Bottle closing apparatus
AssigneeSociete Anonyme Machines Automatiques Cillotta
InventorErnest L. Evrard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic stoppering apparatus for bottles and the like having threaded necks with matching threaded stoppers is adapted upon feed of the bottles into the apparatus wherein they are carried on and by a generally vertically disposed rotating drum to screw the stoppers into sealing engagement with the bottles during rotation of the drum and before discharge of the bottles by means of associated rotatably and vertically movable stopper grasping and attaching heads that cooperate with the rotating drum in operation of the apparatus.
Claims15
Apparatus for stoppering and providing sealing closures for containers and the like which have threaded neck openings and which are adapted to receive for their stoppering corresponding pre-threaded stopper closure elements each of which make screwed engagement with the neck opening to effect the sealing of the container, which apparatus comprises in cooperative combination:
- mechanical conveyor means for feeding into the apparatus the containers to be stoppered;
- a generally vertically disposed rotatable drum adapted to be turned when driven and further adapted to hold and carry containers with it when said containers are fed into the apparatus to the drum;
- means associated in engagement with said drum for driving same;
- a frame fixed with the drum having at least one stoppering head element regularly distributed on its periphery;
- each of said stoppering heads being in association with a corresponding stopper feed arm that is adapted to receive individual stoppers fed to it;
- means for feeding stoppers to each of said stopper feed arms;
- each of said stoppering heads having a drive cylinder that is in integral association with said drum and further adapted to move both parallel with and rotatable about the axle of said drum;
- an intermediate limiting means in connection with each of said stoppering heads for effecting its integral association with said drum driving means;
- each of said stoppering heads having a pivoting jaws support having jaws thereon adapted to grasp individual stoppers fed thereto from said stopper feed arms;
- each of said pivoting jaws supports being provided thereon with a non-flexible concentric ring and at least one associated fluid powdered cylinder jack, said ring being so located as to be subject to the actions of said associated fluid-powered cylinder jack and an associated coil spring which automatically moves said jaws into their open position;
- each of said pivoting jaws supports being also provided with means to move same by said drive cylinder which means consists of an associated, engaged grooved piece with which each support is given both axial and radial movement;
- means for closing each of said jaws supports to grasp each stopper fed to it and hold it secure for sealing screwing thereof with the threaded neck opening of each container to be sealed while being carried by said drum upon rotation of said drum;
- means for releasing each of said jaws supports at the appropriate point of rotation of the drum when each stopper has been screwed to the container neck opening, whereupon
- said drum then discharges each of said stoppered and sealed containers to mechanical conveyor discharge means for removing same from the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.