US2579925A - Temperature control for feeding cans - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 25, 1951 JACKSON 2,579,925

TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR FEEDING CANS Filed March 22, 1946 1 13 aw/E3010 W E W/ Gnome-gs Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEMPERATURE CggROL FOE. FEEDING George F. Jackson, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Continental Can- Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a

corporation oi New York.

Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 656,309

4 Claims. (CL 22670) at a desired degree of heat. Itis important to interrupt the filling operation in the event the fluid cools and when that occurs it is essentialto arrest the feed of the empty cans to the filling machine, so that cans will not be filled and sealed. at a temperature below that. required to. properly preserve the contents of the sealed can.

An object of my invention is to provide simple and, efiectlve means to check the feed of empty cans to the filling machine as soon as the liquid in the latter cools below the normal temperature.

A further object or my invention is to carry out the above purpose without stopping the operation of filling those cans which have already been delivered to the turret of the filling machine.

A still further object of my invention is to efiect the stoppage oi the can feed when the liquid: in the bowl the filling machine is depleted.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

In many instances, filling machines are designed to be stopped whenever conditions in the bowl make this desirable. Such conditions may be depletion of the supply or its cooling. When the filling machine is then stopped, there are of course a number of. filled or partially filled cans on the filler turret and ahead of the sealing machine. It is obvious that if these cans were allowed to stand, the contents would cool and, if subsequently sealed at a temperature lowerthan normal, the product would spoil. Under the aforementioned condition, it has been the practice for the operator to remove the filled cans and return their contents to the filler-bowl or it these cooled cans have inadvertently been sealed, the. operator removes the sealed cans. from the line so they will not pass into storage with, other cans. which were sealed at the proper temperature. It frequently happens that the operator cannot distinguish these cans from those that have been filled and sealed at proper temperature.

My invention is designed to avoid such a situation. I have arranged to check the supply of the empty cans without, however, interfering with the completion. of filling those. cans which have reached the turretof the filling machine.

In order to illustrate the. invention, 1. have shown the preferred form on the accompanying drawings in. which:

Fig. l. is a diagrammatic view partly in vertical section of the improved temperature control as used with a filling machine and. its associated can feed, and

Fig. 2A is a view in elevation, somewhat enlarged, of the can stop mechanism itself.

The stop mechanism is shown as employed in connection with a machine for filling and. closin cans. The empty cans are led into a chute which discharges the cans one atter another, onto a timing mechanism which. delivers the cans to the filling machine in spaced relation to each other. This timing mechanism is so constructed that it receives the cans from the chute in. horizontal position and turns the cans as they are delivered to the. filling machine into a vertical position ready to be filled. In this way the cans are presented below the bowl of the. filling. machine and are in position to receive. measured quantities of liquid from the bowl in the usual manner.

The general arrangement of the can chute and means for controlling the delivery of; the cans by reference to a low level condition in the bowl of thefilling machine. is shown in the Ayars patent granted November 14, 1944, No. 2,362,792.

In my present arrangement the stoppage of the can feed is controlled directly from a drop in temperature in the bowl of the filling machine. This drop in temperature-may be due to the cooling of the. liquid in. the bowl. It. may also occur when the level of the liquid goes below a desired minimum. Related to this. is a provision by which the supply of heated liquid to the bowl is maintained normal. Departure from the normal rate of supply itself may thus be the cause for arresting. the feed of cans-from the chute.

I have illustrated a filling machine turret B which. is the customary bowl 8 to hold the hot liquid during the operation of filling a series of empty cans;

The hot liquid is supplied through teed pipe I and this, in turn,v is controlled by a valve 8.

A temperature responsive element 8 is supaovaoas 3 ported in the upper part of the bowl 8 at a desired level. The element 9 is intended to be placed above the low level III of liquid and below the normal high level II as indicated by the dotted lines.

The temperature responsive element may, for example, be a thermostat operating through an expansive fluid.

Valve actuating means i 2 is provided in association with the valve 8 and is controlled from the thermostat 9. The operation is such that the valve is normally closed. This condition exists when the element 9 is subject to the surrounding or proximate heated liquid in the bowl 6. This would normally be represented by the high level ii. If, however, the liquid falls to the level it below the element 9, valve 8 is opened and added heated liquid is supplied until the element 9 is submerged and the valve closed.

The supply of empty cans to the turret is provided by a combined conveyor and righting device I! similar to that shown in the above Ayars patent. The device i3 receives cans i4 singly from the bottom of a vertical chute l5. One wall ii of the chute I5 is vertically slotted to provide a passageway for a movable stop means.

The side wall I9 has a bracket I! on which the sto mechanism is mounted. The stop mechanism comprises a star wheel I8 of thin metal plate having a recessed periphery corresponding to the curvature of the cans to be fed. The star wheel I8 may be replaced by another of similar design but different size when the size of the can is varied. The curvature of the star wheel is notched at l9 for engagement with a latch.

