Patent Publication Number: US-10315903-B2

Title: Device for opening containers for liquids and for holding the corresponding lids

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a device able to open or unstop containers for liquids, for example, but not exclusively, bottles, feeding bottles, drinking troughs or other containers or receptacles for feeding animals, and to hold the lids of said containers, in order to send them to subsequent treatments and, at the end of the washing and filling operations, to re-close them. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Machines are known, at least partly automated or manual, used for washing containers for liquids, for example, but not only, for bottles, feeding bottles, drinking troughs or others, used for feeding, by means of spouts made on the closing lids, of animals such as for example laboratory guinea pigs or rodents or others. The containers and the corresponding spouts can be of different sizes and volumes, in order to adapt to the different sizes and needs of the animals to be fed. In particular, the diameter of the spouts normally available on the market varies inside a range between a minimum value, suitable for small animals, and a maximum value, for bigger animals. 
     Such washing machines are generally structured with several operating stations disposed in succession with respect to each other, including a loading station for the closed containers, a removal station to remove the lids from the containers, or de-lidding station, a washing station, a filling station and a closing station, of the washed and re-filled containers, in which the lids, washed in their turn, are repositioned on the containers. 
     The lids are normally constrained by a water-tight seal to the containers, therefore, in known solutions which provide the removal station, the closed containers are opened by removing the lids using suitable opening devices. 
     These known devices are provided with mechanical holding members of the lids, once they have been removed from the containers, driven mechanically and with the function of generating a friction force on the spouts of the lids, both to prevent these falling due to gravity after opening, and also to allow handling during working. 
     Known mechanical holding members however are limited because they are not effectively adaptable to the different sizes of the spouts and are therefore not very versatile and not completely reliable above all in holding spouts with smaller diameters. This is even more disadvantageous with an increased variability of the diameters of the spouts treated in a single washing machine. 
     An example of an opening device is described in the international patent application WO-A-2001/045256 in the name of the present Applicant, in which a pneumatic action is exploited, induced to separate the lid from the container and in which such devices are provided with mechanical holding devices of the pliers type, which actuate a radial gripping action on the lid in order to hold it in the steps of extracting or separating and transporting the lid. 
     However, even if they are effective in guaranteeing a correct holding of the lid during said steps, these mechanical holding members need specific actuator mechanisms, both to define the holding and also the release of the lid. 
     Actuating these actuator mechanisms either to grip or release requires specific commands and controls, with corresponding times and costs of programming and coordination with the other units and working stations. 
     As well as having their own programming and manufacturing costs, these commands can have malfunctions that can cause slowing down or operating interruptions, and also require periodic maintenance and control interventions. 
     A device is also known and described in the international patent WO-A-2001/158085 in the name of the present Applicant, for opening containers and for holding corresponding lids which uses an elastic member, deformable by means of mechanical elements, such as pins or pegs, in order to keep clamping and holding elements radially thrust against the spout of the lid. 
     This known device also comprises one or more extractor elements which, located inside the air passage pipes of the corresponding removal members, exert an axial thrusting action on the spout of the lid, overcoming the elastic action exerted by the holding means, so as to bring it outside the air passage pipe. 
     Even though this device allows to limit the times for opening the containers and to carry out this operation simply, it is not completely reliable because of the possible variability of the diameters of the spouts, in particular for spouts with smaller diameters, in cases where there is a wide variability of the diameters of the spouts. Indeed, since the holding members are the mechanical type and are generally calibrated on larger diameters, they are not normally suitable to effect a grip or apply a force that is reliable and sufficient to hold the spouts of smaller diameters. 
     A further disadvantage derives from the fact that the thrust force exerted by the extractor elements on the spouts, if not suitably controlled, can cause the latter to be deformed or damaged and can render them useless. 
     A device to hold lids of containers is also known from the international patent application WO-A-2011/138661 in the name of the present Applicant. This known device comprises a holding member provided with a mechanical clamping member selectively activated to grip the spout of a corresponding lid. 
     Furthermore, application DE-A-3401386 describes a closing head to screw a screw top to a threaded opening of a bottle. The device described in DE-A-3401386 is not suitable to open and also hold the lids removed from the container, in particular it is not suitable for containers with lid with a spout as discussed here. This known device comprises a single circuit for a fluid under pressure by means of which to deform an elastic diaphragm member fitted on the screw top. In this way, the diaphragm elastic member grips on the top, and the closing head, by means of rotation, can screw the screw top. 
     It is therefore a purpose of the present invention to obtain a device for opening containers and holding the corresponding lids that is effective and reliable in the holding of the lids, irrespective of the variability of diameters of the spouts of the lids to be treated. 
