US766510A

US766510A - Can-cleaning machine.

Info

Publication number: US766510A
Application number: US15515303A
Authority: US
Inventors: William Munn
Original assignee: ALASKA PACKERS ASS
Current assignee: ALASKA PACKERS ASSOCIATION; ALASKA PACKERS ASS
Priority date: 1903-05-01
Filing date: 1903-05-01
Publication date: 1904-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 1921-08-02

Description

PATENTBD AUG. 2, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 1, 1903.

W MUNN CAN CLEANING MAGHINE.

NO MODEL No. 766,510. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. W. MUNN.

CAN CLEANING MACHINE.

urmonmn FILED mu 1, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

ATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM MUNN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSICNOR TO ALASKA PACKERS ASSOCIATION, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORA- TION OF CALIFORNIA.

CAN-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,510, dated August 2, 1904.

Application filed May 1, 1903- To (all 1117mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of Cali- 5 fornia, have invented an Improvement in Can- Cleaning Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device for cleaning cans after they have been filled.

It consists in the combination. with a mechanism by which the cans are transmitted to the cleaning device and they are advanced and arrested while they are continuously rotated, of a blast and a valve and mechanism by which said valve is automatically opened Whenever a can is presented and closed after the can has passed beyond its influence.

It also comprises means for controlling the supply of cans to the endless traveling chain by which they are advanced to the cleaning device and a means for regulating the tension of the conveyor-chain.

It also comprises details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is aplan of turn-table partially broken away with blast mechanism closed. Fig. 3 is a partial plan of turn-table with blast mechanism open. Fig. & is a partial side elevation. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of chain-tension regulator. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of can-admitting device. Fig. 7 is a plan of same. Fig. 8 is a side view of blast-valve mechanism. Fig. 9 is a detail of one of the carriers 6.

This invention is designed for the purpose of cleaning the outsides of metal cans, such as are employed for containing fish or other alimentary substances or any material which it is customary to place in cans, and itsobject is to place the cans in condition to receive the heads or caps by which they are closed and to cleanse the surfaces of any material which might cling or stick to them or any oxidation which might interfere with the Serial No. 155,153. llo model.)

ready soldering of the caps after they have been placed in position. This I effect by the use of a blast of fiuid under a sufficiently high pressure to give it effective force, and this blast may either be used alone or in conjunction with brushes, such as are shown in my patent numbered 685,000, issued October 22, 1901.

In the present application I have described sufficient mechanism to show the transmission of the cans and the application of an air-blast.

The cans are first filled with fish and afterward capped and soldered or hermetically sealed, and this apparatus is designed to be operated at some point intermediate between the filling and the capping machine; but it will be manifest that the device could also be used independently of any other apparatus in cases where it would be desirable to do so.

A is an endless chain passing around sprocket-wheels, as shown at 2, and this chain has projecting from it arms 3. The chain, with its arms, travels above a horizontal table at, upon which the cans are delivered with the open ends upward after having been filled with fish or other material preparatory to having the caps placed upon them. As shown in the present case, the cans a are received upon a surface with circular or segmental guides at each side, between which they pass around until they contact with a stop or arm 11 which arrests the line of cans and prevents their moving forward until this step has been withdrawn. This stop is in the form of a lever-arm or plate, pivoted, as shown at b, and having an arm 0 projecting in the opposite direction from a. From this arm a chain or flexible'connection (I connects with the outer arm a of another si1nilarly-pivoted lever, which has an army extending into the path of the cans before they reach the line of travel of the chain-earried arms 3. A lever-arm /z, fixed to the shaft of the arms 1, is connected by a flexible chain with a rocker-arm /1 which is intermittently tilted by the movement of each can that has been received between the arms 3, so as to be advanced by the chain. Thus when these arms are moved the arm u will be turned sufficiently out of the path oftravel of the cans to allow one can to pass between it and the arm f. The next movement, tilting the arm a and simultaneously with it the arm f by reason of the connecting-chains, will allow the first can to pass the arm f and to move into the space in front of one of the carrier-arms 3. At thesame time another can will pass into the space between the arms a and f. Thus the cans will be automatically fed to the carrying-arms 3 of the endless chain, and only one can will be delivered at each interval.

When the cans reach the point where they are" to be delivered to the cleaning apparatus, they contact with a directing device 5, which, standing at an incline, removes them out of the path of the arms 3 of the chain and delivers them to carriers 6, which are so mounted as to carry the'cans around in a circular path of travel. When the cans reach the point where they are to be cleansed, which may be onequarter of a revolution, more or less, of the carriers, they will be subjected to a blast of air, which is delivered from a nozzle 45. The position of this nozzle is such that the blast of air will impinge upon that part of the can to be cleansed approximately tangentially to the can-surface while the can is being revolved until its whole periphery has been subjected to the blast.

