US2047846A - Hood capping container - Google Patents

Description

July 1936- w. L. WRIGHT El AL v HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER 8 Sheets-Sheet l 1 on 1 .I m y NmN W 1 h Mk d a m 1 F 3' 1936. w. L. WRIGHT ET AL 2,047,846

HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER Filed July 30; 1931 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 14, 1936. v\ L, WRIGILIT ET AL HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July so, 1931 July 14,1936.

w. L. WRIGHT ET AL HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER Filed July 50, I931 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 ly 14; 1936- i w. 1.. WRIG'HT ET AL 2,047,345

HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER Filed July 30, 1931 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 TZ ZUE" f WL-W w. L. WRIGHT ET AL ,846

HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER Filed July 30, L931 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 WIN/NU [In a y 1936- 'w. WRIGHT ET AL HOOD CAPPING CONTAINER 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed July 30, 1931 y 1936- w. WRIGHT ET AL 2,047,345

HOOD CAPP ING CONTAINER Filed Ju ly so, 1931 8 Sheets-Shet a DC. AQ/. m WA Patented July 14,' 1936 PATENT OFFICE noon carrnvc comma Wilbur L. Wright and Lee D. Pierce, Fulton; N. Y., assignors to Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 30, 1931, Serial No. 554,112

. 59 Claims. I (01. 226-80) This invention relates to hood capping contain-.-

ers, and particularly to apparatus for removing hood cap disks, such as more or less flexible disks of paper or other material, from a stack or other supply, and bringing together the disks-and the containers "to cause the location of disks on the I respective container heads, and finally to contract the disks to hood cap secured form on the container heads; and the objects and-nature of the invention will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the following explanations of the accompanying drawings that illustrate the' preferred mechanical-expression. or embodiment of the instant invention from among other constructions, arrangements and/or combinations within the spirit, and scope thereof.

An object of the invention is to improve and increase the emciency of hood capping machinery as well as the speed of operation.

A further object of the invention is to improve hood capping machinery designed for handling and applying hood cap disks that carry or embody means whereby the disks under'certain treatment and/or conditions are rendered temporarily moldable or otherwise capable of quickly setting to secured condition on the-container heads.

A further object of the invention is to provide various improvements with the end in view of producing an exceedingly advantageous and rapid hood capping machine.

Having the foregoing and other objects not hereinbefore explained, in view, the invention consists in certain novel features and arrangements,'and in combinations and constructions, hereinafter more fully explained and specified.

7 Referring to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of hood capping apparatus, partially broken away, as an example of an embodiment of our invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partially broken away, of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a vertical longitudinal section, of said apparatus, partially broken away.

for applying a hood cap disk to a container head or of a mechanical hand for this purpose, the mechanical hand being shown detached from an operating means and temporarily held elevated in abnormal or inoperative position. 5

Fig. 9 is a detail enlarged front elevation of said mechanical hand and adjacent machine parts, the mechanical hand being shown in an operative position.

Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the mechanical 10 hand-in vertical section with a hood cap disk held therein with its open side in position to be engaged by the head of the advancing bottle also shown.

Fig. 11 is also a detail vertical section showing the mechanical hand in part, with the hood cap disk in the act of being tilted down onto the bottle head by the advancing movement of the bottle.

Fig. 12 shows the structure of Fig. 11, with the bottle advanced to a position with respect to the mechanical hand, wherein the hood cap disk is seated on the bottle head.

Figs. 13 and 14, are detached detail views of the bottle detector mechanism for controlling the clutch through which the initial disk feeder and disk conveyers in the oven are driven.

In the particular example illustrated, without desiring to so limit our invention, means are provided to maintain and feed forward a supply of relatively cold or set disks, for successive dispensing by feed means,-to disk conveyer mechanism that carries a procession of separated disks through a treating or conditioning chamber wherein a procession of the disks is advanced while the disks are subjected to treatment to render them temporarily in condition for application to and contraction and securing on bottle heads, and wherein is maintained a supply of such disks in temporary condition for hood capping and self-securing on bottle heads, and for rapid successive delivery-to mechanism whereby each bottle is provided with a'disk located on its head for subsequent contraction and securing thereon, by one of a succession of travelling hood capping heads, while each bottle is carried by a vertically movable support of a correspondingly travelling succession of bottle supports or stools.

Means are also provided for successively delivering bottles to and from a station where the bottle heads successively receive said disks in a temporary hood capping condition and to suecessively deliver bottles bearing such disks on their heads to said successive bottle supports and to cause such bottles to enter into operative relacession or succession of travelling heads.

The example also discloses bottle detector means for preventing delivery of disks temporarily in condition for hood capping, except when a bottle is to be presented to receive such disk.

The term bottle is employed herein in a broad generic sense to include any containers or other articles to which the machine is or can be adapted, within our invention, to apply the closure or other disks.

The hood cap disks 11, shown are more or less flexible, and each is formed with an imperforate or closed usually upwardly dished or bulged central portion and a flaring annular skirt or flange, the disk center being designed to-cover a bottle mouth and its surrounding lip, and the disk skirt being designed to contract or mold downwardly and inwardly to depend around to cover the bottlehead and its exterior rim and to be annularly and radially pressed thereagainst and under the rim and to be thus held in securing form and condition. These hoodcap disks are usually composed of sheet fibrous material such as paper, although they can be formed of other sheet materials, such as in whole or in part of. cellulose and the like materials.

From a. certain specific standpoint, without desiring to so limit all features of the invention, these hood cap disks can carry any suitable binder, particularly at their annular skirt porti'ons, capable when heated or when subjected to solvents or other conditions, of rendering the skirts temporarily moldable or otherwise temporarily in.hood capping condition, and capable of quickly setting when said skirts are shaped to hood capping and securing form on the bottle heads, to maintain the caps in such form and securing shape and against removal from the bottle heads except by the application of the necessary expanding, cutting or tearing forces.

Those skilled in the art are familiar with various fibrous material hood cap skirt binders,

such as sulphur and sulphur mixtures, and various adhesive binders that might be employed, and solvents for disks composed of materials that will weld or adhere when softened by a solvent to secure together overlapping folds-or pleats of the contracted cap skirts to hold the hood caps in secured form on. the bottle heads.

The primary disk supply The particular example disclosed by the: drawings of an emlfodiment of the instant invention,

provides an upwardly disposed magazine I, to

maintain and feed forward a supply of hood cap disks d. The supply of disks is replenished, as

required, bystacks of nested disks inserted into closed centers to the front or facing forwardly and downwardly although we do not wish to so restrict our instant invention. The stack of disks in the magazine, is preferab y. under constant. tendencyto feed forwardly, i.e., downwardly in themagazine toward-the magazine bottom outlet or discharge for dispensing therefrom. successively, and, if so desired, gravity can be depended on to cause. the forward movement of the supply of disks, aided if so desired by a weight or follower.

If so desired, the magazine can be in the form of a fixed upwardly inclined trough i, open at its upper side to permit inspection and handling of the disk supply and iorthe easy replenishing thereof. The inner surface of the trough should be smooth to permit the disks to freely slide downward while maintaining their transverse parallel positions, and the angular position of the trough should also be such as to facilitate the downward feeding of the disks by gravity unless a force feed is employed. The lower end of the trough is arranged within a tubular housing 2, through which the disks advance to the lower open end or dispensing discharge from which the bottom or end disks are successively removed or dispensed.

