Patent US3797640A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3797640A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or like articles having necks
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1972-01-24
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Granted: 1974-03-19
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Expires: 1992-01-24
Abstract
Abstract Automatic orienting and feeding apparatus for bottles with necks, or like articles, in which the bottles are picked up from a bin by an upwardly tilted escalator with shelves. The properly oriented bottles are blown off the shelves through an outlet opening into a chute adjacent the escalator top. The misoriented bottles are gripped by their thicker portion as they pass the outlet opening and are not blown off but are discharged after they pass the escalator top. In a modified embodiment the escalator is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly sloping portion and the initially misoriented bottles are blown off the shelves at that portion into a second chute in oriented position. Two or more escalators may be arranged in a bank to pick up from a common bin with their outlet openings offset relative one another so that their chutes do not block one another and deliver to a common conveyor belt.
Inventors
- 👤 S Aidlin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 08:04
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G47/00; B65G47/02; B65G47/04; B65G47/12; B65G47/14; B65G47/1407; B65G47/1442; B65G47/1471
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
266 words
Automatic orienting and feeding apparatus for bottles, each of said bottles having a large diameter bottom portion and a narrower neck portion, comprising an escalator, said escalator including a pair of rollers, means supporting said rollers in vertically and laterally spaced relation to one another, an endless flexible band mounted over said rollers, a guard rail along each edge of said flexible band, at least along its upwardly facing, ascending side, said guard rails each projecting forwardly of said flexible band, said flexible band having a plurality of spaced shelves secured thereacross between its edges, means for rotating at least one of said rollers to move said flexible band, a chute extending outwardly of one of said guard rails and arranged to receive bottles blown off shelves which pass thereby, nozzle means positioned along the other one of said guard rails and opposite said chute for discharging a jet of air endwise against each bottle disposed on a shelf as it passes the nozzle means to blow said bottle off said shelf and into said chute, and friction bar means disposed above said flexible band in line with said guard rails in a position to frictionally engage the large diameter bottom portion of a bottle disposed on a shelf passing between said nozzle means and said chute to prevent a bottle whose large diameter bottom portion is frictionally engaged from being blown off the shelf into said chute, said bar being sufficiently spaced from the flexible band so as not to engage the neck portion of the bottles oriented with the neck adjacent the nozzle means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
266 words
Automatic orienting and feeding apparatus for bottles, each of said bottles having a large diameter bottom portion and a narrower neck portion, comprising an escalator, said escalator including a pair of rollers, means supporting said rollers in vertically and laterally spaced relation to one another, an endless flexible band mounted over said rollers, a guard rail along each edge of said flexible band, at least along its upwardly facing, ascending side, said guard rails each projecting forwardly of said flexible band, said flexible band having a plurality of spaced shelves secured thereacross between its edges, means for rotating at least one of said rollers to move said flexible band, a chute extending outwardly of one of said guard rails and arranged to receive bottles blown off shelves which pass thereby, nozzle means positioned along the other one of said guard rails and opposite said chute for discharging a jet of air endwise against each bottle disposed on a shelf as it passes the nozzle means to blow said bottle off said shelf and into said chute, and friction bar means disposed above said flexible band in line with said guard rails in a position to frictionally engage the large diameter bottom portion of a bottle disposed on a shelf passing between said nozzle means and said chute to prevent a bottle whose large diameter bottom portion is frictionally engaged from being blown off the shelf into said chute, said bar being sufficiently spaced from the flexible band so as not to engage the neck portion of the bottles oriented with the neck adjacent the nozzle means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 1, including a bin for bottles to be fed, the lower end of said escalator being disposed within said bin and said roller rotating means rotating said at least one roller in the direction to pick up and elevate the bottles from said bin.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lower end of said escalator is disposed in spaced relation to one wall portion of said bin and is tilted in the direction to have the upper end of its ascending side overhang the opposed wall portion of said bin.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said escalators are disposed in contiguous position and wherein said outlet opening in each said escalator is offset relative to the outlet opening in an adjacent escalator in a direction to permit the outlet opening and the chute associated therewith to clear the said adjacent escalator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said shelves are disposed on said flexible band at an angle to the longitudinal axis thereof, sloping in the direction of said chute.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein means are provided at the descending side of said escalator for reconveying articles dropped therefrom into said bin.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
66 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 1, wherein said shelves are of a width less than the thickness of the bottom portion of a bottle to be fed by the apparatus and said friction means comprises a rod extending longitudinally of said belt and means supporting said rod in position over said band to engage a bottle bottom portion as it passes under said rod.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means supporting said rod are resilient and are mounted on one of said guard walls.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
154 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 1 wherein a third, idler roller is provided, said idler roller engaging the inner face of said flexible band on the descending side thereof, means supporting said idler roller opposite the ascending side of said flexible band and rearwardly of its upper end, to thereby form a rearwardly and downwardly sloping descending flexible band portion, a guard rail along each edge of said descending flexible band portion, a second chute extending outwardly of the descending guard rail aligned with said other one of the ascending guard rails arranged to receive bottles blown off shelves which pass thereby, and nOzzle means positioned in line with the other one of said descending guard rails and opposite said second chute for discharging a jet of air endwise against each bottle disposed on a shelf as it passes thereby to blow said bottle off said shelf and into said second chute.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The orienting and feeding apparatus of claim 9, in combination with a horizontally disposed conveyor underlying said rearwardly sloping portion of said flexible belt, said chutes arranged to deposit bottles fed by them in longitudinally aligned relation on said horizontal conveyor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-03-18 | 1977-09-17 | 1978-03-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-03-18 | 1981-09-17 | 1982-03-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-03-18 | 1985-09-17 | 1986-03-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |