US2783691A - Bottle ejecting mechanism for paper container making machines - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1957 B. A. WITTKUHNS z-rm. 2,783,691

BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES I Original Filed April 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q INVENTOR5.

BRUNO ILWI TK HNS.

GILBERT F- HILL AEOKNEX March 5, 1957 B A. WITTKUHNS ETAL BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTORS.

BRUNO A. WITI'KUHNS.

BY GILBER (ZHILL.

Ari'om/Ev.

March 1957 a. A. WITTKUHNS ETAL 2,783,691

BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM. FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVQNTORS. BRUNO A. WlT/KUHNS.

' IL ERT F- ILL, BY 1 5 m ATTORNEY March 5, 1957 B. A. WITTKUHNS arm. 2,783,691

BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS. BRUNO :9. WI T? K UHN amer F. HILL.

HTTORNE V.

March 1957 B. A. WITTKUHNS EI'AL 2,783,691

BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 zmnr m w mun VENTORS.

IN BRUNO A- WlTTKUHN5.,

GIL BERT E- HILL. BY M" HTTOKNE Y.

BOTTLE EJECTING MECHANISM FOR PAPER CONTAINER MAKING MACHINES Bruno A. Wittkuhns, Summit, and Gilbert F. Hill, Madison, N. J.

Original application April 26, 1951, Serial No. 223,011,

new Patent No. 2,719,466, dated October 4, 1955. Digfigfind this application June 19, 1953, Serial No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 9336) The present invention relates generally to machines for making paper containers, and more particularly is directed to improved mechanisms for ejecting bottleshaped paper containers from machines of the described character after the operations required for the production of such containers have been completed, and is a division of our co-pending and prior filed application, Serial No. 223,011, filed April 26, 1951, for Machine for Making Paper Containers, now Patent No. 2,719,466 dated October 4, 1955.

Paper containers have, prior to this invention, been made in various shapes and forms for holding milk, fruit juices and other liquid or free flowing materials. Certain of these previous paper containers have been formed to the general shape of glass bottles, that is, a shape or form including a cylindrical lower portion and a truncated conical, contiguous neck portion. Paper containers having the described shape are particularly desirable and convenient for the packaging and transportation or delivery of milk and other liquid products since such containers are suited for filling on existing standard glass bottle filling equipment and may be conveniently grasped and carried at the truncated neck portion thereof.

As shown in the co-pending applications of Bruno A. Wittkuhns, H. George D. Nutting and Gilbert F. Hill, Serial No. 85,781, filed April 6, 1949, now U. S. Patent No 2,642,785, Serial No. 85,782, filed April 6, 1949, now

United States Patent() Patent No. 2,642,784, and Serial No. 85,783, filed April I 6 1949, now Patent No. 2,674,929, paper containers simulating the shape of glass bottles may each be formed from a rectangular blank and a curved blank, cut from respective continuous webs or strips of paper, and paired for winding together into a container body of double-ply construction, with the curved blank providing the truncated conical neck portion of the body and being interleavened during the winding operation with the rectanr gular blank which forms the cylindrical portion in a manner to form a mid-sectional joint. The paper plies forming the container body are bonded together by an adhesive layer sandwiched therebetween, and the contracted end of the neck portion is spun over and shaped to form a reinforced mouth at that end of the container body for supporting and retaining a removable closure, while the large or bottom end of the container body is closed by a bottom disc having a depending marginal skirt which is spun inwardly together with the adjacent end portion of the container body to form a rolled bead sealing the bottom of the container body and providing a reinforced supporting base. In order to stiffen or strengthen the neck portion and to shape it for closely simulating the corresponding part of a glass bottle, the neck portion is formed with a plurality of longitudinal flutes extending from above the midsectional seam to the reinforced mouth.

