US2314048A - Bottle washing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 16, 1943.

A. E. LADEWlG BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS Filed April 3. 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aux@ 1 1 ...111 1 11.11- 11111111111 111|1M HWWMMQWTMHMIWHQ 1.11m

March 16, 1943. A. E. LADl-:wlG 2,314,048'

BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR estema Mu. 1e, 1943 UNITED sTA'ri-:s PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS Archie E. Ladewig, Waukesha, Wis.

. Application April 3, 1940, Serial No. 327,590

4 Claims. (Cl. 141-7) 'I'he present invention relates in general to improvements in the art of cleansing objects in succession, and relates more specifically to various improvements in the construction and operation oi apparatus for washing bottles or the like.

Generally deilned, an object of my invention is to provide various improvements in the details of construction of automatic bottle cleansing apparatus, whereby such mechanisms may be maintained in most eective operating condition with minimum eiiort and attention.

Some of the more important specific objects of the invention are as follows:

To provide new and useful means for removing debris and impurities from the cleansing liquid utilized in a receptacle washing assemblage.

To provide improved instrumentalities for collecting and for effecting removal of labels from the washing liquid which is being circulated through the label removing zone of a bottle washing machine or the like.

To provide an improved system for eiecting recirculation of relatively clean liquid through the nozzles of an automatic bottle washing machine or the like.

To provide various improvements in the construction and operation oi receptacle washing machines of the combined soaking and spray type, whereby the manufacture thereof is simpliiled, while the economy and eiiciency is enhanced to a maximum.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting the present invention, and of the mode of constructing and of operating bottle washing machines built in accordance with the improvement, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a. part of this specication wherein like reference characters designate thesame or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary part sectional side view of an improved bottle washing machine, showing the improved assemblage for e'ecting insertion and removal of the nozzle pipes, and also showing the improved label removing apparatus in section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1, but additionally revealing one of the improved liquid iltering assemblages;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top view showing several oi' the jet delivery pipes and a structure for eiecting insertion and removal thereof, the section through the main casing having been taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the asthe internal basket partially removed as when eecting removal of accumulated impurities. Although the invention has been shown by way of illustration, as being specifically applied to a machine for automatically washing bottles of a particular type, by combined soaking and spraying action, it is not my desire or intent to unnecessarily restrict the scope or use of this invention by virtue of such specific embodiment.

Referring to the drawings, the improved bottle washing assemblage shown therein comprises in general an enclosing housing or casing 8 having therein sets of lower and upper horizontal rails 9, I0 respectively, which are connected by the usual upright and curved end rails to provide a pair of spaced continuous tracks; an endless bottle conveyor II having a succession of articulably interconnected rollers I2 coacting with the rails 9, I0, and also having successive sets of bottle carrier pockets I3 which are cooperable with bottles I4 and are intermittently movable along the continuous tracks 'by the conveyor II; a lower transverse partition I5 spanning the casing 8 within the endless track and above the lower rail 9 to provide a soaking basin I6 through which the bottles Ill are transportable while in upright position; an upper transverse partition Il spanning the interior of the casing 8 somewhat above the partition I5 but beneath the upper rails I0 to provide intermediate and upper chambers I8, I9 respectively; a plurality of lower and upper liquid distributing conduits or pipes 20, 2i respectively, of which the lower pipes 20 communicate with the usual liquid supply pump through a header 22 and connection 23 and are located beneath the rails l0, while the upper pipes 2i have supply connections 24 connected to the pump and are disposed above the rails IIJ in vertical alinement with the pipes 20; an approximately horizontal bottle lifting and supporting plate 25 having a succession of conical sockets 26 cooperable with the heads of the bottles IB while inverted to center the bottle openings relative to the orifices or nozzles 21 of the pipes 20: an improved label collecting and removing assemblage having a casing 28 communicating at its upper portion through openings 30 with thechamber I 8; and a pair of improved liquid iiltering or straining assemblages each having a casing 3l divided by a partition 32 into upper and lower chambers, the upper of which communicates through an opening 33 with the main casing chamber I8, and the lower oi' which communicates through a pipe 34 with the suction inlet of the liquid circulating pump.