Any suitable means is provided to normally hold back the supply of disks in the magazine to prevent unauthorized dropping of the bottom disk therefrom. For instance, as an example of various means that can be employed for this purpose, we show a fixed short stop finger 4, dependu ing radially from the top of housing 2, a short distance into the upper portion of the otherwise,

preferably, unobstructed open bottom discharge is preferably exposed and accessible at the exterior of the.machine,usually being normally fixedly secured on the top of the machine at one end thereof. a v

The initial feed Any suitable means can be employed to dispense the disks from the primary supply of disks and start such dispensed disks on their travel toward the station where the bottles receive such I In' the machine example illustrated, the bot- -tom or discharge end of the primary supply magazine I, 2, opens into the upper part of a chamber having a depending bottom passage or chute 5, leading down to the disk receiving end of disk conveying mech'anism hereinafter described. This chamber is formed by a box or.

housing 6, normally constituting a fixed or rigid part of the machine structure. 7

A horizontal transversely arranged rock shaft his mounted in a bearing bracket 8, fixed on they top of the box 6, Figs. v1, 3 and 6. A lateral or .crank arm 9, normally fixed to said shaft depends therefrom into the chamber through a slot in the box, and the lower end of this arm carries a suction head or cup Ill. The arrangement is such that when the shaft 1, is rocked in one direction, the arm will carry the suction cup upwardly toward the bottom disk :1, in the magazine, and befo e reaching its limit of upward rearward mov meritv and coming to rest, the working face said cup will come into approximately-parallel upwardly pressing operative engagement with the imperforate central portion of said bottom disk and by suction or exhaust of air from the interior of the cup, said disk will be .pressed to and held by said cup. Hence, when said shaft rocks in the opposite direction,-

the suction cup will move downwardly and forwardly, carrying the disk and stripping the 75 l aoaaa'co same from the magazine and stop 4, until the within the box 6, in advance of the open dispensing end of the magazine, so that the cup will move back and forth between its upper operative disk engaging position and its lower disk 'releasing position, through a curved path of approximity 45; more or less. The length of travel of the suction cup isdetermined by the cam groove 26, and the relative lengths of the levers by which the suction cup arm is oscillated from cam groove 26, hereinafter more fully explained. V

The presence and absence of minus pressure in the suction cup can be controlled by any suitable means, or in any desirable manner, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the suction or vacuum cup art, to cause the suction cup to function as hereinbefore described-in taking hold of successive-end disks-in the magazine and extracting them therefrom and carrying them, one at a time, tothe discharge position and there releasing the same to drop into chute 5.

If so desired, where the suction cup is connected with a so-called vacuum pump or other air exhausting means, as through suction pipelines l4, and air passages, a suitable valve mechanism I5, can'be employed to connect the interior of the vacuum cup ill, with and to disconnect the same from the pipe lines [4, and to atmosphere, in proper sequence as required to attain the action hereinbefore described.

Any suitable actuating means can be provided to swing'the suction feeder back and forth on its disk removing, transporting and discharging, and return strokes to successively remove the end disks from the supply and deliver the same to the hereinafter described conveyer mechanism. For

instance, for this purpose, as an example," we

show, center upstanding rotary drive shaft l8, arranged within and projecting above the center rigid pedestal l'l, rising from gear box or bottom housing l8, wherein is located any suitable power transmission and means for continuously driving said shaftis.

n the fixed horizontally disposed deck IQ, of. ,the'machine frame, a radial rotary shaft 23, is

mounted, and this radial shaft 20, is geared to and driven by vertical shaft [6, through the medium oflarge gear 2!, onthe projecting upper end of shaft l6, and pinion 22, on shaft 20.

A sleeve 23, is concentrically and loosely arranged on the outer end portion of shaft 20, and is normally constantly driven thereby through the medium of-any suitable clutch mechanism 23.

In other words, the sleeve is not driven by said shaft except through the medium of the clutch,

although our invention is not so limited. This.

sleeve is equipped with concentric exterior spur gear wheel 25, for a purpose hereinafter explained, and also with an exterior annular or continuous cam groove 26, for driving the suction feeder l0, through the medium of a suitable power transmission, such as rock shaft 21, arranged transversely with respect to the axis of and spaced lateral y from the sleeve 23, -and independently mounted in a support rigid with the machine frame deck l9, and having a depending crank arm 28, carrying a roller fitting in groove 26, and another crank arm 29, pivotally connect; ed by push and pull pitman 30, with crank arm 3|, rigid with the suction feeder rock shaft l.

Accordingly, in the example illustrated, each revolution of shaft 20, and sleeve 23, will, through the lever transmission 28, 29, 30, 3|, described. actuate the suction cup Ill, on a complete cycle from the discharge position (Fig. 3) on the return stroke to the disk supply, and on the disk extracting and transporting stroke back to the disk discharging position, although we .do not wish to so limit our invention.

The disk conveying and spacing mechanism arranged and cooperating to support and advance a multiplicity or succession of the disks d, or the like, longitudinally of said shafts while maintaining said disks approximately parallel in vertical positions on edge and spaced apart and preferably while rotating said disks as they are advanc- 0 ing. For instance, we show three parallel spaced rotary screw conveyer shafts arranged to form a trough open at-the top, into the receiving end of which the successive disks d, will drop from vertical chute g, and from which the disks a, will be dscharged at the outlet end of the depending discharge chute 33. Y

The two upper similar screw conveyer shafts 34, are located in a common horizontal plane and are spaced a distance apart determined by the trough into maximum and minimum diameters of the disks to be handled thereby; The center depressed screw conveyer shaft is usually similar to and parallel with shafts 34, and located in a vertical plane approximately midway between the vertical planes of the two shafts 34, and in a horizontal plane a distance below the common horizontal p'a'ne of shafts 34, determined by the maximum and minimum diameters of the disks to be handled, Figs. 5 and 6. v

The several screw shafts 34, 35, are preferably similarly formed or otherwise provided with spiral flights, grooves or flanges of like pitch and of such radial width of depth, that the disks are received and held in vertical positions arranged transversey of the shafts with their edges engaging the surfaces of the shafts between the convolutions of the screw or spiral flanges which engage the side faces of the d sks to 'hold the disks upright and spaced apart and against falling forwardly or rearwardly. The center depressed shaft directly supports the transversely arranged upright parallel disks and the upper side shafts ho d the disks in vertical positions on'the center disk.

The several shafts 34, 35, while performing their d sk advancing function, preferably all rotate in the same direction to rotate all the disks supported thereby in the same direction while said disks are being advanced longitudinally of 'sive disks.

condition, but wedo not wish to the screws and their spiral flanges, in their upright positions transversely with respect to the shaft axes and spaced apart and in approximate parallelism.

At their receiving ends, the screws 3%, 35, ex-

tend across the chute 5, into-which the vertically arranged disks d,.are discharged by feeder it, and extend into a fixed gear box or housing all, and are mounted in a rigid wall thereof. The rotary conveyer shafts 3d, 35, are driven from gear 25, rigid with rotary sleeve 23 (Fig. 3) through the medium of a train of gearing 38, in

said box 31, (Fig. 6) by which said conveyer shafts are all simultaneously rotated preferably at the same speed and in the same direction, to gain the results hereinbefore explained.

