CIRCULAR MOTION FILLING MACHINE AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:
- a conveyor configured to carry and convey containers to be filled;
a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive containers from said conveyor and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable relative to said vertical rotating axis at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of filling heads movable from a rest position to a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections;
each said filling head comprising a plurality of filling elements, said filling elements moving into engagement with the containers as said filling heads move to said filling position for filling the containers;
a plurality of radially extensible and retractable indexing arms circumferentially spaced around said rotating platform, said indexing arms retracted at said in-feed section and subsequently extended as said rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on said rotating platform between said indexing arms, each said group associated with a respective said filling head and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said filling elements of said respective filling head.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Continuous circular motion filling machine is provided for filling containers. The machine includes a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive empty containers and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from the rotating platform. A filling turret is disposed generally above the rotating platform and is rotatable at a speed corresponding generally to that of the rotating platform. The turret includes a plurality of filling elements movable between a rest position and a filling position as the turret rotates. Radially extensible and retractable indexing arms are spaced around the platform. The arms are at a retracted position at the in-feed section and are subsequently extended as the rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on the rotating platform between respective indexing arms. Each group of containers is arranged in a desired pattern and spacing between adjacent arms corresponding to a pattern and spacing of the filling elements.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:
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a conveyor configured to carry and convey containers to be filled;
a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive containers from said conveyor and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable relative to said vertical rotating axis at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of filling heads movable from a rest position to a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections;
each said filling head comprising a plurality of filling elements, said filling elements moving into engagement with the containers as said filling heads move to said filling position for filling the containers;
a plurality of radially extensible and retractable indexing arms circumferentially spaced around said rotating platform, said indexing arms retracted at said in-feed section and subsequently extended as said rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on said rotating platform between said indexing arms, each said group associated with a respective said filling head and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said filling elements of said respective filling head. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:
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a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive empty containers and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed filling elements movable between a rest position and a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections;
a plurality of radially extensible and retractable indexing arms circumferentially spaced around said rotating platform, said indexing arms retracted at said in-feed section and subsequently extended as said rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on said rotating platform between said indexing arms, each said group arranged in a desired pattern and spacing between adjacent said indexing arms corresponding to a pattern and spacing of said filling elements; and
wherein said filling elements are movable from said rest position to said filling position subsequent to indexing of the containers by said indexing arms for filling the containers. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for filling containers in an automated filling operation, comprising:
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conveying a generally continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers to an in-feed section of a circular filling machine;
at the in-feed section, transferring the continuous stream of containers onto a generally circular rotating path;
after said transferring, indexing the continuous stream of containers on the circular rotating path into groups having a desired number of containers in each group;
after said indexing, engaging the containers with respective rotating filling elements; and
filling the containers with the filling elements as there are conveyed along an arcuate portion of the circular rotating path. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:
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a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive empty containers and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed filling elements movable between a rest position and a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections;
an in-feed guide element disposed generally at said in-feed section so as to guide the containers from said conveyor onto said rotating platform in a desired pattern, said in-feed guide elements extending around at least a portion of the circumference of said rotating platform; and
said filling elements movable from said rest position to said filling position before the containers are moved beyond said in-feed guide elements. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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51. A method for filling containers in an automated filling operation, comprising:
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conveying a generally continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers to an in-feed section of a circular filling machine;
at the in-feed section, transferring the continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers onto a generally circular rotating path and conveying the articles around the rotating path in adjacent contact with each other;
indexing the continuous stream of containers on the circular rotating path into groups having a desired number of containers in each group such that a circumferential space is defined between the containers of different groups;
after said transferring, engaging the containers with respective rotating filling elements; and
filling the containers with the filling elements as they are conveyed along an arcuate portion of the circular rotating path.
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52. (Canceled)
Specification