U.S. patent number 3,755,987 [Application Number 05/220,202] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-04 for machine for sealingly closing containers by means of covers.
This patent grant is currently assigned to E. P. Remy et Cie. Invention is credited to Jean-Luc Berry, Edgar Dardaine.
United States Patent |
3,755,987 |
Dardaine , et al. |
September 4, 1973 |
MACHINE FOR SEALINGLY CLOSING CONTAINERS BY MEANS OF COVERS
Abstract
Machine for sealingly closing containers each provided with an
upper outwardly projecting collar, by means of a cap which is
applied on the said collar, comprising container-conveying means
adapted to drive the containers along a first circular path,
cap-conveying means adapted to convey the containers along a second
circular path tangent to the first path and arranged above the
latter, so that each cap travelling along the second-path portion
is located above a container and moves by gravity onto its collar,
and fixing means adapted to secure a cap on each container.
Inventors: |
Dardaine; Edgar (Sorel-Moussel,
FR), Berry; Jean-Luc (Mesnil sur L'Estree,
FR) |
Assignee: |
E. P. Remy et Cie (Dreux,
FR)
|
Family
ID: |
26216174 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/220,202 |
Filed: |
January 24, 1972 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 28, 1971 [FR] |
|
|
7102839 |
Jan 12, 1972 [FR] |
|
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7200957 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/296; 53/306;
53/367; 53/300; 53/329.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B
7/2878 (20130101); B29C 65/7847 (20130101); B29C
65/80 (20130101); B29C 66/53461 (20130101); B29C
66/112 (20130101); B65B 7/2807 (20130101); B21D
51/32 (20130101); B29C 66/24221 (20130101); B29C
66/131 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B21D
51/32 (20060101); B29C 65/78 (20060101); B29C
65/80 (20060101); B65B 7/28 (20060101); B21D
51/30 (20060101); B65b 007/28 (); B65b 051/14 ();
B67b 003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;53/308,300,306,314,373,296,367,368,75,72,112R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGehee; Travis S.
Assistant Examiner: Culver; Horace M.
Claims
What is claimed is :
1. Machine for sealingly closing containers each provided with an
upper outwardly projecting collar, with a cap which is applied onto
the said collar and then secured to the latter, comprising a frame
structure, rotatable container-conveying means mounted on said
frame structure and comprising a drum having a vertical axis and
driven in rotation about said axis, rods and a series of stools
distributed uniformly at the periphery of said drum, each one of
said stools being supported on said drum by means of a said rod and
being adapted to receive one of said containers, and to drive it
continuously along a first circular path, a cutting punch for caps,
a chute, mechanical cap-conveying means mounted on said frame
structure and comprising a transfer device receiving the caps
delivered by said cutting punch via said chute, a stationary plate
having a circular guiding groove for receiving the caps conveyed by
the said transfer device, the said guiding groove forming a second
circular path and rotary driving means for driving said caps along
the said second circular path, the latter path being tangent to
said first path and being arranged above it so that a portion of
said second circular path overlies said first circular path in the
region of tangency, common motor means for driving said drum, said
cutting punch, said transfer device and said rotary driving means
in synchronism, whereby each cap travelling along said second path
portion where it overlies said first path in the region of tangency
is located above a container and moves by gravity and is deposited
on the collar of each container, and fixing means adapted to secure
on each container the cap deposited on its collar, said fixing
means being arranged above said containers and being solid with
said rotatable container-conveying means.
2. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said second path is
internally tangent to said first path and its diameter is
substantially equal to half the diameter of the first path, the
said containers and the said caps moving at one and the same linear
speed along the said paths.
3. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable
container-conveying means also comprise means for raising said
containers, said means being supported by said drum and being
adapted to seize each container, associated with a stool and having
received a cap, by its collar and raise it vertically, whereby said
container and its associated cap are applied against said fixing
means.
4. Machine according to claim 3, wherein said raising means
comprise a hollow vertically sliding cylinder adapted to receive
and contain the said stool and to meet, during its ascending
motion, the collar of said container.
5. Machine according to claim 1, comprising a rail having the
general shape of a circular cylinder concentric with said drum and
wherein each one of said cylinders in solid with a sleeve mounted
slidingly but not rotatably on said rod, each said sleeve being
provided with a roller co-operating with said rail, so that the
vertical motion of the said cylinder is controlled by the profile
of said rail.
6. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said fixing means
comprised of a series of heating heads mounted on a support solid
with said rotatable drum, each heating head being arranged above
one of said stools.
7. Machine according to claim 6, wherein said heating heads are
mounted resiliently on the said support.
8. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said transfer device
comprises two parallel arcuate rods, two helical springs placed
respectively around said two parallel arcuate rods and said springs
being driven in rotation in mutually opposite directions, so that
each cap delivered through said chute engages between the turns of
the said springs and is driven in translation along said rods.
9. Machine according to claim 8, wherein said transfer device
includes a smooth guide-member for imparting a predetermined
orientation to said caps.
10. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotary driving means
comprises a rotatable member having a series of fingers driven in
rotation in synchronism with said drum, each finger coming into
contact with a cap supplied by said transfer device and driving it
in said circular guiding groove.
11. Machine according to claim 1, further comprising a blade for
guiding said containers and said caps, the said blade being
arranged in proximity to said region of tangency of the paths of
the said containers and the said caps, and being hingedly mounted
on the said stationary plate so as to be capable of limited
vertical displacement.
12. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said circular guiding
groove in said stationary plate forms a second circular path
comprising a first portion which is externally tangent to the said
first path and a second portion, the curvature of which is inverted
with respect to that of said first portion and which is
tangentially connected to the latter, the said second portion of
the second path coinciding with the said first path.
13. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotary driving means
of said mechanical cap-conveying means comprise first rotatable
means for receiving said caps conveyed by said transfer device and
driving them along a first portion of said second circular path
formed by said groove and second rotatable means receiving the caps
driven by the said first rotatable means and driving them along the
second portion of the said second path.
14. Machine according to claim 13, wherein said first rotatable
means comprise a series of fingers mounted on a driven support,
each finger coming into contact with a cap supplied by said
transfer device and driving it along the first portion of the said
groove.
15. Machine according to claim 13 wherein said second rotatable
means comprise a series of rotating fingers, each finger of the
said second rotatable means coming into contact with a cap supplied
by one of the fingers of said first rotatable means and driving
said cap along a second portion of the said groove.
16. Machine according to claim 15, wherein each finger of the said
second rotatable means is associated with a fixing means so as to
follow it when it is driven in rotation.
17. Machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable
container-conveying means further comprises container-raising
cylinders supported on said drum, movable fingers, return springs
for said fingers and tubular supports and wherein each said finger
of the rotatable means is slidingly mounted in a tubular support,
said tubular support extending obliquely with respect to the said
fixing means, its lower end engaging the path of said
container-raising cylinders, so that during the ascending motion of
the said cylinder the latter meets the said finger and pushes it
upwardly against the action said return spring.
18. Machine according to claim 16, comprising a container-discharge
star-member and wherein said support carrying the fingers of the
said first rotatable means is arranged in coaxial relationship to
said container-discharge star-member and is solid in rotation with
the latter.
19. Machine according to claim 17, wherein said fixing means are
formed of a series of heating heads each movably mounted on the
said support so as to be moved to two positions, one, a working
position in which said container and its cap come into contact with
the said head, and a second, an idle position in which the said
contact does not occur, actuating means controlled by cap-detecting
means being provided to move the said heads to the required one of
the said positions.
20. Machine according to claim 19, wherein each heating head is
movable vertically with respect to the said support, the said
actuating means comprising a return spring tending to push the
heating head to said idle position, a rotary cam which, depending
upon its angular position, acts or does not act upon the said
heating head to move it to said working position against the action
of the said spring, and means for driving the said cam in rotation,
said cam driving means being controlled by the said detecting
means.
21. Machine according to claim 20, wherein each one of said cams is
provided with two arms, said cam driving means comprising a
retractable stop-member having an extended position and a
rectracted position and adapted, when in said extended position, to
engage the path of one of the said arms so as to move said heating
head to said idle position, and a stationary stop member engaging
the path of the other arm so as to move said heating head to said
working position.
22. Machine according to claim 21, wherein said retractable
stop-member is associated with a double-acting cylinder controlled
by the said detecting means.
23. Machine according to claim 22, wherein said detecting means
comprise a magnetic-action detecting member, an amplifier, the said
detecting member supplying, through the medium of said amplifier an
electromagnetic valve for controlling said double-acting cylinder.
Description
The present invention relates to an automatic machine for sealingly
closing containers by means of covers, in particular for closing
containers provided at their upper portion with a collar projecting
outwardly, by means of a cap which is applied on the said collar
and then secured on the latter.
