Rotary filling machine

Claim 2

In a high speed, rotary machine for filling containers with flowable material, an improved means for holding and tilting containers passing through the machine comprising: a. a rotating filling wheel; b. a pair of spaced chucks, one positioned directly above the other, attached to the filling wheel by at least one pivoted lever; c. a bottom guide rail positioned beneath the containers and supporting the containers as they move through the filling machine; d. an outer guide rail positioned outside the path of travel of the containers, whereby the containers are held between the chuck and the outer guide rail; e. a cam track extending around the machine; f. means for positioning a portion of the cam track further away from the axis of the filling wheel then the rest of the track; and g. a cam follower attached to one of said chucks and moving in said cam track, whereby as the cam follower moves along the portion of the cam track that is further away from the axis of the filling wheel the chucks and guide rails tilt a container held therein.

Claim 3

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 1 wherein the pair of chucks are attached to the rotating filling wheel by at least two pivoted levers, one of said levers being closer to the axis of rotation of the filling wheel than the other lever.

Claim 4

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 1 furTher comprising means to move said portion of the cam track towards the axis of rotation of the filling wheel to give the track a substantially circular configuration, whereby all of the containers passing through the machine are brought to a substantially vertical position.

Claim 5

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 3 wherein the means for moving said portion of the cam track comprises; a. a semi-circular ring segment to which the cam track is attached, said ring segment being pivoted at one end; and b. means for moving the other end of said ring segment.

Claim 6

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 4 including means for moving the end of the ring segment by an amount proportional to the rotary speed of the rotating filling wheel.

Claim 7

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 3 including means for adjustably moving the outer guide rail with the cam track.

Claim 8

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 6 further comprising: a. a discharge guide, said discharge guide and said movable outer guide rail defining a channel along which the containers move off the filling wheel onto a generally linear path; b. a first pivot point located along said path, said movable outer guide rail extending to said pivot point; c. a second pivot point located further along said path than said first pivot point, said discharge guide extending to said second pivot point; and d. a bridge member connecting the outer guide rail to the discharge guide at a location ahead of said first pivot point, whereby as the outer guide rail moves the discharge guide is moved by a lesser amount.

Claim 9

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 3 including means for adjustably moving the bottom guide rail with the cam track.

Claim 10

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 1 further comprising a base to which the rotating filling wheel is attached, said outer guide rail being secured to the base, whereby the chucks tilt the containers about the guide rail.

Claim 11

In a high speed, rotary machine for filling containers with flowable material, an improved means for holding and tilting containers passing through the machine comprising: a. a base; b. a filling wheel rotatably attached to the base; c. a pair of spaced chucks one positioned directly above the other, attached to the rotary filling wheel by at least two pivoted levers, one of said levers being closer to the axis of rotation of the filling wheel than the other lever; d. a pair of semi-circular ring segments, one of said ring segments being immovably secured to said base, and the other ring segment having one end that pivots about a point adjacent to one end of said immovable ring segment, whereby the other end of said pivoted ring segment can move toward and away from the other end of the immovable ring segment; e. a pair of strips attached to the immovable ring segment and to the pivoted ring segment with the ends of the strips overlapping at the movable end of the pivoted ring segment, said strips defining a cam track that has a generally circular configuration when the movable end of the pivoted ring segment is positioned near the end of the immovable ring segment; f. a cam follower attached to one of the chucks and riding in the cam track; and g. means for moving the movable end of the pivoted ring segment away from the immovable ring segment, whereby a portion of the cam track is moved further away from the axis of rotation of the rotating filler wheel and the chucks tilt a container held therein as the cam follower moves along this portion of the cam track.

Claim 12

In a high speed, rotary machine for filling containers with flowable material, an improved means for holding and tilting containers passing through the machine comprising: a. a base; b. a filling wheel rotatably attached to the base; c. a pair of spaced chucks one positioned directly above the other, attached to the rotary filling wheel by at least two pivoted levers, one of said levers being closer to the axis of rotation of the filling wheel than the other lever; d. a pair of semi-circular ring segments, one of said ring segments being immovably secured to said base, and the other ring segment having one end that pivots about a point adjacent to one end of said immovable ring segment, whereby the other end of said pivoted ring segment can move toward and away from the other end of the immovable ring segment; e. a pair of strips attached to the immovable ring segment and to the pivoted ring segment with the ends of the strips overlapping at the movable end of the pivoted ring segment, said strips defining a cam track that has a generally circular configuration when the movable end of the pivoted ring segment is positioned near the end of the immovable ring segment; f. a cam follower attached to one of the chucks and riding in the cam track; and g. means for moving the movable end of the pivoted ring segment away from the immovable ring segment, whereby a portion of the cam track is moved further away from the axis of rotation of the rotating filler wheel and the chucks tilt a container held therein as the cam follower moves along this portion of the cam track.

Claim 13

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 10 further comprising a bottom guide rail positioned beneath the containers moving through the machine and an outer guide rail positioned outside the path of travel of said containers, said guide rails being attached to said pivoted ring segment and moveable with said cam track, whereby thE guide rails cooperate with the chucks in tilting the containers.

Claim 14

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 11 wherein; a. the movable outer guide rail extends from the machine to a first pivot point located along a discharge conveyor that carries the containers away from the filling machine in a generally linear path; b. a discharge guide extends along the discharge conveyor to a second pivot point located further along the conveyor than the first pivot point, said discharge guide and said outer guide rail defining a channel along which containers move onto the discharge conveyor; and c. a bridge member connects the outer guide rail to the discharge guide at a location intermediate the point where the discharge guide picks up the containers and said first pivot point, whereby as the outer guide rail moves, the discharge guide is moved by a lesser amount.

Claim 15

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 11 further comprising a stationary guide rail secured to said base and positioned outside the path of travel of the containers, whereby the chucks and the movable guide rails tilt the container about the stationary guide rail.

Claim 16

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 10 including means for adjusting the movement of the pivoted ring segment for different rotary speeds of said rotating filler wheel.

Claim 17

Container holding and tilting means according to claim 10 wherein the means for moving the movable end of the pivoted ring segment comprises a pneumatic or a hydraulic cylinder.