Patent ID: 6862979

Claim:
A thermal conditioning system for heating and cooling cylindrical containers, comprising container heating apparatus comprising a heating chamber of generally cylindrical configuration with a generally vertical cylindrical axis, said chamber including a housing enclosing said heating chamber and having a generally cylindrical configuration generally coaxial with said heating chamber axis, and a heated fluid introduced into said chamber for heating said containers within said heating chamber; heating transport apparatus for supporting movement of said containers through said heating chamber, said transport apparatus comprising: a plurality of generally circular tracks carried by track supports and spaced apart from one another along said cylindrical axis; a transport mechanism for moving said containers around said tracks; and a transfer structure for moving said containers from one said said track to an adjacent, lower said track; introduction conveyor apparatus for introducing containers into said heating chamber from outside said chamber; container cooling apparatus positioned generally below said heating chamber, said cooling apparatus including a cooling fluid spray, and transport apparatus generally coaxial with said heating chamber transport apparatus and comprising a plurality of generally circular tracks carried by a track support and spaced apart from one another along said cylindrical axis, the first said circular track being positioned directly below the lowermost said heating apparatus track for receiving heated said containers therefrom; a transport mechanism for moving said containers around said tracks; and a transfer structure for moving said containers from one said said track to an adjacent, lower said track; and exit conveyor apparatus for moving said containers from said cooling apparatus to a location outside said heating apparatus and said cooling apparatus.