US3031350A - Packaging device and method of packaging - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1962 Filed April 2'7, 1959 PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING J. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR April 24, 1962 .1. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 STAT/0N .ZZ

INVENTOR5 Jaflzaa (Zimez; 5/;

BY drZ/wrl? 5443166 Apnl 24, 1962 .1. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING .DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 2'7, 1959 v. m miiriiliii. 2 A m W A W 1 k h .wfilt 6 n [I7 i A I I? *HHIIHHIIHHHIIIILFA I. II!

BY art/2a -M MA WWW April 24, 1962 J. A. FOSTER, sR., ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 e Sheets-Sheet 4 JNVENTORS. N Jameadf 051225 Lg BYd/Z/ZUJ fl fiafZe i A ril 24, 1962 J. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 2'7, 1959 April 24, 1962 J. A. FOSTER, sR.. E.TA L 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 6 Sheets-Shet 6 INVENTOR5 James" dibfiief, 97.

BY LZrZ/zzzrfl Baiiez; M W {M1 United States Patent 3,031,350 kACKAGlNG DEVICE AND METHOD 0F PACKAGING James A. Foster, Sin, and Arthur De Von Butler, Elihhart, Ind, assignors to Miles Laboratories, Inc, Elkhart, End, a corporation or llndiana Filed Apr. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 899,012 12 Claims. (Cl. 156-60) The present invention relates to the packaging art and more particularly to novel means and methods of providing bottles, vials or other containers with cushioning inserts secured to the bottom wall thereof.

In the packaging of items such as solid pharmaceutical preparations which have been compressed into thin, frangible soluble Wafers or discs, it is obviously desirable that they be carefully packed in a container and in such a way that there will be a minimum of breakage of the wafers during shipment due to sudden shock, jarring or the like. Conven-tionally such wafers have been loaded into a bottle or other container of cylindrical shape having an internal diameter roughly equal to the diameter of the wafers so that when packed therein, one over the other, the resultant column of wafers will compactly fill the container and there will be little opportunity for the wafers to break by shifting within the containers.

it also has been proposed to insert a disc-like cushion of foamed plastic of the type as for example known as Styrofoam at each end of the column of wafers as means to absorb sudden shock and thus further protecting the packed frangible wafers against breakage. However, in at least one method of loading such wafers, the container is rested on its side in a horizontal position to receive the wafers. In this position, the plastic disc which has been previously inserted into the bottle to lie between the wafers and the bottom wall of the bottle can easily and will often fall or otherwise be disturbed from its seat against the base or bottom wall of the container. When this happens, it, of course, interrupts the packaging procedure because the out-of-position cushion will not properly function in said turned position but also takes up more than its intended share of the storage area in the container and the requisite number of wafers cannot be added.

it is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide convenient means and method of locating and/or securing such cushions or other inserts into bottles or other containers whereby they will stay in place against the bottom surface of such containers as when the containers are laid on their sides in a horizontal position for filling with waters as aforedescribed.

Another object of the invention is to provide commercially practicable means and method of securing such cushioning discs of multicellular or foamed plastic to the bottom wall of a container.

in accomplishing the aforesaid broadly stated objects, further more specific objects of the invention include provision of a device which will both load the containers with cushion discs and will also secure the cushion discs to the bottom wall of said containers, as by prior application of a thickness of suitable adhesive to the underside of the cushion discs, and which device will accomplish such acts quickly, conveniently, automatically and in a simple, practical and eflicient manner.

A still further specific object is to provide a process, and also a device for carrying out said process, which involves the steps of continuously feeding the cushion discs into a first station, centering and fixing each of said discs on individual carriers at said station, then carrying said discs to a second station where adhesive can be conveniently applied to their underside, and after the adhesive is applied carrying them to a third station, there locating the under-coated disc within bottles continuously fed to said third station, and discharging the bottles at a fourth station ready for filling.

In keeping with the objects of the invention, a device for carrying out the steps of such a process should be capable of performing such acts quickly, conveniently and in an uncomplicated manner and further should have provision both for controlling the application of the adhesive to the underside of the discs and for preventing waste and/or mess in connection therewith.

