Conveyor belt for non-slip material handling

• US 5,960,933 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Albrecht, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R.
• Application Number:
  US08/876,125
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 198/689.1, 198/844.1, 198/846, 198/847
• US Class Current: 198/689.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/58 with means for holding or retaining the loads in fixed position, e.g. magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/02 Articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 20/10 by a feed band against which web is held by fluid pressure, e.g. suction or air blast
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/224 by suction belts B65H11/005 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and a conveyor system for conveying a container along a continuous belt without substantial transverse movement is disclosed in the present invention. The conveyor system has a pair of rotating cylinders and a continuous belt having a plurality of compressible cavities thereon. The cavities are compressed as the belt engages with the cylinders thereby creating a potential vacuum. Before expansion of the cavity, a container is placed above the cavity which has a vacuum exerted thereon when the cavity is expanded. In this manner, the container is secured in a set position as it is conveyed from one end of the belt to another end. This allows an action to be performed on the container during the conveyance such as the printing of a digital image on a surface of the container.

Claims

1. A conveying system for conveying a series of containers without substantial transverse movement of each of the containers relative to the conveyance, the conveyor system comprising:

first and second rotatable cylinders, each of the cylinders rotating about a fixed axis, the first and second rotatable cylinders a predetermined distance apart thereby defining the length of the conveyor system;

a continuous belt engaged and tensioned with each of the rotatable cylinders, the continuous belt having a predetermined thickness, the continuous belt having a plurality of compressible cavities, each of the plurality of compressible cavities positioned a fixed distance from each other, the belt including a rigid outer layer and an elastic inner layer, wherein the plurality of compressible cavities is formed in the elastic inner layer, the rigid outer layer having a plurality of orifices formed therein disposed above corresponding ones of the plurality of compressible cavities, each of the plurality of orifices being in flow communication with a corresponding one of the compressible cavities and the atmosphere;

wherein movement of the continuous belt compresses each of the plurality of compressible cavities when the continuous belt is in contact with one of the rotatable cylinders thereby creating a vacuum for grasping a container on the continuous belt, as the continuous belt disengages from the first cylinder allowing for the expansion of each of the plurality of compressible cavities while the container is above each of the corresponding plurality of compressible cavities, and ceasing the vacuum and thus releasing a container as the continuous belt engages the second rotatable cylinder.

2. The conveyor system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of compressible cavities extend over the entirety of the continuous belt.

3. The conveyor system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of compressible cavities is a half of a sphere having a cross-section diameter greater than that of the cross-section diameter of each of the plurality of orifices.

4. The conveyor system according to claim 1 wherein the container is selected from the group consisting of a blow-molded bottle, a pre-formed PET bottle, a pre-formed carton blank, a pre-formed sheet of material for parallelepiped packages, a flexible pouch and a formed gable-top carton.

5. The conveyor system according to claim 1 wherein the conveyance may be at an angle of 0 to 180 degrees relative to an initial transport position.

6. A method for conveying a container from one site to another without substantial transverse motion of the container relative to the conveyance, the method comprising the following steps:

providing a continuous conveyor belt having a rigid outer layer and an elastic inner layer, the elastic inner layer having a plurality of compressible cavities thereon, the rigid outer layer having a plurality of orifices formed therein overlying the compressible cavities, the continuous conveyor belt engaged with a first rotatable cylinder on one end and a second rotatable cylinder on the other end, the distance between the first and second rotatable cylinders defining a length of the continuous conveyor belt;

providing a series of containers to be conveyed from one site to another;

compressing a cavity of the plurality of cavities as the cavity engages the first rotating cylinder thereby creating a potential vacuum;

moving a container of the series of containers onto the rigid outer layer over the compressed cavity;

expanding the cavity as the cavity disengages from the first rotating cylinder thereby exerting a vacuum on the container;

moving the vacuumly attached container along the length of the continuous conveyor belt; and

compressing the cavity as the cavity engages with the second rotatable cylinder thereby removing the vacuum from the container.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of compressible cavities extend over the entirety of the continuous belt.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of compressible cavities is a half of a sphere having a cross-section diameter greater than that of the cross-section diameter of each of the plurality of orifices.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the container is selected from the group consisting of a blow-molded bottle, a pre-formed PET bottle, a pre-formed carton blank, a preformed sheet of material for parallelepiped packages, a flexible pouch and a formed gable-top carton.

10. The method according to claim 6 wherein the conveyance may be at an angle of 0 to 180 degrees relative to an initial transport position.

11. The method according to claim 6 further comprising the step of printing a digital image on the container as the container is conveyed along the length of the continuous conveyor belt.