U.S. patent number 3,844,093 [Application Number 05/354,486] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-29 for apparatus for decapping bottles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Dacam Corporation. Invention is credited to Carl P. Cato.
United States Patent |
3,844,093 |
Cato |
October 29, 1974 |
APPARATUS FOR DECAPPING BOTTLES
Abstract
Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, as well as cap
loosening means and cap removal means which are located one after
another in the direction of the conveyance of the bottles and
positioned to engage the caps on the bottles situated on the
conveyor. The cap loosening means comprises a plurality of aligned
rotatable discs and a movable belt spaced apart therefrom which is
moved at a speed greater than the speed of the conveyor. Each of
the discs has a series of recesses along the periphery thereof.
Each of the recesses is formed of resilient material to securely
engage a cap between the disc upon which it is located and the
movable belt. Each disc is rotated by the movement of a bottle
whose cap is engaged in a recess thereon to rotate the engaged cap
to loosen same. Means are also provided along the belt for
intermittently exerting a lateral force on the cap so as to jar the
cap and therefore loosen it as it travels through the cap loosening
means. The cap removal means comprises a stationary belt and spaced
therefrom a belt movable at a speed greater than the speed of the
conveyor. Each cap is securely engaged between the belts to further
rotate the cap with respect to the bottle until the cap is no
longer secured to the bottle.
Inventors: |
Cato; Carl P. (Lynchburg,
VA) |
Assignee: |
Dacam Corporation (Madison
Heights, VA)
|
Family
ID: |
23393543 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/354,486 |
Filed: |
April 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/381.4;
53/331.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67B
7/182 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B67B
7/18 (20060101); B67B 7/00 (20060101); B65d
043/40 () |
Field of
Search: |
;53/381A,317,318,331.5
;29/426 ;81/3.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
2606707 |
August 1952 |
Tambini et al. |
2650748 |
September 1953 |
Bennett et al. |
|
Primary Examiner: McGehee; Travis S.
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, cap loosening
means and cap removal means located one after the other in the
direction of conveyance of the bottles, said cap loosening means
and cap removal means each operably engaging each cap as the
bottles are conveyed by said conveyor means such that the caps are
acted upon by said cap loosening means to provide an initial
rotation of each cap, said initial cap rotation being insufficient
to permit removal of the cap from the bottle and further acted upon
to remove the cap from the bottle by said cap removal means.
2. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, cap loosening
means and cap removal means located one after the other in the
direction of conveyance of the bottles, said cap loosening means
comprising a rotatable disc having a recess on the periphery
thereof, said recess formed to securely engage a cap as the bottle
upon which the cap is situated is conveyed by said conveyor means,
said cap loosening means and cap removal means each operably
engaging each cap as the bottles are conveyed by said conveyor
means such that the caps are acted upon to loosen same by said cap
loosening means and further acted upon to remove same by said cap
removal means.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said recess is formed
of resilient material.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said disc is rotated
from a position wherein said recess accepts the cap to a position
wherein said cap is released from said recess such that the
rotation of said disc acts on the cap to loosen same.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said disc has a
plurality of recesses along the periphery thereof, said recesses
being spaced such that the rotation of the disc to release a cap
from one recess moves another recess into position to accept the
cap on the next successive bottle on said conveyor means.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said disc is rotated
by the movement of the bottle whose cap is engaged in a recess
thereon.
7. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the rotation of the
disc tends to rotate the cap through an arc of about
30.degree..
8. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, cap loosening
means and cap removal means located one after the other in the
direction of conveyance of the bottles, said cap loosening means
comprising a plurality of aligned rotatable discs which
successively act upon a cap to rotate the cap, said cap loosening
means and cap removal means each operably engaging each cap as the
bottles are conveyed by said conveyor means such that the caps are
acted upon to loosen same by said cap loosening means and further
acted upon to remove same by said cap removal means.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each of said discs
has a plurality of recesses thereon, each of said recesses being
formed to securely engage a cap, each of said discs being rotated
by the movement of the bottle whose cap is engaged in a recess
thereon from a position wherein one recess accepts the cap to a
position wherein the cap is released by said recess such that the
rotation of each disc acts on the cap to loosen same, said recesses
on each disc being spaced such that the rotation of that disc to
release a cap from one recess moves another recess into position to
accept the cap on the next successive bottle on said conveyor
means.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein each of the recesses
are formed of resilient material.
11. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein a cap is accepted by
a recess on one disc after the cap is released from a recess on the
disc immediately preceding said disc.
12. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the rotation of each
of said discs tends to rotate the cap through an arc of about
30.degree..
13. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, cap loosening
means and cap removal means located one after the other in the
direction of conveyance of the bottles, said cap loosening means
comprising means for intermittently exerting a lateral force on a
cap as the bottle upon which the cap rests is moved by said bottle
conveying means so as to jar the cap to loosen same, said cap
loosening means and cap removal means each operably engaging each
cap as the bottles are conveyed by said conveyor means such that
the caps are acted upon to loosen same by said cap loosening means
and further acted upon to remove same by said cap removal
means.
14. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, cap loosening
means and cap removal means located one after the other in the
direction of conveyance of the bottles, belt means spaced from said
cap loosening means such that each cap is securely engaged between
said cap loosening means and said belt means as the bottle upon
which the cap is situated is conveyed and means for moving said
belt at a speed greater than said given speed, said cap loosening
means and cap removal means each operably engaging each cap as the
bottles are conveyed by said conveyor means such that the caps are
acted upon to loosen same by said cap loosening means and further
acted upon to remove same by said cap removal means.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising means
for intermittently exerting a lateral force on the caps as they
move between said cap loosening means and said belt means so as to
jar the cap to loosen same, said force means acting through at
least a portion of said belt means.
16. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said force exerting
means comprises a plurality of rollers situated along that portion
of said belt means which engages said caps, but on the other side
of said belt means portion from said caps such that said
intermittently exerted force is exerted on the cap through said
belt means.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said force exerting means is
a movable belt.
18. Apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles comprising
means for conveying the bottles at a given speed, rotatable means
having a recess on the periphery thereof, said recess being
situated to engage the caps of each of the bottles moved by said
conveyor means to rotate the cap to loosen same, and means for
exerting a force on said caps in the direction of said recess
thereby insuring secure engagement of the caps within said
recess.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said rotatable
means comprises a disc having a plurality of recesses along the
periphery thereof, said disc being rotated by the movement of the
bottle whose cap is engaged within a recess thereon from a first
position wherein one of the recesses accepts a cap to a position
wherein said recess releases said cap, said recesses being spaced
such that when said cap is released another recess is situated to
accept the cap on the next successive bottle on said conveyor
means.
20. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said recess is
formed of resilient material to facilitate the engagement of a cap
therein.
21. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the rotation of
said disc tends to rotate the cap engaged within a recess thereon
through an arc of about 30.degree..
22. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said rotatable
means comprises a plurality of aligned discs situated such that
when the recess of one disc releases a cap the cap is accepted by a
recess on the next successive disc.
23. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said cap loosening
means comprises means for intermittently exerting a lateral force
on a cap as the bottle upon which the cap rests is moved by said
bottle conveying means so as to jar the cap to loosen same.
24. The apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising belt
means spaced from said cap loosening means such that each cap is
securely engaged between said cap loosening means and said belt
means as the bottle upon which the cap is situated is conveyed and
means for moving said belt at a speed greater than said given
speed.
25. The apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising means
for intermittently exerting a lateral force on the caps as they
move between said cap loosening means and said belt means so as to
jar the cap to loosen same, said force means acting through at
least a portion of said belt means.
