Package making – Methods – Filling preformed receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-02-06
Coan, James F. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Filling preformed receptacle
C053S255000, C053S430000, C053S536000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182425
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention concerns a process for the filling of cans with fiber band, and further concerns an apparatus for the execution of said process.
Customarily, a can is provided with an interiorly located, combined system of screw shaped springs and pantographs (DE 42 34 793 C2) to bring about a lowering of the bottom of the can to correspond with the degree to which the can is filled and to prevent the upsetting of the bottom of the can. The fabrication of this kind of scissors linkage or pantograph is, however, expensive in regard to costs as well as to maintenance, especially in view of the fact that pantographs of this type must be provided in every single can.
Further in common knowledge is the provision of longitudinal slots oppositely situated on the can, through which slots, take-along elements connected to the can bottom reach to the outside, where they operate together with provided lifting units which are independent of the cans (DE 44 07 849 A1). For this purpose, special cans are required, which, moreover, as a result of the slots extending over practically the entire length of the can, leads to distortion of the can shell. Besides this, the danger is present, that the fiber band will be damaged by external air borne particulate in the area of the said slots.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus a purpose of the present invention is to create a process and an apparatus, which are economical, require no slots in the cans, and the danger of particulate contamination with band damage is avoided. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The purposes will be achieved through the features of the invention wherein a process for the filling of cans with fiber band is provided, in which a can bottom, which is enclosed by a circumferential shell of said can and carries the therein deposited fiber band, is so supported that said can bottom, as the filling proceeds, moves downwardly from an initial upper position to a final lower position, therein characterized, in that between elements located in the inside and outside of the circumferential shell, a force field is generated in such a manner, that the element within the can supports the can bottom and is held at the same elevation as the element situated outside of the can, and that the desired elevation of the can bottom is thus maintained. By means of the generation of a force field, oriented essentially at right angles to the lift and lowering direction of the can bottom, the required elements for the support of the can bottom are not required to extend to any substantial degree in the direction of the can movement so that these elements, even upon release of the can above them, take up little or no substantial space.
Through the improvement of the invented process wherein for the lowering of the can bottom, a first of the two elements, between which the force field has been established, moves relative to a second of these elements in a direction toward the final position of the can bottom, and the second of the elements is caused by the force field to follow the first element until the two elements are again in opposition to one another standing at the same level. In this way, the height-positioning of the can bottom, adapts itself, in a simple way, to conform to the quantity of the fiber band laid down on the can bottom.
In an alternative, or extended manner, a force at right angles to the inside of the circumferential shell of the can is generated for the formation of a frictional force which opposes the weight of the can bottom. Even in this case, there is little space provided under the can bottom, since the friction force, which acts against the weight of the can bottom and fiber band, is not brought about by a force oriented in the moving direction of the can bottom, but much more with the help of a force directed at a right angle to said moving direction.
If the process is designed for the lowering of the can bottom, the said friction force must be reduced, at least in a transitory, specified manner, then the motor drives for elements underneath the can bottom can be eliminated.
For the carrying out of the described process, in accord with the invention, an apparatus is made available wherein on both sides of the circumferential shell of the can, elements are provided, between which a force field is generated, whereby the element part, which is inside the can, is a component of a support apparatus for the can bottom and by means of the force field, can be held at the same elevation as that element placed outside of the can, which latter element is a component of an actuator for maintaining level, and which is controllably connected to the level control device. The support apparatuses are held at the desired elevations with the aid of force fields and care for the desired horizontal security of the can bottom, so that pantographs may also be dispensed with. It is even possible, to operate with either customary cans, or in the most simple manner, without great labor or cost expenditure, to operate with cans made to suit the requirements. Further, no greater space need be provided underneath the cans which are in operational position, even when here the running of a control connection should be provided.
Advantageously, the invention may be designed such that the force field producing elements are designed as magnetic elements, since magnetic force fields lend themselves in especially simple ways to both production and control.
In connection with the present invention, the concept “Magnet element” includes not only a simply magnetizable element, but also a ferro-magnetic element, in the form of an iron plate, i.e. sheet iron or the like. In this way, such a magnetizable element can be designed to be installable on the can, that is, the bottom of the can, or else designed as the can bottom itself, or yet a part thereof
Principally, the magnet elements can be designed in various ways. If the magnet elements are made such that at least the magnetic element of the level actuator is designed as at least a permanent magnet, particularly made of Neodym, then a particular control of the magnet element can be dispensed with. Again, in relation to the choice of Neodym as a material for the permanent magnet (or magnets) then the use of relatively smaller permanent magnets becomes possible.
In a practical way, the magnet elements of the support apparatus and the level actuator are comprised of a multiplicity of single magnets, which have been bound together in magnet packets.
Since the weight of the fiber band bearing on the can bottom continually increases as the can fills, and thus the magnet elements of the support apparatus have a continually increasing force to support, in an advantageous development of the invention, that even the holding force, which, by means of the magnetic force field between the magnet elements of the support apparatus and the level actuator, is increased as the filling of the can proceeds, by switching in individual permanent magnets or in groups of permanent magnets.
An increase of the active holding power of the permanent magnets is possible to achieve through a development of the apparatus wherein for every magnetic element, a common magnetic short circuit steel plate is installed for the permanent magnets in each magnetic element.
In accord with an advantageous alternative, the magnet element of the level actuator is designed not as a permanent magnet, but as an electro magnet.
In accord with a design of the invention wherein, a support apparatus is provided for the can bottom, which supports itself on the circumferential shell of the can and is bound controllably with the level control device, and, which can be applied in combination with force fields or alternatively thereto, by means of the augmentation of the support apparatus on the circumferential shell of the can, a frictional force can be produced in opposition to the weight of the
Ficker Frank
Kriegler Albert
Coan James F.
Dority & Manning P.A.
Rieter Ingolstadt Spinnereimaschinenbau AG
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