Apparatus for removing a sealing tape from bottles or containers sealed therewith

Abstract: A combination of an apparatus for unsealing a bottle or similar container having a seal formed by a film of extensible plastic material adhering on a certain part of the outer axial wall of the bottle end surrounding the opening (21).The apparatus comprises: an operating head (60), having a cavity (61) whose shape is complementary to that of the outer wall of the bottle (62), in the zone surrounding the mouth (63) of said container (62), said cavity (61) being arranged to receive said zone of said container (62), translation means (66), arranged to set the operating head (60) in a translatory motion, vertical to said container (62); suction means, connected to said cavity (61), in said operating head (60), near said mouth (63) of said container (62), and arranged to remove said seal means from said mouth (63) of said container (62); separating means (67), placed inside said cavity (61) of said operating head (60) and arranged to partially remove said seal means (64) from said outer wall of said container (62), separating the edge (68) of said seal means (64) and lifting it up.

Description: The invention relates to the combination of an apparatus for removing a sealing tape from bottles or containers together with the bottles or containers as disclosed in the preamble of claim 1. Background of the invention Automatic lines for packaging liquid or solid products (generally but non necessarily foodstuffs) are well known, diffused, and extensively used in industry and (therefore) will not be described herein. However, in these lines, the containers (particularly for food contact packaging) must (or at least should) be washed and/or sterilized (or anyway accurately cleaned) before being filled: therefore, at the start of the packaging line, there is normally provided at least one washing step to clear the inside of containers of dust and/or other foreign matters, which may have penetrated them. Well-known washing steps are normally able to accomplish the task wherefore they are designed and implemented but they may (or might) exceptionally fail, with harmful effects (at least in terms of commercial impact and/or image) for product packagers and vendors; as an example, one might think of a pack (of a food or non food product), inside which a purchaser/user would find a foreign body, like (for example) a mouse, a lizard and/or one or more bugs. The jets of fluid under pressure (air and/or water), used in many well-known washing steps are not (or may not be) able to remove these foreign bodies, from the inside of a container, when they are large, or anyway as large as the mouth of the container. To this end, the expedient of applying a seal, made of a film of extensible material, is known from the application for international patent PCT No. WO96/23702. WO96/23702 discloses a device for sealing container openings, which permits to apply a stretch plastic film onto the openings to be sealed. Said device comprises a support, preferably flat-shaped, having at least one hole , on which is placed the stretch plastic film. Said film is held taut and adherent to the support by means of gluing, magnetic force, pressure, a counter pattern or in any other way. The device can bear marks or recognition messages, as well as a warning or an advertisement and can also be used for temporary sealing of containers. Relating to apparati for applying the seal, WO/03478 discloses an apparatus for covering articles with a film, comprising means for relatively moving a sheet of film toward a primary surface of an article. Said sheet and said primary surface are generally parallel to one another. The article shows a secondary surface substantially perpendicular to said primary surface. The said means for moving have an extent of sufficient length to move said film towards and past said primary surface and along said secondary surface. Furthermore the apparti comprises means for circumferentially restraining said film in a plane substantially parallel to said primary surface, whereby said means for restraining causes said film to stretch as said means for relatively moving passes said primary surface. Also document US 3,112,587 discloses an apparatus for closing and sealing the mouth of a container. The apparatus disclosed is an apparatus for aspplying a sheet of heat sealable material to the mouth of a container comprising a heat sealing head, menas for advancing a sheet of heat sealable material past the sealing head, means for selectively clamping the sheet of material around a central mouth spanning area, means for moving the head , the sheet material and the container relative to each other, to bring the head and the mouth of the container into engagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanning portion of the sheet whereby to heat seal the same thereto, and means for thereafter moving the head and the container in unison relative to the clamping means with the head and container in engagement with opposite sides of the sheet to separate the mouth spanning portion from the sheet. The relative motion of the clamping means, of the head and of the bottle is achieved by actively displacing each of this parts. Document US, 4,338,767 discloses a device for removing pressure sensitive sealing tape from a container. The apparatus has a seal removal station which is positioned along a bottle conveyor line upstream of a filling operation. In the said removal station oversized adhesive seals covering the mouth of the plastic bottles and adhering to the annular edge delimiting the