U.S. patent number 3,831,995 [Application Number 05/386,808] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-27 for uncaser cup.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Molson Companies Limited. Invention is credited to Alex R. Duncan.
United States Patent |
3,831,995 |
Duncan |
August 27, 1974 |
UNCASER CUP
Abstract
The invention relates to a bottle pick-up device where a rubber
liner within a cup or holder is inflated by air so as to grip the
top of the bottle with a metal insert being located within the
liner so that inflation of the latter will only occur at its lower
operative end instead of throughout its length thereby effecting a
more positive gripping action between the top of the bottle and the
rubber liner.
Inventors: |
Duncan; Alex R. (Scarborough,
Ontario, CA) |
Assignee: |
The Molson Companies Limited
(Rexdale, Ontario, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
4096955 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/386,808 |
Filed: |
August 8, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/119.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B
21/12 (20130101); B65G 47/908 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65B
21/00 (20060101); B65B 21/12 (20060101); B65G
47/90 (20060101); B66c 001/46 () |
Field of
Search: |
;294/63A,64R,65,86R,87R,90,93,99R,88 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schacher; Richard A.
Assistant Examiner: Cherry; Johnny D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Casella; Anthony J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A pneumatically operated bottle pick-up device including a rigid
holder with a rubber liner mounted therein, said liner being
radially deformable under air pressure to grip the tops of bottles;
and a rigid insert within said liner inhibiting such deformation
throughout the major portion of the length of said liner while
permitting such deformation over the remainder of the length of the
liner concentrically in relation to the top of the bottle.
2. A device according to claim 1 wherein one end of the insert is
substantially closed and wherein the other end is open, the
circumferential edge of said open end being outwardly curved
towards the inner periphery of the liner.
3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the insert is detachably
secured within the liner and to the holder, spacer means being
provided for correct operating relationship between the liner and
the insert.
Description
The invention relates to a bottle handling device. Bottled
beverages are usually sold in non-returnable or returnable bottles
and it is to the latter type of bottle that the present invention
is directed.
When returnable bottles reach the beverage manufacturer, they must
be uncased before passing through a sterilizer. Uncasing machines
are well known and essentially consist of a number of uncaser
heads, say four to six, with each head including 24 bottle pick-up
cups. Each cup is caused to descend over and upon the top of an
empty bottle whereupon, and as will be described herein, the cup
will pick up the bottle vertically from the carton or box in which
it has been returned and will convey it, in a substantially
horizontal plane, from the bottle pick-up station to a load
conveying table leading to a bottle sterilizing machine. When the
cup and its depending bottle is located over such a table, the cup
is caused to release the bottle which then falls by gravity
approximately 1/2 inch on to the table.
Each cup has, heretofore, included a rigid holder with a resilient
rubber liner disposed therein having a serrated inner periphery.
When such a cup has been disposed over and around the top of an
empty ottle, air has been admitted to the device between the inner
periphery of the holder and the outer periphery of the liner. This
has caused the liner to bell inwardly and to grip the top of the
bottle during the above conveying operation until such times that
it has been desired that the bottle should be deposited on the
table whereupon the air has been evacuated from the device thus
causing the liner to release its grip on the top of the bottle.
However, such bottle handling devices have not always functioned
perfectly under humid conditions. Quite high, moist and humid
conditions are usually encountered in breweries and such conditions
worsen during humid spells of weather. This causes slippage between
the rubber liners and the tops of the bottles. Additionally, the
rubber liners become deformed owing to their constant inflation and
deflation so that they only grip the tops of the bottles in odd
spots instead of all around the peripheries of such tops.
In the case of the device operating under humid conditions and in
the case of defomed liners, the results have sometimes been
disasterous because either certain of the bottles have been left
behind or, far worse, the bottles have been dropped mid-way during
their path of travel. It is not uncommon to utilize and gang five
or six uncaser machines which means that there can be anywhere
between 600 - 850 bottles suspended by the devices simultaneously.
If either or both of the abovementioned conditions become factors,
a large number of bottles may either be left behind or may be
dropped before the operator can shut down the power to the
machines.
It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a
bottle handling device which will overcome the above
disadvantages.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a vertical section taken through a prior art type of
bottle handling device;
FIG. 2 is a similar view taken through the device forming the
subject of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the components forming the device of
FIG. 2; and
FIG. 3A is a detail view.
Referring to the drawings, and firstly to FIG. 1, the prior art
bottle handling device has included a centrally bored stem 1,
permitting the entrance of air, under pressure, to the interior of
the device when connected to any suitable source of air supply (not
shown). The lower end of the stem is detachably connected to a
rigid holder 2 which contains a resilient rubber liner 3 the upper
end 4 of which is thicker than the lower end, said upper end being
provided with axial peripheral air grooves 4' (FIG. 3). The inner
periphery of the liner 3, adjacent its lower end, is provided with
a plurality of projecting wedge-shaped projections 5. The lower
terminal end of the liner 3 is provided with a projecting flange 6
which fits over the lower terminal end of the holder 2. The liner 3
is maintained within the holder 2 by means of a washer 7 and a
centrally bored screw 8 having radial air passages 8', said screw
passing through the upper terminal end of liner 3 and into the
holder. The liner 3 is also maintained in position by means of a
gasket 9 and retaining ring 10 in threaded engagement with the
lower end of the holder 2. Inasmuch as the lower end of the liner 3
is thinner than the upper end 4, said lower end will bell inwardly
when air is admitted to the device via the bored stem 1, the radial
air passages 8' of the centrally bored screw 8, and the peripheral
air grooves 4' of the liner. This will enable the wedge-shaped
gripping projections 5 located on the inner periphery of the liner
adjacent its lower terminal end to grasp the periphery of the upper
ring UR on the neck of the bottle B. However, and as has been
stated above, this is not too satisfactory under certain
conditions.
The bottle handling device forming the subject of the present
invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to which reference should now
be made.
The device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is so similar to that shown in
FIG. 1 that like references have been employed with the exception
of the metal insert 12 which is located within the liner 3 and
which is maintained in position by the screw 8 with a spacer 13
being provided between the upper terminal end of the liner 3 and
the inside of the top of the holder 2. As will be seen more clearly
from FIG. 3A, the terminal edge of the insert 12 is curved
outwardly, as at 14, and it is this portion of the insert which
presses into the inner periphery of the liner 3 just above the
wedge-shaped gripping projections 5. Accordingly, when air is
admitted to the interior of the device of FIG. 2, the insert 12
will inhibit inward radial movement of the liner except for that
portion bearing the wedge-shaped gripping projections 5. Thus, when
the device forming the subject of the present invention is in
operation, as is shown in FIG. 2, the liner 3 will grip the bottle
B in a more positive fashion than heretofore and just below the
lowermost ring LR on the neck of the bottle with the curved edge 14
of the insert causing the lower end of the insert 3 to expand
substantially concentrically around the top of the bottle.
Use of the metal insert 12 has, by practical experience, shown that
the rubber inserts 3 do not have to be replaced so frequently as
before which has meant a considerable saving in replacement parts
and the cost of labour for effecting such replacements. It will be
appreciated also that the spacer 13 forms a ready means for
adjusting the insert 12 to its correct operating relationship with
respect to the liner 3 whereby the gripping action of the latter
will be as correct as possible.
The present invention also has the advantage of reducing the amount
of air volume required to inflate the rubber liner 3 because of the
restriction placed on the latter by the insert 12. This reduction
in air volume reflects a pressure increase in the entire bottle
uncasing system.
Finally, bottle handling devices forming the present invention have
been thoroughly tested under completely adverse conditions which
have included the spraying of the necks of bottles with water and
the coating of said necks with oil. In all cases, the said devices
have functioned consistently without leaving bottles behind or
dropping them.
* * * * *