Patent ID: 7849996

Claim:
A device for loading ( 10 ) or unloading ( 58 ) containers ( 12 ) comprising a neck ( 20 ), and in particular preforms made of thermoplastic material, onto a transporting element ( 14 ) which comprises at least one individual member ( 28 ) for grasping a preform ( 12 ) by its neck ( 20 ), and which is able to transport the preform ( 12 ) along a horizontal transport path, the loading ( 10 ) or unloading ( 58 ) device comprising: means of distributing ( 32 , 42 ) the preforms ( 12 ) which comprise individual reception means ( 42 ) for each preform ( 12 ) so as to lead each preform ( 12 ) in turn along a distribution path in such a way that the path of the reception means ( 42 ) and the path of the grasping members ( 28 ), in planar projection, are tangential at at least one point of intersection (P 3 , P 4 ) in which the preform ( 12 ) occupies a grasping position in which the neck ( 20 ) of the preform ( 12 ) is positioned vertically with respect to the grasping member ( 28 ), means for synchronizing the movement of the reception means ( 42 ) relative to the movement of the grasping member ( 28 ) so that the grasping member ( 28 ) is able to catch or release the neck ( 20 ) of the preform ( 12 ) by vertically sliding the preform ( 12 ) into the grasping position relative to the grasping member ( 28 ) in an operation to grasp or release the preform that occurs at said at least one point of intersection (P 3 , P 4 ) of the abovementioned paths, characterized in that the path of the reception means ( 42 ) and the path of the grasping members ( 28 ) in planar projection are superimposed and synchronized along at least one line of intersection (P 3 -P 1 , P 2 -P 4 ) so that the preform ( 12 ) is held in its grasping position all along the line of intersection (P 3 -P 1 , P 2 -P 4 ), and in that the path of the grasping members ( 28 ) along the line of intersection (P 3 -P 1 , P 2 -P 4 ) is circular about a driving vertical rotation axis (D), the reception means ( 42 ) being positioned at the periphery of a rotating plate ( 32 ), the rotation axis (D) of which corresponds to said driving vertical rotation axis.