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US 11,305,977 B2Granted
Container-filling system
AssigneeBerry Global, Inc.
InventorsDavid Y. O'Nan, David C. Arnold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A container-filling system includes a product-dispenser system and a control system. The product-dispenser system includes a conveyor defining a predetermined path, a container loader, and a container filler. The predetermined path has a sensing station, a loading station, and a filling station. The control system determines if a container is present at the sensing station. The cup loader provides a container at the loading station. The cup filler dispenses a product into the container at the filling station.
Claims20
A container-filling system comprising
- a product-dispenser system including a conveyor defining a predetermined path and a plurality of container holders coupled to the conveyor and configured to travel along the predetermined path, the predetermined path including a sensing station and a loading station,
- a control system including a sensor unit configured to emit a sensor beam toward at least one of the container holders at the sensing station to generate a sensor signal associated with an empty container holder and a controller coupled to the sensor unit and configured to send a command signal to the product-dispenser system to deliver a container to the at least one container holder upon receipt of the sensor signal, and
- a filter coupled to the at least one container holder and configured to filter the sensor beam at the sensing station so that the sensor signal is generated when no containers are present in the container holder to cause the controller to send the command signal to the conveyor unit to provide the container in the empty cup holder at the loading station.
A container-filling system comprising
- at least one container holder,
- a sensor unit configured to emit a sensor beam toward the at least one container holder and generate a sensor signal when a container is absent from the container holder, and
- a filter coupled to the at least one container holder and configured to filter the sensor beam so that the sensor beam is blocked when a transparent container is present in the cup holder,
- wherein the container holder has a first height and the filter has a second height less than the first height.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.