'Ihe mechanism for driving the endless conveyor II so as to transport the carrier pockets I3 and bottles I4 by successive steps, through the interior oi the casing 8 and along the rails 8, I0, is of relatively old and well known construction, and this is also true of the pump for circulating the header 22 and yremoved from within the casing 8.

Liquid Vis constantly being delivered into the washing chamber I8 by the pipes 2li, 2| through the nozzles 21 and oriilces 35, and labels and other debris are being removed from the bottles I4 and deposited in the bottom of the chamber l I8 with the wash water. In order to permit liquid through the pipes 2U, 2|. While the lower R pipes are provided with nozzles 21 adapted to deliver jets of liquid upwardly into the lower openings of the inverted bottles I4 while at rest, the upper liquid supply pipes 2I are provided with orices 35 adapted to deliver sprays of liquid downwardly over the bottles I4 during transportation thereof along the rails I 0 and while the nozzles 21 are delivering iets into the bottles. The bottle soaking basin I6 which is located in the lower portion of the main casing 8, and through which the successive bottles I4 are transported before being subjected to jet and spray washing and rinsing, is normally supplied with an abundant quantity of soaking solution; and the guide rails 9, Ill are preferably provided with guards 36 for maintaining the rollers I2. in coaction with the track.

It is desirable to have the liquid supply and distributing pipes 20, 2| quickly and conveniently accessible for inspection and cleaning especially when the cleansing liquid is being recirculated; and the upper pipes 2I which are xedly located within the casing 8, are preferably connected to the supply pipes 24 by means of detachable couplings 31, so that detachment of the pipes 24 will permit ready cleaning of the interiors oi the pipes 2| and orifices 35. The lower pipes 20 however communicate with the header 22 which is housed within the casing 8, and because of this fact, and also because these pipes 20 are subject to considerable debris deposit and must also be externally cleaned, special means for effecting quick removal of the pipes 20 have been provided. The pipes 20 may be arranged in groups, and the inlet ends of the pipes 20 are provided with screw threads and stop nuts 38 coacting with the header 22, while the opposite ends of these pipes 20 are closed by pipe caps 39 and rest in V-notches formed in several supporting plates 40 which are mounted upon a horizontal angle beam 4I flxedly secured within the casing 8, see Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The fixed bottle elevating, guiding and centering plate may be supported from the header 22 and from the pipe supporting plates 40, as shown, and the main casing 8 is provided with an elongated side opening 42 which is normally closed by removable covers 43, so that removal of one of the covers 43 will give access toone group of pipes 20. An angle bar 44 coacts with the closure caps 39 of each group of pipes 20, and each angle bar 44 is clamped against the caps of its group by means of threaded rods 45 secured to the header 22 and penetrating the adjacent plate 48, and by nuts 48 coacting with the rods 45. Obviously, by removing the covers 43 and releasing the thumb nuts 46. the angle bars 44 may be withdrawn, whereupon the pipes 20 may be unscrewed from clarication of the liquid for subsequent re-use, it ls desirable to ilrst remove the labels and the bulk of the debris,.and this is accomplished by the improved label remover housed within the auxiliary casing 28. Confined within the casing 28, is an endless flexible screen 41 which coacts with pulleys 48, 49 carried by shafts 50 journalled in bearings 5I, and one of these shafts 58 is being constantly rotated during normal operation of the machine so as to impart motion to the screen 41. The upper stretch of the screen 41 is disposed slightly below and in close proximity to the main casing openings 29 and an intermediate opening 52, and a relatively heavy roller 53 rests upon the lower stretch of the screen belt so as to maintain the upper stretcth taut at all times, see Fig. 1. The medial opening 52 communicates with a trough 54 formed by two upright partitions 55 and to which relatively clean liquid is supplied, and the liquid discharged onto the screen 41 through the opening 52, passes through the upper stretch and'is deposited upon a distributing plate 56 from whence it is cascaded through the lower stretch so as to wash the adhering labels and debris therefrom. The lower interior portion of the casing 28 is provided with an apron 51 and with removable perforated drawers 58, the former oi' which guides the label laden liquid into the latter, and the latter of which collect the debris while permitting the liquid to escape to the chamber 59 from whence it is removed by the circulating pump. The openings 29 deliver the label laden liquid to the endless screen 41, abovetransverse liquid collecting boxes or troughs 60 which catch the separated liquid, while the labels stayupon the screen belt to be subsequently removed into the drawers 58. The troughs communicate through the openings 30, with the intermediate chamber I8 of the casing 8, and the liquid flowing through the chamber I8 is initially purified by removal of the labels and other debris, and is delivered by gravity into the auxiliary casings 3i through the openings 33.

