Abstract:
A container filling apparatus includes a fill turret configured to carry a plurality of containers along a first portion of a path as the containers are filled with liquid. A container guide is mounted in fixed relation to the fill turret, the container guide defining an upper guide surface and a lower guide surface spaced apart from the upper guide surface. The upper and lower guide surfaces cooperate to define an edge of a second portion of the path, where the upper guide surface is located to contact a container at a first location and the lower guide surface is located to contact the container at a second location that is spaced apart from the first location. The upper and lower guide surfaces maintain the container in an upright position as the container moves along the edge of the path.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present application relates to container filling apparatus and more particularly to a container guide for use with a container filling apparatus.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Products, such as liquids, are frequently transported and/or sold in containers. Often times, these containers are formed to be convenient for consumer handling and attractive for display.  
         [0003]     Containers, including flexible containers, are frequently filled using automated processes. Such processes can sometimes operate at relatively high speeds in order to increase productivity and production speed. Additionally, automated processes frequently require the containers to change direction. Due to these relatively high speeds and direction changes, product sometimes spills from open tops of the containers after filling the containers and prior to sealing the containers with a lid. This spillage can be caused, for example, by a sudden direction change, or by deflection of the containers&#39; flexible walls. In some cases, spilled product may remain on the containers&#39; outer surfaces even after the containers are placed on display for sale, which may cause customer dissatisfaction with the product. Container guides formed from various fixtures, rails and brackets are frequently employed to aid in guiding containers during filling processes.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     In an aspect, for a container filling apparatus including a fill turret, a container guide for use in guiding containers along a path from the fill turret is provided. The container guide includes an upper guide member defining an upper guide surface and a lower guide member defining a lower guide surface that is spaced apart from the upper guide surface. The upper and lower guide surfaces are configured to cooperate to define an arcuate edge of the path where the upper guide surface is spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the lower guide surface. The upper guide surface is located to contact a container at a first location and the lower guide surface is located to contact the container at a second location that is spaced apart from the first location. The upper and lower guide surfaces are capable of maintaining the container in an upright position as the container moves along the edge of the path.  
         [0005]     In another aspect, a container filling apparatus includes a fill turret configured to carry a plurality of containers along a first portion of a path as the containers are filled with liquid. A container guide is mounted in fixed relation to the fill turret, the container guide defining an upper guide surface and a lower guide surface spaced apart from the upper guide surface. The upper and lower guide surfaces cooperate to define an edge of a second portion of the path, where the upper guide surface is located to contact a container at a first location and the lower guide surface is located to contact the container at a second location that is spaced apart from the first location. The upper and lower guide surfaces maintain the container in an upright position as the container moves along the edge of the path.  
         [0006]     In another aspect, a method of guiding a container during a filling operation is provided. The method includes forming a container guide including an upper guide member having an upper guide surface and a lower guide member having a lower guide surface. The upper and lower guide surfaces are spaced apart from each other. The container guide is mounted in fixed relation to a fill turret that is configured to carry containers along a first portion of a fill path. The upper and lower surfaces cooperate to define an edge of a second portion of the fill path leading from the first portion of the fill path toward a container outfeed.  
         [0007]     The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a top, partial view of an embodiment of a filling apparatus including an embodiment of a container guide;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the container guide of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an end view of the container guide of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the container guide of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the container guide of  FIG. 1  along with a diagrammatic illustration of portions of a fill path;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a section view of the container guide of  FIG. 1  in contact with a flexible container;  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the filling apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a top, partial view of the filling apparatus along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a filling apparatus  10  includes an infeed  12 , a separator  14  for separating containers from each other as the containers travel along a fill path from the infeed, infeed and outfeed star wheels  15 ,  17  each having an array of paddles  19  for manipulating the containers and associated star wheel drives  16 ,  18  for rotating the star wheels  15 ,  17 , and a rotatable fill turret  20  with a plurality of carriers  22  disposed about the periphery of the fill turret for use in moving the containers along the fill path toward an outfeed  24 . A container guide  26  is fixedly mounted to the apparatus  10 . As will be described in greater detail below, the container guide  26  is used for guiding the containers in an upright, standing position onto the carriers  22  of the fill turret  20  prior to filling the containers and for guiding the filled containers off of the carriers  22  of the fill turret  20  in an upright, standing position while minimizing or, in some cases, even eliminating spillage from an open top of the containers as the filled containers are transported from the carriers  22  along the fill path.  
