Container sealing machine

2,902,809

K. WYSOCKI

CONTAINER SEALING MACHINE

Sept. 8, 1959

Filed Oct. 22, 1956

Sheets-Sheet 1

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fCazmier

BY

INVENTOR.

WyjOcki attorney:

2,902,809

K. WYSOCKI

CONTAINER SEALING MACHINE

Sept. 8, 1959

Filed Oct. 22, 1956

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US2902809A_D0002.tif" />

attorney:

Sept. 8, 1959

2,902,809

K. WYSOCKI

CONTAINER SEALING MACHINE

Filed Oct. 22, 1956

Sheets-Sheet 3

<img file="US2902809A_D0003.tif" />

K. WYSOCKI

CONTAINER SEALING MACHINE

2,902,809

Sheets-Sheet 4

Sept. 8, 1959

Filed Oct. 22, 1956

<img file="US2902809A_D0004.tif" />

<img file="US2902809A_D0005.tif" />

<img file="US2902809A_D0006.tif" />

INVENTOR.

fCazznier Wujocki

BY S

<img file="US2902809A_D0007.tif" />

attorney:

United States Patent Office _P. ,., ^2,9®²;^s’⁹

Patented Sept. 8, 1959

2,902,809

CONTAINER' SEALING MACHINE

Kazmier Wysocki, Maywood, N.J.,. assignor to Chas. Pfizer &amp; Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware

Application October 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,407

Claims. (Cl. 53—329)

This invention relates to a machine for sealing caps to containers, and more particularly to a machine for sealing caps of deformable material to containers having protruding lips.

Bottles or containers having protruding lips are extensively used, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry for packaging a multitude of liquid, powder and solid preparations. These containers are commonly referred to as vials. These vials are conventionally sealed by means of a rubber stopper and closure'member or cap. The lower edge of the skirt of the cap is crimped or rolled under the lip of the vial to securely seal the vial and protect its contents from contamination. These caps are usually made of a ductile metal, such as aluminum, to provide advantageous sealing characteristics.'

For rapid production automatic means must be used for sealing these vials. This automatic machinery should provide reliable sealing regardless of slight variations in bottle or cap structure, minimum space occupancy, rapid operation, adaptability for efficient positioning with respect to material handling facilities, and a structure which facilitates adjustment, maintenance and repair.

Various sealing machines employing spinning heads have been proposed. In the spinning-head type machine, however, the speed of operation is limited by structural complications, and it is difficult to provide means for accommodating variations in vial and cap structure.

A type of machine has been proposed in which bottles and caps are grasped between rotating spindles mounted on a turntable, and thereby carried against a forming shoe. A closing machine of this type is illustrated in U.S. Letters Patent 1,227,244 issued May 22, 1917. In this known machine the upper spindles are continuously rotated by virtue of engagement of attached spur gears with a circular internal ring gear. Continuous rotation of these spindles complicates pick up and release of the bottles and the continuous ring gear is expensive to manufacture and difficult to adjust.

Among the objects of this invention is to provide a simple.machine for sealing caps upon containers'which has a simple, efficient and compact structure and is capable of operating’at exceptionally high speeds. ; - . \

In accordance with this invention, a sealing machine⁷ is provided having a relatively short forming blade which lies adjacent the path of travel of a turntable holding rotatable spindles which grasp and carry-the; containers. As the turntable rotates, containers and caps are forced into contact with the forming blade. The caps roll along the blade to be sealed. Auxiliary means may be utilized to prevent slippage between the forming blade and caps. These means may be incorporated in the cap and forming blade themselves or may be provided by means respectively attached to the spindles and stationary portion of the machine.

Conveyor means are disposed adjacent the path of travel of the spindles for delivering containers to be grasped before the spindles traverse the forming blade and for receiving the containers after the spindles have traversed the forming blade. The containers accordingly have ail exceedingly short path of substantially straightline travel through the machine which facilitates pick-up 5 and delivery as well as promoting a convenient straightline arrangement of the conveyors.

