APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ORIENTING A BEVERAGE CONTAINER END CLOSURE AND APPLYING INDICIA IN A PREDETERMINED LOCATION

• US 20150027327A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ball Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ball Corporation
• Inventors: Ellefson, Dean C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/41
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/44 Making closures, e.g. caps folded of thin metal foils in the way of making paper caps B31D5/00; making closures in conjunction with applying same B67B
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/00 Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/002 Supports of workpieces in machines for printing on hollow articles
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/006 for printing on curved surfaces not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/16 on end or bottom surfaces thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/22 by rolling contact
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/28 for printing on curved surfaces of conical or frusto-conical articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 17/4012 for opening partially by means of a tearing tab
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/00 Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/24 orientating the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/244 by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/841 Devices having endless travelling belts or chains equipped with article-engaging elements

Abstract

An apparatus and method of orienting and decorating container end closures is provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to position container end closures in a predetermined orientation and then decorate a predetermined portion of the end closures.

Claims

1. A method of orienting and decorating an end closure for a beverage container, comprising:

providing an end closure comprising a peripheral curl, a chuck wall extending downwardly from the peripheral curl, a countersink interconnected to a lower end of the chuck wall, a central panel interconnected to the countersink, a tear panel in the central panel, and a pull tab operably interconnected to an exterior surface the central panel;

placing an orientation head in rotational contact with an exterior surface of the end closure;

rotating said orientation head and the end closure to a predetermined orientation;

securing the end closure in said predetermined orientation;

disengaging said orientation head from the end closure; and

decorating a predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure with an image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein decorating a predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure further comprises:

forming a recess in one or more printing blankets, wherein said recess is adapted to receive the tab;

removably affixing said printing blankets onto a drum of a coater;

applying a base coat material to a predetermined portion of said printing blankets; and

transferring the base coat material from said printing blankets to the predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein decorating a predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure further comprises:

forming a recess in one or more printing blankets, wherein said recess is adapted to receive the tab;

removably affixing said printing blankets onto a drum of a printer;

forming said image on a print head;

applying ink to said image;

transferring the ink from said print head to a predetermined portion of said printing blankets; and

transferring the ink from said printing blankets to the predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said print head comprises six print heads, and wherein each print head receives a different color or type of ink.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said printing blankets are removably affixed in from 1 to 10 rows to a circumference of said drum of said printer, and wherein from 1 to 10 end closures are decorated simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the end closure on a die cap, said die cap operable to selectively prevent rotation and movement of the end closure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein rotating the end closure to said predetermined orientation further comprises rotating the end closure until a Y-axis of the end closure is substantially parallel to a reference axis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an angle between the Y-axis and said reference axis is less than about 5°

.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said orientation head comprises a body portion, a face portion, a pocket formed in said face portion to receive the pull tab of the end closure, a tapered portion extending from said face portion to a bottom of said pocket, and a wall extending from said bottom of said pocket substantially vertically to said face portion, wherein when the orientation head is rotated the pull tab slides into said pocket and is retained in said pocket by said wall.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein decorating the predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure comprises decorating at least one of the central panel, the tear panel, and the pull tab.

11. An apparatus for orienting and decorating an exterior surface of an end closure which is adapted for interconnection to a neck of a beverage container, comprising:

a balancer operable to receive an end closure and place the end closure in a holder, said holder operable to move the end closure through the apparatus and selectively prevent rotation of the end closure;

an orientor, said orientor operable to receive said holder and rotate the end closure to a predetermined orientation, wherein said holder prevents rotation of the end closure from the predetermined orientation;

a coater operable to apply a base coat material to a predetermined portion of the exterior surface of the end closure;

a printer operable to transfer an image to the predetermined portion of the end closure; and

at least one curer operable to cure the base coat material and the image.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the orientor includes an orientation head having a geometry adapted to locate and engage an exterior surface feature on the end closure.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the orientation head comprises a body portion, a face portion, a pocket formed in said face portion to receive the pull tab of the end closure, a tapered portion extending from said face portion to a bottom of said pocket, and a wall extending from said bottom of said pocket substantially vertically to said face portion, and wherein the orientation head is operable to rotate around a longitudinal axis of said body portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the printer further comprises:

at least one print head with the image formed thereon;

an inker operable to transfer ink to the image on said print head; and

a drum, said drum having a circumference with one or more printing blankets affixed thereto, said printing blankets each having a recess adapted to receive a pull tab attached to the exterior surface of the end closure, said drum operable to move said printing blankets into rotational contact with said print head and the exterior surface of the end closure, wherein the image is transferred from said print head to said printing blankets and then to the predetermined portion of the end closure.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the holder includes a clamp that applies pressure to the end closure to hold the end closure in the predetermined orientation.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is operable to orient and decorate from 1 to 5 end closures simultaneously.

17. An orientation head for an orientor used to position an end closure in a decorating process, comprising:

a body portion;

a face portion, said face portion orientated in a plane generally perpendicular with respect to a longitudinal axis of said body portion; and

a pocket formed in said face portion, said pocket adapted to receive a pull tab of an end closure.

18. The orientation head of claim 17, wherein said face portion is adapted to slide across an exterior surface of the pull tab interconnected to the end closure.

19. The orientation head of claim 17, further comprising a sloping surface forming a first side of said pocket, wherein said sloping surface is adapted to move the pull tab interconnected to the end closure from said face portion into said pocket.

20. The orientation head of claim 17, further comprising a wall forming a second side of said pocket, wherein said wall extending substantially vertically from a bottom of said pocket to said face portion, wherein said wall is adapted to retain the pull tab interconnected to the end closure in said pocket, and wherein said wall applies a force to a side surface of the pull tab to rotate the end closure to a predetermined orientation.