Apparatus for the production of a product filled container

Claim 2

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container preparatory to the filling and closing thereof from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a rigid blank holder mounted for translating movement and means for translating same, said holder having an opening therethrough corresponding to the shape of but slightly smaller than said blank and presenting a support ledge therearound, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means and seating the outermost peripheral portion of said blank on said support ledge at a first position of said holder, said holder having means for engaging said outermost peripheral blank portion to preclude movement thereof relative to said holder, means at a second position of said holder displaced from said first position for uniformly heating the blank portion bridging said holder opening to a formable temperature while leaving said seated outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means at a third position of said holder displaced from said second position for clamping a heated peripheral portion of the blank immediately adjacent to said seated rigid outermost peripheral portion against movement out of the plane of said outermost rigid peripheral portion and further means at said third holder position for forming a cavity from the heated blank portion within said clamped peripheral portion while same remains clamped.

Claim 3

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for uniformly heating the blank portion bridging the holder opening comprises a pair of heater elements mounted for movement towards and from said bridging blank portion and having planar heating surfaces adapted to contact said bridging blank portion on opposite sides thereof, and means for resiliently pressing said planar heating surfaces against said bridging blank portion while heating same.

Claim 4

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the wall of said opening through said holder has a peripheral groove therein intermediate the depth of the opening, said groove being adapted to receive said outermost peripheral portion of said blank after the central portion of said blank has been flexed out of the plane of said outermost peripheral portion to reduce the dimensions thereof sufficiently to permit said blank to enter said opening to bring said outermost peripheral portion into registration with said groove and said blank delivering means constitutes means to flex said blank as aforesaid and force same into said opening to bring said outermost peripheral portion into registration with said groove whereupon said blank snaps back towards its planar configuration to seat outermost portion in said groove.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which means are provided to engage the portion of the rim formed as a result of the forming of said cavity and constituted by the clamped blank peripheral portion immediately adjacent to said outermost peripheral blank portion to resiliently distort said rim and snap same out of said groove and opening to discharge the container.

Claim 6

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container preparatory to the filling and closing thereof from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a blank holder adapted to receive and carry a blank from a pick-up location through a heating location, and a forming location, and means for moving said holder, said holder having an opening formed therethrough of a shape corresponding to but slightly smaller than the shape of said blank and presenting a seating ledge on which the outermost peripheral portion of said blank is adapted to seat, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means to said holder at said pick-up location to seat same on said seating ledge, means provided on said holder to secure said blank in seated relation after delivery thereto and while said holder is being moved from location to location, a pair of heaters associated with said heating location and presenting a pair of planar heating surfaces adapted to be brought when said blank is moved to said heating location into contact with opposite sides of the portion of said blank bridging said seating ledge to heat same uniformly to a formable temperature while leaving said outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means for applying resilient pressure to ensure intimate contact between said planar heating surfaces and said bridging blank portion during the heating thereof, and means associated with said forming location for forming said heated blank portion into a cavity when said heated blank is moved to said forming location to produce a rimmed container.

Claim 7

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container preparatory to the filling and closing thereof from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a blank holder adapted to receive and carry a blank from a pick-up location through a heating location, and a forming location, and means for moving said holder, said holder having an opening formed therethrough of a shape corresponding to but slightly smaller than the shape of said blank and presenting a seating ledge on which the outermost peripheral portion of said blank is adapted to seat, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means to said holder at said pick-up location to seat same on said seating ledge, means provided on said holder to secure said blank in seated relation after delivery thereto and while said holder is being moved from location to location, a pair of heaters associated with said heating location and presenting a pair of planar heating surfaces adapted to be brought when said blank is moved to said heating location into contact with opposite sides of the portion of said blank bridging said seating ledge to heat same uniformly to a formable temperature while leaving said outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means for applying resilient pressure to ensure intimate contact between said planar heating surfaces and said bridging blank portion during the heating thereof, and means associated with said forming location for forming said heated blank portion into a cavity when said heated blank is moved to said forming location to produce a rimmed container.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which means associated with said forming location are provided to support a narrow heated peripheral blank portion immediately adjacent to said outermost rigid peripheral blank portion in the plane of said rigid peripheral portion during the forming of said cavity to provide a peripheral reservoir of formable material to be necked down into the cavity during the forming thereof.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said forming means comprises a heated plug for engaging and displacing the heated blank portion from one side thereof and a suction cavity adapted to be brought into operative relation with the other side of said heated blank portion.

Claim 10

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures, then filling and closing said container comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a rigid blank holder mounted for translating movement and means for translating same, said holder having an opening therethrough corresponding to the shape of but slightly smaller than said blank and presenting a support ledge therearound, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means and seating the outermost peripheral portion of said blank on said support ledge at a first position, said holder having means for engaging said outermost peripheral blank portion to preclude movement thereof relative to said holder, means at a second position of said holder displaced from said first position for uniformly heating the blank portion bridging said holder opening to a formable temperature while leaving said seated outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means at a third position of said holder displaced from said second position for clamping a peripheral heated portion of the blank immediately adjacent to said seated rigid outermost peripheral portion against movement out of the plane of said outermost rigid peripheral portion, means at said third holder position for forming a cavity from the heated blank portion within said clamped peripheral portion while same remains clamped to produce a container, means for introducing a desired product into said cavity, subsequently to the forming thereof, and means for sealing a closure to said outermost rigid peripheral portion subsequent to the introduction of said product into said cavity.