26. The apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said force exerting
means comprises a plurality of rollers situated along that portion
of said belt means which engages said caps, but on the other side
of said belt means portion from said caps such that said
intermittently exerted force is exerted on the cap through said
belt means.
Description
The present invention relates to bottle decapping machines and more
particularly to apparatus for removing twist-type caps from
bottles.
Manufacturers of glass containers manufacture bottles for use by
product manufacturers to package products of various types. These
bottles are relatively expensive to produce and therefore
constitute a substantial percentage of the cost of the product to
the ultimate consumer. In order to minimize this cost and
ecological reasons, many product manufacturers make it economically
beneficial for the consumer to return the bottles to the product
manufacturer so that they can be reused.
Twist or screw-type caps have recently become popular for use on
bottles because of the modest cost of these caps. Further, these
types of caps have a definite utilitarian advantage over caps which
must be defomed during the bottle opening process, such as those
which are removed by a bottle opener, because the consumer can
reuse these caps to reseal the bottle if the contents have not been
entirely consumed.
Reusable bottles with twist-type caps, therefore, are commonly in
use. However, it has been found that often the bottles are returned
with the cap in place thereon. Thses caps, of course, must be
removed by the product manufacturer prior to refilling the bottles.
The cap removal procedure presents certain difficulties because not
all of the bottles are returned with the caps and those that are so
tightly sealed that conventional decapping procedures have proven
ineffective. Since it is time consuming and costly to separate the
capped returned bottles from the non-capped return bottles it is
necessary to have apparatus which will remove the caps from capped
bottles but will pass the non-capped bottles without acting upon
them.
One system which has been utilized in order to decap returned
bottles with twist-type caps is a stationary belt spaced from a
moving belt. The bottles are conveyed in line by a conveyor belt
such that the caps, if present, are engaged between the belts. The
movable belt is driven faster than the movement of the bottles and
the caps are therefore rotated and removed. This system is
advantageous because no separation is necesssary as non-capped
bottles pass through unaffected.
However, the above described system is extremely disadvantageous
because caps which are tightly sealed on the bottles may pass
through the device still secured to the bottle. This means that the
entire operation must be stopped in order to remove the capped
bottle. This system works well for caps that are relatively loosely
screwed on the bottles, but for the occasional cap which is tightly
sealed, the friction between the cap and the bottle may be greater
than the friction between the cap and the belts. The cap is
therefore not rotated and remains sealed to the bottle.
It is, therefore, the prime object of the present invention to
provide apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles wherein
the caps are loosened prior to removal such that substantially all
of the caps are removed.
A second object of the present invention is to provide apparatus
for removing twist-type caps from bottles which can be installed as
a unit in a pre-existing bottle conveyor system.
A third object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for
removing twist-type caps from bottles as they are continuously
moved through the apparatus by means of a conveyor.
A further object of the present invention is to provide apparatus
for removing twist-type caps from bottles which can be easily
adjusted to accommodate bottles of various sizes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus
for removing twist-type caps from bottles which can utilized to
remove caps of different sizes with only minor modification and
which will not effect bottles without caps as they pass through the
apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus
for removing twist-type caps which functions automatically and at
high speeds in order to substantially facilitate the bottle removal
process.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide
apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles which comprises
inexpensive, sturdy and reliable mounted parts for ease of repair
and long machine life.
In accordance with the present invention apparatus for removing
twist-type caps from bottles is provided having means for conveying
the bottles at a given speed. Cap loosening means and cap removal
means are located one after the other in the direction of the
conveyance of the bottles. The cap loosening means and cap removal
means each operably engage each cap as the bottles are conveyed by
the conveyor means such that the caps are acted upon to loosen same
by the cap loosening means and further acted upon to remove same by
the cap removal means.
