Container rotator apparatus for a container manufacturing line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247848-B2
Application number	US-202017116574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 9, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A rotational device is provided that reorients a container from a first orientation to a second orientation in a manufacturing line and receives and reorients containers with different dimensions. The rotational device has an enclosed passageway defined by four continuous, turning surfaces that contribute to the ability of the rotational device to receive and reorient containers with different dimensions. In one embodiment, the passageway of the rotational device rotates 90 degrees in a clockwise manner. The bottoms of the different sized container are aligned with a right edge of an entrance of the passageway that corresponds to a surface that turns and defines the bottom edge of an exit of the passageway. Thus, the rotational device can receive containers with different dimensions while reduces the movement or jostling of the containers within the passageway.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotational device for reorienting a first container having a first size and a smaller second container having a second size in a manufacturing line, comprising:
a body that extends from a first end to a second end;
a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface that define an enclosed passageway that extends from said first end to said second end of said body, wherein said passageway rotates from a first orientation to a second orientation between an entrance at said first end of said body and an exit at said second end of said body such that said first container and said second container entering said passageway also rotate from said first orientation to said second orientation; and
a height of said passageway defined between said first surface and said third surface, and a width of said passageway defined between said second surface and said fourth surface, wherein said height and said width of said passageway are smaller at said entrance than at a point between said entrance and said exit to accommodate rotation of said first and second containers.

2. The rotational device of claim 1 , wherein said first orientation is a horizontal orientation, wherein said first and second containers are transported to said rotational device in said horizontal orientation from a first height to a lesser, second height such that said first and second containers enter said passageway at an increased speed due to gravity.

3. The rotational device of claim 1 , wherein said height and said width of said passageway are larger at said point between said entrance and said exit than at said exit to settle movement of said first and second containers.

4. The rotational device of claim 3 , wherein said height of said passageway is 203.5 mm at said entrance, 204 mm at said point between said entrance and said exit, and 203.5 mm at said exit, and wherein said width of said passageway is 80 mm at said entrance, 81 mm at said point between said entrance and said exit, and 80 mm at said exit.

5. The rotational device of claim 1 , wherein said passageway rotates in a clockwise manner by 90 degrees from said first orientation to said second orientation.

6. The rotational device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio between a rotation angle from said first orientation to said second orientation and a length of said passageway between said first orientation and said second orientation is between approximately 0.1 and 1 degree/mm.

7. A method of reorienting containers in a manufacturing line, comprising:
transporting a plurality of containers oriented in a horizontal direction such that a bottom end of each container of said plurality of containers is aligned on a common plane;
providing a rotational device with a body having a plurality of surfaces that define an enclosed passageway that extends from a first end to a second end of said body, wherein said passageway rotates from a first orientation to a second orientation between an entrance at said first end of said body and an exit at said second end of said body;
transporting said plurality of containers into said passageway, wherein said common plane is aligned with a surface of said plurality of surfaces at said entrance that rotates to define a bottom edge of said exit, wherein said plurality of containers are transported into said passageway in said horizontal direction from a first height to a lesser, second height such that said plurality of containers enter said passageway at an increased speed due to gravity; and
rotating said plurality of containers in said passageway from said first orientation to said second orientation.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising settling said plurality of containers in a track to align said bottom end of each container of said plurality of containers in said common plane, wherein a dimension between left and right sides of said track reduces from a first size to a second size at said exit of said track to settle said plurality of containers, the second size being smaller than the first size.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising settling said plurality of containers in a track to align said bottom end of each container of said plurality of containers in said common plane, wherein said track turns to impart a centrifugal force on said plurality of containers to settle said plurality of containers.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising allowing said plurality of containers to initiate rotation in said rotational device by expanding said passageway from a first dimension at said entrance to a larger, second dimension at a point between said entrance and said exit.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising settling said plurality of containers by reducing said passageway from said second dimension at said point to a smaller, third dimension at said exit.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein said passageway rotates in a clockwise manner from said first orientation to said second orientation.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein a first height and a first width of said passageway at said entrance are smaller than a second height and a second width of said passageway at a point between said entrance and said exit, and wherein said second height and said second width are larger than a third height and third width of said passageway at said exit.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein a height of said passageway is 203.5 mm at said entrance, 204 mm at a point between said entrance and said exit, and 203.5 mm at said exit, and wherein said width of said passageway is 80 mm at said entrance, 81 mm at said point between said entrance and said exit, and 80 mm at said exit.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein said passageway extends along a length as said passageway rotates such that a ratio between a rotation angle from said first orientation to said second orientation and said length is between approximately 0.1 and 1 degree/mm.

16. A rotational device for reorienting a first container having a first size and a second container having a smaller second size in a manufacturing line, comprising:
a body that extends from a first end to a second end; and
a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface that define an enclosed passageway that extends from said first end to said second end of said body by a length, wherein said passageway rotates from a first orientation to a second orientation between an entrance at said first end of said body and an exit at said second end of said body such that said first container and said second container entering said passageway also rotate from said first orientation to said second orientation, wherein a ratio between a rotation angle from said first orientation to said second orientation and said length is between approximately 0.1 and 1 degree/mm, wherein a height and a width of said passageway are larger at a point between said entrance and said exit than at said exit to settle said first and second containers.

17. The rotational device of claim 16 , wherein said passageway continuously rotates between two points along said length of said passageway.

18. The rotational device of claim 16 , wherein a ratio of said height of said passageway to said width of said passageway is between approximately 2.5 to 2.6 to accommodate said first container and said second container.

19. The rotational device of claim 16 , wherein said first, second, third, and fourth surfaces are oriented at right angles to each other.

20. The rotational device of claim 16 , wherei

Assignees

• Ball Corp

Inventors

• Monteiro Teixeira Rafael Arthur
• Da Silva Sequi Lucas

Classifications

• B65G11/063 Primary

  for articles · CPC title

• B65G47/24 Primary

  orientating the articles · CPC title

• B65G2201/0235

  Containers · CPC title

• B65G2207/08

  Adjustable and/or adaptable to the article size · CPC title

• B65G47/248

  by turning over or inverting them (B65G47/244 takes precedence) · CPC title