US1397617A - Bottle-capping apparatus - Google Patents

Description

C. G. BELDEN. BOTTLE CAPPING APPARATUS.

K APPLICATION FILED APII.5, I9I9.

UNITED STATES Parr.

NT omer.

CLEMENTS BELDEN, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE CROVN CORKv .AND SEAL COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, A CORPORATION 0F MARYLAND.

:BOTTLE-carriere APPARATUS.

' f Application led April 5,

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that'I, CLEMENTS G. BELDEN, a citizen of the United States, vresiding at Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle- Capping Apparatus, fully `described and represented in the following speciiication and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to bottle capping apparatus. l

Inesuch machines, of a recognized type, there is a bottle support and a capping head having` relative movement and the stroke of this relative movement vis Xed. The throat device associated with the head is forced against the bottle with a predetermined pressure thereby to effect a seal and secure the cap to the bottle. As bottlesof a given trade size vary somewhat in height the predetermined capping pressure is ordinarily set for the shortest bottle and provision vmust be made for compensating` for an over long bottle. Y

It is an object of the present invention to provide bottle capping apparatus such that the excess pressure is released substantially immediately upon the predetermined pressure being exceeded.

' It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus oii' the sort described capable of giving the maximum amount of compensation.

With these general objects in View, the invention consists in the features, details of construction, and combination of .parts which will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, and then more particularly pointed out.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of a portion of a 'bottle capping machine constructed Vin accordance with the invention;

and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a different position of the parts.

Referring to the drawing, l1 represents a capping head having a housing 12 at one side thereof. `Associated withl the capping head is a throat device movable relatively thereto. Although capable of various constructions, as here shown, there iS provided Specification of Letters Patent.

i 1* Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

1919., serial No. 287,711.

a throat carrier v13 having a long sleeve portion 14: slidable in the capping head 11. The throat carrier is normally held in a lowered position, withrespect to the head, by a spring 15 and this relative downward movement is limited by a nut 16 threaded into the head and engaged by a shoulder 17 on the sleeve; In the throat carrier is a frustoconical throat ring or capping die 18. As-

sociated with the capping head is a presser foot 19 slidable in lan annular shoulder V20 formed on the interior of the sleeve 14, and in a sleeve 21 formed on a top nut 22. The presser foot is normally maintained in its lowered position by a spring 23 which bears against shoulder 20.

In the capping machine here illustrated the compensating mechanism is such as to cause the throat device to act as a unit with the head as long as predetermined capping pressure is not exceeded. and to permit the throat device to yield relatively to the head when such pressure is exceeded, thereby to relieve the bottle of the excess pressure.

This compensating mechanism includes a spring, a lever acted upon by this spring, a force transmitter associated with the lever, and a connector betweenthe Jforce transmitter and the throat device.

lhile the spring and its arrangement with respect to the lever may vary in construction, the present embodiment includes a coil spring 25 seated in a thimble 26 carried byA the housing 12, and bearing against a collar 27 on a rod 28 slidable in a lug 29 formed on the housing. As shown in the present embodiment, a lever 30 is pivotally mounted in the capping head on a pin 31. Atr its free end, this lever has a notch 32 with a hooked end 33 and this notch takes under a pin 34 on the collar 27. With this construction, vit will be seen that the spring normally retains the lever in the positionV shown in Fig. 1 and that an upward force on the lever in excess of the spring pressure will cause the lever to swing upwardly, compressing the spring, as in Fig. 2. Y l

The invention includes a force transmitter movable to make a shifting contact with the lever. This may, for example, be a second lever. Although capable of various con- Y latter that in the normal position of the.

structions, as shown` inthe present embodi-h ment, pivotally mounted in the housing 12 on a Vpin 36 is a lever 37. This lever is relatively short Vin comparisoirto the first lever 30v and it 1s so arrangedA wlthrespect tothe parts '(Fig. 1) the free end of lever 37 is between pivot 36 and pivotV 31 and the icon--k tacting portion ot lever 37 is adjacent the pivot of leverY 30. y f

. It will be seen that if lever 37 is swung upwardly from normal position ,its free end will make a shifting Contact with lever 30.

In order to prevent vundue wear ofthe parts,V in the embodiment Vhere shown, that portion j Vof lever 3T 'which engages lever 30 is a rolling bearing 438 set in asuitable socket. lIt will` be clear from the drawing that the .lower Y spring 25 isthreaded into the housing By adjusting the position of this thimble the 4an auxiliary spring.

ing against the underside of lug29 is anV edge of lever 3,0 isof a proper configuration to always present a surface to beengaged by the rolling bearing 38. That is to say, le-'IV a link 40 having rounded ends 41, 42. The` end 41 visV pivotally vmounted in a socket Vformed in the lever'37 and end 42 is similarly mounted in a socket tormedin aplate 43 carried by the sleeve 14.` Y

It desired the rod 28'may be acted upon by As here shown, bearauxiliary spring 44, the oth-erV end of which bears against a Vnut 45 threaded onto the lower VVend ofrod 28. To inclose this end of the rod and its spring, there is threaded into housing. 12 a housing thimble 46.

