Abstract: A glass article such as a sham bottom tumbler with a decorative air bubble encapsulated in its base is produced on existing automatic glass-forming machines by injecting a bubble of air into a charge of molten glass in the gob-feeder section of a glass furnace as the charge is being formed into a gob. This is accomplished by mounting an air supply pipe in the gob-feeder orifice. Preferably, the outlet end of the pipe extends radially to the center of the orifice. Puffs of compressed air are supplied in synchronism with the feeder plunger cycle so an air bubble is formed in the lower end of the gob, and the gob is then formed by normal procedures into a finished article.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of utilizing a shrink wrap film to shrink wrap a load or group of articles or packages having a surface portion formed of the same material as the shrink wrap film. The load or group is assembled and wrapped with the outer ply of each article or package formed of the shrink wrap film being coated with a release coating which will withstand the heat shrinking and will not fuse to any part of the load or group when subjected to film-shrinking heat when the group is overwrapped with similar film. The wrapped load is thereby heated to shrink the film or laminate about the load, and may thereafter be easily removed.

Abstract: Apparatus for inspecting glass containers to determine the presence of the defect termed "birdswing". A container under inspection is rotated and a laser is directed so as to pass through the opening defined by the finish of the container and toward the base of the container. If no birdswing is present the laser beam will pass through the bottom of the container. However, if a birdswing is present, the rotation of the container will cause the laser beam to eventually strike the birdswing, causing scattering of the laser beam. The scattered light is detected by a circumferential photocell array which is positioned below the base of the container. The location of the array is such that it will not detect any of the laser light unless it strikes a birdswing. The detection of scattered light by the photocell array causes a reject signal to be generated.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing a composite container having a body label or tubular sleeve mounted thereon adapted to be shrunken onto exterior surface areas of a cylindrical container. The tubular sleeve is preformed of thin flexible thermoplastic material and may be flat-folded until ready for use when it is fully opened and conveyed in axial registry with the container inverted therebeneath. The sleeve preform of heat-shrinkable plastic material is telescopically assembled onto the inverted container while the latter is conveyed through a coincidental aligned path. The container preferably consists of a hollow glass or plastic container held invertedly by its neck portion with the tubular preform made slightly larger in diameter to surround the body and neck portions of the container. The tubular sleeve preform is held fully opened and is then transported downwardly in telescopic relation when in axial alignment with the inverted container.

Abstract: Composite article, and method of producing same, comprising a heat-resistant woven fabric substrate having a continuous heat and wear-resistant coating thereon for handling hot glass articles and the like without marring same. The heat-resistant flexible composite material is formed from a tightly woven fabric such as thermoset polyaramid fibers with a continuous imperforate coating of organic-inorganic silicone resin containing a filler of heat-resistant particulate material therein adapted to withstand extensive repeated contact with newly-formed hot glass articles. As required, the flexible composite material may be used alone or as a facing for a rigid structural member formed of metal.

Abstract: This invention discloses a method and apparatus for forming a tubular sleeve of a shrinkable cellular polymeric material from a predecorated web. Predecorated neck labels are formed from a web having a pair of cross-dimension score lines in precise location to facilitate flat folding. The neck labels preformed from the web are adapted to overlying the neck and closure of a bottle, for example, to provide a tamper-proof feature. Such labels are formed from a web by cutting a presized blank having, if desired, a partial-depth slit along the longitudinal dimension to provide a parting line, winding the blank on a mandrel while successively forming the score lines in precise location, and then overlapping the ends and seaming the same to make a tubular sleeve having precisely-formed sides adapted to uniform flat-folding. The sleeves are stripped from the forming mandrel, flat-folded and packed into tightly-nested stacks for subsequent use.

Abstract: This invention relates to the treatment of plastic sheet material and especially co-extruded sheet of orientable plastic material which is comprised of film and foam layers which are continuously stretched in a longitudinal direction. The stretching is effected between a pair of rolls which are maintained at different temperatures and rotated at different rates of rotation to effect a cold stretching of the film-foam laminate to improve its shrink capability and lower its shrink temperature upon usage in various packaging applications. A preferred material is polyethylene which is co-extruded into a laminate of film and foam layers and which exhibits improved shrinkage characteristics when employed in the form of tubular sleeves for container labels or bands.