The opposite or discharge ends of the rotary screw conveyer shafts 35,.35, are supported by and mounted in a suitable fixed support 33, providing, an outlet for the disks d, discharged from the said conveyer shafts, and a depending chute .33, into which the successive disks from said conshafts drop vertically on their way to the station where the bottle heads receive such disks.

The receiving ends of the conveyer shafts 36, 35, located in the chute 5,'are each preferably formed or provided with relatively quick acting or high speed screw threads or convolutions so, designed to quickly remove and advance the disks (1, from the chute 5, and deliver the same onto the relatively low pitch 'spiral threads of the body portions of the conveyer shafts, with the end in view of quickly moving each transverse upright disk received in'the inlet end of the conveyer trough formed by the shafts, forwardly and out of the way of the following disk that will drop through the chute 5. This of the disks prevents clogging and preserves the desired spacing of the disks as they advance along the main lengths of the shafts.

At the discharge end of the conveyer trough formed by the rotating shafts 34, 35, said shafts can also, if so desired, be formed with quick acting or high pitch finalconvolutions M, to more quickly propel and discharge the disks outwardly from the trough in vertical positions to drop in such positions in chute 33, and to maintain the desired spacing and timing between the succesveyer The oven or other disk treating or chamber The mechanism 33,-35, designed to assemble and advance or convey a multiplicity or procession of disks d, to form and maintain asupply of disks, extends longitudinally through and is arranged within a longitudinally elongated disk conditioning chamber 53, wherein the .disks of conditioning said procession or supply of such disks carried and being advanced by said mechanism, aresub-r jected to the treatment or conditions required by the characteristics of the particular kind of hood cap disks being handled, to bring such disks to the state or condition, necessary to render them at least temporarily moldable or otherwise capable of being shaped to hood. cap securing form and of retaining such form on the bottle heads. The particular example illustrated is, from, a specific phase of ourinvention, peculiarly adapted for handling and applying hood cap disks that are by the application of more or less high temperatures brought to a temporary hood capping so limit all features of our invention. From a specific phase of our int endear, to give a concrete example, the

initial quick removal abscess hood cap disks where made, say, of paper or other fibrous, material with their flaring longi tudinally creased or pleated annular skirts carrying a binder, such as sulphur, sulphur mixtures, etc., from among others, are brought to the temporarily moldable hood capping condition by more or less high temperatures, and hence for treating hood cap and other moreor less flexible non-metallic disks, of the just mentioned characteristics, the treating chamber 33, constitutes an oven, provided with heating and controlling means. The oven, in the particular example illustrated, embodies a horizontally elongated cylindrical or other tubular housing M, having its surrounding wall insulated against heat exchange. This housing forms the treating chamber 83, which if so desired, can be internally unobstructed except for the rotary conveyer shafts 3d, and 35, and the disks d, carried there-.

by. The housing is fixedly carried by the supporting framework of the machine, and at one end opens into the chute 5, where the disks successively drop onto the conveyer shafts, and at the other end opens to the chute 33, into which the conditioned disks are successively discharged opens into the interior of the upper part of box 6, andhence the disks, particularly the iower disks in the magazine, areexposed to the relatively more or less high temperature in box 6, maintained by the open communication with chamber 43, through chute 5, resulting in more or less preheating 0f the disks before they enter chamber 53. At its opposite or rear end, in the direction of the disk feed throughchamber d3,

said chamber is closed by a vertical or transverse wall which can have an opening normally closed by a slide or other suitable movable door or other closure d5, whereby the interior of chamber 33, and the contents thereof are accessible and subject to inspection.v

The chute 33, opens downwardly from said just mentioned end of chamber 43, and hence is heated thereby and the disks passing down therefrom are subjected to such temperature.

However, 'we do not wish to limit the broader features of our invention, to the just mentioned features whereby the disks on their travel to and on part of the way, at least, on their travel from the conditioning chamber d3, are subjected in a measure at least, to the high temperatures theretudinal axial line of said chamber, with the heat having free access to theside faces and edges of all the disks, enabling the-heated air to circulate between the disks in all radial directions, 7

while the constant disk rotation aids in uniform treatment and conditioning of each disk throughout, at least, all portions of its annular rim or skirt. The heatedfl-air-can. circulate within the chamber 43, around each conveyer shaft as well as' between said shafts, and around each indiyidual disk.

These conveyer shafts are constantly rotating,

forced through chamber 49, and into contact during machine operation, while an" unbroken procession of bottles is advancing to successively receive conditioned disks, successive disks are constantly being received one at a time at the inlet end of chamber 43', and successive conditioned disks are being discharged one at a time at the discharge end of said chamber, while a long line or procession made up of many constituting a conditionedi, disk supply, is constantly moving forward in said chamber and subjected therein to the conditioning treatment, so

that each disk by the time it has passed through said chamber has for a. substantial length of time been thoroughly and uniformly conditioned by the heat or other conditioning treatment.

The cap conditioning chamber air heating circulating system Any suitable means and arrangements are provided for heating and circulating the heated air and - in the conditioning chamber 43, withthe end in view of uniformly conditioning all of the disks passing through said chamber, and each disk throughout, and of maintaining the temperature in said chamber between certain maximum and minimum predetermined points, and to avoid building up high temperatures within said chamber, to scorch, damage or ignite the disks even when the disks are kept motionless in the chamber for substantial lengths of time. It is within certain broad aspects of our invention to locate the heating-means either without or within the chamber 43, and to locate driven means either within or withoutsaid chamber to force hot air circulation through the supply of disks and between the disks in said chamber. For instance, in the example illustrated, we show, an indirect forced air or draft heating system for the chamber 43, that embodies a housing 41, preferably having walls insulated to reduce heat exchange,

preferably arranged externally and longitudinally of chamber 43, and preferably combined with the housing 44, (although not necessarily so) to co operate therewith in forming certain chambers or air flues communicating with chamber 43, to

supply the same, with heated air under more or less pressure and for the withdrawal of air therefrom. v

In this example, the electric resistance heating elements or units 48, are remote from the disk conditioning chamber 43; to protect the disks from the direct heat radiation of the red hot or incandescent units 48. These heating elements or units 48,- are located exteriorly of the tubular housing 44, that encloses conditioning 'chamber 43, and within a separate air heating chamber 49, exteriorly enclosed by the insulated housing 41. To gain compactness and heat conservation, this separate air heating chamber 49, is enclosed between the approximately concentric rigid longitudinal inner and outer housings 44,

41, and is approximately of the same length as chamber 43, and extends around the major portion of the circumference of housing 44, although we.do not wish to ,so limit the broader aspects of our invention. An air pump or blower 59, is arranged and supported, by the machine frame, exteriorly of .the housings 44, 41, and an endless air circuit is provided that includes the pump exhaust or pressure outlet 5|; the chamber 49; the disk conditioning chamber 43; a suitable manifold 52; and the pump suction pipe or inlet 53. When the pump is in action, and the electric heating elements 48, are energized, the desired volume of air under the required pressure is and this more or less highly heated air passes from chamber 49, intoand traverses the disk conditioning chamber 43, and passes through the 5 procession of disks therein and maintains the desired temperature within and app oximately uniformly throughout the chamber 43, and said air passes from chamber 43, into manifold 52, and therefrom through suction pipe 53, back into the pump. This endless circulation of air is maintained by the pump to keep the temperature in the conditioning chamber between the desired maximum and minimum points, necessary to I properly condition the disks without damage or 15 injury;

' Various controlling, and heat indicating instruments, not' shown, can be provided, to 'show the temperatures within various portions of the conditioning chamber, and to vary the pump speed 20 and the air distribution.

