GB1136526A - Bottle transfer mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

1,136,526. Endless conveyers. JOHN LABATT Ltd. 28 Nov., 1967, No. 54079/67. Heading B8A. Bottle-transfer mechanism comprises a substantially horizontal conveyer (5), Fig. 2 (not shown), adapted to forwardly advance longitudinal rows of bottles in mouth-to-bottom relation; holding arms 17 pivotally mounted on a shaft 23 transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyer 5, and having a downwardly projecting hook 31 on the forward side of the pivot and an abutment 32 on the rearward side; drive means (Figs. 5 and 6) adapted to swing said holding arms between a first position (Fig. 8) in which the hooks are lowered to hold a lateral row of bottles against forward movement, and a second position (Fig. 7) in which the hooks are raised to permit the lateral row of bottles to pass beneath and the abutments are lowered to hold the next following lateral row of bottles against forward movement; and a series of transfer arms 73 positioned beneath the holding arms, and adapted to transfer a lateral row of bottles from beneath the holding arms while the hooks 31 are raised. The driving means comprises an air cylinder (28) (Fig. 2, not shown) which acts on a crank of a shaft 26 to oscillate a V-shaped arm 53 (Figs. 5 and 6) carrying stops 57, 58. These act on a surface 54 of an arm 51 so as to drive the latter between the two positions shown respectively in Figs. 5 and 6. The arm 51 is connected by a spring 55 to an arm 47 carrying a roller 46 which operates on a cam surface 45 of an arm 41 rigid with the shaft 23. The air cylinder 28 is controlled by a microswitch (not shown) actuated by the pockets (90) of a bottle washer which is fed by the conveyer (5). The transfer arms 73 are given their transferring movement by a member 70 rigid with the shaft 26. In addition to rotating the arms 17 between their two bottle holding positions, the shaft 23 is connected by an arm 81 and link 80 to an arm 79 of bell crank 77, 79, mounted freely on a pivot 26A carried by an arm 78 rigid with the drive shaft 26. The arm 77 of the bell crank is connected by a linkage 75, 74 with the transfer arms 73. Thus when the arm 17 is tilted from the position of Fig. 7 to that of Fig. 8, the linkage 81, 80, 79, 77, 75, 74, acts to tilt the transfer arms 73 out of a bottle engaging position during their return travel. The conveyer (5) comprises walking beams (5) carried by cross members (7) resting on actuating cams (8) of drive shafts (9). The conveyer (5) is fed by an endless conveyer belt 2.