U.S. patent application number 09/872492 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-14 for turret for bottle capping machine.
Invention is credited to Martin, Wendell S..
Application Number | 20020017076 09/872492 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27395139 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020017076 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martin, Wendell S. |
February 14, 2002 |
Turret for bottle capping machine
Abstract
The present invention overcomes the above-perceived problems
associated with the known art. The present invention provides an
efficient capping machine with an improved turret that may be
retrofitted to existing capping machines or included as an integral
component of a new capping machine. The improved capping machine
includes a rotatable turret that is significantly smaller than
conventional bottling turrets. The improved turret utilizes fewer
moving parts and it has a smaller mass that enables the turret to
rotate more efficiently while requiring less power. The improved
capping machine includes a rotating turret section coupled to a
mounting plate and support. A cap delivery chute assembly is
associated therewith. The improved turret includes a rotatable
frame secured to an elevation shaft of the central hub via a
torsion bearing assembly. The rotatable frame is driven by a bull
gear associated with the capping machine. Preferably, a plurality
of spindles, generally at least two or more, are regularly spaced
about the periphery of the turret. Each spindle secures a screw-on
cap to a respective bottle during turret rotation. The bull gear
drives each spindle as the turret rotates about the central hub.
Ordinarily, each spindle secures a screw-on cap to a bottle during
slightly less than one revolution of the turret about the capping
machine. Each spindle includes a spindle cylinder secured to the
turret by an upper plate and a lower plate. Each spindle cylinder
includes a mobile spindle piston that moves vertically inside the
spindle cylinder. An elongated spindle shaft is secured to the
piston. An important feature of the invention is the ability to
remove an entire spindle unit from the turret. This facilitates
more efficient maintenance while decreasing down time. The spindle
shaft has upper and lower terminal ends. The upper terminal end of
the spindle shaft includes a spindle gear that is driven by the
bull gear. The lower terminal end of the spindle shaft includes a
capping head secured thereto for screwing caps onto a bottle. An
intermediate cam follower is secured to the spindle shaft. The cam
follower is secured to the piston which is rotationally secured by
brass slides. The spindle rotates inside the stationery piston.
During turret rotation, the spindle piston moves vertically in the
spindle cylinder as the spindle follower traverses a track defined
in an inner cam secured to the central hub. In many conventional
bottling machines, the spindle moves upwardly and downwardly in
response to the cam follower as the turret rotates about the cam
between an upper dwell and a lower dwell where the cap is screwed
on to the bottle. The present invention works similarly. The
rotating turret is driven by a peripheral gear upon the central
hub. As the turret rotates, the bull gear drives the spindle gears
to rotate the spindle shafts. The cam follower on each spindle
shaft follows the cam track on the central cam to raise and lower
the spindle as is the conventional manner. As the spindle passes
the cap delivery assembly, the capping head picks up a bottle cap
for subsequent application to a bottle. The associated cap delivery
assembly places respective bottle caps adjacent rotating bottles
beneath the capping head during the descent from the upper dwell to
the lower dwell such that the cap may enter the capping head in a
conventional fashion for subsequent placement upon the bottle. The
capping turret as well as the cap delivery assembly are
synchronized so that caps are delivered during the proper sequence
of events to be loaded into the capping head as the capping head
moves past the cap delivery assembly region. After a cap is
inserted into the capping head, the capping head moves to an upper
position above the bottle top for subsequent application of the
screw-on closure to the bottle. As the turret continues to rotate,
the cam follower descends in the cam track to lower the spindle
shaft and capping head with captured closure upon the upright
bottle. During the entire procedure, the capping head and spindle
shaft rotate so that the bottle closure is already rotating as it
descends upon the bottle threaded neck adjacent the bottle top. The
capping head secures the closure to the bottle with the application
of sufficient torque to ensure retention thereof.
Inventors: |
Martin, Wendell S.; (Fort
Smith, AR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Trent C. Keisling
1122 West Center Street, Suite 230
Fayetteville
AR
72701
US
|
Family ID: |
27395139 |
Appl. No.: |
09/872492 |
Filed: |
May 30, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60208024 |
May 30, 2000 |
|
|
|
60208661 |
May 31, 2000 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/306 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67B 3/2033 20130101;
B67C 7/004 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/306 |
International
Class: |
B65B 007/28 |
Claims
1. An improved turret or a bottle capping machine as described
hereinabove.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to and is a continuation of
U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/208,024, filed May 30,
2000, and of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/208,661,
filed May 31, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention.
