Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
261 words
An apparatus for orienting randomly oriented oblong bottles and like-shaped objects into upright orientation with a filling end pointing upwardly and followed by delivering the bottles one by one to a horizontal transfer device, and including a housing (3) adapted to receive randomly oriented bottles and having an inclined shaft (11) concentrically and rotatably arranged in the housing; a turntable means (2,16) concentrically fixed to said shaft, said housing enclosing said turntable and having a funnel-shaped lower region; a plurality of spaced openings (6) at the periphery of said turntable means, each opening adapted to receive one of said bottles; a plurality of individual fall shafts (4) aligned with and vertically spaced from said openings, said fall shafts being attached to said turntable means and converging downwardly to a funnel shape to conform with said funnel-shaped lower region of the housing; a fixed floor (9) arranged between said openings and said fall shafts to prevent the bottles from falling through said openings and into the fall shafts, said fixed floor further having a gap in the vicinity of the uppermost point of the revolution path of the turntable to permit the bottles to fall into said fall shafts; the improvement comprising a baffle plate pivotally attached to each fall shaft, said baffle plate comprising a swingable lever (5) and control means (13,14,15) for positioning the lever, depending upon the position of the bottle, to contact the bottle adjacent the filling end, the lever acting as a fulcrum to permit the end opposite the filling end to fall first through said shaft.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
261 words
An apparatus for orienting randomly oriented oblong bottles and like-shaped objects into upright orientation with a filling end pointing upwardly and followed by delivering the bottles one by one to a horizontal transfer device, and including a housing (3) adapted to receive randomly oriented bottles and having an inclined shaft (11) concentrically and rotatably arranged in the housing; a turntable means (2,16) concentrically fixed to said shaft, said housing enclosing said turntable and having a funnel-shaped lower region; a plurality of spaced openings (6) at the periphery of said turntable means, each opening adapted to receive one of said bottles; a plurality of individual fall shafts (4) aligned with and vertically spaced from said openings, said fall shafts being attached to said turntable means and converging downwardly to a funnel shape to conform with said funnel-shaped lower region of the housing; a fixed floor (9) arranged between said openings and said fall shafts to prevent the bottles from falling through said openings and into the fall shafts, said fixed floor further having a gap in the vicinity of the uppermost point of the revolution path of the turntable to permit the bottles to fall into said fall shafts; the improvement comprising a baffle plate pivotally attached to each fall shaft, said baffle plate comprising a swingable lever (5) and control means (13,14,15) for positioning the lever, depending upon the position of the bottle, to contact the bottle adjacent the filling end, the lever acting as a fulcrum to permit the end opposite the filling end to fall first through said shaft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes sensing means (15) for determining the position of the bottles and a fixed stop roll (13) for bringing all levers to one predetermined position and a controllable stop wall (14) located diametrically opposite the fixed roll to either leave each said lever in said one predetermined position or to position each said lever in a second predetermined position, depending upon the output of the sensing means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lever further includes a projecting swinging anxle (19) rotatably attached to a back wall (12) of the fall shaft and a pin (20) running transversely to said swinging axle, said wall having stops (21) attached thereto to engage and limit the pin, said stops determining the position of the lever.