Patent ID: 6178882
Filing Date: 2001-01-30
Classification: B09B,B30B,Y10S

Abstract:
An aerosol can compacting apparatus for compacting pressurized aerosol containers containing flowable material, the apparatus comprising:a housing having containment walls defining an elongate guideway therein having a forward end and a rear end,the guideway having a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape throughout its length,a ram member reciprocally movable longitudinally in the guideway between a forward extended position proximate the forward end and a rear retracted position proximate the rear end,the ram member having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to that of the guideway such that the ram member substantially seals the guideway against passage of flowable material in the guideway rearwardly pass the ram member,a feed opening through the containment walls into the guideway at a location immediate the forward end and the rear end such that when the ram member in the rear retracted position the feed opening is forward of the ram member, the feed opening permitting containers to be fed into the guideway,a shear mechanism comprising a fixed shear member located in the guideway proximate a forwardmost edge of the feed opening, the fixed shear member opposed to a forward end of the ram member whereby on movement of the ram member forwardly from the rear retracted position, the forwardmost edge of the ram member passes adjacent the fixed shear member to shear any containers which extend from the guideway out of the feed opening,the guideway forward of the feed opening comprising a compaction chamber,the containment walls about the compaction chamber having an array of small size openings which permit flowable materials from the containers to pass therethrough out of the compaction chamber yet substantially prevent containers or sheared parts of containers to pass therethrough,wherein with the ram member located within the compaction chamber, the compaction chamber forward of the ram member is substantially sealably enclosed but for the array of openings,the array of openings providing communication from the compaction chamber into an enclosed collection manifold outside the compaction chamber, the collection manifold in sealed communication with a sealed storage vessel via an outlet conduit,the ram member on movement forwardly in the compaction chamber adapted to compact containers therein and extrude flowable materials from the containers out of the compaction chamber via the array of openings into the collection manifold and out of the collection manifold via the outlet conduit to the storage vessel,a feed hopper having an outlet in scaled communication with the feed opening, the hopper having an inlet for feeding containers into the hopper, a door mechanism to sealably close the hopper inlet,the guideway having a charge volume defined within the guideway forward of the ram member when the ram member is in the rear retracted position,the hopper having a charge volume greater than the guideway charge volume,wherein with the door mechanism sealably closing the hopper inlet, a sealed compartment is defined within the hopper, the guideway, the collection manifold and the storage vessel.