Method and apparatus for assembling bulb-shaped glass containers having cylindrical base elements

Claim 3

The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the seating and aligning step is performed by conveying the container with the base element thereon beneath an aligning surface which engages the base element to seat and align the base element into its final assembled position on the container as said container is conveyed along said first path, and the cooling step is performed while the base element is engaged with the aligning surface.

Claim 6

Apparatus for assembling cylindrical cup-shaped base elements upon spherically bottomed containers comprising means for conveying spherically bottomed containers in an inverted position along a first path, chute means for supporting and feeding cup-shaped base elements in an inverted position into overlying relationship with containers on said conveying means, said chute means terminating at a discharge gate having resilient means for releasably retaining a base element in an inclined position overlying the path of movement of said containers along said first path such that upon movement of a container past said discharge gate the container engages and releases the base element from said discharge gate and carries the base element away from said discharge gate in an approximately assembled position upon the container bottom, and aligning means overlying said first path downstream of said first path from said discharge gate for engaging and aligning the base elements into their final assembled position upon the container.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said aligning means comprises a stationary seating plate overlying said first path and extending downstream from said discharge gate, the undersurface of said seating plate being flat and inclined downwardly toward said first path in its extent away from said discharge gate to slidably engage the approximately assembled base element and depress the base element downwardly onto its container as the container and base element are conveyed therebeneath, and base orienting means beyond the downstream end of said seating plate overlying said first path for shifting the base element upon its container into its final assembled position thereon.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said base-orienting means comprises a stationary backup plate overlying said first path at a fixed elevation, an endless belt conveyor having a lower run underlying and slidably engaged with the underside of said backup plate, and means for driving said belt conveyor to move said lower run in the same direction and at the same speed as said conveying means, said lower run engaging the base element and moving with the base element as it is conveyed along said first Path beneath said base-orienting means.

Claim 9

In an apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the base element is bonded to the container by a hot melt adhesive activated when said base element engages the container; the further improvement comprising means for cooling the container and base element to set the adhesive while the base element is engaged with said base-orienting means.

Claim 10

Apparatus for assembling cylindrical cup-shaped base elements upon a spherically bottomed container comprising means for conveying spherically bottomed containers in an inverted position along a first path, chute means for supporting and feeding cup-shaped base elements in an inverted position into overlying relationship with containers on said conveying means, said chute means terminating at a discharge gate having means for releasably retaining a base element in an inclined position overlying the path of movement of said containers along said first path such that upon movement of a container past said discharge gate the container engages and releases the base element from said discharge gate and carries the base element away from said discharge gate upon the container bottom, and means on said conveying means for vertically adjusting the elevation of containers moving along said first path at a location upstream of said discharge gate to establish a maximum permitted elevation of the container bottom to assure clearance between the container bottom and said discharge gate.

Claim 11

In an assembly apparatus for assembling cup-shaped elements upon containers, the apparatus including conveying means for conveying the containers in line along a first path extending beneath an element supply chute terminating at a discharge gate from which the elements are successively stripped by the containers as they pass beneath the discharge gate; the improvement comprising a container support assembly on said conveying means having a generally flat support frame mounted for edgewise movement along said first path, pocket means defining an elongate annular container receiving pocket on said support frame for supporting a container in an inverted position with the container bottom projecting upwardly above said pocket means during transit of said first path, means mounting said pocket means on said support frame with the pocket axis perpendicular to said support frame and supporting said pocket means for axial movement relative to said support frame, means engaged between said pocket means and said support frame releasably maintaining said pocket means at a normal position of maximum elevation relative to said support frame during transit of said first path, and height-limiting means mounted above said first path upstream from said discharge gate engageable with the bottom of a container supported in said pocket means and projecting above a maximum permitted elevation to depress the container to the permitted maximum elevation by depressing said pocket means axially from its maximum elevation, said means engaged being operable to maintain the pocket means in its depressed position.

