APPARATUS FOR ORIENTING AND FEEDING ARTICLES

• US 3,662,872 A
• Filed: 07/10/1969
• Issued: 05/16/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John C. Nalbach
• Original Assignee: John C. Nalbach
• Inventors: Nalbach, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aegerter, Richard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Watts, Douglas D.
• Application Number:
  US04/840,739
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 221/172,167,169,170,163,164,173 198/33R,145
• US Class Current: 198/397.05
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0244 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1457 Rotating movement in the plane of the rotating part

Abstract

Apparatus for orienting and feeding lightweight plastic bottles or the like having a rotating bowl in which a supply of randomly arranged bottles is placed, a plurality of chutes spaced around the bowl for rotation therewith, with each chute having a bottle receiving opening at the upper edge of the bowl. A plurality of vertically reciprocable bottle pushers are mounted within the bowl and rotate therewith, each pusher being operatively associated with one of the chutes. As the bowl rotates, each pusher moves a bottle up a stationary helical discharge track from the top of which the bottles are deposited in a predetermined oriented position into the respective associated chute, with the bottle eventually being transferred onto a linear conveyor which is arranged along a tangent to the path of rotation of the bottles as they are positioned in the rotating chutes.

Claims

1. Apparatus for orienting and feeding lightweight bottles comprising a rotating bowl into which a random supply of bottles is placed, chute means connected to said bowl for rotation therewith and having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said bowl, bottle moving means mounted on said bowl for rotation therewith, discharge means mounted interiorly of said bowl and providing a stationary track along which a bottle may be moved from the bottom to the top of said bowl, whereby upon rotation of said bowl a bottle within the bowl may be moved by said moving means along said track to the top of said bowl and deposited into said chute means for discharge to a desired location, and cooperating means on said bottle moving means and adjacent said chute means opening for turning a bottle arriving along said track to descend only bottom down through said chute means regardless of its orientation upon arriving at said opening.

2. Apparatus particularly useful for orienting and feeding lightweight bottles comprising a rotating bowl having bottom and side walls into which a supply of randomly arranged bottles is placed, a plurality of bottle discharge chutes spaced around said bowl and connected thereto for rotation therewith, each of said chutes having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said side wall, a plurality of bottle moving means connected to said bowl for rotation therewith and being vertically movable along said side wall, each of said bottle moving means being operatively associated with a respective chute, a discharge track mounted adjacent said bowl and providing a discharge path for bottles from said bowl, and means driven in timed relation with rotation of said bowl for controlling vertical movement of said bottle moving means and causing said bottle moving means to follow said discharge path, whereby upon rotation of said bowl each of said bottle moving means may slidably move a bottle from the bottom of said bowl upwardly along said discharge track and deposit it into the opening of its respective associated discharge chute.

3. Apparatus particularly useful for orienting and feeding lightweight bottles or the like each having a body portion and a narrow neck portion comprising a rotating bowl having bottom and side walls into which a supply of randomly arranged bottles is placed, a plurality of bottle discharge chutes spaced around said bowl and connected thereto for rotation therewith, each of said chutes having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said side wall, a plurality of bottle moving means connected to said bowl for rotation therewith and being vertically movable along said side wall, each of said bottle moving means being operatively associated with a respective chute, and a discharge track mounted adjacent said bowl and providing a discharge path for bottles from said bowl, whereby upon rotation of said bowl each of said bottle moving means may movE a bottle from the bottom of said bowl upwardly along said discharge track and deposit it into the opening of its respective associated discharge chute, each of said discharge chutes comprising adjustable means for varying the size of said bottle receiving opening to correspond to the length of said body portion, and said bottle moving means comprising hollow head means dimensioned to receive the narrow neck portion of said bottles, said chute adjustable means and said head means cooperating to deposit a bottle into the chute in a desired oriented position regardless of the position of the bottle in which it is moved up said track.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, said bowl having a cylindrical side wall, said track being stationary and of generally spiral configuration extending from its lower end positioned adjacent the intersection of said bottom and side walls upwardly along said side wall to its upper end operatively positioned adjacent the chute openings around said side wall, said track being sloped inwardly toward said side wall, and means for moving each of said bottle moving means upwardly along said spiral track to thereby cause a bottle to be moved from said bowl and deposited into the respective associated discharge chute.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a pair of said stationary discharge tracks angularly spaced around said bowl, each of said chutes having pivotable diverter means to direct a bottle deposited therein downwardly along one or the other side of said chute, cam follower means connected to said diverter means, and cam actuating means positioned angularly adjacent each of said discharge tracks for actuating said follower means as said chutes rotate and thereby position said diverter means in a selected position to cause said bottles to pass to one or the other side of said chute.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, a transfer station including a linear transfer conveyor arranged tangential to the rotational path of movement of said chutes for receiving properly oriented bottles and transferring them to a desired location, said transfer conveyor being located at an angular position around said bowl between said discharge tracks, each of said chutes comprising upper and lower spaced connected sections, said diverter means being positioned within said upper section, and a stationary shelf extending from a first of said discharge tracks through said transfer station and positioned between said upper and lower chute sections, whereby as said bowl, chutes, and bottle moving means rotate together, a bottle may be deposited from said first discharge track into the upper section of each of said chutes and moved across said stationary shelf through said transfer station and subsequently dropped along one side of said lower chute section, whereupon said diverter means is cam actuated to its other selected position so that a bottle deposited in each of said chutes from the second discharge track may pass downwardly from said upper chute section directly into the lower chute section along the other side thereof, with the two bottles in said lower chute section then being rotated around to said transfer conveyor and deposited thereon for transfer to the desired location.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, each of said lower chute sections having an outwardly facing open side and inwardly facing groove means, bottle positioning means located at said transfer station for entering said groove means as said lower chute sections rotate through said transfer station to thereby properly orient said bottles on said linear transfer conveyor as they exit from said lower chute section through said outwardly open side onto said linear conveyor.

8. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or the like having a body portion and a relatively narrow neck portion, comprising hopper means into which a random supply of bottles is placed, a plurality of discharge chutes mounted upon and around said hopper means for receiving bottles therefroM, means defining a stationary track interiorly of said hopper means, relatively movable bottle moving means within said hopper means for sliding said bottles along said track to said discharge chutes, and cooperating means on said bottle moving means and adjacent the opening of each of said chutes for turning a bottle arriving at the chute to enter the chute only bottom down to insure that a bottle deposited in and descending each of said chutes is disposed in a predetermined upright orientation regardless of whether the bottle is moved toward said chute with its neck portion or base portion facing the chute.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8, said hopper means comprising a rotating bowl having a bottom wall and cylindrical side wall, said discharge chutes being rotatable with said bowl, and said bottle moving means comprising a stationary upwardly inclined discharge track located within said bowl and a plurality of bottle moving elements rotatable with said bowl and vertically reciprocable along said side wall, each of said elements being operatively associated with a respective chute, whereby, upon rotation of said bowl, said chutes and said bottle moving elements, each of said elements may move a bottle up said track and deposit it into its respective chute in said predetermined orientation.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, comprising a linear transfer conveyor located beneath said chutes along a tangent to the rotational path of said chutes, the linear velocity of said conveyor being substantially equal to the tangential velocity of the bottles within said chutes so that said bottles are transferred onto said conveyor in a steady, stabilized condition.

11. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or the like comprising a base having a cut-out region;

a bowl having a bottom wall and a generally cylindrical side wall rotatably mounted above said base;

a plurality of chutes spaced around the outside of said bowl and rotating therewith, each of said chutes having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said side wall and an open lower end adjacent said base;

a stationary discharge track located within said bowl and providing a discharge path along which a bottle may be moved from the bottom to the top of said bowl;

a plurality of vertically reciprocable bottle moving means rotating with said bowl and having a bottle engaging portion located within said bowl, and means driven in timed relation with rotation of said bowl for controlling vertical movement of said bottle moving means and causing said bottle moving means to follow said discharge path;

a transfer station including a movable linear transfer conveyor located adjacent said base in said cut-out region and arranged along a tangent to the rotational path of said chutes, whereby, as said bowl rotates, each of said bottle moving means may move a bottle up said track and deposit it into its respective associated chute whereupon the bottle is then supported on said base while in said chute and moved thereacross to said transfer station at which it is placed on said linear conveyor and carried away to a desired location.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11, comprising a drive assembly for driving said transfer conveyor at a linear velocity substantially equal to the tangential velocity of the bottles within said rotating chutes so that the bottles are transferred onto said conveyor in a steady, stabilized condition.

13. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or the like comprising a base having a cut-out region;

a bowl having a bottom wall and a generally cylindrical side wall rotatably mounted above said base;

a plurality of chutes spaced around the outside of said bowl and rotating therewith, each of said chutes having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said side wall and an open lower end adjacent said base;

a plurality of bottle moving means rotating with said bowl and having a bottle engaging portion located within said bowl, said bottle moving means being verticalLy reciprocable along said side wall;

at least two stationary discharge tracks located in angularly spaced relation within said bowl and each providing a path along which a bottle may be moved from the bottom to the top of said bowl;

a transfer station including a linear transfer conveyor located adjacent said base in said cut-out region and arranged substantially along a tangent to the rotational path of said chutes, whereby, as said bowl rotates, each of said bottle moving means may move a bottle up one of said tracks and deposit it into its respective associated chute whereupon the bottle is then supported on said base while in said chute and moved thereacross to said transfer station at which it is placed on said linear conveyor and carried away to a desired location, a pivotable diverter means in each of said chutes to direct a bottle deposited therein downwardly along one side or the other of said chute, cam follower means connected to said diverter means, and cam actuating means positioned angularly adjacent each of said discharge tracks for actuating said follower means as said chutes move along their path and thereby position said diverter means in a selected position to cause a bottle to pass to one or the other side of said chute.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, said transfer station being located at an angular position around said bowl between said discharge tracks, each of said chutes comprising upper and lower spaced, connected sections, said diverter means being positioned within said upper section, and a stationary shelf extending from a first of said discharge tracks through said transfer station and positioned between said upper and lower chute sections, whereby as said bowl, chutes, and bottle moving means rotate together, a bottle may be desposited from said first discharge track into the upper section of each of said chutes and moved across said stationary shelf through said transfer station and subsequently dropped along one side of said lower chute section, whereupon said diverter means is cam actuated to its other selected position so that a bottle deposited in each of the chutes from the second discharge track may pass downwardly from said upper chute section directly into said lower chute section along the other side thereof, with the two bottles in said lower chute section then being rotated around to said transfer conveyor and deposited thereon for transfer to the desired location.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 14, each of said lower chute sections having an outwardly facing open side and inwardly facing groove means, bottle positioning means located at said transfer station for entering said groove means as said lower chute sections rotate through said transfer station to thereby properly orient said bottles on said linear transfer conveyor as they exit from said lower chute section through said outwardly open side onto said linear conveyor.

16. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or the like having a body portion and narrow neck portion, comprising hopper means into which a random supply of bottles is placed, a plurality of discharge chutes mounted in spaced relation around the outer periphery of said hopper means for receiving bottles therefrom, and bottle moving means within said hopper for conveying said bottles to said discharge chutes, said hopper means comprising a rotating bowl having a bottom wall and a side wall, said discharge chutes being rotatable with said bowl, and said bottle moving means comprising a stationary upwardly inclined discharge track located within said bowl and a plurality of bottle moving elements rotatable with said bowl and vertically reciprocable along said side wall, each of said elements being operatively associated with a respective chute, whereby, upon rotation of said bowl, said chutes and said bottle moving elements, each of said elements may move a bottle up said track and deposit it into its respective chute in predetermined orientation, means at each of said discharge chutes for adjusting the size of its bottle receiving opening to correspond to the length of the body portion of said bottles, and a hollow head on each of said elements adapted to receive the narrow neck portion of said bottles, said adjusting means and said hollow head cooperating to deposit a bottle into the chute in said predetermined orientation regardless of the position of the bottle as it moves up said track.

17. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles or the like having a body portion and narrow neck portion, comprising hopper means into which a random supply of bottles is placed, a plurality of discharge chutes mounted in spaced relation around the outer periphery of said hopper means for receiving bottles therefrom, and bottle moving means within said hopper for conveying said bottles to said discharge chutes, said hopper means comprising a rotating bowl having a bottom wall and a side wall, said discharge chutes being rotatable with said bowl, and said bottle moving means comprising a plurality of stationary upwardly inclined discharge tracks located within said bowl in angularly spaced relation and a plurality of bottle moving elements rotatable with said bowl and vertically reciprocable along said side wall, each of said elements being operatively associated with a respective chute, whereby, upon rotation of said bowl, said chutes and said bottle moving elements, each of said elements may move a bottle up one of said tracks and deposit in into its respective chute in predetermined orientation, a plurality of compartments in each of said chutes, and means for directing a bottle received from one of said discharge tracks into a respective one of said compartments, said chutes and said bottle moving means being constructed to cooperate with each other and insure that a bottle is deposited in each of said chutes in said predetermined orientation regardless of whether the bottle is moved toward said chute with its neck portion or base portion facing the chute.

