Oppositely reciprocating container inspecting machine

Claim 2

In a continuous container inspection apparatus, the combination including at least a pair of rotatable inspecting heads having feelers thereon, conveyor means for moving containers through said apparatus in a forward direction, means for reciprocating said heads oppositely relative to each other, means for lowering feelers of a head into testing position onto a container as the head is being moved in a forward direction, means for raising the feelers of the other head which is traveling in a reverse direction relative to the containers, and electric circuit means actuated by a defective container to produce a signal.

Claim 3

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signal activates a container reject means at a predetermined position along the conveyor.

Claim 4

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conveyor means includes a threaded rod for engaging the containers and moving the same.

Claim 5

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is an armature and electric coil means movable relative to each other in accordance with movement of the feelers as they rotate on the lip of a container.

Claim 6

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a memory device connected to the circuit means to produce a signal at the proper time to operate a reject means for removing a defective container from the conveyor means.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for reciprocating the heads includes a pair of lead screws for each and a rockable lead screw engaging means on each head.

Claim 8

In a container inspection apparatus, the combination including a rotatable inspection head having angularly spaced feelers thereon, means for moving a container under said feelers and moving said feelers on the container, coil means mounted on a vertically movable support on said head, armature means cooperating with said coil and mounted on a separate vertically movable support on said head, said movable supports being freely movable relative to each other and to said head, means on said feelers for selectively contacting either of said supports to move said coil means and armature means upwardly or downwardly relative to each other in response to a unacceptable container or together in response to an acceptable container to produce a signal in accordance with the relative position of said feelers to each other, said feelers providing a null signal when the container is acceptable.

Claim 9

In a container inspection apparatus, the combination including a rotatable inspection head having angularly spaced feelers thereon, means for moving a container under said feelers and moving said feelers on the container, coil means mounted on a vertically movable support on said head, armature means cooperating with said coil and mounted on a separate vertically movable support on said head, said movable supports being freely movable relative to each other and to said head, means on said feelers for selectively contacting either of said supports to move said coil means and armature means upwardly or downwardly relative to each other in response to a unacceptable container or together in response to an acceptable container to produce a signal in accordance with the relative position of said feelers to each other, said feelers providing a null signal when the container is acceptable.

Claim 10

An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein each of said feelers has roller means, button means on one of said supports positionable by any of said roller means, and means on the other support positionable by any of said roller means.