mouth of the bottle are lifted off each bottle and transferred to a collector bin. Vacuum pressure generated in a plenum chamber formed in a stator member is transmitted to the nonadhesive upper surface of each seal through a perforated rotor surface rotating beneath the stator. Air jet means directing fluid pressure upward against marginal portions of each seal overlapping marginal portions of each seal and guide surfaces to flatten out curled portions of the seal are utilized to assure seal lift off by virtue of fluid pressure differentials. DE-U-296 13 476 discloses a device for unsealing bottles having crown sealings and a film covering the crown sealing and the neck of the bottle. The device having mechanical scratching means for detaching from the neck covering sheets of paper, plastic or tinfoil. The problem of temporarily sealing containers and bottles before their usage for product packaging, would not be solved completely and effectively, if it is not provided an effective, simple, fast and cheap apparatus for unsealing the bottles and containers sealed with the temporarily tape seal. The invention is based on the problem to improve the operations of unsealing bottles or containers, before they are filled and closed in a packaging line, in such a way that these operations may be mass-implemented, in a specific line, or a part of line upstream from the line for filling and closing the containers, the whole in a simple and cheap way, both as regards the material in use, and the construction of the line, and allowing for a reduced environmental impact. The invention achieves the above purposes by providing an apparatus for unsealing containers according to the preamble of claim 1 and further comprising the features of the characterising part of claim 1. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus according to the invention further comprises rotation means, which set the operating head in a rotary motion with respect to the container (or vice versa) and/or separating means, placed inside the cavity of the operating head, which partially remove the seal, by separating its edge from the outer wall of the container and by lifting it up; the seal, partially removed by the separating means, is completely removed by the suction means. Further improvements and possible variants in construction of the apparatus for the removal of the seal from the containers will form the subject of the dependent claims. The characteristics of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom will be more apparent from the following description of some non-limiting embodiments, illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are schematical views of a first embodiment of an apparatus, according to the invention, for unsealing a bottle. Fig. 3 is a schematical view of an embodiment of the operating head not forming part of the present invention, Fig. 4 is a schematical view of an alternative embodiment of the operating head. Fig. 5 is a schematical view of a second embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. Fig. 6 is a schematical view of a step of a packaging line, comprising an apparatus according to the invention. Fig. 7 is a schematical view of a step of a packaging line comprising a plurality of apparati according to the invention. Figure 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of a bottle unsealing apparatus according to the invention. Figure 1 shows: the operating head 60, in a sectional view, to show the inner cavity 61, whose shape is complementary to that of the outer wall of the bottle 62, a seal 64 (consisting of a membrane or film made of an extensible material) being applied to the mouth 63 thereof, by proving adhesion between the edge 68 of the seal 64 and the outer wall of the neck of the bottle 62: the neck of the bottle 62 is inserted in the inner cavity 61 of the operating head 60; the rotation means 65, which set the operating head 60 in rotary motion with respect to the bottle 62; without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to use rotation means (known per se), for rotating the bottle 62 with respect to the operating head 60; the separating means 67, placed inside the inner cavity 61 of the operating head 60, which partially remove the seal 64, separating the edge 68 of the seal 64 from the neck of the bottle 62 and lifting it up; the suction means, connected to the inner cavity 61 of the operating head 60, at the mouth 63 of the bottle 62, for removing, through the hollow shaft 69, the seal 64, which has already been partially removed by the separating means 67. According to a possible embodiment, not shown in the figures, the apparatus according to the invention only comprises the operating head 60, the translation means 66, the separating means and the suction means. In figure 1, the rotation means 65 consist of a motor (preferably, but not exclusively, an electric motor) whose hollow shaft 69 has an operating head 60 rigidly connected thereto: this motor is attached to the translation means 66 (illustrated, by way of a non-limiting example, in fig. 6), allowing the operating head 60 to translate vertically with respect to the mouth 63 of the bottle 62; without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to use translation means (known per se) for vertically translating the bottle 62, so as to insert its neck in the operating head 60 and extract it from the operating head 60 respectively. Still within the scope of the invention, the rotation means 65 may consist of a mechanism for transforming a translatory motion of the bottle 62, with respect to the operating head, into