The air of the jet-nozzle 45 is supplied through a pipe, as at 46, and is controlled by a cock or valve at 47.

In order to economize the air and to open the cock only when a can is in position to be acted upon,the lever or arm 48, by which the cock is turned, is connected by a link 49 with a rod 50, which in turn connects with a leverarm 51, having a vulcanite fiber or other roller 52 mounted upon it and in the path of travel of the cans as they pass around in their circular course. As each can arrives at this roller 52 it presses it and the lever-arm 51 out of the path of travel of the can, and in doing so it acts through the rod '50 and link 46 to turn the arm 48 of the cock, and thus open the valve so as to allow the jet of air to be discharged through the nozzle 45 while the can is revolving in line with the jet, as before described. This jet of air is provided from-any source into which the air may be compressed to such a degree as may be found necessary for the purpose. I have found that from forty to fifty pounds is a very eificient pressure, and as the can is revolved rapidly while in front of the jet and its forward travel is temporarily arrested the airblast will thoroughly clean the surface, after which the can is allowed to move on, and as soon as it passes out of the line of the blast a spring, as at 53, acts to return the lever-arm 51 to its normal position, and thus close the air-inlet valve until another can arrives, when the same operation will take place.

The cans when delivered to the carriers 6 are held between revoluble heads so driven that each can is rapidly revolved while passing around the circle in which the carriers travel. The carriers are mounted and revoluble upon a vertically-disposed shaft 7, as shown in plan view. After each can has been "cleansed, as previously described, it resumes its temporarily-interrupted travel and passes around the remainder of the circle until it is again delivered to the carrier-arms 3 of the endless traveling chain, and the cans are thus removed from this apparatus and either de- "li'v'ered to the capper-machine or to any point desired. The cans when they are removed from the carrier-arms 3 by the action of the directing device 5 are delivered upon avertically-moving table-having a spindle, as shown at 10. This table or support may fit into a suitable countersunk depression in the main turn-table 11, which carries the cans around to the blast apparatus, and there are as many of these can-supporting tables as there are carriers 6. The spindles 10 are moved'vert'ically by the action of a cam, such as 14, acting upon fulcrumed levers 12, having 'antifriction-rollers 13. This cam revolves in a horizontal plane, and the upper edge is so formed that when the cans have been received upon the tables the higher portion of the cam will immediately afterward'arrive beneath the lever 12, which actuates the stem 10, and thus lift the table. The upper open end of the can is then in line beneath a conicallyshap'ed head 15, carried upon a spindle 16, which spindle is turnable through a turn-table 17-, and this turn-table is axially in line with the turn-table 11, previously described. The cone-heads 15 are of such form that they fit into the open heads of the cans, and there will be sufiicient pressure exerted by the upward movement of the tables 9 to hold the cans firmly'against the cones. The cones and their spindles 16 are revolved by pinions 18, fixed to the upper ends of the spindles, and these pinions engage with a gear 19, by which they are revolved. This gear 19 is driven from any suitable source of power.

By a suitable mechanism, as shown at 20, the revolution of that part of the apparatus carrying the turn-table is arrested when each can has arrived in front of the air-blast nozzle 45, and the can ceases to advance; but the revolution of the can on its own axis continues for a sufficient length of time to re volve it once or more in the path of the airblast, after which the apparatus again con' tinues its motion and the'can is carried around and delivered to the arms 3 of the endless chain to be removed. This portion of the apparatus'not being a part of my present invention is not further described at this place.

In order to maintain the proper tension upon the endless traveling chain A, I have shown a bracket'30, having one end centered concentrically with the outer sprocket-wheel 2. naled an idler-sprocket 31, and the arm 30 is turnable upon a segment 32 and may be fixed at any desired point by set-screw or latch of any desired description. The chain A is normally carried around the sprockets 2, as previously described, and whenever it is necessary to tighten the chain it is only necessary to turn the arm 30 and cause the idlersprocket 31 to press against the inside of the returning portion of the chain, thus forcing it out of the straight line of travel between the sprockets 2 and taking up as much of the slack of the chain as may be desired.

33 indicates the fast and loose pulleys, through the fast one of which the power is transmitted by a belt from any suitable source to revolve the bevel-gears 34, through which power is transmitted to rotate the can-carriers, as shown.

