US3826382A

US3826382A - Case packer

Info

Publication number: US3826382A
Application number: US00321003A
Authority: US
Inventors: A Zappia
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-01-04
Filing date: 1973-01-04
Publication date: 1974-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1991-07-30

Abstract

A case loader, particularly for glassware, including a gripper assembly comprising a plurality of parallel arms each including an expansible diaphragm distendable toward a similar diaphragm on an adjacent arm, and a motor for moving the gripper assembly between a ware receiving station and a ware delivering station either by rectilinear motion or by arcuate motion.

Description

United States Patent 1 1,

Zappia I 51 July 30, 1974 CASE PACKER Anthony T. Zappia, 7576 lvywood Dr. Apt. A, Indianapolis, Ind. 46250 Filed: Jan. 4, 1973 App]. No.: 321,003

Inventor:

13.5. C1. 214/1 BB, 53/161, 214/1 BD, 214/1 Q, 294/67 R Int. Cl. B65b 21/22 Field of Search 214/1 BB, 309, 1 BD, 1 Q; 53/161, 243; 294/67 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ll/l967 Kronsbcin 294/87 X 3,486,292 12/1969 Ninneman 2l4/l BD X Primary Examiner-Robert J. Spar Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham Attorney, Agent, or Firm Hood and Coffey [57] ABSTRACT A case loader, particularly for glassware, including a gripper assembly comprising a plurality of parallel arms each including an expansible diaphragm distendable toward a similar diaphragm on an adjacent arm, and a motor for moving the gripper assembly between a ware receiving station and a ware delivering station either by rectilinear motion or by arcuate motion.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATEN TED JUL 3 0 I974 SHEEF 2 BF 3 CASE PACKER In many glassware manufacturing plants, the annealed ware is conducted to a case loader which transfers the ware into a container in which it will be shipped. In some instances, it is desirable to deliver the ware to such containers in an upright attitude while in other instances it is desirable to deposit the ware in the containers in an inverted attitude. Machines for performing each of these operations are well known, but I believe there is no existing machine prior to my invention which is capable of conversion, by a quick and easy manual adjustment, so to deliver the ware either bottom side down or bottom side up.

The primary object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a machine for receiving glassware, in ranks and files, delivering the ware in such condition to a case, carton, tray or the like and which may be adjusted, by one man in a matter of seconds, to deliver the ware either upright or inverted.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means to grip a large number of pieces of ware, arranged in ranks and files, to transfer the ware from a receiving station to a delivery station and to do so without significant waste.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the machine motion whereby pieces of ware are transferred from the receiving station to a case-loading station, without inversion of the ware;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the same thing, showing the machine motion whereby articles of ware are loaded into a carton in an inverted attitude;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the machine showing a quantity of ware gripped by the gripping means;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral indicates a main frame providing parallel guide rods 11, ll'upon which are slideably received

parallel slide sleeves

12, 12 of a subframe. A spring pressed pin 13 carried by each sleeve 12 is adapted, at times, to engage in a dent 14 carried on the main frame. I

Standards l5, 15, carried on the I'fiSPfiCIIlVBSlfiCVES 12, provide journal mountings for a shaft 16 and a pin- 6 ion 17 is fixed to the shaft 16.

A gripper assembly 18 embodies or is fixed. to the shaft 16 and comprises lateral, rearwardly extending

parallel arms

19 and 20 joined by a base 21 which is disposed substantially on the axis of the shaft 16. i

The base 21 is formed with a longitudinal slot 33. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the assembly includes five identical arms 22 arranged between end arms which will be described. Each arm 22 comprises a relatively rigid plate 23 having its proximal end received in a groove 51 in one face of a block 52 pro- .vided on its opposite face with a batten 53, said batten 53 being receivable and slidably supported in the slot 33. A notch 24 is cut in the end of the plate 23 for a reason which will appear.

A rubberoid, elastic diaphragm 25 is laid against one face of the plate 23, a stainless steel ring 26 is then laid against the outer face of the diaphragm. A'similar'diaphragm 27 is laid against the opposite face of the plate 23 and a ring 28 is positioned to overlie the perimetral region of the diaphragm 27. Now, through the medium of multiple rivets 29, the assembly of plate 23,

diaphragms

25 and 27 and

rings

26, 28 is secured together to define an airtight space between the diaphragms into which the notch 24 opens. A hole 54 through the block 52 and batten 53 registers with the notch 24. A nozzle 30 is positioned partly within the notch 24 and communicates with a fitting 55 which, in turn, is threadedly received in the hole 54.

Two feet 56 are positioned on opposite sides of the hole 54 and a pressure member 57 spans and bears against the outer surfaces of said feet. A nut 32 is threaded on the outer end of the fitting 55 to bear against the pressure member 57. A flexible conduit 31 is connected to each fitting 55 and leads to a source of air under pressure (not shown). The end arms of the assembly are identical with the intermediate arms except that a rigid plate 50 replaces one diaphragm in each of the end arms.