A great number of products, in particular food products such as
ice-cream, yogurt, etc., are marketed in containers which are
closed sealingly by means of covers in the form of caps, i.e.,
plane blanks cut out of low-melting-point heat-material based, in
most cases, on aluminium. Each cap is generally provided with an
ear or tongue which facilitates the opening of the container by
stripping the said cap. Such a container is generally in the form
of an upwardly flaring cup or small boat-shaped receptacle made
from a material identical with that of the said blanks, the said
cup or the like being provided with an upper flange folded
outwardly so as to form an annular collar. The latter may be either
plane or provided with a peripheral bead projecting upwardly, so as
to form a kind of socket in which is placed the cap. The cap, whose
dimensions substantially correspond to those of the collar, is
secured on the latter by any known means such as, for instance,
heat-sealing.
Heretofore, the caps were manufactured by means of a cutting punch
separate from the machine serving to pack the product, and were
stacked in receptacles which were thereafter placed on the said
packing machine. Each cap was then seized by a gripping device
provided with suction grips, the motions of which were synchronized
with that of the packing machine, so that the said cap, after being
seized at the foot of the stack by a suction grip was turned over
and then laid onto the container to be closed. Such suction-grip
systems involve a certain number of drawbacks. The necessity of
creating a vacuum in the suction grip to seize the caps compels to
provide for a source of vacuum connected through conduits with each
suction grip, i.e. a delicate and expensive equipment. Moreover,
when a suction grip does not correctly seize a cap or lets it
escape, and then arrives above a container filled with the product
to be packed, it sucks the product and is obstructed thereby, thus,
of course, being prevented from further normal operation. The
machine has then to be stopped and the sucking grip cleaned in
order that it may operate again.
The machine according to the present invention is designed to avoid
the aforesaid drawbacks and is characterized in that it comprises,
in combination with rotatable container-conveying means adapted to
receive the said containers individually and continuously drive
them along a first circular path, mechanical cap-conveying means
adapted to receive the caps individually and to continuously convey
them along a second circular path tangential to the first path and
extending above the latter, the said container-conveying means and
cap-conveying means being driven in synchronism by a common drive
member, so that each cap travelling along the second-path portion
overlying the first path in proximity to the point of tangency, is
located above a container and moves down by gravity onto its
collar, and fixing means adapted to fix the cap on the associated
container, the said fixing means being arranged above the
containers and solid with the said rotatable container-conveying
means.
The machine according to the invention therefore performs a
distribution of the caps on the containers by purely mechanical
means and thus eliminates the drawbacks of the machines using
vacuum and sucking-grip systems.
The conveyance of the containers and caps along two tangent and
superposed paths may be performed by rotatable means driven in
continuous motion, i.e., very simple means enabling the caps to be
reliably placed on the containers.
According to another feature of the invention, the said second path
is internally tangent to the first path and its diameter is
substantially equal to half the diameter of the said first path,
the containers and the caps being displaced at one and the same
linear speed along the said paths.
The provision of two internally tangential paths enables the
overall dimensions of the machine to be reduced. Furthermore, the
speed of the caps is reduced to zero with respect to that of the
containers when they are located above the latter, and the caps can
thus be placed on the containers more readily.
According to another feature of the invention, the said
container-conveying means comprise a series of stools supported
stationarily by a drum driven in rotation about a vertical axis and
distributed uniformly at the periphery of the said drum, each stool
being adapted to receive a container which rests upon it by its
bottom.
According to still another feature of the invention, the said
rotatable container-conveying means also comprise container-raising
means associated with each stool and adapted to seize each
container by its peripheral collar and raise it vertically above
the said stool, so that the said collar, before receiving a cap, is
located slightly below the plane of the path of the said cap, and
then to apply the said container covered with the said cap against
the said fixing means.
According to still another feature of the invention, the mechanical
cap-conveying means comprise a transfer device receiving the caps
delivered through a chute or the like and a rotatable member
receiving the caps conveyed by the said transfer device and driving
them along the said second circular path.
Still according to the invention, the said rotatable member
comprises a series of fingers driven in rotation in synchronism
with the said drum, each finger coming into contact with a cap
supplied by the said transfer device and driving it in a circular
guiding groove provided in a stationary plate or the like.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear as the
following description proceeds.