In accordance therewith, the present invention contemplates a rotatable loading device which includes a plurality of vertically reciprocating carrier members arranged about its periphery to travel in a circular path by continuous rotation of the device and each such carrier members having sharpened means on its lower end which may be forced into one of such plastic cushion inserts or discs so as to separate it from a supply thereof, properly center it relative to said carrier member and, as the device is rotated, carry the insert or disc past a second station where there is located a fount of continuously flowing adhesive, for example heated fluid wax and thence to a loading station for insertion into a waiting bottle or container.

The invention further contemplates that at said second station, means are provided for lowering each insert into the rising fount of adhesive when immediately in position thereover and as quickly to raise the insert out of reach of the adhesive so as to confine the application of the adhesive to its bottom surface as well as limiting the amount of adhesive deposited on each insert.

The invention contemplates that the loading device as it continues to rotate will then carry each of the inserts by means of the carrier members on which they are temporarily mounted, past said adhesive applying second station to a third station where each carrier and its now adhesive undercoated insert will be aligned with one from a supply of bottles or other containers fed onto the loading device. At said station, the invention contemplates means will act on each of the carrier members, in succession, so as to lower them a controlled distance sufficient to carry the inserts through the open mouth of the aligned bottles and to discharge the cushion inserts against the bottom wall of said bottles and then to retract the carrier members, minus the cushion inserts, from the bottles and return them to their original height. The speed of the overall operation and the temperature of the heated wax or other adhesive are so related that the adhesive applied to the bottom of he insert remains in a heated soft stage until the insert has been discharged from the carrier into engagement with the bottom wall of the bottle whereby upon cooling it will bond the insert to said bottom wall. Although no part of the present invention, it is contemplated that on withdrawal of the carriers from the bottles, these bottles will then be carried by appropriate means to the next operation which presumedly will be loading the bottles with the aforementioned frangible wafers of compressed material.

Therefore a further and broad object of the invention is to provide conveniently operable, non clogging means for dispensing controlled amounts of an adhesive such as paraffin wax which has been heated to a fluid state on to the underside of each said plastic inserts.

Another object is toprovide means for conveniently retrieving the ejected adhesive which does not adhere to the underside of the foamed plastic inserts and returning the same to the reservoir for re-collection and ejection through the jet.

Another more specific object of the invention is to provide in a device used for inserting and attaching cushions to the bottom wall of containers such as bottles, vials and the like, a carrier having means for releasably engaging the upper side of a cushion and which carrier is movable to carry said means across one station to a further station where said means is caused to release its hold on the cushion and to locate it within a waiting container, said one station including a jet from which rises a fountain of heated adhesive in fluid form, and means acting on said carrier for temporarily lowering said first means over the fountain and immediately withdrawing the same so as to control the deposit of heated adhesive on the underside of a cushion carried by said means.

Thus one of the important features of the invention is that not only are each of the cushions automatically coated on their underside with the heated adhesive before being positioned into the bottles, but the manner and extent of depositing the adhesive on said underside of the cushions is so enforced that the adhesive deposit occupies only the central portion of the underside of the cushion and there is no adhesive at the edges of the cushion or on its sides which will smear the bottles into which it is discharged or will otherwise provide an unsightly or undesired effect.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in combination with said jet a reservoir for adhesive, delivery means connecting said reservoir to the jet and by which adhesive from said reservoir may be forced out of said jet into the path of said carrier, collecting means for returning adhesive to the reservoir and means for maintaining the adhesive in a heated fluid stage whereby said station will comprise a continuous fountain of free flowing heated adhesive.

Many other objects, advantages and/ or features of the invention will be, or will become, apparent from the more specific description of one embodiment of the invention which follows. It will, of course, be understood that many changes, modifications and/or variations in the parts of the device and steps of the method as hereinafter described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and that accordingly said description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but merely as illustrative of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein views illustrating one embodiment of the invention are set forth and in which views like parts are identified by like reference numerals:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the device along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a partially fragmented vertical section taken through the device along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2, details other than immediately adjacent the section line being omitted for clarity of presentation, and serving to show the adhesive applying means at station II as Well as the position of the disc carrier relative thereto and also to show the related position of the disc carrier immediately ahead of station IV where the disc loaded bottles are discharged from the device;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken through the device along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2 also with details other than immediately adjacent the section line omitted for clarity of presentation and serving to illustrate the means employed to discharge the disc from the carrier onto the bottom wall of a bottle;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken through the device along lines 5--5 of FIGURE 2, also with details other than immedaitely adjacent the section line omitted for clarity of presentation and serving to illustrate the means employed to discharge the disc from the carrier;

FIGURE 6 represents in plan the two cam surfaces which control the reciprocal vertical movement of the disc carriers;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the heated wax storage tank; and

FIGURE 8 is a side view partially in section of the wax applicating mechanism.