Since the spindles are rotated only in a short segment of their circle of travel and do not rotate when the containers are grasped and released, the device for position10 jⁿS the vials on the turntable and the delivery and receiving arrangements are highly simplified. The locating device, for example, may be provided in the form of simple pockets which receive and position the vials delivered by one conveyor and allow them to be easily picked off by 15 the. receiving conveyor.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an embodiment of this invention;

Fig, 2 is a plan view partially broken away of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;

. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the 25 embodiment shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through Fig. 3 along the lines 4—4 and looking in the direction of the arrows';

Fig. 5,is_; a cross-sectional view taken through Fig. 3 30 along the lines 5—5 and looking in the direction of the arrows; ...

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken through Fig. 2 along the lines 6—6 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through Fig. 1 along, the line 7—7 and looking in the direction of the arroyvs;

Fig. 8 is. a cross-sectional view taken through Fig. 7 along the line 8—8 and looking in the direction of the 40 arrows;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a portion of another embodi: ment of this invention; and . Fig. 10 is a plan view of the forming blade of another embodiment of this invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the overall configuration of a container sealing machine 10 which is a typical embodiment of the present invention. The main portions of this machine are the base or cabinet 12, the split turntable 14 and the forming blade support 16. A bonnet

18 covers and rotates with the upper portion of the sealing machine which is dominated by a handwheel 20 for adjusting the height of the turntable 14 in a manner later described in detail.

. The split turntable 14 includes an upper half 22 and a ⁵⁵ lower half 24 (clearly shown in Fig. 6) which respectively carry-the cooperating halves 26 and 28 of spindles 29 ·'· Vials 30 are picked up by spindles 29 before they traverse the forming blade and are released after they pass the forming blade which is supported in structure 16.

⁶⁰ A delivery conveyor 32 is positioned adjacent the path of travel of the spindles 29 for delivering containers to these spindles immediately before they traverse the forming blade assembly 34 installed in structure 16. An auxiliary means 36, a curved rack, for example, for preventing ⁶⁵ slippage between the cap and forming blade is also included in structure 16. A receiving conveyor 38 is disposed in line with the delivery conveyor 32 and joins the path of travel of the spindles 29 substantially immediately after they have traversed the forming blade structure 34.

⁷ Fig. 2 illustrates how the path of travel of the containers 30 through this sealing machine occupies a rel2,902,809

The blade 72 is free to move in a radial direction relative to the turntable by virtue of the elongated mounting holes 74 provided in the forming blade structure through which vertical supporting sleeves 76 are inserted. The blade 72 is resiliently restrained in the radial direction by means of spring loaded shock absorbers 78 anchored in a stationary vertical member 80 of the mount 16, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The shock absorbers 78 are shown as spring loaded studs but may be of any conventional shock absorbing resilient type.

Fig. 4 shows the manner in which the forming blade is resiliently mounted by means of spring 82. A stud and nut assembly 84 supports the spring 82, the blade assembly 34 and sleeve 76. Fig. 4 also illustrates the position of the working edge 70 of the forming blade 72 as it crimps the lower portion 86 of the skirt of deformable cap 88 under the protruding lip 90 of a vial 30. The vial is shown as it is grasped between the upper spindle 26 and the rotatable plate 92 of the lower spindle 28.

’ Fig. 6 shows the details of the turntable and spindle assembly,. particularly the operative portions of the spindle 29. Referring to Fig. 6 the shaft 62 passes through the plate 100 of cabinet 12 separating the motor portion of the cabinet from the operative portion of the machine. The bearing assembly 68 is bolted to the upper portion of plate 100. Bearing 68 is a self-aligning ball bearing including a grease fitting 102. A sleeve .........._j 104 is secured by set screw 105, for example, about shaft Vials 30 30 62 and provides a suitable groove 106 for receiving steel balls 108 of the self-aligning ball bearing 68.

