Apparatus and method for transferring blow-molded containers to a trimmer
AssigneeGraham Packaging Company, L.P.
InventorsGary Christ, Garry Montague
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for transferring empty blow molded containers with precisely timed and directed blasts of air to a trimmer. The transfer apparatus includes a first set of air nozzles for transferring multiple bottles at a time from a wheel discharge takeaway conveyor to an index bucket chain of a trimming machine. The containers are blown across a transfer bridge assembly and are prevented from rebounding out of the index bucket chain due to the construction of the bridge assembly and the use of a second set of air nozzles. The second set of air nozzles are located above a path of travel of the transferred containers and fire bursts of air directed downward and forward onto the containers on the transfer bridge and index bucket chain.
Claims20
Apparatus for transferring empty blow-molded containers to a trimmer having an index bucket receiver for receiving and sequentially indexing into the trimmer at least two containers at a time, comprising:
- a transfer bridge located adjacent and between the index bucket receiver of the trimmer and a single file line of uniformly spaced and positioned containers being conveyed one after the other at a continuous constant speed in a direction parallel to the index bucket receiver, said transfer bridge providing a path of travel for at least two containers being simultaneously transferred from said single file line to the index bucket receiver of the trimmer;
- and
- a first set of air nozzles located adjacent to said single file line of containers for sequentially directing bursts of air in a transverse direction relative to said single file line of containers such that said bursts of air impinge on at least two containers to simultaneously blow the containers across said transfer bridge and into the index bucket receiver of the trimmer;
- said air bursts from said first set of air nozzles being synchronized with said continuous conveying speed of said single file line of containers and the sequential indexing of containers into the trimmer such that at least two containers at a time are repeatedly transferred from said single file line to the index bucket receiver and into the trimmer.
An apparatus for transferring empty, hollow, plastic, blow-molded bottles to a trimming machine, each bottle having a base, a sidewall, a finish, and flash extending outwardly from the base and finish along a mold parting line, the bottles being disposed on their sidewalls with their mold parting lines in a substantially parallel relation with the horizontal and with their bases in a substantially upright vertical position and being transported at a constant continuous speed on a takeaway conveyor in a uniform single file manner to a location where the bottles are transferred to an index bucket receiver which sequentially indexes at least two bottles at a time into the trimming machine, comprising:
- a transfer bridge extending between the takeaway conveyor and the index bucket receiver and defining at least two adjacent parallel paths of travel for bottles simultaneously transferring from the takeaway conveyor to the index bucket receiver of the trimming machine, said paths of travel extend in a transverse direction relative to the bottles being conveyed in single file on the takeaway conveyor and the bottles indexed into the trimming machine on the index bucket receiver;
- a first set of air nozzles located adjacent to the takeaway conveyor for sequentially directing bursts of air in a transverse direction across the takeaway conveyor to impinge on the bases of at least two bottles to simultaneously blow the at least two bottles across said transfer bridge and onto the index bucket receiver;
- and
- a second set of air nozzles located above said transfer bridge for sequentially directing bursts of air in a downward and forward direction relative to said paths of travel to prevent the at least two simultaneously transferred bottles from rebounding out of the index bucket receiver;
- said air bursts from said first and second set of air nozzles being synchronized with the continuous constant speed of the takeaway conveyor and the sequential indexing of the index bucket receiver such that at least two bottles at a time are repeatedly transferred from the takeaway conveyor to the trimming machine.
A method of transferring empty blow molded containers from an endless conveyor to a trimmer having an index bucket receiver, the steps comprising:
- positioning the containers on the conveyor in a uniformly-spaced single file line;
- transporting said single file line of containers on the conveyor at a continuous constant speed;
- firing bursts of air from a first set of nozzles at a transverse direction relative to said single file line of containers to impinge simultaneously on at least two of the containers to simultaneously transfer said at least two containers to the index bucket receiver;
- firing bursts of air from a second set of nozzles at a downward and forward direction toward the index bucket receiver to prevent said at least two simultaneously transferred containers from rebounding off of said index bucket receiver;
- and
- sequentially feeding in a start/stop manner at least two containers at a time on the index bucket receiver into the trimmer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.