Patents Assigned to KRONES
  • Patent number: 11577914
    Abstract: A method and device for treating containers with at least two container treatment machines, between which a transport device for transporting the containers is arranged, where the transport device is divided into several transport sections, where the flow of containers is changed from containers of type A to containers of type B, where a separating device is activated once the first transport section has run empty of containers of type A, where containers of the type B are transported into the first transport section and backed up at the separating device, while containers of type A are transported from the second transport section to the second container treatment machine, and where the separating device is deactivated once the second transport section has run empty of containers of the type A, so that the containers of type B are transported through the second transport section to the second container treatment machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Hahn, Norbert Risse, Heinz Woelfel
  • Patent number: 11577950
    Abstract: A device for treating containers, for example, for filling and closing containers in filling plants is described. The device includes an isolator chamber in which the treatment of the containers takes place, and an outlet disposed beneath the isolator chamber for discharging fluids, wherein the outlet has a housing for receiving ejected containers and a suction device for extracting gases from the isolator chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Juergen Soellner, Franz Braun, Holger Mueller, Bruno Landler
  • Patent number: 11577444
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for processing containers and in particular for reshaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, including a transport device which transports the containers along a predetermined transport path, wherein this transport device has a movable support, on which a plurality of processing stations are arranged, which in each case are suitable and intended for processing the plastic preforms, with a clean room, which surrounds at least portions of the transport path of the plastic preforms and which is delimited by at least one wall relative to the environment. Further, the apparatus has at least one inspection device for inspecting the containers, wherein this inspection device has an image capturing device, wherein this image capturing device is arranged at least partially outside the clean room and monitors at least one region of the containers through at least one wall of the clean room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Thomas Höllriegl, Robert Schmitt, Günter Frankenberger, Andreas Eichenseher
  • Patent number: 11572215
    Abstract: Labelling machine for labelling containers, having at least one docking station for a labelling apparatus and a machine control system, wherein the docking station comprises at least one network access for establishing a network connection between the machine control system and a docked labelling apparatus, wherein the network connection is designed to transmit security-relevant data and/or time-critical data, and wherein the network access is connected to a manageable Ethernet network switch of the machine control system with a DHCP server, wherein the DHCP server is adapted to assign a preset IP address determined by the DHCP server to a labelling apparatus connected to the network access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Norbert Heimann
  • Patent number: 11565931
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for filling containers with a positioning surface on which a container to be filled can be arranged, with a filling device which is suitable and intended for filling the container via its container opening. According to embodiments of the invention, the apparatus has a contour detection device which is suitable and intended for determining a contour of the container to be filled, as well as a determination device which, taking into account the contour of the container, detects an internal volume of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Michael Neubauer, Alexander Hafner, Benedikt Paulus, Linda Feldmeier, Christoph Sonnauer
  • Patent number: 11565458
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, having a blow mould which forms a cavity within which the plastic preforms can be expanded to form the plastic containers, and having an application device which is suitable and intended for acting upon the plastic preforms with a flowable medium in order to expand them, which is suitable and intended for acting upon the plastic preforms with a flowable medium in order to expand them, wherein the application device is placed against a mouth area of the plastic preforms in order to act upon these with the flowable medium. The application device forms at least one first flow channel for the flowable medium, which guides and/or directs at least a portion of the flowable medium to an inner wall of the mouth area in order to temper and, in particular, cool this inner wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Thomas Hoellriegl, Markus Stiegler, Oliver Apfelbacher, Markus Kulzer, Gerald Huettner
  • Patent number: 11559933
    Abstract: Apparatus (1) for forming plastic preforms (10) into plastic containers (20). In a closed state of a blow mould (14), a contact area is formed between side parts (14a, 14b), in which the two side parts (14a, 14b) rest against each other, the side parts (14a, 14b) form a mould separation seam (5) in the contact area. In accordance with the invention, at least one section of at least one side part (14a, 14b) has a coating and/or an additional element (60) in a region of the mould separation seam (5), so that a heat transfer between the plastic preform (10) and the inner wall (52, 54) in the contact area can be delayed at least in places at these at least one section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Markus Kulzer, Juergen Soellner, Thomas Spitzer
  • Patent number: 11555857
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are described for monitoring the wear of a long stator linear motor system comprising at least one motor train with stators and at least one transport vehicle that is driven electromagnetically thereby. Due to the fact that a force exerted electromagnetically and/or mechanically upon said motor train by the transport vehicle transverse to the latter's direction of transport or a differential force exerted in such manner by the transport vehicle upon two oppositely disposed motor trains is measured using sensors, changes in the forces between the motor train and the vehicle caused by dimensional tolerances and/or wear can be detected in order to prevent a malfunction of the track switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Thomas Kiendl, Hartmut Davidson, Stefan Elsperger
  • Patent number: 11545884
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a stator module for a linear drive of a container-handling machine in the beverage processing industry, comprising a housing in which a core and at least one coil are arranged, wherein the stator module comprises a media supply for supplying a gas into the interior of the housing and the media supply is adapted to pressurize the interior of the housing, as well as a corresponding container-handling machine and a method of operating a container-handling machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Michael Neubauer, Hartmut Davidson
  • Patent number: 11541325
    Abstract: A device for evaporating a fluid medium in a filling product filling plant includes an inclined evaporator surface, a medium supply line for applying the fluid medium that is to be evaporated to the evaporator surface, and grooves in the evaporator surface for conducting the fluid medium. The grooves along the evaporator surface have a non-linear design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Michael Peter, Juergen Soellner
