Abstract:
Ball inflating apparatus automatically operable through succession of cycles in each of which a ball inflation needle is momentarily exposed for reception of an end of the same through apertured valve housing of an inflatable ball of stretchable material. In each cycle the ball is also engaged between spaced ball sizing means. Simultaneously with each successive withdrawal of the needle from the valve housing, slide members reciprocated in fixed support base operable to present air sealing device in path of reciprocatable plunger, to urge the sealing device into valve housing aperture for retaining air in the inflated ball. With each withdrawal of inflating needle from fully inflated ball and after insertion of sealing device, full distention of inflated ball actuates ball sizing means to release inflated ball and initiate next successive ball inflation cycle.

Description:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inflating and sealing round hollow objects, such as for instance plastic play balls. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the manufacture of plastic play balls which are formed of stretchable plastic material, plastic balls of a predetermined size are received generally in heated condition from for instance an oven. The valve housing of each ball is then impaled upon an inflating needle and inflating fluid, such as air, is inserted into the ball to expand the ball to a predetermined finished size, with the heated stretchable wall material of the ball thinning out as the ball expands. A closure plug is then inserted into the valve opening in the ball after withdrawal of the inflating needle to permanently seal the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball, after which the ball is transported to another location for further handling. Many of these operations are manual and the result is increased costs for producing plastic play balls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a novel apparatus and method for automatically inflating an expansible ball by means of an inflation needle inserted through an apertured valve housing in the ball while the ball is being held by the apparatus, and then the needle is automatically withdrawn and a plunger member in conjunction with a slide member automatically positions a plug sealing device over the apertured valve housing and the plunger automatically forces the plug into the valve aperture, to permanently seal the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball, after which the apparatus automatically releases the ball in preparation for receiving another ball and performing another inflating operation thereon. 
     Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatus for inflating an expansible or stretchable ball, and for inserting a valve sealing means into the valve aperture of the ball after inflation of the latter, for retaining the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above-described type which comprises a relatively stationary supporting base member having therein transversely disposed superimposed top and bottom guide means with top and bottom slide members slidably received in said top and bottom guide means, with an inflation needle movable as a unit with the top slide member and adapted for reciprocation toward and from a fixed point on the supporting member to project freely below the same for impaling of a ball thereon, together with means actuated in synchronism with retraction of the inflation needle for injecting a closure device into the valve aperture for sealing the aperture and thus maintaining the inflated ball in inflated condition. 
     A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the aforegoing type wherein the inflating needle means and a plunger means for inserting the closure device, are mounted on the top slide member and include power means for reciprocating said needle and plunger, together with means for sequentially aligning the needle and the plunger means with the aperture in the valve of the ball, and including ball sizing means for gripping the sides of the ball and aiding in maintaining it in position with respect to the needle and plunger means, and which is adapted to automatically release the ball upon completion of the insertion of the closure plug into the valve aperture. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and expeditious method for inflating expansible play balls of plastic or the like, and for permanently sealing the valve aperture of the ball, to retain the ball in inflated condition. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a generally diagrammatic, reduced size view of an apparatus embodying the invention, and illustrating a ball member of predetermined size which has been received in heated condition from, for instance, a heating oven, and which has been impaled by the inflating needle of the apparatus, preparatory to inflating the ball; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partially sectional, generally diagrammatic, fragmentary view of the needle inflating means and the plunger means for forcing the sealing plug into the valve aperture of the inflated ball, with the sealing plug having been shifted by the lower slide member from a supply thereof into alignment with the overlying plunger, for subsequent movement into the valve aperture upon downward actuation of the plunger; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partially broken generally diagrammatic view taken generally along the plane of line 3--3 of FIG. 1, showing the inflating needle inserted into the heated ball and commencing the inflation of the ball; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, generally diagrammatic, sectional illustration showing the plunger means having forced the closure plug into the valve aperture of the ball, after the ball has been inflated to predetermined size, for sealing the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball, and alos illustrating the thinned out wall material of the ball which was stretched due to the inflating fluid during the expansion of the ball to predetermined size; 
     FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic, schematic illustration of fluid and electrical control circuitry which may be utilized to provide for automatic operation of the apparatus. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The apparatus shown in the drawings comprises a base 10 provided with a stationary base support 12 defining an upper slot 14 (FIG. 2) in which is supported a slide member 16. Slide 16 is adapted to be reciprocated or actuated by means of a motor unit 18 operatively coupled thereto, which, when actuated, moves the slide 16 longitudinally in the guide passage or slot 14 from a starting to a stop position and vice versa. Motor unit 18 may be a double acting, preferably fluid powered, motor unit for reciprocation of the slide 16. Guide rails 20 disposed in overlapping guiding coaction with the slide 16 may be provided for aiding in retaining the slide in the guiding passage 14 during actuation of the motor unit 18. 
