US418621A - Can-feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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G. D. LANIN G. GAN READING` APPARATUS.

No. 418,621'. Patented Deo. 31', 1889.

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G. 11. LANING. GAN EEEDING APPARATUS. 110,418,821.

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Patented Dee. 81, 1889.

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- GAN FBEDING APPARATUS. y

No.. 418,621'. Patented Dec. 3l. 1889.

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GEORGE D. LANING, BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY.

CAN-FEEDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 41-8',621,`d3.te;1 December 31, 1889.

Application filed July 3, ,1889. Serial No. 316,402. (No model.)

To all whom tm/ty concern: y Be it known that I, GEORGE D. LANING, of

Bridgeton, in the countyof Cumberland, and

in the State of New Jersey', have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can- Feeding Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l shows, partly in side elevation and partly in section, a can-filler provided with my can-feeding mechanism; Fig. 2, a View of the feeder in front elevation, with the feedchute and receiving-table shown in section;

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and Eig. 3, a plan view of thefeeder with the partsin position as when a can is being filled.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The object of my invention is to provide feeding mechanism i for feeding cans to caniilling machines; andto this end my invention consists in the mechanism and in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the parts thereof, as hereinafter specified.

With can filling machines as heretofore made and operated it has been customary to feed the cans to the iiller by hand, an operator or attendant`- placing a can in position to be held by the machineduring the filling operation and Vthen removing the filled can and replacing 'it with an empty one.` In order to de away with this feeding and removing of the cans by hand andtb` provide means for feeding the cans continuously from a source of supply as needed by the machine, I have invented the mechanism to be described hereinafter, which, as will appear, can be operated either by a treadle actuated by the one running the filling-machine orby a cam orpother connection with such machine.

By the operation of a single piece,either by foot or by power, my feeding mechanism will be caused to `feed thecans,'one at a time, into place for filling. The feeding action can be continued as long as the supply of cans holds out, all that is` necessary to secure such continuance of action being the repeated actuation of one piece.

In the drawings, A designates the cylinder, B the piston, and C the hopper, of the fillingmachine. These, as shown, are substantially the same as those used inthe well-known Stevens form of filler now in use, and'need not be further described herein, as, so far as my invention is concerned,`I do not limit myself toany' particular kind of filling mechanf ism.

While my feeder is especially intended for use with a horizontally-acting filler, as shown, it c an also be employed, without departure from my invention, with other filling devices. In front of the conical nozzle of the filler-cylinder A is the usual plate D, against which the open-end of a can While being filled is to be clamped. Such plate has the usual opening d for the passage of the can-filling material issuing from the cylinder-nozzle, and can be provided with the well-known juicedraining openings or perforations around opening CZ, as in the Stevens machine. Attached to and extending out from such plate below opening CZ are the two horizontal parallel arms d d', upon which a can rests when in` position for filling, and which may be made adjustable, if desired, to suit the machine for different sizes of cans.

Pivoted to a suitable frame-work E E is a vertically-swinging lever F, having its upper end provided with a plate or head, adapted to engage the bottom or closed outer end of a can resting on arms dd, so as tov force and clamp the can closely in place with its open end against the plate D, around opening CZ therein. The lower endof such lever, being extended at an angle to the upper'canclamping portion, is connected with a treadlelever G by means of a spring G, attached at opposite ends to the two levers. A rod H, connected with the clamping -lever near spring G, extends down through and plays in an openin g in the treadle-lever. is a shoulder or fixed collar H', adapted to be engaged by the trcadle-lever as the latter rises, so that the clamping-lever will be positively swung to take its upper end away from its clamping position.

On -such rod With the construction describedas the I treadle-lever moves' in one direction the clamping-lever'is thrown out of position to IOO Achute as the bar Lis raised and lowered.

position and hold it there, causing it to exert a strong though yielding pressure upon a can to be or being filled.

As indicated hereinbefore, it has been customary to place the empty cans upon and remove the filled ones from the holder by hand. Instead of this I provide feeding devices, operated at each motion of the lever F, to remove a can from and place another in position to be filled. For this purpose I have an inclined trough or chute I, having its mouth or lower end situated just above and to one side of the pair of bearing-arms d cl for supporting a can while being filled. Such trough extends in a direction substantially at right angles to the axis of a can resting on said supporting-arms, and is of such inclination .that any cans placed in it will tend to roll down it easily and freely. Its width is substantially the same as or but slightly greater than the length of a can, so that any cans passing down within it will be guided by the troughsides and cannot have any tendency lto-get into position with their axes at an an- :gle to suoli sides, so that the can ends lwill .bind orhave too much friction upon the latter.

