Device for taking containers out of a pile and processing machine equipped with this device

The present invention concerns a device for taking containers out of a pile, comprising a magazine formed of a row of articulated parallelograms and, under this magazine, two superimposed rows of deformable parallelograms which are actuatable independently from each other to take the containers out of the pile and which can conform to any container shape or dimension.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has essentially as an object a device for taking 
containers such as for example goblets or pots out of a pile. 
The invention concerns also a machine for processing containers equipped 
with the above device. 
The machines for processing containers comprise generally a station for 
taking containers out of a pile, this station being substantially formed 
of a magazine in which the containers are piled up within one another and 
under which they may be provided means which permit taking the containers 
one by one out of the pile of containers in the magazine. 
However, the magazine containing the piled up containers which include 
generally a shoulder, cannot conform to various container shapes or 
dimensions. The same holds true concerning the means located under the 
magazine which enable the containers to be taken out one by one from the 
pile. 
Thus, when it is desired to process on a machine several rows of containers 
having different shapes and/or dimensions, it is necessary to transform or 
to change the station for taking the container out of the pile after each 
row of containers has been processed. 
The means provided on the conveyor of the machine to receive and carry the 
containers coming from the station for taking the containers out of a pile 
had to be replaced, for each new row of containers to be processed. 
It will be understood that all this is expensive as regards the labour and 
the substitute systems to be provided concerning the station for taking 
containers out of a pile as well as concerning the conveyor of the machine 
receiving the containers to be processed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, the present invention has as an object to obviate the above 
drawbacks by proposing a system for taking containers out of a pile which 
can conform to any shape or dimension of containers or goblets intended in 
particular to be subjected to various operations on a processing machine. 
To this end, the invention has as an object a device for taking containers 
out of a pile, such for example as goblets, which are piled up in a 
magazine and comprising means which permit taking the containers one by 
one out of the pile of containers in the magazine, characterized in that 
the said means located under the magazine are formed of two superimposed 
deformable parallelograms which are actuatable independently from each 
other to take the containers one by one out of the pile, and which can 
conform to any container shape and/or dimension. 
It is to be precised here that according to another feature of the 
invention, each one of the two aforesaid parallelograms comprises at least 
one tongue projecting towards the interior of the parallelogram and on 
which the shoulder located at the upper part of the containers can rest. 
According to still another feature of the invention, the aforesaid magazine 
is formed itself of a deformable parallelogram which can conform to any 
container shape and/or dimension. 
It is to be precised here that the deformation of the parallelogram forming 
the magazine as well as the deformation of the two underlying superimposed 
parallelograms are simultaneously controlled by an appropriate system, 
such for example as a system with rods and nuts, to conform to the shape 
and/or the dimension of the containers to be taken out of the pile. 
According to still another feature of the invention, the two aforesaid 
superimposed parallelograms are separately deformable by means, such for 
example as a jack, associated with each one of these two parallelograms 
and preferably with the aforesaid system with rods and nuts. 
It is still to be noted that each one of the aforesaid parallelograms is 
advantageously part of a row of deformable parallelograms formed of 
articulated small rods. 
The invention concerns also a machine for processing containers, such for 
example as goblets, comprising at least one endless chain conveyor or the 
like above which are disposed several stations, one of them being a 
station for taking containers out of a pile, this machine being 
characterized in that it is equipped with a device for taking containers 
out of a pile presenting one and/or the other of the above features.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
According to an embodiment, and referring to the appended drawings, a 
device for taking containers out of a pile according to this invention 
comprises essentially a magazine 1 in which containers, such for example 
as goblets, can be piled up, and, under this magazine, two deformable and 
superimposed parallelograms 2 and 3. 
The magazine 1 is formed of a deformable parallelogram 4 also so as to be 
in a condition to conform, as well as the deformable superimposed 
parallelograms 2 and 3, to any container shape and/or dimension. 
Actually, as clearly seen in FIG. 1, the deformable parallelogram forming 
the magazine 1 comprises a row of deformable parallelograms 4 formed of 
articulated small rods. 
The same holds true concerning the superimposed parallelograms 2 and 3 
which, as clearly seen in FIG. 2, comprise also a row of deformable 
parallelograms 2 and 3 formed of articulated small rods. 
There is shown at 5 in FIGS. 1 and 3 vertical rods for guiding the piled up 
containers, these rods being solid with the small rods forming the row of 
deformable parallelograms 4 forming the magazine 1. 
In FIG. 3, there is seen that the parallelograms 4 forming the magazine and 
the superimposed parallelograms 2 and 3 located under this magazine are 
hinged on a plate 6 forming in a way the supporting structure of the 
station for taking containers out of the pile and comprising openings 7 
through which the containers can pass. 
