Glass manufacturing apparatus and method
AssigneeGerresheimer Glass Inc.
InventorDean Scardino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for manufacturing glass containers handles the containers individually after a hot forming process and annealing to prevent glass-to-glass contact. By handling the containers individually and preventing glass-to-glass contact damage to the containers in the form of checks and scratches is avoided. To prevent contact of the containers and damage arising from the contact, the equipment including conveyors, pushers, starwheels, shuttles, and transfer heads that move the glass containers through the apparatus maintains the glass containers in uniform spaced relationship at each stage of container processing until the containers are packaged.
Claims19
1-9. (canceled)
An apparatus for producing glass containers in a continuous process comprising:
- a lehr for annealing the glass containers after hot glass container formation;
- an inspection station for examining the annealed glass containers for defects;
- a packaging station for packaging the plurality of the glass containers in a package after inspection;
- and
- a series of conveying mechanisms configured to move the glass containers from the lehr through the inspection and packaging stations while maintaining the containers in spaced, non-contacting relationship with each other.
19-22. (canceled)
23-33. (canceled)
A method for producing glass containers in a glass manufacturing apparatus having a lehr for annealing a plurality of glass containers after hot glass container formation;
- a packaging station for packaging the plurality of the glass containers in a package after annealing;
- and a series of conveying mechanisms configured to move the glass containers from the lehr to the packaging station comprising the step of:
- maintaining the glass containers in spaced, non-contacting relationship with each other as they are moved between the lehr and the packaging station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.