Also the various electrical connections and controls for the electric heating units 48, are not shown, as being within the skill of the engineer and forming no part of our present invention.

The air pump, compressor, or blower 50, can

, be of any type or construction suitable for the,

' air heating chamber 49, preferably between a radial imperforate partition or end closing wall 55, and a radial air distributing perforated plate or partition 55, (Fig. 5). The'air forced by the pump passesthrough the perforated partition 56, into the area'of heating chamber 49, that is traversed by the preferably numerous electric heating units 48, and the perforated partition is'designed to cause approximately uniform distribution of the air throughout the length and width of the chamber for uniform heating by 5 said heating units, although we do not wish to limit our invention to such specific arrangements nor to .the provision of the distributing partition 56.

The imperforate partition 55, 'is employed in this specific arrangement, to which we do not wish to limit ourselves. toclose the inlet end of chamber 49, from the air outlet from the disk conditioning chamber 43.

The outlet from chamber 49, preferably beyond 55 the portion thereof occupied by the heating units, into the disk conditioning chamber 43, is pref-- "erably in the form of a narrow slot 51, opening chamber 43, under more or less pressure and to flow diametrically across and through the procession of edgewise arranged'disks thereinto and to. penetrate to all portions of said procession and the surfaces of the disks thereof, and to cause unitorm distribution of the pressure and heat throughout said chamber.

The air exhaust or outlet from chamber 43, is

' ings 4d, 61, which is indirect usually arranged on the opposite side of said chamber from the inlet 57, or on the opposite side of the procession of disks d, from the inlet 51. In

the particular example illustrated, the outlet is through a series of radialports or openings 58, through the housing wall M, and arranged in a line longitudinally thereof, although we do not wish to so limit our invention. The capacities of- The exhaust ports or outlets 58, from chamber 43, open and discharge into the manifold 52, arranged longitudinally of and between thehouscation with the pump through the pump suction pipe 53.

By means of damper 59, the capacity of the exhaust 58, can be varied to .controland vary the air pressure within, and to a certain extent, also the temperature within the chamber 43.

If so desired, any suitable damper controlled oiftake (not shown) can be provided for carrying off fumes from the exhaust manifold 52.

Mechanism for depositing conditioned disks on bottle heads I the chute 33, in advance of the quick discharge ends 4|, of the screw conveyers, to maintain the disks d, in vertical edgewise positions as they drop into the narrow lower portion of said chute, to assure delivery of the disks from said chute, in the desired position (Fig. 3).

The disks from the chute are successively delivered right side up (concave side down) on the heads of successive bottles for contracting to securing hood cap form thereon. If so desired, the disks from the conditioning chamber 43, can through chute 33, or otherwise, be successively delivered right side up direct to a platform or support, to be picked up by successive bottle heads and carried thereby upwardly into successive hood capping or clamping heads, approximately as in the disclosure of our application filed May 9, 1929, Serial No. 361,780.

However, in the present disclosure we prefer to employ a -so-called mechanical hand of our invention, to receive the successive disks from chute 33, and deposit the same on successive bottle heads while said bottles are travelling on their way to successive bottle stools or supports of a time from the discharge end of chute 33, or otherwise from the conditioning chamber, and carry such disk to a point within the path of travel of a bottle head, and thereih'old the disk'in-an inclined position with concaved side down so that the advancing bottle head will engage the ponsuction communiaoaaege cave side of the disk and sweep and strip the same from such means, which means is provided with devices to deposit, center, and press the disk down on the bottle head and thus leave the same.

thereon in position for subsequent hood capping, 5 whereby the advancing bottle head will advance fromsuch means, carrying its hood cap disk to thehood capping head for completion of the hood capping operation. For instance, in the particular example illustrated, we show an arm or socalled hand", depending from the supporting frame of the machine or some part carried by said frame, and swingable in the direction of movement of the bottles advancing toward the rotating circle of bottle stools, with the lower or free end of this arm arranged to intersect the horizontal plane in which the bottle heads travel, 'with this arm inclining downwardly and rearchute 33, and guide andbarry each disk downwardly to the free end of the arm and there loosely retain such disk in the path of a; bottle 25 head and in proper position to be picked up and carried ofi by said head.

In the specific exampleshown, without intending to so limit all features of our invention, this arm embodies a longitudinally elongated prefer- 30 ably stiff or rigid frame 62, depending from and at its upper 'end turning on a suitable transverse axis carried by the machine frame, while the lower end of said frame is transversely forked or bifurcated to provide a central transverse 3 opening for the passage-of the bottle heads, between the rigid spaced downwardly projecting arms 64, that at theirlower ends are provided with a pair of spaced'rigid lateral or rearwardly projecting (in the direction of bottle travel) bottle head centering and disk supporting stiff horns 6,33 The upper end of frame 62, provides a transverse eye or hearing 65, receiving and axially oscillatory on the here'inbefore mentioned transverse supporting axis, such as rotary shaft 66, mounted in suitable bearing brackets 61, carried by the fixed vertical outer wall of the chute 33, and arranged at an elevation above the horizontal outlet of chute 33. The swingable hanging arm or hand", provides a guiding way or passage along its upper longitudinal side, when the arm is in normal downwardly and forwardly in: clined position, into the upper end of which the disks from chute 33, are received and down which each disk is conducted and deposited on the horns 63, with the lower edge of the disk resting on the top edges of the ,horns. For instance, this passage longitudinally of. the arm can be'provided by open-end housing 68, fixed to frame 62, and, if so desired, the disk carrying 60 floor of such passage can be formed by the downwardly travelling top lengths of a pair of parallel widely spaced preferably smooth, surface endless cords or belts 69, arranged longitudinally of the arm, at their lower bights supported by.aligned 65 .idler pulleys Ill, mounted oh the lower ends of the fork 'arms 64, at the outer faces .of horns 83, and at their upper ends supported and driven by pulleys ll, fixed on and constantly driven by the shaft 65., The arrangement is preferably ,70

will thus travel down within and be guided by the housing 68, until deposited on the horns concave side down and facing the advancing bottle head on which the disk is to be deposited. It iswithin the scope of this feature of our invention, to omit the travelling. belts and permit the disks to slide down the arm guideway on a stationary floor solely by gravity, and, in fact, the disks may so slide on the belts faster than the belts travel,

- but we prefer to employ the belts as tending to more accurately assure the delivery of the disks on horns 63, and their retention in proper position on such horns, particularly to assure the delivery of the disks onto the horns against the resistance of any means that may be employed to temporarily or releasably hold the disks in the desired position on the horn preparatory to disk deposit on the approaching bottle head.

The lower portion of the rear (in the direction of bottle travel) wall of housing 68, behind the disk when resting on horns 63, is open, and a longitudinally-movable and rearwardly. swingable hanger I2, is arranged longitudinally and centrally of the depending arm and of said opening and at its lower free end carries one or more alined idler pressure rolls I3, freely rotatable on an axis arranged transversely of said 7 hanger. This hangeris at its upper end pivotally mounted on a transverse pivot or axis provided by a suitable fixture secured on therear side of the longitudinal rear wall of housing 68, in such manner that the hanger constantly tends to swing down or forwardly with respect to the arm and into the path of each disk (I, descending toward horns 63, ,being centrally arranged a short distancelabove horns 63, to engage the rear face of the descending disk, centrally thereof between belts 69, and ride up on the rear face of the central portion of the disk and remain in contact with the lower portion of said rear 'face of the disk when the disk comes to rest on the horns (Fig. 10) exerting more or less light forward pressure against said disk to cooperate with the horns and downwardly travelling belt lengths to hold the disk detachably in the desired position. The transverse bearing in the upper end of hanger I2 is preferably elongated longitudinally of the hanger to afford the hanger a limited free longitudinal movement.

