WO2000018571A1

WO2000018571A1 - Refund container apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2000018571A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/001716
Authority: WO
Inventors: Björn HALLDÉN
Original assignee: HALLDÉN, Kerstin
Priority date: 1998-09-30
Filing date: 1998-09-30
Publication date: 2000-04-06
Also published as: AU9290998A

Abstract

An apparatus for collection of containers (4, 17), especially refundable containers, comprising: a feed chute (3) for said containers (4); a stop board (5) devised at an end of the feed chute (3); means (12) for destruction and volume reduction of said containers (4, 17), having pressing means (6) devised to press a container (4, 17) transversally in relation to the feed chute (3), wherein said pressing means (6) is devised to press a container (4, 17) successively during which said container (4, 17) and said pressing means (6) are displaced longitudinally in relation to each other.

Description

REFUND CONTAINER APPARATUS

Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for collection of containers, and particularly for refundable containers for food or beverage products.

Background

In refund container apparatuses of this kind, certain types of containers or packages which justify a refund are accepted by the refund container apparatus, after which the container is destroyed and its volume is reduced by pressing and potentially also by cutting apart in such a way that the identification code of the container is destroyed. The purpose of destruction is that it should no longer be readable by any reading device comprised in the refund container apparatus, so that a customer receives a refund or a receipt, which justifies a refund from a cash register in a store, only once.

Numerous refund container apparatuses of the mentioned kind are available on the market, some apparatuses devised to handle metal cans for beer, soft drink, etc. and others for handling plastic bottles, soft containers, laminate packages like TETRAPAK® or BRIKPAK® and similar packages. Combined apparatuses, which can handle both the main types of packages, i.e. metal cans and plastic bottles, are available but these apparatuses have the disadvantage that each main type of package is destroyed in different ways in separate destruction units.

The refund container apparatuses devised to handle cans are normally devised to press the can into a flat packet. The work of pressing the can together demands great force which in turn means that a large amount of energy is needed for the destruction work. Such apparatuses must therefore be very rigidly built and have a large pressing capacity, with the consequence that the apparatuses are heavy, energy demanding and expensive to manufacture.

It has been suggested that the refund container apparatus for cans should be designed in a way that the can is kept essentially undestroyed during the passage through the apparatus, but that the identification on the can, usually a bar code, is destroyed. This is achieved by scraping off parts or all of the identification, by painting over the identification, or by making one or several cuts in the can close to or in the identification code, after which the part of the can carrying the bar code is pressed into the rest of the container, thus disabling the readability of the bar code. Refund container apparatuses for containers such as plastic bottles, soft packages, e.g. laminate packages, which justify a refund are commonly designed so that the container is passed by an identification reader, normally a bar code reader, and that a receipt is written for every container that justifies a refund, and therefore is accepted, or for series of containers inserted in connection to each other. In some cases, especially regarding plastic bottles of recovery type, the bottle is kept undestroyed and can be reused. In such cases there is always a risk for a refund to be paid more than once since the identification code is left undestroyed. It has also been proven unprofitable to handle recovery bottles of plastic in the above mentioned manner.

For economical reasons there has therefore been a demand for a refund container apparatus capable of handling several types of containers, such as metal cans, plastic bottles and other types of soft packages, by identifying the containers that justify a refund and subsequently destroy those containers in such a way that the containers can not be reinserted into the apparatus thus receiving a second refund for one and the same container.

Summary of the invention

The invention is characterised by the refund container apparatus being devised to handle different types of containers such as beer cans and lemonade cans as well as plastic bottles, normally polyethylene bottles, or so called PET-bottles, and soft packages such as laminate packages. In an embodiment of the invention a container is dropped in an input funnel of the apparatus, and is then transported downwards by the force of gravity through a feed chute until it hits a stop board at the lower end of said feed chute. During the passage through the feed chute the container passes a reader, which reads the identification code, e.g. a bar code, on the container. If the container does not justify a refund, it is either ejected back through the input funnel or lead away to an output or storage compartment devised for this purpose.

A container which is accepted by the apparatus is subsequently destroyed and volume reduced by means of pressing and flattening the container between cooperating rollers or jaws, thereby destroying the readability of the identification code by folding it.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the pressing of the container occurs close to the bottom, or possibly the top, of the container, after which pressing rollers are rolled longitudinally upwards along the container towards it other end, thereby achieving a subsequent pressing over the major part of the containers height. When using jaws the container is displaced step by step in relation to said jaws, with repeated pressing by means of the jaws.

