WO2004065281A1

WO2004065281A1 - Device for maintaining a container in a capping installation

Info

Publication number: WO2004065281A1
Application number: PCT/FR2003/003664
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philippe Nusbaum
Original assignee: Bericap
Priority date: 2002-12-20
Filing date: 2003-12-10
Publication date: 2004-08-05
Also published as: EP1572569A1; EP1572569B1; FR2849010B1; AU2003296811A1; ATE356075T1; DE60312378D1; DE60312378T2; FR2849010A1; ES2281696T3

Abstract

The invention concerns a device (12) having a surface (28) designed to be aligned and co-operate with a container neck, said surface comprising several projections (29) adapted to penetrate the material constituting said neck when a vertical force is exerted by the cap on the container when the cap is being fitted. At least one projection has a free end forming not a pointed tip but a linear ridge (32a) arranged so as to counter a movement of the container which would occur during the cap fitting process in the absence of the maintaining device. Moreover, the projections are designed and adapted to allow the container to slide towards and outside the maintaining device substantially parallel to the linear ridge of said projection. The invention also concerns a capping installation comprising such a maintaining device.

Description

DEVICE FOR HOLDING A CONTAINER IN A PLANT

CAPSULAGE

The invention relates to a holding device intended to allow the holding of a container provided with a neck delimiting an opening in a given relative position desired during and for the installation of a plug on said neck in a capping installation. , as well as a capping installation comprising such a holding device.

There are already known such holding devices, which aim to allow the correct mounting and positioning of the stopper on the neck of the container. In the embodiment considered, the container, typically a cylindrical bottle, has a generally threaded neck on the outside, delimiting an opening, intended to receive the closure plug, generally threaded on the inside and, on the neck but spaced from the opening, a projecting collar. . In the embodiment considered, the container is arranged with its vertical or substantially vertical axis, the neck being in the upper part.

Such a known device generally comprises a part in the form of a half cylinder arranged to be able to be placed around the neck of the container, the transverse end face, active (upper face in the case of the envisaged positioning) of the half cylinder having a generally planar shape. and being intended to be placed opposite the collar, opposite the neck opening (under the collar in the case of the envisaged positioning).

The container is placed so that its flange rests on the device, then moved to the stopper insertion area that is part of the capping installation. In this area, the container neck is located between means for guiding the capping installation and the holding device.

According to a first known embodiment, the transverse end face, active (upper) of the half cylinder is provided with three or five pyramidal teeth with a height close to 1.5 mm to 2 mm, uniformly distributed. Each of these teeth, for example, have a generally triangular base and a pointed apex.

When placing the cap on the container neck, a vertical axial force is exerted by the cap on the container. Consequently, the teeth penetrate into the material constituting the flange, the objective being to prevent a displacement of the container to allow perfect positioning of the stopper.

However, these toothed devices are not entirely satisfactory. First of all, the teeth do not always allow the container to be held effectively in the desired position. In the case of containers with a threaded neck, for example, the correct fitting of a threaded plug, by screwing, often results in a rotation of the container despite the penetration of the teeth into the collar. Thus, on the one hand, the risks that the plug is incorrectly positioned are increased and, on the other hand, deterioration of the flange by the teeth following the rotation of the container is often observed.

In addition, the fact that the teeth have a relatively large height, so as to ensure as much as possible the maintenance of the container in the desired position, has two main major. On the one hand, the teeth can penetrate the collar over a considerable height, and thus risk damaging the collar. On the other hand, in the area of insertion of the stopper, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the end of the teeth is relatively large, and can for example reach 3.5 mm. It follows that the container is inclined relative to the vertical, the risks that the cap is mounted obliquely to the neck being therefore greater.

Furthermore, the forces exerted on the container during the fitting of the stopper are located in three or five almost point zones, corresponding to the tops of the teeth. These areas are particularly stressed, which can lead to significant deformation of the collar, which is not desirable. Finally, if the maintenance of the container in the desired position is relatively suitable, on the other hand, the movement of the container towards and out of the holding device is particularly difficult due to the significant penetration of the teeth in the collar. The overall process of moving the bottles in a capping installation is therefore not optimal.

A second known embodiment is described in particular in document EP 0 989 089.

In this device, the transverse face of the active end of the half-cylinder comprises three pointed projections defining a horizontal plane for holding the bottle when the stopper is put in place. The end of each projection forms a linear edge of very short length compared to the surface facing the flange. In addition, the projections are arranged radially on the holding device, the three projections being arranged at 90 ° from each other.

