Can Crushing Machine

Food and beverage businesses commonly sell drinks in cans which can accummulate in large numbers and will occupy a considerable amount of space. The cans have salvage value and can be recycled thereby reducing the overall cost of doing business. An inexpensive, simple to operate machine is needed to crush cans such that they may be efficiently and economically recycled.

The can crusher of this invention is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and foolproof in operation. It will accommodate as many as a thousand cans an hour. The crushing occurs through operation of a hydraulically operated ram which in turn carries with it during operation first and second cams which operate first and second cam-holding members which control the flow of cans from a feed passageway into the ram passageway for crushing. An actuator is also carried on the ram and operates a switching valve to alternately direct fluid to opposite ends of the ram for operating it in opposite directions.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of the can-crushing machine.

FIG. 2 is a reduced in scale side elevational view showing the ram in its retracted position and the first cam-holding member holding cans from moving into the ram passageway.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the ram in its crushing position and the second holding member holding the cans in the feed passageway.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a hydraulic schematic.

The can crusher of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and includes a housing 12. A base frame 14 supports at an angle a ram cylinder 16 having a ram passageway 17 in which a ram 18 reciprocates.

A double acting hydraulic cylinder 20 is connected at one end by an ear 22 to the side of the cylinder 16 and through an ear 24 the cylinder rod 26 is connected to the upper end of the ram 18. On the opposite side of the ram cylinder 16 is a movable rail 28 connected to the upper end of the ram 18 by a transversely extending member 30. The rail is supported at its lower end by a roller 32 which engages the bottom surface 34 of the horizontal leg of the rail which is L-shaped. A downwardly extending leg 36 of the rail engages the inside surface of the roller 32 and limits lateral movement of the rail. A first cam surface 38 having a downwardly sloping cam surface 40 on its lower end engages a roller 42 on the lower end of a first stop member 44 movable in a sleeve 46. A can-engaging element 48 is carried on the member 44 and is downwardly spring biased by a spring 50 connected at its lower end 52 to the sleeve 46 and at its upper end 54 to the upper end of the member 44.

A second cam member 56 is mounted on the top of the rail 28 and has a cam surface 58 facing upwardly along the rail but extending downwardly towards the rail for engagement with roller 60 on the lower end of member 62 movable in sleeve 64. The member 62 carries a J-shaped stop member 66, as seen in FIG. 2, for engaging cans 68, as seen in FIG. 3. A spring 70 is connected at its lower end 72 to the sleeve 64 and at its upper end 74 to the upper end of the member 62.

A can feeder tube 76 is provided on top of the ram cylinder 16 and includes a feeder passageway 78.

A bottom wall 80 of the ram cylinder 16 supports can 82 when in a position to be crushed, as seen in FIG. 2. The terminal end 84 is spaced from a stop plate 86 defining an outlet opening 88 for the crushed can 82A to fall through after being crushed, as seen in FIG. 3.

A guide plate 90 extends downwardly towards the ram passageway 17 from the feed passageway 78 to deflect cans downwardly into the ram passageway 17, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The ram 18 also carries a valve actuator 100 for actuating valve 102. A member 104 extends from the upper end of the ram 18 downwardly below the rail 28 and a threaded rod 106 extends downwardly along the rail and the ram cylinder 16 and includes downwardly extending actuator elements 108 and 110 between which an arm 112 on the valve 102 is positioned. The elements 108 and 110 may be selectively positioned along the length of the threaded rod 100 to appropriately engage the arm 112 at the right time to cause a reversal of the direction of travel of the ram, as seen in the hydraulic schematic in FIG. 6.

Thus in operation it is seen that the feed tube 76 may hold a supply of cans in an end-to-end relationship. Cans can be fed in at the upper end of the tube or supplied from a remote source such as in a restaurant or bar feeding cans to the machine in the basement (not shown). When a can 82 is in position to be crushed, as seen in FIG. 2, in the ram passageway 17, the next can 120 is being held by the member 48 of the first holder 122. The second holder 124 is inoperative at this moment. The member 44 of the first holder is in its down position held by the spring 50 while the member 62 of the second holder 124 is in its up position due to engagement of the roller 60 on the cam surface 58 thereby allowing can 82 to move into the ram passageway 17 to be crushed by the ram 18. When the ram moves to its down position, as seen in FIG. 3, the holder 122 is rendered inoperative by the roller 42 engaging the cam surface 40 and raising the member 44 to its up position, as seen in FIG. 3, thereby allowing a can 68 to move by it and be stopped by the element 66 on the second holder 124 which is now in its down position as it has moved out of engagement with its cam surface 58.

The pump 128 may be turned on by a manual switch (not shown) or by a microswitch operated by a can moving down the feed tube 76 (not shown). When the pump 128 is operating oil is directed through line 130 to the switching valve 102 and in one position oil will flow through line 132 to one end of valve 134 thence into line 136 to the forward end of the hydraulic cylinder 20 to move the rod 26 to its retracted position and the ram 18 to its down crushing position of FIG. 3. When the actuator plate 108 in FIG. 3 engages the arm 112 it moves the valve to its second position thereby directing fluid now through the line 140 to the lower end of the valve 134 thence out through the line 142 to the opposite end of the cylinder for extending the cylinder rod 26 and moving the ram 18 to its up position, as seen in FIG. 2, thereby allowing a can 82 to drop into the ram passageway 17. The upward travel continues until actuator element 110 engages the valve arm 112 and moves it to the position shown in FIG. 3, again reversing the hydraulic fluid flow through the valve 102, then the cycle is repeated. Oil returning from the cylinder passes through the valve 134 and the valve 102 in a reversed direction and returns through a line 150 to a filter 152 to a reservoir 154 where it then returns to the pump 128.