The cap loosening means is necessary to insure that each cap which
enters the cap removal means is loosened to the point where the cap
removal means can act upon the cap to remove it. In this way,
substantially all of the caps will be removed. The cap loosening
means comprises a plurality of rotatable discs each of which has a
series of recesses along the periphery thereof. Spaced from the
discs is a movable belt operably connected to a means for moving
the belt at a speed greater than the speed of the conveyor means. A
plurality of recesses are situated along the periphery of each
disc. The recesses are formed to securely engage each cap in turn
as it is moved between the discs and the movable belt. The movement
of the bottle along the conveyor rotates the disc containing the
recess in which the cap on the bottle is engaged from a position
wherein one of the recesses thereon accepts a cap to a position
wherein the cap is released by the recess. The recesses are spaced
along the periphery of each disc such that when a cap is released
by one recess another recess on that disc is positioned to accept
the cap on the next successive bottle on the conveyor. The rotation
of the disc tends to rotate the cap to loosen it. The discs are
aligned such that when a cap is released by the recess of one disc
a recess on the next succeeding disc is in position to accept the
cap. The cap is therefore rotated a given amount by each of the
discs in succession. Several discs are utilized in tandem in case a
cap is so tightly secured to a bottle that it is not rotated by the
action of the primary discs. Thus several similar but separate
operations are performed to insure that at least one will provide
an initial rotation of the cap. In order to facilitate the initial
rotation, the cap is jarred as it moves along the discs.
Means for intermittently exerting a lateral force on the cap as it
moves between the discs and the movable belt is provided so that
the caps are jarred to further insure loosening of the caps from
the bottles. This means comprises a plurality of rollers preferably
mounted on the side of the belt other than the side which engages
the caps such that the force is exerted through the belt. The
jarring action of the intermittent force exerting means works in
conjunction with the discs to insure that each and every cap will
be rotated by at least one disc and therefore loosened before
entrance into the cap removal means.
The cap removal means comprises a stationary belt and a movable
belt spaced therefrom. The movable belt is operably connected to
means for moving the belt at a speed greater than the speed of the
conveying means. The caps, as they move from the cap loosening
means, are securely engaged between the stationary and movable
belts which comprise the cap removal means. The cap removal means
acts to further rotate the cap with respect to the bottle until it
is no longer secured to the bottle. At this point compressed air
may be pumped underneath the cap to lift it from the bottle and
suction means used to convey the lifted cap and dispose of
same.
To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as
they may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to
apparatus for removing twist-type caps from bottles as defined in
the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken
together with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals
refer to like parts and wherein:
FIGS. 1A and 1B combine to form a top elevational view of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B combine to form a side elevational view of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the
apparatus showing a bottle being decapped therein;
FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the drive means of the present
apparatus taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 2B;
FIG. 5 is a top elevational view of the cap loosening means and cap
means of the present invention taken along lines 5--5 of FIG.
3;
FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the cap loosening means of
the present invention taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the movable belt means of
the present invention taken along lines 7--7 of FIG. 5.
The present invention comprises a drive means, generally designated
A, which is operably connected to drive a pair of upstanding
conveyor belts, generaly designated B. The upstanding conveyor
belts B are situated to securely engage a bottle positioned on a
conventional bottle conveyor, generally designated as C. All three
conveyor belts are moved at a single given speed to move a stream
of bottles through the apparatus. The upstanding conveyor belts B
are utilized to prevent the rotation of the bottles with respect to
conveyor belt C as the bottle passes through the decapping
apparatus.
Cap loosening means D comprises, in addition to a movable belt
means, generally designated D.sub.1, a series of aligned rotatable
discs driven by drive means A and generally designated D.sub.2,
each of which has a plurality of recesses along the periphery
thereof. In the preferred embodiment, four rotatable discs are
shown each of which has six recesses along the periphery thereof.
The recesses are situated such that each cap in turn may be
securely engaged therein between each disc and the portion of the
movable belt D.sub.1 situated across therefrom. Each of the discs
is rotatable from a position wherein one of the recesses thereon
accepts a cap to a position wherein the recess releases the cap.
