Automatic container fill-height inspection machine

• US 3,094,214 A
• Filed: 05/05/1961
• Issued: 06/18/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1961
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James H. Wyman, Robert G. Husome
• Original Assignee: James H. Wyman, Robert G. Husome
• Inventors: Wyman, James H., Husome, Robert G.
• Application Number:
  US04/108,002
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• US Class Current: 209/524
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3404 according to properties of containers or receptacles, e.g. rigidity, leaks, fill-level control devices for cigarette or cigar packaging B65B19/28; investigation of fluid-tightness of structures G01M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/292 Light , e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2921 for discrete levels

Claims

7. APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING A CONTAINER FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP AND FOR FILL HEIGHT COMPRISING AN INSPECTION ZONE HAVING AT ONE SIDE THEREOF ILLUMINATION MEANS FOR SAID CONTAINER, FILL-HEIGHT DETECTION MEANS OF THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF, AND CAP-DETECTION MEANS ABOVE SAID INSPECTION ZONE, SAID ILLUMINATION MEANS COMPRISING AN OPAL GLASS, AND MASKING MEANS FOR RENDERING PREDETERMINED PORTIONS OF SAID OPAL GLASS OPAQUE TO PROVIDE A REMAINING TRANSLUCENT REGION REPRESENTATIVE OF AN ACCEPTABLE RANGE OF FILL HEIGHTS, SAID CAP-DETECTION MEANS INCLUDING AN OSCILLATOR HAVING A FREQUENCY-DETERMINING COIL THEREIN, SAID COIL BEING POSTIONED IN SAID INSPECTION ZONE TO BE PROXIMAL TO THE CAP ON A CONTAINER WHEREBY SAID OSCILATOR IS PREVENTED FROM OSCILATING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID CAP, AND MEANS FOR GENERATING A FIRST REJECTION SIGNAL FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID OSCILLATOR RESPONSIVE TO OSCILLATIONS THEREFROM, SAID FILL-HEIGHT DETECTION MEANS INCLUDING LENS MEANS, A ROTATABLY SUPPORTED MULTISIDED MIRROR, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID MULTISIDED MIRROR, A FIRST AND SECOND PHOTOCELL, MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID LENS MEANS, MULTISIDED MIRROR, AND FIRST AND SECOND PHOTOCELLS RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER FOR DEFLECTING AN IMAGE OF SAID ILLUMINATED REGION UPON SAID FIRST PHOTOCELL AND AN IMAGE OF THE REGION OF SAID CONTAINER WITHIN WHICH AN ACCEPTABLE FILL HEIGHT SHOULD OCCUR UPON SAID SECOND PHOTOCELL, MEANS FOR DERIVING A FIRST SIGNAL FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST PHOTOCELL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INTERVAL REQUIRED FOR SCANNING SAID ILLUMINATED REGION, MEANS FOR DERIVING A SECOND SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND PHOTOCELL INDICATIVE OF THE OCCURRENCE OF AN INTERFACE AT THE TOP OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID CONTAINER, MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN ENABLING SIGNAL WHILE SAID CONTAINER IS WITHIN SAID INSPECTION ZONE, MEANS TO WHICH SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNALS ARE APPLIED FOR GENERATING A SECOND REJECT SIGNAL WHEN ONLY ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNALS IS APPLIED THERETO, MEANS FOR COMBINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND REJECT SIGNALS TO PROVIDE A RESULTANT SIGNAL, A NORMALLY INOPERATIVE MEANSFOR REJECTING A CONTAINER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF SAID INABLING SIGNAL AND SAID RESULTANT SIGNAL FOR RENDERING SAID REJECT APPARATUS OPERATIVE.