It will be apparent that, when air under pressure is supplied to the gripper arms, the several diaphragms will be expanded or bulged outwardly so that articles disposed between adjacent arms will be flexibly and resiliently gripped between the diaphragm 25 of one arm and the diaphragm 27 of the next adjacent arm. By varying the pressure of the air supplied to the gripper elements, the amount of gripping pressure applied to articles such as, for instance, the bottles 46 can be infinitely varied.

A fluid motor comprises two relatively reciprocable elements. As shown, the cylinder 37 is fixed to the frame 10 and the piston rod 38 carries at its distal region a rack 39 suitably supported by guide means 40 and meshing with the pinion 17.

As shown, a conveyor 41 is arranged to bring bottles 46 to the gripper assembly 18 in ranks 48 of six bottles and files 49 of four bottles. When, for instance, four such ranks have been accumulated, the diaphragms will be inflated to grip all of the bottles and the fluid motor 37 will be energized. If the detent pin 34 is engaged in its notch or dent 35 and the detent means 13 is retracted, forward movement of the rack 39 will carry the carriage l2 forward or to the left. as viewed in FIG. 1, since the pinion 17 is restrained against rotation. The stroke of the motor 37 is so calibrated that its forward movement will carry the bottles 46 into registry with a carton, tray or the like which is disposed in an elevated position at the loading station.

As is perhaps most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transverse conveyor 42 underlies the loading station. Empty cartons, cases or the like arrive at the loading station on the conveyor 42 and are lifted successively to a suitable elevation by a pair of arms 43 actuable'by a lever 44 controlled by a fluid motor 45. When the loaded gripper assembly registers with a container 47 at a proper elevation, air will be exhausted from the spacers between the

diaphragms

25 and 27, whereby the bottles will be released to drop into the container. Now, the container is relowered to the conveyor 42, the carriage 12 is returned to its solid line position of FIG. 1 and the above cycle willbe repeated.

If, however, the pin 13 is engaged with its dent 114 and the pin 34 is retracted, the carriage 12 will be held against reciprocation, the pinion 17 will be freed for rotation and the advance of the rack 39 will turn the pinion 17 in a counterclockwise direction to swing the arms 19 through an arc of 180. The parts are so proportioned and designed that the position of the gripper means after such turning movement will register with a receptacle 47 on the arms 43; and if air is exhausted from between the diaphragms of the gripper means, the bottles will be dropped into the receptacle in inverted attitude. Retraction of the piston rod 38 will, of course, return the pinion 17 to the position of FIG. 1.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a subframe mounted on said frame for reciprocation relative thereto, a transverse shaft journalled on said subframe for selective reciprocation therewith or oscillation relative thereto, gripper means fixed to said shaft, a pinion fixed to said shaft, a fluid motor comprising a cylinder element and a piston element, one of said elements being fixed relative to said frame and the other of said elements being reciprocable relative to said one element and carrying a rack meshing with said pinion, means for selectively restraining said subframe against reciprocation, and means for selectively restraining said gripper means against oscillation about the axis of said shaft.

2. In a loading machine, gripper means for receiving,

common attitude, a delivery station, means for mounting said gripper means for selective reciprocatory movement or oscillatory movement through an arc of between said stations, and means for shifting said gripper means, said gripper means being relaxed at said delivery station to deposit said articles either in said common attitude or in a common inverted attitude.

3. The machine of claim 2 in which said gripper means comprises a plurality of equally-spaced arms, each arm having at least one laterally-expandable surface mating with an expandable surface on an adjacent arm, and means for expanding said mating surfaces to grip articles located therebetween.

4. The machine of claim 3 including means for delivering articles to said gripper means in ranks and files and in which such arrangement of articles is maintained by said gripper means through the depositing step.

5. The machine of claim 2 in which the means for shifting said gripper means comprises a frame, a subframe mounted on said frame for reciprocation between registry with said receiving station and registry with said delivery station, a shaft carried by said subframe and extending transversely of the path of said subframe, said gripper means being carried by said shaft, a rotor fixed to said shaft, a fluid motor including a reciprocable element, means operatively connecting said reciprocable element with said rotor, means manipulable to restrain said subframe against reciprocating movement with said reciprocable element, and other means manipulable to restrain said rotor against turning movement.

6. The machine of claim 1 in which the gripper means comprises a plurality of substantially parallel, substantially equally laterally spaced supports, that side of each support which faces another support including an inflatable diaphragm, and means for inflating said diaphragms.

Claims

2. In a loading machine, gripper means for receiving, at a receiving station, a plurality of like articles, means for causing said gripper means to grip said articles in a common attitude, a delivery station, means for mounting said gripper means for selective reciprocatory movement or oscillatory movement through an arc of 180* between said stations, and means for shifting said gripper means, said gripper means being relaxed at said delivery station to deposit said articles either in said common attitude or in a common inverted attitude.