An apparatus for mounting caps onto fluid containers in a predetermined particular orientation relative to the fluid containers. Caps are drawn from a source of caps and placed singly, in succession, on a cap seat which is in a particular known orientation. Each cap is taken, while on the cap seat, to a delivery position. During transfer to the delivery position, each cap is aligned into a known particular orientation. A device for picking up the caps takes each cap from the cap seat to a container and mounts the cap onto a waiting fluid container, in the desired predetermined orientation with respect to the fluid container. The device includes an operatively associated clamp that supports the fluid container about a flange around the neck to prevent crushing of the fluid container during mounting of the caps.
The apparatus for applying closures to containers having a neck which is inclined with respect to a vertical axis of the containers comprises: a first conveyer and a second conveyer for transferring the containers in succession. A closure application conveyor receives containers from the first conveyor and transfers them to the second conveyer. The closure application conveyor is provided with a plurality of clamps for gripping the containers arriving from the first conveyer, and is provided with a plurality of closure application heads whose respective lines of action are inclined with respect to a vertical axis. Actuation devices are provided which rotate the clamps in both directions about the vertical axes of the related containers in order to align the axes of the necks with the lines of action of the respective closure application heads.
An improved cap tightening turret is of the type which includes a plurality of cap tightening spindles. The cap tightening spindles are mounted around the outer periphery of the turret. The turret includes a number of pedestals for respectively supporting a plurality of containers. Each of the spindles is for supporting a cap with each pedestal for movement of the neck of the container thereon into the spindle for causing the cap to be tightened by rotation onto the container. Each of the containers has an outwardly extending handle. A first type of container has the handle thereof disposed at a first radial distance thereon and a second type of container has a handle thereof disposed at a second radial distance thereon with the second radial distance being larger than the first radial distance. The improvement includes a single rotational prevention element mounted on each spindle. The single rotational prevention element extends towards the container for circumferential abutting alignment only with the handle thereof. The rotational prevention element includes selective adjustment means for selectively adjusting a relative radial position thereof with respect to the spindle to a first position for alignment with the handles of the first type of container and to a second position for alignment of the handle of the second type of container.
A filling method is disclosed, which comprises a step of filling a content into a bottle 1 and a step of fitting a cap 2 on the bolt 1 with the content charged thereinto. The bottle 1 is conveyed in a state held by a bottle container 3 on a conveyor, while the cap 2 is conveyed in a state held by a cap holder 4 on a conveyor.
A bucket lidding system for placing rotationally oriented lids on unlidded buckets being conveyed on a conveyor and subsequently seating the lids onto the buckets. A lid conveyer introduces to the system a vertical stack of bucket lids wherein each lid has a fitting. After the entire stack of bucket lids is raised such that a top lid of the stack is positioned at a selected height, a mechanism lifts and holds the top lid and transports that lid to a position over another conveyer where a lidless bucket is being conveyed. During this lid transportation, the held lid is being rotated under a fitting sensing sensor, which instructs the lid rotation to be stopped when the lid has a desired rotational orientation with respect to the lidless bucket. When a sensor senses the bucket on the bucket conveyer means, the oriented lid is released and drops a short distance onto the bucket. The bucket with the unseated lid then continues on the conveyor in the system and passes beneath a lid press plate, which is driven downward to thereby seat the lid on the bucket. The press plate is designed to move along the conveyer at a speed approximately equal to the bucket speed such that during lid seating the bucket need not be stopped.
An orientationally sensitive closure for mounting to a container in a specific orientation includes a closure body and a flange. A spout portion extends from one side of the flange and an orienting projection extends from a side of the flange opposite of the spout. The flange and spout can be coaxial with one another, with the spout centrally disposed thereon. The projection extends from the flange in a non-coaxial relation to the spout and flange. An apparatus for orienting the closure prior to mounting to a container includes a body defining inlet and outlet regions extending along a longitudinal axis of the body. Flange and projection receiving channels extend between the inlet and outlet regions. The flange channel defines a substantially straight-through path through the apparatus, along the longitudinal axis. The projection channel defines a path having at least two bends therein defining a portion generally transverse to the longitudinal axis. The closure rotates as it traverses through the apparatus to orient the closure so that a trailing edge of the closure adjacent the projection is last discharged from the apparatus.