The recesses are spaced along each disc such that when the cap is
released by one recess a succeeding recess is in position to accept
the cap on the next successive bottle on conveyor means C. Further,
the discs are aligned such that when a cap is released from the
recess of one disc a recess on the next successive disc is in
position to accept that cap. The rotation of each of the discs
rotates the cap thereby loosening it.
However, certain caps may be tightly secured to the bottle. Too
tightly, in fact, for the first disc to rotate it. In order to
overcome this problem several discs are located in tandem such that
if the cap is not rotated by the primary disc it will be rotated by
one of the subsequent discs. In this way cap loosening is insured.
Preferably, the recesses are formed of resilient material such that
a retentive engagement of the cap is facilitated between the disc
and the movable belt. The recesses are formed such that a
non-capped bottle will pass through cap loosening means D without
being affected thereby.
Cap loosening means D further comprises a means generally
designated D.sub.3 for intermittently exerting a lateral force on
each cap as each cap in turn moves through the cap loosening means
D. Intermittent force exerting means D.sub.3 comprises a plurality
of rotatable rollers fixedly mounted to the frame of the apparatus
immediately behind the portion of the belt means which is opposite
the discs. As each cap moves through cap loosening means D each of
the rollers will jar the cap so as to further loosen it from the
bottle. Means D.sub.3 further insures that the cap will be rotated
by at least one disc to loosen it by working in conjunction with
the discs to jar the cap sufficiently to permit rotation of the cap
by the discs.
Since the movement of the movable belt means D.sub.1 is at a speed
which is greater than the movement of the bottles on the conveyor
means C, the action of the movable belt D.sub.1 along with the
rotatable discs D.sub.2 and the intermittent force exerting means
D.sub.3 insures that the caps will be loosened and rotated with
respect to the bottles. Thus, each cap will be loosened to the
point where it can be removed by cap removal means E.
After each bottle in turn emerges from cap loosening means D it
passes into cap removal means E which comprises a stationary belt
generally designated E.sub.1 which is spaced from a second movable
belt generally designated E.sub.2, the latter also being movable at
a speed greater than the speed of the bottles on the conveyor C.
The caps are firmly engaged between the stationary belt E.sub.1 and
the movable belt E.sub.2 to rotate the caps with respect to the
bottles until they are no longer secured to the bottle neck. At
this point the cap may be lifted or sucked from the bottle by
conventional means such as a compressed air source or suction means
and thereby disposed of.
More specifically, as seen in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 4, the apparatus of
the present invention comprises a drive means A A which has a motor
10 which is operably connected to a main drive shaft 12. Because
motor 10 will operate at a speed which is too fast to drive the
apparatus, a speed reducer 14 is interposed between motor 10 and
main drive shaft 12. A pulley 16 operably connected to motor 10 and
a pulley 18 operably connected to reducer 14 are connected by a
flexible belt 20 to provide the connection between motor 10 and
reducer 14.
As best seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, main drive shaft 12 has a roller
chain sprocket 22 connected thereon. Each of the upstanding
conveyors 24, 26 is situated around a pair of spaced spindles 28,
30, and 32, 34 respectively. A chain 36 is threaded around sprocket
22, spindle 30, spindle 34 and a spring loaded sprocket idler 38.
In this way, spindle 30 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction
(as viewed in FIGS. 1A and 1B) and spindle 34 is rotated in a
clockwise direction (as viewed in these figures). The motion of
spindles 30 and 34 will cause upstanding conveyor belts 24 and 26
to engage the sides of the bottles between them and convey the
bottles in turn along the length of the machine. Conveyor belt C
supports the bottles from beneath. Upstanding conveyors 24 and 26
are moved at the same speed as conveyor C and serve to eliminate
any rotational movement of the bottle with respect to conveyor belt
C. Conveyor belt C is normally driven by a drive means external to
the apparatus of the present invention and which is therefore not
illustrated in the drawings.