In the appended drawings given solely by way of example :
FIG. 1 is a top view of a machine according to a first form of
embodiment of the invention ;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view upon the line II--II of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view upon the line III--III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a developed view of the cam actuating the
container-raising means and diagrammatically illustrates the
operation of the machine ;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the plate provided with a circular
guiding groove for the caps ;
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the machine drive system and the
devices associated therewith ;
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view upon the line VII--VII of FIG. 3
;
FIG. 7a is a sectional view corresponding to that of FIG. 7, but
relating to another form of embodiment of the cap-driving finger
;
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view upon the line VIII--VIII of FIG.
3 ;
FIG. 8a is a view identical with that of FIG. 8, but relating to a
modified form of embodiment of a cap and container guiding plate
;
FIG. 9 is a top view, including a partially sectional view upon the
line IX--IX of FIG. 10, of the machine according to a second form
of embodiment of the invention ;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the said machine upon the line X--X
of FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view upon the line XI--XI of FIG. 9;
FIG. 12 is a partial view of the machine of FIGS. 9 to 11, showing
a heating head and a cap-driving finger associated therewith, the
said heating head being in its working lower position;
FIG. 13 is a view identical with that of FIG. 12 but showing the
heating head in its idle upper position ;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the plate provided with a
cap-guiding groove ;
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic view of the retractable stop controlling
the rotation of the heating-head drive-cam and the cap-detecting
means associated therewith.
According to the form of embodiment illustrated in the drawings,
more particularly in FIGS. 1 to 3, the machine comprises
essentially a stationary frame 1 on which is secured a vertically
extending cylindrical support 2. A hollow shaft 3 is rotatably
mounted within the support 2, the said shaft being supported at the
upper portion of the said support 2 through the medium of a thrust
ball- or roller-bearing or the like 4. Wear-resistant rings such as
5a and 5b are provided between the shaft 3 and the support 2 to
ensure the centring of the said shaft with respect to the said
support. At the lower portion of the shaft 3 is keyed a drive
pinion 7.
A cylindrical drum 8 is secured, through the medium of a radial web
9, to the upper portion of the hollow rotary shaft 3. The drum 8 is
provided at its lower portion with a ring-shaped base 10 carrying
twelve circular stools 12, each of which is adapted to receive one
container. Each stool is secured to the base 10 through the medium
of a vertical rod 13. The twelve stools 12 are arranged in one and
the same horizontal plane and distributed uniformly on the base 10,
their centres 12a being located on one and the same circle C1
concentric with the geometrical axis X--X' of the shaft 3 and
shifted with respect to each other by 30.degree..
To each stool 12 is associated a container-raising device formed of
a hollow circular-section cylinder 15, the diameter of which is
substantially greater than that of the said stool, so as to be
capable of receiving and containing the latter, each said cylinder
being secured to a sleeve or the like 16 mounted slidingly on the
rod 13 and provided with a roller 17 which runs on the upper side
of a rail 18 having the general shape of a circular cylinder
concentric with the drum 8 and secured to the frame by means of
right-angled plates 19. The sleeve 16 and the rod 13 are provided
with complementary splines in order to prevent the sleeve from
rotating with respect to the rod. During the rotation of the drum
8, the cylinder 15 under the action of gravity is imparted a
vertical ascending and descending motion determined by the profile
of the rail 18, a developed view of which is shown in FIG. 4. The
profile of the rail 18 comprises, in the direction of displacement
of the rollers indicated by the arrow F1, a lower level run 18a
corresponding to the incoming and outgoing of the containers, a
first ascending portion 18b, an intermediate level run 18c, a
second ascending portion 18d, an upper level run 18e and a
descending portion 18f leading to the lower level run 18a.
The drum 8 is secured, through the medium of arms 20, to a support
21 in the shape of an annular crown on which are mounted 12
heat-sealing heads 22, each of which is arranged above a stool 12
in substantially coaxial relationship to the latter. Each
heat-sealing head 22 is internally provided with an electric
resistor, shown diagrammatically at 23, for the heating of a
circular heating plate 24 located at its lower portion and so
recessed as to receive a container provided with its cap. The
resistor 23 is supplied through two leads 23 shown diagrammatically
at 25a, 25b and connected respectively to two contact elements, for
instance carbon brushes, 26a and 26b, solid with the drum 8, the
said elements being in sliding contact with two rings, e.g., copper
rings 27a, 27b, secured to the stationary support 2 through the
medium of an insulating member 28. The rings 27a and 27b are
themselves connected to a source of current, for instance direct
current (not shown), by means of leads 29a and 29b.
