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US 2004/0200190 A1Published application
Beverage bottling plant for filling bottles and like containers with a liquid beverage filling material and a conveyer arrangement for aligning and distributing packages containing filled bottles and like containers
AssigneeKHS Maschinen- und Anlagenbau AG
InventorsStefan Wagner, Hans-Peter Kuhlmann, Hans-Gerd Ripkens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is now provided a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles and like containers with a liquid beverage filling material and a conveyer arrangement for aligning and distributing packages containing filled bottles and like containers. The conveyer arrangement permits rotation of a package upon traveling from the conveyer input to the conveyer output.
Claims20
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material, said beverage bottling plant comprising:
- a beverage filling machine comprising a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position comprising a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material;
- said filling devices comprising apparatus being configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material;
- said apparatus configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material comprising apparatus being configured to terminate the filling of beverage bottles upon liquid beverage filling material reaching said substantially predetermined level in bottles;
- a first conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to move bottles to said beverage filling machine;
- a closing station being configured to close filled bottles;
- a second conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to transfer filled bottles from said filling machine to said closing station;
- a loading station being configured to load filled bottles into containers;
- a third conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to transfer filled bottles from said closing station to said loading station;
- a fourth conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to remove containers containing filled bottles from said loading station;
- said fourth conveyer arrangement comprising:
- a conveyer input and a conveyer output;
- a conveyer frame;
- a chain being configured and disposed to cycle in said frame between said conveyer input and said conveyer output;
- a first guide rod, a second guide rod, and a third guide rod, all being connected to said chain;
- a first sled structure being connected to said chain by said first guide rod at a first location and being configured to travel with said chain and also being configured to move along said first guide rod;
- a second sled structure being connected to said chain by said second guide rod at a second location and being configured to travel with said chain anteriorly of said first sled structure and also being configured to move along said second guide rod;
- a third sled structure being connected to said chain by said third guide rod at a third location and being configured to travel with said chain anteriorly of said second sled structure and also being configured to move along said third guide rod;
- each sled structure comprising:
- a guide box structure being configured to receive and at least partially to surround a container containing filled bottles at said conveyer input and being configured to deposit a container containing filled bottles at said conveyer output;
- a first guide pin being connected to said guide box structure;
- a toggle-lever arrangement;
- said toggle-lever arrangement comprising:
- a linkage pin being connected to said guide box structure;
- said linkage pin having an axis of rotation;
- said guide box structure being configured to rotate about said axis of rotation of said linkage pin;
- a first lever having a first end and a second end remote from said first end of said first lever;
- said first end of said first lever being connected to said linkage pin and being configured to rotate said linkage pin about said longitudinal axis of said linkage pin and thus to effectuate rotation of said guide box structure and a container containing filled bottles;
- a second lever being configured and disposed to actuate said first lever for the rotation of said guide box structure;
- said second lever having a first end and a second end remote from said first end;
- said first end of said second lever being connected to said second end of said first lever;
- said second lever having a guide pin connected to said second end of said second lever;
- said first guide pin and said guide pin of said second lever being configured to be disposed in a first position, at a first distance from one another, adjacent said conveyer input;
- and
- said first guide pin and said guide pin of said second lever being configured to be disposed at a second position, at a second distance from one another, adjacent said conveyer output;
- said second distance being greater than said first distance and of sufficient length to effectuate the rotation of said guide box structure and a container containing filled bottles upon said first lever being actuated by said second lever;
- and
- said toggle-lever arrangement further comprising:
- a reset arrangement being configured and disposed to reposition said first guide pin and said guide pin of said second lever of said toggle-lever arrangement from the second position at said conveyer output to the first position at said conveyer input;
- said fourth conveyer arrangement further comprising:
- a first pair of guide rails being configured and disposed to guide said first sled structure and a first container containing filled bottles to a first location;
- a second pair of guide rails being disposed adjacent said first pair of guide rails and being configured and disposed to guide said second sled structure and a second container containing filled bottles to a second location adjacent said first location;
- a third pair of guide rails being disposed adjacent said second pair of guide rails and being configured and disposed to guide said third sled structure and a third container containing filled bottles to a third location adjacent said second location;
- each pair of guide rails being disposed stationary in reference to said conveyer frame and each pair of guide rails comprising:
- a first guide rail having a guide groove to guide said first guide pin;
- and
- a second guide rail having a guide groove to guide said guide pin of said second lever of a toggle-lever arrangement;
- each guide rail comprising an input end disposed adjacent said conveyer input;
- each guide rail comprising an output end disposed adjacent said conveyer output;
- each first guide rail being configured to guide the first guide pin of the corresponding sled structure in the corresponding first guide rail guide groove;
