Conveyors: fluid current – Having means for maintaining load in suspension along flow path – By load supporting jets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2001-12-25
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: fluid current
Having means for maintaining load in suspension along flow path
By load supporting jets
C406S086000, C198S786000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332740
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for conveying objects such as, in particular, bottles, flasks or other articles.
However, although more especially intended for such applications, it can also be used, in general, for any object having an end provided with an excrescence, or protuberance.
At the present time, in the field of conveying, it is known to transport bottles by projecting a stream of air onto one or more parts of their surfaces and thus cause them to be displaced in a given direction.
According to a preferred form of embodiment of this process, the bottles are propelled by a jet of air acting in the area of their necks.
The corresponding devices generally comprise a blowing chamber and a support rail. The blowing chamber is supplied by fans and enables the air introduced to be compressed, the air then being projected towards the necks of the bottles via slits, provided on the surface of the said blowing chamber.
The structure of the slits enables the air stream projected to be orientated and thus ensure that the bottles are transported in the desired direction.
The support rail co-operates with a protuberance provided in the area of the necks of the bottles conveyed and contributes to guiding them. It is generally secured to the lower face of the blowing chamber, also referred to as an ‘apron’.
In presently known devices, the blowing chamber is made in one piece and numerous parts are mounted on its different faces, such as, armatures for supporting the device, lateral guides to facilitate the guiding of the bottles in the area of their bodies, cheek pieces, protecting the bottles along their path, and/or other items.
As to the lateral guides, in most known installations, they are secured to the apron. They are positioned via the translation movements of members that are mobile in relation to one another.
In order to be efficient, the lateral guides need to be finely and meticulously adjusted to suit the profile of each bottle transported, since any mis-adjustment can lead to long operating delays.
Although such conveying processes represent a solution with numerous advantages for transferring bottles, the presently known devices nonetheless have drawbacks.
First of all, as indicated above, their blowing chambers are made in one piece and are not, therefore, easily accessible.
Indeed, the blowing chambers owe their rigidity to the fact that their walls are assembled directly to one another, or to the use of a sheet of metal bent into an inverted U shape, closed at its base by the apron, which then defines a base.
In addition, the structure of the latter is often braced to enable it to support, as mentioned earlier, accessory devices such as lateral guides, protective cheek pieces or other items.
The apron is not, therefore, easy to disassemble and does not enable the operator to carry out maintenance operations inside the blowing chambers, not, in any case, without the risk of disturbing the adjustment of the installation.
As a result, the blowing chambers cannot, for instance, be cleaned easily and quickly, whereas, in the fields in which the devices are used, namely, for instance, in the farm-produce industry, hygiene requirements are increasingly severe.
A further drawback of such devices is that they lack modularity. Thus, in order to work on one of their components, for example, one of the walls of the blowing chamber, it is often necessary to dismantle the entire installation and/or disturb the adjustment of neighbouring components, for example, the lateral guides.
It will also be noted that presently known devices have many points, in particular screws, bolts and nuts, liable, for example, to allow dirt to accumulate.
A further drawback of such devices is that their lateral guides take a relatively long time to adjust. In addition, they can prove difficult to use, particularly when cheek pieces are installed along the device.
The object of the present invention is to provide a blowing type conveyor device that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and facilitates assembly, adjustment, maintenance and/or cleaning.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blowing conveyor device the blowing chamber of which is easily accessible, in particular in order to facilitate its cleaning, without any risk of disturbing its adjustment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device of enhanced strength.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device in which there is no risk of the deformation of the body of the blowing chamber and/or of any lateral guides during the passage of a train of objects to be conveyed disturbing the adjustment of the support rail for the objects.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device having a modular structure.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device that makes it possible, for example, to carry out work on its blowing chamber without affecting the adjustments, in particular those of its lateral guides, if any.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device adjustments to which are simplified both at the time of installation and during use, particularly in the event of changing the profiles of the objects transported.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device facilitating the use of a cheek member for protecting the objects transported.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a blower conveying device that does not have any areas liable to lead to the retention of dirt, in particular surface mounted screws, nuts and bolts.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will emerge in the course of the following description, which has been provided only by way of illustration and is not intended to limit same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for conveying objects such as, bottles, flasks or other articles, having an protuberance in the area of their necks, including a blowing chamber, permitting the projection of a stream of air capable of driving the objects, and a support rail, co-operating with the objects in the area of the protuberance, wherein the chamber is constituted by a body and an apron, removable in relation to the body, the support rail being secured to the said apron.
The present invention also relates to a device for conveying objects such as, bottles, flasks or other articles, having an protuberance in the area of their necks, including a blowing chamber, permitting the projection of a stream of air capable of driving the objects, and a support rail, capable of co-operating with the objects in the area of their protuberance, wherein the that it is provided with at least two longitudinal support members provided on either side of the device along the blowing chamber and the rail.
The present invention also relates to a device for conveying objects such as, bottles, flasks or other articles, having a protuberance in the area of their necks, including a blowing chamber, permitting the projection of a stream of air capable of driving the objects, a support rail, capable of co-operating with the objects in the area of their protuberance, and lateral guides capable of facilitating the transport of the objects, lateral guides are constituted at least by a guide rail, provided along the device facing the bodies of the objects, and by rods to support the rail, the rods and the rail co-operating with one another at least by rotary articulation, so as to ensure the adjustment of the transverse position of the rail in relation to the objects.
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patent: 5516239 (
Bernard Frederic
Bondepierre Philippe
Harrison & Egbert
Rafale Technologies, Societe Anonyme
Ridley Richard
Walsh Donald P.
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