A machine of the kind to which the present invention relates may comprise a first blank preparing assembly for successively cutting curved or arcuate blanks from a continous web or strip of paper, for separating the cut arcuate blanks from the remainder or waste of the paper web or strip, and for applying adhesive to suitable areas of each arcuate blank and crimping the trailing end portion of the blank as the latter is fed or transported to a winding station; and a second blank preparing assembly, operating in synchronism with the first blank preparing assembly, for applying printed matter to a continuous web or strip of paper at suitably spaced locations along the length thereof, for successively cutting the printed web or strip along spaced transverse lines to provide rectangular blanks and simultaneously crimping the trailing end portion of each rectangular blank, and for applying adhesive'to a suitable area of each rectangular blank while feeding or transporting such blank to the winding station in paired relation to a corresponding arcuate blank. Such a machine further includes a first mandrel supporting conveyor, preferably in the form of a turret, which is indexed periodically and in synchronisrn with the first and second blank preparing assemblies to carry at spaced apart locations along the path of travel of the mandrels, as defined by the movement of the turret. These operating stations in the order in which they are arranged include the Winding station at which devices are located for winding each pair of arcuate and rectangular blanks fed thereto onto the mandrelthen in dwelling position at the winding station to form a wound container body on the mandrel; a pressing station having a device located thereat for pressing the wound container body on the mandrel in dwelling position at the pressing station to compress the midsectional seam and the longitudinal seam of the truncated conical portion of the container body and thus provide a secure bond; a mouth spinning station at which devices are located for spinning engagement with the contracted end of the container body'on the mandrel in dwelling position at the spinning station to form a reinforcing rolled bead at the mouth of the container body; and a stripping station at which devices are located for removing the container body axially from the mandrel in dwelling position at the stripping station. In order to facilitate the spinning operations which form the reinforcing beads at the month end and base end of the container body and to prevent burning of the latter during such operations, a paratfin applying unit is arranged adjacent the path of travel of the Inandrels, between the pressing and mouth spinning stations, for depositing small quantities of parafiin onto each container body, adjacent the opposite ends thereof, as the supporting mandrel is being indexed to the mouth spinning station. Each machine of the described character still further includes a second conveyor, preferably in the form of a turntable, which carries a series of container body receiving cells successively to and from dwelling position at a plurality of operating stations arranged at spaced apart locations along the path of travel of the cells, as defined by the movement of the turntable. The operating stations associated with the cell carrying turntable, in the order in which they are arranged, include a loading station aligned with the stripping station associated with the turret so that a cell dwelling at the loading station is in position to receive a container body as the latter is removed from its supporting mandrel; a flirting, mouth shaping and glue applying station at which devices are located for simultaneously forming longitudinal flutes in theneck portion of the container body in the cell dwelling at the related station, initially shaping the bead at the mouth of that container body so that a removable closure will be retained therein, and applying glue to the inner surface of that container body adjacent skirt or marginal wall portion of the bottom member engages against the band of adhesive applied to the container body at the preceding station, and for completing the shaping of the bead at the mouth of the container body in the cell dwelling at the bottom punching and inserting station; a bottom spinning station at which devices are located for spinning engagement with the bottom end of the container body to roll the bottom end portion together with the skirt of the bottom member inwardly thus sealing the bottom of the container body and forming a reinforcing and supporting base for the container body, and for supporting the bottom member in position within the container body carried by the cell dwelling at the bottom spinning station during the performance of the bottom spinning operation; and an ejecting station at which devices embodying the present invention are located for pneumatically removing the container body from the cell dwelling at the ejecting station.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the described character capable of producing paper containers automatically, economically and without imperfections at high production speeds.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the described character with mechanism at an ejecting station for jarring each completed container loose from the structure conveying it during the final forming operations and then for pneumatically removing the loosened container from the'conveyor.