a rotary motion of a hollow shaft having the operating head 60 attached thereto: preferably, but not necessarily, this mechanism (which is not described herein as it is known per se) is driven by the pressure exerted by the mouth 63 of the bottle 62 on the operating head 60, after a further translatory movement of the bottle 62 with respect to the operating head 60, once the neck of the bottle 62 has been inserted in the operating head 60. In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the separating means 67 consist of one or more brushes, made of a rigid, or semi-rigid material (one of which is shown in figure 1) sliding against the edge 68 of the seal 64, separating it from the neck of the bottle 62 and lifting it up; without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to make use of other mechanical means, acting as separating means 67, such as scrapers, strands and/or any other mechanical means (known per se) being functionally fit for the purpose. The suction means comprise a pump (or other functionally equivalent means such as a Venturi tube), connected to the hollow shaft 69 of the motor 65 (included in the suction means), which creates a negative pressure inside the cavity 61, near the seal 64: this negative pressure first tensions the film forming the seal 64, assisting the operation of the separating means 67, and then removes this film. Since the seal 64 closes the mouth 63 of the bottle 62 tightly, any difference in pressure and/or temperature between the places and moments in which the seal 64 is applied and removed could generate a negative pressure inside the bottle 62, which is higher than that (having an opposite "direction") generated by the suction means: in this case, the negative pressure generated inside the bottle 62 might suck in the seal 64, partially removed by the separating means 27. In order to avoid such risk, the apparatus according to the invention comprises (or may comprise) means for puncturing the seal 64 before or after removal thereof. Preferably, but not necessarily, these puncturing means consist of a needle, of a blade and/or other means, known per se, being functionally fit for the purpose. Then, the seal 64 (and/or its fragments, if the seal 64 is torn while being removed) is separated from the air flow generated by the suction means: the means for separating the seal 64 from said air flow, the pump, and the means (rigid and/or flexible tubes, joints, etc.) for connecting the hollow shaft 69 of the motor 65 will not be described herein as they are known per se and anyway not relating to the present invention. Preferably, but not necessarily, said means for separating the seal 64 (or fragments thereof) from the air flow comprise means for detecting the passage of the seal 64 (or fragments thereof), thus verifying that the bottle 62 has been unsealed. Said detecting means may be of the photoelectric cell type, or any other functionally equivalent type, and will not be described herein as they are known per se. Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to connect said pump to an end of a tube, which is inserted in the hollow shaft 69 of the motor 65, being free to rotate with respect to it, for example being mounted on ball bearings. The operation of the apparatus according to the invention, shown in figure 1 will be now briefly described. Once the sealed bottle 62 is positioned under the operating head 60, said operating head 60 is lowered by the translation means (or the bottle 62 is lifted) until the operating head 60 fits closely the neck of the bottle 62, the seal is (possibly) punctured and the suction means are operated, together with the rotation means 65, which rotate the operating head 60 being rigidly connected to the separating means 67 which, sliding against the edge 68 of the seal 64, separate it from the neck of the bottle 62 and lift it up: the suction means displace the seal 64, which has already been partially removed by the separating means 67, from the mouth 63 of the bottle 62. In a possible embodiment, not shown in the figures for the sake of graphic simplicity, the suction means are "operated" by opening a valve at the end of the hollow shaft connected to the operating head 60. Figure 2 schematically shows an apparatus according to the invention, differing from the one of figure 1 in that the separating means 67 comprise, in addition to said mechanical means (in fig. 2 one or more brushes made of a rigid or semi-rigid material), one or more nozzles 70 (only one being shown in fig. 2), each blowing, in the cavity 61 of the operating head 60, a jet of fluid (preferably but not necessarily air) under pressure which slips under the edge 68 of the seal 64, separates it from the neck of the bottle 62, and lifts it up. The synergic action of the mechanical means and of the fluid jets (fig. 2) makes the separating means 67 more effective but, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is also possible to use only mechanical means (figure 1) or only fluid jets (fig. 5) as separating means 67. Fig. 3 (not forming part of the present invention) schematically shows an embodiment of the operating head 60, differing from the one described above in that it does not comprise the separating means 67. Figure 3 shows the operating head 60, in a sectional view to show the inner cavity 61; the neck of the bottle 62, on whose mouth 63 the seal 64, with the lifted edge 68 is applied; a hollow tube, included in the suction means attached to the operating head. This hollow tube may be the hollow shaft 69 of the motor, included in the rotation means 65 (omitted in figure 3 for