US3858709A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Container handling apparatus
Assignee: OI Glass Inc
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Filing: 1973-07-11
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Granted: 1975-01-07
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Expires: 1993-07-11
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for handling and transferring bulb-shaped glass containers from one station in a container production line to another. A series of container handling vacuum chucks are linked together into an endless chain to pick glass containers in succession up from a first conveyor and to deposit the containers on a second conveyor. A control valve mounted on each chuck normally supplies the chuck with vacuum, however the control valve is actuated at the container discharge station, and may also be actuated at a reject station to supply air under pressure to the chuck to eject the container.
Inventors
- 👤 John D Banyas
- 👤 Frederick L Wallington
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 11:24
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07C; G07C3/00; G07C3/14; B; B07; B07C; B07C5/00; B07C5/04; B07C5/12; B07C5/122; B65; B65G; B65G17/00; B65G17/30; B65G17/32; B65G17/323; B65G47/00; B65G47/34; B65G47/46; B65G47/48; B65G47/49; B65G47/50; B65G47/506; B65G47/52; B65G47/60; B65G47/61; B65G47/74; B65G47/90; B65G47/91; B67; B67C; B67C7/00; B67C7/0006; B67C7/002; B67C7/004; B67C7/0046; C; C03; C03B; C03B35/00; C03B35/04; C03B35/06; C03B35/12; C03B35/125; C03B9/00; C03B9/30; C03B9/44; B65G2201/00; B65G2201/02; B65G2201/0235; B65G2201/0244; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S209/00; Y10S209/905
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
443 words
In a container handling apparatus for handling containers having hemispherical bottoms; container chuck means comprising a hollow annular housing having an open recess at one end and having an inlet passage extending axially from said recess through the opposite end of said housing, means in said recess at said one end of said housing defining an annular seat adapted to engage the hemispherical bottom of a container to locate the container in coaxial relationship with said housing with the container bottom projecting a predetermined distance into said recess, a flexible annular seal member mounted in said housing in coaxial relationship with said seat and located to sealingly engage the bottom of a container before the container engages said seat and to maintain the sealing engagement with the container bottom when the container bottom is engaged with said annular seat, valve means in said inlet passage having a valve seat within said inlet passage facing away from said recess of said housing, a valve head slidably mounted in said inlet passage for movement into and out of engagement with said valve seat and operable, when engaged on said valve seat, to block communication between said inlet passage and recess, means in said inlet passage normally biasing said valve head against said valve seat, a stem on said valve head projecting from said inlet passage into said recess and operable when engaged by the bottom of a container engaged by said annular seal to disengage said valve head from said valve seat to thereby place said inlet passage in communication with said recess, a source of vacuum and a source of air under pressure, a hollow shaft coaxially and fixedly mounted upon said opposite end of said housing with The interior of said hollow shaft in direct communication with said inlet passage, control valve means mounted upon the end of said shaft remote from said housing and connected to said source of vacuum and said source of air under pressure, said control valve means being operable in a first position to connect the interior of said shaft to said source of vacuum, and being operable in a second position to connect the interior of said shaft to said source of air under pressure means normally maintaining said control valve means in said first position, conveying means for supporting and driving said chuck means along an endless path, a control valve means actuator mounted upon said control valve means and operable when depressed to shift said control valve means to said second position, and cam means mounted alongside said endless path and operable to depress said actuator as said actuator is moved past said cam means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
443 words
In a container handling apparatus for handling containers having hemispherical bottoms; container chuck means comprising a hollow annular housing having an open recess at one end and having an inlet passage extending axially from said recess through the opposite end of said housing, means in said recess at said one end of said housing defining an annular seat adapted to engage the hemispherical bottom of a container to locate the container in coaxial relationship with said housing with the container bottom projecting a predetermined distance into said recess, a flexible annular seal member mounted in said housing in coaxial relationship with said seat and located to sealingly engage the bottom of a container before the container engages said seat and to maintain the sealing engagement with the container bottom when the container bottom is engaged with said annular seat, valve means in said inlet passage having a valve seat within said inlet passage facing away from said recess of said housing, a valve head slidably mounted in said inlet passage for movement into and out of engagement with said valve seat and operable, when engaged on said valve seat, to block communication between said inlet passage and recess, means in said inlet passage normally biasing said valve head against said valve seat, a stem on said valve head projecting from said inlet passage into said recess and operable when engaged by the bottom of a container engaged by said annular seal to disengage said valve head from said valve seat to thereby place said inlet passage in communication with said recess, a source of vacuum and a source of air under pressure, a hollow shaft coaxially and fixedly mounted upon said opposite end of said housing with The interior of said hollow shaft in direct communication with said inlet passage, control valve means mounted upon the end of said shaft remote from said housing and connected to said source of vacuum and said source of air under pressure, said control valve means being operable in a first position to connect the interior of said shaft to said source of vacuum, and being operable in a second position to connect the interior of said shaft to said source of air under pressure means normally maintaining said control valve means in said first position, conveying means for supporting and driving said chuck means along an endless path, a control valve means actuator mounted upon said control valve means and operable when depressed to shift said control valve means to said second position, and cam means mounted alongside said endless path and operable to depress said actuator as said actuator is moved past said cam means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a cam member fixedly mounted at a container discharge station on said endless path to depress said actuator each time said actuator is moved past said cam means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveying means comprises support means mounting said shaft upon said conveying means for axial and rotary movement relative to said support means, means for shifting said shaft axially relative to said support means at selected locations along said endless path, and means for rotating said shaft during at least a portion of its movement along said endless path.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