[0003] The present invention relates to improvements in bottle
capping machines or bottle filling and capping machines to improve
the efficiency and reliability of capping bottles and especially
plastic bottles which have become a very common container for
beverages and, to some extent, other liquids. More particularly,
the invention relates to improvements particularly suited for
bottles with pre-threaded screw caps. Such bottles also often have
a three dimensional bottom surface of, what might be termed, a
radially symmetric flower-shape. This common and nearly universal
shape for plastic bottles will be referred to herein as a petaloid
shape, or simply petaloid.
[0004] 2. Known Art.
[0005] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the bottling
industry has for some time now been adopting plastic containers to
replace glass containers and it is believed that this trend will
likely continue. These plastic containers have been evolving for
several years and the majority now use screw-on closures.
[0006] As screw-on caps for bottles have become commonplace,
improvements have been made to capping heads for such application.
For example, previously proposed inventions directed only to
capping machine heads that addressed certain problems associated
therewith have issued as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,139 and 4,313,769,
the teachings of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Certain conventional bottle capping apparatus however, have
remained relatively unchanged from their embodiments as capping
machines for primarily glass containers.
[0007] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,361 to Dix et al, shows an
apparatus for applying closures to filled bottles. The apparatus
uses a slide cam cooperating with interchangeable roll-on and
crimp-on closure applying heads which are mounted in a rotating
turret so as to raise and lower the heads with respect to the
bottles. The device uses interchangeable slide cam inserts to
modify the slide cam track depending upon whether roll-on or
crimp-on closure applying heads are mounted in the turret (i.e.
whether the container was plastic or glass). The device uses a
relatively large turret of substantial mass to apply both types of
closures.
[0008] Yet another example of a capping machine is shown in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,658,565 to Westbrook et al. In this device, the capping
machine applies plastic screw-on caps. The capping machine includes
a turret rotating about a stationary hub wherein the rotating
turret includes a plurality of operating stations that each has a
cap chuck and a lower gripping structure for engaging the bottle
upon which the cap is to be screwed. This device uses a bulky,
massive turret structure in the conventional fashion. The teachings
of both references are in relevant part hereby incorporated by
reference herein.
[0009] In processing screw cap threaded bottles or containers
through a known type of filling and/or capping machine (such a
shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,320 or U.S. Pat. No.
4,658,565, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference
herein), it was found necessary to prevent the rotating capping
head that applies the screw cap from also rapidly rotating the
bottle; such rotation of the bottle can have a very deleterious
effect on the operation of the machine as the bottles pass through
at a high rate of speed, often 100 bottles per minute or more.
Various expedients have been employed to prevent rotation of the
bottle as the screw cap is rotated on the threaded bottle neck and
firmly seated with a desired torque.
[0010] A very common expedient has been to provide knife elements
or pin elements which penetrate the upper portion of the plastic
bottle, as at the peripheral lip immediately below the cap
position. The reliability of such a technique is less than
desirable and has the disadvantage that it inevitably leaves a mark
on the bottle. A previously proposed invention addressing this
problem issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,400, the relevant portions of
which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0011] The advent of gripping the petaloid bottles at the bottom
while applying a cap to the top of the bottle has proven to be
quite commercially successful and petaloid bottles have become a
mainstay of the bottling industry. The industry however continues
to use capping machines, and particularly capping turrets,
originally intended to apply crimp-on closures to glass bottles.
These capping turrets are large, cumbersome, bulky devices that are
difficult to maintain and require excessive time to replace. While
these capping turrets have worked well for their intended use, they
simply no longer perform as efficiently as is desirable.
[0012] Thus, a need exists in the art for an improved capping
machine or capping turret, especially one well-suited for use with
lighter bottles, and particularly plastic petaloid bottles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention overcomes the above-perceived problems
associated with the known art. The present invention provides an
efficient capping machine with an improved turret that may be
retrofitted to existing capping machines or included as an integral
component of a new capping machine. The improved capping machine
includes a rotatable turret that is significantly smaller than
conventional bottling turrets. The improved turret utilizes fewer
moving parts and it has a smaller mass that enables the turret to
rotate more efficiently while requiring less power.
[0014] The improved capping machine includes a rotating turret
section coupled to a mounting plate and support. A cap delivery
chute assembly is associated therewith.
[0015] The improved turret includes a rotatable frame secured to an
elevation shaft of the central hub via a torsion bearing assembly.
The rotatable frame is driven by a bull gear associated with the
capping machine.
[0016] Preferably, a plurality of spindles, generally at least two
or more, are regularly spaced about the periphery of the turret.
Each spindle secures a screw-on cap to a respective bottle during
turret rotation. The bull gear drives each spindle as the turret
rotates about the central hub. Ordinarily, each spindle secures a
screw-on cap to a bottle during slightly less than one revolution
of the turret about the capping machine.
