Patents Assigned to KRONES
  • Patent number: 11999093
    Abstract: Apparatus for treating plastic preforms, having a reservoir which is configured for receiving a plurality of plastic preforms, having at least one first transport device which transports the plastic preforms out of the reservoir, and having a sorting device which is arranged down-stream of the first transport device in a transport direction of the plastic preforms, and having at least one further transport device which is arranged downstream of the sorting device in the transport direction, wherein the apparatus has an inspection device for inspecting the transported plastic performs, arranged between the reservoir and the sorting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Florian Geltinger
  • Patent number: 11992993
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for processing containers, in particular plastic containers and plastic parisons, including at least one processing device which processes the containers in a predetermined manner, and including at least one transfer device, which transfers the containers, individually, to the processing device in a transfer region and/or to which the containers are transferred from the processing device in a transfer region. At least one inspection device is provided, which is suitable and intended for visually inspecting at least a part of the processing device and or the transfer region at least at sections and completely, at least temporarily during a transfer process of a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Harald Effenberger, Andreas Brunner, Christian Jendretzke, Thomas Hoellriegl
  • Patent number: 11989277
    Abstract: Provided is a method for authenticating users on a packaging industrial system having at least two operator interfaces, including the following steps: login of a user to a personal portable item, wherein the personal item including a memory with login credentials of the user for the at least two operator interfaces, wherein login credentials for the operator interfaces being different from each other, activation of the memory for a period of time, detecting the user when he is in a predefined spatial area around the operator interfaces, connecting the personal item to an operator interface when the user is detected in the associated spatial area, authentication of the user at this operator interface with the login credentials stored in the memory via the connection of the personal item to the operator interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Thomas Stauber, Sebastian Vogl
  • Patent number: 11987484
    Abstract: A device for supplying a container closure, for example a crown cap, to a closing device for closing a container with a container closure, includes a rotatable carrier wheel for transporting a container closure from a supply position, at which the container closure to be supplied is supplied from a closure supply, to a transfer position, at which the transported container closure is received by a closing device, wherein the carrier wheel is configured so as to be displaceable between an operating position corresponding to the transfer position, and a retracted position in which the carrier wheel is spaced from the transfer position. A closing device including the device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Klaus Buchhauser
  • Patent number: 11964395
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method to calibrate a handling device (18) including a handling robot or parallel kinematic robot (24), with a tool head (28) suspended from at least two parallel kinematically movable arms (26). Each of the at least two arms comprises an upper arm, which is movable between two end positions about a defined upper-arm swivel axis (38). Each of the at least two arms also comprises a lower arm (40), which is swivelably mounted on the upper arm. The upper arms are brought into approximately corresponding angular positions by detection of load torques and/or of angle positions. First one, than another of the upper arms is brought into one of the two end positions, and the angular position reached is detected and used for the position initialization or angle initialization of the particular upper arm, whereupon the upper arm is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Krones Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian Dany, Arsalan Mehdi, Erhard Beer, Manuel Kollmuss
  • Patent number: 11964826
    Abstract: Container treatment system for containers, with a transport device for transporting the containers, at least one treatment assembly for treating the containers at a first transport section of the transport device, at least one robot unit for channeling individual treated containers out and/or in at a second transport section of the transport device downstream of the first transport section, and with at least one inspection device for inspecting the individual treated containers, where the second transport section is configured to transport a container flow that is widened as compared to the first transport section so that the individual treated containers can be transported there at reduced speed and/or with reduced dynamic pressure when channeled out and/or in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Hahn, Stefan Schober
  • Patent number: 11958232
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming plastic material preforms into plastic material containers has a transport device which transports the plastic material preforms along a predetermined transport path, wherein this transport device has a plurality of transport devices preferably adjoining one another for transporting the plastic material preforms, with a heating device, which heats the plastic material preforms, and with a forming device which is arranged along the transport path of the plastic material preforms downstream of the heating device, wherein the apparatus has a first transport device which feeds the plastic material preforms individually to the heating device, wherein the heating device has a second transport device which transports the plastic material preforms during their heating. The first transport device has a first drive device and the second transport device has a second drive device and the first drive device and the second drive device can be controlled independently of one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Peter Christiansen, Markus Haller
  • Patent number: 11952207
    Abstract: A product tank for receiving a liquid product, and a device for filling containers with a filling product, for example in a beverage filling plant, wherein the product tank includes: an outlet for discharge of the product from the product tank along a discharge direction; and a flow guide device which is arranged in the interior of the product tank and is configured to create a cross-flow oriented towards the discharge direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Tobias Ehrismann, Christina Laumer, Michael Grauham, Volker Richter
  • Patent number: 11945622
    Abstract: The present invention provides a centering cone for fixing a container, in particular a container standing on a centering plate, and for supplying clean air into the container through an air outlet of the centering cone so as to increase the internal pressure of the container. The air outlet is defined by a passage opening with a screen or by at least two individual passage openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Rudolf Fiegler