Another specific object is to ensure that the pneumatic removal of the completed container from its conveying structure is unfallibly eifected so that, after passing by the ejecting station, the conveyor is conditioned to receive incomplete container bodies and there is no need to halt the operation of the machine to effect manual removal of completed containers remaining on the conveyor.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the described character including a conveyor for carrying container bodies to dwelling position at an ejecting station, and pneumatically operated mechanism at the ejecting station including a blow-out tube designed to be displaced axially into a container body dwelling at said ejecting station, a cup-shaped memher on the blow-out tube to extend over the mouth portion of the container body when the tube is displaced into the latter for jarring the body loose from the conveyor, and means admitting compressed air into the blow-out tube when the latter enters the container body to thus eject the latter from the conveyor while the cup-shaped member substantially seals the month end of the container body to provide a substantial ejecting force.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are achieved by providing a paper container forming machine of the described character having a turntable mounted to rotate in a horizontal plane, a series of container body receiving cells arranged in circumferentially spaced relationship around the peripheral portion of the turntable to each support a container body with its open mouth end lowermost, stations arranged successively in spaced relationship adjacent the path of travel of the cells and including a container ejecting station, and mechanism for driving the turntable to efiect stage-by-stage advance of the cells to and from residence at the successive stations; with the mechanism at the container ejecting station comprising a vertical air cylinder mounted below the turntable, a piston head verticaliy reciprocatable in the air cylinder, an air tube open at its opposite ends, the lower end of the air tube being secured CJI v4 to the piston head while the upper end of the air tube projects through the upper end of the air cylinder, at vertical valving member extending upwardly from the bottom of the air cylinder and formed to telescope into the lower end portion of the air tube, a cup-shaped member secured on and surrounding the upper end portion of the air tube and positioned and formed to engage axially against and enclose the mouth end portion of a container body in a cell at the ejecting station when the air tube is stroked upwardly to such an extent that a portion of the valving member is still engaged in the air tube, and means for supplying compressed air to the cylinder below the iston head to stroke the latter and the air tube upwardly for initially jarring a container body loose from its receiving cell by impact of the cup-shaped member against the mouth end of the container and then to move the air tube oil the valving member so that compressed air can flow through the air tube and axially into the container for pneumatically ejecting the latter with the cup-shaped member continuing to surround the mouth end of the container during initial ejecting movement of the latter to ensure that the full ejecting force of the compressed air will act on the ejected container for a period of time which is sutficient to provide forceful ejection.

. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of a specific embodiment, while the invention consists of the novel combinations, arrangements of part and details of construction set forth in the description and shown in the drawings and then more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a machine for making paper containers and having container ejecting mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the machine shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view, with the lower turret partly broken away, showing the several devices lo cated below that turret; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of an ejecting device,

.taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, a machine 10 of the described character in which the container bodies are formed is there seen to include a substantially rectangular base 11 having two upstanding support members 12 and 13 adjacent one end and a pedestal or support 14 substantially at the center of the front portion of the base. An L-shaped frame member 15 has one leg extending forwardly, or toward 'the viewer in Fig. 1, and mounted on the support mem bers 12 and 13, and its other leg extending longitudinally of the base 11 to rest upon a lug 16 extending from pedestal 14. The continuous paper strip or web from which the arcu-ate blanks are formed is stored in the form of a roll 17 which is rotatably mounted between brackets 18 extending forwardly from the support members 12 and 13. The paper strip is drawn off the top of roll 17 toward the rear and is fed to a curved blank cutting assembly which is mounted above the forwardly extending" leg of frame 15 by an auxiliary frame part 19 and is generally indicated by the reference numeral 28. Positioned after the curved blank cutting assembly 20, described above, is a separator assembly 1% constructed to perform a dual function. The separator assembly first serves to dispose of the paper scrap so that it will not interfere with the further advancing of the curved blanks, and also serves to advance and swing or turn the blanks to the required position for further movement along a conveyor to the winding station. It is necessary to swing or turn the curved blanks after they have been cut in order to satisfy the dual requirements of economy in the use of paper, that is, cutting the blanks from-the paper strip so that a minimum of paper is wasted, and of efliciency in holding the overall dimensions of the machine to a minimum for easy installation and servicing.

A conveyor assembly 130 is mounted on the longitudinally extending leg of the frame (Fig. l) to receive the curved blank after the latter has been turned on the separator assembly 100 described above and then advance the curved blank to the winding station while glue is applied to selected areas of the blank and the trailing end portion is crimped.