Any suitable means can be provided to yieldingly hold said hanger I2, forwardly under more or less light pressure against rearward swing. For instance, for this purpose, as'an example, I show depending free end plate spring I4,.at its upper endfixed to the rear wall of housing 68, and at its lower end pressing forwardly againstv and yieldinglyresisting rearward movement of depending rear spring arm I5, fixed to the rear of hanger I2, and at itsrearwardly. deflected rear end carrying the rearwardly projecting heel or thumb I6.

In addition to the members I3, 16, a rearwardly yielding presser cross bar 11, can be provided normally located below the roll 13, and in advance of the heel I6, t6 yieldingly engage the rear face of the disk after the roll has been thereby forced rearwardly. This bar 11, can be carried by upwardly extending arms I8, at their upper ends pivotally connected to the rear side of the rear wall of housing 68, to rock on a transverse axis located a distance above the supporting axis of hanger I2. These arms I8, are yieldingly pressed forward 'to their limit of forward swing against uously rotating cross shaft 88.

said rear wall of the housing by any suitable means, such as one or more coiled expansion springs I9.

The cross shaft 66, is continuously driven to continuously drive the belts 69, in one direction, 5,

during machine operation, by cross'shaft' 80, mounted in the machine frame, such as deck I9, to the rear .of the disk delivering swing arm or hand, through the medium of suitable gearing, such as chain and sprocket transmission 8 I. 'The cross shaft 80, is constantly driven from the gear 2 I, of main upright shaft I6, through the medium of radial shaft 82, appropriately geared at one end to gear 2|, and at the other end to cross shaft 88.

z The disk delivering swing arm or hand 62, etc. is maintained at the desired downward and rearward inclination intersecting the path of the disks discharged by chute 33, and to properly cooperate with the advancing bottle heads for disk 20 delivery onto and seating on said heads, by any suitable means, and by any suitable means, said arm is also preferably swung a short distance forwardly and rearwardly in timed relation to the advancing bottles, i. e. a forward and rear-,

ward stroke for each bottle, in that the arm preferably moves rearwardly while the bottle head receiving the disk is moving forwardly, and then as the bottle having received such disk advances beyond said arm, the arm makes its forward re- 30 turn stroke to initially receive the following bottle head when the arm has completed its forward stroke (Fig. 10) and begins or is about to begin its rearward stroke.

For instance, in the example illustrated, we 35 show a pitman 84, at one end having push and .pull pivotal connection with the disk delivering swing arm 62, etc. and at the other end having eccentric operative connection with the contin- 40 The swing arm 62, etc. is in this example equipped with a pivot stud or axis 85, rigid with the arm and projecting laterally therefrom at a point below the transverse axis 66, on which said arm swings. The forward end, of pitman 84, is 45 formed with a transverse hearing or eye more or less loosely receiving and confined on stud 85,

v a movable or detachable key or pin 81, to normally lock the pitman to the stud against accidental detachment.

One purpose of the readily attachable and detachable connection between the pitman and the swing arm 62, etc. is to permit forward and upward vertical swing of said arm 62, to an abnormal position g. 8) entirely free and clear of 65 the path of diti f d, dropping from the chute 33, as it is some es desirable to permit the machine to run to clear or empty the oven and disk conveyer trough 34, 35, of disks through chute 33, without operating the initial feeder to feed disks to said conveyer trough and without delivering conditioned disks to said arm 62, etc. as

when no bottles are being run through the machine for hood capping.

,The arm 62, etc. can be detachably supported 75 in such inoperative elevated position by suitable means, such as pivoted hook 88, hanging from the front closure of oven housing 99, and

adapted for operative detachable engagement with eye 89, fixed to and projecting laterally from the swing arm frame 62. When the swing arm is thus held elevated in abnormal position, any 1 suitable container (not shown) can be placed under chute 33, to catch the discharged disks.

When a run of bottles is to be hood capped, the eye 89, is detached from hook 88, and the swing'arm 62, etc. is swungdownward and back to normal position to operatively receive disks from chute 33,. and thus held by attaching the bearing eye 86, of pitman 84, to the swing arm stud 85, as in Fig. 1, for instance.

The pitman 84, can be operatively coupled to constantly rotating shaft 80, to attain the desired short back and forth swinging movements of swing arm 62, etc. by any suitable means or by various operative connections. For instance li show the pitman formed with an enlarged eye 90, through which the shaft 80, extends, with the pitman loosely confined between outer end head 9|, and a cam 92, both normally fixed on the shaft.

The pitman is provided with a roll 94, rotatably mounted on a stud rigid with and projecting laterally from the pitman. This roll is held forward in constant engagement with the operative cirdetached from swing arm stud 35, (Fig. 8). The

spring 95, thus holds the pitman longitudinally forward thereby requiring the roll 94, to follow the working edge or circumference of cam 92, and the annular working circumferential edge of the cam is formed with a high portion to longitudinally project or move the pitman rearwardly, and with a low portion to permit said spring to longitudinally move the pitman forwardly, to impart to the swing arm 62, etc. the

short forwardly and return swing movements hereinbefore described.

In the particular example illustrated, the eccentric actuating connection -(say, rotating cam 92 and roll 94) that control the back and forth swing of the hood cap disk applying arm, carry the lower end of said arm through a short arcwhile the bottle with which said arm is then cooperating to provide the bottle top with a hood cap disk, moves forward a distance, say, of about one inch and a half,- more or less. I

In this example, the upright bottles while continuously moving forward in a horizontal plane toward the bottlestool and hood capping head rotors, have the hood cap disks successively d eposited on their heads, by said swing arm, the,

lower end 'of which moves back and forth in a short path, say, about an inch and a half in length, in the vertical plane of the bottle path, without halting or interrupting the continuous forward movement of the bottlesduring the disk applying operations.

In the particular example illustrated, the disk applying stroke or swing of the arm is opposed to the advancing movement of the bottle, 1. e. as the bottle moves forward, the arm swings .vancing bottle head (Fig. l0)-.

ace-zeta rearwardly and deposits and seats the disk on the bottle head. Fig. 10 of the drawings shows the swing arm approximately at its limit of forward swing (with respect to the forward bottle movement), and Fig. 12 shows the swing arm approximately at its limit of rearward downward swing (with respect to the forward bottle movement) with the disk seated on the bottle head, and the swing arm ready to swing up and forwardly on its return stroke to the approximate elevated forward position shown by Fig. 10. In

'short length of time in the approximate position Fig. 10, and while the arm is in this approximate position, the advancing bottle head contacts the convexed side of the disk d, at the lower portion of its flange between the rails or fingers 63, and

starts the operation of sweeping or tilting the disk forwardly clear and free of the fingers 63, against the weight of the rollers 13, and the hanger carrying the same, but before the disk is tilted entirely from tracks 63, an elevated or raised portion of the' rotating cam edge acts. on the roll 94, and the pitman 84, to quickly snap "or swing the arm rearwardly to complete the operation of properly seating and.depositing the disk on the advancing bottle head, in

' approximate simulation of the natural action of the human hand in applying, centering and pressing, down a disk d, of the peculiar dished formation shown, on a bottle head. Fig. 11, shows the approximate positions of the disk and cooperating parts with respect to the bottle and arm, when the arm is at an intermediate portion of its rearward stroke from the position Fig. 10, to the approximate position Fig. 12. e

The working edge or periphery of .the rotating cam, is preferably so shaped radially, that when the arm reaches the approximate position Fig. 12, the arm immediately starts upwardly and rearwardly on its return forward swing to elevated forward position Fig. 10, but this return swing or travel of the arm is checked or retarded by the cam formation, long enough to permit the bottle on which the disk has just been deposited,

to advance the disk on the bottle out of the path to he travelled by the fingers 63, on the swing arm return stroke.