The star wheel is mounted for free rotation upon a fixed shaft 20 extending horizontally from the bracket l1.

Above the star wheel l8, bracket i1 carries a solenoid 2|. This solenoid has a center plunger or armature 22 which forms a drop latch. The head 23 of the plunger is enlarged and has a vertical face to engage the notches l9 of the star wheel.

The plunger 22 is drawn up by the energized solenoid until it rests against the usual limit stop 24.

When the head 23 drops by gravity into a position opposite a notch I9 of the star wheel, it is supported by means of a transverse pin 25 which it carries and which contacts a fixed rest 26 extending out from the bracket.

A second temperature responsive element 21 is suspended near the bottom of the bowl 6 subject to the temperature of the liquid. This element is also preferably operated by expansive fluid. This fluid is delivered through an appropriate fine tube 28 to a pressure-operated electric switch 29. Switch 29 is in an electric circuit 30 connected to a source of electricity, preferably alternating current. The circuit 39 also includes the winding of the solenoid 2|. During normal operation, the element 21. due to the maintenance of normal temperature in the bowl 6 keeps the switch 29 closed and the plunger 22 retracted in the solenoid 2i. Under such conditions, the cans I 4 drop in succession through the chute l5 and through the righting means i3 where they are successively up-ended and delivered to the turret 9 for filling. The star wheel I 8 rotates freely with the cans as they fall through the chute.

When, however, an abnormal condition of temperature develops in the bowl 8, the element 21 responds to the fall in temperature and opens switch 29. Deenergization of the solenoid 2| allows the plunger latch to drop until pin 29 is stopped by rest 29. In this position as shown in Fig. 2, the head 23 of the plunger 22 engages 1 with the completion of the filling and sealing of the cans with the liquid therein at the desired temperature.

The sole purpose of element 9 is to maintain the level of the liquid in the bowl within desired limits. The element 9 is selected so as to be responsive to temperatures approximately 40 to 50 lower than the normal temperature in the bowl. the level II is reached, even though the temperature of the liquid in the bowl is below the normal temperature, thus preventing the overflow of the bowl when this low temperature would cause the element 21 to operate and cut off the flow of cans to the filler. The temperature of the liquid under these conditions is then brought up to normal again by manually closing a switch 32 in a circuit including a heating element 3| immersed in the bowl.

From the above description it will be manifest that'simple and effective means have been provided for momentarily arresting the feed of empty cans to a filling machine dependent upon drop in temperature in the liquid supply bowl. The operation is ositive. However, the normal feed is resumed immediately upon restoration of the bowl contents to the desired heated condition. While the preferred form has been illustrated, minor variation in design and arrangement can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a filler bowl for liquids,'a feeder for placing cans beneath the bowl, a chute for delivering cans to the feeder, a stop for cans in the chute, a temperature responsive element inthe filler bowl and a latch for the stop actuated by said element on an abnormal drop in the temperature within the filler bowl.

2. In combination,a filler bowl for liquids, a valved liquid inlet to the bowl, a temperature responsive element in the filler bowl, means actuated by said element for opening and closing the valve of the inlet when the level of vthe heated liquid varies within desired limits, a feeder for placing cans beneath the bowl, a chute for delivering cans to the feeder, a stop for cans in the chute, a second temperature responsive element in the filler bowl, a latch for the stop, and means actuated by said second named responsive element on an abnormal drop in the temperature within the filler bowl to engage the latch against the stop.

3. In combination a filler bowl for liquids, a feeder for placing cans beneath the bowl, a chute for delivering cans to the feeder, a stop for cans in the chute, a gravity operated latch for said stop, a temperature responsive element in the filler bowl and means actuated by the said element on an abnormal drop in the temperature Therefore, the valve 8 will close when wlthin the tiller bowl to release the latch for engagement with the stop.

4. In combination a. filler bowl for liquids, a feeder for placing cans beneath the bowl. a chute for delivering cans to the feeder, a stop for cans in the chute, a gravity operated latch for said stop. a temperature responsive element in the filler bowl and a relay circuit for holding the latch out of engagement with the stop but actuated by the said element on em abnormal drop in the temperature within the filler bowl to release the latch for engagement with the stop.

GEORGE F. JACKBON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED s'rxms PATENTS Numrer Name Date Johnson Nov. 24, 1914 Morris Sept. 22, 1925 Fink et a1. Mar. 8, 1932 Smalle Oct. 10, 1933 Waterstone Sept. 4, 1934 Troyer a--- Dec. 4, 1934 Troyer Dec. 4, 1934 Kaufman July 25, 1939 Ayers Nov. 14, 1944

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