Now referring particularly to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 a loading device 26 in which the invention is embodied includes a sleeve 21 rotatably mounted about an upright shaft 22 rigidly fixed at one end to a suitable supporting base 24 having a plurality of spaced legs 25. Ball bearings 27 in suitable races are preferably provided on which the end of said sleeve rotatably rests on said base 24. Spaced bearing sleeves 28 may also be provided between said shaft 22 and sleeve 21 to further reduce friction during rotation of the sleeve. Although any suitable means may be utilized for rotating sleeve 21 about shaft 22, in said FIGURE 3 we have shown a motor 31 supported by means 23 to legs 25 of the base 24. Mounted on the shaft of said motor 31 to turn therewith is a gear 26 which intermeshes with a gear 32 mounted on a common shaft with gear 30 which drivingly meshes with gear 29 fixedly secured about the lower end of said sleeve 21 to rotate the same on energizing of motor 31.

Fixedly secured about the upper portion of said sleeve 21 and rotating therewith are a plurality of radially extending arms 34 supporting at their outboard ends an integral ring-like portion 35 having spaced openings 37 in which are secured a plurality of vertically extending guide rods 36 arranged thereabout in equidistantly spaced parallel relation. On the underside of portion 35 is secured an annular plate 38 having a toothed peripheral edge the use of which will be made more clear hereinafter. The upper ends of said guide rods 36 extend through suitable openings 39 provided in annular portion 40 and secured thereto by means 43. Annular portion 40 constitutes an integral part of radially extending arms 41 which terminate at their inboard ends into an integral hub 42 mounted so as to be free to rotate about a sleeve 5i fixedly secured to the upper end of shaft 22 by appropriate means and having a bearing sleeve 51 therebetween to lessen the friction between said sleeve and hub 42. Between said fixed sleeve 50 and rotatable sleeve 21 are a pair of spacer sleeves 44 and 47 fixedly secured to said shaft 22, said sleeve 44 having a plurality of radially extending arms 45 supporting on their outboard ends continuous wall 46 of varying height and the upper end surface of which constitutes a fixed cam as will be hereinafter more fully described. Said second sleeve 47 supports a second cam surface bearing wall 48 (FIG. 5) by means of integrally formed arms 49. This cam bearing wall 48 is however of more limited extent and is located above cam wall 46 between stations III and IV and serves a purpose which will also be made more clear hereinafter.

Between each pair of guide rods 36 are located a first vertically reciprocating slide member 52 and a second vertically reciprocating member 53 positioned thereabove, said members having their opposite sides shaped to partially surround the adjacent smooth cylindrical surface of said rods 36 which serve as guide ways along which said members 52 and 53 may travel.

As seen in FIGURES 1 and 3 slide member 52 has an outwardly projecting portion 54 supporting a vertical extending open-ended cylinder or sleeve 56. Through said cylinder 56 is slidably arranged a rod secured to a forwardly projecting portion 71 of slide member 52. On the lower end of said rod 55 is provided a disc pick up means which comprise three sharpened needlelike members 57 equidistantly spaced in the form of a triangle although any other arrangement and/or number of said members 57 may be used. Rod 55 together with cylindrical sleeve 56 comprises a carrier for the discs C of foamed plastic which are to be adhesively secured in bottles B.

Reciprocal movement of said carriers 60 is under the control of said cam Walls 46 and 48. Thus slide member 52 has a wheel or cam follower 58 rotatably mounted on its rear side to follow along the upper edge of cam wall 46 as sleeve 21 is rotated about shaft 22. Slide member 53 normally rest on slide member so that vertical reciprocation of slide member 52 in accordance with the height of cam wall 46 also serves to simultaneously raise and lower member 53 whereby sleeve 56 and rod 55 act together as a unit. However, slide member 53 also has a cam follower 59 which engages the upper surface of cam wall 48 at one point in the travel of the carriers about the periphery of the device 20 to permit momentary raising of rod 55 independently of its cylinder 56 to separate the discs from the pick up members 59 as will be made more clear hereinafter.