the sake of graphic simplicity), a hollow tube, included in a mechanism for transforming a translation motion into rotary motion, a tube inserted in the hollow shaft 69, or the hollow tube 169 shown in fig. 5. The negative pressure generated inside the cavity 61 of the pump, included in the suction means, must be sufficient to remove the seal 64 from the mouth 63 of the bottle 62, without the help of the separating means 67. In order to assist the action of said negative pressure, improving the reliability of an apparatus according to the invention, which is equipped with an operating head 60, of the type shown in figure 3, sealing means 73, which, in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3 consist of a gasket with a toroidal shape, are placed preferably but not necessarily at the mouth of the cavity 61. In order to obtain an effective "sealing" effect of the means 73, limiting the quantity of air "infiltrating" inside the cavity 61 along the neck of the bottle 62, the dimensions of the opening of the toroidal sealing means 73 are substantially similar to the dimensions of the outer wall of the neck of the bottle 62. The sealing means 73 may be advantageously used also with the operating heads 60, shown in figures 1 and 2. Fig. 4 schematically shows a second alternative embodiment of the operating head 60, basically differing from those shown in figures 1, 2, 3 and 5 in that it comprises a second tube 269 arranged to slide inside the tube 69, 169 respectively, which has the suction means and the operating head 60 connected thereto. Once the sealed bottle 62 is positioned under the operating head 60, the tube 269 is first brought to contact the seal 64, for lif ting the seal 64 and preventing it from falling inside the bottle 62, then the operating head 60 is fitted closely on the neck of the bottle 62, to remove the seal 64 from the mouth 73 of the bottle 62. Fig. 5 schematically shows a second embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, differing from the one described above in that the rotation means 65 comprise a motor 165 (preferably but not necessarily an electric motor), mechanically coupled to a tube 169, included in the suction means, having the operating head 60 rigidly connected thereto: the tube 169 is slidable in the bearing means (which, in fig. 5, consist of a ball bearing placed inside a support provided with holes) and is integral to the translation means 66, not expressly shown in fig. 5. In figure 5, the motor 165 is mechanically coupled to the tube 169 by transmission means, consisting of pulleys 265 and 365, which are keyed on the shaft of the motor 165 and to the tube 169 respectively, and connected by connection means 465, consisting, for example, of one or more belts or other functionally equivalent means; without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to use any kinematic chain, known per se (consisting, for example, of one or more gears), suitable for mechanically coupling the motor 165 to the tube 169. Figure 6 schematically shows a step of the packaging line comprising an apparatus according to the invention; figure 6 shows (only by way of non limiting example) a possible embodiment of the translation means 66, comprising a saddle 166, sliding along a pair of vertical guides 366 and moved by driving means 266, consisting of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, of mechanical cams or any other functionally equivalent means. Figure 6 also shows the rotation means 65, carried by the saddle 166 and the hollow shaft 69 (which may have the tube 169 located therein, not expressly shown in figure 6), attached to the operating head 60 (in a partially sectional view, so as to show the inner cavity 61) and one of the (rigid or semi-rigid) brushes, acting as the separating means 67. A sealed bottle 62 is picked up from the conveyor belt 71 by the "star-shaped" apparatus 72, brought under the apparatus according to the invention, for the removal of the seal 64 and replaced on the conveyor belt 71 by the "star-shaped" device 72. Preferably, but not necessarily, the machine of fig. 6 may be equipped with first means (for example a tracer point) for controlling that the mouth 63 of the bottle 62 has no seal 64 thereon (nor fragments thereof), and that the latter are not inside the bottle 62. The second means may advantageously consist of means for detecting marks (for example: bars traced with a magnetic ink) on the seal 64. These first and second means, omitted in figure 6 for the sake of graphic simplicity, will not be described herein, as they are known per se. Fig. 7 schematically shows a step of a packaging line with a higher productivity than that of figure 6, because it comprises a plurality of apparati according to the invention (like the one shown in figure 6), for "treating" several bottles 62 at the same time. To this end, the apparati according to the invention are mounted on the star-shaped device 72 and rotate therewith: while an unsealed bottle 62 is replaced on the conveyor belt, the seal 64 of another bottle 62 is removed and another sealed bottle 62 is picked up from the conveyor belt. In order to increase the number of bottles 62 to be "treated" at the same time, it is sufficient to increase the number of notches along the periphery of the "star-shaped" device 72, and the number of apparati according to the invention, mounted on the "star-shaped" device 72. The apparatus for unsealing a container, which forms the subject of the present disclosure, might be modified and improved by a skilled person, according to current experience and natural technical evolution.

