Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With receiver support – guide means – or shield
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-10-16
Jacyna, J. Casimer (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With receiver support, guide means, or shield
C198S470100, C198S803700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302172
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for supporting, in a cantilevered-out position, a receptacle having a neck including a collar. The device is suitable for use in particular in installations for filling receptacles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, a device for supporting a receptacle in a cantilevered-out position comprises a resiliently closable clamp having two jaws hinged to each other and urged towards a closed position by a return spring. One of the jaws has means for enabling the device to be fixed to an installation such as a rotary filling platform.
On a platform of that type, the clamp of the support device holds the neck of the receptacle so as to suspend the receptacle beneath a filling spout.
While the platform is rotating, the receptacle tends to tilt under the action of centrifugal force. The projected cross-section thus presented by the neck of the receptacle beneath the filling spout is elliptical in shape and smaller than the real cross-section of the neck which is circular. Unfortunately, the maximum filling flow rate and thus the transverse dimensions of the jet of filling substance are determined relative to the real cross-section of the neck. There therefore exists a risk that the filling substance will flow outside the receptacle while the platform is rotating.
To remedy that drawback, proposals have been made to reduce the filling flow rate so as to reduce the size of the filling jet. However that reduces productivity. Another solution consists in using a return spring of high stiffness so as to exert a clamping force on the neck that is sufficient to prevent the receptacle from tilting. It is then more difficult to put the receptacle into place in the clamp and to remove it therefrom. This is particularly troublesome in installations where filling is performed by weight and in which the support device is associated with a weight sensor. The forces exerted to move apart the jaws of the clamp while the receptacle is being put into place and removed then give rise to mechanical forces on the weight sensor that run the risk of damaging the sensor and of reducing its accuracy.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a device for supporting a receptacle in a cantilevered-out position, while limiting the extent to which the receptacle can tilt under centrifugal force and while keeping it easy to put the receptacle into place in the device and to remove the receptacle therefrom.
To achieve this object, the invention provides a support device for supporting, in a cantilevered-out position, a receptacle having a neck that includes a collar, the device comprising a resiliently-closable clamp that includes first and second hinged limbs with ends that form first and second jaws, and a rigid support element having a lateral opening that forms a housing for a portion of the neck and a support for the collar of the receptacle, the support element extending beneath the clamp and being spaced apart therefrom.
Thus, the receptacle rests on the support element and it is held in position on the support element by the clamp extending over the support element. The gap between the support element and the clamp makes it possible to have a relatively large height for holding the neck which is sufficient to ensure that limited closure force associated with the thrust supplied by the support element suffices to reduce the risk of the receptacle tilting.
Advantageously, for the first limb being provided with means for fixing the device on an installation, the first jaw presents at least one reference face that is substantially vertical and perpendicular to a vertical plane of symmetry of the opening of the support element. This reference face contributes to holding the receptacle in the vertical position. In addition, this reference face constitutes a fixed reference enabling the receptacle to be positioned accurately in the installation.
In which case, it is preferable for the first jaw to present a second reference face that is substantially vertical and that forms an angle with the first reference face so as to constitute a V-shape for positioning the neck, the second jaw being shaped to have a free end extending, when the clamp is closed, so as to face the positioning V-shape in order to form means for pressing the neck of the receptacle into the positioning V-shape. This further improves holding of the receptacle in a vertical position and accurate positioning of the receptacle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 717033 (1902-12-01), Schneider
patent: 1726479 (1929-08-01), Engle
patent: 2681135 (1954-06-01), Vierling
patent: 4498508 (1985-02-01), Scholle et al.
patent: 4512456 (1985-04-01), Peyton
patent: 5711411 (1998-01-01), Zurweller
patent: 6073667 (2000-06-01), Graffin
patent: 29713510 (1998-08-01), None
Jacyna J. Casimer
Serac Group
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