US 4,230,028 A · Machine for installing inserts in container lids

Abstract

A machine for installing disk-like inserts in container lids having axially directed flanges includes an indexing table on which several lid holders are mounted. The table moves the lid holders into and out of several stations. At the first station the lids are loaded into the holder which maintains them in an upright disposition with their flanges projected outwardly. At another station punches blank the inserts from sheet material, while plungers carry the blanked inserts forwardly beyond the punches and deposit them in the lids. The plungers have rigid forward faces provided with vacuum ports to that atmospheric air holds the blanked inserts against the plungers. As the plungers approach the lids at this station, they pass through apertures which are smaller than the inserts, and as a consequence the peripheral portions of the inserts are turned backwardly. This enables the inserts to enter the flanges of their respective lids without acquiring wrinkles and further enables them to maintain a centered disposition. At a subsequent station, seating heads move into the lids and deform the peripheral portions of the inserts into annular depressions in the lids. This has the further effect of ironing out the inserts at their peripheral portions to insure the complete absence of wrinkles and irregularities and also directs the peripheral edges of the inserts behind shoulders on the flanges of their respective lids. At the final station the lids are discharged.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A machine for installing a thin, highly flexible insert into a container lid having a closure portion that is sized to extend across and close the mouth of a container and a flange that extends from the closure portion and is configured for engaging the container around its mouth;

the closure portion having an inside face that is presented toward the interior of the container when the lid is in place, said machine comprising:
backing means for positioning the lid in a predetermined position with the inside face of the closure portion accessible;
a retaining member mounted in a fixed position with respect to the backing means and immediately beyond the flange on the lid, the retaining member having an aperture that aligns with the flange, the aperture being slightly smaller than the insert, yet of generally the same peripheral configuration;
a plunger having a forwardly presented smooth flat face that is rigid and a plurality of ports which open out of the smooth face near the periphery of the plunger, the plunger having generally the same peripheral configuration as the aperture in the retaining member, yet being smaller than the aperture so that the plunger can fit into the aperture and move toward the closure portion of the lid, the configuration of the aperture and plunger being such that when the plunger is in the aperture, the space between the periphery of the plunger and the wall of the aperture is substantially greater than the thickness of the material of the insert;
means for moving the plunger into and out of the aperture;
means for placing an insert against the smooth face of the plunger when the plunger is out of the aperture, said means including a blanking punch and a blanking aperture into which the punch moves to blank and insert from a sheet of thin flexible material, the blanking aperture being larger than the aperture in the retaining member;
and means for placing the ports of the plunger under a partial vacuum as the plunger advances toward and into the aperture so that atmospheric air holds the insert against the plunger as the plunger moves toward the aperture, whereby the peripheral portion of the insert will be deformed backwardly as the insert passes into the aperture to thereby facilitate its entry into the lid.

4 more elements

A machine for installing a thin highly flexible insert in a container lid having a closure portion that is configured to extend across and close the mouth of a container and a flange that extends from the closure portion for engaging the container, the closure portion having an inside face that is presented toward the interior of the container when the lid is in place, said machine comprising:

backing means for positioning the lid in a predetermined position with the inside face of its closure portion accessible;
a die shoe located opposite the backing means such that the inside face of the closure portion for the lid in the backing means faces the die shoe, the die shoe having an aperture that aligns with the lid in the backing means and is the size and configuration of the desired insert;
a pressure plate located behind the die shoe and being shiftable toward and away from the die shoe;
means for positioning a sheet of thin highly flexible material between the die shoe and the pressure plate;
a blanking punch that is capable of moving toward and away from the die shoe and is sized to fit into the aperture of the die shoe so as to blank an insert from the sheet of thin flexible material when advanced into the aperture from behind the die shoe;
a plunger normally contained within the punch and being extendable from it sufficiently to carry a blanked insert through and beyond the aperture in the die shoe, the plunger having a substantially flat and firm forwardly presented surface against which the blanked insert locates as the punch and plunger advance into the die shoe aperture, the plunger further having a plurality of ports which open out of its flat forwardly presented surface near the periphery of that surface;
drive means for forcing the pressure plate toward the die shoe to clamp the sheet material between the plate and die shoe, for thereafter advancing the punch into the die shoe, for projecting the plunger forwardly from the punch after the punch blanks the insert from the sheet material, with the forward projection being sufficient to bring the forward face of the plunger into the vicinity of the lid, and for returning the plunger, punch, and pressure plate back to their initial positions;
means for placing the ports of the plunger under a partial vacuum as the plunger advances toward the lid in the backing means so that the blanked insert will be held against the flat front face of the plunger by atmospheric air and for thereafter releasing the vacuum so that the blanked insert remains in the vicinity of the lid;
a seating head offset from the plunger and being wider than the plunger, yet narrower than the inside of the flange;
indexing means for moving the lid from a position opposite the plunger to a position opposite the seating head;
and additional drive means for moving the seating head into the lid to seat the insert securely in the lid.

8 more elements

A machine for installing thin highly flexible inserts in container lids of the type having a closure portion that extends across the mouth of its container and includes a continuous surface area that overlies the rim that forms the mouth of the container and a flange that projects axially from the closure portion for engaging the container to hold the lid on the container, the closure portion having an inside face that is presented toward the interior of the container when the lid is in place, said machine comprising:

a plurality of holding means each for holding at least one lid such that the inside face of its closure portion is accessible, each holding means including a backing surface against which the opposite face of the lid closure portion is located, so as to provide a backing at least in the region of the flat surface for the closure portion;
indexing means for moving each holding means into and out of a plurality of stations, one of which is an inserting station and another of which is a seating station;
inserting means at the inserting station for blanking an insert from a thin sheet of material and for advancing the insert toward the lid holding means at said one station and positioning it opposite the inside face of the closure portion of the lid;
and seating means at the seating station and including a seating head having a land that aligns with the continuous surface area on the lid closure portion in the holding means at the seating station, and means for moving the seating head toward and away from the lid, with the advance toward the lid being sufficient to tightly compress the insert in the region of the continuous surface area on the lid between that surface area and the land of the seating head so that the insert in the region of the continuous surface area is free from wrinkles.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Machine for installing inserts in container lids

Life of this patent

Machine for installing inserts in container lids

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21