Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Hermetically Sealing Sheet Metal Cans and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Hermetically Sealing
Sheet Metal Cans and the like.
I, EDWIN NORTON, of Maywood, in the County of Cook, in the State of Illinois,
United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to improvements in machines or apparatus for hermetically
sealing or closing the covers upon sheet metal cans or other vessels.
Heretofore, in preserving food or other articles in hermetically sealed cans or
other vessels, it has generally been customary to seal or close the cover or cap
upon the can by soldering the cover or cap in place on the can, which is a slow,
expensive and laborious operation; or by tightening and securing the cover or cap
upon the can or vessel while heated to the boiling point, a partial vacuum being
produced by the subsequent cooling of the can or vessel; this method being also
a slow and tedious operation requiring the individual handling of each can or
vessel. And both these methods are open to serious objections well known to
those skilled in the art.
The object of my invention is to provide an automatic machine or apparatus,
by means of which the covers can be very rapidly and cheaply hermetically sealed
and secured upon the cans or vessels, and by which also the air and other gases
which may have injurious effects upon the contents of the cans or vessels may
be removed therefrom before and at the instant the covers are sealed and secured
thereto.
With this object in view my invention consists, in connection with a receiver
from which the air may be exhausted by a vacuum pump or other means, of
automatically opening and closing doors for said receiver, an automatically operated
valve controlling the connection of the receiver with the vacuum pump, an automa-
tically operated follower plate for forcing the covers home upon the cans, and mech-
anism for first automatically closing the doors of the receiver, second, opening the
valve between the receiver and the vacuum pump, third, operating the follower
plate to force the covers home upon the cans, fourth, to open the valve to admit
air again to the receiver while the follower plate holds the covers securely sealed
to the cans, and fifth, again open the doors of the receiver and lift the follower
plate from the cans, the restored atmospheric pressure now holding and securing
the covers firmly and tightly upon the cans.
My invention also consists in providing the doors of the receiver with tracks
upon which the trucks containing the cans may be run, so that the cans may be
easily and rapidly placed in and removed from the receiver.
It further consists in the combination in a single apparatus of two of said
receivers with curved tracks for the can trucks to run upon from one receiver
to the other, so that the can trucks may be run continuously through one receiver
to the other and return to position for loading the cans upon the truck and
removing them therefrom.

page_text: My invention further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices,
and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described
and specified in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which
similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout all the figures,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus or machine embodying my invention;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the receivers
showing the doors open; Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view through
one of the receivers; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of parts hereinafter to be
described; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the construction of can or
vessel which I prefer to use in practicing my invention.
In the drawing A represents the frame of the machine, BB are the receivers,
and C is the curved track or rails extending from the door D of one of the
receivers to the door D of the other at each end of the receivers, and upon which
tracks or rails C trucks E travel from and through one receiver to the other.
CC are extensions of the tracks or rails C on the doors D of the receiver, said
extensions C¹ being inclined in respect to the doors D, so that when the doors ])
are opened to permit the can trucks to be run in or out, said track extensions (¹
on the doors will be substantially horizontal, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the
drawing.
C2 C2 are similar track extensions on the bottom B₁ of the receiver, the doors D
being provided with pockets D₁ to receive the ends of the track or rail exten-
sions. These pockets enable the rails C² to be extended to meet the ends of
the inclined rails C on the doors D without interfering with the proper closing
of the doors, as will be readily understood from Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings.
The doors D are hinged at D2 to the receiver, and occupy an inclined position
when closed, preferably about as illustrated in the drawing.
D³ is a rubber or other packing secured in suitable grooves in the end faces of
the receiver against which packing the door is closed to form a tight joint.
F is the follower plate, by which the covers X are pressed home upon the
cans X¹ on the can truck E. This follower plate is automatically operated
through its piston stems or rods F, which extend through suitable stuffing
boxes F2 with which the top of the receiver is provided for this purpose.
G is the valve, preferably a three-way valve, for opening and closing the com-
munication between the receiver B and the vacuum or air pump H and the air
inlet J at intervals as required.
The inclined doors DD of the receiver are automatically opened and closed at
suitable intervals as required by means of the toggle links D4 15 and connecting
links Do extending from the toggle links to the crank arm D7 on the crank
shaft D8, which is automatically oscillated as required by the cam K¹ on the cam
shaft K, through the segment gears D³ D³, the latter of which meshes with a
gear on said crank shaft 18.
The three-way valve G is automatically turned or operated as required to first
open the communication with the vacuum pump, and then close said communi-
cation and open the communication with the air inlet, by means of a cam K²
on the cam shaft K, through the lever G¹ and link G2 connecting with the operat-
ing arm G3 of the valve."
The follower plate F is automatically operated at suitable intervals as required,
to force the covers home upon the cans after the air has been exhausted therefrom
and from the receiver B, by the operation of the vacuum pump, and before the
atmospheric pressure is again restored to the receiver, by means of a cam G* on
the cam shaft K, through the slotted connecting link F3, the several piston stems
or rods F being connected together and to the operating bar F³, by means of the
bent levers F4 F4, on the shafts F5 and the connecting link Fo
Power is communicated to the cam shaft K from the driving shaft M through
the worm M¹ and worm gear M². M3 is the driving pulley on the driving shaft.
N is a clutch, and N¹ the clutch lever or treadle by which the cam shaft K is