The invention as defined in claim 3 further comprising means sealingly mounting said control valve means for rotation relative to said shaft, and means engageable between said support means and said control valve means for accommodating axial movement of said control valve means relative to said support means and for holding said control valve means against rotation relative to said support means during rotation of said shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
268 words
The invention defined in claim 1 comprising a plurality of said chuck means, means linking said plurality of chuck means to each other into an endless chain with the axes of said housing disposed in spaced parallel side by side relationship with each other, chuck conveying means for supporting and driving the linked chuck means in movement along an endless path, first conveying means for feeding inverted containers in spaced succession corresponding to the spacing between adjacent housing axes along a first path underlying and vertically aligned with a first portion of said endless path, second conveying means for conveying a series of container receiving pockets spaced from each other in correspondence to the spacing between adjacent housing axes along a second path underlying and vertically aligned with a second portion of said endless path, means on said chuck conveying means operable during movement of said chuck means along said first portion of said path to lower the chuck means into engagement with a container on said first conveying means and to subsequently elevate said chuck means, means normally maintaining said control valve means in said first position whereby said chuck means is operable to pick up and remove a container from said first conveyor means during transit of said first portion of said path, and means operable during the transit of said chuck means of said second portion of said path for operating said control valve means to connect said inlet passage to said source of air under pressure to thereby eject the container from the chuck means into a container receiving pocket on said second conveyor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
249 words
Container handling apparatus comprising a frame, link means mounted upon said frame for movement along an endless generally rectangular horizontal path, a plurality of container handling head assemblies mounted upon said link means for movement therewith and for vertical reciprocatory movement relative to said link means, head positioning means on said frame For vertically positioning said head in accordance with the location of said head upon said endless path, a vacuum actuated air pressure released container chuck at the lower end of each head assembly, valve means at the upper end of each of said head assemblies for controlling the supply of air or vacuum to the associated chuck to thereby control operation of said chuck, a carousel mounted for rotation at a location centrally of said rectangular path, a source of air under pressure and a source of vacuum connected to said carousel, first conduit means connected to said source of air at said carousel and extending from said carousel to said valve means, second conduit means connected to said vacuum source at said carousel and extending from said carousel to said valve means, pulley means on said carousel for maintaining a variable sized loop in said first and said second conduit means to maintain said conduit means taut while accommodating for the variable distance between said carousel and various points on said rectangular path, and means on said frame engageable with said valve means for controlling actuation of said valve means at selected points along said path.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
249 words
Container handling apparatus comprising a frame, link means mounted upon said frame for movement along an endless generally rectangular horizontal path, a plurality of container handling head assemblies mounted upon said link means for movement therewith and for vertical reciprocatory movement relative to said link means, head positioning means on said frame For vertically positioning said head in accordance with the location of said head upon said endless path, a vacuum actuated air pressure released container chuck at the lower end of each head assembly, valve means at the upper end of each of said head assemblies for controlling the supply of air or vacuum to the associated chuck to thereby control operation of said chuck, a carousel mounted for rotation at a location centrally of said rectangular path, a source of air under pressure and a source of vacuum connected to said carousel, first conduit means connected to said source of air at said carousel and extending from said carousel to said valve means, second conduit means connected to said vacuum source at said carousel and extending from said carousel to said valve means, pulley means on said carousel for maintaining a variable sized loop in said first and said second conduit means to maintain said conduit means taut while accommodating for the variable distance between said carousel and various points on said rectangular path, and means on said frame engageable with said valve means for controlling actuation of said valve means at selected points along said path.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said first conduit means comprises a first manifold commonly connecting a group of said valve means to a single first conduit extending from said manifold to said carousel, and said second conduit means include a second manifold commonly connecting the valve means of said group to a single second conduit extending from said manifold to said carousel, said pulley means being engageable with said single conduits.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3198348A
Cited
US3302803A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-01-06 | 1978-07-08 | 1979-01-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-01-06 | 1982-07-08 | 1983-01-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-01-06 | 1986-07-08 | 1987-01-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |