US1523607A - Filling machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 1925- 1,523,607

F. w. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 TORNEYS F. W. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS 1,523,607 F. w. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 f gfcz 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 j ZZZgiZ Z157",

F. -W. PRA EL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 'INVENTOR Maud ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. PRAEL, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGE'OR T AMERICAN CAN COM- TANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FILLING MACHINE.

Application filed March 15, 1919. Serial No. 282,884.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. PRAEL,

a citizenof the United States, residing in Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fillin Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to filling machines for cans and has for its object broadly the provision of a machine of this character of greatly improved and simplified construction.

The invention will hereinafter be described in connection with a sanitary machine for filling cans that contain milk, it

being understood, however, that the machine has other and more general application.

A principal object of this invention is the provision of simple and direct means for operating valves in the measuring chambers so that the machine may be cheap to construct and be of certain enduring operation unlikely to require frequent adjustment, repair or replacement of the parts.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a machine of relatively rapid operation.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing,

Figurejis a front elevation of a machine embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the same, a part of the top being broken off Fig. 3 is a top plan view with a portion of the cover left off;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section through the. top, parts being broken away; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing the feeding and deliver of the cans.

Referring to the rawings, reference character 11 indicates a base of any suitable form or construction. A power shaft 12 is mounted in bearings 13 in the base 11 and carries a power pulley 14 at one end and a gear or pinion 15 at the other. This gear meshes with and continuously drives a larger gear 16 upon a cross shaft 17 mounted in bearings 18 in the frame.

Upon the shaft 17 is a bevel pinion 19 engaging a bevel gear 20 fixed upon the lower end of a vertical main shaft 21, which shaft is mounted in an elongated bearing 22 in the top wall of the frame or table 23. This shaft 21 carries a rotating can carrying turret 24, a can guiding and holding member 25 and the reservoir 26 with its attached and attendant parts. In operation of the machines the turret, the can guiding and holding member and reservoir rotate continuously with the shaft 21.

The turret is of circular form and is provided with a plurality of can seats 27 normally resting in recesses 28 and carried upon the ends of posts 29 which extend down through bearlngs 31 in the turret. These posts are adapted for engagement by a stationary cam 32 mounted upon the upper face of the table 23 of the frame. In the rotation of the turret the can seats and cans thereon are lifted b the cam 32 into filling position and held t ere until the cans have received the desired content from the reservoir as will be presently described, after which the seats are lowered again into the recesses by the passage of the posts 29 beyond the influence of the cam 32. The can holding and iding member 25 is provided with a plurality of semi-circular recesses 33, one located at and in axial alinement with each can seat, these recesses serving as stops for accurately positioning the cans upon the seats when they are moved on to the turret, as will be later explained.

The reservoir may be of any suitable form or construction and is provided with a plurality of measuring chambers 34, one located above each can seat. These measuring chambers consist, as may be best observed by viewing Fig. 4, of a body 35 held in a bushing 36 at the top, which bushing is screwed into a suitable opening 37in the bottom 38 of the reservoir. At the bottom the body 35 has a restricted opening 39 adapted to be closed by measuring chamber outlet valve 41. This valve is fixed upon a rod 42 which passes through it and is secured in a hub 43 of a can-lifted member 44. This member carries a sleeve 45 embracing the outer face of the body 35 and sliding over it when the can is lifted to open the valve and when the can is lowered to close the valve, the stem or rod 42 being held in placeby a threaded plug or pin 46. When this pin is removed the entire valve mechanism may be removed. When the can is lifted as indicated "on the right in Fi 4 its upper edge lifts the sleeve and throug the sleeve the valve 41 to permit the flow of the content out of the measuring chamber. placed from the can rises into the measuring chamber, and when the valve 47 of the latter is opened said air asses up into the top of the reservoir 26. he flow of content from the reservoir into the measuring chamber in predetermined accurate amount is controlled by measuring chamber inlet valve 47 which is disposed within the reservoir and seated at 48 against the opening through the bushing 36. This valve has guiding wings 49 en ging within the body of the measurin chamber and is fast upon the lower end of a hollow stem 51 which has bearing in an arm 52 extending in. from near the top of the inner face of the reservoir and this hollow sleeve forms an upper bearing and uide for the rod 42, which is pref erably of sufiicient length to extend through the arm 52. l I

The valves 47 are controlled by a stationary cam track 53 located directly above and in line with the measuring chambers and supported by arms 54 extending in from an upper frame work 55 forming a part of the main frame of the machine. Grooved rollers 56 run on the cam track 53 and are carried in hanger brackets 57 secured at 58 to the upper ends of the sleeves 51. It will be understood that the cams 53 and 32 are so arranged that the two valves 41 and 47 of each. measuring chamber are alternately operable, the valve 47 closin prior to the opening of the valve 41 an not opening again until the valve 41 has closed after depositing a char in a can.

The cans are elivered automatically upon the can seats from a conveyor 59'ta a driving sprocket upon a shaft 61 an having can pushing fin rs 62. The forward or upward travel of t is conveyor approaches close to the turret 24, the cans moving between bottom rails 63, said rails extending over onto the turret. The guide rails 64 and 65 (Figs. 1 and 5) are provided to accurately gulde the cans into position.