The weight of hanger I2, and rollers 13,. press the rollers rearwardly against disk d, to hold the same in position on fingers 63, and against rapidly moving belts 69, for engagement by the advancing bottle head has engaged and begins tilting the cap forwardly along fingers 63, the rollers 13, act to hold the disk against the bottle lip while rapidly moving belts press the disk edge down against said fingers, and as the disk leaves the When the adfree forward ends of fingers 63, the presser bar 11, comes into action (Fig. 11) with rearward pressure against the central portion of the disk to prevent the disk from slipping down in front .while the belts assist in the operation of quickly tilting the cap onto the bottle head, the quick rearward jump or swing of the arm and the restraining action of rollers 13, and presser bar Tl, prevent the belts from discharging the disk, when its lower edge leaves fingers 63, downwardly in front of the bottle head. As the arm moves rearwardly and the bottle forwardly, from the intermediate position shown by Fig. 11, the rollers i3, and presser bar 11, tilt the disk rearwardly and downwardly approximately on the advancing edge of the bottle lip as a fulcrum, to horizontal operative position properly centered and pressed down on the bottle head, the final downward seating of the disk being aided by the thumb or heel 16, which comes into action vas the swing arm approaches the vertical position, Fig. 12, and furthermore this thumb 16, remains in contact with the disk central portion while the rollers 13 and presser rod drop from the rear portion of the seated disk as the bottle advances from the swing arm and thus prevents the disk from being tilted from the bottle mouth by the drag of said rollers and bar. Before the bottle has advanced sufiiciently far with respect to the swing arm, to cause the thumb 16, to drag off the rear portion of the disk, the swing arm starts on its forward elevating return stroke and thereby lifts said thumb clear of the disk.

The elongated bearing of the hanger 12, on its pivot, permits longitudinal movement of the weighted hanger and its roller to accommodate slight variations in bottle lengths and. variations in the angular positions of the hanger, while the spring and swingable mountings of the presser bar and thumb l6, accommodate slight variations in bottle lengths and angular positions of said parts.

The swing arm or mechanical hand deposits the hood cap disks on the bottles, before the bottles reach and are delivered onto the bottle stool and cap head rotors, although we do not wish to so limit all features of our invention as the swing arm can be adapted to seat hood cap disks 'on successive bottle heads after such bottles have been delivered onto the loweredbottle stools of the stool rotor, although we prefer and gain advantages by providing each bottle with a hood cap disk while the bottles are advancing to said rotor.

We have by dotted circles A, B, respectively, Fig. 4, indicated the length of the path travelled by each bottle while being advanced by the star wheel, during the disk applying operation of the swing arm or mechanical hand. The circle A, indicates the approximate position of each bottle when it meets the swing arm Fig. 10, and the circle B, indicates the approximate position of the bottle when the disk is fully seated thereon and the swing arm is approximately in position.

Fig. 12.

The bottle carrying rotor and hood capping mechanisms roller I00, travelling on a fixed circular track IN, embodying elevated and depressed portions whereby the elevation of each bottle stool is determined, and whereby the bottle stools are raised and lowered, as hereinafter explained, or, for instance, as explained and disclosed by and in our hereinbefore mentioned pending patent application. The bottle-receiving top faces of these stools 99, are preferably flat so that the upright bottles can slide thereonto and therefrom and the lateral or horizontal dimensions of said top faces with respect to the bases of the bottles, are such that the bottles can stand and be maintained thereon in upright positions. This rotor is constantly rotated in one direction in timed relation to the disk feed, conveying and delivering mechanisms, by any suitable power transmission means, not shown, and usually arranged within the gear box at the base of the machine.

Another horizontally disposed constantly advancing rotor I02, is arranged in alignment with and a distance above the bottle stool rotor 98,

and is likewise concentric with and rotates on the center column IT, and is suitably driven with and in the same direction and speed as said bottle stool rotor, but is preferably vertically adjustable with respect thereto to accommodate runs of bottles of different vertical lengths, such as one run of quart size bottles, and so on.

This rotor I02, carries an endless or circular series of vertical hood cap contracting and clamping heads or what we generically designate as hood capping heads I03, each arranged above and vertically alined with a bottle stool 99, so that for each stool 99 there is a hood capping head I03 normally relatively fixed against vertical movement, and arranged above and vertically alined therewith. Each hood capping head, in the particular example referred to, embodies a downwardly open mouth or head formed to vertically receive a relatively upwardly moving bottle head carrying a skirted hood cap disk d, centered thereon and conditioned for hood capping, and to gather and depress the hood cap skirtdownwardly to annular depending form around the bottle head, as the bottle head moves upwardly therein, and also embodies a ring clamp concealed within the head to close and contract inwardly completely around said depending skirt and press the same annularly and radially, closing the pleats or folds" of surplus disk material, tightly against the surface of the bottle and thus hold the same tightly pressed and/or compressed to hood cap securing form until permanently set as by cooling of a hot binder or evaporation of a binder solvent.

Any suitable means is provided to expand or open and contract or close the ring or annular clamps of said heads I03, so that, for instance, the clamps will be successively expanded to release hood capped bottles at a hood capped bottle discharge station, and will remain open and expanded until said heads successively reach the disk carrying bottle head receiving station, where said clamps will be successively contracted and will thus remain contracted throughout the major portion of their circle of travel until they successively approach said discharge station. For instance, each clamp canbe spring actuated or controlled to normally assuine closed or contracted clamping position, and by a movable member carrying a roll 04, to travel on a relatively fixed cam or track 805, and to be thereby heldback to maintain the clamp in expanded or opened position and then released for automatic contracting to clamping position.

The track IOI, that controls the vertical posi-' tions or elevations of the bottle stools, is in this example, arranged, to elevate the successive disk carrying bottles to carry the bottle heads into their respective expanded hood capp heads and to thus hold the bottles elevated until they successively approach or reach the bottle discharge position where the-stools drop to their low positions and thus travel in their low positions to successively receive bottles carrying. disks.

Our hereinbefore identified pending application, discloses an example of such an arrange;

ment of cooperating bottle stool rotor and track,

and hood capping head rotor, such heads, and such clamps with controlling springs, rolls and track, although we do not wish to so limit our invention.

In this example, the annular clamps of the hood capping heads, are each provided with spring actuated controlling means, with, which said cam or track I05, cooperates, to cause the clamps to successively open or expand for release of bottles at the hood capped bottle discharge station and to maintain such clamps expanded, until they have successively moved past the effective rear end of track I05, say, just beyond the bottle head receiving station, whereupon the clamps successively close or contact and thus remain until they reach the effective front end of track I 05, said bottle discharge station.