The horizontal shaft of the pulleys 33 is journaled and turnable in a box upon a bracket 35. and the lower end of this bracket has a journal-box, as 36, which is turnable about the vertical shaft of the horizontallyrotating bevel-gear 34. This allows the pulleys 33 to be set in any desired line, from which the power-belt may arrive at the apparatus without disturbing the setting of the apparatus itself.

The cones 15, which fit into the tops of the cans, also serve to press the contents well down around the edges, so that the space will be clear, and the cans are more easily and perfectly soldered.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus for cleaning cans having in combination a rotary carrier for the cans, an air-supply pipe having a jet-nozzle fixed in position to discharge a jet of air directly upon the passing can, a valve in the air-pipe and controlling the same and normally closed to shut off the air from the'nozzle, and means connected with the valve and extending into the path of travel of the can for automatically opening the valve and supplying the air directly to the can at substantially the instant of presentation of the latter.

2. A can-cleaning apparatus comprising an air-supply pipe and a normally closed valve controlling the same, a rotary carrier for the cans, a nozzle on the supply-pipe and directed into the range of action of the carrier and adapted to deliver compressed air directly to the cans as the latter are moved relative thereto, and valve-operating mechanism having a member disposed in the path of the cans while carried by the carrier whereby the valve is opened to supply the air at substantially the instant of presentation of the can.

3. An apparatus for cleaning cans comprising a rotatable can-carrier, a stationary jetnozzle exterior to the carrier and positioned in the other end of the arm 30 is jourl to directly discharge a gaseous jet upon the can during the movement of the latter by the carrier, a gaseous-supply pipe and a valve normally closing the same valve-actuating means positioned in the range of action of the moving can and actuated by the latter at substantially the instant of presentation of said can whereby the valve is opened and maintained open during the travel of the can past the nozzle, and means whereby the valve is closed and the gas-pressure shut off when the can is carried out of the range of action of the nozzle.

a. An apparatus for cleaning cans comprising a jet-nozzle, an air-supply pipe and a valve therein by which the flow of air under pressure to said nozzle is controlled, intermittently-moving, horizontally-rotatable carriers by which the cans are presented in line with the jet-nozzle to receive upon their outer top surface the direct impact of the air, mechanism by which the cans are revolved, a fulcrumed lever having one end connected with the air-valve and a spring by which the other end is normally retained in the path of the moving can and the valve closed, said lever being moved to open the valve at the positioning of each can in front of the nozzle.

5. An apparatus for cleansing cans comprising a horizontal table upon which the cans are delivered, an endless traveling chain movable above the table having projecting arms adapted to engage and advance the cans successively, rotary carriers mounted upon a vertically-revoluble shaft adapted to receive the cans, means for guiding the cans from the table, anddelivering them from the chain carrier to the rotary carriers, turn-tables having revoluble heads between which the cans are received and clamped upon their arrival ,at said turn-tables, a jet-nozzle in front of which each of the cans is successively moved and revolved, a valve controlling the flow of the fluid under pressure through the nozzle, and a spring-actuated lever connected with and normally closing the valve, said lever projecting into the path of the approaching cans so as to be moved by contact therewith to open the jet-valve.

6. In an apparatus for cleansing cans, a gaseous cleansing-fluid-supply pipe. a stationary jet-nozzle on the pipe and adapted to deliver the gaseous fluid directly to the cans, an automatically-actuated valve, means for successively presenting the cans and revolving them in front of the nozzle and simultaneously opening the jet-valve, a horizontal table upon which the cans are first received and from which they are delivered to carriers by which they are transmitted to the jet-nozzle, stops by which the cans are arrested and means by. which the stops are moved to admit the passage of single cans.

7. An apparatus for cleansing cans comprisinga blast-nozzle and controlling-valve,

IIO

revoluble tables and an endless traveling chain having projecting arms and a fixed guide by which the cans are presented to the revoluble tables and transmitted to the blast apparatus, .a horizontal table upon which'the cans are first received and from which they are successively delivered to the chain carrier, a pair of stop-levers projecting into the path of travel of the cans and having an interval sufficient to receive a single can, rocker-arms and connections therewith whereby the movement of the cans will oscillate said arms and remove the stops from the path of the cans, whereby the cans are successively delivered between the stops and to'the chain carrier at each oscillation.

8. An apparatus for cleansing cans and comprising a horizontal Ltable upon which cans are received, a can-supplying mechanism, a rotary can-carrier andmeans foritranshand.

WILLIAM MUNN.

Witnesses: I

S. H. Nonnsn, J ESSIE C. BRODIE.