     It is also a purpose of the present invention to obtain a device that allows to open the containers simply, economically and efficiently, that allows to reduce the overall execution times to a minimum, without damaging the spouts of the lids. 
     The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea. 
     In accordance with the above purposes, a device according to the present invention is usable for opening, re-closing and holding lids of containers, each provided with an oblong spout that has a through hole for the passage of the product present in the container. The device of the present invention comprises a removal head of the pneumatic type that comprises:
         a first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure provided with a feed pipe and a through housing channel which develops along an axis and in which the spout is at least partly housed, wherein the housing channel is in fluidic communication with the feed pipe for the passage of the fluid under pressure through the through hole of the spout;   a holding member, associated to the removal head, to cooperate with the spout, in particular holding the latter when the lid is removed from the container. The lid can thus be held suspended to the removal head.       

     According to one form of embodiment of the present invention, the device in question comprises a second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure provided with a blowing-in pipe, different from the feed pipe of the first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure. Moreover, the holding member is actuated pneumatically by means of the fluid under pressure arriving from the blowing-in pipe of the second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure, to define at least a reversible condition of holding the spout inside the housing channel. The holding member also comprises elastically deformable means which laterally delimit the housing channel, the elastically deformable means being configured to be deformed elastically by means of the fluid under pressure, so as to selectively define a reduction in section of the housing channel, suitable to hold the spout. 
     Since the device uses elastically deformable means with pneumatic drive in order to hold the spouts and the lids, it is advantageously adaptable to any diameter of spout, even the smallest ones, given that the entity of the deformation of the elastically deformable means substantially depends on the pressure of the drive fluid. The choice of a material with high deformability allows to cover a much wider range of diameters of spouts with respect to the state of the art, with great reliability and stable holding, even for reduced diameters, compared to what is possible with the mechanically driven holding devices of the known type. 
     The use of a pneumatic drive also allows to simplify the manufacturing of the device, with consequent economical and technical advantages, linked to the greater cleanliness and ease of maintenance compared to mechanically driven components. 
     According to one form of embodiment, the elastically deformable means are shaped with an axial-symmetric development, centrally delimiting the housing channel and are configured to deform radially with respect to the axis toward the inside of the housing channel. 
     According to one form of embodiment, the removal head comprises at the lower part a centering sleeve, coaxial to the axis of the housing channel and shaped to define a lead-in zone, for the correct centered insertion of the spout inside the housing channel. In a variant the lead-in zone ends with a through hole which faces toward the housing channel. 
     In one form of embodiment, the centering sleeve is shaped so as to also define a housing seating, in which to place the elastically deformable means. 
     According to one form of embodiment, the removal head comprises a closing sleeve, positioned at least partly inside the housing seating of the centering sleeve, in order to clamp the elastically deformable means and to define a compression chamber closed with a fluid-tight seal, inside the housing seating, in selective fluidic communication with the second circuit which supplies fluid under pressure by means of a connector. 
     According to some forms of embodiment, the connector is provided with a blowing-in channel, which puts the compression chamber in communication with the blowing-in pipe, by means of which the fluid under pressure is blown inside the compression chamber. 
     According to some forms of embodiment, the elastically deformable means comprise an inflatable packing having an annular shape, to define internally the housing channel. 
     In possible implementations, the inflatable packing has a first end which rests on the bottom of the housing seating and cooperates at the lower part with the closing sleeve, a second end which cooperates at the upper part with the closing sleeve and a tubular element which connects the first end and the second end, delimiting the housing channel. 
     According to some forms of embodiment, the elastically deformable means comprise a tubular element which laterally delimits the housing channel, at least along part of its axial development. 
     In possible implementations, the closing sleeve has a tubular shell which projects inside the housing seating, externally fitted to the tubular element and having at least an eyelet, which puts the compression chamber in communication with the tubular element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some forms of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a section view of a device according to the invention in a first coupled condition; 
         FIG. 2  is a section view of the device of  FIG. 1  in a second holding condition; 
         FIG. 3  is a variant of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows the device of  FIG. 3  in a second holding condition. 
     
    
    
     To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME FORMS OF EMBODIMENT 
     We shall now refer in detail to the various forms of embodiment of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one form of embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other forms of embodiment to produce another form of embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants. 
     With reference to the attached drawings a device  10  according to the present invention is usable for removing/opening, or for re-closing, and the simultaneous holding of lids  12  of containers  11  usually used for feeding, by means of a liquid or comparable substance contained therein, small animals such as guinea pigs, mice or other, for example used in pharmaceutical research laboratories. The device  10  is used in particular in treatment machines, that is pre-washing, washing, drying and refilling of the containers  11 . 
     Each container  11  is normally closed at the top by a metal lid  12 , shaped to define an oblong spout  13  protruding toward the outside, generally of a cylindrical tubular shape, provided at its free end with a through hole  14  from which the animal drinks the liquid contained in the container  11 . 
     In particular, each container  11  has a closing neck  15 , on which the lid  12  is positioned. A packing  16  is annularly and externally disposed on the closing neck  15  and, in cooperation with the lid  12 , determines the hermetic seal of the container  11  in correspondence to the closing neck  15 . 
     The device  10  comprises a removal head  20  of the pneumatic type, in this case, for example with a substantially cylindrical shape, hollow inside, which comprises a first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure provided with a feed pipe  22 . The first pneumatic circuit of fluid also defines a through housing channel  21  in which the spout  13  is suitable to be at least partly housed. 
     The removal head  20  is connected at the top to a source of fluid under pressure (not shown) by means of the feed pipe  22  of the first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure, which defines, for example, a feed channel  23 , communicating with the housing channel  21 . The latter therefore puts the inside of the container  11  into fluidic communication with the source of the fluid under pressure. In particular the housing channel  21  is in fluidic communication with the feed pipe  22  for the passage of the fluid under pressure through the through hole  14  of the spout  13 . 
     Moreover, the device  10  comprises a holding member  25  actuated pneumatically to cooperate with the spout  13 . 
     Furthermore, the device  10  comprises a second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure which is autonomous and separate from the first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure. In particular, the second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure is provided with a blowing-in pipe  42 , different from the feed pipe  22  of the first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure. 
     In some forms of embodiment, the holding member  25  is actuated pneumatically by means of the fluid under pressure arriving from the blowing-in pipe  42  of the second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure, to define at least a reversible condition of holding the spout  13  inside the housing channel  21 . 
     In this way, for the purpose of opening, the fluid under pressure arriving from the source as described above flows through the removal head  20  toward the spout  13  and enters into the container  11  through the through hole  14 , achieving the first coupled condition ( FIG. 1 ). The pressure inside the container  11  causes a thrust reaction which brings about the removal and complete detachment of the lid  12  from the container  11 . At this point, or at the same time according to the possible variant forms of embodiment, the holding member  25  is pneumatically actuated to hold the spout  13 , separate from the container  11 , coupled to the removal head  20 , achieving the second holding condition. The second holding condition can be subsequently released to send the spout  13  on to subsequent washing and drying treatments. Instead, in order to re-close the container  11 , the same device  10 , or an identical one, can be used to remove the spout  13 , once washed and dried, and holding it, can position it stably coupled to the containers  11  which, in their turn, have been washed, dried and once again filled. 
     By providing a first pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure for opening and a second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure for holding, autonomous and separate from the first circuit, and therefore usable independently from this, the present invention can carry out the operations of opening, holding, re-closing and release with considerable speed of execution. 
     In some forms of embodiment, during the opening and re-closing steps, the device  10  is vertically mobile, along an axis of translation X, by means of an actuator  24 , schematically shown in the attached drawings, between at least a raised position and a lowered position in which it cooperates with the spout  13 . 
     Moreover, in some other forms of embodiment, the device  10  can be positioned in correspondence with different operating stations or islands of the washing machine. 
     According to some forms of embodiment, the holding member  25  comprises elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  which laterally delimit the housing channel  21 , for example at least for a determinate length along the axis X. 
     The elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  are configured to be deformed by means of the fluid under pressure arriving from the blowing-in pipe  42  of the second pneumatic circuit of fluid under pressure, so as to cooperate selectively during holding with the spout  13  inserted inside them in the housing channel  21  and to define the reversible passage from the first coupled condition ( FIG. 1 ) to the second holding condition ( FIG. 2 ). In particular the elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  are configured to deform radially with respect to the axis of translation X, reducing the section of the housing channel  21 , so as to go into contact and interfere with the spout  13 , holding it with a radial holding force determined in substance by the pressure of the fluid. 
     In this case, the elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  can for example be shaped with an axial-symmetric development and delimit a central passage channel which defines the housing channel  21 . 
     In some forms of embodiment, the removal head  20  comprises at the lower part a centering sleeve  30 , externally cylindrical and hollow inside, positioned in the part of the removal head  20  nearest to the lid  12  in the operating steps. 