M eans for feeding bottles to and discharging hood capped bottles from the bottle carrying rotor ment of the star wheel I08, constantly driven in one direction by any suitable driving means or connection from the driving gearing (not shown) within the housing in the machine base.

The fixed horizontal deck I01, which is level with the bottle-base-receiving top surfaces of the stools 99, when such stools are in lowered position, is extended laterally beyond the hood capped bottle receiving area thereof, to provide a top surface on and along which the uncovered bottles a are propelled in a procession for successively receiving disks d, and for successive delivery onto successive stools that are still in lowered positions after the hood capped bottles have been discharged therefrom. In this example, the receiving table for the upright uncovered bottles a, is formed by a flat top horizontal moving conveyer or platform, such as a circular rotary table I09, constantly rotated in one direction by a suitable power transmission (not shown) from the driving means in the gear box or housing in the machine base.

Any suitable guide walls, for instance, fixed walls I I0, III, carried by the deck I01, project over the rotary table I09, to form an arcuate lane or guldeway, by which the procession or succession of bottles a, being advanced and carried by said rotary table, is brought into the range of action of the rotary horizontal star wheel 2, constantly driven in one direction by any suitable power transmission (not shown) from the driving gearing or other means in said gear box or housing.- The front portion of the star wheel projects forwardly above the rear portion of the rotary table and as the star wheel and said table preferably 5 rotate in opposite directions, said overlapping portions of the table and star wheel rotate in the same direction, and the recesses between the radial arms of the star wheel successively receive the advancing bottles on the rear delivery portion of the 10 table,. and successively sweep the bottles rearwardly from the table and onto the flat top face of the deck I01, under the guiding influence of the arcuate wall II3, that at its front end projects forwardly over the rear delivery portion of table 15 I09, to center successive bottles in successive recesses' of the star wheeland to maintain the bottles therein and spaced thereby as the bottles are carried around by the continuously rotating star wheel to and past the mechanical hand or depend- 20 ing swing arm 62, etc. to successively receive disks d, therefrom, preferably while the bottle is advancing through dotted circle A, to and through dotted circle B, Fig. 4, and to finally deliver the bottles carrying disks d, onto successive depressed 25 stools 99, of the continuously advancing rotor 98, under the restraining guiding influence of the rear end of the guiding wall H3, which extends rearwardly above the depressed stools 99, of said rotor (Fig. 4). The rear portion of the star wheel II2, hence extends over the depressed stool 99, that is advancing to, located at, and advancing from the bottle receiving station. The rotor 98, propelling the bottle stools is p'referably continuously rotating or advancing, and the procession of bottles is also preferably continuously advancing to and through the disk receiving station and therefrom to the station at which successive stools receive successive bottles. In Fig. 4, the station at which successive depressed stools receive successive bottles carrying disks d, is located by reference letter d, indicating a disk on the head of a bottle just shoved by star wheel I I2, onto the depressed stool advancing through said station. The successive stools 99, start moving upwardly as they advance past the bottle receiving station, to carry their heads and the disks thereon into successive hood capping heads. This upward movement of said successive stools begins while the star wheel is projecting over such stools, and hence we, preferably, couple the radially projecting arms of the star wheel to the center head or hub of said wheel through the medium of hinge or flexible joints 4, that will permit each arm to be engaged and lifted by the rising stool thereunder, and to then drop back to normal horizontal position as it slips forwardly past said stool.

The stools are all depressed as they advance from the hood capped bottle discharge station to the bottle receiving station and hence the rear- 60 wardly moving arms of the star wheel move over and above depressed stools as they push successive bottles onto successive stools at the bottle receiving station but as said arms move forward with the bottles on the departing stools said arms are engaged and lifted by the elevating stools, the speed of rotation of the rotor 98, that propels the stools, and of the star wheel I I2, that advances the bottles onto said stools, being so timed that the successive advancing bottles and the successive advancing stools, meet at the bottle receiving station, to provide each stool with a bottle, where the succession of bottles is unbroken.

We preferably provide means, in addition to the star wheel III, and guide wall 3, to assure the desired positioning or centering of each bottle on its stool, as each stool advances from the bottle receiving station. For instance, we show a comparatively short rotary vertical shaft I I5, suitably supported above the rotor 98, and within the cirto advance at the same speed as the advancing bottle stools. The star wheel 1, is preferably driven by an approximately similar star wheel I I8,

fixed to the lower portion of shaft H5, and 1'0- tated by engagement with the lower portions of successive constantly advancing bottle stools, (Figs. 3 and 4). Thus, as the bottle advances from the bottle receiving station (Fig. 4) the star wheel 1, rotates in contact therewith and the bottle enters a recess of the star wheel and is properly positioned on the stool, if not already in such position, by contact with the preferably yieldingly held guide and bottle positioning arm I I9, (Fig. 4) arranged in front of the bottles and longitudinally of the bottle path and supported by an upri ht from the machine frame or deck I01.

This arm II9, arranged in front of the bottles on the advancing stools, is designed to cooperate with the star wheel I I1, located behind said bottles, to successively assure the proper positioning of each bottle on its stool by direct contact therewith, as it passes the star wheel which rotates with each passing bottle.

The elongated swing arm H9, is yieldingly pressed toward the stools and star wheel I", and is arranged approximately tangentially of the circular path in which the bottle stools travel, and is constantly spring pressed toward its limit of movement toward the bottle on the stool advancing from the bottle receiving position.

Any suitable spring II9a, can ,be provided to yieldingly press the arm I I9, to its normal position and any suitable means, such as a part of the frame structure or other device can provide a stop I I9b, to predetermine such normal position.

The means establishing a channel or bottle guideway leading to the star wheel II2, are approximately but diagrammatically illustrated, as the procession of uncovered bottles can be successively brought into operative relation to star wheel II2, to be ,conveyed forward thereby, by other means than platform 7 I 09, such as by hand, or by any suitable conveying or advancing organization, for instance such as disclosed by our hereinbefore mentioned patent application. Our novel and advantageous mechanism partially illustrated by Fig. 4 and other figures of the accompanying drawings, for advancing the uncovered bottles to star wheel I I2; is not claimed herein as it forms subject matter for separate patent application.

The bottle conveying, guiding, and centering mechanisms shown, are adapted for runs of bottles of the same rated capacity and sizes, such as quarts. For runs of bottles of other capacities and sizes, adjustments and replacements, are provided. For instance, the star wheel H2, is removable, and is replaced by star wheels adapted to different bottle capacities and the same replacement arrangement can be provided for centering star wheel I H.

The fixed upright posts I20, (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) with any suitable bottle detecting means that will connected from the drive shaft 20 (Fig. 3) in arm rearwardly, and the clutch is applied and are rigid with the base box or housing I2I, that supports deck I01. These posts I20, aid in supporting the upper supporting structure I22, that embodies deck I9, which is, preferably, vertically adjustable with the rotor I02, with respect to the lower bottle stool rotor 98, to accommodate ms of bottles of different capacities, 'as hereinbefore explained.

The bottle detector It is generally desirable, to supply a hood cap disk d, to the swing arm or mechanical hand 62,

- etc. only when an uncovered bottle is in line for presentation to said arm to receive such disk, and hence we prefer to provide the apparatus serve to stop the discharge of a disk d, to said arm when no bottle will reach the arm to receive the disk.