[0017] Each spindle includes a spindle cylinder secured to the
turret by an upper plate and a lower plate. Each spindle cylinder
includes a mobile spindle piston that moves vertically inside the
spindle cylinder. An elongated spindle shaft is secured to the
piston. An important feature of the invention is the ability to
remove an entire spindle unit from the turret. This facilitates
more efficient maintenance while decreasing down time.
[0018] The spindle shaft has upper and lower terminal ends. The
upper terminal end of the spindle shaft includes a spindle gear
that is driven by the bull gear. The lower terminal end of the
spindle shaft includes a capping head secured thereto for screwing
caps onto a bottle. An intermediate cam follower is secured to the
spindle shaft. The cam follower is secured to the piston which is
rotationally secured by brass slides. The spindle rotates inside
the stationery piston.
[0019] During turret rotation, the spindle piston moves vertically
in the spindle cylinder as the spindle follower traverses a track
defined in an inner cam secured to the central hub.
[0020] In many conventional bottling machines, the spindle moves
upwardly and downwardly in response to the cam follower as the
turret rotates about the cam between an upper dwell and a lower
dwell where the cap is screwed on to the bottle. The present
invention works similarly.
[0021] The rotating turret is driven by a peripheral gear upon the
central hub. As the turret rotates, the bull gear drives the
spindle gears to rotate the spindle shafts. The cam follower on
each spindle shaft follows the cam track on the central cam to
raise and lower the spindle as is the conventional manner. As the
spindle passes the cap delivery assembly, the capping head picks up
a bottle cap for subsequent application to a bottle.
[0022] The associated cap delivery assembly places respective
bottle caps adjacent rotating bottles beneath the capping head
during the descent from the upper dwell to the lower dwell such
that the cap may enter the capping head in a conventional fashion
for subsequent placement upon the bottle.
[0023] The capping turret as well as the cap delivery assembly are
synchronized so that caps are delivered during the proper sequence
of events to be loaded into the capping head as the capping head
moves past the cap delivery assembly region.
[0024] After a cap is inserted into the capping head, the capping
head moves to an upper position above the bottle top for subsequent
application of the screw-on closure to the bottle. As the turret
continues to rotate, the cam follower descends in the cam track to
lower the spindle shaft and capping head with captured closure upon
the upright bottle. During the entire procedure, the capping head
and spindle shaft rotate so that the bottle closure is already
rotating as it descends upon the bottle threaded neck adjacent the
bottle top. The capping head secures the closure to the bottle with
the application of sufficient torque to ensure retention
thereof.
[0025] Thus, a principle object of the present invention is to
provide an improved capping machine wherein the turret assembly is
smaller and lighter than conventional assemblies.
[0026] A related object of the present invention is to provide an
improved capping machine that may be operated more efficiently than
existing devices.
[0027] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved capping machine that may rotate faster than conventional
devices.
[0028] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
relatively low maintenance capping machine.
[0029] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved capping machine wherein a turret assembly may be
retrofitted to existing machines quickly and proficiently to
minimize down times.
[0030] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
reliable capping machine that may be easily serviced with minimal
down time.
[0031] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved capping machine with fewer moving parts to minimize
potential breakdowns that halt operations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of
an improved turret for a bottle capping machine.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a partially fragmented top plan view thereof with
portions omitted for clarity.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the turret of FIG. 1 along
lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view of a spindle
assembly in the turret.
[0036] FIGS. 5-22 are copies of color photographs of an exemplary
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0037] The present invention provides an efficient capping machine
with an improved turret that may be retrofitted to existing capping
machines or included as an integral component of a new capping
machine. The improved capping machine 40 includes a rotatable
turret 50 that is significantly smaller than conventional bottling
turrets. The improved turret 50 utilizes fewer moving parts and it
has a smaller mass that enables the turret 50 to rotate more
efficiently while requiring less power.
[0038] The improved capping machine 40 includes a rotating turret
section 50 coupled to a mounting hub 42 and support. A cap delivery
chute assembly 80 is associated therewith.
[0039] The improved capping machine includes a central hub 42 with
an elevation shaft 44. The elevation shaft 44 supports a top plate
43. The top plate 43 supports a top plate hub 45 mounted
therebelow. The top plate hub 45 supports the cam support hub 47 as
well as a bull gear 46. The cam support hub 47 in turn supports the
cam 48. A cam track 49 is defined in the outer periphery of the cam
48.