     Mounted for longitudinal movement with the slide 16 is a reciprocal, generally vertically oriented inflating needle 22 which includes a central vertically oriented passageway 24 therethrough, with passageway 24 being coupled as by means of coupling 26 to a source of inflating fluid, such as for instance air, and as by means of a preferably flexible conduit 28. A reciprocal, double-acting, preferably fluid powered motor unit 30 is operatively coupled to the inflating needle 22, and as by means of collet 31, for reciprocating the inflating needle in a generally vertical path and into and out of generally vertically extending passage 32 through support 12, and which communicates at its upper end with slide passage 14 and at its lower end with the underside of support 12. The distal end of the inflating needle 22 is preferably sharpened as at 33 (FIG. 2), for ready entry into the aperture 36 of the valve portion 34 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of a ball B of stretchable material. 
     Ball B may be formed of plastic such as for instance polyvinyl chloride, which is received in heated condition, and as for instance from a heating oven (not shown) so that the wall material of the ball is readily stretchable when inflating fluid is inserted into the interior of the ball via valve portion or housing 34. The inflating needle 22 is received through the aperture 36 in the valve portion 34 as shown in FIG. 3 and inflating fluid, such as for instance air, is inserted under pressure into the ball to expand the ball to predetermined diameter size. During inflation of the ball, the heated wall material of the ball is thinned out as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 3 and 4. A sealing plug 48 is then inserted into the valve aperture 36 to retain the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball and thus maintain the ball in inflated condition. The above-described process will be hereinafter described in greater detail. 
     The ball B may be held or maintained in position beneath the support plate 12 by means of sizing and gripping means 38 which in the embodiment illustrated comprise a pair of laterally disposed spring biased plates 39 which are adapted to engage the ball and yieldingly hold the latter in predetermined aligned condition with respect to the aforementioned aperture 32 in the relatively fixed support plate 12. 
     Mounted for longitudinal movement with slide member 16 and needle mechanism 22 is a plunger member 42, which, in the embodiment illustrated, includes a plunger rod 42a. Member 42 is operatively coupled as by means of coupling 44, to a double acting reciprocal motor unit 46 which is adapted for reciprocating or actuating the plunger member 42 for the purpose of forcing a closure plug 48 (FIG. 4) into the valve aperture 36 of the ball. As can be best seen in FIG. 2, when the plunger rod 42a is aligned with the aperture 32 in the support member 12, such rod is in position to force the underlying closure plug 48 into valve aperture 36, and thus retain the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball to maintain the latter in its inflated condition. 
     In the embodiment illustrated, the plug 48 is provided from a supply P (FIG. 3) of plug material in the form of a solid, flexible rod of yieldable plastic or rubber material which could be disposed, for instance, in coil form and power fed as by means of a motor unit 49 (FIG. 5) downwardly through an aperture 50 in the support member 12 and into an opening or recess 52 provided in lower slide member 56. 
     Lower slide member 56 is operatively mounted for reciprocal movement in a guide slot or passage 58 in support 12. Passage 58 extends lengthwise transverse of upper guide passage 14. As can be best seen in FIG. 3, slide 56 has an opening 59 therein disposed laterally outwardly of aforementioned opening 52 for receiving therethrough the inflating needle 22 during inflation of the ball B, and when opening 59 is axially aligned with opening 32 through the support 12. As can be best seen in FIG. 3, lower slide 56 extends lengthwise transversely of upper slide 16 at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the lengthwise extension of the upper slide 16. Lower slide 56 is adapted to be reciprocated lengthwise thereof and as by means of a motor unit 60 operatively coupled thereto as at 61 (FIG. 3) with motor unit 60 in the embodiment illustrated being a double acting reciprocal unit powered by any suitable means, such as for instance air. 
