MXPA01009376A - Device for coating bottles and bodies for transporting bottles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (S) for coating bottles (F), comprising the following:a coating station (A) with at least one section of a transportation path (G) for bottle-transporting bodies (T);a bottle-holder (H) in each transporting body (T);covering elements (E) which are allocated to the transporting bodies and which can be moved between passive positions and covering positions;and a bottle-scanner (P) which cooperates with a covering element control device (V). The covering elements (E) are located directly on the transporting bodies (T), aligned towards the bottle-holders (H).

Description

DEVICE FOR COVERING BOTTLES AND BODIES TO TRANSPORT THE SAME DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY The invention relates to an apparatus according to the pre-characterization clause of claim 1, and also relates to a bottle transporting body according to the pre-characterization clause of the coordinated claim 15. Plastic bottles (which are mainly made of PET) are used to a large extent in the beverage industry. The disadvantage of plastic bottles with respect to their inevitable permeability, which allows the escape of carbon dioxide and the entry of atmospheric oxygen, is counteracted when manufacturing plastic bottles of multiple layers in order to incorporate an effect of barrier, or by sprinkling or coating them with steam. In a spray apparatus which is known DE 24 29 222 A, brackets are provided which are aligned towards the conveyor bodies on a conveyor track which is parallel, but separated from the conveyor path of the conveyor bodies. Each of these brackets carries a cover element. Cam actuating mechanisms which cooperate with fixed guide tracks rotate each cover element, which is first supported in a passive position, towards a bottle holder which is incorrectly adjusted with a bottle to be sprinkled. Upstream of the bottle discharge region, the cover elements that are located in their cover positions are rotated back to the passive position again. Each cover element functions as a bottle detector, since when the associated bottle holder is correctly adjusted with a bottle, the cover element is brought into contact with a bottle before movement in the cover position and is intercepted without the cam drive is capable of making a movement towards the cover position. In this way, a bottle holder, which is incorrectly adjusted, is prevented from being sprayed and soiled in the spray station. The additional construction cost of a separate conveyor for the roof elements and to control the movement thereof is considerable. In addition, the bottles have to be transported through the spray station suspended vertically in order to ensure the correct cooperation of the conveyor bodies with the cover elements, which makes it difficult to spray or coat the bottles correctly. The additional prior art is contained in WO98 / 40531 (PCT / US98 / 05293) and DE 19807 032 A. The fundamental objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning and a bottle transporting body which is suitable for This device, which are distinguished by its simplicity of construction and its high reliability of operation. In part, the objective is also to be able to orient the bottles in optimal positions each time during their transfer and removal of the conveyor bodies and during their transfer to the coating station, without damage caused by the operation of the cover elements. This objective is achieved by the features of claim 1 and by the features of coordinated claim 15. Because each conveyor body of a bottle holder in the apparatus functions as a support and as a conveyor of the cover member, this results in a considerably reduced construction cost of the apparatus, despite the protection function of the elements covering. The cover elements, which are arranged in the conveyor bodies, are aligned precisely to the associated bottle holders at each stage of operation, so that they perform their coating function very reliably and are able to protect the fastener of bottles or the bottle holder region of unwanted contamination by coating substances when no bottle is present. This simplification of construction is accompanied by a considerable reduction in the global space requirement. The assembly of the cover elements on the conveyor bodies only needs slight modifications to tested construction designs, so that it is even possible for conveyor bodies which are already in operation, to be updated with cover elements. The bottle holder of the bottle conveyor body supports the bottle in different orientations, which are the optimal orientations in each case, in the transfer or removal of them and in the coating station. These changes in position between different orientations are used by the cover element, which is driven by the force of gravity, in order to cover, if necessary, a bottle holder which is incorrectly adjusted with a bottle in place. the coating station. The use of the force of gravity as the driving force for the cover element makes it possible to dispense with costly drive control devices. The system is operationally reliable, it only requires a low degree of maintenance, and it is profitable. The conveyor bodies that are in use can be updated with cover elements at any time. No significant construction modifications are necessary on the conveyor or in the coating station. According to claim 2, the center of mass of the cover element is displaced in relation to the spherical or pivot adjustment, so that the force of gravity is able to move the cover element between the passive and cover positions and can keep it in the respective position. Therefore, a separate actuator mechanism for the cover element is not necessary.