The resistor 23 and the heating plate 24 of the heat-sealing head
22 are carried by a rod 30 mounted slidingly in a sleeve or the
like 31 secured to the crown 21, so that they can slightly move
vertically with respect to the said crown against the action of
resilient means consisting of a stack of washers 32 in the shape of
truncated cones.
Supply and delivery star-members of a known type, driven in
rotation by the pinion 7 and shown diagrammatically at 35 and 36,
supply the machine with containers to be closed and discharge from
the machine the closed containers. The said star-members carry the
containers on plates 37, 38 arranged in the plane of the stools
12.
The machine also comprises a cap-conveying device formed of a
transfer device 40 and a rotatable member 50.
The transfer device 40 is formed of two helical springs 41A and 41B
having one and the same pitch but inversed with respect to one
another. The said springs are mounted on two identical parallel
rods 42a and 42b which are incurved in the shape of quadrants of a
circle and can rotate freely on themselves with respect to the said
rods. The springs 41a and 41b, which are free at their lower ends,
have their upper ends secured by means of screws 43a, 43b to
rotatable rings 44a, 44b solid respectively with two pinions 45a,
45b meshing with one another. The springs 41a, 41b are therefore
driven in rotation in opposite directions by the pinions 45a and
45b, themselves driven by a bevel gear 46 connected to a
cap-cutting punch or machine of a known type shown diagrammatically
at 70.
The rods 42a and 42b are provided with flats 47a and 47b so as to
facilitate the engagement and displacement of the caps between the
said rods. A guide bar 48, also in the shape of a quarter circle,
is arranged in parallel relationship to and below the rods 42a and
42b, so as to guide the caps punched by the machine 70 and conveyed
to the transfer device 40 through the medium of a chute 71 secured
to the bar 48. A guide member 49 is also provided above the rods,
for the purpose of guiding the caps by making them turn on
themselves during their displacement along the transfer device 40
as will be explained below.
The rotatable cap-conveying member 50 is formed of a disk 51
provided with a series of arms 52 arranged radially and distributed
uniformly with an angular spacing of 60.degree. about the said
disk. Each arm is provided at its free end with a finger 53 and is
hinged to the disk through the medium of a horizontal-axis hinge
54. The disk 51 is angularly adjustable by being mounted on a
rotatable plate 55 which is itself supported by a table 56 secured
to the upper portion of a stationary vertical shaft 57 supported at
its lower portion by a seat or the like 58 solid with the frame 1.
During the rotation of the plate 55, the fingers 53 move along a
circle C2 which is internally tangent, at T, to the circle C1 and
the diameter of which is substantially equal to half the diameter
of the latter. The finger 53 serving to drive the caps are six in
number, i.e., half the number of stools. The plate 55 is driven in
rotation by a toothed gear comprising a first pinion 60 mounted
rotatably on the stationary shaft 37 and solid in rotation with the
drum 8 through the medium of a pin 61, an intermediate pinion 62
mounted rotatably on the table 56 and a pinion 63 solid with the
plate 55. The ratio of the number of teeth of the pinion 60 to that
of pinion 63 is 2/1, so that the fingers 53 perform two rotations
of 360.degree. when the drum 8 and, therefore, the stools rotate
only once through 360.degree..
A plate 75 for guiding the caps supplied by the transfer device 40
is secured to the table 56 through the medium of columns 76. The
plate 75 is formed of an upper disk 77 (see FIG. 5) provided with a
notch 78 allowing the caps to pass and of a lower disk 79 secured
to the disk 77 and provided with a cap-guiding arcuate groove 80
concentric with the circle C2. An aperture 81 at the centre of the
groove 80 allows the fingers 53 to pass, the said aperture being of
course circular in shape and concentric with the circle C2.
A blade 85 mounted at the end of the plate 75 in proximity to the
point of tangency between the circles C1 and C2 ensures the guiding
of the containers and the caps, the said blade being provided with
a horizontal-axis hinge 86 allowing for a slight vertical
displacement of the blade.