         [0017]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-4 , the container guide  26  has an infeed side  27 , an outfeed side  29  and includes an upper guide member  28 , a lower guide member  30  and spacers  32  extending between the upper and lower guide members  28 ,  30 . In the illustrated embodiment, the upper and lower guide members  28 ,  30  are relatively planar, parallel plates including respective guide surfaces  34 ,  36  and  38 ,  40  that can contact the containers at spaced-apart locations as they move along the fill path toward and away from the fill turret  20 . Surfaces  34 ,  38  and  36 ,  40  are also substantially parallel to each other, although the container guide  26  may have non-parallel guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  and/or non-parallel guide members  28 ,  30 . Referring particularly to  FIG. 2 , the upper guide member  28  includes openings  31  and  33  extending through the upper guide member  28 . The openings  31  and  33  reduce the weight of the container guide  26  and can be used to grasp the container guide  26  or at least the upper guide member  28 , for example, for transport or disassembly of the container guide  26 .  
         [0018]     As can be seen by  FIG. 3 , the upper guide member  28  including guide surfaces  34  and  36  is spaced a predetermined distance D from the lower guide member  30  including guide surfaces  38  and  40 . In some embodiments, D is from about one inch (about 2.54 cm) to about eight inches (about 20 cm), such as from about five inches (about 13 cm) to about six inches (about 15 cm). As will be described below, the distance between the upper and lower guide members  28  and  30  may depend, at least in part, on the size and/or contour of the container being transferred to and from the fill turret  20 . Thus, D may be increased or decreased depending on the desired use. The spacers  32  may be of fixed dimension or adjustable to allow for adjustment of D without disconnecting the upper and lower guide members  28 ,  30  from each other. While D is shown as being substantially identical at both infeed and outfeed sides  27  and  29 , D can vary from one side to the opposite side.  
         [0019]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38  and  40  are carefully machined (e.g., by computer-aided laser cutting) to define edges  42  and  44  of portions P 1  and P 2  of the desired fill path leading to and from the fill turret  20  ( FIG. 1 ). As shown, the edges  42  and  44  of the fill path are arcuate, forming a portion of respective circles C (shown in dashed lines) having radiuses R 1  and R 2 .  
         [0020]     R 1  and R 2  and the circumferential distance of P 1  and P 2  are selected to alter the trajectory of the containers by between about 90 degrees and 180 degrees from the incoming trajectory (i.e., the approach angle of the containers as they come into contact with the container guide  26 ). R 1  and R 2  are also selected to provide a smooth change of direction as the container travels along P 1  and P 2 , to maintain the containers in an upright, standing position as the trajectory of the containers are being altered, and to minimize or even eliminate deflection of a container&#39;s outer wall (in cases where a flexible container is being filled, such as a plastic milk container), which can, in turn, minimize or even eliminate product, such as liquid, spillage, e.g., due to tangential acceleration, deceleration and/or sidewall deflection, sometimes referred to as “oil canning”. As a first example, R 1  and R 2  may be about 11 inches (about 28 cm) for guiding a gallon-sized, plastic milk-type container. As another example, R 1  and R 2  may be about 10 inches (about 25 cm) for guiding a one-half gallon-sized, plastic milk-type container. In some embodiments, R 1  and R 2  may be of differing lengths.  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , as noted above, the upper and lower guide members  28  and  30  are spaced apart from each other a distance D. By providing this spacing between the upper and lower guide members  28 ,  30 , guide surfaces  34  and  38  (and also guide surfaces  36  and  40 ) may contact a flexible (e.g., plastic) wall  48  of a flexible container  50  at pre-selected locations L 1  and L 2 , while maintaining the container  50  in an upright, standing position as the trajectory of the container  50  travels along the fill path. As shown, L 1  and L 2  correspond to sections  52  and  54  of the flexible container  50  having higher rigidity due to the contour of the  50  container at sections  52  and  54 . In the illustrated embodiment, higher strength sections  52 ,  54  are located at upper and lower curved portions  56  and  58 . By contacting the flexible container  50  at higher strength sections  52  and  54 , the probability that the flexible wall  48  may deflect inwardly due to contact with the upper and lower guide members  28  and  30  may be reduced.  