Since the curved blank is destined to form the t'rustoconical neck part of the container and must be wound on the suitably tapered frusto-conical portion of the mandrel 181 at the winding station, a problem i presented infeeding the curved blank to the tapering surface of the mandrel without twisting or warping the blank. This is accomplished by a turntable assembly which feeds the curved blank along a circular path in a plane inclined relative to the horizontal so that the leading end of the blank tangentially approaches the mandrel at the bottom of the latter.

The operations of the cutting assembly, separator assembly, conveyor assembly and turntable assembly are all integrated and synchronized to successively cut curved blanks and advance the same to the take-up or winding station in position for winding on the frusto-conical portion of the mandrel 181 then residing at the winding station. While these assemblies are successively performing the respective functions, other mechanisms are simultaneously operating during each cycle to provide a suitably formed rectangular blank positioned at the winding station in proper relation to the curved blank for winding with the latter onto the mandrel to form the container body.

The mechanism for preparing the rectangular blanks for winding draws a continuous strip or web of paper from a roll, applies printed matter to the strip at suitably spaced locations, and then, during movement along a rectangular blank feeder or conveyor 230 (Fig. 3), cuts the strip into rectangular sections or blanks while simultaneously crimping the trailing end portion of each blank, applies glue to the trailing half of the upper surface of each blank and forwards the glued blanks to the winding station while registering each blank longitudinally and laterally relative to the corresponding one of the curved or arcu-ate blanks and relative to the mandrel at the winding station.

The mechanism for preparing the rectangular blanks is carried by a cantilever support 214 extending rearwardly from the central support pedestal 14 (Fig. 3) and having brackets 215 at its rear end between which a roll of paper 216 is rotatably mounted. Upstanding frame members 217 and 218 are mounted on the cantilever support 214, adjacent the rear and forward ends, respectively, of the latter, and a printing unit 219 is positioned between these frame members.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, an upper turret assembly 272 is rotatably mounted on a turret supporting frame 273 which extends longitudinally of the base 11 and is supported at one end on the central pedestal 14 and at the other end on a frame member 274 extending upwardly from the base at the end of the latter remote from the cutting assembly 20. For the present it c is sufii-cient to state that the turret is driven to provide for the rotation of the hub 27s through an angle of 90 for each cycle of the machine, with the hub being maintained for a predetermined interval at an indexed position during each cycle.

A radially extending mandrel assembly 181 is mounted on each of the four flat side faces of the hub 276 for swinging movement with the latter along an orbital path which lies in a vertical plane in front of the frame 273. The axis of rotation of the hub is disposed so that, when each mandrel assembly 181 reaches the horizontal position extending toward the conveyor assembly- 80, that conical portions thereof.

After the paired rectangular and curved blanks have been wound upon the mandrel to form a container body encasing the mandrel shell, the turret is rotated in a clock-wise direction as viewed from the front to next position the container body carrying mandrel at a pressing station, which station is located at the top center of the orbital path followed by the mandrels. A pressing assembly 330 (Fig'. l) is disposed at the pressing station and operates on the container body carried by the mandrel in residence at the related station to press together the doubled layers of the curved blank forming the conical portion of the body and to press the lower edge of the curved blank onto the underlying portion of the rectangular blank forming the cylindrical portion of the body so that a secure and tight bond is obtained at the several seams and between the doubled layers.

From the pressing station the container body supporting mandrel is moved to a mouth forming station, by further rotation of the upper turret 272 through an angle of 90, at which station a rolled bead or rim is formed on the end of the conical portion of the container body by a spinning operation. However, in moving from the pressing station to the mouth forming station, each container body supporting mandrel 181 sweeps past a waxpot assembly 337 (Fig. l) which applies paraffin or wax to the container body adjacent its opposite ends to act as a lubricant during subsequent spinning operations.

A mouth spinner assembly 345 (Figs. 1 and 2) is located at the mouth forming station which is diametrically opposed to the winding station and operates to form a rolled bead or rim on the conical end of the container body carried by the mandrel then residing at the mouth spinning or forming station.

After the rolled bead or rim has been formed on the conical end of the container body to define a mouth, the upper turret 272 is further indexed through 90 to position the container body supporting mandrel at a stripping or transfer station, at which station the mandrel extends vertically down from the turret hub. A transfer assembly 366 (Fig. 1) is located at the stripping or transfer station to remove the container body from the mandrel at that station.