A single motor 90 drives, through the medium of a reducer 91, the
pinion 7 and, therefore, the rotatable drum 8 and the star-members
35 and 36 as well as the helical springs 41a and 41b, the latter
being driven through the medium of the cutting punch 70 as shown
diagrammatically in FIG. 6. In FIGS. 1 and 3 are shown the
respective directions of rotation of the above-mentioned members
and devices : F.sub.1 for drum 8, F.sub.3 and F.sub.4 for
star-members 35 and 36, F.sub.5 and F.sub.6 for springs 41a and
41b. The drum 8 itself drives the fingers 53 along the path C1 in
the direction of the arrow F.sub.2.
The cutting punch or machine 70 is designed to cut and deliver
circular caps provided with a tongue L the number of caps thus
provided corresponding to that of the containers. This means that
the machine delivers twelve caps during one rotation of the drum 8
through 360.degree.. The caps guided by the chute 71 fall
vertically between two turns of the springs 41a and 41b, their
tongue L being directed upwardly so that the caps are retained on
the transfer device 40, on the one hand, by the flats 47a, 47b of
rods 42a and 42b and, on the other hand, by the lower guide bar 48.
The helical springs 41a, 41b are driven in rotation on themselves
in opposite directions, the caps 0 are driven in translation in the
direction of the arrow F7 until they arrive in the notch 78
provided in the disk 77. During their displacement the caps are so
turned by the guide member 49 that their tongues extend in one and
the same direction when the caps arrive in the guide groove 80, as
shown in FIG. 3. The caps with their tongues thus located at their
front in the direction of translation in the groove 80 are then
driven in the guide groove 80 of the disk 75 by the fingers 53
pushing them by their circular edge.
The containers R are supplied by the supply star-member 35 and are
each placed on a stool 12. The roller 17 of the cylinder 15
associated with the stool receiving a container from the supply
star-member 35 is then located on the lower level run 18a of the
rail 18, so that the cylinder 15 is in its lower position.
Thereafter, the roller moves along the ascending portion 18b of the
rail, the clyinder 18 slides downwardly, meets the collar C of the
container and raises the latter above the stool. This ascending
motion of the cylinder 15 continues until the roller travels on the
intermediate level run 18c. The collar of the container is then
located slightly below the level of the guide groove 80, in
proximity to the point of tangency T, and while the roller travels
on the level run 18c a cap pushed by a finger 53 is brought above
the container and placed on the collar of the latter as soon as it
leaves the guide groove 80. Thereafter, the roller travels on the
second ascending portion 18d, so that the cylinder 15 continues to
raise the container provided with its cap until it meets the
heat-sealing head 22. The heat-sealing operation takes place during
all the time when the roller is on the upper level run 18e.
Thereafter, the roller travels on the descending portion 18f and
thus drives the cylinder 15 which moves the container back to the
stool. The descending motion of the cylinder 15 continues until the
roller reaches the lower level run 18a. During this descending
motion of the cylinder the container is driven by the discharge
star-member 36.
Obviously, the shape and dimensions of the stools and cylinders
must be adapted to those of the containers. Thus, for instance, the
inner diameter of the cylinder must be slightly greater than that
of the container body and smaller than the maximum diameter of its
collar.
Also, the cap-driving fingers 53 and the guide blade 85 may have a
substantially rectilinear bearing face as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8
when the containers concerned are provided with plane collar C as
in the case of the containers R shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the case
of containers whose collar C is provided with a peripheral bead B
into which the cap must be inserted, the said fingers and the said
blade are advantageously provided at their lower portion with a
step 53a and 85a as shown in FIGS. 7a and 8a, the said step comes
into contact with the bead while the upper portion of the finger or
of the blade comes into contact with the cap which is thus pushed
and guided into the said bead.
It should be noted that owing to their being mounted hingedly the
fingers 53 and the blade 85 are apt to follow the containers in
their ascending motion after the cap is placed on them and before
the heat-sealing operation is performed. This is highly useful
where use is made of stepped fingers and blades which, owing to the
said step, may be driven by the edge of the container.
A second form of embodiment of the machine will now be described,
wherein the second circular path, that of the caps, comprises a
first portion which is externally tangent to the first path, i.e.,
the path along which the containers move, and a second portion
whose curvature is inverted with respect to that of the first
portion and which is tangentially connected to the latter, the said
second portion of the second path coinciding with the said first
path.
It is thus understood that instead of moving along a path, the
radius of which is equal to half the radius of the path of the
containers, the caps, before being laid on the containers, move
along a path which is exactly superposed to that of the containers,
i.e. which has the same radius and is located slightly above the
latter. Therefore, in contradistinction to the first form of
embodiment wherein the superposition of the cap on the container
occurs only at the point of tangency, each cover can be exactly
superposed on the container at a relatively great distance and can
therefore be placed on the container much more readily.