Claims: A combination of an apparatus for unsealing a bottle or similar container, with bottles or similar containers having a seal formed by a film of extensible plastic material, the said sealing film adhering for its entire extension also on a certain part of the outer axial wall of the bottle end surrounding the opening (21) characterised in that the apparatus comprises: a) an operating head (60), having a cavity (61) whose shape is complementary to that of the outer wall of the bottle or similar container (62), in the zone surrounding the mouth (63) of said container (62) wherein the seal means (64) to be removed are applied, said cavity (61) being arranged to receive said zone of said container (62), surrounding said mouth (63); b) translation means (66), arranged to set the operating head (60) in a translatory motion, vertical to said container (62); c) suction means, connected to said cavity (61), in said operating head (60), near said mouth (63) of said container (62), and arranged to remove said seal means from said mouth (63) of said container (62) ; d) separating means (67), placed inside said cavity (61) of said operating head (60), and arranged to partially remove said seal means (64) from said outer wall of said container (62), separating the edge (68) of said seal means (64) and lifting it up e) said suction means removing said seal means (64), which have already been partially removed by said separating means (67) from said mouth (63) of said container (62). A combination as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises rotation means (65), for setting said operating head (60) in a rotary motion, with respect to said container (62). A combination as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises sealing means (73), placed at the mouth of said cavity (61) of said operating head (60), the opening of said sealing means (73) not being smaller than said outer wall of said container (62) in the area surrounding said mouth (63) of said container (62). A combination as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said rotation means (65) comprise a motor, which is integral to said translation means (66), the shaft (69) of said motor being hollow, said operating head (60) being rigidly connected to said hollow shaft (69). A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said hollow shaft (69) of said motor is included in said suction means. A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a tube, included in said suction means, inserted inside said hollow shaft (69) of said motor, said tube, included in said suction means, being free to rotate with respect to said hollow shaft (69) of said motor. A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said motor, included in said rotation means (65), is an electric motor. A combination as claimed in claim 2 , characterized in that said rotation means (65) comprise a motor (165), coupled by transmission means (265, 365, 465) to a tube (169), included in said suction means, which is movable inside bearing means (565) and is integral to said translation means (66), of said operating head (60), being rigidly connected to said tube (169). A combination as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said motor, included in said rotation means (65) is an electric motor. A combination as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said rotation means (65) comprise means for transforming a translatory motion of said container (62), with respect to said operating head (60), into a rotary motion of a hollow shaft, said operating head (60) being rigidly connected to said hollow shaft. A combination as claimed in claim 10 , characterized in that said means for transforming a translatory motion into a rotary motion are driven by the pressure exerted by said mouth (63) of said container (62) on said operating head (60), after a further translatory movement of said container (62) with respect to said operating head (60), once said container (62) has been inserted in said operating head (60). A combination as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said translation means (66) comprise a saddle (166), sliding along vertical guides (366) and moved by driving means (266). A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said separating means (67) comprise at least one mechanical means, placed inside said cavity (61), of said operating head (60), for separating said edge (68) of said seal means (64) from said outer wall of said container (62) , and for lifting it up. A combination as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that said at least one mechanical means consists of at least one rigid and/or semi-rigid brush, or at least one scraper, and/or strands. A combination as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said separating means (67) comprise at least one nozzle (70), for blowing a jet of fluid under pressure, in said cavity (61) of the operating head (60), said jet of fluid under pressure separating said edge (68) of said seal means (64) from said outer wall of said container (62) and lifting it up. A combination as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises means for puncturing said seal means (64) before, during, or after the removal of said seal means (64). A combination as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said operating head (60), which is integral to a first tube (69, 169), with said suction means (66) being connected thereto, comprises a second tube (269) arranged to slide inside said first tube (69, 169), said second tube (269) being brought into contact with said seal means (64), prior to the insertion of said area of said container (62), surrounding said mouth (63), in said operating head (60).

Inventors: RIBI LEON ANTOINE, RIBI, LEON ANTOINE
Applicants: WORLD WIDE SEALING CORP, WORLD WIDE SEALING CORPORATION
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B67B7
IPC codes: B67B7, B65B7, B67B3