US2359561A - Crown rest - Google Patents

Description

J. KANTOR Oct. 3, 1944.

CROWN REST Filed April 12, 194.3

UMP/V575.

Patented Oct. 3, 1944 UNITED STAT CROWN REST James Kantor, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application April 12; 1943, Serial No. 482,664 6 claims. p (o1. 22e- 86) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for applying crowns to containers, particularly |bottles and the like.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a crown rest for use in connection with crowning apparatus adapted to handle the so-called type of plastic crowns which are now being used instead of the metal type of crown heretofore used in the industry.

As a result of the different type of crown, of the plastic type, it is necessary to provide a crown rest giving greater clearance to the crown and to the bottle neck. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a crown. rest having a suitableY diameter when the crown is delivered to the rest to support the crown in a position to receive the bottle as the bottle and crowning mechanism approach one another.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of so much of the crowning mechanism as is necessary for illustrating my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View showing more in detail my improved crown rest, the parts being shown with the container in a position for the crown to be applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, showing the crown rest and the crown in a receiving position and a crown'supported thereby;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the mechanism for moving the crown rest in position; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, I provide a stationary housing I which is more or less of standard commercial form and which housing is provided with a plurality of crowners 2 each of which is the same construction. Each of the crowners, as it is moved in position over the receptacle to be crowned, due to its rotary movement, is adapted to .place a crown on the receptacle. Each of the crowning heads 2 comprises a hollow cylindrical housing 3 carrying, at its upper end, a roller 4 adapted to engage a cam 5, stationarily mounted, for vertically reciprocating the housing 3. The housing 3 operates in a relatively stationary sleeve 6 and carries the mechanism for applying the crown to the bottle, including the crown rest. Within this housing is arranged a hollow sleeve I adapted to, be moved into its projected :position by a coiled, springl 8 interposed between a shoulder of a co1' lar 9 threaded on the lower end' of the sleeve and a shoulder IIJ within the housing 3. Within this l sleeve is arranged a plunger II adapted to be moved into a projected position by a coiled springV I2 bearing, at one end, on an anular flangeV holding position, engage beneath a head I6 on i a narrowed neck I'I of the plunger II and at the lower end of this neck I'I is a carn shoulder I 8.

The crown, after having been deposited on the mouth of the bottle, is crimped around the beady of the bottle by a series of crimping fingers I9 which surround the lower end of the plunger and, after the crown is in position on the bottle,

are adapted to be moved into crimping position beneath the skirt of the crown through the me dium of a cam 20 on the lower end of sleeve 2I held within the collar 9.

The crown rest 22 may be a separate entity,"l

and is supported upon a pair of downwardly ex`- tending pins 23 screwed into ears on the' collar" 9 and provided, at their lower ends, with notches or recesses 24. These .pins project through the openings in the crown rest 22 and are engaged by `cross pins 25 notched on one side to provide,

when in releasing position, a clearance for the pins 23. However, when these. cross pins 25 'are rotated into engaging position, they engage in the grooves 24 and thus lock the crown rest in position.

This crown rest is provided with a bottle accommodatng, or bottle receiving, opening 26 flared, as at 21, for the guidance of the bottle as`- it projects through the opening, and, on its upper face, thecrown rest 22 is provided withl a recess 28 providing an opening between the crown rest and the collar 9 for the passage thereinto of a crown as it is delivered from the delivery means, preferably in the form of a crown chute.

The crown, when delivered into position, is

adapted to be supported on a pair of segmental supports 29 disposed on opposite sides of the opening 25.

Each of these supports or dogs has its front face concave, as at 3D, to coincide with the gen-f eral shape of the neck of the bottle and `the front face vertically is arcuate to provide thenecessary clearance forrthe bottle portions.V The top of these ears is flattened, as 'atV 3|,to provide `a The sleeve 1 is main l crown rest proper when the ears are in their receiving positions. Each ear is mounted on a rotating shaft 32 journalled in the crown rest 22, the hub 33 of the ear being pinned on this shaft. The outer end of this shaft carries a bell crank lever, the vertical arm 35 of which has connected thereto a tension spring 36, the opposite ends of the spring lbeing connected to the similar bell crank lever arm of the other crown supporting ear. The other arm 31 ofthe bell crank lever extends substantially horizontally. noticed that unless the arms 31 are engaged by suitable means for forcing the arms downwardly, the spring 36 will have a tendency. to draw the arms 35 together at their lower ends, thusxrocking the ears 29 upwardly.

These ears 29 are moved into crown-receiving position by means of a spring pressed plungerV` supported in an ear 39 on the collar 9. 'I his plunger comprises a hollow section 40 having mounted therein af spring 4I and a plunger rod section 42 fitting within the section 4.0 andY slotted, as at 43, to receive a pin 44 extending through the sleeved section 40, The top of the plunger section 42 is adapted to engage a shoulder 45;

on arvertically relatively stationary portion of the crowning head4 housing 6. When the parts` are in crown-receiving position, the plungerl 42;,k due to its engagement with the shoulder 45i throughv the medium of the spring 4|, will, force the sleeve sectionv 40 downwardly into engagement with the arms 31 thus rocking the ears 2,9,into a position where the shoulder 3| is in a horizontal position and` in a position to receive a crown, as it is delivered to the crown rest.

