Container-handling apparatus
AssigneeKHS GmbH
InventorAndreas Krieg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transporter has stars arranged in series such that a container is transferred at a transfer point that is common to two successive stars. Some of the stars rotate about a fixed axis whereas other stars rotate about an axis that moves relative to the fixed axis.
Claims12
An apparatus for handling containers selected from the group consisting of bottles and preforms, said apparatus comprising a container-handling machine and a transporter upstream of said container-handling machine, said container-handling machine being selected from the group consisting of a blow-molding machine, a labeling machine, a cleaning machine, a filling machine, and a packing machine, said transporter comprising stars arranged in series, each of said stars having container holders along a circumference thereof for gripping said containers, wherein said stars are arranged such that a container is transferred at a transfer point that is common to two successive stars, wherein each of said stars rotates about an axis, wherein said stars comprise fixed stars and movable stars, wherein said movable stars rotate about movable axes and said fixed stars rotate about fixed axes, and wherein said movable axes are movable in a controlled manner relative to said fixed axes.
An apparatus for handling containers, said apparatus comprising a transporter upstream of a container-handling machine, said transporter comprising stars arranged in series, each of said stars having container holders along a circumference thereof for gripping containers, wherein said stars are arranged such that a container is transferred at a transfer point that is common to two successive stars, wherein each of said stars rotates about an axis, wherein said stars comprise fixed stars and movable stars, wherein said movable stars rotate about movable axes and said fixed stars rotate about fixed axes, wherein said movable axes are movable in a controlled manner relative to said fixed axes, and wherein said movable stars comprise first, second, and third stars, said second star being between said first and third stars, wherein axes of said first and third stars move by revolving around corresponding points and an axis of said second star moves linearly.
A method comprising compensating for a mismatch between container input and container output in a transporter that is upstream of a container-handling machine selected from the group consisting of a blow-molding machine, a labeling machine, a cleaning machine, a filling machine, and a packing machine, said transporter comprising stars arranged in series, each of said stars having container holders along a circumference thereof for gripping containers at necks thereof, wherein said stars are arranged such that a container selected from the group consisting of bottles or preforms is transferred at a transfer point that is common to two successive stars, wherein each of said stars rotates about an axis, wherein said stars comprise fixed stars and movable stars, wherein said movable stars rotate about movable axes and said fixed stars rotate about fixed axes, and wherein said movable axes are movable in a controlled manner relative to said fixed axes, wherein compensating for said mismatch comprises receiving information indicative of container throughput along said transport stretch and, in response to said information, changing a length of said transport stretch, wherein changing said length comprises causing said movable stars to move relative to said fixed stars.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.