Support plate for a carrousel machine and carrousel machine comprising it

A support plate for a carrousel machine (2) comprising:

• a containment body (12) which is mountable on a rotating carrousel (3) of the carrousel machine (2), the containment body (12) defining a seat (16) for housing a lower portion (17) of a bottle (6), the seat (16) having a bottom (18), a lateral wall (19), an upper opening (20) and a central axis (21), in use a lower portion (17) of the bottle (6) being able to be inserted into the seat (16) through the upper opening (20) and along said central axis (21);
• at least one locking body (22) which is made with an elastically deformable material and which is positioned at the lateral wall (19) of the seat (16);
• and
• a deforming unit (23) mounted in the containment body (12) and operatively associated with the at least one locking body (22), the deforming unit (23) being movable, relative to the containment body (12), between an inactive position in which it allows the at least one locking body (22) to adopt a home configuration, and an active position, in which it mechanically acts on the at least one locking body (22) and keeps it in a deformed configuration, the passage of the deforming unit (23) from the inactive position to the active position causing the passage of the at least one locking body (22) from the home configuration to the deformed configuration;
• and wherein:
• when the at least one locking body (22) is in the deformed configuration, the at least one locking body (22) is elastically deformed relative to when it is in the home configuration in such a way that it projects towards the central axis (21) of the seat (16) more than when it is in the home configuration, for, in use, adhering to a lateral surface of the bottle (6) and obstructing a movement of the bottle (6) relative to the containment body (12);
• a deforming unit (23) comprises an activating portion (24) positioned at least partly inside the seat (16), configured to interact in use with a base surface of the bottle (6), and movable relative to the containment body (12) between a home position and an operating position;
• when the activating portion (24) is in the home position, the activating portion (24) projects inside the seat (16) more than when it is in the operating position;
• the activating portion (24) is positioned in such a way that the insertion of a bottle (6) into the seat (16) through the upper opening (20) causes the shifting of the activating portion (24) from the home position to the operating position;
• and
• the passage of the activating portion (24) from the home position to the operating position causes the passage of the deforming unit (23) from the inactive position to the active position.