Claim 11

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures, then filling and closing said container comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a rigid blank holder mounted for translating movement and means for translating same, said holder having an opening therethrough corresponding to the shape of but slightly smaller than said blank and presenting a support ledge therearound, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means and seating the outermost peripheral portion of said blank on said support ledge at a first position, said holder having means for engaging said outermost peripheral blank portion to preclude movement thereof relative to said holder, means at a second position of said holder displaced from said first position for uniformly heating the blank portion bridging said holder opening to a formable temperature while leaving said seated outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means at a third position of said holder displaced from said second position for clamping a peripheral heated portion of the blank immediately adjacent to said seated rigid outermost peripheral portion against movement out of the plane of said outermost rigid peripheral portion, means at said third holder position for forming a cavity from the heated blank portion within said clamped peripheral portion while same remains clamped to produce a container, means for introducing a desired product into said cavity, subsequently to the forming thereof, and means for sealing a closure to said outermost rigid peripheral portion subsequent to the introduction of said product into said cavity.

Claim 12

Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which said means for uniformly heating the blank portion bridging the holder opening comprises a pair of heater elements mounted for movement towards and from said bridging blank portion and having planar heating surfaces adapted to contact said bridging blank portion on opposite sides thereof, and means for resiliently pressing said planar heating surfaces against said bridging blank portion while heating same.

Claim 13

Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the wall of said opening through said holder has a peripheral groove therein intermediate the depth of the opening, said groove being adapted to receive said outermost peripheral portion of said blank after the central portion of said blank has been flexed out of the plane of said outermost peripheral portion to reduce the dimensions thereof sufficiently to permit said blank to enter said opening to bring said outermost peripheral portion into registration with said groove, and said blank delivering means constitutes means to flex said blank as aforesaid and force same into said opening to bring said outermost peripheral portion into registration with said groove whereupon said blank snaps back towards its planar configuration to seat said outermost portion in said groove.

Claim 14

Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which means are provided to engage the portion of the rim formed as a result of the forming of said cavity and constituted by the clamped blank peripheral portion immediately adjacent to said outermost peripheral blank portion to resiliently distort said rim and snap same out of said groove and opening to release the container prior to the filling of the cavity thereof.

Claim 15

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures then filling and closing said container comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a blank holder adapted to receive and carry a blank from a pick-up location through a heating location, and a forming location, and means for moving said holder, said holder having an opening formed therethrough of a shape corresponding to but slightly smaller than the shape of said blank and presenting a seating ledge on which the outermost peripheral portion of said blank is adapted to seat, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means to said holder at said pick-up location to seat same on said seating ledge, means provided on said holder to secure said blank in seated relation after delivery thereto and while said holder is being moved from location to location, a pair of heaters associated with said heating location and presenting a pair of planar heating surfaces adapted to be brought, when said blank is moved to said heating location, into contact with opposite sides of the portion of said blank bridging said seating ledge to heat same uniformly to a formable temperature while leaving said outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means for applying resilient pressure to ensure intimate contact between said planar heating surfaces and said bridging blank portion during the heating thereof, means associated with said forming location for forming said heated blank portion into a cavity when said heated blank is moved to said forming location to produce a rimmed container, means for subsequently introducing a product into the cavity of said container, and means for securing a closure to the rim of said container.

Claim 16

Apparatus for producing an individual rimmed plastic container from a relatively stiff resilient blank of predetermined shape formed entirely of heat formable material which is essentially rigid at normal ambient temperatures then filling and closing said container comprising means for supporting a supply of blanks, a blank holder adapted to receive and carry a blank from a pick-up location through a heating location, and a forming location, and means for moving said holder, said holder having an opening formed therethrough of a shape corresponding to but slightly smaller than the shape of said blank and presenting a seating ledge on which the outermost peripheral portion of said blank is adapted to seat, means for delivering a blank from a supply supported on said support means to said holder at said pick-up location to seat same on said seating ledge, means provided on said holder to secure said blank in seated relation after delivery thereto and while said holder is being moved from location to location, a pair of heaters associated with said heating location and presenting a pair of planar heating surfaces adapted to be brought, when said blank is moved to said heating location, into contact with opposite sides of the portion of said blank bridging said seating ledge to heat same uniformly to a formable temperature while leaving said outermost peripheral blank portion rigid, means for applying resilient pressure to ensure intimate contact between said planar heating surfaces and said bridging blank portion during the heating thereof, means associated with said forming location for forming said heated blank portion into a cavity when said heated blank is moved to said forming location to produce a rimmed container, means for subsequently introducing a product into the cavity of said container, and means for securing a closure to the rim of said container.

Claim 17

Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which means associated with said forming location are provided to support a narrow heated peripheral blank portion immediately adjacent to said outermost rigid peripheral blank portion in the plane of said rigid peripheral portion during the forming of said cavity to provide a peripheral reservoir of formable material to be necked down into the cavity during the forming thereof to ensure a substantially uniform cavity wall thickness and continuity between said cavity wall and the container rim.

Claim 18

Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 in which the product introduced into said cavity is a food stuff and said planar heating surfaces contact said bridging blank portion at a temperature and time to raise said bridging blank portion to a sterilizing temperature.

Claim 19

Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 in which said planar heating surfaces are maintained at a temperature of from about 300°F to 350°F and in contact with said bridging blank portion for a time sufficient to raise the temperature thereof to at least about 280°F.