Although chain 36 is not shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, it can be
appreciated from the position of spindles 32 and 34 that chain 36
lies in a plane beneath the portion of the apparatus upon which cap
loosening means D and cap removal means E is situated. Such a
configuration is desirable in order to prevent the interference of
chain 36 with the remainder of the bottle decapping apparatus.
Cap loosening means D and cap removal means E are both situated on
a vertically movable frame 40. Frame 40 is adjustable with respect
to the plane of conveyor belt C so that bottles of various heights
may be decapped by the apparatus of the present invention. This
height adjustment is accomplished by means of a pair of externally
threaded shafts 42 and 44 each of which supports frame 40. Shaft 42
is inserted into bracket member 46 which is fixedly mounted to the
frame of the apparatus. Likewise, shaft 44 is situated within
mounted member 48 which is also fixedly mounted to the frame of the
apparatus. Mounting members 46 and 48 are internally threaded to
interlock with the external threads on shafts 42 and 44
respectively. The height of frame 40 is adjusted by turning a
rotatable handle 50 which is operably connected to shaft 42. The
rotation of handle 50 serrves to rotate shaft 42 thus axially
moving the shaft with respect to mounted means 46. A roller chain
sprocket 52 is mounted on shaft 42 which is operably connected to a
roller chain sprocket 54 mounted to shaft 44 by means of a chain
56. In this way, the rotation of handle 50 not only serves to
rotate shaft 42 but also simultaneously to rotate shaft 44 such
that the platform 40 is moved up or down with respect to conveyor
belt C. Of course, this height adjustment need be performed only
once for each type of bottle which is being decapped. When the
height of a series of bottles being fed into the machine changes,
the position of frame 40 is adjusted such that the cap loosening
means D and cap removal means E are in the appropriate position to
engage the caps on the bottles (see FIG. 3).
Mounted on main drive shaft 12 is a roller chain sprocket 58 which
is used to transfer the rotation of main drive shaft 12 to each of
the movable belts D.sub.1 and E.sub.2 which form a part of cap
loosening means D and cap removal means E, respectively. As can
best be seen by FIG. 5, belt D.sub.1 passes along intermittent
force exerting means D.sub.3 between pulleys 62 and 64 as well as
in a zigzag configuration between pulleys 66, 68, 70, 72 and 74
thereby forming a loop. As seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, sprocket 58 on
drive shaft 12 is operably connected to rotate a sprocket 71 by
means of a chain 90. Sprocket 71 is situated on the same shaft as
pulley 70 such that the rotation of sprocket 71 rotates pulley
70.
In a similar manner belt E.sub.2 is situated in a straight path
between pulleys 76 and 78 and a zigzag path between pulleys 80, 82,
84, 86 and 88. A roller chain sprocket 81, which is on the same
shaft as pulley 84, is operably connected to sprocket 71 by means
of a chain 92. In order to maintain the proper tension on chains 90
and 92, a spring-loaded rotatable bracket 94 is mounted on frame
40. Bracket 94 has a pair of rotatable sprockets 96 and 98 each of
which is situated on a different end of bracket 94. Rotatable
sprockets 96 and 98 are in communication with chains 90 and 92,
respectively. Rotatable bracket 94 is urged to rotate in a
counterclockwise manner as seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The spring bias
on bracket 94 is adjusted to maintain the tension chains 90 and 92
at a level to prevent slippage between these chains and the
sprockets to which they connected. Sprockets 71 and 81 are
connected to sprocket 58 on main drive shaft 12 such that movable
belt D.sub.1 and movable belt E.sub.2 each travel at a speed which
is greater than the speed of upstanding conveyors 24 and 26 and
bottle conveyor C. This may be accomplished by a suitable sizing of
the respective sprockets, a gear box (not shown) or in any other
conventional manner.
As seen in FIG. 5, cap loosening means D comprises four rotatable
discs D.sub.2 designated separately as 100, 102, 104 and 106
aligned opposite the straight portion of the path of belt D.sub.1.
Although four discs are shown in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, it is obvious that any number of discs which are
desired can be utilized herein. Each of the discs 100 through 106
has six recesses along the periphery thereof. The number and size
of the recesses on each of the discs will depend upon the diameter
of the caps which the recesses will engage. Each recess must be
small enough to engage the caps securely but large enough to permit
the neck of an uncapped bottle to pass through it without engaging
it. If different size caps are to be removed, each of the discs 100
to 106 can be replaced by discs having recesses of different size
which are more suitable to engage the cap which is being removed.
In this way, the machine of the present invention can be easily
modified to accommodate bottles having different size caps.
Each of the discs 100 through 106 is rotatable from a position
wherein one of the recesses is situated to accept a cap as the
bottle containing the cap travels along conveyor belt C (from left
to right as seen in FIG. 5) to a position wherein the cap is
released from the recess. The recesses are spaced along the
periphery of each disc such that when the disc is rotated to
release the cap from one recess another recess is situated to
accept the cap on the next successive bottle on bottle conveyor
means C. The discs 100 through 106 are aligned such that when one
disc is rotated in order that the recess thereon releases a cap,
the next disc is in an angular position to have one of its recesses
situated to accept the cap as the bottle moves along conveyor
C.
Each of the recesses on disc 100 through 106 are formed to securely
engage a cap between the disc upon which the recess is situated and
flexible belt D.sub.1. The rotation of the disc is caused by the
movement of the bottle whose cap is engaged within a recess thereon
as the bottle is moved along conveyor belt C. The recesses on each
of the discs 100 to 106 are preferably formed of a resilient
material to facilitate firm frictional engagement of the cap. Such
frictional engagement is necessary so that the rotation of the disc
will also rotate the cap to loosen it. The rotation of each of the
discs 100 through 106 will each rotate the cap through an arc of
about 30.degree. if the frictional engagement between the disc and
cap is greater than between the cap and the bottle. Therefore, if
each of the discs 100 to 106 performs its rotational function on
the cap, the cap loosening means as a whole will rotate the cap
through an arc of approximately 120.degree.. It is possible that a
cap will be so tightly secured to the bottle that the first disc
will be unable to rotate it. For this reason a number of discs in
tandem is provided. Experience has shown that such a setup
substantially reduces the chances of an unloosened cap entering the
removal means E. It is necessary that only loosened caps enter cap
removal means E because an unloosened cap may pass through removal
means E and not be removed therein.
However, there may be instances when the cap is screwed so tightly
on the bottle that the friction created by the resilient recess
which engages the cap between the disc and movable belt D.sub.1 is
not sufficient to rotate the cap with respect to the bottle. If an
individual were unscrewing the cap manually but could not exert
sufficient frictional force on the cap to overcome the frictional
forces between the cap and the bottle, he might tap the cap on the
edge of a rigid surface to loosen it. Intermittent force exerting
means D.sub.3 performs this tapping function automatically.
Intermittent force exerting means D.sub.3 comprises a series of
rollers 108 rotatably mounted along the straight part of the path
of belt D.sub.1 on the side of belt D.sub.1 which does not contact
the caps. As the cap moves between discs 100 to 106 and belt
D.sub.1 each of the rollers 108 exerts a lateral force on the cap
through belt D.sub.1 which acts in a manner similar to tapping the
bottle cap on a rigid surface in order to jar the cap. In
aggregate, the rollers 108 serve to intermittently exert lateral
forces on the cap as the cap moves through the cap loosening means.
Intermittent force exerting means D.sub.3 tends to loosen the cap.
Means D.sub.3 works in conjunction with discs 100 through 106 and
movable belt D.sub.1 (which is moving faster than the bottle on
conveyor belt C) to insure that at least one of the discs will be
able to rotate each of the caps.
Referring now to FIG. 6, it can be seen that rotatable disc 102 is
made up of a resilient body section 110 which is sandwiched between
an upper rigid plate 112 and a lower rigid plate 114. Plates 112
and 114 secure flexible body portion 110 therebetween by means of a
plurality of screw members 116. Mounted on top of upper plate 112
and rotatable therewith is a motion limiting member 118 having a
pin 120 in communication therewith. Pin 120 is mounted in bracket
122 into which the shaft 124 of each of the rotatable discs
extends. Pin 120 communicates with member 118 in order to create a
frictional drag on disc 102 such that the disc is not entirely free
to rotate. A certain amount of force must be exerted by a cap 126
thereon in order to rotate the disc. This exertion of force by the
cap facilitates the loosening of the cap.
As also can be seen in FIG. 6, flexible belt D.sub.1 as shown has a
conventional trapezoidal shaped cross-section. The pulleys which
contact the wider surface of belt D.sub.1 have non-recessed
peripheries. These are pulleys 64 (see FIG. 7), 72, 68 and 62. On
the other hand, those pulleys 74 (see FIG. 7), 70 and 66 which
contact the narrower portion of belt D.sub.1 have a circumferential
trapezoidal recess along the peripheries thereof to maintain the
alignment of belt D.sub.1. Thus the cross-sectional shape of belt
D.sub.1 and the peripheries of certain of the pulleys serve to
maintain the alignment between belt D.sub.1 and the remainder of
the pulleys around which belt D.sub.1 travels.
After being released by the recess on disc 106, the loosened cap
travels from cap loosening means D into cap removal means E which
is situated immediately behind it in the direction of bottle
movement on bottle conveyor means C. Cap removal means E comprises
a stationary belt E.sub.1 which is spaced from a movable belt
E.sub.2. Movable belt E.sub.2 is driven by means of pulley 84 which
is operably connected to sprocket 81 and thus sprocket 71 by means
of chain 92 as previously described. Belt E.sub.2 and pulleys 76
through 88 have the same configuration and operate in substantially
the same manner as belt D.sub.1 and pulleys 64 through 74, which is
described in detail above. The belts E.sub.1 and E.sub.2 are spaced
apart sufficiently to permit the neck of a non-capped bottle to
pass through cap removal means E unaffected.
As the cap enters cap removal means E it is securely engaged
between stationary belt E.sub.1 and movable belt E.sub.2. It must
be remembered that movable belt E.sub.2 is moving at a speed which
is greater than the linear movement of the cap. The movement of
movable belt E.sub.2 with respect to stationary belt E.sub.1 tends
to rotate the cap engaged therebetween with respect to the bottle
upon which it is secured. As the cap moves along cap removal means
E it is continuously rotated until the cap is no longer secured to
the bottle. At the end of cap removal means E, a stream of
compressed air may be utilized from beneath the cap to lift the cap
off the bottle. Likewise or alternatively, a suction means may be
used to lift the cap from the bottle and dispose of it. These
compressed air means and suction means are not shown in the
drawings as they are state-of-the art.
The bottle within the cap removed continues to move along bottle
conveyor means C and comes to the end of upstanding conveyors 24
and 26 at which time it is released from engagement between the
upstanding conveyors. After release from the upstanding conveyors
24 and 26 the bottle moves along bottle conveyor belt C to the next
station, which may be a bottle filling operation.
Because of the nature of the apparatus, it can readily be placed,
as a unit, on any conventional conveyor system, such as a bottle
conveyor described herein as conveyor C. This means that it can be
utilized with any pre-existing system to perform the cap removal
process automatically and continuously.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been
specifically disclosed herein for purposes of illustration. It is
apparent that many modifications and variations may be made upon
this specific structure disclosed herein. It is intended to cover
all of these variations and modifications which fall within the
scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
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