In order to accomplish further safety towards unjustifiable handling of containers the refund container apparatus may comprise shearing means such as knives or scissors which at a certain stage of the destruction cuts through the container transversally, separating the container in one or several places.

Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics of and advantages of the invention will be obvious by the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates schematicly a cross section through a refund container apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the same apparatus as seen from above. Figure 3 shows schematicly as side view of a refund container apparatus according to the invention with a can in an initial position.

Figure 4 shows the apparatus when pressing of the can is beginning. Figure 5 shows the apparatus with the can at a completely pressed position. Figure 6 shows schematicly the apparatus in a position after completed destruction and volume reduction of the can.

Figure 7 shows schematicly the apparatus from a section following the line VII-VII in figure 6.

Figure 8 shows an enlarged, partly cut-open illustration of the encircled portion in figure 7. Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the destruction of a plastic bottle in a similar manner as in figures 3, 4 and 5.

Figures 12 and 13 show how a knife cuts through the plastic bottle and cuts off a piece of the bottle.

Figure 14 shows a block diagram of the function for a refund container appa- ratus according to the invention.

In the figures details which are known and commonly used in refund container apparatuses have been left out in order to make the illustrations more lucid and the following description focuses on the specific details separating the invention from technique of the prior art.

Detailed description of the invention

It is evident from figures 1 and 2 that an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention comprises an input funnel 1 with a door 2 which can be opened and a feed chute 3 for a container 4, which can be a metal can, a plastic bottle or any type of soft package, on which feed chute 3 the container 4 slides down towards a stop board 5. On each side of the feed chute 3 pressing means 6, which can be press rollers or press jaws, are mounted in a guide 7, in such a way that the pressing means 6 are displaceable transversally towards the container axis. The container 4 is dropped in a wellknown manner down through the feed chute 3 with its identification marking, in the figures a bar code 8, turned towards an identification code reader 9, which can be placed so that it is devised to read the bar code from the containers 4 upper side or its bottom side.

During the passage down through feed chute 3 the bar code 8 is read by reader 9, which by means of an article register device 10, as illustrated in figure 14, connected to the bar code reader 9 decides whether the container justifies a refund or not. As implicated in figure 14 the article register device 10 is connected to a telephone line through which up to date article information is obtained. A container which does not justify a refund is ejected back through the input funnel 1 or dropped out through a deviation tube, whereas a container which justifies a refund leads to a question to a controller unit 11 which, based on the read bar code, decides whether the container is a can, a plastic bottle or some type of soft package, the size of the container and the affixed refund amount for the container and which gives controller data to the pressing means 6 and possibly to a destruction knife 13.

After received information the destruction unit 12 is initiated, whereby the co- operating parts of the pressing means 6 are displaced towards each other so that the container is pressed together transversally to its axis, and if so desired one or several knifes 13 are ejected and thereby cutting through and separating the container in two or more pieces.

Such kind of pressing can be achieved with relatively little force. Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment where pressing means comprise rollers 6 which have just begun to press the container 4 transversally, on level with the bar code 8, the container 4 in this illustration being a metal can. Figure 5 shows a subsequent position in which the container 4 has been pressed together completely on level with the bar code 8, which is the initial axial position for the rollers 6. Subsequent to the complete pressing of the container in the initial axial position rollers 6 start to rotate and move along the container 4 axis, upwards in figure 6, whereby the container 4 is pressed together over the majority of its height. The bottom 14 and the top 15 are left unaffected.

In another embodiment pressing means comprise jaws 6 instead of rollers. In such a case the apparatus uses a repeating procedure in which the pressing jaws 6 first press together the container 4 at a fixed axial position, e.g. on level with the bar code 8, secondly that the press jaws are moved transversally outwards again to a position similar to the one illustrated in figure 3. The press jaws 6 are then displaced axially along the container 4 by means of a displacement of the guide 7, on which the jaws 6 are mounted, in relation to the container 4, and subsequently the jaws 6 are pressed transversally together again at a position axially different from the first position. The number of steps needed to completely press a container 4 with press jaws 6 is predominantly determined by the height of the container 4 and the width of the press jaws 6. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate how the container's envelope has been pressed together to a flat fin 16 approximately on level with the bar code 8, which thereby has been made unreadable for any reader in the refund container apparatus. After finished pressing rollers or jaws 6 return to the initial positions as shown in figure 1, in which the apparatus is ready to receive a new container for code reading, destruction and volume reduction. The destroyed container 6 is transported to some gathering place for destroyed container in a wellknown manner.