page_text: connected to the worm gear M2 at intervals by the operator when a truck load of
cans is run into the receiver and ready to be operated upon.
While I have illustrated in the drawing the mechanism which I prefer to use
for automatically operating in proper succession, and at the required intervals
the doors of the receiver, the valve and the follower plate, it will be understood
by those skilled in the art that such operating or motion giving mechanism may
be varied or changed without departing from the principle of my invention.
The vacuum or air pump H may be of any suitable construction.
The wheel trucks E may be made of any suitable size. As illustrated in the
drawing, each can truck is designed to hold sixty cans, the covers being thus auto-
matically sealed upon and secured to the sixty cans upon the truck at a single
time or operation. From about one-half to one minute's time is ordinarily
required for going through one complete operation consisting in closing the
doors of the receiver, pumping the air out of the cans and from the receiver operat-
ing the follower plate to force the covers home upon the cans, and admitting air
again to the receiver, opening the doors and running the can truck in and out
of the receiver. The complete apparatus comprising the two receivers will thus
hermetically seal and secure the covers upon one hundred and twenty cans per
minute. In practice each machine or apparatus is provided with six can trucks,
two of which are being loaded with cans, two unloaded, and two of which are
being operated upon in the two receivers.
The loading stations are indicated on Fig. 1 of the drawing at W W, and the
unloading stations at W₁ W₁.
The can or vessel X' may be of any suitable construction provided with a
shoulder or roll at its upper edge for the gasket or packing ring X2 on the cover
to bear against. The cover X is provided with an annular channel X", to receive
the packing ring or gasket X².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The apparatus for automatically sealing and securing the covers upon cans
or vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal comprising in combination a
receiver, doors for said receiver through which the cans may be inserted and
removed, a follower piate or platen for forcing the covers home upon the cans, a
valve for opening and closing the exhaust and air inlet communications, and
mechanism for automatically operating said doors, valve and follower plate, sub-
stantially as specified.
2. The combination with a receiver of a follower plate for forcing the covers
home upon the cans, and mechanism for automatically operating said follower
plate before the air inlet valve is opened to restore the atmospheric pressure to
the receiver, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with a receiver, of a door for the receiver through which
the cans may be inserted and removed, a valve for opening and closing the com-
munication between the exhaust and air inlet valve and receiver, a follower plate
for forcing the covers home upon the cans or vessels, and mechanism for auto-
matically operating said door, valve and follower plate, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with a receiver, of a door therefor, a valve controlling the
communication between the receiver and the exhaust and air inlet, a follower
plate for forcing the cans home upon the vessels, and mechanism for automati-
cally operating said valve and follower plate, substantially as specified.
5. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing the covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, the combination with a receiver,
of doors for the receiver and tracks or rails on the bottom and doors of the
receiver for a can truck, substantially as specified.
6. In a apparatus for automatically sealing and securing the covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, the combination with a receiver,

page_text: of doors for the receiver and tracks or rails on the bottom and doors of the
receiver for a can truck, said doors being inclined when closed, and provided with
pockets to receive the ends of the rails on the bottom of the receiver, substantially
as specified.
7. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing the covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, the combination with a receiver,
of doors for the receiver and tracks or rails on the bottom and doors of the receiver
for a can truck, said doors being inclined when closed, and provided with
pockets to receive the ends of the rails on the bottom of the receiver, and the
tracks or rails on the doors being inclined in respect to the doors, substantially
as specified.
8. The combination with two receivers having doors at each end thereof, of a
curved track or rails uniting the receivers, substantially as specified.
9. The combination with two receivers having inclined doors furnished with
tracks or rails, and curved tracks or rails uniting the receivers, substantially as
specified.
10. The combination with two receivers having inclined doors furnished with
tracks or rails, and curved tracks or rails uniting the receivers, the bottoms of
said receivers being furnished with tracks or rails, substantially as specified.
11. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, a receiver having automatically
opening and closing doors, substantially as specified.
12. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, a receiver having automatically
opening and closing inclined doors, substantially as specified.
13. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, a receiver having automatically
opening and closing inclined doors, and tracks or rails for a can truck on the
doors and bottom of the receiver, substantially as specified.
14. In an apparatus for automatically sealing and securing covers on cans or
vessels by a vacuum or atmospheric pressure seal, a receiver having automatically
opening and closing inclined doors, and tracks or rails for a can truck on the
doors and bottom of the receiver, said doors having pockets to receive the ends of
the tracks or rails on the bottom of the receiver, substantially as specified.
15. The combination with a receiver, doors for the receiver, toggle links for
opening and closing the doors of the receiver, a crank shaft and arm, and links
connecting the crank arm with said toggle links, substantially as specified.
16. The combination with a receiver, doors for the receiver, toggle links for
opening and closing the doors of the receiver, a crank shaft and arm, links con-
necting the crank arm with said toggle links, and a cam for operating the same,
substantially as specified.