Secured to the underside of annular portion 35 which support guide rods 36 is the aforementioned annulus 38 formed of Bakelite or other hard fibrous containing plastic material having spaced teeth dividing its outer pe ripheral edge into equidistantly spaced equidimensioned recesses 64. Said recesses 64 are sized to receive discs C and center them in aligned relation beneath carriers 60. Spaced beneath said annulus 38 are a. pair of starwheels or annuli 62 and 63 supported in spaced relation by vertical members carried on the outboard ends of radial arms 68 which are fixedly secured to gear member 29 and also rotate with sleeve 21. Said : annuli 62 and 63 each have similarly spaced teeth dividing their outer peripheral edge into equidistantly spaced equidimensioned recess 65 and 66 and which are also centered relative to carriers 60 but are also slightly larger size than recesses 62 in annulus 38 in order to engage bottles B and center the-m relative to carriers 60 in order to receive discs C as will hereinafter be made clear.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the operation of said device will now be described. A conveyor belt 70 is there shown drivingly connected by means not shown to motor 31 to move in a counter-clockwise direction and arranged so that the portion 70A which travels toward annulus 38 is on a level just below annulus 38. On said portion 76A is located a supply of discs which may be of a multicellular or foamed plastic such as Styrofoam to be fed into the receiving areas 64 of said annulus 38. Mounted on a side thereof of belt 70 is a wheel 67 rotating in a counter-clockwise direction so as to be in opposition to the movement of the belt 70 in order to prevent crowding of the discs C and whereby only one disc is positioned in each recess 64 of annulus 38 as it is moved in a counterclockwise direction across 'belt 70.

Referring now to FIGURE 6 it will be understood that cam 46 has a surface 72 of maximum height immediately ahead of station I. Therefore, as each of the carriers 60 approaches station I in its path about shaft 22, its disc-pick-up members 57 are supported a substantial distanee above the annulus 38. However, as the carriers 60 approach station I under rotation of the device 26, its wheel 58 leaves the horizontal plane defined by cam surface 72 and each starts to descend along a declining surface portion 73 of the cam 46. This has the effect of causing each carrier 60 to move in a downward direction as it travels across belt 70 and so as to force its needle-like members 57 into a disc C caught in the receiving area 64 of toothed member 33 therebenea-th. By the time each carrier 60 has been moved by rotation of the device beyond the belt 70, its downward travel will have been sufficient that the disc C caught in the recess therebeneath is firmly secured to the carrier and will move therewith oif table surface 75 which extends in the path of said carrier beneath annulus 38 for a short distance beyond belt 70. A flexible guide rail 74 may also be mounted on table 75 to temporarily engage and hold the discs C within areas 64 between the teeth of member 62 until members 57 of the carriers 60 have suflioiently penetrated the disc C and whereby to assure that each disc C as caught by the carriers 60 will also be essentially concentric with the axis of said carrier.

As the device continues to rotate, each carrier 60 with a disc C thus attached to its lower end by means 57 is moved to station II where an adhesive such as parafiin wax heated to a liquid form is applied to the bottom side of the disc C. Referring again to FIG. 6, it will be seen that immediately beyond receding portion 73 of cam wall 46, there is an essentially horizontal portion 76 of the cam which corresponds to the portions of travel of carrier 60 as it moves off the table 75. However this is followed by a second declining portion 77 which terminates at a low point 7 8 on the cam and which is succeeded by a steep incline at 79. These portions of the cam 46 so control the height of the disc attached to the lower end of each carrier as it approaches station II whereby the discs 0 are each gradually lowered through areas 64 in member 38 until directly over and into the continuously flowing fount of wax indicated at 30. The extent of this downward travel is limited by low point 78 in the cam wall 46. However the discs C are held in the fountain of Wax only momentarily and the disc is quickly withdrawn out of reach of the wax spray as wheel 58 starts to climb 79. This momentary lowering of the disc C into the wax and its rapid withdrawal therefrom permits an effective coating of wax to be deposited on the underside of each disc C but limits the deposit thereof so that the wax is applied only to the central region of the underside of the disc C and extends neither to the outer periphery of its bottom side nor does it encroach onto the sides of the disc C. A drip pan may be provided at 126 to extend a short distance beyond the fountain 73 in order to catch any wax which may drip from the underside of the cushion C. Details of the wax fountain and the operation of mechanism at station II will be hereinafter more fully described.