'' The lower turntable portion 24 is supported on shaft 62 by the upper edge of sleeve 104. The lower turntable portion 24 may be, for example, an aluminum cast10 atively small arc of the 360° arc of travel of the turntable 14. The conveyors are accordingly arranged in a straight line which greately simplifies the delivery and pick-up of containers by and from the spindles 29 as well as facilitating the material handling problem. This substantially straight-line movement avoids the application of severe radial forces to the vials which would unduly complicate their pick-up and delivery at the high rotational speeds of the turntable which are desirable to yield high production rates.

Conveyor 32 includes a conveyor belt 40 a conventional structure, and conveyor 38 includes a conveyor belt 42 and other appurtenances also of conventional structure. A star wheel 44 is provided for transferring vials 30 from delivery conveyor 32 to the pockets or recesses 47 provided in locating ring 46 which positions the vials between halves 26 and 28 of the spindles 29.

This star wheel 44 is rotated by conventional synchronizing means, for example, a geared transmission, represented by block 200, which synchronizes rotation of the star wheel with the rotation of the turntable 14 carrying locating ring 46 so that a vial is positioned in each pocket, notch or recess 47 of the locating ring by the star wheel 44 and associated curved guide rail 48.

Vials 30 are delivered to-the lower halves 28 of the spindles 29 at the lowermost point of the path of motion, of these spindles. . These lower spindle halves 28 are raised by cam and follower means (later described in detail) to raise the vials with their capped necksffimly inserted within the upper spindle portions 26. are accordingly firmly grasped and carried into contact with the forming blade by spindles 29.

Upper spindle halves 26 carry auxiliary means, spur.

gears 50, for example, for preventing slippage between the ----- _r----- . .... --.

caps and forming blade. Spur gears 50 are installed on 35 ing. The lower turntable portion 24 is anchored tothe the shaft of spindle halves 26 at a common level, above shaft 62, for example, by a key 110 and a suitablekeythe turntable portion 22, for example. These spur gears ™- fl™ engage a curved rack 52, incorporated within structure

16. The vials 30 are accordingly rotated with their caps ------_o„----------.- ·.·- _Λ in contact with the forming blade 34 which effectively 40 turntable portion 22 is adjustably vertically positioned rolls or crimps the lower portion of the skirt of the cap beneath the protruding lips of the vial (see Fig. 4). After the vial has been sealed by rolling in contact with the forming blade, the lower half 28 of the spindle drops to its lowermost position and the vials 30 are taken off _c...---- — _ from the spindle by curved rail 54 on receiving conveyor ⁴⁵ the adjusting screw 118, support between them a plate 38. These auxiliary means are not absolutely essential ·“«· and may be modified or dispensed with, as is later described in conjunction with Figs. 9 and 10.

The stationary mount 16 provides adjustment in an ----------upward and downward direction by manipulation of 50 assembly and plate 130. hand wheel 56 and lever 57. The adjustable structure - ™-·-·of mount 16 is later described in detail in conjunction with Figs. 7 and 8. An electric motor 58, which may be of the gear reduction type, is ring mounted, for ex- ---_cs_ .. .

ample, to base plate structure 60 within the cabinet 12. 55 handwheel 20 and adjusting screw 118 upward and downThis motor 58 drives a shaft 62 to which the turntable I____-—,------- ’ ’ * --1-1- -1 k-.-.

and bonnet 18 are affixed. Cabinet 12 is supported net 18 which is further secured to the web 142 of turnon adjustable legs 66. A bearing structure for shaft 62 table 22 by means of nut, bolt and sleeve assemblies 144.

is indicated at 68 and will be later described in detail. _ ..,/--- - . . ’

Adjusting hand wheel 64 is provided in the lower portion 60 pig. 6 in cross section. Tt includes a central shaft 146 of cabinet 12 to provide means for manually operating ......... ... , ,, , the machine for purposes of making initial adjustments, drive. This hand wheel is disengaged when operating under power.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view showing the details of operative position in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 a segment of the lower half of the turntable 24 and the notched ring 46 are shown as they respectively carry and position a pair

The vials 30 are way 112. Turntable 24 is maintained in firm contact with the upper half of sleeve 104 by means of a suitable retaining ring 114 and groove 116 in shaft 62. The upper / ‘1 upon shaft 62 by means of a screw 118 engaged within a threaded bushing 122 extending through hole 120 in the center of the top of shaft 62. A handwheel 20 is secured to the top of adjusting screw 118 by means of a pin 126. The handwheel hub 128 and collar 124 of

130. The upper shaft 132 of the adjusting screw is free to turn through a hole 134 placed in the center of the plate 130. The plate 130, therefore, does not rotate as the handwheel is rotated to raise or lower the bonnet ~ This plate 130 in turn supports the upper turntable 22 by means of stud and nut assemblies 136 which are anchored in plate 130 and threaded into holes 138 in the upper hub 140 of turntable 22. Movement of the ward, therefore, raises and lowers turntable 22 and bonA typical upper spindle assembly 26 is illustrated in whose lipper end is supported in a ball bearing 148 in___________________ _ serted in a recess 150 in the peripheral flange 152 of when setting up the machine, rather than using the motor turntable 22. The lower portion of the shaft 146 is sup65 in the lower portion of hole 150. The lower portion of the forming blade assembly 34, which is indicated in its lower half of the turntable 24 and the notched ring 46 are shown as they respectively carry and position a pair of vials 30 into operative sealing contact with the working edge 70 of the forming blade 72. The vials 30 are carried between an upper spindle 26 (not shown) and a lower spindle 28. The forming blade 72 is resiliently mounted in two directions as i-------70 ported within a ball bearing 154 inserted within a recess shaft 146 extends through ball bearing 154 and is anchored to the inverted cup 156 which includes a recess 158 for receiving the top portion of the capped vial 30.

The base of the vial 30 rests on rotatable plate 92 of the lower rotatable spindle assembly 28. Plate 92 is rotatably supported on the top of shaft 160 which is rotatably supported by ball bearing 162 and sleeve bearing-164. The rotatable shaft 160 is supported within a indicated by Figs. 3 and 4. 75 vertically movable sleeve assembly 166 which is assembled

2,902,809 s

to include a compression spring-170; This’incorporated spring 170 allows the sleeve assembly 166: to resiliently compress approximately %_e· This provides a shockabsorbing action to prevent severe forces from being applied to a vial 30 supported thereon. 5

An outer sleeve 172 retains sleeve assembly 166 by means of an internal retaining ring 174 which anchors ball bearing 162 and sleeve assembly 166- against the force of spring 170 which bears in turn against plug 175 which seals the lower end of the sleeve 172. The outer 10 sleeve 172 is urged in a downward- vertical direction by means of compression spring 176 which bears against the lower surface 178 of the peripheral flange 180 of lower turntable 24. The force of spring 176 is transferred to sleeve 172 by means of retaining ring 182 provided in the 15 lower portion of sleeve 172.

A horizontal shaft 184 is supported in the lower half of sleeve 172 for rotatably supporting a cam follower or roller provided, for example, by ball bearing 186. This ball bearing 186 rides against a cam surface 188 - sup- ²⁰ported on base plate 100’ Cam 188 allows the lower spindle 28 to depress to receive the vial and raises it as the vial transverses the forming blade area-to firmly grasp the vial between the upper and lower spindle halves.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate details of the adjustable mount ²⁵16. Referring to Fig. 7 the operative portion of auxiliary means 36 is provided, for example, by a segment of a curved gear-toothed rack 52 which may also be termed a curved rack 52. Gear teeth-202 are cut upon the-surface rack 52 adjacent spur gears 50 of spindles 26. ³⁰Spindle gears 50 accordingly engage gear teeth 202 as the spindles traverse forming blade area. This rotates the bottle caps in contact with the forming blade for a period at least equal to the full circumference of the cap. The lower skirt or flange of the cap is accordingly crimped ³⁵or rolled under the projecting lip of the vial. The extent of rolling contact may, therefore, be restricted to that amount of travel which is required to seal the cap. The period of time the vials spend within the machine is thereby considerably conserved and restricted to a short ⁴⁰path of substantially straight-line motion. Handwheel 56 provides means for raising and lowering blade 72, and lever 57 provides means for raising and lowering rack 52.