After the liquid has been screened for initial removal of the labels and debris, it should pre!- erably be further claried before recirculation thereof by the pump, and this further clarification or Illtering is accomplished with the apparatus conned within the casings 3 I. Each of the final clariers comprises an outer illtering cup or basket 6I having a top supporting ring 62 which rests upon the adjacent transverse partition 32, and also having a bottom 63 provided with a fixed upstanding guide rod 64; and an inner iiitering cup or basket 65 disposed concentric with respect to the basket 6I and having a top supporting ring 66 coacting with a circular recess 61 in the ring 62, and also having a bottom 68 provided with an upstanding central tube 69 embracing the guide rod 64. The interior of each inner basket 55 is in constant open communication with the chamber I8 through the opening 33 above the adjacent partition 32, and the exterior of the outer basket 65 of each set is in communication with the pump suction pipe 34 through a chamber 1D below the partition 32. The liquid level within the casing 3 I above the partition I2 can never rise over the top'of the open casing; and the inner basket l! may be removed from within the outer basket II without disturbing the latter, with the aid oi' the tube 89, as shown in Fig. 5. After the inner basket 65 has been thus removed, the outer basket BI may also be freely vertically removed from within the casing 3| with the aid of the rod 8l. thus permitting convenient removal of both baskets BI, 6B for periodic inspection and cleaning.

While the normal operation of the improved bottle washing apparatus should be rather apparent from the foregoing detailed description, a short rsum of this operation will be given. When the bottle washer is operating in a'ormal manner, the successive dirty bottles are loaded into the successive groups of carrier pockets I3 at the inlet end of the machine, and the bottles I 4 are first transported in upright position through the soaking basin I6, after which they are inverted and are carried forwardly over the elevating and centering plate 25. The advance-f ment of the conveyor and of the carrier pockets I3 is by intermittent steps, so that the bottles It are subjected to internal washing only when the heads of the bottles are in the recesses 26 and while the bottles are stationary. When the bottles I4 are thus positioned, Jets of cleansing liquid are delivered upwardly through the nozzles 2l into the interiors of the bottles, and the exteriors thereof are simultaneously subjected to external sprays of liquid delivered from the orifices 35. This external washing removes the labels and the label laden liquid is discharged by gravity from the washing zone and drops into the bottom of the chamber IQ. From the bottom of the chamber I9, the label laden liquid flows through the openings 29 onto the endless screen di, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and the liquid passes through the screen al while the labels are carried from the upper stretch of the screen around the pulley t8 and are deposited into the drawers 5a. If the labels are not removed by gravity, the relatively fresh liquid passing through the screen il from the trough 5t and through the opening 52, will positively Hush the labels oil of the screen and into the drawers 58. In the drawers ES, the labels will accumulate while the entrained liquid passes through the perforations ln the drawers and into the chamber 59 from whence the liquid is removed by the pump. The accumulated labels may be periodically removed by removal of the drawers 58, and the apron 5l will insure delivery of the labels into these drawers. The liquid which passes through the belt screen di at the openings t9, is deposited into the troughs t@ from whence it flows through the chamber I8 and through the opening 33 into the filter casing 3i,

see Fig. 2. From the filter casing 3i the liquid passes downwardly through the inner basket 65 and through the outer basket 6 I into the chamber 'I0 from whence it is removed by the pump through the suction connection 3d. The same action takes place in each of the illter casings 3i, and the baskets 65, 6i, which may be provided with ltering material of diiferent mesh, eifectively remove the nner impurities and deliver relatively clean water to the chamber lili.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that the liquid which is being constantly circulated through the washer by the circulating pump, is maintained in relatively clean condition at the washing nozzles at all times. The label removing apparatus is visible through the open upper end of the auxiliary casing 28,