A lower turret assembly, generally indicated by the reference numeral 393 (Figs. 1 and 4), which receives the container body at the stripping or transfer station includes a turntable having a circular table portion 394 and a depending, hollow base portion within which a king pin or fixed pedestal extends for rotatably supporting the turntable. The king pin extends vertically from the base 11 ofthe machine and is positioned so that the six equally spaced container body receiving cells carried by the turntable and each generally indicated by the numeral 397 and mounted on the turntable, travel along a circular path which at the transfer station is in vertical alignment with a vertical line passing through the axis of rotation of the upper turret. While the drive of the upper turret is arranged to index it one-quarter of a revolution during each cycle of the machine, the drive of the lower turret assembly, having six equally spaced container body receiving cells 397, is arranged to index the turntable only onesixth of a revolution during each cycle of the machine.

Each of the cells 397 is formed to receive a container body in inverted position and to prevent falling through of the body. The container body, when positioned in the cell, hasits month end extending substantially below the turntable and its base end extending above the top surface of the turntable. Further, each cell 397 preferably includes clamping means for holding the container body in the related cell, and operative to produce a moderate clamping action when the cell is located at a glue applying, fluting and mouth shaping station, and a strong clamping action while the cell is indexed to two subsequent stations at which a bottom is inserted in the supported container and the mouth end of the latter is further shaped or finished and at which the base end of the container and the bottom are rolled together in a spinning operation, while the clamping means are completely re leased during residence of the cell at a following ejection station and at the loading or transfer station.

After receiving the container body at the transfer station, indicated at A in Fig. 4, the lower turret is indexed one-sixth of a revolution, in a clockwise direction 'as viewed from the top, to position the container body supporting cell 397 at the fluting, mouth shaping and glue applying station, indicated at B in Fig. 4. A glue applying and anvil assembly 416 (Fig.2) is positioned above the turntable and a flute forming and mouth shaping assembly 417 (Fig. 4) is positioned below the turntable at station B.

The glue applying and anvil assembly 41d and the flute forming and mouth shaping assembly 417 cooperate to apply a band of adhesive on the internal surface of the container body at station B adjacent the base end of the container body, to form axially extending flutes in the conical portion of that container body so that the conical portion assumes substantially the shape of a conventional glass bottle neck, and to roughly shape the inner surface of the rim or bead at the mouth end of the container body to provide an annular groove destined to receive and retain the periphery of a conventional bottle top or cap. These assemblies may be constructed in the manner disclosed in the United States patent application of Bruno A. Wittkuhns, H. George D. Nutting and Gilbert P. Hill, Serial No. 85,782, filed April 6, 1949, now Patent No. 2,642,784 dated January 23, 1953, or in the manner disclosed particularly in our co-pending application, Serial No. 370,768 filed June 16, 1953, now Patent No. 2,719,465 dated October 4, 1955, for Bottom Gluing and Fluting Mechanism for Paper Container Making Machines, or in any other manner suitable to deliver container bodies in the necessary condition to the devices embodying the present invention.

When the operations performed at the flu-ting, glue applying and mouth shaping station B have been completed, the cell 397 carrying a container body is next moved to a bottom inserting and mouth shaping station C (Fig. 4) by further indexing the lower turret turntable one-sixth of a revolution. At this station, a bottom punching and inserting assembly 484 (Fig. 2) is located above the turntable, While a second swager assembly 485 (Fig. 4) is located below the turntable 394 to further shape and smooth the mouth of the container body.

The bottom punching and inserting assembly 484 at station C is operative, during the residence of a container body receiving cell at that station, to cut or punch a circular blank from a continuous paper strip, to form or shape the circular blank into a cup-shaped bottom forming member having an upstanding peripheral flange, and then to insert the cup-shaped bottom forming member into the base end of the container body with the peripheral flange at the bottom forming member being in contact with the band of adhesive applied at the preceding station.