According to claim 3, the change in position of the conveyor body during its movement along the conveyor track is advantageously used as a drive pulse to move the cover member. In addition, the force of gravity is used in order to keep the cover element in its correct position every moment. According to claim 4, it is convenient that the conveyor body is oriented with an approximately vertical bottle holder during the transfer or discharge of bottles, but it is convenient that the bottle holder is oriented approximately horizontally in the coating station. During the rotational movement of the bottle on its longitudinal axis, which is executed in a normal manner, its horizontal position in the coating station results in complete coating of the bottle surface, while with a vertical orientation, the Feeding or unloading of bottles without problem in a restricted global space. This is convenient if the bottle holder is arranged so that it can be moved over a mouth opening of the conveyor body, and if the cover member has a closure part which fits in or over the mouth opening. In the cover position, the entry of coating substances or spraying substances and any contamination of the bottle holder and its surroundings into the conveyor body is effectively prevented.

The cover element is formed in a simple manner from the construction point of view as a flap which is mounted on the conveyor body on one side of the bottle holder and which can be rotated from one side to the other, preferably at less at 90 °. The flap can be a simple sheet metal or plastic plate to which the trunnion pin is fixed by a face, wherein the pin journals of the trunnion pivot are supported in support holes in support blocks fixed to the conveyor body . The stump pivot divides the flap into a displacement part and a cover part, and the cover part is made either larger and / or has a concentrated mass, in order to separate the center of mass from the stump pivot with the largest lever arm possible. In order to maintain the resistance to rotation of the flap as low as possible, the support holes and / or the pin stubs must be made of a material which facilitates sliding or must be covered with a material which facilitates the glide. If necessary, even the support blocks as a whole can be made of plastic materials that facilitate sliding. The regions of movement of the trunnion pivot in the support blocks are conveniently hidden. In order to increase operational reliability, it may be desirable to have at least one resistance weight in the flap, which then places the center of mass as far as possible from the stump pivot.