     The centering sleeve  30  is coaxial to the axis of translation X and is shaped to define a lead-in zone  31 , in this case conical which, facing toward the spout  13  during use, allows, as the removal head  20  approaches the lid  12 , the correct centered insertion of the spout  13  inside the housing channel  21 , in a substantially coaxial manner to the axis of translation X. The lead-in zone  31  ends with a through hole  26  which, as will be described more fully hereafter, faces toward the housing channel  21 . The spout  13  is thus axially guided toward the center of the lead-in zone  31 , in order to then be inserted in the through hole  26  and, from here, inside the housing channel  21 , where it can interact with the holding member  25 , in particular with the elastically deformable means  33 ,  133 . 
     The centering sleeve  30  is also shaped so as to define a housing seating  32 , in an opposite position to the lead-in zone  31  and separated therefrom by a wall through which the through hole  26  is made. A positioning ring  17  can be coupled to the through hole  26 , having a support flange  19  on the external annular edge which delimits the through hole  26 , on the bottom of the housing seating  32 . 
     The elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  are positioned in the housing seating  32 , so that the housing channel  21  defined by them is aligned to the through hole  26 . 
     In some forms of embodiment, a closing sleeve  38  is positioned at least partly inside the housing seating  32  of the centering sleeve  30 , acting as an upper closing, to clamp the elastically deformable means  33 ,  133 . The closing sleeve  38  also cooperates with the elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  to define with them a compression chamber  39  closed with a fluid-tight seal, inside the housing seating  32 . 
     The compression chamber  39  is in selective fluidic communication with a circuit, preferably different from the circuit associated to the source of fluid under pressure used for the opening. This circuit supplies fluid, such as air under pressure, introduced into the compression chamber  39  by means of a connector  36 , in this case associated to the closing sleeve  38 , as will be explained hereafter. 
     The elastically deformable means  33 ,  133  are thus comprised and positioned stably between the centering sleeve  30  and the closing sleeve  38  and can be deformed in a reversible way inside the compression chamber  39 . 
     In the variant shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the elastically deformable means comprise an inflatable packing  33  made of a deformable polymer material, such as rubber or silicone and which acts as a deformable elastic element. The inflatable packing  33  has an annular shape, to centrally define the housing channel  21 , and a substantially C-shaped cross section. 
     The inflatable packing  33  has a first end  34   a  which rests on the bottom of the housing seating  32 , in this case disc-shaped and which has a peripheral rib  40 . 
     Moreover, the inflatable packing  33  has a second end  34   b , in this case substantially shaped like an upended cup. The first end  34   a  and the second end  34   b  are connected by a tube, or comparable tubular element  35 , which defines the internal diameter of the same annular shape and therefore of the housing channel  21 . 
     Advantageously, the internal diameter is slightly bigger than the maximum diameter possible of the spouts  13  to be treated and which are normally on the market, so that it is possible, when inactive in the non-deformed condition, to accommodate inside it the variability of spouts  13  available on the market. 
     In particular, the inflatable packing  33  is disposed coaxial to the axis of translation X, so that the tube  35  laterally surrounds the spout  13 , at least for part of the length along the axis X, when the removal head  20  is in a suitable position to open or close the container  11 . Advantageously, the inflatable packing  33  is sized so as to define the lateral wall at least of the central part of the housing channel  21 , sufficient to cooperate with a determinate portion of the lateral surface of the spout  13  so as to allow an efficient holding. 
     In particular, in the variant in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , at least the tube  35  of the inflatable packing  33  is elastically deformed in a radial direction so as to contact the spout  13 , in the second holding condition. 
     In some forms of embodiment, the end part of the tube  35  which connects to the first end  34   a  can have a shoulder or step  27  which rests in abutment on a beveled edge  28  of the flange  19  of the positioning ring  17 . This solution increases the fluid-tight seal and mechanical resistance of the inflatable packing  33 . 
     Moreover, to promote the fluid-tight seal of the compression chamber  39 , the peripheral rib  40  of the inflatable packing  33  cooperates with the lower annular edge  37  of the closing sleeve  38  which rests head-wise on the first end  34   a . Moreover, the lower annular edge  37  is radially positioned more inside the peripheral rib  40 , going into contact laterally with the latter, preventing the fluid under pressure from leaking. 
     In some forms of embodiment, the removal head  20  also comprises a guide bushing  43 , interposed between the feed pipe  22  and the closing sleeve  38  and connected to both. The guide bushing  43  has, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape, having internally a through cavity  44 , and is positioned at least partly inside the closing sleeve  38  and coaxial to the axis of translation X. In this way, the through cavity  44  of the guide bushing  43  can define the upper part of the housing channel  21  in communication with the feed channel  23  and can also act as a guide for the alignment of the spout  13  along the axis of translation X during the positioning step of the spout  13 . 