The paper strip is fed to the bottom punching and forming assembly 484 from a paper roll 539 (Figs. 1

and 2) rotatably mounted at the adjacent end of the machine by a feeding device 540 (Fig. 2) which intermittently advances the paper strip during the indexing of the lower turret 393.

The next indexing movement of the lower turret turn- Cir table 394 carries the container body having a bottom member inserted therein from the bottom punching, forming and inserting station C, at which the mouth is'also further shaped, to a bottom spinning station D (Fig. 4), at which the base edge portion of the container body and the flange of the bottom member are rolled together to form a sturdy and leak-proof rolled joint which serves as a support base for the completed container.

To perform this function, a bottom spinner assembly 549 (Fig. l) is disposed above the lower turret turntable, and a bottom erector assembly 55%) (Fig. 4) is disposed below the turntable, both assemblies being located at the bottom spinning station D.

The bottom erector assembly 55!) (Fig. 4) operates to support the bottom member of the container 'body in rcsideuce at the bottom spinning station D while the spinner is rolling the base edges thereof.

Further indexing of the lower turret turntable carries the completed container body, in mouth down position, from the bottom spinning station D to the container body ejecting station E (Fig. 4), at which station the con tainer body is pneumatically removed upwardly from its supporting cell by an ejecting assembly 594 (Figs. 4 and 5) there located below the turntable 394 and constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The ejecting assembly 5% includes a vertical cylinder 595 having a hollow blow-out tube 5% extending slidably through the vented cover 5 thereof. A piston 598 is fixed on the lower end of the blow-out tube 596 and a fixed valve rod 599 extends vertically in the cylinder to engage in the blow-out tube until the lower end of that tube has been raised sufficiently to clear the top end of the valve rod. A spring 600 is interposed between the cylinder head and the piston to cushion the upward movement of the blow-out tube and to resiliently urge the blow-out tube downwardly to its inoperative position below the path of travel of the mouths of the supported container bodies.

During the dwell interval of the turntable 3%, compressed air is admitted to the air cylinder 5% below the piston 598 therein, thus driving the piston and blow-out tube upwardly. A cup-shaped head 601 is 'fixed on the upper end of the blow-out tube 596, and upward movement of the latter tube positions the head to receive the mouth portion of the container body at the ejecting station E in the annular space 692 between the head 601 and upper end of the tube 596. Further upward movement of the tube 596 causes the cup-shaped head to strike against the conical portion of the container, without striking the mouth rim or bead thereof, to jar the container loose from its supporting cell, and in this elevated position of the tube its lower end clears the valve rod 599 so that compressed air may now enter the blow-out tube 596 to be directed upwardly into the container body for blowing the latter upwardly into a suitable discharge conduit 693 (Fig. 1) extending from above the turntable at the ejecting station. The cup-shaped head 601 continues to surround the mouth end of the container body during the initial upward movement of the latter to ensure that the full pressure of the air flowing out of the air tube 5% continues to act upon the container for an appreciable in terval of time and thereby to provide forceful pneumatic ejection of the container from its cell. When the flow of compressed air to the cylinder S95 is interrupted, gravity and the spring 6051 move the piston and blow-out tube downwardly to the rest position. The flow of compressed air to the cylinder is controlled to occur only during the dwell interval of the lower turret.