         [0022]     Referring still to  FIG. 6 , to minimize wear on the container  50  due to sliding contact between wall  48  of the container and guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38  and  40 , the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  are radiused to eliminate relatively sharp corners from contacting the container  50 . Alternatively, one or more of the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  may not be radiused. In some embodiments, the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  may be finished (e.g., by polishing, such as by electro polishing), for example, to a root mean square (RMS) average surface finish of between about 32 and about 63 micro-inches. In some cases, the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  may be coated with a material, such as a ceramic coating or specialized paint that can reduce the coefficient of friction of the guide surfaces.  
         [0023]     The width of the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  may also be selected as desired. In some embodiments, the thicknesses of the guide members  28 ,  30  and their associated guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40  are relatively thin, e.g., between about 0.1 inch and about one inch, such as about 0.19 inch and/or 0.25 inch, to expose relatively little area to the wall  48  of the container  50  as the container  50  slides along the guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 .  
         [0024]     Suitable methods for forming the upper and lower members  28  and  30  including guide surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38  and  40  include, for example, laser cutting. Laser cutting can provide the desired fill path contour within tolerances, in some embodiments, of about 0.015 inch or less. Other suitable methods for forming the upper and lower members include bending in cases where the contour of the guide surfaces can be accurately held, and/or machining. Suitable materials for forming the upper and lower guide members  28 ,  30  include metals, such as steel and steel alloys including stainless steel. In some embodiments, the container guide  26  is assembled and the upper and lower members are aligned using, e.g., fasteners, counterbore/pilot arrangements and/or dowel pins. Other suitable methods may include welding.  
         [0025]     Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the container guide  26  is fixedly mounted to filling apparatus  10  such that the turret  20  rotates relative to the stationary container guide. As most clearly shown by  FIG. 8 , the infeed and outfeed sides  27  and  29  of the container guide  26  are aligned such that P 1  and P 2  are aligned with the portion P 3  of the fill path about the fill turret  20 . Dowel pins and fasteners (see element  58 ) can be used to mount the container guide  26  to the filling apparatus  10 . Other attachment methods can be used, such as welding the lower guide member  30  to the filling apparatus  10 .  
         [0026]     As noted above, the container guide  26  is suitable for use with flexible containers, such as, for example, those suitable for containing water, milk, juice, distilled spirits, wine or any other substance that may be packaged in either a liquid or a non-liquid state, e.g., jelly, powder, numerous components such as fasteners, etc. In some embodiments, the container guide  26  may be used with rigid-walled containers.  
         [0027]     A number of detailed embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, in some embodiments, the guide surfaces of the upper and lower members may alter the trajectory of the containers by an angle greater than 180 degrees or less than 90 degrees from the incoming trajectory. In other embodiments, the container guide may include only an outfeed side  29  capable of guiding a container from the fill turret as described above, only an infeed side  27  capable of guiding a container to the fill turret, or in some cases, multiple container guides may be used, e.g., where one container guide includes only an infeed side  27  capable of guiding a container to the fill turret as described above and another container guide includes only an outfeed side  29  capable of guiding a container from the fill turret as described above. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.