at all times, and if the labels are not completely removed by the liquid passing through the screen 41 from the opening 52, the adhering labels may be manually removed. 'Ihe filtering unit is also constantly visible through the open upper end of the auxiliary casing 3|, and either or both of the baskets 8l, 86 may be removed at any time for inspection and cleaning. The interiors of the pipes 2| are accessible by detachment of the couplings I1, and the pipes 20 may be readily removed for inspection and cleaning by merely removing the closure covers I3 and by releasing the thumb nuts 46. The single endless screen 41 derives labels from a plurality of sources within the washer, and relatively clean liquid from the washing zone is utilized to remove all of the labels from the separating screen. All portions of the apparatus are therefore readily accessible and removable, and may be replaced in operative condition with minimum loss of time.

It will therefore be apparent that my present invention provides various improvements in the details of construction and operation'of bottle washing machines, whereby such mechanisms may be readily maintained in most effective operating condition with minimum loss of time, and with minimum eiort on the part of the attendant. The cleansing mechanisms function automatically to maintain the liquid in substantially clarified condition, and the removed solids such as labels and other particles, may be conveniently removed from the machine vat any time, Without necessarily interfering with the operation of the bottle washing mechanism. The fresh liquid which is used for final rinsing of the washed bottles, is subsequently used. for i-lnal external and internal washing, and for removing the debris from the screen dll, thereby permitting operation of the washer with a minimum supply of fresh water. The entire assemblage is obviously simple, compact and eilcient in operation, and can be installed in variousV types of Washers at moderate cost. The cup lters 6I, 6b which are suspended from the partition 32- and depend into the chamber 70, insure and maintain suilcient head of liquid in the chamber IEB at all times to prevent breaking of the pump section, and these iters may be removed either successively or simultaneously. The improvement has proven highly satisfactory in actual commercial use, and while the improved features have been shown as being applied to a bottle washer of a particular type, these features are obviously more generally applicable to various types of bottle washing mechanisms. ,A

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details ofconstruction or to the precise mode of operation, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. In a receptacle washer, a main casing having a receptacle washing zone therein, means for subjecting receptacles to liquid within said zone, an auxiliary casing connected to and in communication with the main casing to receive spent washing liquid from several spaced portions of said zone, an endless screen operating entirely within said auxiliary casing for receiv-l ing the spent washing liquid to separate debris from the liquid, means coacting with said screen to maintain the screening portion thereof taut, and means within said casings for delivering liquid from another portion of said mno reversely through said screen to remove debris therefrom.

2. In a receptacle washer, a main casing having a receptacle washing zone therein, means for subjecting receptacles to liquid washing action within said zone, an auxiliary casing connected to and in communication with the main casing to receive spent washing liquid from said zone, an endless screen operating entirely within said auxiliary casing and having an upper stretch for receiving the spent washing liquid and for separating debris from the liquid, means for constantly advancing said screen to present new portions thereof to the liquid for separating purposes, and means for delivering liquid from said zone reversely through the lower stretch oi said screen to remove the debris therefrom.

3. In a receptacle Washer, a main casing having a receptacle washing zone therein, means for subjecting receptacles to liquid washing action within said zone, an auxiliary casing connected to and in communication with the main casing to receive spent washing liquid from said zone, a continuously travelling endless screen operating entirely within said auxiliary casing and having an upper stretch for removing debris from the spent washing liquid delivered from said zone, a roller coacting with an inner face oi the lower stretch of said screen for continuously maintaining the upper stretch thereof taut. and means for delivering relatively clean liquid from said zone through the lower stretch ot said screen toremove debris therefrom.

4. In a receptacle washer, a main casing having a receptacle washing zone therein, means for subjecting receptacles to liquid washing action within said zone, an auxiliary casing connected to and in communication with the main casing to receive spent washing liquid from said zone, a continuously travelling endless screen entirely within said auxiliary casing and having an upper stretch provided with spaced portions for removing debris from the spent washing liquid delivered from said zone. means for delivering relatively clean liquid from said zone through the lower stretch oi' said screen to remove debris therefrom, and a removable means within the auxiliary casing for collecting the removed debris.

ARCHIE E. LADEWIG.

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