- each second guide rail being configured to guide the guide pin of the second lever of the corresponding toggle-lever arrangement of the corresponding sled structure in said second guide rail guide groove in the corresponding first guide rail guide groove;
- each pair of guide rails thus being configured to guide the corresponding guide box structure and a container containing filled bottles from said conveyer input to a location at said conveyer output;
- each pair of guide rails further comprising:
- a first apparatus being configured and disposed to position said first guide rail and said second guide rail in a first position with respect to one another and also in a second position with respect to one another:
- wherein in said first position said first guide rail and said second guide rail are disposed parallel with respect to one another to permit movement of a guide box structure and a package containing filled bottles without rotation from said conveyer input to said conveyer output;
- and
- wherein in said second position said first guide rail and said second guide rail are positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to one another and thus to dispose the input ends of each pair of guide rails with respect to one another at the first distance between the first guide pin and the guide pin of the second lever of the corresponding toggle-lever arrangement and also to dispose the output ends of each pair of guide rails with respect to one another at the second distance between the first guide pin and the guide pin of the second lever of the corresponding toggle-lever arrangement;
- said angle between each pair of guide rails, the first guide pin of the corresponding sled structure, and the guide pin of the second lever of the corresponding toggle-lever arrangement of the corresponding sled structure being configured to effectuate the rotating of the guide box structure and a container containing filled bottles upon transport of the corresponding sled structure and a container containing filled bottles from said conveyer input to said conveyer output;
- and
- each pair of guide rails yet further comprising:
- a second apparatus being configured and disposed to position the output ends of a pair of guide rails at a predetermined distance with reference to said conveyer chain.
57 more elements
A container filling plant conveyer arrangement configured to transport packages containing a plurality of containers, such as, bottles and cans, said conveyer arrangement comprising:
- a conveyer input and a conveyer output;
- a conveyer frame;
- a plurality of conveying devices being configured and disposed to cycle in said conveyer frame between said conveyer input and said conveyer output;
- a plurality of guide rods;
- each of said guide rods being connected to said conveying devices and being configured to travel with said conveying devices;
- a plurality of sled structures;
- each of said sled structures being configured to move along the corresponding guide rod;
- each of said sled structures comprising:
- a guide box structure being configured to receive a package at said conveyer input and being configured to deposit a package at said conveyer output;
- an arrangement being configured and disposed to rotate said guide box structure;
- said conveyer arrangement further comprising:
- a plurality of pairs of guide rails being disposed stationary with respect to said conveyer frame and being configured to guide one of said plurality of guide box structures and a package held by the corresponding guide box structure from said conveyer input to said conveyer output and to deposit packages adjacent one another in a row transverse to said conveyer frame at said conveyer output;
- each of said pairs of guide rails comprising:
- a first guide rail and a second guide rail;
- and
- apparatus being configured and disposed to position said first guide rail and said second guide rail in a first position with respect to one another and also in a second position with respect to one another:
- wherein in said first position said first guide rail and said second guide rail are disposed parallel with respect to one another to permit movement of one of said plurality of guide box structures and a package held by the corresponding guide box structure without being rotated by said rotating arrangement upon movement of the corresponding guide box structure and a package from said conveyer input to said conveyer output;
- and
- wherein in said second position said first guide rail and said second guide rail are disposed at an angle with respect to one another to permit rotating of one of said plurality of guide box structures and a package held by the corresponding guide box structure by said rotating arrangement upon movement of the corresponding guide box structure and a package from said conveyer input to said conveyer output.
16 more elements
A container filling plant conveyer arrangement configured to transport packages containing a plurality of containers, such as, bottles and cans, said conveyer arrangement comprising:
- a conveyer input and a conveyer output;
- a conveyer frame;
- a conveying device being configured and disposed to cycle in said conveyer frame between said conveyer input and said conveyer output;
- a plurality of guides;
- each of said guides being connected to said conveying device and being configured to travel with said conveying device;
- a plurality of package guiding structures connected to said conveying device and being configured to receive a package at said conveyer input and being configured to deposit a package at said conveyer output;
- each package guiding structure comprising:
- an arrangement being configured and disposed to rotate said package guiding structure;
- and
- a guide arrangement being configured and disposed to guide a corresponding one of said plurality of package guiding structures and a package held by the package guiding structure from said conveyer input to said conveyer output and to deposit packages adjacent to one another in a row transverse to said conveyer frame at said conveyer output;
- said guide arrangement also being configured and disposed to permit movement of one of said plurality of package guiding structures and a package held by the package guiding structure without being rotated by said rotating arrangement upon movement of the package guiding structure and a package from said conveyer input to said conveyer output;
- and
- said guide arrangement further being configured and disposed to permit movement of one of said plurality of package guiding structures and a package held by the package guiding structure and being rotated by said rotating arrangement upon movement of the package guiding structure and a package from said conveyer input to said conveyer output.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.