Moreover, in this second form of embodiment, each heating head
mounted movably on its support can have two positions : a working
position wherein the container and its cap, when raised by the
cylinders, come into contact with the heating head so as to be
welded together, and an idle position wherein this contact does not
occur, actuating means controlled by cap-detecting means being
provided to move the said head to one of the said positions or the
other.
It is thus understood that in the absence of a cap, the heating
head can be moved to its idle position, so that it cannot be in
contact with a container without its cap and, therefore, it cannot
be soiled or deteriorated by the contents of the said
container.
In FIGS. 9 to 15 relating to the second form of embodiment of the
machine according to the present invention, the same reference
numerals are used to indicate the members which are identical with
or equivalent to those of the first form of embodiment described
above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8. As in the first form of
embodiment, the drum 8 carried by the rotatable hollow shaft 3
through the medium of the web 9 and the bearing 4 supports, on the
one hand, the stools 12 and their associated cylinders 15 and, on
the other hand, the annular support 21 of the heating heads 22
through the medium of arms 20' which, in contradistinction to arms
20 of the first form of embodiment, are straight instead of being
bent and are placed internally with respect to the heating
heads.
Instead of being placed in the central portion of the machine as in
the first form of embodiment, the cap-conveying means are seen in
FIG. 9 to be arranged on the right side of the machine. Such an
arrangement offers the advantage of avoiding to concentrate in the
central region of the machine the various cap-conveying members. It
therefore facilitates the access to the machine and simplifies the
supervising, maintenance and repair operations. The cap-supply
means comprise essentially the transfer device 40, shown only
partially since it is identical with the corresponding transfer
device of the first form of embodiment, and a rotatable member
indicated generally by the reference numeral 100, receiving the
caps delivered by the transfer device 40, the said rotatable member
being formed of a support consisting of a disk 101 provided with a
series of radially extending arms 102, each of which is provided at
its end with a finger 103 which moves along a circle C'2 tangent at
T to the circle C1 of the centres of the stools 12. The disk 101 is
angularly adjustable by being mounted on a shaft 104 arranged
coaxially and secured to the shaft 105 mounted rotatably in a
cylindrical support 106 secured to the frame 1 of the machine and
provided at its lower portion with a drive pinion 107 which rotates
in synchronism with the pinion 7 driving the drum 8. On the
vertical shaft 105 is also mounted the discharge star-member 36
which first drives the containers on the plate 38 and then on a
discharge conveyor 108.
A plate 110 for guiding the caps 0 supplied by the transfer device
40 is secured on the plates 37 and 38 through the medium of legs
such as 111. The plate 110 is formed of a lower member 112 (FIG.
14) provided with a groove 113 formed of a first arcuate portion
113a concentric with the circle C'2 and a second arcuate portion
113b concentric with the circle C"2 which is equal to, but
superposed on the circle C1, the said second portion 113b being
connected tangentially at T to the portion 113a and ending at its
opposite end with a notch 114 allowing the caps to pass. The plate
110 also comprises an upper member 115 provided, at its end located
below the transfer device 40, with a notch 116 allowing the caps
supplied by the said device to pass into the groove 113 of the
lower member 112 and to be guided by the said notch together with
the groove 113. The lower member 112 is provided at the centre of
the groove 113a with an aperture 117 allowing the fingers 103 to
pass, the said aperture being of course circular in shape and
concentric with the circle C'2. Likewise, the upper member 115 is
provided with an aperture 118 concentric with the circle C"2 and
through which can pass drive-fingers 120 associated with each of
the heating heads 22.
Each finger 120 is slidingly mounted in a tubular member or support
121 arranged rearwardly of each heating head (with respect to the
direction of rotation F1) and secured through the medium of a
right-angled or bent member 122 to the annular support 21 of the
said heating heads. The fingers 120 extend obliquely to the
vertical axis of the heating heads, their lower ends 120a being
engaged in the aperture 118 of the upper member 115 of the plate
110 so as to drive the caps located in the groove 113. Each
cylinder 15 is provided at its upper portion with an annular dog
124 which engages the lower end 120a of finger 120 so as to push it
upwardly against the action of a return spring 123 when the said
cylinder brings the container provided with its cap under the
heating head 22.