Destruction of plastic bottles 14, normally so called PET-bottles (polyethylene bottles) or other types of soft packages, which justify a refund is basically achieved in the same manner as described above in relation to figures 3 to 6. In order to prevent the shape of a plastic bottle to be reinstated after destruction, e.g. by inflation, whereby the plastic bottle could be reinserted into the refund container apparatus, additional destruction is preferably performed by means one or several knives 13 mounted closely before or after the pressing means 6 in direction of the container axis. When the pressing means 6 have pressed the bottle 17 completely, and prefer- ably after the pressing means 6 have pressed the bottle along an extended portion of its heights, as illustrated in figure 12, the knives 13 are ejected to cut trough the bottle so that the bottom portion 18 or several portions between the knives 13 is cut off and transported to a gathering place as indicated in figure 13.

In an alternative embodiment, pressing means 6 are devised to grab the container 4 close to the upper portion of the container A, after which the pressing means 6 are displaced downwards towards the bottom 14 of the container 4. In another embodiment the refund container apparatus is devised to receive the container 4 with the top 15 first. The bar code on the container can be placed at any height from the container bottom, since the reading occurs when the container passes the stationary bar code reader 9 when travelling on the feed chute 3 down towards the stop board 5. In yet another embodiment the stop board 5 is moved from the position shown in figure 1 once the pressing means have reached the completely pressed position as illustrated in figure 5, e.g. by sliding it transversally or by pivoting. Using pressing means 6 comprising rollers, as illustrated in figure 2, then allows the guide 7 to be stationary also in axial direction of the container. Rotating the rollers then forces the container 4 to be displaced axially downwards in the apparatus, while the rollers completely press the container along its height as illustrated in figure 6.

References

1. input funnel

2. door 3. feed chute

4. container in the form of a can

5. stop board

6. pressing means in the form of press rollers or press jaws

7. guide 8. identification code, e.g. a bar code

9. identification code reader

10. article register device

11. controller unit for pressing means 6 and knife 13

12. destruction means 13. knife

14. container bottom

15. container top

16. container pressed to a flat fin

17. container in the form of a plastic bottle 18. cut off piece of a container

Claims

1. An apparatus for collection of containers (4, 17), especially refundable containers, comprising:

- a feed chute (3) for said containers (4); - a stop board (5) devised at an end of the feed chute (3);

- means (12) for destruction and volume reduction of said containers (4, 17), comprising pressing means (6) devised to press a container (4, 17) transversally in relation to the feed chute (3), characterised by

- said pressing means (6) being devised to press a container (4, 17) succes- sively during which said container (4, 17) and said pressing means (6) are displaced longitudinally in relation to each other.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, characterised by said pressing means comprising a pair of co-operating press rollers (6) devised to, in an initial pressing stage, press together said container (4, 17) between said rollers transversally, said rollers (6) being devised to rotate during said longitudinal displacement of the container (4, 17) in relation to said pressing means, thereby achieving said successive, transversal pressing.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, characterised by said pressing means comprising a press jaw devised to press said container (4, 17) transversally in multiple successive steps during a step by step displacement longitudinally of the container (4, 17) in relation to said pressing means.

4. An apparatus as recited in any of the preceding claims, characterised by means for ejecting unaccepted containers.

5. An apparatus as recited in any of the preceding claims, characterised by means (9) for reading an identification code (8) on said container (4, 17); an article register device (10), which is updated from an external communication connected to said means (9) for reading; a controller unit (11) for transferring controller data to said means (12) for destruction and volume reduction.

6. An apparatus as recited in any of the preceding claims, characterised by a transversally stationary guide (7) devised to control the movements of said pressing means (6) towards and outwards from the container (4, 17) sides.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, characterised by the guide (7) for said pressing means (6) being displaceable from a position close to the stop board (5) to a position close to the top (15) of a container (4, 17) engaging the stop board, whereby the container (4, 17) during pressing is pressed together to thin fin (16).

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 6 or 7, characterised by the apparatus being formed with one or several knives (13) mounted at the pressing means guide (7) devised to cut containers in several parts (18) when displaced towards the sides of the container, whereby the pressing means and the knives (13) are activated independently of each other.