In the embodiment according to claim 10, the flap functions automatically as a bottle detector, which supports the flap in the correct position for the action of the cover element moving apparatus when the bottle holder is correctly adjusted with a bottle. The displacement apparatus is formed by a fixed guide along the conveyor track which only acts on the displacement part of the flap when a bottle is present in the bottle holder and which bears the flap in the passive position in the bottle holder. which does not make contact with a bottle that is rotating in a spray station. In an alternative embodiment according to claim 11, the cover element acts by means of an energy storage device, at least towards the cover position. The cover element again works as a bottle detector, since when a bottle is correctly present in the bottle holder, it assumes a position in which the fixed guide of the displacement device of the cover element can act on the cover element. However, if a bottle has not been placed in the bottle holder, the energy storage device then moves the cover member in the cover position, so that the guide of the displacement apparatus does not act at all on the cover element. cover. An obvious measure is the provision of an additional displacement device, upstream of the conveyor removal region, which moves the cover elements which are located in their deck positions, back again to their passive positions for the new recovery of bottles. In a further alternative embodiment according to claim 12, the cover element is bistably biased towards the passive position and towards the cover position, depending on whether the cover element exceeds a dead point in a direction of movement or in the direction of movement. the other. In at least one point of the conveyor, the displacement device of the cover element acts on the cover element, whose bottle holder has not received a bottle, in order to move the latter beyond the neutral point towards the deck position. The energy storage device places the cover element in the cover position and holds it therein until the cover element moving apparatus is again effective locally. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a guide for the cover element, which maintains its respective position automatically, along most of the conveyor track. According to claim 13, it is convenient if the displacement apparatus of the cover element is not fully engaged, so that it only places the cover element in the cover position if the bottle holder has not received a bottle. However, if the bottle holder has been properly adjusted with a bottle, the resistance to movement, which occurs due to contact within the cover element and the bottle, prevents the movement of the cover element in the cover position, and the cover element then maintains its passive position automatically without any external influence. In a further alternative embodiment according to claim 14, an actuator mechanism for the cover member, which acts in one or both directions, can be provided in the conveyor body, and is operated depending on whether a bottle has been or not properly adjusted in the bottle holder. The respective drive is derived from the operation of the bottle detector. In this regard, the bottle detector can not only operate mechanically, but can also operate in a non-contact manner by an optical, pneumatic or inductor path, in order to generate the necessary drive signals for the actuator mechanism. Switching magnets or permanent magnets and / or a cylinder of compressed or hydraulic air can be used as an actuator mechanism. If the actuator mechanism is of a bistable design, then in each case a small drive pulse is sufficient after the recovery of the bottle or before the recovery of the bottle in order to move the cover element to its correct position. The embodiments of the object of the invention are explained below with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic horizontal plane of an apparatus for coating bottles; Figure 2 is an illustration in sections of part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, particularly of a conveyor body in position X in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional illustration similar to that of Figure 2 in a position Y in the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a schematic front view of a conveyor body of another embodiment. An apparatus S for coating F bottles, particularly plastic bottles such as PET bottles in the beverage industry, is illustrated schematically in Figure 1 and consists of a coating station A having coating devices 1 located under or inside the same, for example in the form of evaporators, and consists of an associated bottle transfer star B, a bottle removal star C and a conveyor G which joins these components. Successive conveyor bodies T move along conveyor G by means of drive devices which are not shown. In a transfer region a, the bottles F are oriented substantially with their vertical longitudinal axis, while in the coating station A, they are oriented substantially horizontally, as indicated in b. The changes in position which are necessary for this effect are advantageously carried out by the conveyor G. When passing through the coating station A, each bottle F is rotated about its longitudinal axis in the direction of the arrow 3 and It is simultaneously coated. The coating station A is contained in a housing 2 indicated by the dotted lines and is optionally operated by a reduced pressure. An apparatus for moving the cover element V is also indicated by dotted lines, and is provided as a fixed guide D which is parallel and which is conveniently located on the conveyor G. As shown in Figure 2, each body conveyor T is equipped with a movably mounted cover element E, whose function is to cover a bottle holder H contained in the conveyor body T to protect it from coating substances and the bottle holder has not been adjusted correctly with a bottle F (like the conveyor body T in figure 3). This situation may arise in any uncontrolled manner as a result of a problem during bottle recovery, or may occur at the end of the coating cycle. If the bottle holder H was not then covered, the coating substances would result in contamination and deposits which would damage the additional operation of the bottle holder H. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, the conveyor G comprises a C-shaped section 4 with internal tracks for guide rollers 5, and comprises a guide groove 7 for a guide element 6 which is mounted on each conveyor body T. The conveyor body T is of a block shape and serves as a bearing for the mobile bottle holder H. The bottle holder H comprises a holding mandrel 8 for a bottle mouth 24 and a support part 9 which is mounted in a slot 10 so that it can rotate about the shaft length of the bottle in the direction of the arrow 3. The free end of the support part 9 and retaining mandrel 8 can be displaced towards the bottle axis in the mouth opening M of The conveyor body T. A peripheral groove 11 is used for the action of a movement mechanism, which is not illustrated, but which moves the support part 9 with the holding mandrel 8 in an axial direction against the force of a spring. A friction wheel 12 is fixed to the support part 9, and runs on a track 13 mounted on the C-shaped section 4. When a conveyor movement of the conveyor body T occurs in the direction of transportation, which is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, the friction wheel generates the rotational movement of the bottle F. In the embodiment shown in figures 2 and 3, the fixed guides D are mounted in the form of round sections 14 on the track 13 and are conveniently assembled at regular intervals through support arms 15. As indicated by the dotted lines, the start of the round section 14 is bent upwards in order to cooperate in a defined manner with the cover element E , which is mounted through a pin pivot 19 on the conveyor body T. The cover element E is substantially a flat flap K, which is formed by a plate of plastic or sheet metal and which consists for example of a shorter displacement part 18 and a longer cover part 16. Alternatively, the cover part 16 can also have a superior mass. In each case, the center of mass indicated by X of the cover element E is sufficiently far from its trunnion pin 19 so that the force of gravity is able to move the cover element from one side to the other between the passive position shown in figure 2 and the cover position shown in figure 3, and also is able to support the cover element in their respective positions. The trunnion pin 19 has a face 20 and is fixed to the underside of the flap K with screws 21. The pin trunnions of the trunnion pivot 19, which protrudes laterally beyond the flap K (at least on one side ) fits in the support holes 22 'of the support blocks 22 which are fixed to the sides of the conveyor body T near the mouth opening M by the screws 23. The support blocks 22 advantageously consist of a plastic material which facilitates the sliding, for example, Teflon, and / or the pin journals are coated or made of a material that facilitates the sliding. In addition, a closure part 17 may be provided on the underside of the cover part 16. In the cover position shown in Figure 3, the closure part enters the mouth opening M or is placed against the latter. Furthermore, a resistance weight 25 is optionally provided in the cover element E (as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 3), in order to separate the center of mass X as far as possible from the pin pivot 19 and / or to generate a powerful displacement pulse under the influence of gravity. A feature that is also indicated in Figure 2 is that the cover element E functions on its own as a bottle detector P, which ensures effective cooperation between the cover element E and the cover element moving apparatus. V. As shown in Figure 1, the guide D of the displacement apparatus V extends in the direction of transportation (arrow 34) from the beginning thereof, after the transfer region and along the conveyor G until just before the removal region in the removal star C. This is used to support a cover element in the passive position shown by the solid lines in Figure 2, in which the cover element E has no contact with the rotary bottle F. The displacement of the cover element E in each case is carried out by changes in the position of the conveyor body T.