Means is provided for adjusting the predetermined capping pressure. This may be accomplished, for example, byfadjusting that force of the spring which acts on the lever. As-showrn'thimble 26 which forms a scatter 12.

torce of spring 25 is varied las desired;

In describing the operation of the mechanism, spring25and the auxiliary spring 44 may betreated as one. Further, it may be assumed that the relative'movement of cap- Y ping head and bottle isobtained by elevating the bottle to astationaryhead.

As this movement takes place, the bottle neck enters the throat ring engaging and displacing the presser foot. As long as the i pressure between'thel bottle and the throat ter, lever and spring.

does not-exceed predetermined-capping pressure, as controlled by spring 25, the head and throat device act as a unit as the throatv device is held down bythe link, force transmit- Should capping pressure be exceeded, the `force Yof the spring is overcome. The pressure on the link causes the forceV transmitting lever 37 to swing upwardly in contact with lever 30, thus swingingthe latter-upwardly against the spring.

VBy this movement` of the parts the-throat device yields and Vthuscompensates or the extra long bottle.`

Vith theconstruction described, the leverj age exerted by lever v30 on the torce transmitter is relatively great when the parts are in normal position, so that onlya comparatively small spring-is necessary to maintain capping pressure. At the same time, it is noted that, with .the force transmittermaking a shitting contact withl lever 30, away from its pivot, the leverage exertedxrapidly diminishes softhat the springpressure is rapidly overcome and compensation is almost immediate. 1 Y

The Varrangernent ot'levers and linkage also makes possible a maximum amount of compensation.V i

Further,l with the .construction described, the maximumload on the spring when the lever is in its uppermost Vposition is kept as low 'as possible. w

Vhat is claimed is t.. y

1. In a capping apparatus, the combinationwith a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a compensating spring, alever acted upon by said spring, aV force transmitter'in engagement with said'lever and movable to make a shitting contact along-said lever, and-Va connector between said iorce transmitter and said throat, device and having a pivotal relation with said elements.v

2. In a Vcapping' apparatus, the combinaion with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relativel thereto, a compensatingspring, a lever acted upon adjacent its free end by said spring, a torce transmitter normally engaging said lever adjacent its Jfulcrum' and 'movable to make a shifting contact along said lever,

Vand a connector between said force transmit-- ter andsaid throat device and having :a pivotalv relation with said elements.-

3. In a capping apparatus, the combinatio with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a

compensating spring,a lever acted uponbyV said spring, a movablev force transmitter carrying a rolling bearing to make Vshifting contact along said lever, VVand a connector between said force transmitter and said throat make shifting contact therewith, and a connecting link between said force transmitting lever and said throat device.

5. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a spring, a lever pivoted in said capping head and having its free end acted upon by said spring, a :torce transmitting lever substantially shorter in length than said first named lever, and pivoted in the capping head to have its free end normally engaging the first named lever adjacent its pivot and to be movable to make shifting Contact with the first named lever in a direction away from said pivot, and a connecting link between the force transmitting lever and the throat device.

6. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a lever, a force transmitter acted upon by said lever, a connector between said force transmitter and the throat device and having a pivotal relation with said elements, and means for yieldingly holding said lever in normal position.

7. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a lever, yieldable means acting on said lever to hold the same in a normal position within the limits of a predetermined force, a force transmitter acted upon by said lever, and a connecting link between said force transmitter and the throat device.

8. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a lever, yieldable means acting on said lever to hold the same in a normal position within the limits of a predetermined force, a force transmitter acted upon by said lever and movable to make shifting contact along said lever, and a connecting link between said force transmitter and the throat device.

9. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a compressing spring, a lever acted upon by said spring, a Jforce 'transmitter normally acted upon by said lever with relatively great leverage and movable to make shifting contact along said lever to reduce Vthe leverage exerted, and a connecting link between said force transmitter and the throat device.

10. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by said head and movable relative thereto, a compensating spring, a lever acted upon by said spring, a force transmitter in engagement with said lever and movable to make a shifting contact along said lever, and a connecting link in pivotal relation with said force transmitter and said throat device. A

l1. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a capping head, of a throat device carried by the head and movable relative thereto, a spring, a lever acted upon adjacent its free end by said spring and having a portion thereof formed with a cam surface, a force transmitting lever pivoted in the capping head to have its free end normally engaging the lirst named lever adjacent its pivot and to be movable to make shifting contact with said cam surface, and a connecting link between the force transmitting lever and the throat device.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

cLEMnNTse. BELDEN.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. LLOYD, L. I-I. GOLDBRIGHT, J r.

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