As the loading device 26 continues to rotate, disc C and its carrier 6!) follow a rising path as determined by portion 81 of cam 46 so as to again locate the disc C above member 62. It is kept at said height by surface 82 of cam 46 until the carrier 66 has passed beyond station III. As seen in FIGURE 2, at said station III, a plurality of bottles B are fed one at a time from a conveyor belt indicated generally at 83 onto the table 24- of the device where they are caught between the spaced teeth of members 62 and 63 in the aligned areas 66 and 65 thereof. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 each of the bottles is thus aligned with a carrier 66 by recesses 66 and 65 of said annuli 62 and 63 and moved thereby across table 24 as the device continues to rotate about shaft 22. Preferably a guard rail 84- is provided alongside table 24 between stations III and IV as a safety precaution against the possibility of a bottle or bottles falling from device 20 as it is rotated and aligning means in the form of a rubber bumper or brush 84A may also be provided for a short distance beyond station III which will resiliently engage the bottles B to hold them in recesses 66 and 65 centered beneath carriers 66 until said carriers have descended sufficiently to enter through the open mouth of said bottles as will now be described.

As each bottle C is thus moved along table 24 to station IV, cam follower 58 starts its downward path along receding surface 85 of cam wall 46. This has the effect of lowering each of the carriers 66 with their discs C through the open mouth of the aligned bottles B until the discs C reach the bottom thereof. The downward travel of the carriers 65) then comes to a halt as follower 58 proceeds along horizontal portion 86 of the cam 46. Immediately above portion 86 is located the second cam wall 48 previously mentioned and which is now relied upon to separate the discs C from their carriers 66 and permit their discharge onto the bottom wall of the bottles B. This is accomplished by means of earn follower 59 carried by slide member 53 which now engages the inclined surface 87 of said second cam 48 as seen in FIG. 6, and causes member 53 to be raised from its position of rest on member 53. This draws rod 55 upwardly through cylinder sleeve 56. However the lower end of cylinder sleeve 56, being of smaller internal diameter than the diameter of discs C prevents said disc from .liquid adhesive. which connects into pipe 104 at junction 109 to provide following the upward movement of rod 55. Disc C is therefore forced off needle-like portions 57 of said rod 55 whereupon the disc is separated from the carrier 60. Because of the uneven character of the bottom wall of bottles that are customarily available, it has been found more desirable to have the carrier 60 bring the disc C all the way down into the bottles B in order to lightly press the adhesive undercoated disc against the bottom wall thereof. However, if desired the downward thrust of the carrier into the bottle may come short of said bottom wall and the effect of slide member 53 engaging surface 87 of cam 48 then will be to discharge the disc from the carrier allowing it to fall the remaining short distance to the bottom of the bottle. Since the adhesive deposit on the underside of disc C is still in a heated soft stage when it is thus brought into contact with the unheated bottom wall of the bottle, the adhesive spreads out slightly and the disc becomes bonded to said wall of the bottle as it further cools. The extent of surface 87 on cam wall is only sufiicient to effect said discharge of the disc C. As cam follower 58 on member 52 starts its upward path along inclined surface 89 of cam wall 46, cam follower 59 once more becomes ineffective and slide member 53 is returned to its position of rest on slide member 52 with its needle-like members 57 again protruding beneath the lower end of sleeve 56.

Inclination of surface 89 is so controlled that by the time the rod 55 and its cooperating cylinder 56 which together constitute carrier 60 have been rotated to station IV the carrier will have been withdrawn from the bottle B and located at a sutficient height thereabove that the bottle may be discharged from table 24 onto a second conveyor belt 90. For this purpose a portion of guide rail 91 (FIG. 2) extends into the path through which the bottles are moved and between members 62 and 63 so as to direct the bottles the tabte 24 at station IV and onto said conveyor belt 90 which carries the bottles to subsequent stations for filling. If desired, means in the form of a wheel 31A drivingly connected to motor 31 by means not shown may be provided which engages the bottles B as they are diverted by rail 91 to prevent jamming of the bottles at this point and more positive feed of the bottles off table 24 and on to conveyor belt 90 which then carries them to a further processing station as for filling with frangible wafers. The carriers 60 continue to rise under the direction of their cam followers 58 which follow portion 89 to the high level of portion 72 of cam wall 46 and a 360 rotation of the device has been completed whereupon the described operations are repeated for each carrier as the device continues to rotate.