Operation When the conveyor body T overlaps the transfer star B, the bottle holder H is oriented almost vertically, like the F bottles that are arriving. The bottle mouth 24 of a bottle F is fixed to the holding mandrel 8 by a transfer mechanism, which is not shown, and by axial displacement of the support part 9. In the transfer region a, the conveyor body T is it rotates sequentially and gradually over the conveying direction via the conveyor G or by a corresponding fold of the C-shaped section 4 until it is in an almost horizontal position. In the transfer region a, the cover element E is automatically suspended in the passive position by the force of gravity, as shown in figure 2. In the position Z, the conveyor body T has been brought to an inclined position. Due to this change of position, the force of gravity leads to the cover element E to make contact with the bottle F, so that the displacement part 18 assumes the position shown with the dotted lines, where the star again runs (shown with the dotted lines) of the round section 14 and finally is brought by pressure completely to a passive position (shown with the solid lines) during the continuation movement of the conveyor body T. The cover element remains in this passive position during its passage through the coating station A. The action of the round section 14 does not end until immediately before the removal of the removal star C. Because the conveyor body T has then been brought substantially to vertical assumption, the cover element E is automatically suspended in its passive position under the effect of the force of gravity, so that the covered bottle F can be removed without problems, and there is free access to the opening M of the mouth for the next acquisition of a new bottle F.