The rod 30 of heating head 22 is slidingly mounted in an internal
sleeve 130 provided at its upper portion with a cap or the like 131
and slidingly mounted in an outer sleeve 132 secured to the annular
support 21. Pins 133 provided on the upper portion of the rod 30
and engaged in grooves 134 of the head 131 prevent the heating head
from rotating. The heating head 22 and its rod 30 may be imparted a
slight vertical sliding motion with respect to sleeve 130 against
the action of a pre-stressed helical spring 135, whereas the sleeve
130 can move vertically with respect to sleeve 132 against the
action of a helical spring 136 whose compression force is
substantially less than that of spring 135. The vertical position
of the sleeve 130 and, therefore, the heating head 22, with respect
to support 21 is controlled by a cam 140 secured to a shaft 141
mounted rotatably on a support 142 solid with the annular support
21, the said cam being provided with two actuating arms 143, 144.
The cam 140 is driven in rotation by two stop members, one of
which, 145, is concealable or retractable and formed of or solid
with the rod of a double-acting cylinder 146 mounted on a support
in the form of a circular plate 147 solid with a hollow stationary
shaft 148 (used instead of the shaft 57 of the first form of
embodiment), and the other of which is a stationary stop member 149
which is also mounted on the plate 147. The stationary stop member
149 permanently engages the path of one arm 144, of the cam 140 so
as to drive the said cam in rotation in the direction by which the
heating head 22 occupies its working lower position (see FIG. 12),
whereas the concealable or retractable stop member 145 may or may
not engage (depending on whether it is in extended or retracted
position) the other cam arm 143 so as to drive the cam in rotation
in the direction by which the heating head 22 occupies its idle
upper position (see FIG. 13). The position of the stop member 145
is controlled by a proximity detector 150 of a known
magnetic-action type arranged on the cap-guiding plate 110, the
said detector controlling the position of the retractable
stop-member 145 through the medium of an amplifier 101 and an
electromagnetic valve 152 connected to the double-acting cylinder
146 through conduits 153 passing in the hollow shaft 148. The
electromagnetic valve 152 is provided to feed the double-acting
cylinder 146 in such a direction as to move the stop member 145
into retracted position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 10), i.e., in
a position where it does not meet the arm 143 of cam 140 every time
the detector 140 detects the presence of a cap, or in the opposite
direction to move the said stop member into extended position
(shown in FIG. 10 in dotted lines) in case a cap is not present.
The relative positions of the detector 150 and the retractable and
stationary stop members 145 and 149 respectively are shown in FIG.
9 in dash-dotted lines.
The caps 0 supplied by the transfer device 140 and engaged into the
groove 113 of plate 110 are first driven in the direction of arrow
F4 by the fingers 103 of the rotatable device 100 along the first
portion 113a of groove 113, and then by the fingers 120 along the
second portion 113b of the said groove. Each of the containers R
conveyed by the intake star-member 35 into the stools 12 is placed
exactly below a cap, so that the latter is placed on the collar of
the container as soon as it reaches the notch 114 and, therefore,
leaves the guiding groove 113. The operation by which the container
provided with its cap is raised by the cylinder 15 is performed as
in the case of the first form of embodiment. During its ascending
motion the annular dog 124 meets the finger 120 and pushes the
latter against the action of the return spring 123 so as to prevent
the application of the container against the head 22 from being
hindered, the said head being assumed to be in its idle lower
position. In the absence of a cap and, therefore, of an output
signal from the proximity detector 150, the retractable stop member
145 is in the extended position shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG.
10. It thus meets the arm 143 which moves the cam 140 to the
position shown in FIG. 13, so that the head driven by the return
spring 136 moves to its idle higher position, i.e., a position
higher than that which can be reached by the upper edge of the
container and its cap. During the next rotation, the stationary
stop member 146 moves the head to its working lower position.
The arrangements of the rotatable cap-driving member 100 in coaxial
relationship to the discharge star-member 36 offers the advantage
of simplifying the structure of the machine, but, obviously, such
an arrangement is by no means compulsory and the member 100 may be
distinct from the star-member 36, or it may be mounted in coaxial
relationship to the intake star-member 35.
Of course, the invention is by no means limited to the forms of
embodiment described and illustrated, which have been given by way
of example only. In particular, it comprises all the means
constituting technical equivalents to the means described as well
as their combinations, should the latter be carried out according
to the spirit of the invention.
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