The conveyer 59 receives power from a sprocket chain 66 taking over a sprocket wheel 67 upon the shaft 61 and over another sprocketwheel 68 upon the shaft 17. The

cans are thus pushed onto the turret and the guide 64 presses them into one of the recesses 33 of the member 25. The cans are carried throu h nearly a circumference and are removed rom the turret by a guide 69 which moves them out of the recess and causes them to be pushed onto a receiving turret 71 and between the guides 69 and a second or inner guide 72. This turret may At this time the air dis-- be a part of a closing machine or its feed. The entire apparatus 1s simple and of easy, certain o eration.

The va yes of the measuring chamber are controlled by vertically moving members of a minimum number of arts and there is therefore little opportumty for wear, damage or misplacement;

It is thought that the invention and many of itsatten ant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be ap arent that various c may be made m the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material ad- -vantages, the form hereinbefore described bging merely a preferred embodiment there- 0 let valve, and mec anism controllable by the cans to be filled for operating said outlet valves.

2; In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble filling reservoir, a lurality of measuring chambers attach to and communicating with said reservoir, downwardly closing inlet valves for said measuring chambers, means for o ning and closing said inlet valves at p etermined times, vertically sliding sleeves on the measuring chambers and liftable by the cans to be filled, outlet valves for the measuring chambers movable independently of the inlet valves and ha connections entering centrally downwar and attached to said sleeves, can seats arranged axially of the measuring chambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seats and cans thereon; and means for holding cans in axial alinement with said seats and sleeves.

3. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble filling reservoir, a plurality of measuring chambers attached to and communicating with said reservoir, downwardly-closing inlet valves for said measuring chambers, means for o ning and closing said inlet valves at pre etermined times, movable liquid-conducting means making liquid-ti ht connections between the measuring cham rs and the tops of the cans, and liftable by the cans to be filled, outlet valves for themeasurin chambers movableindependently of the mlet valves assessor and having connections entering centrally downward and attached to said liquid-conducting means, can seats arranged axially of the measuring chambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seats and cans thereon, and means for holding cans in axial alinement with said seats and liquid-conducting means.

4. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble filling reservoir, 2. lurality of measuring chambers attached to and communicating with said reservoir, downwardly closing inlet valves for said measuring chambers, means for opening and closing said inlet valves at predetermined times, vertically sliding sleeves on the measuring chambers and liftable by the cans to be filled, outlet valves for the measuring chambers movable independently of the inlet valves, connecting means arranged centrally under the measuring chambers and uniting the sleeves with the outlet valves, can seats arranged axially of the measuring chambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seats and cans thereon, and means for holding cans in axial alinement with said seats and sleeves.

5. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolving reservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, opening and closing valves for said chambers, said valves having telescoping stems within the reservoir, one of said valves being operable from above the reservoir and the other from beneath.

6. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolving reservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, opening and closing valves for said chambers, the inlet valves closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, said valves having telescoping stems within the reservoir, a cam track above for manipulating one of said valves, the other being movable by a can beneath said measuring chamber.

7. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolving reservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath having downwardly closing inlet valves, separately operable outlet valves, movable independently oft said inlet valves, for said measuring chambers, a telescoping sleeve for each measuring chamber, means connecting said sleeve with its outlet valve, said sleeve being adapted "for engagement with a can to close the same and to be lifted to open said valve.

8. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolving reservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, a movable can closing device under each measurin chamber, separately operable inlet an outlet valves having downward closing movement for controlling said measuring chambers and a control for one of said valves located above and in line with said valve, and means for opening the other valve connected with said closing device.

9.A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolving reservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, separately operable inlet and outlet valves having downward closing movement for controlling said measuring chambers, a cam control for each valve located in vertical alignment therewith, and can closing devices reciprocable on the measuring chambers and connected with the outlet valves and movable by the cam control of the outlet valves.

10. In a filling machine the combination of a rotary reservoir, a series of measuring chambers carried by and communicating with the reservoir, cut-oil valves arranged between the reservoir and measuring chambers, sleeves embracing and sliding vertically on the measuring chambers, vertically movable can seats carried with and under said sleeves, outlet valves operable separately from said cut-oil valves and connected with said sleeves to be moved upward and opened thereby, means for intermittently lifting each can seat to fit the mouth of the can tightly against its sleeve and to lift the sleeve and the outlet valve, means for giving a rotary movement to all of said parts about a common center, and means whereby said movement causes the cut-ofi valves to be opened and closed successively at times after the respective closing and opening movements of the outlet valves.

11. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble reservoir provided with measuring chambers, valves 47 closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, valves 41 closing downward at the bottoms of the measuring chambers, means operated by the revolution of the reservoir to open said valves 47 when the cans are not being filled, and means whereby the cans operate said valves 41 in the intervpls between the operations of said valves 4 12. In a can-filling machine, the combi nation of a revoluble reservoir provided with measuring chambers, valves 47 closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, valves 41 closing downward at the bottoms of the measuring chambers, means at the top of the reservoir for opening said valves 47 and means at the bottom. of the reservoir for opening said valves 41 in the intervals between the operations of said valves 47 13. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble reservoir rovided with measuring chambers, valves 4 closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, valves 41 closing downward at the bottoms of the chambers, aligned in tho pressnos-of t'wjo subscribing mes.

means at'the top of the reservoir for open- In ing said valves 47 and means at the bottom 'rf the for opening said vslvq 41 FREDEBICK.W. PBAEL. 5 in the intervals between tho operations of Witnsues: said valves 47; said valves 47 having means G. W. PM,

for guiding'th's valves 41. J. C..Dotrm|.

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