Package making – Methods – Gas filling and/or evacuating and closing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-12
2003-02-25
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Gas filling and/or evacuating and closing
C053S432000, C053S438000, C053S448000, C053S486000, C053S079000, C053S510000, C053S529000, C053S540000, C053S289000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523330
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of handling systems for collapsible plastic containers, such as bottles, and in particular to an automated method of capping, leak testing, labelling, evacuating and packing collapsible plastic containers in bulk into magazine clips for subsequent handling operations, and to a compact, integrated apparatus for carrying out such a method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In an earlier issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,427, there is disclosed a collapsible plastic container having a collapsible body portion and a non-collapsible neck portion defining an opening into the plastic container. The non-collapsible neck portion preferably defines two indexing flats arranged in parallel orientation to one another on diametrically opposed outer sides of the non-collapsible neck portion. The indexing flats preferably extend longitudinally between a spaced pair of annular tables arranged in opposed encircling relation to one another around the outside of the neck portion. This arrangement forms a waisted portion on the non-collapsible neck portion which adapts the neck portion to be received in register with corresponding portions of mechanical means for selectively positioning the container in predetermined radial alignment relative to the mechanical means during various mechanical handling and processing operations. An example of one form of such handling means is a bulk filling station for filling and dispensing collapsible plastic containers as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,256 (Brown et al.). This arrangement also beneficially adapts containers having such a waisted neck portion to be used in conjunction with a magazine clip means, such as that disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,427. Such a magazine clip means has a longitudinal body portion adapted to receive a plurality of the containers in supported, intermitting, releasably slidable relation with the respective waisted portions of the container necks. Moreover, the body portion of the magazine clip means is operable to direct delivery of succeeding ones of the containers longitudinally to at least one discharge opening of the body portion. In this manner, the magazine clip means is adapted to receive a plurality of the collapsible containers for collective storage, handling, shipping distribution and merchandising in a particularly compact and economical manner, without the need for re-packaging during any of these phases. Moreover, the magazine clip means can be readily used to collectively load the plurality of containers held there within into automated handling and processing equipment adapted to accept such clips without the need to individually handle the containers.
Lastly, the magazine clips are preferably constructed from plastic or cardboard to facilitate re-use, or recycling, thereof. The advantages of utilizing such magazine clips of collapsible plastic containers are numerous and well-documented in, inter alia, U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,256 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,427. The present invention relates to a compactly designed high speed packaging integrator that can be located at the manufacturing level for labelling, capping, evacuating, folding and placement of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip, without the need for trans-packaging or shipping of the empty containers between manufacturing, packaging, and labelling sites. Moreover, a plurality of the collapsible plastic containers, still loaded in the magazine clips, can be transferred directly into a point-of-sale filler/merchandiser, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,256. The economies realized in manufacturing facility space and time, storage and transportation costs, and retail point of sale space using the system of which the present invention is a part, are significant. More particularly, at the manufacturing facility level, it is in the prior art necessary to utilize separate automated process lines for each of the leak testing, labelling, capping and filling processes, which lines are often linear, or near linear, in their layout, and are often arranged at separate plant locations. This arrangement is not only wasteful of valuable factory floor space, but may also engender significant additional handling costs and delays as the containers are moved from one process line to the other for completion of the next process step. Additionally, as the several process steps typically occur at different speeds, stockpiling or warehousing space may be necessary between the various process steps to hold inventories of containers from the previous process step for subsequent next-step processing. All of the factors add to the inefficiencies, delays and associated costs associated with prior art container is handling systems and devices.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which method provides, in a preferred embodiment, for leak testing, capping, labelling, evacuation and folding of the containers prior to loading into the magazine clip, all of said process steps being carried out in seriatim as part of an integrated process without the need for intervening handling of the containers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which method utilizes minimal factory floor space to carry out the method.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which method obviates the need for warehousing or inventorying of containers between sub-steps of the method.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which method is fast, efficient and economical, as compared to the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which apparatus provides means for leak testing, capping, labelling, evacuation and folding of the containers prior to loading into the magazine clip, all of said means being provided as part of an integrated apparatus, which apparatus obviates the meed for intervening human handling of the containers between stations of the apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which apparatus provides means for leak testing, capping, labelling, evacuation and folding of the containers prior to loading into the magazine clip, all of said means being provided as part of an integrated apparatus, which apparatus is compactly sized to minimize the factory floor space which it utilizes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers, which apparatus obviates the need for warehousing or inventorying of containers between stations of the apparatus.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip means for subsequent handling of the containers which apparatus is fast, efficient and economical, as compared to equipment utilized in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there is disclosed a process for machine packing a plurality of collapsible plastic containers into a magazine clip mea
Durand Paul
Hofbauer Patrick J.
In-Flo Liquid Dispensing Corporation
Rada Rinaldi I.
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