Adjustable container capping apparatus
First Claim
1. Adjustable apparatus for capping containers of different cap sizes said apparatus comprising a main housing arranged for rotation by a driving spindle, a main gear having an axis and gear teeth about at least a portion of its periphery and disposed within said main housing, a helix cam including a cam gear coaxially disposed with respect to said main gear, a plurality of clamp shafts disposed about said main gear and said cam gear and rotatably mounted in said main housing and having outer ends projecting out of said main housing, a plurality of gear segments respectively mounted on said clamp shafts and having gear teeth in operative engagement with the teeth of said cam gear for respectively angularly shifting said clamp shafts in coordination with relative angular movement of said main housing and said main gear, a plurality of clamp arms secured respectively to said outer ends of said clamp shafts, and a plurality of cap grippers mounted on said clamp arms respectively for engaging a container cap about its periphery, and adjusting means for imparting relative angular movement to said main housing and said cam gear about the axes of said cam and said main gears.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for applying container caps of different sizes to containers includes a main housing arranged for rotation by a driving spindle, an upwardly biased cam rod coaxially disposed relative to the spindle and movable reciprocably, a releasable holding device normally restraining the cam rod against upward movement, a transverse cam follower shaft mounted in a transverse passage formed in the cam rod and having outwardly projecting ends, on which a pair of cam followers are rotatable, a main cam fixed in position relative to the main housing and disposed about the cam rod and having opposed vertical cam tracks in which the outwardly projecting cam followers are disposed, a helix cam arranged for limited angular movement and disposed about the cam rod and within the main cam and having opposed helical cam tracks in which the outwardly projecting ends of the transverse cam followers are disposed whereby limited angular movement is imparted to the helix cam by the biasing means upon release of the cam rod by the releasable holding device, gripping mechanism supported by the housing for lightly gripping a container cap in coordination with limited angular movement of the helix cam and an adjustable worm arranged to change the angular position of the main cam relative to the main housing thereby to adapt the apparatus for use in conjunction with container caps of different diameters.
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Citations
24 Claims
- 1. Adjustable apparatus for capping containers of different cap sizes said apparatus comprising a main housing arranged for rotation by a driving spindle, a main gear having an axis and gear teeth about at least a portion of its periphery and disposed within said main housing, a helix cam including a cam gear coaxially disposed with respect to said main gear, a plurality of clamp shafts disposed about said main gear and said cam gear and rotatably mounted in said main housing and having outer ends projecting out of said main housing, a plurality of gear segments respectively mounted on said clamp shafts and having gear teeth in operative engagement with the teeth of said cam gear for respectively angularly shifting said clamp shafts in coordination with relative angular movement of said main housing and said main gear, a plurality of clamp arms secured respectively to said outer ends of said clamp shafts, and a plurality of cap grippers mounted on said clamp arms respectively for engaging a container cap about its periphery, and adjusting means for imparting relative angular movement to said main housing and said cam gear about the axes of said cam and said main gears.
- 16. Container capping apparatus comprising a main housing arranged for rotation by a driving spindle, a cam rod coaxially disposed relative to said spindle and reciprocably movable, biasing means urging said cam rod upwardly, releasable holding means normally restraining said cam rod against upward movement, a transverse cam follower shaft mounted in a transverse passage formed in said cam rod and having outwardly projecting ends, a main cam fixed in position relative to main housing and disposed about said cam rod and having opposed vertical cam tracks in which said outwardly projecting ends of said transverse cam follower shaft are disposed, a helix cam arranged for limited angular movement and disposed about said cam rod and within said main cam and having opposed helical cam tracks in which said outwardly projecting ends of said transverse cam follower shaft are disposed whereby limited angular movement is imparted to said helix cam simultaneously with upward movement of said cam rod due to action of said biasing means upon release of said cam rod by said releasable holding means, and gripping means supported by said housing for lightly gripping a container cap in coordination with said limited angular movement of said helix cam.
- 22. Container capping apparatus comprising a main housing having a vertical axis, a plurality of grippers movably supported by said housing and disposed about said axis, vertically reciprocable means disposed within said main housing and coaxially arranged relative to said vertical axis biasing means arranged to bias said vertically reciprocable means upwardly, releasable holding means arranged to prevent upward movement of said vertically reciprocable means, operating means coaxially disposed relative to said vertical axis and arranged for limited angular movement about said vertical axis as a center and operably interrelating said vertically reciprocable means and said grippers for imparting limited inward movement to said grippers in coordination with release of said vertically reciprocable means by said releasable holding means.
Specification