In operation, as the housingA 3` descends, the

throat 21 will receive the neckv ofn the bottleA and, with a crown in position on the`VV crown rest,

the crown will be placed upony the torpoof thebot- With the descent of g the housing 3, the

outwardly extended ends of the crimping'fingersy |9'to be forced inward to a smaller diameter by the cam portion 20, thus tightly molding the softened crown skirt (softened bypre-,heaw around the crown locking ring of the bottle. YThis entire crowning operation is completed beforecam shoulder |8 engages the bottoms of thedogs AI4 and causes the upper ends of said dogs tofdisengagek V groove I5, thus permittinglthe', entire sleeve 1 assembly freedom to movefurther upward if necessary. When the dogs |4Ydisengage, the main crowning pressure is entirely relieved,

after, which the spring 8 comes into use. The coil springt should not be'misinterpreted as forcing sleeve 1 downwardly to cause crimping ofI the t crown, but rather to return Y.the entire sleeve 1 assembly to its lowest position afterV crimping of the crown is accomplished and dogs I4.. arey It is to be` downwardly it carries with it the plunger comprising the sections 40 and 42 so that the rod 42 thereof is moved away from the shoulder 45 thus releasing the pressure on the plunger and, accordingly, the pressure on the anns 31. This permits the spring 36 to rock the arm 35 inwardly so that by the time the crown skirt is completely crimped around the bead of the bottle, the ears 29 will have been rocked into the position illustrated in Fig. 2. Therefore, sufficient clearance i s provided for the reinforced neck of the bottle permitting the same to clear the crown rest as the p arts again ascend toclear the crowner from the bottle after the crown has been secured thereon. This clearance is essential in a strucvture wherein crowns of the heated plastic type are adapted to be used. It is to be noted that the skirt of the crown is relatively thick and therefore the diameter of the crown is somewhat greater than the diameter of the reinforced neck of the bottle. Accordingly, if no provision were made for providing aclearance greater than the diameter of the crown,as the crowner andthe bottle are moved apart, the crown support shoulders. 3| would againv engage the crown, eitherstripping the same from the bottle or causing the bottle, to break. While it is necessary to provide suicient clearance for the` diameter`v of the crown, it is also necessary to provide guiding means to prevent the bottle, especially the neck thereof, from moving sideways too great an ex,- tent.

As the housing 3 moves upwardly carrying with it the crown rest and the sleeve 9, the plunger rod 42 will again come in contact withthe shoulder 45 forcing the plunger downwardly and thus rocking the arms 31 back to their horizontal position, against the tension of the,y spring 3B, so that by the time the parts haveagain come to rest, the crown rest ears will be. in a crowningposition, the positionvillustrated in Fig. 3.v

zontal position against the tensionk of the spring 36 is effected by thetplunger section 40 which, inV

' reciprocating support, a crown rest carried at turn, is moved through the medium ofthespring 4|.,

I claim4 as my invention: 1. In a crowning machine, incombinationa thelower end of said support havingI an opening therethrough to permit passage of the recepta-I cle to be crowned through said support, means ,o on said support for supportinga crownin a position to receive the neck of the receptacleas it passes through said support, and means fonmoving saidsupporting means to enlarge the opening therethrough to provide a` greaterYV clearance for the receptacle as it is withdrawn4 from said "support and maintaining said` means ini their disengaged from the V groove I5. In ay sense, the

dogs I4 lock the entire sleeve 1 assembly to fthe housing 3 while the housing is moving downpver the bottle during which movement crowning of,

enlargement position during the Withdrawall from lsaid ,support 2. InV a crowning machine, in, combination, a

reciprocatingV support, a crown rest carried atV the lower end of said s upporthaving anV open,

ing, therethrough to permit passageof the .receptacle to be crowned through saidsupportcrown l supportingsegments Varranged within saidopem ing and having shouldersfor, supportinga crown thereon in a positionto-be received by the neck` of the receptacle as it passes ,throughsaid open- Y the :bottle is actually done, Vthe sleever.1 still'rremaining Ylocked to the housing`3'.

As the housing and sleeve assembly moves` 75,

ing, andmeans for swinging saidisegments ,inanI arc to providera greater clearance for the neck of the receptacle asit is removed fromthe crown crown in a position for application to the recepl tacle, and means for swinging said segments to a position to provide an increased clearance for the receptacle neck after the crown has been applied to said receptacle and for maintaining said segments in their swung position during the removal of the neck of the receptacle from the crown rest.

4. In a crowning machine, in combination, a reciprocating support, a crown rest carried at the lower end of said support having an opening therethrough to permit the passage of receptacles to be crowned through said support, a plurality of crown rest segments having crown supporting means thereon and Within said opening swingable about a horizontal axis to provide an increased clearance for a receptacle neck, means for swinging said segments into receiving position when said support is moved to its retracted position, and means for swinging said segments into a clearance position when said support is moved to projected position and maintaining said segments in their clearance position during the withdrawal of the neck of the receptacle.

5. In a crowning machine, in combination, a reciprocating support, a crown rest carried at the lower end of said support having an opening therethrough to permit the passage of a receptacle to be crowned through said support, means on said support supporting the crown in position to receive the neck of the receptacle as it passes through said support comprising a plurality of segments fitting within said opening, each of said segments having an arcuate shape both horizontally and vertically and having a shoulder at its top for receiving the crown, means for swinging said segments to move said shoulder out of a horizontal position after the crown has been applied to the receptacle, and means for swing-` ing said segments with the shoulder in a horizontal position when the reciprocating support is in its retracted and crown-receiving position and for maintaining said shoulder out of horizontal position during the withdrawal of the neck of the receptacle.

6. In a crowning machine, in combination, a reciprocating support, a crown rest carried at the lower end of said support having an opening therethrough to permit the passage of the receptacle to be crowned through said support, a plurality of crown rest segments arranged within said opening, means for pivotally supporting said segments to swing on a horizontal axis, each of said sections being arcuate both vertically and horizontally, a bell crank lever connected to each of said segments, a spring connecting the depending arms of said levers for biasing them into a rocked position, and means for engaging the other arms of said levers for moving the segments in the opposite direction against the tension of said spring, said means being operated byI the reciprocating movement of said support.

JAMES KANTOR.

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