In order to keep the cans down in place in the trough as they roll down the same, I provide the upper edges of the trough sides with inwardly-extending lips I I', which can be formed of strips fastened to such-sides or lflanges or ribs formed thereon, as desired.

, -Guided in a tubular piece K, attached to the feeding-mechanism-supporting frame below the canreceiving and supporting arms, is the `vertically-moving bar L, having on its -upper end the cross baror head L', extending in-a direction parallel to the axis of a can rolling down the chute or resting upon arms d d. Such cross bar or head moves up and downpast the mouth or discharge end of the Its upper-side is providedwith theinclined face L2, extending downward from the side toward the chute end, the angle of such incline being, as shown,substantially that of the chute-bottom, though I do not limit myself to such construction. As the cross-bar L is raised above the plane of the chute-bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, it is adapted to act as a stop to block the path of the cans rolling down the chute by engaging the lowest one of the cans. Asit descends from this position it lets the previously-engaged can roll past it onto the arms (Z d in position to be clamped and filled. In order to prevent the other cans fronrrolling down s0 as to knock or force the released can out of its proper position on Vsupporting-arms d el', it is necessary to provide some check or stop to hold them back as the bar L, with head L', is depressed. Such checking device I show in my drawings and will now describe. The lower end of bar L rests upon the lever G, and the bar and its cross-head are lnade heavy enough to make .sure of their descent as the leveris depressed.

With this construction the bar and head will rise and fall with the lever.

Swinging in a plane at right angles to the swing ot lever G is another lever M, having one end held in engagement with lever G by spring M which, in drawing its lever M upward, also aids in returning lever G to its normal position after it has been depressed.

lonnected with the arm of lever M, which engages the lever G, is the lower end of the rod N, carrying on its upper end a cross-bar l. shaped like that on bar L-that is, having an inclined face n extending in the direction of the inclination of the chute-bottom. A slot or opening O, cut down the center of the chutebottom near its lower end, allows the head or cross-bar N to be raised above and be brought below the chute-bottom .as the lever-arm to which rod N is attached'is raised o1' lowered. As such lever-arm -rses and falls with the lever G, which lifts and lets fall thebar L, it follows that the twocross bars or heads L and N will be raised up into andfbroughtbelowthepath of the lcans down the ychute at the same time. The cross bars or heads are at such a distance from each other that when the one L is engaging and stopping the lowlest can in the chute the other N is in position to similarly engage the second canin tle series.

By mygarrangem ent of feed-stop mechanism described and shown I am enabled to make sure that at no ytime will the -weight of the whole series of cans in the chute bebrought to bear upon the lowest can and through it upon the end stop. Vith the Astops in position,.as shown in Fig. 2, the second stop-bar N engages the second can, and so holds it and the series of .cans back of and above it, so that they do not press upon, and force the lowest can `against the stop-bar L. Zhen the stop-barsL and N descend and the bar P ascends, only one can (the second one) rolls down with the rst or lowest one, so that the latter can is not liable to be forced or carried too far, but rolls down gently into the place where it is to be filled.

Vtfith my feed-stop mechanism I am enabled to use a light spring-heldstop for the lowest can, instead of onev positively held and strong enough. to stand the shock of the wholeseries of cans rolling down the chute againstit as each can is allowed to take its ,positionfor filling.

The rod N, being pivotally connected with lever M, has-no tendency to rotate, and so can be made round, as shown, and guided in a lsimilarlyfshaped tubular bearing N2.

In order toA keep the rod L from turning so as to get its head L out of position .at right angles to the travel of the cans down the IOO IIO

held from rotation in any other desiredway without departure from my invention.

Pivotally connected with the arm of lever,` M opposite to that with which rod N is connected is the rod P, having on its upper end a cross bar or head P, shaped ,just like thatl on the other rod and so situated as to engage,

when the rod and head are raised, the thirdj can in the series and-block it from rolling down. nected with the opposite arms of the same or can be of different shape and differently guided, as desired, without departure from my invention.

With the upper sides of the cross bars or heads N and P provided with the inclined faces of the same inclination as the chutebottom it is not necessary that they should descend below such bottom in order to take them out of the path of the cans down the chute. They can, if desired, be given just` movement enough to take them down, so that their inclined faces will be flush with'b'ut not below the upper face of the chute-bottom. Extending downward from the arm d opposite to that nearest the lower end of the chute I is a` second inclined chute I2, with high sides I3, adapted to guide a filled can as it is discharged from the supporting-arms-CZ d down to and upon the usual inspectiont-able R, where the cans areV inspected to see if they are properly filled before they are passedon to be capped.