Abstract: This invention relates to method and apparatus for producing a composite container having a tubular sleeve mounted precisely thereon adapted to be shrunken into final surface covering position. The tubular sleeve is preformed of relatively-flexible thin material and flat-folded until ready for use when it is opened and conveyed into axial registry with the container. The sleeve preform of heat-shrinkable plastic material is telescopically assembled onto the container and the container is then firmly retained at an upper region. A reciprocatable apertured head contacts the preform while so retained and further telescopes the preform at least partially over the container. With the reciprocatable apertured head then stationarily maintained, the container is elevated so that the apertured head further lowers the preform into finally-aligned position on the container where it is adapted to subsequent heat-shrinking in place in permanent conforming arrangement.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for assemblying bottles or other containers into a package. The bottles for a package are arranged in a group of predetermined number, a telescoping tubular sleeve is placed around the group, and the sleeve is heat-shrunken around the grouped bottles into an integral tightly-bound package.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for developing a strain crystallized morphology in blowbottles of thermoplastic material by a heat treatment process subsequent to a blow molding operation. In a first embodiment, the blow mold itself includes means for differentially heating the blown article along its length so that only those portions which have been significantly molecularly oriented are heat treated. In a second embodiment, separate mold-shaped members are mounted adjacent the blow mold to receive the blown articles to apply the desired heat treatment process. In the method, an essentially amorphous thermoplastic parison is expanded in a blow molding operation at a temperature conducive to molecular orientation and strain induced crystallization. Then, the highly molecularly oriented bottle portions are heat treated to develop crystalline growth, while other non-molecularly oriented bottle portions may be simultaneously cooled.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for strengthening glass articles immediately after their formation and prior to annealing to remove stresses, and more specifically to increasing the strength of glass containers in terms of internal pressure retention as well as in thermal shock and impact resistance. The process involves allowing the newly-formed glass containers to cool down to a limited extent immediately subsequent to their formation, subjecting the defect-bearing exterior surfaces of the glass containers, which contain surface checks or cracks, to an elevated temperature for a brief period of time to physically alter the crack geometry of the defects and partially heal the same, and then annealing the glass containers to remove stresses therefrom.

Abstract: A protective coating composition is applied to the decorated and/or printed surface of a foamed plastic substrate to provide abrasion resistance, high gloss, and lubricity. Preferably, the composition is comprised of a water-based mixture of polyurethane resin and emulsified polyethylene resin, the latter being emulsified with an ionic or non-ionic emulsifier. The composition is especially useful for application over the exterior of foamed plastic surfaces which have been decorated and/or printed with printing inks prior to fabrication of the material into plastic articles.

Abstract: In a cavity identification system the containers, which are upright, will be in single file and will be diverted from a linear conveyor by a rotating starwheel, having in the periphery thereof, pockets which generally correspond to the external diameter of the containers. The starwheel serves to guide the containers from the side of the conveyor, in slightly spaced-apart fashion, over an identification station where the cavity identification reader is positioned. After the container has passed the reading position, it will be moved back onto the moving conveyor so that the container will be carried to a later processing position. Guard rails are provided at both the incoming and outgoing ends of the cavity reading system to guide the containers in series relationship. The described inspection apparatus may be moved as a unit away from the side of the conveyor an amount to clear the normal span of the conveyor.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for determining which of a plurality of molds produced a particular container. A specific concentric ring code is molded into the bottom of each container as it is produced. This code is defined by absence or presence of rings at possible ring positions. No rings are formed in adjacent positions. The containers are then passed by a reading station, where light whose intensity is proportional to the angle of incidence is projected onto the bottom of the container. The variation of intensity of light reflected to a particular point is used to determine the position of the rings on the container and suitable electronics may then decode the ring position to determine the container code, thus permitting identification of the mold which produced each container.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for preventing the formation of blisters in an electrically-heated forehearth that utilizes submerged electrodes connected to either a single or plural phase alternating current source. The electrodes are arranged so that Joule effect heating is effected by passing alternating current through the molten glass with the center tap of the secondary of the power transformer being connected to the positive side of a Direct Current source through a filter, while the negative side of the DC source is connected to a counter electrode, immersed in the glass at a point upstream of the forehearth.With this physical arrangement, the formation of blisters due to free electrons migrating to and collecting on some of the electrodes that are at different potentials than the others is prevented.

Abstract: A multiple station inspection glassware inspection machine in which the containers are moved from station to station by engagement with a changeable, cylindrical pocket with a plurality of these pockets assembled to form an endless structure similar to a chain. Each of the semi-cylindrical pockets is adapted to engage the sidewall of the containers and to effect the indexing movement of the containers from an inlet where they are received from a conveyor and to carry the containers through a plurality of inspection stations. Various inspections may be carried out at the stations. Each container, after having moved through all of the stations, is returned to the conveyor. As each of the containers is moved through the series of positions while engaged in the pockets, they are retained in the posckets by the positioning of a guide rail system which effectively confines the bottles to the semi-cylindrical pocket of the indexing system.

Abstract: An optical concentrator and cooling system in which a photovoltaic cell array is immersed in a liquid inside an elongated tube having a curved transparent wall for incident radiation, said liquid having a refractive index suitable for concentrating the incident radiation onto the photovoltaic cell array.