Water-activatable conveyor lubricant and method for transporting articles on a conveyor system
AssigneeEcolab Inc.
InventorsKeith Edward Olson, Minyu Li, Bryan Michael Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The passage of a container along a conveyor is lubricated by applying to at least a portion of the container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of the conveyor-contacting surface of the container a coating comprising a hydrophilic material wherein the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with a polar liquid; polymerizing or otherwise solidifying the coating; and contacting the coating with such polar liquid. If desired, the coating can be applied or polymerized on the conveyor or container while the conveyor line is in motion.
Claims33
A method for lubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor comprising applying to at least a portion of the container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of the conveyor-contacting surface of the container a coating comprising a hydrophilic material;
- polymerizing or otherwise solidifying the coating;
- and contacting the coating with a polar liquid, wherein the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with said polar liquid and the coating will remain in place following contact with liquid water.
A method for lubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor comprising applying to at least a portion of the container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of the conveyor-contacting surface of the container a coating comprising a hydrophilic material;
- polymerizing or otherwise solidifying the coating;
- and contacting the coating with a polar liquid, wherein the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with said polar liquid, the coating will remain in place following contact with liquid water and the coating comprises a poly(N-vinyl lactam).
A method for lubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor comprising applying to at least a portion of the container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of the conveyor-contacting surface of the container a coating comprising a hydrophilic material;
- polymerizing or otherwise solidifying the coating;
- and contacting the coating with a polar liquid, wherein the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with said polar liquid, the coating will remain in place following contact with liquid water and the coating comprises a polyacrylamide.
A lubricated conveyor or container, having a polymeric solid coating on a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or on a conveyor-contacting surface of the container, wherein the coating comprises a hydrophilic material, the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with a polar liquid and the coating will remain in place following contact with liquid water.
A lubricated conveyor or container, having a polymeric coating on a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or on a conveyor-contacting surface of the container, wherein the coating comprises a poly(N-vinyl lactam) hydrophilic material and the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with a polar liquid.
A lubricated conveyor or container, having a polymeric coating on a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or on a conveyor-contacting surface of the container, wherein the coating comprises poly(N-vinylpyrrolidinone), poly(N-vinylbutyrolactam) or poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) hydrophilic material and the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with a polar liquid.
A lubricated conveyor or container, having a polymeric coating on a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or on a conveyor-contacting surface of the container, wherein the coating comprises hydrophilic material prepared from water-soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone and organic solvent-soluble thermoplastic polyurethane and the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced by contact with a polar liquid.
A lubricated conveyor for transporting containers, wherein the conveyor has a thin polymeric solid coating on at least one container-contacting surface of the conveyor, the lubricating properties of the coating are enhanced when a polar liquid contacts the coating and after contact with the polar liquid ceases, and the coating will remain in place following contact with liquid water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.