It will be noted that, although the turntable has six cells thereon and is indexed one-sixth of a revolution during each cycle of the machine only five operating stations are provided along the circular path of travel of the cells. The sixth station F (Fig. 4), following the ejecting station E, is utilized as an inspection or detecting station for determining whether the cell is empty and in condition to receive a container body at the subsequent transfer or loading station A.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that ejecting devices embodying the present invention act automatically to first jar the container loose in its receiving cell and then to pneumatically eject the loosened container from the cell thereby ensuring that the cell will be emptied at the ejecting station even when the clamping action of the cell on the container has not been completely released. Thus, the successive cells in the turntable arrive at the transfer or loading station in condition to receive container bodies and there is no need to stop the operation of the machine for the purpose of manually removing containers which should have been ejected at the ejecting station. Although the disclosed embodiment of the nvention has been illustrated and described in connection with the ejection of container bodies from the successive cells of a particular paper container making machine, it is apparent that such ejecting devices can be employed in other paper container making machines for a similar purpose.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and shown in detail, by way of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that changes and modifications, obvious to one skilled in the art, may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bottle shaped container forming machine of the described character having a turntable mounted to rotate in a horizontal plane, a series of container body receiving cells arranged in circumferentially spaced relationship around the peripheral portion of the turntable to each support a container body with its open month end lowermost, several stations arranged successively in spaced relationship adjacent the path of travel of the cells and including a container ejecting station, and driving mechanism associated with the turntable to etfect stage-by-stage advance of the cells to and from residence at the successively arranged stations; devices at said container ejecting station comprising a vertical air cylinder mounted below said turntable, a piston bead vertically reciprocatable in said air cylinder, an air tube open at its opposite ends, the lower end of said air tube being secured to said piston head and the other end thereof projecting slidably through the upper end of said air cylinder, :1 fixed valving member extending vertically in said air cylinder from the bottom of the latter and formed to telescope into said lower end of the air tube, a cup-shaped member on the upper end portion of said air tube positioned and formed to engage axially against and surround the mouth end of a container in a cell at said ejecting station when said air tube is stroked upwardly to such an extent that said valving member is still engaged in said air tube, and means for supplying compressed air to said air cylinder below said piston head to stroke the latter and said air tube upwardly for initially jarring a container loose from its receiving cell and then to move said air tube off said valving member so that compressed air may flow into said air tube to pneumatically eject the loosened container upwardly.

2. Pneumatic mechanism for ejecting a container from its supporting cell including in combination, an air cylinder. a piston head desi ned to reci rocate in said air cylinder, an air tube having open ends, one end of said air tube being fixed to said piston head and the other end thereof projecting through the head end of said air cylinder, a valving member axially arranged in said cylinder, said valving member having one end thereof fixed to the base end of said air cylinder and the other end thereof arranged to telescope into and out of the adjacent end of said air tube when said air tube and associated piston head are reciprocated, bumper means fixed to said air tube outside of said cylinder, and means for supplying compressed air to said air cylinder between said base end of the latter and said piston head to stroke said air tube and thereby initially drive said bumper means against the adjacent end of the container body to loosen said contained body from its supporting cell and, after said tube moves off said valving member, to inject compressed air through said air tube into the container to pneumatically eject the container from its supporting cell.

3. Pneumatic mechanism for ejecting a container from its supporting cell including in combination, an air cylinder, a piston head designed to reciprocate in said air cylinder, an air tube having open ends, one end of said air tube being fixed to said piston head and the other end thereof projecting through the head end of said air cylinder, a valving member axially arranged in said air cylinder, said valving member having one end thereof fixed to the base end of said air cylinder and the other end thereof arranged to telescope into and out of the adjacent end of said air tube when said air tube and associated piston head are reciprocated, bumper means fixed to said air tube outside of said cylinder, and means for supplying compressed air to said air cylinder between the base end of the latter and said piston head to stroke said air tube and thereby initially drive said bumper means against the adjacent end of the container body to loosen said container body from its supporting cell and, after said tube moves ofl? said valving member, to inject compressed air through said air tube into the container to pneumatically eject the container from its supporting cell, and an air chute having an open end positioned adjacent said supporting cell operative to convey the ejected container from the machine.

4. Pneumatic mechanism for ejecting a container from its supporting cell according to claim 2, wherein said bumper means includes a cup-shaped head fixed on said air tube adjacent said other end of the latter and opening toward said other end of the air tube to closely receive the month end portion of the container when said air tube is extended into the open mouth of the latter so that, during the initial movement of the container under the influence of the compressed air emitted from said air tube, said cup-shaped head continues to surround the mouth end portion of the container to substantially prevent escape of compressed air from the latter and thereby to ensure forceful pneumatic ejection of the container from its supporting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,928 Taylor Mar. 28, 1911 1,987,362 Cooley Jan. 8, 1935 2,039,626 Raiche May 5, 1936 2,190,352 Crowley Feb. 13. 1940

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