US3864890A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bottle packaging machine and method
Assignee: Huntingdon Industries Inc
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Filing: 1973-01-08
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Granted: 1975-02-11
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Expires: 1993-01-08
Abstract
Abstract A bottle packaging machine for loading bottles into cases in which bottles and cases are fed into the machine on separate feed conveyors, the bottles being conveyed horizontally above the case conveyor. The bottles are divided into lanes and grouped into patterns on a continuous basis and the bottle groups are fed into a bottle gripper section and under grippers on a gripper conveyor located above the path of bottle movement. The grippers gently but firmly grasp the necks of the bottles, avoiding any contact with crowns or twist-off caps, and have a spring loaded action to compensate for differences in bottle neck dimensions. The empty cases are fed to match the bottle groups and are conveyed to an escalator-like conveyor having carriages with a grasping device that firmly grasps each case and escalates it up and around the bottle group held by the grippers. The bottles and cases flow concurrently in converging paths. The cases are conveyed in registration with the bottles as they are being packed and the case is gently raised around the bottle group to envelop it. The case continues moving upwardly until it supports the bottles, whereupon the grippers release their hold on the bottles, the grasping device releases the case, and the tightly packed case is discharged from the machine. This manner of loading permits loading the bottles into a slightly undersized case to give a tight pack that prevents rattling of the bottles and allows for the elimination of separators between bottles. The gentle handling of the bottles drastically reduces bottle breakage during packing and thereafter. The tight pack also reduces bottle breakage. This bottle packer is much quieter than conventional drop packers, and lends itself to higher packing speeds because of its continuous motion principles.
Inventors
- 👤 John E Ullman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 08:29
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65B; B65B21/00; B65B21/02; B65B21/14; B65B21/18; B65B21/183
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
In a continuous-flow bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, and feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said supsendedbottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, wherein the improvement comprises in said bottle suspension means, bottle gripper means for positively gripping each bottle firmly around the neck, means for moving said bottle gripper means into open position around the neck of the bottle, means for closing the gripper means to close around the neck of the bottle while said gripper means and bottle are in motion, without the gripper means touching the cap of the bottle, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case while both bottles and suspension means are in motion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a continuous-flow bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, and feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said supsendedbottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, wherein the improvement comprises in said bottle suspension means, bottle gripper means for positively gripping each bottle firmly around the neck, means for moving said bottle gripper means into open position around the neck of the bottle, means for closing the gripper means to close around the neck of the bottle while said gripper means and bottle are in motion, without the gripper means touching the cap of the bottle, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case while both bottles and suspension means are in motion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The bottle packer of claim 1, wherein the improvemEnt comprises case grasping means for grasping the case sidewalls and supporting the empty cases as they are being conveyed into and through the bottle packer section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The bottle packer machine of claim 2, said case grasping means including a resilient pad mounted on the carriage means at a position for grasping a case sidewall, means for urging said resilient pad into contact with a case sidewall to grasp and securely hold the case, and release means for moving said resilient pad away from the case sidwall to receive a case.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
72 words
The bottle packer machine of claim 3, said pad being mounted on shaft, said urging means for urging said pad into contact with a case sidewall including a spring mounted on the shaft, and said means for moving said pad away from the case sidewall including a roller mounted on the shaft and adapted to contact a cam to rotate the shaft and thereby move the pad away from the case sidewall.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The bottle packer of claim 1, said feeding and loading means including carriage means with a series of carriages for supporting the cases, said carriage means including means for supporting the bottom of the case, means for guiding and positioning the case sidewalls, and means for positioning the leading case endwall.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
The bottle packer of claim 1, said feeding and loading means including tilting means for tilting the trailing case endwall below the leading case endwall so that the leading bottles of the group contact and slide against the upwardly moving inside of the leading case endwall, and retilting means for retilting the trailing case endwall upwardly to slide the upwardly moving trailing case endwall on the trailing bottles of the bottle group.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The bottle packer of claim 6, including case speed control means for moving the cases at a slower horizontal speed than said bottles so that the leading case endwall is pushed forwardly by the leading bottles of the group.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
The bottle packer of claim 7, said case speed control means including means for moving said cases and bottles at the same lineal speed, means for moving said bottles along a horizontal path, and means for moving the cases on an inclined path so that the horizontal speed of the cases is less than said bottles.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The bottle packer of claim 1, including discharge means for discharging the packed case from the packer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The bottle packer of claim 9, said discharge means including a skate-wheel discharge conveyor which slants downwardly away from the bottle packer section so that the filled cases are moved therealong by gravity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
270 words