     When motor unit 18 shifts the upper slide member 16 and associated inflation needle 22 and plunger 42 longitudinally and toward the right of the position illustrated in FIG. 1, both motor units 30 and 46 are in retracted condition with the lower ends of both the needle 22 and plunger rod 42a being disposed in a respective opening 62 and 64, which are laterally disposed and extend vertically through the top slide 16. In such finalized shifted position, opening 64 in the top slide 16 is disposed above and axially aligned with opening 32 in the support 12. Moreover, the lower slide is also shifted from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the right, to axially align opening 52 in the lower slide with opening 32 in the support 12. During such shifting movement of the lower slide, the latter shears off a plug 48 of the flexible plastic rod from the end of the latter which extends into opening 52. The lower slide carries the plug of material with it and upon positioning of opening 52 in alignment with opening 32, the plug 48 is disposed in alignment with opening 64 in the upper slide and in alignment with the plunger rod 42a of plunger rod 42. Actuation of motor unit 46 is operable to cause the plunger rod 42a to extend into opening 32 and engage the closure plug 48, for ramming or forcing the plug 48 into the valve aperture 36 to seal the valve aperture, thus retaining the ball in inflated condition. 
     Since the inflated ball is held by sizing and gripping mechanism 38 against the underside of the stationary support 12 and in alignment with the opening 32 therethrough, the air interiorly of the ball has no opportunity to escape, and when the plug 48 is forced downwardly upon actuation of the motor unit 46, the closure plug positively seals the valve 34 of the ball. 
     The plunger rod 42a is then drawn upwardly from opening 32 in the support 12 and back to the position shown in FIG. 2 wherein its lower end is disposed intermediate the ends of opening 64 in the top slide, whereupon motor unit 60 is actuated to shift the lower slide 56 back to its starting position, and the supply rod P is activated to force the end thereof into recess 52 in the lower slide 56 to provide for another closure plug and motor unit 18 is reactuated to shift the upper slide 16 back to its starting position, for initiation of another inflation cycle of the apparatus. 
     Automatic operation of the apparatus may be as follows: 
     In an initial starting position of the ball inflating apparatus as shown for instance in FIG. 1, for a continuous succession of ball inflating operations, the inflating needle 22 initially projects a predetermined extent below the underside of fixed support 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, so that an inflatable article, such as the plastic ball B which may have been previously heated, can be manually presented upwardly between the laterally spaced, laterally yieldable ball supporting and sizing discs 39. 
     The projecting end 33 of the inflating needle is received through the valve aperture 36 of the integral valve housing 34 in the spherical wall of the ball. At the same time, in this initial starting position of the apparatus, the lower slide plate 56 has the lower end of the continuous rod P of plug material presented within the recess or opening 52 in the slide plate 56 and as shown in FIG. 3. In this condition, the ball B is capable of being supported solely by the friction between the inflating needle and the confronting surfaces of the valve housing of the ball, during the ball inflating operation. It will be understood however that spring biased discs 39 also exert a certain degree of holding force on the sides of the ball. 
     Manual actuation of switch 62 by a workman applies power to the circuitry. Insertion of the deflated ball B onto the needle 22 and between the laterally disposed plates 39 automatically trips limit switch LS9 (FIG. 5) which through start relay R1, activates solenoid valve SV7 to cause inflation air to be supplied from a source 64 of pressurized air and via for instance line 28, to the central passageway 24 through the needle, thus causing the pressurized air to pass via ball valve 34, into the ball and to commence inflation thereof. 
     As the ball B expands to its predetermined finalized diameter size, the laterally spaced, biased discs 39 are forced apart by the expanding ball, whereupon a limit switch LS7 is activated for shutting off solenoid valve SV7 and stopping the supply of pressurized air via needle 22 into the ball, and at the same time activating solenoid valve SV2 so as to cause actuation of motor unit 30 (FIG. 1) to cause the needle 22 to be raised upwardly from the opening 32 in the support base 12, until the distal end 33 thereof is positioned within opening 62 in the upper slide 16, and as shown in FIG. 2. 