The preferred means for applying the heated wax in liquid form to the underside of the disc C will now be described. Referring first to FIGURE 8 there is shown a main storage tank 92 mounted on legs 93 having an entrance in its top wall covered by a door 94 having a knob 95 and hinged as at 96. Tank 92 serves to store the main body of an adhesive such as paraffin wax which is kept in a heated liquid condition by means of horizontally disposed heater elements 98 and vertical heating element 97. Said elements 98 and 97 are controlled by a thermostat 99 adjustably controlled by means indicated generally at 100 to maintain a temperature within tank 92 sufficient to keep the adhesive in a fluid or liquid state. Where the adhesive comprises ordinary paraffin wax, 160 F. is a good working temperature. Within tank 92 is a pump 101 operated by a motor 102 which effectively draws the heated liquid adhesive from the bottom of storage tank 92 forcing it upwardly through pipe 103, 104 into pipe 105, thence to a pipe 106 which passes through block 107 and terminates in a jet or orifice 80 to pour forth the aforementioned fountain of A return pipe 108 is also provided a by-pass or return for liquid wax back to tank 92. In

said pipe 108 is a valve 110 which may be opened to control the back pressure of the adhesive as it is forced up pipes 104, 105 and 106 and thereby the height of the adhesive ejected through jet 73 under the forced pump 101. Excess adhesive from the fountain as well as that dripping from the underside of the disc C are collected in the aforementioned drainage pan and returned to storage tank 92 through drain pipe 111 which parallels pipe 104 (FIG. 8), and leads into strainer 112 so as to return unused wax through pipe 103 to storage area 92. Strainer 112 serves as convenient means to catch any bits of the plastic discs C which may accidentally drop into trough 120 and if allowed to enter tank 92 might eventually clog the system. Both pipe 104 and return pipe 111 are arranged to pass through a block 114 provided with a pair of spaced heating elements 116. A pair of heating elements 117 are also preferably provided in block 107 on opposite sides of pipe 106. Heating elements 116 and 117 may be thermostatically controlled by an adjustable thermostat switch 118 located in said block 107 or may be controlled by setting of thermostat 99. Thus the whole course of the adhesive as it is forced from the tank and out through jet 80 as well as the unused portion of the adhesive which drains back to the tank may be kept at a temperature where it will remain in a heated fluid stage so as to prevent congealing in the system and to assure free uninterrupted flow thereof through all parts of the pumping station. Preferably a thermostat 116 is also located beneath pump 101 which controls a switch in the circuit of motor 102 to prevent operation of the pump 101 before the adhesive has been heated to a sufficiently fluid state.

If desired a guard shield 119 may be provided about the block 107 in order to conceal and otherwise protect the heating elements 117 therein from possible damage by adhesive vapor from fount 80.

It will of course be understood that many changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described and set forth above. Furthermore it will be understood that said embodiment is merely illustrative of one form the invention may take, and that many variations and modifications are possible within the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

As will be now apparent, I have provided convenient, simple and practical means whereby discs C may be automatically picked up by carriers 60 of the described device and carried thereby across a jet or fountain of heated liquid adhesive such as wax at 80 for depositing the wax or other adhesive onto a limited area of their underside, thence carried to a further station where bottles B are located beneath each of the thus adhesive coated discs and which discs may be then inserted through the open top of said bottles by means of their carriers 60 and thereafter discharged from the carrier 60 so as to become bonded to the bottom wall of said bottles upon cooling of the wax and whereupon the carriers 60 are withdrawn from the bottles to permit the thus disc-loaded bottles to be discharged at a further station where the filling operation and subsequent steps in packaging can be carried out.

It is thus apparent that all of the objects of the invention as well as the advantages thereof have been demonstrated as obtainable in a convenient, simple and practical manner.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. In a device of the character described, means comprising a support movable along a fixed path, a carrier mounted on said support for reciprocal movement transversely of said path and including means for releasably holding a member to be adhesive-coated, adhesive dispensing means located along said path and means causing said carrier to momentarily move toward said dispensing means as it is brought into alignment therewith and then to be withdrawn as it passes beyond said dispensing means whereby a member held by said carrier will be 9 brought into close proximity therewith to receive a coating of adhesive.

