and can be lowered and lifted and controlled in unison. Also, in case of exchange, this can be made in one unit without special connections. Since the device, according to the invention, works independently of later stations in the bottle working mechanism, it can be freely erected and brought into operation. This is because its flow rate is connected only in a limited manner with the other parts of the bottling machine and with reference to the corresponding working cycle operates completely independently. By the arrangement of control and respectively counting mechanisms, it is possible that delivered empties can be controlled in one working cycle relative to the bottle and case numbers. Then, the collected results can be passed on and introduced into data processing, while, at the same time, bottle closures are definitely removed.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent 1. Bottle handling apparatus for the control of bottles placed in bottle cases, comprising:

a. a conveyor for moving the bottle cases horizontally along a path,

b. a stop portion on said path,

c. a stop means for stopping a bottle case, for a time,

within the stop portion,

d. a vertically-moving platform arranged over the stop portion,

e. a pull device unit associated with each bottle that would be in a bottle case stopped in the stop portion, each of said units being attached to said platform and including a holding sleeve adapted to engage and hold a bottle against movement as said platform is lowered toward a bottle case, a pin held within said holding sleeve and adapted to engage, remove from bottle, and hold, as the platform is lowered, a closure remaining on a bottle, a stripper associated with each pin and adapted to disengage said closure from said pin, and a gripping device adapted to hold the disengaged closure for a time, said gripping device including an inflatable element which, when inflated, stops a closure which has been stripped from falling from the pull device and, when deflated, allows the closure to fall.

2. Bottle handling apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the pins are mounted on tumable shafts and equipped with controllable driving devices which detennine the turning movement.

3. Bottle handling apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein a controllable gripping device is arranged concentrically to each of the pins for holding free bottle closures. i

4. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the gripping devices are mainly designed as 5. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein, the inside walls of the ring hoses are thicker than the outer walls in the areas where wear takes place.

6. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the gripping devices each have a cylindrical housing and the housing is equipped with radial slots and in the slots of housings are guided holding pins which are movable inwardly by a power drive.

7. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein, the holding pins are movable by means of ring hoses.

8. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein, the holding pins are supported by flat ends attached to the pull device.

9. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the pitch of the thread of each pin is designed with steep angle.

10. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the pitch of the thread of each pin runs parallel to its axis.

11. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the holding sleeve includes a housing of cylindrical shape adapted to surround the bottle closures to be removed in a locking manner.

12. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the conveyor in the area of the platform is equipped with a hopper for the collection of bottle clo sures.

13. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, a screen is provided which is stored on a roll, but can be unrolled from a roll and drawn horizontally across the stop portion between the bottle case and the platform and onto which the free closures can be released, after which the screen is rerolled and the closures on the screen are allowed to fall over the roll, into a collector.

14. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, more than one platform is provided having pins and the platforms are arranged on a lever swingable on an axis so that, by the swinging of the lever, predetermined platforms can be brought over the conveyor into a working position.

15. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein, the platforms are equipped with pins corresponding to a predetermined number and division of bottle cases.

16. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein, the shaft is designed as a vertical column and the lever includes a sleeve surrounding the column from which extend symmetrically-arranged carrier arms for the platforms.

17. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein, the vertical column is equipped with a bore hole for a pressure air supply and the hole is closed at its upper end by a tumable distributor from which extend hoses connected to the individual platforms.

18. Bottling handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, in which the bottles in the bottle cases are counted.

19. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the action of a holding sleeve on a bottle activates a counter.

Claims

1. Bottle handling apparatus for the control of bottles placed in bottle cases, comprising: a. a conveyor for moving the bottle cases horizontally along a path, b. a stop portion on said path, c. a stop means for stopping a bottle case, for a time, within the stop portion, d. a vertically-moving platform arranged over the stop portion, e. a pull device unit associated with each bottle that would be in a bottle case stopped in the stop portion, each of said units being attached to said platform and including a holding sleeve adapted to engage and hold a bottle against movement as said platform is lowered toward a bottle case, a pin held within said holding sleeve and adapted to engage, remove from bottle, and hold, as the platform is lowered, a closure remaining on a bottle, a stripper associated with each pin and adapted to disengage said closure from said pin, and a gripping device adapted to hold the disengaged closure for a time, said gripping device including an inflatable element which, when inflated, stops a closure which has been stripped from falling from the pull device and, when deflated, allows the closure to fall.

2. Bottle handling apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein the pins are mounted on turnable shafts and equipped with controllable driving devices which determine the turning movement.

3. Bottle handling apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein a controllable gripping device is arranged concentrically to each of the pins for holding free bottle closures.

4. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the gripping devices are mainly designed as hollow cylinders and are equipped with pneumaticall-inflatable ring hoses for obstructing the inside area of the pull device.

5. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein, the inside walls of the ring hoses are thicker than the outer walls in the areas where wear takes place.

12. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein, the conveyor in the area of the platform is equipped with a hopper for the collection of bottle closures.

17. Bottle handling apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein, the vertical column is equipped with a bore hole for a pressure air supply and the hole is closed at its upper end by a turnable distributor from which extend hoses connected to the individual platforms.