Patent ID: 7360345
Filing Date: 2008-04-22
Classification: A61L,B67B

Abstract:
1. A beverage bottle cap treatment device comprising: a housing being configured and disposed to house components of said treatment device in a housing space; a cylindrical drum comprising a circular top surface, a circular bottom surface, and a cylindrical outer wall surface disposed between said top and bottom surfaces; said cylindrical drum having a central vertical rotational axis about which said cylindrical drum is configured to rotate; a plurality of circular carrier rings each having a diameter and being configured and disposed to carry bottle caps thereon; said plurality of carrier rings comprising at least a top carrier ring and a bottom carrier ring; said carrier rings being mounted substantially concentrically on said cylindrical wall portion to permit rotation of said carrier rings about said central vertical rotational axis; said cylindrical wall portion being configured and disposed to form an inner lateral guide structure to guide bottle caps on said carrier rings; an outer lateral guide structure being disposed opposite said inner lateral guide structure and being configured to guide bottle caps on said carrier rings; said carrier rings being disposed between said inner lateral guide structure and said outer lateral guide structure; a plurality of stationary transfer chutes comprising side boundary walls to guide bottle caps therein; each of said transfer chutes being configured and disposed to permit transfer of bottle caps from an upper carrier ring to a next-lower carrier ring of a corresponding pair of successive carrier rings, at least a portion of which lower carrier ring is disposed directly below the upper carrier ring; each of said transfer chutes comprising a substantially flat upper portion, a substantially curved and downwardly angled intermediate portion, and a substantially flat lower portion; each of said transfer chutes being configured and disposed to follow a path to project outwardly and downwardly from an upper carrier ring and downwardly and inwardly toward a lower carrier ring of a corresponding pair of successive carrier rings; a feed chute being configured and disposed to run downwardly into said housing and toward said top carrier ring to feed caps onto said top carrier ring; said feed chute comprising a substantially flat, vertically-oriented upper portion, a substantially curved and inwardly-angled intermediate portion, and a substantially flat lower portion disposed adjacent said top carrier ring; a discharge chute being configured and disposed to run downwardly out of said housing and away from said bottom carrier ring to remove caps from said bottom carrier ring; said discharge chute comprising a substantially flat, vertically-oriented lower portion, a substantially curved and outwardly-angled intermediate portion, and a substantially flat upper portion disposed adjacent said bottom carrier ring; said housing comprising a treatment gas inlet being configured and disposed to permit flow of treatment gas into said housing space, and a treatment gas outlet being configured and disposed to permit flow of treatment gas out of said housing space; and at least one of: said housing, said carrier rings, said lateral guide structures, said transfer chutes, said feed chute, and said discharge chute being configured and disposed to guide the flow of treatment gas over bottle caps in said treatment device.