US 8,678,168 B2Granted

Store, in particular buffer store for storing bottles or similar containers

AssigneeKHS GmbH

InventorAlfred Drenguis

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Abstract

A buffer store for storing containers having a container axis has rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis. The rotor includes storing units distributed around the machine axis. Each one forms a storage region extending extends along an axial direction thereof in the rotor's longitudinal direction to accommodate containers in a storage position. Each container is oriented with its axis in either square or radial to the machine axis. A transport system introduces containers into and causes them to issue from the storage regions. The transport system swivels a container into storage position upon introduction of the container from a normal container position in which its container axis extends in a vertical direction. It also swivels a container out of storage position and into the normal position as the container is issued from a storage region.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising a buffer store for storing containers having a container axis, said buffer store comprising a rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis, said rotor comprising a plurality of storing units distributed around said machine axis, each of said storing units forming a storage region that extends along an axial direction thereof in a longitudinal direction of said rotor to accommodate a plurality of containers in a storage position, wherein each container is oriented with a container axis thereof in a direction selected from a group consisting of square to said machine axis and radial to said machine axis, and a transport system for introducing said containers into said storage regions and causing said containers to issue from said storage regions, wherein said transport system is configured to swivel a container into said storage position upon introduction of said container into a storage region from a normal container position in which a container axis thereof extends in a vertical direction, and wherein said transport system is configured to swivel a container out of said storage position and into said normal position as said container is issued from a storage region.

An apparatus comprising a buffer store for storing containers having a container axis, said buffer store comprising a rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis, said rotor comprising a plurality of storing units distributed around said machine axis, each of said storing units forming a storage region that extends along an axial direction thereof in said rotor's longitudinal direction to accommodate a plurality of containers in a storage position, wherein each container is oriented with a container axis thereof in a direction selected from a group consisting of square to said machine axis and radial to said machine axis, and a transport system for introducing said containers into said storage regions and causing said containers to issue from said storage regions, wherein said transport system comprises a plurality of transport elements of which at least one transport element is associated with each storing unit, each of said transport elements comprising container grippers, wherein each of said container grippers forms a storage location for one container, and each of said containers is incrementally movable with said associated transport element in an axial direction of a respective storage region.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.