Container Erecting System

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reliably and continuously transferring containers such as jars, cans, and other cylindrical articles having at least one flat end from a horizontal position to an upright position on one end for storage and packaging, or the like.

The container erecting system of the present invention receives cylindrical containers having at least one substantially flat end surface. A row, or a plurality of rows, of containers are supported on their cylindrical surfaces on an intermittently driven feed conveyor and conveys the containers into a driven container erecting star wheel having evenly spaced container engaging carriers which guide the containers onto a spaced pair of driven endless belts of a take-away conveyor, which belt and starwheel rotate about a common axes, thus eliminating the need for a "dead plate". The co-axial starwheel and take-away conveyor eliminates container handling problems which would otherwise occur when transferring across "dead plates".

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation with parts broken away illustrating a first embodiment of the article erecting system.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the container erecting system of the present invention illustrating three rows of containers.

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustrating a stationary two piece chute for transferring a cylindrical article from a feed conveyor to a pair of spaced belts by carriers of a starwheel.

FIG. 5 is a side view with parts cut away of a second embodiment of the invention that is similar to FIG. 1 except that the two piece arcuate chute is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a portion of a feed conveyor, a starwheel, and one of a pair of side guides.

Although the preferred use of the container erecting system of the present invention is primarily intended for use on containers, it will be understood that the system may be used to reliably erect other cylindrical articles having at least one flat end from a position supported on their cylindrical surfaces to a position supported on their flat ends.

The preferred function to be performed by the container erecting system 6 of the present invention is to receive sealed jars or cans which have been sterilized and cooled by hydrostatic sterilizers (not shown).

The container erecting system 6 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the present invention is intended for use with containers C such as glass jars of different lengths, for example, 11/2" to 5" tall, and also cylindrical cans of different lengths, each of which have at least one end surface which is substantially flat, hereinafter referred to as "flat end".

The first embodiment of the container erecting system 6 of the present invention (FIGS. 1 and 2) includes an intermittently driven chain mesh feed conveyor 8 which is supported on a frame 10 and is intermittently driven by a conventional variable speed gear motor M and a conventional index drive 11. A plurality of spaced parallel guide bars 12 define lanes L for spacing rows of end-to-end containers C from each other. The rows of containers C are supported on their cylindrical surfaces when on the feed conveyor 8, which conveyor advances the foremost ones of the containers through associated two-piece arcuate chutes 16 as illustrated which are angled forwardly and downwardly and are connected to the associated guide bars 12 by straps 13 (FIG. 4) for guiding the flat ends of the containers onto an associated one of a plurality of starwheels 18. Each chute 16 has a narrow opening 20 (FIG. 4) in its lower surface and a large opening 22 which is larger than the diameter of the containers C to allow the containers to be conveyed through the large opening.

Each starwheel 18 includes a plurality of evenly spaced narrow carriers 23 having a step 23' which are positioned to pass through the opening in the chute 16. The carrier steps 23' maintain the lower flat ends of the container C off the narrow flat belts 31 of a take-away conveyor 32 until the containers move beyond a vertical plane containing the centerline or axis A (FIG. 1). Each starwheel 18 is rigidly secured on a relatively large diameter mounting tube 24 (FIG. 2) which is journaled by bearings 25 (only one being shown) and is driven about an axis A in the direction indicated by the, arrows in FIG. 1 by a variable speed gear motor M1 connected to a stub shaft 26 by a coupling 28. Two flat belt annuluses 30 have the narrow flat belts 31 trained therearound. The annuluses 30 are concentric with and rigidly secured to the periphery of the tube 24 by support members 33 with the carriers 23 having arcuate container engaging surfaces 23" disposed therebetween as best shown in FIG. 4.

The discharge ends of the narrow flat belts 31 are trained around a tube (FIG. 1) 34 that has a rough belt driving surface, whereas the surface of the flat-belt annuluses 30 have smooth surfaces, which smooth surfaces permit the discharge belts 31 to slide on the annuluses.

The tube 34 includes end plates 36 which are secured to stub shafts 38 that are journaled in bearings (not shown) in a suitable frame 40. One of the stub shafts 38 is connected to a variable speed gear motor M2 which is similar to the motor M1 (FIG. 2).

The three motors M, M1 and M2 may include computer control gear boxes (not shown) to vary the speed of the feed conveyor 8, the starwheel 18, and the flat belts 31.