As an example, we show a spring-impelled horizontally-swingable bottle contacting and detecting arm I 23, arranged, in the example shown, above the bottle advancing platform I09, and the fixed horizontal deck I01, and below the star wheel H2, and normally yieldingly held project ing into the path of the advancing bottles, approximately at the point where the platform I09, delivers the bottles successively into the star wheel I H2, in such manner that each advancing bottle will contact and swing the arm rearwardly, and 30 will then slip past and release the arm to engage the immediately succeeding bottle before the arm completes its forward spring-actuated swing, but if there is a break in the bottle procession with no following bottle, the arm will complete its 35 forward swing to its normal position and thereby actuate means to prevent a disk delivery to the swing arm 62, for location on the bottle that should occupy the vacant star wheel recess (Fig. 4). This spring-impelled bottle-actuated arm I23, is through the medium of any suitable movement transmitting mechanism, operatively connected to control the clutch 24, by which the sleeve 23, is operatively connected to and dissuch manner that the clutch is released and the 45 sleeve 23, operatively disconnected from shaft 20, and at rest, when the detector arm I23, is in normal forward position shown by dotted lines Fig. 4, as when there is no bottle to force the sleeve 23, is driven by and rotating with shaft 20, so long as the arm I23, is held in the rearward position, approximately as shown by full lines Fig. 4, by the unbroken succession of bottles advancing into star wheel 1, whereby the initial feeder and the screw conveyer shafts, are actuated, to successively deliver disks to said shafts and from said shafts to the disk applying swing arm 62, etC. 0 As an example, we show a vertical rock shaft I24, with the detector arm I23, fixed to and projecting laterally from its lower end. This rock shaft is carried by and mounted in a bracket I 25, fixed to and projecting forwardly from the upper 5 supporting frame I22, of the machine.

- A crank arm I26, is rigid with and projects laterally from the upper end of rock shaft I24, and this crank arm I26, is operatively coupled by push and pull connecting rod I21, with the upwardly 7o projecting crank arm I28, rigid with horizontal transverse rock shaft I29, mounted in the r portion of frame I22, adjacent to the sleeve 23, and clutch 24. The rock shaft I29, is provid d with a rearwardly projecting crank arm I 30, 11814 ends of arm I30, and lever l3l, are pivotally joined to swing vertically together and against independent vertical swing, and the vertical coiled expansion spring I33, is secured to frame I22,

and to the free end of lever I3I, to yieldingly hold the lever in, and to constantly act to return it to clutch releasing orunlocking position, in this example at'its'limit of upward movement, and to yieldingly hold the detector arm I23, in'and constantly acting to" return the same to its normal 7 forward position shown by' dotted lines Fig. 4,

as is possible when no bottle is present to push said arm rearwardly. Thus, when the detector arm I23, is pushed to its rearwardposition by an advancing bottle and is thus held by an unbroken succession of said bottles, the crank arm I30, holds the clutch controlling lever I3I, depressed in inoperative position against the tension of spring I33, and so long as said lever is thus held in inoperative position, the clutch is in operative adjustment and driving position with the sleeve 23, driving both the initial feeder 3, and the screw conveyers 34, 35, and disks d, are delivered'to the swing arm 62, etc. in timed relation to the advancing bottles, to ,cause deposit of adisk on each bottle.

HoweverQshould a bottle be missing, for any reason, from the procession being delivered to star wheel H2, the detector arm I23, will under the power of spring I33, swing forward, permitting arm I30 and lever I3l, to swing upwardly, thus restoring lever I 3|, to its normal position wherein it cooperates with the clutch to operatively disconnect sleeve 23, from its drive shaft 20, whereupon the sleeve comes to rest and the "feeder ceases to deliver disks to the conveyer screws and the screws cease delivery of disks for application to the bottle heads.

, v The clutch and its operating or controlling lever can be of any suitable type or types, although we happen to show a spring-impelled pin type clutch with the clutch controlling lever I3I provided with a cam for withdrawing the spring impelled locking pin of the clutch. However, we do not wish to, 'so limit our invention.-

In the example shown, the driving connections to various disk advancing mechanisms are so timed, that a diskwill be delivered to the screw conveyers, and a disk will\ be discharged from the screw conveyers at each complete revolution of said conveyers, and for-each bottle delivery to the bottlestoolat the bottle receiving station,

i. e. for eachstool as it arrives at said station, and with respect to the .particular star wheel ,II2 shown having six bottle recesses, for each I one-sixth of a revolution thereof, although we do not desire to so limit our invention. Also, in the particular example illustrated, the detector arm I23, determines the presence or absence of a bottle, in the first or receiving recess of star wheel II2, (Fig. 4) and-thus dete es whether a disk should be dropped into swing 'arm 62, etc. on the next complete rotation of the screw conveyers, in as much as the disk to be delivered on the bottle inthe star wheel recess/immediately in advance of the. recess guarded by detec-' .tor arm I23, is already in or is being delivered to said swing arm, 'andthe' delivery thereof to said bottle is being initiated as said bottle leaves its position shown by Fig. 4.

If so desired, a pivoted latch I34, can .be provided to temporarily or detachably lock the bottle detector mechanism in inoperative adjustment, with the detector arm I23, withdrawn from the bottle path and the clutch lever I3I, held in inoperative position andthe clutch in operative driving adjustment.

Operation for each screw shaft revolution, and said disk delivery from s'aiebconveyer is preferably timed with relation to the speed of rotation of the continuously rotating bottle stool and hood capping head rotors and the means feeding bottles thereto, to cause a disk delivery to said swing arm for each bottle stool arriving atthe bottle receiving station and for each bottle advancing to said station.

When starting the machine for hood capping a run of bottles, and presuming that all of the diskshad been previously exhausted from the conditioning chamber and the screw conveyer therein; the machine is operated to fill the screw conveyer in the conditioning chamber approximately to capacity before beginning to assemble bottles on the feed platform I09, for delivery to the star wheel 2. When the forced air heating system of the oven isin normal operation, the disks that have been carried by the screw conveyer through the oven and have arrived approximately at the discharge end thereof, have been subjected to the disk conditioning influences inthe oven for a sufiicient length of time to be in the proper state or condition for hood capping purposes. During normal operation, a long line of edgewise arranged parallei'rotating disks will be under constant advancing movement in the .oven oi' conditioning chamber, and these rotating disks in this example, will be spaced apart longitudinally of the screw shafts at least sufliciently for the free passage of-air between the disks, preferably to discharge a disk on each complete revolutionjof the coacting screw shafts, owing to. the fact that relatlvely cool disks were successively delivered to said screw shafts, preferably, at intervals equal to one for each complete/screw shaft revolution. The delivery of the conditioned .disks from the oven and screw conveyer therein, to the mechanical hand-or swing arm for deposit on the bottle heads while being advanced by the star wheel 2, is thus timed with the speed-of advance of the bottles, with the result that each bottle advancing from said mechanical hand carries a disk dl'properly positioned and centered on its head, and each such bottle is deposited. on successive bottle stools at the bottle receiving station.

The rotors 93am! I02, continuously rotate as 02?, with their complementary vertically mova e the. ccesslve stools that have received bottles carryin disksul-ati the bottle receiving station,

is and hood. capping heads, and hence,-

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