  • Patent number: 11541589
    Abstract: Apparatus (1) for reshaping plastic preforms (10) into plastic containers (20) has a blow moulding device (14) which has at least two side parts (14a, 14b) and a base mould (14c) which form a hollow space inside which the plastic preforms (10) are reshaped into the plastic containers (20), wherein the apparatus has a changing device (40) which is suitable and intended either to remove the complete blow moulding device (14) or only parts (14a, 14b, 14c) of the blow moulding device (14) from the blow mould supports (16) thereof and/or to arrange them on the blow mould supports (16), wherein the base mould (14c) is arranged on a base mounting (19), and in a changing mode, through a lifting movement (H) and in particular a lifting and/or lowering of the base mounting (19), the base mould (14c) can be connected to the base mounting (19) or can be disconnected from the base mounting (19), and between the base mounting (19) and the base mould (14c) at least one first disconnectable media connection (21) is provided,
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Andreas Hack, Florian Geltinger
  • Patent number: 11535459
    Abstract: A method and a device for buffering containers in a container treatment system are disclosed. The containers enter into storage on an infeed conveyor belt in the infeed direction, are moved in a single row onto a transversely adjoining buffer area by rail-guided and individually driven shuttles with row pushers in a buffering direction running transverse to the infeed direction, and are removed from storage on an outfeed conveyor belt transversely adjoining in the buffering direction. The shuttles and the infeed/outfeed conveyor belts are controlled in dependence of target positions, target speeds and/or target accelerations stored specifically for the container type, and/or the shuttles are controlled in dependence of target positions, target distances and/or target speeds stored specifically for modes of operation for initializing and reading out the shuttles, for following preceding shuttles, and for moving to route positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Franz Lautenschlager, Thekla Osswald, Martin Seger, Torsten Kilgenstein, Peter Muehlstein
  • Patent number: 11535503
    Abstract: Method and filling device for filling a container with a filling product, in a beverage filling system, wherein the method comprises: determining one or more changeable influence variables which influence a target variable of the filling process, a filling level and/or a filling volume; receiving the influence variables by means of a control apparatus; calculating at least one output variable from the received influence variables by means of a calculation model of the control apparatus; and filling the container as a function of the at least one output variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Andreas Kursawe, Florian Habersetzer
  • Patent number: 11534955
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for processing plastic preforms (10) and/or plastic containers (20) by means of at least one first processing apparatus (2), which processes the plastic containers (10, 20) in a first specified manner, and by means of at least one second processing apparatus (4), which processes the plastic containers (10, 20) in a second specified manner and which is arranged before or after the first processing apparatus (2), wherein the plastic containers (10, 20) are transported from one processing apparatus (2, 4) to the other processing apparatus (2, 4) by means of a transport apparatus (5) and the at least first processing apparatus (2) and the at least second processing apparatus (4) are coupled to each other, the first treatment apparatus (2) is a blow-molding machine (25) for shaping plastic preforms (10) to form plastic containers (20), and the process speed of the blow-molding machine (25) is defined by means of a specification, which contains a plurality of process parameters tha
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Erik Blochmann, Jochen Forsthoevel
  • Patent number: 11530098
    Abstract: The invention relates to a spacing star wheel for transporting and transferring containers, comprising a plurality of gripping elements for gripping one container each and a curve guide, where the spacing star wheel is configured such that, during operation, the gripping elements, guided by the curve guide, revolve around the axis of rotation of the spacing star wheel along a curved path. By activating at least one curve guide segment, the shape of the curve guide can be adjusted such that the spacing distance between two adjacent gripping elements in the region of the curve guide segment changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Thomas Hoellriegl
  • Patent number: 11530060
    Abstract: The invention includes a method used to place article groups into outer packagings (22) packaging apparatus (10). Article groups are transferred by a handling device (26) from a staging location (46) to a conveyor line (20) and are placed into the outer packagings (22). The conveyor line (20) serves to successively transport outer packagings (22). At least some of the articles (14) of a particular article group are directed and/or guided during a placing procedure by a centering device (32) assigned to the conveyor line (20) and moved along with the outer packagings (22), which are being transported on the conveyor line (20) and which are to be loaded with article groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Stadler, Markus Gabler
  • Patent number: 11511951
    Abstract: A rotor for a long-stator linear motor system comprises at least three rollers for mounting the rotor on one or more guide rails of the long-stator linear motor system, the at least three rollers comprising a first roller that engages with an upper part of a first guide rail of the one or more guide rails, a second roller that engages with a lower part of the first guide rail, and a third roller that a) is rotatably mounted to at least one rotatable bolster of the rotor or b) comprises a steering rotational axis with an integrated castor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Alexander Hartung, Heiner Schaefer, Peter Zeiner, Konrad Senn, Torsten Kilgenstein, Stefan Elsperger, Michael Neubauer, Manfred Kieslinger
  • Patent number: 11505441
    Abstract: A method and a device are described for displacing air from bottles of carbonated beverages. Sound waves may be emitted from at least one sound source and propagate through the ambient air, penetrate through the mouths into the beverage and/or make the walls of the bottles vibrate so that CO2 is expelled from the beverage and the beverage foams in the headspace such that air contained therein is displaced through the mouth. The oxygen content in the beverage can thus be reduced flexibly and in an adjustable manner with comparatively little expenditure on equipment and for different bottle formats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventor: Simon Gebendorfer
  • Patent number: 11505352
    Abstract: Provided is a device for processing containers, in particular plastic containers, including at least one container-processing apparatus, which has at least one changeover access entry, at which at least one of format parts and tools can be exchanged during changeover operation, and including a transport system, by means of which the at least one of format parts and tools can be brought to the at least one container-processing apparatus. The transport system is a driverless transport system, by which the format parts and/or tools can be automatically brought to at least one container-processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Hahn, Thomas Mildner, Stefan Raith, Markus Zoelfl
  • Patent number: D970342
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventor: Laura Wittmann