This device has a number of drawbacks.

First of all, the reduced length of the edges does not make it possible to completely overcome the aforementioned problems encountered with the projections whose apex is pointed.

Furthermore, the radial arrangement of the projections allows the container to be held securely when the cap is screwed on, but excludes the movement of the container to and from the holding device via the opening of the half cylinder, parallel to the edge of the projection. median ".

The invention aims to provide a container holding device more efficient than the devices of the prior art, and which can receive and release a container in a particularly simple, fast and efficient. The invention makes it possible inter alia to considerably reduce the number of caps imperfectly mounted on the neck of said containers.

To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a holding device arranged to cooperate with complementary means provided on the container to allow the holding of the container during and for the establishment of a stopper on the neck in a capping installation. The device has a face intended to be placed opposite said complementary means of the container, said face comprising a plurality of projections capable of penetrating at least partially into the material of said complementary means when a vertical force is exerted by the stopper on the container. when fitting the plug.

At least one projection has a free end forming not a point but substantially a substantially linear edge arranged so as to be able to oppose the movement of the container that would cause the establishment of the stopper on the neck in the absence of said holding device.

According to a general definition of the invention, the projections are provided and arranged to allow the container to slide towards and out of the holding device substantially parallel to the linear edge of said projection.

The fact of providing such a substantially linear edge significantly increases the efficiency of the projections, in terms of holding the container, relative to the teeth of the prior art whose apex is pointed.

Thus, the risks that the cap is improperly mounted on the neck, due to the unwanted movement of the container during assembly, are considerably reduced.

In addition, the projection (s) whose free end forms a substantially linear edge, on the one hand, and any other projections having a different shape, on the other hand, have a geometry and dimensions such that they allow the container to slide towards and out of the holding device substantially parallel to the linear edges of said projections.

In particular, the height of the projections, the free end of which forms a substantially linear edge, is greater than or even equal to the height of any other projections, so that said other projections do not hinder the sliding movement.

Thus, the establishment of the plug on the device and the outlet of the plug from the device are particularly simple to implement. In addition, this configuration allows rapid and satisfactory positioning of a bottle on an associated device. The capping installation is thus considerably improved.

According to a possible embodiment, at least one projection has the shape of a prism with a triangular base lying, said prism projecting from the face of the holding device intended to be placed opposite the complementary means of the container from one of its longitudinal faces. , the longitudinal edge opposite to said longitudinal face being able to penetrate into the material of said complementary means.

The face of the holding device intended to be placed opposite the complementary means of the container comprises for example at least two projections whose free end forms not a point but substantially a substantially linear edge, said free ends being substantially parallel to one another.

This results in better vertical stability and better seating of the container. In addition, the forces exerted on the container and on the elements of the capping installation are better distributed.

The height of the projections can be between 0.4 and 1 mm. The height of the projections according to the invention is less than that of the teeth of the prior art, but maintaining the container in the desired position is nevertheless better. Limiting the penetration height of the projections in the material of the container also makes it possible to reduce the risks of deterioration.

In one possible embodiment, the device comprises a wall substantially in the form of a half cylinder arranged to be able to be placed around the neck of the container, a transverse end face of the half cylinder having a generally planar shape and comprising several projections capable of penetrating a collar provided on the container, from the face of the collar opposite the opening of the container neck.

According to other characteristics, the substantially linear edge of the projection can extend orthogonally to the axis of the half cylinder and parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of said half cylinder.

The holding device may further comprise a side wall substantially in the form of a portion of a crown extending towards the outside of the half cylinder, substantially perpendicular to the axis of the half cylinder, said side wall comprising means allowing its fixing in a capping installation.

For example, the projections extend, on the transverse end face of the half cylinder, substantially over the entire thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to an installation for capping containers fitted with a neck comprising at least one device for holding the container as described above.

The capping installation may include means for guiding the container arranged so that the container can be kept in the desired position for the establishment of a plug on the neck between said means of guide and the holding device, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the substantially linear edge of the projection of the holding device being less than 2 mm.

Thus, the difference in height between the upper face of the guide means and the substantially linear edge of the projection of the holding device is less than in the prior art. It follows that the inclination of the container before and during the fitting of the plug is less, which reduces the risk of incorrect mounting of the plugs.