The operation of my can-feeding mechanism is as follows: Vith a quantity of cans placed in the chute, which can be of any desired length crean-holding capacity, and with the stop-heads L" and N" raised and engaging the lowest and neXt to the lowest can, respectively, the stop-head P. is down out of the path of the third can, and the clamping or can-holdingleverF is swung back, so as to take its can-engaging head or plate F out of the path of the 'end of a can rolling down upon arms d d. swung down, the bar Lwill descend to remove its head L' from the path of the lowest can, allowing such can to roll down into place upon the receiving and supporting arms'd d. At the same time by the swinging of the lever` M, engaged as described by lever G, the head N is depressed torallow the second can to roll down into the place just vacated by the lowest one, and the other head P is raised to engage the' third can and hold itand all the rest above it back'. As the lowest can -rolls into place on the arms d d', the clamp- As the two rods N and P are con-I If'now the lever G be with its open mouth over opening d in such plate. As soon as the can is filled the lever G is raised again, causing, through its engagement with the collar or shoulder H on rod H, the lever F to be swung back to disengage its clamping-head from the can. The rising of lever G causes the bar L and head L thereon to rise up under the filled can, so that the incline on such head engages the can on the side toward theA chute I and away from discharge-chute I2. As the head L rises it will then both lift thefilled can from its bed upon arms cZ d and will roll it over into the chute I2, down which it descends to the inspection-table. The can next to the one just filled and discharged now rests against and is securely held from rolling down by -the head L. As'the lever G rises to lift such head, as just above described, the

movement of lever M, due to the action of its spring M depresses the rod Pand stop-head P and raises rod N and head N.V The cans previously held back by head P then roll down until checked by the engagement of the lowest one of them' with the head N. The parts are now in position .as at first, and so that at a second movement of lever G a can will be released and fed down into place for filling at once.

, The feeding operation described can be kept up continuously als long as cans are supplied to the chute without any care or handling of the cans by an attendant after they have been placed inthe chute.

The lever G, or `any other equivalent operating device for the parts of my feed mechanism, can easily be connected in any desired way with a moving part or parts yof the canfilling machine, so that after each can-filling motion of the plunger my mechanism will be automatically set in operation to discharge the filled can and feed another into place for filling.

As shown in the drawings, the operatinglever G has its end weighted, so that when it has been moved to operate the feed devices it will return to its original position again; but I do not intend to limit myself to such a construction or arrangement.

A spring can be used instead of the weight, or the lever can be moved in either or both directions by any desired positive means.

If.v desired, I contemplate using instead of the inclined trough down which the cans are caused to roll by the action of gravity a horizontal trough through which the cans may IOO be present or forced in any suitable way,

whether by a spring, weight, or other device.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim isl. In a canfeeding mechanism for use with can-filling machines, in combination with the trough along which the cans are passed on their way to the filler, a pair of simultaneously-acting stops adapted, respectively, to engage the end can and the one next to it, a stop adapted to engage the third can in the trough, and means for causing the simultaneously-acting pair of stops and the third stop to operate alternately, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the trough along which the cans are passed, a stop at the end of such trough, a lever to raise and let fall such stop, the two alternately-acting stops at different distances from the trough end, a lever engaged by the tirs't lever, suitable connections between the alternately-acting stops and the opposite arms of the second lever, and the springactuating the latter, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. In combination with the ltrough, the stop at the end thereof, consisting of a head on a rising and falling bar, a lever upon which such bar rests, a second lever, a spring holding such lever up against the first lever, and the two alternately-acting stops at different points in thel trough, consisting of heads on rods connected with opposite ends of the second lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the can-receiving support of a can-filling machine, the inclined can-containing trough, a movable can-stop at the end of the latter, adapted to engage the lowest can in the trough and to eject a can from the can-support of the filling-machine, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In combination with the can-receiving support or holder of a can-filling machine, an inclined can-containing trough leading down to such support and a movable can-stop at' the end of the trough having the inclined face to engage a can resting on the can-.sup-

port of the filler as the stop is moved into position to engage and stop the end or lowest can in the trough, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

6. In combination with the can-receiving support of acan-iilling machine, the inclined can-containing trough leading down to such support, the two simultaneously-acting lower movable stops adapted, respectively, to engage and stop a can at the lower end of the trough and a can next to such lowest can, a third can-engaging stop situated at a point in the trough above such lower stops, and means for moving the lower stops together and carrying them and the upper stop alternately into and out of operative position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In combination with the can-receiving support and the can clamping or holding lever of a can-iilling machine, alever connected with the clamping-lever so as to actuate the same,

an inclined can-containing trough leading down to the can-receiving support of the filler, feed-stop mechanism to allow the passage of the cans one at a time from the trough, and connections between such stop mechanism and the lever for actuating the can-clamping lever, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing I l have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of llune, D. 1889.

GEORGE D. LANING.

Vtitnesses:

HENRY J. CRoUsE, GEORGE vW. HALL.

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