US2885851A - Capping heads - Google Patents

Description

May 12, l959 I E. TL ALDINGTON 2,885,851 v I CAPPING HEADS 'Filed sept. so, 1955 i INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O CAPPING HEADS Elmer T. Aldington, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Can Company, New York,

.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 30, 1955, Serial No. 537,778 1 Claim. (Cl. 53357) This invention relates to a capping or sealing head for securing and sealing caps or closures on containers.

The invention relates more particularly to a capping or sealing head adapted for folding and crimping a closure or cap of ilexible material, such as metal foil or aluminum foil, on the upper end of paper or cardboard containers.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a capping or sealing head of the character described, so constructed and so functioning that the pressure on the container wall during the sealing operation will be so regulated that the wall will not bend or buckle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a capping or sealing head of the character described, so constructed and so functioning that the upper edge of the container will be confined or held against any radial expansion during the sealing operation.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the head, the parts being shown in the positions taken before the cap is applied to the container;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of the head after the movement to capping or sealing position; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2 but showg one edge of the head on an enlarged scale.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the capping or sealing head comprises a cup-shaped casing having a flared lower end 11 which merges into a cylindrical wall 12. The top 13 of the casing has a central opening 14 in which is slidably mounted a post or spindle 1S.

On the lower end of the post there is mounted a disk 20 to which is secured, as by screws 21, a second disk 22. The disk 22 at its outer periphery has a downwardly extending flange 23 and a groove 24 within the ange. A spring 2S is interposed between the top 13 and the upper disk 20 and normally forces the disk and spindle downwardly, this downward movement being limited by a set screw 26 which extends into a longitudinal slot 27 in the spindle 15.

A resilient or elastic ring formed of rubber or other suitable material is shown at 30 and attention is particularly directed to Fig. 3. The inner periphery of the ring is clamped to disk 22 in any suitable manner and, as shown at 31, between the outer peripheries of the disks 20 and 22. The outer periphery or lower edge of the ring is enlarged and anged and when the sealing operation is not being performed the flange of the ring is disposed within the ared lower portion 11 of the cup-shaped casing 10.

In the form of the invention shown, the container o1' cup C to be capped or sealed is supported on a head 35 mounted on the upper end of a post 36. The container is raised and the upper edge thereof seats within the groove 24 and is conlned or held against radial expansion by means of the flange 23 on the outer edge of the disk 22. As the cup or container continues to be forced upwardly, the disks 20 and 22 will be forced upwardly against the action of the spring 25, and this spring is so regulated that the downward pressure on the cup will not be sufficient to buckle the wall of the cup or container. As the disks are moved upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Pig. 2, the elastic or resilient ring 3l) which engages the outer periphery of the vclosure or cap 34 will `be folded around the outer edge or rim of disk 22 which acts as a fulcrum and around the upper edge of the container, thus folding and clamping the periphery of the cap around the container top to seal the container. This folding action is caused by the engagement of the lower bulbous end 37 of the ring 30 with the flared portion 11 of the cup-shaped casing 10, and thereafter by the engagement of the outwardly extending portion of the ring 3th by the cylindrical wall 12 of the casing 18. This action is shown in Fig. 3.

During the sealing operation, the ring, because of the action of the cylindrical portion of the casing 10 with the outer portion of the rin is contracted, and in order to vfacilitate and permit this contraction the ring is provided with radial slots 38.

It will be understood that although relative movement of the capping mechanism and the container is necessary, the capping mechanism may be moved downwardly to engage the upper edge of the container or, as shown in the drawings, the container may be moved upwardly into engagement with the capping mechanism.

Attention is called to the fact that in the construction shown the resilient or elastic ring is securely held at its inner periphery or upper end between the disks 20 and 22 and the spring 25 is so constituted that there will be no tendency to collapse or buckle the container wall. Furthermore, the llange and groove at the outer edge of the disk 22 circumferentially engage the upper edge of the cup and hold it in position during the sealing operation.

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described it will be understood that the invention is capable of modication and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claim.

What I claim is:

A capping head for securing a flexible sealing disk over a container comprising a cup-shaped casing having an open lower end, said open end having a ared lower portion merging into a substantially cylindrical portion, a spindle slidably mounted in a central opening in the top of the casing, a pair of disks mounted on the lower end of the spindle, means for securing the disks together against relative movements, said bottom disk having a downwardly extending peripheral ange adapted to extend over and conine the upper edge of the container to be sealed, a resilient ring having its inner periphery clamped between the outer peripheries of said pair of disks and having its outer periphery extending over and around the outer edge portion of the bottom disk and over the sealing disk disposed within the ilared lower end of the casing prior to the capping operation, resilient means between the pair of disks and the top of the cup-shaped casing for pressing said disks and ring downwardly, and means for limiting said downward movement, said resilient ring and the vouter end of the sealing disk being forced around and beneath the periphery of the bottom disk by direct contact with the lower end of the cup-shaped casing as the casing is depressed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,343 Stone Sept. 2G, 1932 1,957,441 Bridge May 8, 1934 2,385,429 Underwood Sept. 25, 1945 2,469,191 Bedworth et al. May 3, 1949

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