In operation, a plurality of articles having cylindrical surfaces and at least one substantially flat end, for example glass jars or cans which may be arranged in batches of different sizes. The containers C are arranged into lanes between guide bars 12 and are intermittently indexed by the feed conveyor 8 into a first position P1 (FIG. 1) in each lane ready to be advanced into an associated arcuate chute 16 at position P2. A continuously driven carrier 23 having a carrier step 23' in each lane then moves the associated container from position P2 to a position beyond position P3 and then lower the supported container C onto the flat belts. The uppermost carriers in each lane move along an arcuate path, not in a linear path of the associated pair of narrow flat belts 31 of the take-away conveyor. Accordingly, the carriers 23 will not contact and tilt the container off of its flat bottom because the narrow flat belts are driven at a speed faster than that of the peripheral speed of the annuluses 30 and because the containers C are deposited on the narrow flat belts between positions P3 and P4. Therefore, the pairs of narrow flat belts of the discharge conveyor 31 are driven at a speed of about two feet per minute faster than said feed conveyor 8 thus causing the containers at position P3 to move forward and away from the top of the uppermost carrier 23 between position P3 and P4 which avoids contact as illustrated at position P4 (FIG. 1). Thus, the containers C remain supported on their flat ends in upright position and are then moved by the pair of narrow flat belts 31 either to storage or to a packaging machine or the like.

Although the operation has been described as though the apparatus of the present invention included only one lane, it will be understood that a plurality of lanes, for example 40 lanes, of containers are reliably erected rom a position on their cylindrical surfaces to a position on their flat ends.

A second embodiment of the container erecting system 6a of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and is similar to the first embodiment except that the two-piece arcuate chute 16 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is omitted, and the containers Ca (FIGS. 5 and 6) are intermittently fed into a starwheel 18a by a feed conveyor 8a (FIG. 2)(not fully shown). The feed conveyor is similar to the feed conveyor 8 of the first embodiment except that the container supporting plane of the feed conveyor 8a is lowered to a level between that of a horizontal plane passing through the axis Aa (FIG. 5) of a starwheel 18a and the level illustrated by container supporting surfaces of the feed conveyor 8a. Vertical container guide plates 52 (FIG. 6--only one being shown) separate up to about forty rows of containers into lanes L, only a portion of one being shown in FIG. 6.

The second embodiment also includes at least one starwheel 18a which is journaled on a frame 56 for rotation about the axis Aa in the direction of the arrow by a motor (not shown). The starwheel 18a has a plurality of evenly spaced carriers 23a thereon which project outwardly from the axis Aa. Each carrier 23a includes a step 23a' which receives the substantially flat bottom of the supported containers Ca.

As in the first embodiment of the invention, means defining a pair of annuluses 30a (FIG. 6) are formed on opposite sides of the starwheel 18a, are concentric with the axis Aa of the starwheel, and are continuously driven by a motor (not shown). A pair of narrow cog-belts 31a are trained around drive sprockets 58 (FIG. 5) (only one being shown) and are driven at a speed of about two feet per minute faster than the tangential speed of the starwheel annuluses 30a causing the faster driven cog-belts 31a to slip on the annuluses 30a. A pair of side guides 60 (only one being shown) having arcuate end sections 61 secured to the frame 56 (FIG. 5) and include linear portions 62 which guide the containers Ca while being fed onto the continuously driven starwheel carriers 23a against the carrier steps 23a. The movement of the driven starwheel carriers 23 then advances the containers Ca upwardly past the vertical plane of the centerline Aa before the steps 23a' of the carriers move below the upward linear runs of the cog-belts thereby transferring the containers Ca onto the pair of cog-belts 31a for advancement away from the upper ends of the carriers 23a due to the faster speed of the cog-belts 31a. During transfer of the containers Ca onto the carriers 23a and release of the containers from the starwheel carriers, the containers are guided by the pair of side guides 60.

Although the operation of both embodiments of the invention has been discussed as though both apparatus of the present invention includes only one lane, it will be understood that a plurality of lanes, for example 40 lanes, of containers are reliably erected from a position on their cylindrical surfaces to a position on their substantially flat ends.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the method and apparatus of the present invention eliminates the need for "dead plates" at container transfer and erecting points which frequently cause container handling problems resulting in container damage, or other handling problems which require extra maintenance time and expense.

Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.