Claim 12

In an assembly apparatus as defined in claim 12, the further improvement wherein said support comprises a generally flat platelike member having an extending open ended annular sleeve centrally located therein with the sleeve axis normal to said platelike member, said sleeve having a relatively large diameter cylindrical top section, a relatively small diameter bottom section, and a frustoconical central section joining the top and bottom sections to each other, said pocket means having an outer configuration complementary in shape to the interior of said sleeve and being axially slidably received in said sleeve, and an annular shoulder in the interior of said pocket means engageable with the container finish to support the container in an inverted position within said pocket means.

Claim 13

In an assembly apparatus as defined in claim 12; the further improvement wherein said means engaged between said pOcket means and support frame comprises means defining an elongate slot in said support frame extending in a direction normal to the pocket means axis, means defining an axially extending slot in said pocket means, a pin mounted in said elongate slot for sliding movement longitudinally thereof and projecting into said axially extending slot for sliding movement therein, resilient means biasing said pin toward one end of said elongate slot and against one side of said axially extending slot, and means defining a notch in said one side of said axially extending slot for receiving said pin when said pocket means is at said normal position relative to said support frame.

Claim 14

In an assembly apparatus as defined in claim 12; the further improvement wherein the conveying means extends along an endless path, and reset means located adjacent said endless path downstream from said discharge gate engageable with a pocket means which have been depressed by operation of said height limiting means to restore the pocket means to its normal position relative to the support frame.

Claim 15

In an assembly apparatus as defined in claim 13; the further improvement wherein said means engaged between said pocket means and said support element comprises means defining a pair of diametrically opposed circumferentially elongated slots in said bottom section of said sleeve, a pair of diametrically opposed axially extending slots in said pocket means, a pin extending through all of said slots and projecting outwardly from opposite sides of said sleeve, a tension spring connected to both of the projecting portions of said pin and passing around one half of the circumference of the sleeve to resiliently bias the pin toward one end of the slots in said sleeve and against one side of the slots in said pocket means, and means defining aligned notches in the one side of the slots of said pocket means for receiving the pin when the pocket means is located at its normal position relative to the support frame.

Claim 16

In an assembly apparatus for assembling a cup-shaped base element upon the bottom of a bulb-shaped container, the apparatus including conveying means for conveying containers in an inverted position along a first path extending beneath a base element supply chute terminating at a discharge gage from which the base elements are successively stripped by the containers as they pass beneath said discharge gate; the improvement wherein said discharge gate comprises a tubular chute defining a passage shaped to confine and guide base elements in line in an inverted position to a discharge outlet at one end of the tubular chute, said tubular chute having spaced top and bottom walls inclined downwardly toward the first path with said outlet at the lower end of the tubular chute, means defining a semicircular recess in the lower edge of the bottom wall of said tubular chute at said outlet for permitting the passage of the bottom of an inverted container conveyed on the conveying means, a bracket mounted on said top wall for adjustable positioning longitudinally of said top wall toward and away from said outlet, and resiliently releasable gate means mounted on said bracket and projecting in front of said outlet for releasably retaining the endmost base element in said outlet in a ready position wherein the base element partially projects from said outlet with that portion of the base within the chute supported upon said bottom wall closely adjacent the edge of said recess.

Claim 17

In an assembly apparatus as defined in claim 17; the further improvement wherein said gate means comprises a pair of shafts mounted in said bracket for rotation about spaced parallel axes perpendicular to said top wall, a gate member mounted upon and extending radially from each shaft at the lower end thereof, a crank member mounted upon and extending radially from each of said shafts at the upper end of the shaft, resilient means interconnected between each crank member and said bracket resiliently biasing the shafts in opposite dIrections of rotation urging the gate members toward each other, and adjustment means mounted on said bracket engageable with said crank members to establish rotative end limits of movement of said shafts under the bias of said resilient means at which said gate members project symmetrically across and in front of said outlet to engage the endmost base element to establish its ready position in said tubular chute.