Abstract: An apparatus for separating loose paper pieces from a bath of caustic soda including a tank with a hopper-like structure disposed at the top of the tank. A helical screw conveyor is operatively disposed below the hopper and has its discharge exteriorly of the tank. A pair of perforated stainless steel screen-type spaced rotatable drums is operatively disposed between the hopper and the conveyor, and a hollow stainless steel screen-type cylindrical filter (with a nylon filter cover) is positioned in the bottom of the tank and has an outlet extending to the tank exterior. In operation, a caustic soda solution mixed with paper pieces in the hopper is discharged by gravity onto the rotating drums which feed the paper pieces via the outer (rotating) drum surfaces into the conveyor and then to the exterior of the tank. The caustic soda solution flows through the perforations in the drums and then to the bottom of the tank and through the cylindrical filter for final filtering and then to the tank exterior.

Abstract: A motor-driven piston-type valve including a valve body having a horizontally disposed fluid flow passageway. A valve piston is operatively mounted in the body for vertical movement therein to selectively close and open the passageway. An electric motor is operatively connected to the piston to vertically move the same. A slip clutch is operatively interposed between the motor and the piston whereby clutch slippage is effected when the piston encounters a predetermined resistance in its vertical movement. A limit switch is operatively connected to the clutch for triggering by clutch slippage, such limit switch also being electrically connected to the motor, whereby when the piston encounters a predetermined resistance in its vertical movement, resultant clutch slippage triggers the limit switch to stop the motor.

Abstract: A piston type valve including a valve body having a horizontally disposed fluid flow passageway with an inlet at one end of the passageway and an outlet at the other end of the passageway. A valve piston is mounted in the body for selective vertical movement to and away from the passageway inlet and outlet to selectively close and open the passageway and control fluid flow therethrough. A debris holding tank is disposed on the valve body below the fluid flow passageway and is in fluid flow communication therewith. The passageway outlet has its bottom portion disposed higher than the bottom portion of the inlet whereby debris contained in the fluid flow through the passageway strikes the outlet bottom portion and falls into the tank. The valve piston is cylindrical and is mounted on vertical guide rods to guide the piston in its vertical movement and to prevent it from turning in a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A carrier for transportation of a plurality of bottles comprising a rigid rectangular frame enclosing a plurality of generally hexagonal forms, each form provided with a plastic liner for supporting a bottle while transporting the same through a bottle washing machine.

Abstract: A filter is disclosed for removing loose particles carried in a liquid stream such as loose paper particles in a bottle washing machine. An outer tank surrounds an inner rotatable finely perforated drum mounted on an axial shaft running throughout the drum and tank. The shaft is hollow with spaced perforations and a back-wash liquid may be passed through the shaft to wash away small paper particles which may stick to the drum after an operation of the filter cycle. The contaminated liquid enters the outer tank near one end and passes along the length of the drum and through the perforated periphery thereof then out a clear discharge opening at a far end of the device.

Abstract: This application presents a method and apparatus for arranging and combining bottles standing on end which includes feeding a miscellaneous collection of the bottles toward a conveyor, receiving the bottles and conveying them in a direction along plural parallel paths spaced apart less than the diameter of the bottles, nudging the bottles toward these paths as the bottles move along, then guiding the bottles laterally inward of the parallel paths and again nudging the bottles onto the laterally inward paths.

Abstract: Cleaned bottles, as from a bottle washing machine, travel along a path carried by conveyor in a predetermined orientation evenly spaced, one bottle from another. The carrier moves the bottles from a generally horizontal position to a position approaching the vertical at which time the bottle will slide out of its usual receptacle. At the bottle discharge point, a rotatable generally helical structure is provided made of spaced rods and this device carries one or more shoes, each shoe arriving at the specified point in time with the discharge of a given bottle from the arrangement of bottles in the bottle carrier. Guided by the shoe, the bottle then is lowered by the helical structure to land in an upright position on a receiving platform. The generally helical structure is so arranged that after a bottle is deposited on its platform, the rod structure, or similar structure pushes the bottle outwardly away from the machine onto its receiving conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for unscrambling a mass of uniform size bottles and loading the same in rather large groups into a continuously moving conveyor on which are arranged a series of bottle receptacles arranged in a double row including a first or upper row of a plurality of closely spaced receptacles, and a second or lower row of receptacles of the same number as the first row but offset to one side from the receptacles of the first row by an amount equal to half the spacing of the first row receptacles.

Abstract: An apparatus is presented for separating loose paper pieces from a bath of caustic soda, such as is ejected from a bottle washing machine including a housing having a reservoir in its upper portion, the reservoir having finely perforated bottom walls sloping toward the center where there is an elongated opening. An elongated helical screw conveyor is provided in the housing spaced below and parallel to the elongated opening with a perforated conveyor sleeve closely surrounding the conveyor on the bottom and sides leaving an open top which communicates with the paper coming down from the upper reservoir. Two cylindrical perforated drums are mounted in the housing on axes parallel to the screw conveyor and on opposite sides of the center of the housing. These drums may be rotated from time to time as set forth. A paper-chopping apparatus is provided at the end of the conveyor which discharges paper outside of the housing.

Abstract: A container discharger with safety mechanism consisting of a group of finger elements positioned to guide the containers in the initial discharge from the pockets of a conveyor, and in which the finger elements are mounted so as to be readily movable when engaged by even one misplaced or improperly discharged bottle, a safety switch in the power circuit of the apparatus which is actuated in response to the movement of any finger element being engaged by a bottle not in proper discharge position to stop the apparatus, and means to jiggle the fingers with the object in mind of dislodging any improperly placed bottle so that there will be no need to dismantle the apparatus or remove any components.