Abstract There is disclosed herein in a preferred embodiment a method and apparatus for determining whether the layer of high alkali glass on the inside of a glass bottle has been effectively neutralized by the introduction of an acidic compound into the interior of the glass bottle. The method includes the steps of passing a beam of light through the bottle, and filtering the light beam to pass only a range of wave lengths which will be scattered, absorbed or otherwise inhibited by the presence of a coating on the inside of the bottle which has resulted from the reaction of the acidic compound and the layer of high alkali glass. The filtered light beam is sensed to determine the amount of light in the range of wave lengths which passes through the bottle and this is utilized as a measure of the effectiveness of the neutralization process. In the preferred embodiment the filtering step includes limiting the range of wave lengths to detect the amount of sodium sulphate in the coating on the inside of the bottle as the measure of the effectiveness of the neutralization process.
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the neutral salt forming the coating includes sulphates and sulphites, and in which said light filtering means passes the wave lengths between 0.35 and 0.50 microns.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the neutral salt forming the coating includes sodium sulphate and in which said light filtering means passes the wave lengths between 0.35 and 0.50 microns.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said light filtering means includes infrared absoring filter means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said light filtering means includes blue-passing filter means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 which further includes a. means for detecting the position of said glass containers and providing a gating signal when said interior surfaces are substantially normal to said beam of light, and b. means responsive to said gating signal for passing said output signal to said indicating means.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
207 words
A method for producing and inspecting a glass container in which a layer of high alkali glass on the inside of the glass container has been given a neutralizing treatment, comprising the steps of a. introducing an acidic compound into the interior of a glass container having a layer of high alkali glass on an interior surface thereof, b. heating said container to react said acidic compound with said layer of high alkali glass, c. cooling said container, d. positioning a light source to direct a beam of light through said interior surface of said container, e. filtering said light beam to pass only a range of wave lengths which would be scattered, absorbed or otherwise have their passage inhibited by the presence of a neutral salt coating on said interior surface which should occur as a result of the reaction of said acidic compound with the layer of high alkali glass, and f. sensing the filtered light beam on the side of said container opposite from said light source, to determine the amount of light in said range of wave lengths which has passed through said interior surface, as a measure of the effectiveness of the acidic compound in neutralizing the layer of high alkali glass.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
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A method as defined in claim 7 in which the filtering step includes limiting the range of wave lengths to those which are scattered, absorbed or have their passage inhibited by sulphate and sulphite compound coatings.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as defined in claim 7 in which the filtering step includes limiting the range of wave lengths to 0.35 to 0.50 microns to detect the amount of sodium-sulphate in the coating as a measure of the acidic compound in neutralizing the layer of high alkali glass.