In a bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case, wherein the improvement comprises, in said suspension means, bottle gripper means for gripping each bottle of the group around the neck of the bottle, said bottle gripper means including a bottle gripper having a pair of pivotally mounted gripper body members, a pair of resilient pads mounted on the lower portions of the body members, spring means urging apart the upper portions of the body members to close said pads around the neck of the bottle, stop means for limiting the movement of said pads toward each other, roller means mounted on top of said body member upper portions, and cam means for contacting said roller means to move them toward each other to open said pads, said pads having uppeR contoured means for centering the neck of the bottle, and lower resilient skirt means which is deflected out of normal position by the bottle neck to form a resilient secure grip.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
270 words
In a bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case, wherein the improvement comprises, in said suspension means, bottle gripper means for gripping each bottle of the group around the neck of the bottle, said bottle gripper means including a bottle gripper having a pair of pivotally mounted gripper body members, a pair of resilient pads mounted on the lower portions of the body members, spring means urging apart the upper portions of the body members to close said pads around the neck of the bottle, stop means for limiting the movement of said pads toward each other, roller means mounted on top of said body member upper portions, and cam means for contacting said roller means to move them toward each other to open said pads, said pads having uppeR contoured means for centering the neck of the bottle, and lower resilient skirt means which is deflected out of normal position by the bottle neck to form a resilient secure grip.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
279 words
In a bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case, wherein the improvement comprises, in said bottle suspension means, bottle gripper means for gripping each bottle of the group around the neck of the bottle, said bottle gripper means including a two-bottle gripper having a pair of pivotally mounted gripper arms, a springy gripper plate mounted on the bottom of each gripper arm, a pair of resilient pads mounted on said gripper plates, spring means urging apart the upper portions of the gripper arms to close said pads onto bottle necks, a pair of rollers mounted on top of said gripper arms in staggered relationship so as to not block movement of the upper portions of the gripper arms toward each other to permit a wider opening space between said pads so as to accept bottle necks more easily, and cam means for contacting said roller means to move them toward each other to open said pads, said pads having contour means for properly positioning the necks of two bottles therein.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
279 words
In a bottle packer machine for loading bottles and the like into empty cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, bottle suspension means for suspending groups of bottles, suspended-bottle conveyor means for conveying said bottle suspension means and suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer section, feeding and loading means for feeding empty cases in a concurrent-flow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer section and for loading each bottle group into a moving case by moving the case to envelop and support said bottle group, and means for releasing the bottles from the bottle suspension means after the bottle group is supported by the case, wherein the improvement comprises, in said bottle suspension means, bottle gripper means for gripping each bottle of the group around the neck of the bottle, said bottle gripper means including a two-bottle gripper having a pair of pivotally mounted gripper arms, a springy gripper plate mounted on the bottom of each gripper arm, a pair of resilient pads mounted on said gripper plates, spring means urging apart the upper portions of the gripper arms to close said pads onto bottle necks, a pair of rollers mounted on top of said gripper arms in staggered relationship so as to not block movement of the upper portions of the gripper arms toward each other to permit a wider opening space between said pads so as to accept bottle necks more easily, and cam means for contacting said roller means to move them toward each other to open said pads, said pads having contour means for properly positioning the necks of two bottles therein.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of packing bottles and the like into cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, comprising the steps of suspending groups of bottles, moving said suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer zone, feeding empty cases in a concurrentflow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer zone, and moving each case to envelop and support a bottle group, wherein the improvement comprises positively gripping each bottle firmly around the neck without touching the cap of the bottle and gripping while the bottle is in motion, and releasing the suspension from the bottle group after it is supported by the case while the bottles are in motion.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of packing bottles and the like into cases and the like, said cases including leading and trailing endwalls connected by sidewalls and a bottom, comprising the steps of suspending groups of bottles, moving said suspended-bottle groups into a bottle packer zone, feeding empty cases in a concurrentflow converging path under said suspended-bottle groups into the bottle packer zone, and moving each case to envelop and support a bottle group, wherein the improvement comprises positively gripping each bottle firmly around the neck without touching the cap of the bottle and gripping while the bottle is in motion, and releasing the suspension from the bottle group after it is supported by the case while the bottles are in motion.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the improvement comprises grasping the case sidewalls and supporting the empty cases as they are being fed into and through the bottle packer section.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the improvement comprises, in the bottle packer zone, tilting the trailing case endwall below the height of the leading case endwall, sliding the inside surface of the leading case endwall upwardly around the leading bottles of the bottle group, retilting the trailing case endwall upwardly, and sliding the inside surface of the trailing case endwall upwardly around the trailing bottles of the bottle group.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 15, including moving the cases at a slower horizontal speed than said bottles, and pushing the leading bottles against the inside surface of the leading case endwall to bow it forwardly to gain clearance at the trailing endwall.
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) | 1978-02-10 | 1978-08-12 | 1979-02-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-02-10 | 1982-08-12 | 1983-02-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-02-10 | 1986-08-12 | 1987-02-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |