Apparatus for assembling dispensing valve assemblies with containers

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING WITH CONTAINERS DISPENSING VALVE ASSEMBLIES EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES A CLOSURE MEMBER ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH THE MOUTH-DEFINING PORTION OF A CONTAINER AND CARRIES A VALVE MECHANISM FITTED WITH A DIP TUBE, COMPRISING CONTAINER CONVEYER MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE CONTAINERS MOUTHS UPPERMOST IN SUCCESSION AND IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION, DISPENSING VALVE ASSEMBLY CONVEYOR MEANS DISPOSED ABOVE THE PATH OF THE CONTAINERS AND ARRANGED TO MOVE DISPENSING VALVE ASSEMBLIES IN SUCCESSION IN TIMED RELATION WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE CONTAINERS AND WITH THE DIP TUBES DIRECTED DOWNWARDS TOWARDS THE CONTAINERS, SAID DISPENSING ASSEMBLY CONVEYOR MEANS MOVING THE DISPENSING VALVE ASSEMBLIES IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CONTAINERS AND CONVERGING TOWARDS THE PATH OF THE CONTAINERS TO EFFECT THE INSERTION OF THE DIP TUBES INTO THE CONTAINERS, AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR SUPPORTED TO BE DIVERGENT FROM THE PLANE OF SAID DISPENSING VALVE ASSEMBLY CONVEYOR MEANS AND CONVERGENT TOWARDS THE PLANE OF THE CONTAINER CONVEYOR MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THEREOF, AND DIP TUBE ENGAGING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY THE ENDLESS CONVEYOR AND ARRANGED FIRST TO ENGAGE A DIP TUBE AT A POSITION IN THE VICINITY THEREOF AT WHICH IT IS ATTACHED TO THE VALVE MECHANISM AND THEREAFTER TO SLIDE RELATIVE TO THE DIP TUBE TOWARDS THE FREE END THEREOF THEREBY TO GUIDE THE FREE ENDS OF THE DIP TUBES INTO THE CONTAINERS.