The other characteristics of the invention result from the following description of embodiments, description made with reference to the appended figures in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic representation, in top view, of a capping installation in which the holding device according to the invention is used;

- Figure 2 is a schematic representation, seen along arrow F of Figure 1, of a container held in position by the holding device, during the establishment of a stopper on the neck of said container;

- Figure 3 is a top view of the holding device according to the invention;

- Figure 4 is a front view of the holding device;

- Figure 5 is a sectional view along line AA of Figure 3;

- Figure 6 is a schematic perspective representation of the holding device;

- Figure 7 is a schematic perspective representation of the projections of the holding device according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figures 8a to 8c are schematic perspective representations of the projections of the holding device according to other embodiments of the invention.

First of all, reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 which represent a capping installation 1 intended for the installation of plugs 2 on the neck 3 of containers 4. The installation 1 comprises an upstream routing path 5 by which the containers 4 are routed to a plate 6 in the general form of a disc, as well as a downstream routing zone 7 by which the containers 4 are moved from the plate 6 to another station in installation 1.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the upstream 5 and downstream 7 routing paths are substantially horizontal and aligned along the same axis 8, at least in the vicinity of the plate 6, itself horizontal. The containers 4, typically bottles, are moved with their substantially vertical axis, the neck 3 being in the upper part.

The plate 6 is movable in rotation - here in a clockwise direction when viewed from above - around a substantially vertical axis 9, intersecting the horizontal axis 8 of the routing paths 5, 7.

The installation 1 also comprises a supply path 10 for the plugs 2, which is substantially horizontal, perpendicular to the axis 8 and situated above the transport paths 5, 7.

The installation 1 also includes guide means 11 forming a horizontal crown portion extending over an angle between 100 and 170 °. The guide means 11 are located substantially in the same plane as the plate 6, and partially surround the plate 6 near its periphery, between the upstream routing path 5 and the downstream routing path 7, in the direction of rotation of the plate 6.

Finally, the installation 1 comprises four holding devices 12 according to the invention, said holding devices 12 being placed regularly on the periphery of the plate 6, so as to form the vertices of a square. The devices 12 will be described in detail below.

We are now interested in the general operation of the capping installation 1. This operation will be described in the case of containers 4 comprising a neck 3 provided, on its outer face, with a thread 13 and a flange 14 located under the thread 13. The plug 2 intended to be associated with the neck 3 comprises on its inner face has a complementary thread 15.

When a container 4 arrives, from the upstream routing path 5, in the vicinity of the periphery of the plate 6, said container 4 is placed on a holding device 12.

The plate 6 is then turned 90 ° towards the zone 16 for fitting the plug 2, the neck 3 of the container 4 being guided in this movement by the guide means 11, from a first end 17 of said guide means 11 located near the upstream route 5.

The plug 2, moved on the supply path 10, is then mounted on the neck 3, at the level of the zone 16, by vertical axial displacement downwards.

Once the stopper 2 has been placed on the neck 3 of the container 4, the plate is again rotated by 90 °, so that the container 4 can be released on the one hand from the guide means 11, after having passed the second end 18 of said guide means 11, and on the other hand of the holding device 12, to then be moved on the downstream routing path 7.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 3 to 6 which represent the holding device 12.

The holding device 12 comprises a wall 19 in the form of a portion of a cylinder - and substantially of a half cylinder 19 - with an axis 20 and an internal radius Ri slightly greater than the radius of the neck 3 of the container 4. For example, the internal radius Ri of the half cylinder 19 is between 18 and 20 mm, and the height of the half cylinder 19 is between 3 and 5 mm. The half cylinder 19 is extended downwards by a frusto-conical wall 21 flaring from its first end 22, linked to the lower part of the half cylinder 19, in the direction of its second end 23. The inner face 24 of the truncated cone wall 21 is arranged to match the outer face 25 of the part of the container 4 located under the neck 3, under the flange 14.

Finally, a side wall 26, substantially flat and in the form of a portion of a crown, extends from the external face of the wall in a truncated cone 21 towards the outside, substantially perpendicular to the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19, on a distance close to the internal radius Ri of the half cylinder 19.

The side wall 26 has two orifices 27 intended to receive a fixing member, such as a screw, for securing the holding device 12 to the plate 6 of the capping installation 1. The two orifices 27 are placed symmetrically with respect to in the longitudinal plane of symmetry P of the half cylinder 19.

The upper end transverse face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 is generally planar and comprises a plurality of projections 29.

Each projection 29 has the form of a straight prism lying whose base 30 is in the shape of a right triangle and whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19 and parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry P of said half cylinder 19 .

The prism-shaped projection 29 has three longitudinal faces 31a, 31b, 31c, as well as three longitudinal edges 32a, 32b, 32c.

The prism projects from the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19 from the first of its longitudinal faces 31a. The edge 32a opposite the longitudinal face 31a substantially coincides with the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19 forms the free end of the projection 29. The edge 32a is able to penetrate into the material constituting the flange 14 of the container 4, as will be explained below.

To this end, the material constituting the projections 29 - and of the holding device 12 - is sufficiently hard and resistant, relative to the material of the container 4, to be able to ensure sufficient penetration of the projections 29 in the flange 14 and allow maintenance effective of said container 4 in the desired position, without however risking damaging the container 4.

The container 4 is, in the embodiment considered, made of plastic.

The holding device 12 and the projections 29 are made in one piece, in a material capable of withstanding aseptic food conditions. The holding device 12 can be made of metal, for example stainless metal with a surface treatment.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 7, the projections 29 have a base 30 in the shape of a right triangle. A second longitudinal face 31b is thus substantially perpendicular to the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19, while a third longitudinal face 31c is inclined relative to the second longitudinal face 31b by an angle α, for example close to 45 ° .

The projections 29 extend, on the upper face 28, over substantially the entire thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder 19. The height of the projections 29 is close to 0.6 mm.

For example (FIGS. 3 to 5), the upper face 28 of the half-cylinder 19 has thirteen regularly spaced parallel projections 29, spaced about 3.3 mm apart (between two successive edges 32a).

According to other possible embodiments, shown in FIGS. 8a to 8c, the projection 29 can take other forms: - Base 30 in the form of an isosceles triangle, the equal sides of which are one in the plane of the second longitudinal face 31b and the other in the plane of the third longitudinal face 31c (FIG. 8a);

- Shape similar to that of Figure 8a, the edge 32a being slightly rounded, but sharp enough to be able to maintain the container 4 in the desired position (Figure 8b);

- Base 30 in the shape of a triangle, but “wavy” prism, the edge 32a forming a curved line (FIG. 8c).

In the description, the term "edge" is understood either in the mathematical sense, that is to say as the intersection of two planes, or as an elongated pointed projecting line, allowing linear contact with the container 4, or even surface, and not substantially punctual as is the case in the prior art.

We will now describe how the device 12 allows the container 4 to be held effectively in the capping installation 1.

Each device 12 is fixed to the plate 6 so that the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19 is vertical, the projections 29 being directed upwards, the opening of the half cylinder 19 being directed towards the outside of the plate 6.

Thus, when a container 4 arriving from the upstream routing path 5 is placed on the device 12, the longitudinal axis of the projections 29 is parallel to a diameter of the plate 6 and substantially parallel to the axis 8 of the path d upstream routing 5.

The configuration of the projections 29 has numerous advantages during the movement of the containers 4 in the capping installation 1 and in the zone 16 for fitting the plug 2 on the neck 3.

First of all, when a container 4 arrives, from the upstream routing path 5, in the vicinity of the periphery of the plate 6, said container 4 is placed so that its flange 14 rests on the projections 29 of a holding device 12.

Thus, the container 4 can slide parallel to the longitudinal direction of the projections 29, corresponding to the direction of the axis 8, and be perfectly positioned on the holding device 12, the axis of the container 4 then being vertical and coincident with the axis 20 of the half cylinder 19.

Furthermore, due to this possibility of sliding parallel to the longitudinal direction of the projections 29, the container 4 is perfectly centered between the guide means 11 and the holding device 12 fixed to the plate 6.

In addition, in zone 16, the projections are arranged to oppose the rotational movement following the screwing of the plug 2 on the neck 3 of the container.

In fact, when the plug 2 is placed on the neck 3 of the container 4, an axial downward force is exerted on the container 4, this force leading to the penetration of the projections 29 in the material of the flange 14, at least over a certain height of the projections 29.

The longitudinal axis of the projections 29 is then substantially perpendicular to the rotational movement imparted to the plug 2. In addition, the forces exerted by the plug 2 tend to move the container 4 in rotation towards the second longitudinal face 31b of the projections 29, said second longitudinal face 31b blocking this movement more effectively than the pyramidal teeth which the transverse face to the movement is of much smaller dimensions cannot do.

