Apparatus and method to prevent bottle rotation

An improved rotatable star wheel for a bottling machine for filling and/or capping containers having an upper threaded neck and a non-fully circular flange, said star wheel for moving said containers through said machine, said star wheel comprising at least one bottle support plate that includes a pocket that at least partially supports and at least partially mates with the flange of said container to at least partially inhibit rotation of said container during the threading of a cap on said upper threaded neck of said container.

An improved container guide system for a bottling machine for filling and/or capping containers having an upper threaded neck and a non-fully circular flange, said container guide system retaining said containers in said machine during movement through said machine, said container guide system comprising a rotatable star wheel to move said containers through said machine;

• at least one bottle support plate that includes a pocket that at least partially supports and at least partially mates with the flange of said container to at least partially inhibit rotation of said container during the threading of a cap on said upper threaded neck of said container;
• body guide suspended from said star wheel to maintain the sidewall of said containers in position during rotation of said star wheel, rear guide located radially outwardly from said star wheel to retain said containers within said pocket of said bottle support plate during rotation.

A method of inhibiting rotation of a container of the type having an upper threaded neck and a non-fully circular flange as a capping head screws a cap onto said neck, said method comprising:

• providing a bottle support plate with a pocket that at least partially supports and at least partially mates with the flange of said container to at least partially inhibit rotation of said container during the threading of a cap on said upper threaded neck of said container, moving said flange at least partially into said pocket to cause said flange to at least partially mate with at least a portion of said pocket to inhibit rotation of said container with said capping head.

In a capping machine for applying a threaded cap onto the threaded neck of a container having a generally cylindrical body, and a non-fully circular flange below said threaded neck, said machine including a turret rotatable about a machine axis and carrying a plurality of capping heads, each of which rotate a cap about a capping axis to apply said cap to said neck as said capping head and container move in unison about said machine axis;

• a capper star wheel rotatable about said machine axis and having a plurality of bottle support plates at least partially engaging said containers immediately below said flanges and lower stabilizers with recesses to engage a container at said body thereof;
• and, a fixed guide plate with an arcuate guide surface concentric with said machine axis and radially spaced from said star wheel at a position generally diametrically opposite to said bottle support plates of said star wheel whereby containers carried by said star wheel are capped as they are moved along said guide surface of said fixed guide plate, the improvement comprising:
• each of said bottle support plates including a pocket that at least partially supports and at least partially mates with said flange of said container to at least partially inhibit rotation of said container during the threading of said cap on said neck of said container.