Abstract: An apparatus for orienting random oriented lightweight articles. The apparatus includes a wheel which rotates on an axis which is substantially horizontal. A plurality of alignment troughs is mounted on the interior of the wheel. Each of the alignment troughs has a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the wheels horizontal axis. Each trough has a plurality of openings to allow air to pass through the trough and out of the wheel to hold lightweight articles in the troughs against the force of gravity. Each of the articles has a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the troughs longitudinal axis. Rotation of the wheel selectively positions the troughs with a source of air under pressure to move the articles to the end of the respective trough. Each article at the end of its respective trough moves into an external receiver where the article is transferred to a vertical attitude having the bottom up. The article is rotated to a bottom down attitude.

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting random oriented lightweight articles. The apparatus includes a wheel which rotates on an axis which is substantially horizontal. A plurality of alignment troughs is mounted on the interior of the wheel. Each of the alignment troughs has a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the wheels horizontal axis. Each trough has a plurality of openings to allow air to pass through the trough and out of the wheel to hold lightweight articles in the troughs against the force of gravity. Each of the articles has a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the troughs longitudinal axis. Rotation of the wheel selectively positions the troughs with a source of air under pressure to move the articles to the end of the respective trough. Each article at the end of its respective trough moves into an external receiver where the article is transferred to a vertical attitude.

Abstract: An improved filling machine is used for filling like containers with a like measured amount of divided material. The filling machine includes a housing and a drive connected to the housing. A filling turret is mounted in the housing. The filling turret includes a filling tank with a rotatable floor connected to the drive. A plurality of measuring flasks is arranged in a circle in the rotatable floor. Each measuring flask includes an open ended measuring tube and a sleeve telescopically mounted on the tube. The measuring flasks receive divided material from the filling tank. A container support maintains the containers in a horizontal plane. A control selectively lowers and raises the sleeve relative to the respective tube as the containers move with the flasks to measure the amount of divided material to be delivered to the respective container and then deliver the measured divided material into the container.

Abstract: An improved measuring flask is used in a filling machine for filling identical containers with the same measured amount of divided matter. The filling machine includes a filling turret having a rotatable portion driven by a drive. The filling turret includes a filling tank having a rotatable floor connected to the drive. The rotatable floor rotates with the rotating portion of the filling turret. A plurality of measuring flasks is arranged in a circle concentric with the circle of rotation of the rotating portion of the filling turret. Each of the measuring flasks is connected to the rotatable floor of the filling tank for receiving divided matter from the filling tank and measuring the amount of the matter. Each of the measuring flasks includes a transition body having one end connected to the rotatable floor and an opposite end extending downward. An open ended tube has one end connected to the opposite end of the transition body and the other end of the tube extends downward.

Abstract: An improved measuring flask is used in a filling apparatus for filling like containers with a like measured amount of divided matter. The filling apparatus includes a housing with a drive mounted in the housing. A filling turret is mounted in the housing and has a rotatable portion driven by the drive. The filling turret includes a filling tank. The tank has a rotatable floor connected to the drive for rotating with the rotatable portion of the filling turret. A plurality of measuring flasks is mounted on the rotatable floor and arranged in a circle concentric with the circle of rotation of the rotating portion of the filling turret. Each of the measuring flasks of the plurality of flasks is connected to the rotatable floor of the filling tank for receiving divided matter from the filling tank. Each of the measuring flasks includes an open ended tube having one end opening into the filling tank. A sleeve is telescopically mounted on each tube and is movable axially along the respective tube.

Abstract: The disclosure describes an improved apparatus for orienting and feeding light weight articles, such as, empty plastic bottles. The apparatus includes a hopper for receiving and holding randomly positioned articles. A rotatable drum has a portion portioned below the hopper for receiving articles from the hopper. The drum has its axis of rotation offset from the vertical and rotates about its axis of rotation. A stationary shelf is positioned adjacent to the drum. A longitudinal conveyor is positioned adjacent to the drum for receiving articles from the drum. The improvement includes a plurality of removable chutes defining a portion of the drum. Each of the chutes intermittently communicates with the hopper for receiving articles of a given size from the hopper. The stationary shelf cooperates with each of the chutes for retaining articles in each of the chutes for a prescribed arc of rotation of the drum. A lock releasably holds the chutes in a selected position relative to the hopper.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved apparatus for orienting and aligning light weight articles, such as, empty light weight plastic bottles. The apparatus includes a hopper for receiving and holding randomly positioned light weight plastic bottles. The hopper is substantially symmetrical about a vertical center axis and includes a conical wall having a center axis coincidental with the center axis of the hopper. The conical wall has its smaller end at the bottom. An upwardly inclined track is fixed to the inside surface of the conical wall. A plurality of pusher bars is mounted within the conical wall and adapted for engagement with light weight plastic bottles on the inclined track for moving the plastic bottles upward along the track. A chute is positionable adjacent to the track for receiving a light weight plastic bottle from the track for orienting the light weight plastic bottle to a position wherein the plastic bottle is in a substantially vertical attitude.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for filling tanks with liquid gas. The apparatus includes a carrier for receiving tanks adapted for holding liquid gas. The carrier moves the tanks from one station to another. A filling device is provided at one station for delivering liquid gas under pressure to a tank. An apparatus identifies the amount of liquid gas in the tank after the tank leaves the filling device. A leak detector indicates whether gas is leaking from the tank after being filled.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for orienting substantially identical containers. Each container has a base for supporting the container. Each container is asymmetrical in a plane substantially perpendicular to the respective base. The apparatus includes a longitudinal conveyor for moving the containers from one end of a frame to the other. A first turning assembly is mounted on the frame to turn the containers relative to the longitudinal conveyor to arrange the containers in an attitude wherein the asymmetrical plane of each container is parallel to the direction of movement. An attitude detector apparatus is positioned adjacent to the discharge end of the first turning assembly and detects the attitude of containers discharged. A second turning assembly rotates the containers discharged from the first turning assembly 90.degree. either clockwise or counterclockwise in response to a signal from the attitude detector to align all of the containers in the same attitude.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for filling like magnetic containers with a like measured amount of divided material product. The apparatus includes a magnet positioned adjacent to a portion of a path of magnetic containers in cooperation with product measuring devices. The magnet attracts the containers with divided material product contained therein. A vibrator is connected to the magnet for vibrating the magnet and a container attracted to the magnet to compact divided material product in the container.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling like containers with a like measured amount of divided matter is herein disclosed. The apparatus includes a base, to which a jack is connected. A drive and a feed system are also mounted on the base. A removable rotary dispenser is drivingly connected to the drive. A material reservoir is connected to a portion of the jack. The material reservoir is mounted above and in frictional contact with the removable rotary dispenser. A container elevator is connected to the base. The feed system supplies a plurality of like containers for filling the rotary removable dispenser. The container elevator lifts the like containers into contact with a portion of the removable rotary dispenser for filling. The jack is adapted to move the material reservoir away from the removable rotary dispenser so that the removable rotary dispenser may be quickly and easily changed to allow efficient use of the apparatus with different size containers.