2. A device of the character described comprising a rotary support, a carrier thereon adapted for reciprocating vertical movement, said carrier having means for releasably holding a member with its lower surface exposed for coating with adhesive, a reservoir of heated adhesive, pump means associated with said reservoir including a jet located at a station over which said carrier is moved by the support, means lowering said carrier at said station to momentarily bring the exposed side of a member held by said carrier into close proximity with the jet and then raising said carrier to move the member away from the jet, and means for maintaining the adhesive in a heated fluid state as it is ejected by said pump means through said jet.

3. In a device for inserting and attaching a member to the bottom wall of containers such as bottles, vials and the like, a carrier having means for releasably engaging a member to be inserted into a container, said carrier being movable to carry said means across one station to a further station where said means is caused to release its hold on the member and to locate it within a waiting container, said first-mentioned station including an opening from which rises a fountain of adhesive in fluid form, and means acting on said carrier for temporarily lowering said first means and member releasably supported thereby into the fountain and immediately withdrawing the same so as to provide a deposit of adhesive on the underside of the member by which it may be secured to the bottom wall of a container into which it is released at said further station.

4. In a device for inserting and securing a member to the bottom wall of containers such as vials, bottles and the like, a carrier for releasably engaging a member and carrying it across one station to a further station where said carrier releases the member into a container, said first-mentioned station including a jet in line with the path of movement of said carrier, a reservoir for adhesive, delivery means connecting said reservoir to the jet and by which wax from said reservoir may be forced out of said jet into the path of said carrier, collecting means for returning adhesive to the reservoir and means for maintaining the adhesive in a heated fluid stage whereby said station will comprise a continuous fountain of free flowing heated adhesive, said carrier having means associated therewith for temporarily lowering a member when carried thereby into said fountain and immediately withdrawing the same to deposit a layer of heated adhesive on the underside of the member by which it may be secured to the bottom wall of a container into which it is released at said further station.

5. In a device of the character described, means comprising a horizontally movable support, a carrier mounted on said support for vertical reciprocal movement, means on the lower end of said carrier for releasably holding an insert, adhesive dispensing means from which a fountain of liquid adhesive is emitted, means actuating said support to move said carrier in a path which passes over said dispensing means, and means causing said carrier to momentarily lower into position immediately over said dispensing means as it is moved into alignment therewith and then to be raised as it passes beyond said dispensing means whereby the bottom surface only of an insert carried thereby will be brought into close proximity with said dispensing means to receive a coating of adhesive.

6. A device of the character described comprising a rotary support, a plurality of carriers mounted thereon for reciprocating vertical movement, said carriers each having a sharpened portion on its lower end, me for selectively feeding plastic inserts into a first station over which said carriers are carried by rotation of said support, means lowering each said carriers at said station so as to force the sharpened portion thereof into an insert, a reservoir of fluid adhesive, pump means associated therewith including a jet located at a second station over which said carriers are moved, means lowering each said carrier at said second station to cause fluid adhe sive bubbling from the jet to coat the underside of a plas tic insert carried by each said carriers, a draining trough for returning fluid adhesive back to the reservoir, means for feeding bottles one at a time into a third station over which the carriers are moved, means lowering the carriers at said third station into the bottle and to dislodge the plastic insert onto the bottom of the bottle, means thereafter raising the carrier out of the bottle to its origi nal height for being moved again across said first station, and means for removing the bottles from said support;

7. A device of the character described comprising a rotatable support, a plurality of carriers mounted about the periphery of said support and adapted for vertical reciprocal movement on said support, said carriers each having a needle-like portion on its lower end, means for selectively feeding inserts into a first station over which each said carriers is guided by rotation of the support, means lowering each said carriers at said first station so as to force its needle-like portion into an insert, a reservoir of heated adhesive, pump means including a jet located at a second station over which said carriers are guided as the support continues to rotate, means for temporarily lowering each said carriers just ahead of said second station to locate the insert into close proximity on the jet when passing thereover and to immediately raise said carriers as they are brought into alignment with said jet, said pump means serving to eject through said jet a coating of heated adhesive onto the underside of the inserts carried by each said carriers, means for feeding bottles one at a time onto said support at a third station and into alignment beneath each of said carriers as it is moved from said second station, means for thereafter lowering each said carriers to locate the adhesive-coated insert carried thereby through the bottles and to dislodge the same against the bottom of the said bottles, means for raising the carriers to their original height afiter dislodgement of the insert, and means for removing the bottles from said support.