Fig. 8 illustrates the manner in which the mount 16 is firmly secured to a stationary portion of the base cabinet 45 12 and how the handwheel 56 and attached lead screw 210 may move the attached assembly -upward or downward a small amount.

Tne operative cycle of this machine is simple and straightforward which is concomitant with its advanta- 50 geous simplicity of structure. The vials 30 are fed to the machine through conveyor 32 with the caps 88 loosely applied over the protruding lips. Starwheel 44 receives the vials fed by the conveyor 32 “within a corresponding recessed pocket 45. Starwheel 44 is rotated in syn- E5 chronism with the turntable 14 by means of a conventional transmission schematically represented by a rectangle 200. Starwheel 44 includes upper and lower plates 49 and 51 which lie above and below the notched ring 46 so that the vials are evenly guided to rest upon plates go 92 of the lower rotatable spindle assembly 28. Cam 188 is shaped to position the spindles 2§ in their lower position as they pick up vials 30 from conveyor 32. Since vials 30 and spindles 29 are not rotating when the vials 30 are picked up, vials 30 may be consistently accurately 05 positioned for pick up by means of pockets 47 in plate 46. As the vials are carried towards the forming blade, they are raised by a higher portion of cam 188 which raises the vial lip and cap into firm engagement within the recess 158 within the inverted cup member 156 of 70 upper spindle 26. Spring 170 absorbs some of the force of contact and provides firm yet resilient retention of vials 30.

As spindles 29 and the vials approach the forming blade area, spur gears 50 engage the stationary rack 52 75

.......6 to assist the forming blade in rotating the spindles’ Whetf the grasped vial contacts’ the forming blade, the skirt of the cap rolls along the edge of the forming blade and is rolled, deformed or crimped under the protruding lip of vials 30 to securely seal them.

When the caps and lips have rolled along the forming: blade a distance sufficient to seal the containers, spindles 29 and vials 30 leave the forming blade area and spur’ gears 50 disengage from stationary gear means 52. Cam 188 then slopes downward to drop spindle portions 28 whose downward motion is limited by means of retaining' rings 204. Since vials 30 are disengaged from the upper spindles 26 and the lower spindles 28 when neither is positively rotated, there is no shock applied which might require the provision of complex’retention means.

Pockets or notches 47 of ring 46 facilitate simple transfer of vials 30 to the conveyor 38 for removal to the next processing area, the packing area, for example. Curved rail 54 of conveyor 38 hooks each vial 30 at is approaches and guides the vials on to conveyor 38. The substantial straight-line motion of the vials through a short arc-of travel through the machine greatly facilitates delivery of the vials to the machine and pick up therefrom. Radial forces on the vials are accordingly minimized to the point of substantial elimination which is a decided advantage.

In Fig. 9 is shown a portion of another embodiment of this invention where auxiliary means for preventing slippage are provided by knurled discs 230 mounted on spindles 26α. These knurled discs 230¹ roll on a resilient shoe 232, of rubber for example, which may be mounted on a curved solid braking member, of steel for example. Shoe element 232 is accordingly curved to correspond to the arc of travel of disc 230.

_ Auxiliary means for rolling the caps may also be provided by the caps 88 and forming blade structure themselves, as shown in Fig. 10. A forming blade 12b includes a roughened working edge 706. This roughened working edge 706 includes, for example, a series of short sharp teeth 220. These teeth 220 engage caps 88 and cause them to rotate as they pass along the forming blade 726 to roll the skirts 86 of caps 88 under the protruding lips 90 of container 30. Auxiliary means for preventing slippage may be dispensed with to provide an extremely simple sealing machine. It has been found that the caps are satisfactorily rolled along a forming blade by pure contact therewith even when the blade is not serrated.

Other modifications and embodiments may be made within the spirit and in accordance with this invention.