18. Apparatus for orienting and feeding bottles of the type having a body portion and a narrow neck portion comprising a base having a cut-out region;

a bowl having a bottom wall and a generally cylindrical side wall rotatably mounted above said base;

a plurality of chutes spaced around the outside of said bowl and rotating therewith, each of said chutes having a bottle receiving opening adjacent the top of said side wall and an open lower end adjacent said base;

a plurality of bottle moving means rotating with said bowl and having a bottle engaging portion located within said bowl, said bottle moving means being vertically reciprocable along said side wall;

a stationary discharge track located within said bowl and providing a path along which a bottle may be moved from the bottom to the top of said bowl;

a transfer station including a linear transfer conveyor located adjacent said base in said cut-out region and arranged substantially along a tangent to the rotational path of said chutes, whereby, as said bowl rotates, each of said bottle moving means may move a bottle up said track and deposit it into its respective associated chute whereupon the bottle is then supported on said base while in said chute and moved thereacross to said transfer station at which it is placed on said linear conveyor and carried away to a desired location, each of said discharge chutes comprises adjustable means for varying the size of said bottle receiving opening to correspond to the length of said body portion, and said bottle moving means comprises hollow head means dimensioned to receive the narrow neck portion of said bottles, said chute adjustable means and said hollow head means cooperating to deposit a bottle into the chute in a desired oriented position regardless of the position of the bottle in which it is moved up the track.

19. Apparatus for feeding lightweight plastic bottles from random assembly to predetermined orientation on a conveyor comprising a rotatable hopper for receiving bottles randomly discharged theReinto, a stationary bottle lift and feed track defining a discharge path extending upwardly within the hopper from the bottom of said hopper to the hopper upper end, at least one discharge chute rotatable with the hopper and having an opening near the upper end of said track, means effective during rotation of the hopper for sliding a bottle upwardly and in the direction of its length along said discharge path toward said chute opening comprising bottle pusher means on the rotating hopper mounted for substantially vertical sliding movement on said hopper and drive means for reciprocating said bottle pusher means in timed relation with rotation of the hopper and causing said bottle pusher means to follow said discharge path, means adjacent said chute opening permitting an entering bottle to descend said chute only in bottom down orientation, and an opening in the lower end of said chute through which an oriented bottle may pass to said conveyor.

20. In the apparatus defined in claim 19, means within said chute and effective over an angular displacement of said hopper for intercepting and stabilizing a descending bottle before permitting passage of that bottle to the conveyor.

21. In the apparatus defined in claim 19, cooperating means on said bottle pusher means and adjacent said chute opening for turning a bottle arriving at said opening to enter said chute bottom down regardless of which end of the bottle arrives first at said chute opening.

22. Apparatus for insuring a desired orientation of lightweight bottles of the type having a neck region at the top that is appreciably smaller than the body comprising a chute having an opening, means for moving bottles in succession in the direction of their length to a transfer station adjacent said chute opening comprising a pusher device having a recess of a size such as to admit said neck in one position of orientation of a bottle but such as not to admit the bottom of the body in the opposite position of orientation, and means adjacent said chute opening cooperating with said pusher device for turning each successive bottle about its neck region to move angularly with respect to said direction for transferring each bottle into said chute only in such orientation that it descends the chute bottom down.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 22 wherein said bottle turning means comprises an abutment at said station adapted to engage the neck region of a bottle being pushed neck foremost into said station by said pusher device.

24. In the apparatus defined in claim 22, said chute being mounted on a continuously rotatable receptacle into which bottles are deposited in random orientation and said means for moving bottles to the top of said chute comprising a stationary track disposed interiorly of said receptacle, and means for reciprocating said pusher device in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of said receptacle for enabling said pusher device to push bottles up said track during rotation of said receptacle.

25. In apparatus for orienting lightweight bottles of the type having a neck appreciably smaller than the body, a chute having an open top, and means for introducing a bottle moving in the direction of its length into a transfer station at the open top of said chute comprising a pusher device having a recess sized to admit a bottle neck but not to admit the bottom of said bottle, means defining an inclined surface at said station sloping downwardly to the open top of said chute, means defining a lateral opening at said station at the upper end of said inclined surface, the first and second successive side edges of said opening being so spaced in the direction of bottle movement that when a bottle enters the station bottom foremost with its neck in the pusher recess its bottom will be clear of said second side edge to turn in one direction to slide bottom first down said surface when the pusher reaches the first side edge of said opening, and when a bottle enters the station mouth foremost its neCk will be in operative engagement with said second side edge of the opening when its bottom passes the first side edge so that its bottom will turn in the opposite direction to slide bottom first down said surface.

26. In the apparatus defined in claim 25, means for adjusting the spacing between said side edges.