8. In a process of packaging frangible waters or the like into a bottle the steps which comprise, prior to the bottle being filled with said wafers, momentarily bringing a disc of cushioning plastic into a spray of heated fluid adhesive for a time interval sufficient to apply a coating of heated adhesive to the underside thereof, and while the adhesive coating is still warm, discharging disc into the bottle so that on cooling the coating will bond the disc to the bottom wall of said bottle.

9. In a process of packaging frangible wafers or the like into a bottle the steps which comprise, prior to the bottle being filled with said wafers, passing a disc of cushioning plastic across a spray of heated fluid adhesive and momentarily lowering said disc into the fountain and immediately withdrawing it so that a controlled quantity of heated adhesive to a center portion only of its underside will be deposied and, while the deposit of adhesive is still warm, lodging the disc onto the bottom wall of the bottle so that on cooling the adhesive will bond the disc to said bottom wall.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bottle support, a spray of heated liquid adhesive, and means for carrying a disc of cushioning plastic into said spray to momentarily coat only the underside thereof, said means being adapted to thereafter discharge the disc into a bottle held on said support so that on cooling the coating will bond the disc to the bottom wall of the bottle.

11. In a device of the character described, means comprising a movable support, a carrier on said support mounted for reciprocation transversely of the path in which said support moves and including means for releasably holding a member to be adhesively coated, ad-

hesive presenting means including a tank of adhesive in fluid form and a jet, located along said path through which said support moves, and means moving said carrier momentarily toward the adhesive presenting means as it is brought by the support into alignment therewith and then to be withdrawn whereby a member held by said carrier may be brought temporarily into cooperative relation with the adhesive presenting means so as to be coated with a thickness of adhesive and means for directing adhesive from said tank out through the jet and out to an exposed surface of a member held by the carrier when momentarily moved into proximity with said jet.

12. In a device of the character described, means comprising a movable support, a carrier on said support mounted for reciprocation transversely of the path in which said support moves and including means for releasably holding the member to be adhesively coated, a tank of adhesive in heated fluid form, ajet through which adhesive from said tank may be directed onto an exposed surface of a member held by the carrier and moved thereby into the proximity of the jet, and heating means for said jet and tank by which the adhesive is maintained in the heated fluid form, and means moving said carrier momentarily toward the jet as it is brought by the support into alignment therewith and then to be withdrawn whereby a member held by said carrier may be brought temporarily into cooperative relation with the jet so as to be coated with a thickness of adhesive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 408,951 Bushnell Aug. 13, 1889 1,087,710 Bogdanfly Feb. 17, 1914 1,574,913 McManus Mar. 2, 1926 2,135,726 Mitchell Nov. 8, 1938 2,664,137 Magnus Dec. 29, 1953 2,699,197 McLaughlin Jan. 11, 1955 2,703,130 Wilckens Mar. 1, 1955 2,817,934 Dimond Dec. 31, 1957 2,860,464 Bart-helemy Nov. 18, 1958

Claims (1)

1. 9. IN A PROCESS OF PACKAGING FRANGIBLE WAFERS OR THE LIKE INTO A BOTTLE THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE, PRIOR TO THE BOTTLE BEING FILLED WITH SAID WAFERS, PASSING A DISC OF CUSHIONING PLASTIC ACROSS A SPRAY OF HEATED FLUID ADHESIVE AND MOMENTARILY LOWERING SAID DISC INTO THE FOUNTAIN AND IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAWING IT SO THAT A CONTROLLED QUANTITY OF HEATED ADHESIVE TO A CENTER PORTION ONLY OF ITS UNDERSIDE WILL BE DEPOSITED AND, WHILE THE DEPOSIT OF ADHESIVE IS STILL WARM LODGING THE DISC ONTO THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE BOTTLE SO THAT ON COOLING THE ADHESIVE WILL BOND THE DISC TO SAID BOTTOM WALL.

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