     When the needle is retracted to its up position, it actuates a limit switch LS2 causing actuation of solenoid valve SV1 thereby actuating motor unit 18 to cause shifting of the upper slide 16 and to which are coupled the needle and the plunger member 42, from the home or start position toward the right to a given stop position, thereby placing the plunger rod 42a of the plunger mechanism in axial alignment with opening 32 in the support base 12, and in overlying relation to the ball. 
     When the upper slide 16 has completed its shifting movement, the slide causes actuation of limit switch LS5 which in turn activates the solenoid valve SV4 controlling motor unit 60, to cause shifting of the lower slide 56 from its position as illustrated in FIG. 3, toward the right thereof and to a given stop position wherein the plug cavity 52 which contains the plug 48 of material cut off from the end of the supply rod P, is disposed in axial alignment with overlying opening 64 in the upper slide 16 and in axial alignment with the opening 32 in support base 12. 
     Upon completion of the shifting movement of lower slide 56, the latter actuates a limit switch LS4 which causes actuation of solenoid valve SV3 controlling motor unit 46, which causes the plunger member 42 to move downwardly, thus causing the plunger rod 42a thereof to move into aligned opening 32 in support base 12, and push the plastic plug 48 of material in cavity 52 in the lower slide, through aligned opening 32 into the valve housing 34 in the ball, thus sealing the inflating fluid interiorly of the ball. 
     Activation of LS4 also causes activation of switch LS8 and timer T1. When the timer T1 times out, the solenoid valve SV6 controlling motor unit 66 is actuated to cause motor unit 66 to move the associated disc 39 away from the opposing disc and return, whereby the inflated and plugged ball drops by gravity onto conveying mechanism for moving the ball away from the apparatus. Moreover, timing out of T1 causes the solenoid valve SV3 to be actuated so as to actuate the motor unit 46 to return the plunger mechanism 42 to raised position, wherein the lower end of the plunger rod 42a is once again disposed in the opening 64 in upper slide 16. 
     When the plunger has been returned to the up position, a limit switch LS5 is actuated by the plunger which causes actuation of solenoid valve SV4 to cause actuation of motor unit 60, thereby moving the lower slide 56 back to its starting or home position as shown in FIG. 3, whereupon the end of the rod or plug material is fed or urged by continuous feed motor 49 into the cavity or opening 52 in the lower slide. 
     Upon reaching starting or home position, lower slide 56 actuates limit switch LS1 which causes actuation of solenoid valve SV1 to actuate motor unit 18, thus causing shifting of the upper slide 16 back to starting position, and wherein the opening 62 therein is once again axially aligned with the opening 32 in the support base 12. When slide 16 reaches its home or starting position, a limit switch LS3 is actuated which causes actuation of the solenoid valve SV2 causing the motor unit 30 to extend the needle 22 down through aligned opening 32 in the support base 12 and to extend below the support base. At this time all of the mechanisms are in starting or home position, ready for repeating of the cycle. 
     While the supply of plug material P has been illustrated as being a continuous rod of flexible plastic material, it will be understood that other types of supply of plug material could be provided for the apparatus, such as for instance a supply of precut or preformed individual plugs which could be sequentially fed down into the recess opening 52 in lower slide 56, for subsequent shifting with the slide into aligned relation with opening 32 and insertion into the valve housing of an inflated ball. 
     From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be seen that the invention provides a novel ball inflating apparatus and method which is automatically operable through a succession of cycles, and wherein the apparatus comprises a relatively fixed supportive member having therein transversely disposed superimposed top and bottom guide means, with top and bottom slide members slidably received in the guide means, and with an inflation needle and plug injection means coupled to the top slide member for movement therewith, for sequentially inflating an associated expandable ball to a predetermined diameter size, and then inserting a plug into the valve aperture of the ball for retaining the ball in inflated condition, with the plug being supplied into coaction with the ball by shifting movement of one of the slide members. 
     The terms and expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of any of the features shown or described or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.