If for some reason a bottle has not been mounted on the bottle holder H (FIG. 3), the journal pivot 9 rotates the cover element E in a left-handed manner in the Z-position under the effect of the force of gravity, such that the displacement part 18 travels on the outside in the star of the round section 14 and can not be held by the round section 14 or by the guide D. Instead, the cover element finally descends under the effect of the force of gravity during the increase of the upward rotation of the conveyor body T in the spray station A until it assumes the cover position shown in figure 3, which has been assumed for a long time in the position Y in Figure 1. The opening M of the mouth is closed. The holding mandrel 8 and the free end of the support part 9 are protected from the coating substances. When this conveyor body subsequently arrives at the removal star C, the cover element E is automatically moved back again by the force of gravity, towards the passive position, shown with solid lines in figure 2, due to the vertical positioning of the bottle holder H. In the alternative embodiment of the conveyor body T shown in FIG. 4, the cover element E is a flap having a pear-shaped contour for example, and which can be rotated from one side to the other as a screen near the stump pivot 19 'between the passive position shown with the solid lines and the cover position shown with the dotted lines. In this embodiment, the stump pivot 19 'is approximately parallel to the axis of the bottle. The conveyor body T moves in the direction of the arrow 34 along the conveyor track. An energy storage device 27, for example a permanent magnet or the like is held in a holding device 26 on the conveyor body T, and cooperates, for example magnetically, with a counter-element 19 on the cover part 16 'of the element of cover E. An additional energy storage device, for example a permanent magnet 31, is aligned towards an additional counter-element 30. The energy storage device 27 functions to act on the cover element E towards the passive position. You found, the energy storage device 31 functions to act and maintain the cover element E towards and in the cover position. In addition, a spring 28 may be provided, which permits a spring loaded tension movement of the energy storage device 27 towards the cover position, or a spring 28 'may alternatively be provided in the region of the edge section 35 of the cover portion 16, which functions as a bottle detector P. A non-rigid, spring-like arm 32 of the cover element E protrudes outwardly from the conveyor body. A fixed stop 33 forms the displacement apparatus V of the cover element or the guide D of the cover element. At the start, the cover element E is located in the passive position shown with the solid lines. In the movement of the conveyor body T in the direction of the arrow 34, the arm 32 runs against the stop 33. The holding resistance of the energy storage device 27 is therefore overloaded, or the energy storage device is displaced a little against the force of the spring 28, until finally, if the bottle holder is correctly adjusted with a bottle, the cover element E is hit on said bottle. Due to the increasing resistance to the movement of the cover element E that is then presented, the arm 32 is bent until finally it is adjusted by pressing on the stop 33, where the cover element E automatically returns to the passive position and maintains this position. Nevertheless, if a bottle has not been introduced into the mouth opening M, then the stop 33, by means of the arm 32, separates the cover element with its counter-element 29 from the energy storage device 27, wherein the cover element E it swings to the deck position and closes the mouth opening M. The stop 33 is adjusted by pressure on the end of the arm 32. The energy storage device 31 holds the cover element E in the cover position. If the spherical bearing of the cover element E is suitably designed, the energy storage device 31 can be omitted, so that the cover element automatically maintains its cover position under the effect of the force of gravity and / or force of friction.

Shortly after the transporter body T enters the removal star C, a restoration device 36 acts on the arm, to move the cover element E to its passive position again. In an alternative embodiment that is not illustrated, an actuating mechanism, for example a mechanism comprising a switching magnet and / or a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, can be provided on the conveyor body T, to move the cover element from one side to the other. another between his two positions. The actuator mechanism is activated in each case by the bottle detector, which determines, by means of an optical or pneumatic route, or another route, when a bottle has been placed or not on the bottle holder in the proper manner, and this activates the bottle holder. excitation impulse that is transmitted to the actuating mechanism in accordance with the prevailing condition in each case. Before the transporter body T enters the removal star, an excitatory pulse is transmitted in the opposite direction. However, preferably a solution is provided which operates by gravity only, substantially and independently of the driving elements, and which uses changes in the position of the conveyor body along the conveyor to displace the cover element, which is placed directly on the conveyor body and which is transported through the spray station by the latter. Since a solution such as this does not require any noticeable modification to the tested coating devices or conveyor units, even the conveyor bodies that are already in operation can be updated accordingly. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, it is possible that the transporter bodies T in the region of deviation U of the conveyor path G, which is remote from the transfer stars B and C, are predominantly placed in particular, to perform the deflection without problems, even when the bottles F are located close to each other. The guide D can then be discarded, either by following the rotation of the conveyor bodies T or can even be omitted completely in the region of deflection U, since there is no rotation of the bottles at this point. The temporary positioning of the conveyor bodies T vertically in the region of deflection U results in the temporary opening of the cover elements E, due to the force of gravity when the conveyor bodies T are without bottles. However, this has no unfavorable effects, due to the considerable distance of the coating devices 1. Furthermore, even when the conveyor body T is in a vertical position, the cover elements E have a screen effect, since they are mounted on the side of the conveyor bodies T that see the coating devices 1, and which are in the upper part when the conveyor bodies are in a horizontal position. If necessary, the cover elements E can also be kept closed in the region of deflection U by means of an additional fixed guide.