     Moreover, the guide bushing  43  comprises an external shoulder  45  which cooperates with a mating internal shoulder  46  of the closing sleeve  38  to constrain the second end  34   b  of the inflatable packing  33 , opposite the first end  34   a . In this way, the only part of the inflatable packing  33  that can deform radially is substantially the tube  35 . 
     The connector  36 , associated in the case shown here by way of example to the closing sleeve  38 , is provided with a blowing-in channel  41 , different from the feed pipe  22 , in this case made through the upper wall of the closing sleeve  38 , which puts the compression chamber  39  into communication with the blowing-in pipe  42 , by means of which the fluid, such as air, is blown under pressure inside the compression chamber  39 . 
     In particular, the separation of the feed  22  and blowing-in  42  pipes allows the present invention a considerable speed in the opening, holding, re-closing and release operations, because it also allows a nearly contemporaneous use of the two feed  22  and blowing-in  42  pipes, reducing the execution times of these operations to a minimum. 
     This blowing-in allows to bring the compression chamber  39  under pressure, in order to deform the inflatable packing  33  and radially thrust the tube  35  into contact with the spout  13  of the lid  12 . Therefore, the blowing-in channel  41 , the blowing-in pipe  42  and the compression chamber  39  act as pneumatic drive means for the inflatable packing  33 . 
     The coupling of the inflatable packing  33  and the spout  13  determines the passage of the device  10  from the first coupled condition ( FIG. 1 ) to the second holding condition ( FIG. 2 ). Indeed, as long as the compression chamber  39  is kept under pressure, the inflatable packing  33  exerts a radial holding force on the spout  13 , in order to hold it during the subsequent operating and movement steps. 
     When the device  10  is in the second holding condition, the housing channel  21  has a fluid-tight seal because of the effect of the contact between the tube  35  of the inflatable packing  33  and the spout  13 , and the opening operation is therefore possible. Only in this operating condition does all the air coming from the gas source enter inside the container  11  through the through hole  14  of the spout  13 , and does not exit elsewhere. 
     Moreover, in the second holding condition, the lid  12  can be transported by the device  10 , after the containers  11  have been opened, to stations where the lid  12  is treated, or from these stations to the station where the containers  11  are closed. 
     The lid  12  is freed from the device  10  by releasing pressure inside the compression chamber  39 , which causes the return of the inflatable packing  33  to an inactive position, non-deformed, in which the tube  35  is no longer in contact with the spout  13 . 
     In another variant of the device  10  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), the elastically deformable means comprise a tube, or similar tubular element  133 , made of polymer material, elastic and deformable, similar to the inflatable packing  33 . The tube  133  is positioned coaxial to the axis of translation X and laterally delimits the housing channel  21  at least along part of its axial development, with an internal diameter bigger than the diameters of the spouts  13  to be treated. 
     The centering sleeve  30  and the closing sleeve  38  cooperate to constrain a first end  134   a  of the tube  133 , while the closing sleeve  38  and the guide bushing  43  cooperate to constrain the second end  134   b , opposite the first end  134   a.    
     In this variant, the closing sleeve  38  has a tubular shell  138  that projects out inside the housing seating  32 , abutting on the bottom thereof. The tubular shell  138  is fitted externally to the tube  133 , surrounding it. The tubular shell  138  has at least an eyelet, or similar through aperture  139 , which puts the compression chamber  39  into communication with the tube  133  so that the compressed fluid can act directly on the latter and deform it ( FIG. 4 ), in order to reduce the section of the housing channel  21 . 
     In particular, thanks to the eyelet  139  it is possible to direct the fluid under pressure arriving from the blowing-in channel  41  toward a central zone  135  of the tube  133 , which is deformed going into contact with the spout  13 . Since the ends  134   a ,  134   b  of the tube  133  are constrained, as described above, the central zone  135  is the only part which can deform because of the radial thrust of the fluid under pressure. This deformation brings the central zone  135  of the tube  133  into contact with the spout  13 , and therefore allows both to open the containers  11  and to hold the corresponding lids  12 . 
     Both the inflatable packing  33  and the tube  133  are made of elastically deformable material, which preferably supports a high number of deformation cycles, and therefore they are not affected by possible variability of the diameters of the spouts  13 ; they also allow to hold the lids  12  reliably, thanks to the fact that advantageously they can be made of material with a high friction factor.