Contour and width gauge for paneled containers

Apparatus for inspecting the contour of paneled containers, comprising:

• means for moving containers past an inspection station wherein paneled sidewalls of said containers are generally parallel to their direction of travel;
• measurement means, located at said inspection station, for measuring the distance between a container panel and a generally vertical reference line from three spaced apart points located on said reference line as said container moves past said inspection station;
• detection means, connected to said measurement means, for determining whether or not said container has a predetermined contour;
• and
• means for measuring two opposing panels of a container to determine whether or not the contour of either of said opposing panels corresponds to said predetermined contour.

A method for inspecting the contour of paneled upright containers comprising the steps of:

• moving a container past an inspection station;
• locating three vertically spaced apart points along the height of a panel of said container;
• calculating the distance between one of said three points and a line passing through the other two of said three points;
• and
• comparing said calculated distance to preset limits in order to determine whether or not the contour of said container corresponds to a predetermined contour.

A method for inspecting the contour of paneled containers, comprising the steps of:

• moving a container past an inspection station;
• measuring the distances between a reference line and three spaced apart points located along the height of a sidewall of said container;
• calculating the distance between one of said three points and a line passing through the other two of said points;
• and
• determining, as a function of said distance measurements, whether or not the contour of said container panel corresponds to a predetermined contour.

Apparatus for inspecting the width of containers comprising:

• conveyor means for moving containers past an inspection station;
• first measurement means for determining the distance between a first reference point and a container;
• second measurement means for determining the distance between a second reference point and said container, wherein said second reference point is located directly opposite said container from said first reference point and is a known distance from said first reference point;
• summing means for determining, as a function of said distance measurements and said known distance, the width of said container as it moves past said inspection station;
• and
• means for comparing the width of said container with predetermined limits.