Claims (15)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - An apparatus for coating bottles, particularly beverage bottles that are composed of plastic, comprising a coating station (A) containing at least one section of a conveyor (G) for the bottle conveyors (T), comprising a bottle holder (H) in each conveyor body, comprising cover elements (E) of the bottle holder which are associated with the conveyor elements (T) and which each can move between a passive position and a position of cover, and comprising a bottle detector (P) that detects the presence or absence of a bottle (F) on the bottle holder (H) and that cooperates with a device (V) of displacement of the cover element, characterized in that the cover elements (E) are placed directly on the conveyor bodies (T) and are aligned towards the bottle holders (H).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover element (E) is arranged in a spherical bearing or slot on the conveyor body (T), that the center of mass (X) of the cover element (E) is at a distance from the spherical bearing or collar, and that the spherical bearing or collar and the center of mass are arranged with respect to the bottle holder (H), so that the cover member (E) can be moved at least substantially automatically under the force of gravity between the passive and deck positions.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the conveyor body (T) can be bent strongly over the direction of the conveyor along the conveyor track (G), and the cover element (E) can be moved between the passive and deck positions and can be maintained in each of these positions by folding the conveyor body under the force of gravity.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further characterized in that during the acquisition and unloading of the bottles, the conveyor body (T) is oriented with the bottle holder (H) approximately vertical, and the coating station (A) is oriented with the bottle holder approximately horizontal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the bottle holder (H) comprises a retaining mandrel (8) that can be moved in a mouth opening (M) of the conveyor body (T), and that A closure part (17) that can be adjusted in or on the opening (M) of the mouth is provided on the cover element (E).

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the cover element (E) is a flap (K) that can be rotated, preferably at least 90 °, on the stump pivot (19) that is placed on one side of the bottle holder (H) of the conveyor body (T).

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further characterized in that the flap (K) is a metal foil or a plastic plate, that the stump pivot (19) is fixed to the flap by a face (20) and it comprises pin stubs that protrude beyond the flap at both ends and fit into the support holes (22 ') in the support blocks (22) that are fixed to the conveyor body (T), and that the pivot The stump (19) is placed on the flap between a shorter displacement part (18) and a longer cover part (16).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further characterized in that at least the support holes (22 ') in the support blocks (22) are composed of plastic material that facilitates the sliding, and / or the stumps of bolts are provided with coatings that facilitate sliding.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further characterized in that the flap (K) contains a resistance weight (25) that increases the distance of the center of mass (X) from the pivot stump (19).

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the displacement apparatus (V) of the cover element is a fixed guide (D) that runs along at least one section of the conveyor (G), with which in the passive position the part of displacement (18) of the flap (K) can enter into engagement to contain the flap (K) in the passive position depending on whether at the beginning of the guide (D) a bottle (F) that is mounted correctly on the The bottle holder (H) is already holding the flap (K) substantially in the passive position.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover element (E) can be activated in at least one direction towards the cover position, by means of an energy storage device (27, 31), and wherein the displacement apparatus (V) of the cover element is a fixed guide (D) that runs along at least a section of the conveyor track (G) and that, to contain the cover element in the position passive, can be carried to a coupling with the cover element, depending on whether at the beginning of the guide (D) a bottle (F) that is properly mounted on the bottle holder (H), is already containing the cover element ( E) substantially in the passive position.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover element (E) can be bistably deviated in the passive position and in the cover position by the energy storage devices (27, 31). ) and in which the displacement apparatus (V) of the cover element moves each cover element (E) which is located in the passive position and the associated bottle holder (H), from which a bottle has not been recovered (F). ), locally at at least one point of the conveyor (G), in the deck position, and that a resetting device (36) of the local cover element is preferably provided in an end section of the conveyor ( G) for all cover elements (E) that are located in the deck position.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further characterized in that the displacement apparatus (V) of the cover element can be carried in a different manner to the positive in coupling with the cover element (E) by a steering force which is greater than the deviation of energy storage, but which is less than the resistance to movement of the cover element (E) which is seated against the bottle (F), whose resistance occurs when a bottle (F) is present on the bottle holder (H).

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cover element (E) can be moved by means of an actuator mechanism comprising at least one switching magnet or a cylinder of compressed or hydraulic air, and that the mechanism actuator is actively linked to the bottle detector (P).

15. A bottle conveyor body (T) of a bottle covering apparatus (F) comprising a bottle holder and conveyor elements (5, 6) that can be placed in coupling with a conveyor track (G), characterized in that a cover element (G), which can be displaced relative to the bottle holder (H) between a passive position and a cover position, is provided directly on the conveyor body (T), and that the cover member can move from a side to side automatically between these positions under the influence of gravity through changes in the position of the transporter body (T) that is determined by the conveyor.