US2836314A - Container opening - Google Patents

Description

M y 27, 1958 1.. A. MUELLER 2,836,314

CONTAINER OPENING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1955 o L Q fITi-Z- INVENTOR. JAM REN E 441M UEL LEA y 7, 1958 L. A. MUELLER 2,836,314

CONTAINER OPENING Filed June 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: LAWRENCE A M UZ'LLEE.

BY ATTY:

United States Fatent O i CONTAINER OPENING Lawrence A. Mueller, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to The Fred Christen & Sons (10.,Toledo, ()hio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,083

8 Claims. (Cl. 214-305} This invention relates to rendering available sealed-in flowable contents of containers, more particularly by cutting and/or severance of the container wall.

This invention has utility when incorporated in equipment for recovering or salvaging, as for bulk reuse, of milk and other commodities as may be packaged in cardboard type of cartons, usually approximating a square cross-section and of varying height as the capacity scheduled therefor may require. The bottom is normally flat, while the remote or top end may be specially adapted to some type of pouring scheme. The program herein disclosed has to do with rapid slicing of a triangular crosssection from a bottom corner in transit along a trough, for draining of total contents forthwith to occur as the severed container sections may be otherwise salvaged or accumulated while the bulk milk may be available for commercially advantageous reuse.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention in a power-operated carton slicer with a trough over a tank;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carton slicer of Fig. l, with portions broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-4H, Fig. 2, showing the drive for the slicer knife and the trough thereto.

Fig. 4 is a partial section on the line 1V--1V of Fig. 2 showing the bafile curtain.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line VV of Fig. 1 showing the trough and drain means.

Swivel casters 1 are at the bottom ends of the four angle sheet metal legs 2 having weld 3 assembly thereof to the corners of a tank 4 having throughout rounded corners 5. There is a flow-ofi or discharge opening 6 for duct 7 connection in order that at all times the tank 4 may be self draining, and to such purpose, the legs 2 remote from the discharge 6 may be sufficiently longer, say to give at least a 2 downward pitch for the tank bottom.

An electric fitting 8 may plug in at a wall socket for electric current power supply conductor lines in a conduit 9 to a toggle switch 10 shown conveniently in proximity to the flow-off end of the tank 4. From the switch 10 electric conductors 11 extend to a motor 12 having hanger means 13 mounting this motor 12 below the tank 4.

Fixed on the motor shaft 14 is a pulley 15 from which a V-belt 16 extends upwardly about a pulley 17 (Fig. 3) fixed on a shaft 18 extending thru self-aligning bearings 19 to a peripherally continuous knife disk or blade 20.

- This embodiment of the invention comprises a 14" wide,

48" lonk tank 4, a l H. P. motor of 1750 R. P. lv'L, and a 1:1 transmission by the belt 16 is to a 12" diameter cutter 28. The tank 4 at its shallow end is 14" deep with an open top 21 bounded by an outstanding flange 22.

On the open top 21 of the tank 4 is telescopically mounted a trough 23. Spaced slightly upward from the open bottom of the trough is an angle seat 24 (Fig. 3) in- Ward of which extension end or bottom 2-5 protrudes to seat just inwardly of the tank open top 21. The trough body 23 extends upwardly from the angle 24, to a return bend top 26 with longer opposite sides of the oblong in drop wall portions 27. On the side away from the transmission 15, 16, 17, there is a downwardly pitched portion 23 meeting an upwardly pitched portion 29. With the por tion 28 upwardly inclined from V-base 30 at a 30 angle, and the portion 29 at a- 60 upward pitch, the inner faces at the base 3% approximate or a right angle. At spacing of about 2", there are A" diameter leak holes 31 at this base 30, with an interruption or gap slot'32 so as to leave clearance for the disk 20'to function. The trough walls proper 28, 29, have slight clearance, say 1" at each end, and this clearance33 prevents the overflow from accumulating at the base 30 Which'does not readily go out the ports 31 and still permits free discharge of the empty containers over the edge 22 of the tank 4. The slicing cutter 29 is not a sawing operation and therefore there is no contamination of the reclaimed commodity. A transparent lid or cover 34 extends along the top ribs 26 of the trough 23 from the discharge end gap 33 to leave a feed-in clearance 35 at the entrance end, exposing the trough proper 28, 29, for filled cartons to be deposited a bottom corner down at the base 30, for such cartons 36 to be thrust along the trough toward the cutter 20. The accumulation is normally such that the operator may push the ahead ones by ones following thereafter. However, as the final ones are introduced, the operator may remove from a hook 37 a fork 38 to be held against the last carton as such is pushed astride the cutter 20, as the upper edge of the rotating blade 29 rides actively thereinto. At the high speed of rotation for the blade 20, there is some tendency to throw out the liquid, but such is retained mostly in the tank and under the transparent cover 34. However at the entrance 35, bar 39 provides hanger means for a curtain 40 of parallel strips to ride down to the inclines 28, 29, of the trough. There is thus provided a flexible door opened by the cartons as they ride along in the trough, since the strips slide over the carton, regardless of its dimension, say half gallon to half pint, as all register corner-down, and there is not any throwing of the liquid by the cutter past the curtain 40 to establish an untidy or unsanitary condition for the feeding-in of the cartons.

Because the lid 34 is transparent, the operator may see directly the progress of the cartons as they are pushed along in abutting sequence. As the present batch is completed, the switch 10 may shut ed the power. Lifting of the lid 34, brings the curtain 40 along with it. At the seated position of the trough 23, there is a notch 41 to clear the shaft 18. With the trough out, the cutter 20 is exposed above the open top of tank 4, for cleansing.

Weld 42 anchors sheet metal box 43 with the tank 4 to locate the bearings 19 rigidly for holding the shaft 18. A slip-over housing 44 encloses the belt 16 and the pulleys 15, 17.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A commodity bulking equipment comprising: a linear trough having an approximate right angled V- shaped cross section to define a course for the lower corner edges of commodity charged containers of various sizes, said trough having apertures along its bottom, container splitting means comprising a vertical rotating knife edged disc situated in a slot in the bottom and between the ends of said trough, whereby a lower corner edge of each container is successively slit open so that the commodity therein is drained from said containers and passes through said slot and said apertures, and a bulk collection receptacle situated below'said apertures for receiv? rotating said cutter, and a cover for said trough over said v;

cutter, whereby the containers 'to be opened and drained are layed in and pushed along said trough and there cut 'open diagonally from their cornersresting in the V-shaped bottom of said trough by said cutter so the contents of said containers drains from said trough through said slot into said'tank. 7

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein'said cover has a transparent section therein.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said trough is telescopically mounted in said 'tank and is spaced at least from one end of said tank.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said i 4 a trough is spaced from at least one end of said tan whereby the commodity dischargedfrom said containers which accumulates in the bottom of said trough overflows said one end of said trough.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said trough comprises a plurality of holes along its bottom for draining the commodity discharged from said containers. V

7. An apparatus according to claim 2 including a flexible curtain atat least one end of said cover extending into said trough.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2 including means for emptying said tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,761,984 Frick June 3, 1930 2,131,499 Cruse Sept. 27, 1938 2,772,009

Plusquellic Nov. 27, 1956

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