Container cleaning apparatus
AssigneeBarry-Wehmiller Company
InventorMomir Babunovic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for cleaning containers such as bottles for reuse in which the bottles are placed in carriers for movement along a horizontally directed path comprising means operably supporting the carriers for concurrent movement in a vertical path, and jets of cleaning fluid which follow a generally horizontal path and move from a starting position aligned with the bottles while the carriers with the bottles are in a vertically lowered position and return to the starting position while the carriers move the bottles upwardly in the vertical path. The apparatus includes means to coordinate the motions set out above and means to assure proper alignment of jets and bottles.
Claims10
Container cleaning apparatus comprising a plurality of pocketed carriers for the containers to be cleaned, conveying means to move said carriers continuously through the apparatus, means defining a linear path of movement for said conveying means, fluid jet spray means adjacent said linear path, movable means operably supporting said spray means for forward and reverse movement in a generally horizontal path, drive means operably connected to said movable means to effect the forward and reverse movement of said spray means, and an operating connection between said drive means and said linear path defining means for periodically raising and lowering said carriers, said drive means and operating connection coordinating said forward movement of said spray means with lowering of said carriers and reverse movement of said spray means with raising of said carriers.
Container cleaning apparatus comprising conveyor means extending through a cleaning zone of the apparatus, track means supporting said conveyor means in said zone, carriers for containers attached to said conveyor means so as to be propelled through said zone, said carriers supporting the containers in inverted positions, an array of cleaning fluid jetting nozzles disposed below the travel of said carriers through said zone, container centering means disposed above and in alignment with each of the nozzles in said array, support means for said nozzles and centering means, means to continuously move said conveyor means through said zone for transporting said carriers loaded with containers, first operating means connected to said track means for raising and lowering the track means and said carriers and containers, second operating means connected to said support for said nozzles and centering means for movement in directions with and reverse to the conveyor movement, drive means operably coordinating said first and second operating means for effecting the lowering of said track means with the forward movement of said support to bringing the inverted containers into said centering means to receive cleaning fluid from said jetting nozzles, and a cleaning fluid supply conduit connected to said array of nozzles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.