Thus, the rotational movement of the container 4 is prevented by the projections 29, especially when the second longitudinal face 31b is at right angles to the upper face 28 of the half cylinder 19 (embodiment of Figure 7). In addition, when the projections 29 are partially pressed into the collar 14, the difference in height between the upper face 33 of the guide means 11 and the lower face 34 of the collar 14 is relatively small, of the order of 1.5. at 2 mm.

This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the projections have a lower height than in the prior art and, on the other hand, the projections penetrate into the flange 14 on a lesser height, without however harming the quality of holding the container in position 4.

Thus, the container 4 is slightly inclined, its axis thus remaining substantially vertical, and the stopper 2 can be perfectly placed on the neck 3, without the risk of being positioned "askew".

Finally, the sliding of the container 4 on the projections 29, parallel to the axis 8 of the downstream routing path 7, allows the containers 4 to exit from the tray 6 more easily, after the plug 2 has been put in place.

The projections allow the container to be held perfectly in the desired position, in particular by preventing it from rotating, before, during and after fitting the cap 2.

The invention does not require any significant modification of the installation 1, since it is only a question of replacing the holding devices of the prior art by the holding devices 12 according to the invention, by simple unscrewing / screwing.

Claims

1. Holding device intended to allow the maintenance of a container (4) provided with a neck (3) delimiting an opening in a given position desired during and for the establishment of a plug (2) on said neck (3) in a capping installation (1), said device (12) being arranged to cooperate with complementary means (14) provided on the container (4) to allow said container (4) to be held, said device (12) having a face (28) intended to be placed opposite said complementary means (14) of the container (4), said face (28) comprising a plurality of projections (29) capable of penetrating at least partially into the material constituting said complementary means (14) when a vertical force is exerted by the plug (2) on the container (4) during the fitting of the plug (2), at least one projection (29) having a free end (32a) forming not a point but substantially an edge substantially linear arranged so as to be able to oppose the movement of the container (4) that would cause the establishment of the plug (2) on the neck (3) in the absence of said holding device (12), characterized in that the projections (29) are provided and arranged to allow the container (4) to slide towards and out of the holding device (12) substantially parallel to the linear edge of said projection (29).

2. Holding device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one projection (29) has the shape of a prism with a base (30) lying triangular, said prism projecting from the face (28) of the holding device (12) intended to be placed opposite the complementary means (14) of the container (4) from one of its longitudinal faces (31a), the longitudinal edge (32a) opposite to said longitudinal face (31a) being able to penetrate into the material constituting said complementary means (14).

Holding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the face (28) of the holding device (12) intended to be placed opposite the complementary means (14) of the container (4) comprises at least two projections (29 ) whose free end (32a) forms not a point but substantially a substantially linear edge, said free ends (32a) being substantially parallel to one another.

4. Holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the height of the projections (29) is between 0.4 and

1 mm.

5. Holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a wall substantially in the form of a half cylinder (19) arranged to be able to be placed around the neck (3) of the container (4) , a transverse end face (28) of the half cylinder (19) having a generally planar shape and comprising several projections (29) capable of penetrating into a flange (14) provided on the container (4), from the face of the collar (14) opposite the opening of the neck (3) of the container (4).

6. Holding device according to claim 5, characterized in that the substantially linear edge (32a) of the projection (29) extends orthogonally to the axis (20) of the half cylinder (19) and parallel to the plane of longitudinal symmetry (P) of said half cylinder (19).

7. Holding device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it further comprises a side wall (26) substantially in the form of a portion of a crown extending towards the outside of the half cylinder (19), substantially perpendicularly to the axis (20) of the half cylinder (19), said side wall (26) comprising means (27) allowing its fixing in a capping installation (1).

8. Holding device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the projections (29) extend, on the transverse end face (28) of the half cylinder (19), substantially over the entire length. thickness of the wall forming said half cylinder (19).

9. Capping installation for containers (4) provided with a neck (3), characterized in that it comprises at least one holding device (12) for the container (4) according to one of the preceding claims.

10. Capping installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises guide means (11) of the container (4), said guide means (11) being arranged so that the container (4) can be maintained in the desired position for the establishment of a plug (2) on the neck (3) between said guide means (11) and the holding device (12), and in that the difference in height between the face upper (33) of the guide means (11) and the substantially linear edge (32a) of the projection (29) of the holding device (12) is less than 2 mm.