At 8 in FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown pins for the swiwelling of the 
parallelograms 2, 3 and 4 on plate 6. 
The articulated small rods forming the row of parallelograms 2 and the row 
of parallelograms 3 comprise tongues 9, clearly seen in FIG. 2 and 
projecting towards the interior of the parallelogram so as to permit the 
containers to be carried through their shoulders, after the said 
parallelograms have been deformed so as to conform to the shape or to the 
dimension of the container or goblet to be processed. 
In this respect, the deformable parallelograms 4 of magazine 1, as well as 
the deformable parallelograms 2 and 3 under this magazine can be 
simultaneously defomed by a system appearing in particular in FIG. 1. 
According to a preferred embodiment, this system comprises a rod 10 carried 
by the plate 6, whose rotation is controlled by a button or a crank 11 and 
which is connected to a screw-forming threaded rod 12 meshing with nuts 
13. 
There are shown at 14 bearings in which the threaded rod 12 rotates. 
The nut 13 located in the left-hand part of FIG. 1 is coupled to a 
connecting rod 15 hinged at 16 on the deformable parallelograms 4 forming 
the magazine 1, so as to permit the deformation of these parallelograms in 
order that they conform to the shape and/or to the dimension of the 
containers. 
The aforesaid nut 13 is also coupled to the body of a jack 17 whose rod 18 
is hinged at 19 on the articulated parallelograms 3, as seen in FIG. 2. 
As for the nut 13 visible in the right-hand part of FIGS. 1 and 2, it is 
coupled to the body of a jack 20 whose rod 21 is hinged at 22 on the group 
of parallelograms 2 superimposed on parallelograms 3. 
There is shown at 23 in FIG. 1 a rod actuatable with a crank 24 and likely 
to adjust the height of the magazine formed of the parallelograms 4. 
From the foregoing it is therefore understood that by actuating the crank 
11, the nuts 13 will move on the screw 12 to simultaneously control the 
deformation of the deformable articulated parallelograms 4, 3 and 2. Thus, 
the magazine 1 and the rows of underlying parallelograms 2 and 3 will 
conform to the shape and to the dimensions of the containers. 
This being done, use will be made of the jacks 17 and 20 to separately and 
respectively control the parallelograms 3 and 2, in order to permit the 
containers piled up according to a row inside the deformable 
parallelograms 4 forming the magazine 1 to be taken one by one out of the 
pile. 
For the sake of clarity, the different phases of taking the containers out 
of the pile will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 
7. 
As previously explained, the parallelograms 4, 2 and 3 are first conformed 
to the shape or to the dimension of the piled up containers R.sub.1, 
R.sub.2, R.sub.3 . . . R.sub.N by actuating the crank 11, so that the 
upper shoulder of the first container R.sub.1 of the pile rests on the 
parallelograms 2 located under the magazine 1, and this through the 
tongues 9. 
That is what is seen in FIG. 4 where the tongues 9 were not shown for the 
sake of clarity. 
The jack 20 which controls the deformation or the opening of the 
parallelograms 2 is then actuated which, as seen in FIG. 5, allows the 
pile of containers to drop which rests through the container R.sub.1 on 
the parallelograms 3 lying under the parallelograms 2. 
Then the jack 20 is actuated again which provokes the closing of the 
parallelograms 2, which come between the shoulder of the container R.sub.1 
and the shoulder of the container R.sub.2 which will therefore be kept 
back, as seen in FIG. 6. 
Finally, as seen in FIG. 7, the jack 17 is actuated which provokes the 
opening of the parallelograms 3, which releases the container R.sub.1, 
which will be deposited on supports S transversally solid with the chains 
of a conveyor, these supports being possibly plates pierced with openings 
or articulated parallelograms. 
Therefore, according to the invention, there has been made a device for 
taking containers out of a pile which is particularly reliable, simple and 
which provides the advantage of being in a condition to immediately 
conform to any container shape or dimension. 
The invention is in no way limited to the embodiment desscribed and 
illustrated which has been given by way of example only. 
Thus, the small rods of the articulated parallelograms may be made of any 
material and have any shape; they may for example be wall-shaped. 
Similarly, the nuts 13 slidably mounted in the plate 6, as seen in FIG. 3, 
may have any appropriate shape for them to be coupled to the connecting 
rod 15 and to the jacks 17 and 20. 
Therefore, the invention comprises all the technical equivalents of the 
means described as well as the combinations thereof provided that these 
are carried out according to its spirit.