[0040] The improved turret 50 includes a rotatable frame 52 secured
to an elevation shaft 44 of the central hub 42 via a torsion
bearing assembly 54. The rotatable frame 52 is driven by a bull
gear 46 associated with the capping machine 40.
[0041] Preferably, a plurality of identical spindles 60, generally
at least six or more, are regularly spaced about the periphery of
the turret 50. Each spindle 60 secures a screw-on cap 110 to a
respective bottle 120 during turret rotation. The bull gear 46
drives each spindle 60 as the turret 50 rotates about the central
hub 42. Ordinarily, each spindle 60 secures a screw-on cap 110 to a
bottle 120 during slightly less than one revolution of the turret
50 about the capping machine 40.
[0042] Each spindle 60 includes a spindle cylinder 62 secured to
the turret 50 by an upper plate 64 and a lower plate 66. Each
spindle cylinder 62 includes a mobile spindle piston 68 that moves
vertically inside the spindle cylinder 62. An elongated spindle
shaft 70 is secured inside the piston 68.
[0043] The spindle shaft 70 has upper and lower terminal ends 72,
74. The upper terminal end 72 of the spindle shaft 70 includes a
spindle gear 76 that is driven by the bull gear 46. The lower
terminal end 74 of the spindle shaft 70 includes a capping head 78
secured thereto for screwing a cap onto a bottle. An intermediate
cam follower 79 is secured to the piston 68 between ends. During
turret rotation, the spindle piston 68 moves vertically in the
spindle cylinder 62 as the cam follower 79 traverses the track 49
defined in the inner cam 48 secured to the central hub 42.
[0044] In many conventional bottling machines, the spindle moves
upwardly and downwardly in response to the cam follower as the
turret rotates about the cam between an upper dwell and a lower
dwell where the cap is screwed on to the bottle. The present
invention works similarly.
[0045] The rotating turret 50 is driven by a peripheral gear (not
shown) upon the central hub 42. As the turret 50 rotates, the bull
gear 46 drives the spindle gears 76 to rotate the spindle shafts
70. The cam follower 79 on each spindle shaft 70 follows the cam
track 49 on the central cam 48 to raise and lower each spindle 60
as is the conventional manner. As the spindle passes the cap
delivery assembly 80, the capping head 78 picks up a bottle cap 110
for subsequent application to a bottle 120.
[0046] The associated cap delivery assembly 80 places respective
bottle caps adjacent rotating bottles beneath the capping head 78
during the descent from the upper dwell to the lower dwell such
that the cap 110 may enter the capping head 78 in a conventional
fashion for subsequent placement upon the bottle 120.
[0047] The capping turret 50 as well as the cap delivery assembly
80 are synchronized so that caps are delivered during the proper
sequence of events to be loaded into the capping head as the
capping head moves past the cap delivery assembly region.
[0048] After a cap is inserted into the capping head, the capping
head moves to an upper position above the bottle top for subsequent
application of the screw-on closure to the bottle. As the turret
continues to rotate, the cam follower descends in the cam track to
lower the spindle shaft and capping head with captured closure upon
the upright bottle. During the entire procedure, the capping head
and spindle shaft rotate so that the bottle closure is already
rotating as it descends upon the bottle threaded neck adjacent the
bottle top. The capping head secures the closure to the bottle with
the application of sufficient torque to ensure retention
thereof.
[0049] An important feature of the present invention is the ability
to remove entire spindles from the turret for maintenance and other
reasons. The removal of the entire spindle permits the spindle to
be easily disassembled and/or serviced at a later point while
minimizing down-time in that a replacement spindle may be easily
inserted. The removal of spindle 60 requires minutes. To remove the
spindle 60, an operator loosens the spindle retention bolts 65
securing the spindle to the lower plate 66. The operator then
rotates the spindle counterclockwise to remove the key 67 on the
exterior of the spindle cylinder 62 with a release 69. Once the key
and release have been aligned, the operator then simply slides the
spindle 60 downwardly to remove it from the lower plate 66.
[0050] To install a replacement spindle, the operator merely aligns
the spindle 60 with the hole in the lower plate 66 and inserts the
spindle therein. The key is aligned with the keeper 69 and inserted
therein. The spindle retaining bolts are then tightened to secure
the spindle in place.
[0051] An important feature of the present invention is the
provision of an improved turret capping machine having a rotatable
turret with quick-change spindles. Another important feature of the
present invention is the provision of an improved, lightweight
turret assembly that enhances the speed of the bottling
operation.
[0052] The improved turret includes two or more quick-change
spindles that may be easily removed and/or replaced to minimize
downtime.
[0053] Whereas, the present invention has been described in
relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood
that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or
suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this
invention.
* * * * *