Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With puncturing connecting means
Patent
1993-06-10
1996-03-12
Jacyna, J. Casimer
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With puncturing connecting means
141 65, 141 89, 141 91, 134115R, B65B 104, B65B 304
Patent
active
054978130
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to means for the opening of sealed containers, particularly of containers which contain hazardous liquid material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of plastics or other containers having a metallic foil or other membrane closure sealed to the neck thereof is commonplace; such containers are used for materials as diverse as milk and industrial chemicals. However, the removal or other treatment of the seal to gain access to the contents is difficult and presents particular problems when the contents are liquid and hazardous, in that splashes are likely to occur or the operative's fingers are likely to come in contact with the contents. Such containers are commonly used for the packaging of concentrated agricultural chemical solutions intended for spraying. To prepare the solution for spraying, the operative will need to open one or more containers and discharge part or all of the contents to a feed tank in which the chemical is diluted to the required spraying concentration. The operative will generally wish to keep the initial addition and mixing time and subsequent replenishment times to a minimum for economic reasons, but this militates against the use of recommended safety procedures and increases the risks of spillage, splashing or the increase of other potentially hazardous exposures. These risks are present despite the use of protective clothing and may be exacerbated in windy conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide apparatus the use of which will facilitate the fast and safe opening of containers of the type described and the discharge of the contents thereof.
Another object of the invention is to provide for the container, which having been opened and the contents discharged, needs to be washed out, thereby rendering the container safe for disposal.
According to one aspect of the invention, apparatus for the opening of sealed containers (as hereinbefore defined) comprises a seal rupturing element and a plurality of seal cutting elements, the rupturing element and cutting elements being carried by a common support member, whereby in use the seal is firstly ruptured and then cut to form sector-like flaps.
The seal rupturing element may be formed integrally with the seal cutting elements and preferably comprises a point but may be formed as a cone or as a part of a sphere or as a small-diameter circular cutting edge at one end of a cylindrical part which constitutes the support member. The seal cutting elements preferably comprise linear cutting edges which are inclined away from the seal rupturing element at an angle, preferably an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the support member, whereby rotation of the apparatus about the said axis would cause a notional cone or frustum to be generated by the seal cutting elements.
It will be appreciated that, in use, the apparatus will cut the seal to form sector-like flaps the edges of which extend to the inner edge of the neck of the container, provided that the diameter of the neck is not greater than the base diameter of the notional cone or frustum, that is, twice the maximum distance between any one of the cutting elements and the axis of the cylindrical part. It will also be appreciated that, having formed such sector-like flaps, relative turning movement between the apparatus and the container about the axis of the cylindrical part will cause the cutting elements to engage the cut edges of the flaps adjacent the neck of the container and progressively to move along the bases of the flaps, tending to urge them inwardly of the neck and towards the inner surface thereof, thereby creating an effectively unencumbered opening to the container for fast egress of the contents thereof.
A preferred number of cutting elements is four, arranged substantially equi-angularly around the support member.
The apparatus according to the invention may include means for flushing out the interior of the container. In a preferred arrangement, the support m
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Dinnis Reinfrid C.
Dinnis Samuel T. A.
Douglas Steven O.
Jacyna J. Casimer
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