  • Patent number: 11939200
    Abstract: Apparatus for treating containers includes a handling device for the containers wherein the handling devices has a movable carrier with which the containers can be moved on a transport path, and wherein the handling devices is assigned at least one handling station, wherein the transport speed of the handling device can be controlled in such a way that the transport speed of the handling device can be synchronised with the transport speed of the transport device and/or a further transport device during transfer and/or discharge of the containers and the transport speed of the handling device can be reduced after the transfer of the containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Tobias Raith, Martin Kammerl, Klaus Voth, Eduard Handschuh, Robert Aumer, Jochen Krueger, Michael Neubauer
  • Patent number: 11937551
    Abstract: A twine knotter for a bale press for forming two sequential knots for holding together a tying agent surrounding a crop bale includes a knotter frame and a knotter hook supported rotatably in the knotter frame and provided for knotting together ends of the tying agent. A holding arrangement has a twine holding disk rotatably supported at the knotter frame and conveying temporarily two tying agent strands of the tying agent. A knotter disk that is rotatingly driven is provided with a first drive element driving the knotter hook and a second drive element driving the twine holding disk. A stripper lever is provided to strip off knots from the knotter hook. A knife blade is provided to cut through tying agent strands. The twine holding disk upon rotation is guided along the knife blade so that the tying agent strands are cut through upon passing the knife blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Lukas van Roje
  • Patent number: 11938523
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a container treatment system for the treatment of containers, such as bottles, in the beverage processing industry, comprising a clean room and a container treatment machine arranged therein with at least one exchangeable component, where the container treatment system comprises a robot which is arranged in the clean room and is designed to exchange said exchangeable component, and a corresponding method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Max Brikmann
  • Patent number: 11933659
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for identifying a load and/or wear of a transport element of a transport system with a long-stator linear motor, comprising the steps of: exciting a dynamic system consisting of the long-stator linear motor (160) and the transport element according to at least one excitation pattern; detecting the movement profile of the transport element on the basis of the at least one excitation pattern; and detecting a temporal course of a load current and/or of a load voltage of the long-stator linear motor according to the at least one excitation pattern by means of an integrated measuring device of the long-stator linear motor; wherein a loading condition of the transport element is determined depending on the detected movement profile and the detected temporal course of the load current and/or of the load voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Thomas Kiendl
  • Patent number: 11910757
    Abstract: A knotter hook for a twine knotter has a stationary clamping wing and a pivotable clamping wing, Stationary clamping wing and pivotable clamping wing have an extension component in a same spatial direction. The pivotable clamping wing has a projection projecting toward the stationary clamping wing. The pivotable clamping wing is pivotable reversibly from a closed state into an open state. A free end of the pivotable clamping wing in the open state is spaced apart farther from the stationary clamping wing than in the closed state. The pivotable clamping wing is laterally displaced relative to the stationary clamping wing at least in sections so that the pivotable clamping wing is arranged adjacent to the stationary clamping wing and below the pivotable clamping wing a free space is formed. The free space extends in the closed state opposite to the spatial direction beyond the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Lukas van Roje
  • Patent number: 11912553
    Abstract: An apparatus for closing a container with a container closure, for example for closing a drinks container with a roll-on closure, a screw type closure, a press-on closure, a crown cap and/or a press-in closure, comprising a lifting unit which can be displaced in a longitudinal direction and which has a guide unit for predetermining a position of the lifting unit in the longitudinal direction and a closure receiving member which is connected to the lifting unit via a pretensioning device for retaining a container closure and for applying the container closure to a container opening of a container which is intended to be closed with a head pressure which is predetermined by the pretensioning device, and an adjustment apparatus for automatically adjusting the head pressure which is predetermined by the pretensioning device; it further relates to a closure member which comprises an above-mentioned apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Markus Schoenfelder
  • Patent number: 11905106
    Abstract: A product tank for receiving a liquid product, and a device for filling containers with a filling product, for example in a beverage filling plant, wherein the product tank includes: an outlet for discharge of the product from the product tank along a discharge direction; and a flow guide device which is arranged in the interior of the product tank and is configured to create a cross-flow oriented towards the discharge direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Tobias Ehrismann, Christina Laumer, Michael Grauham, Volker Richter
  • Patent number: 11904700
    Abstract: Method for adjusting a transport vehicle for a container handling system, where the transport vehicle comprises two oppositely disposed secondary parts which can be driven electromagnetically as an armature by way of a linear motor system of the container handling system, wherein in a device for adjusting, a first magnetic force of the first secondary part is determined with a sensor, in that a second magnetic force of the second secondary part is determined with the sensor; and in that the first magnetic force and the second magnetic force are compared with one another and/or with at least one reference force, and the two secondary parts are adjusted based thereon at the transport vehicle in such a way that the first magnetic force and the second magnetic force are of the same magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Stefan Elsperger, Hartmut Davidson
  • Patent number: 11897745
    Abstract: A clamping device including a control cam and a control cam for controlling the position of clamping arms which are pivotable relative to one another, each with a holding portion in a clamping device, including a shaft portion for pivotable mounting of the control cam about a control cam pivot axis in a hub portion of a carrier plate of the clamping device, and at least one coupling element for coupling the control cam to a clamping arm of the clamping device, wherein the control cam is pivotable about the control cam pivot axis between a predefined open position and a predefined closed position, and the at least one coupling element is configured in the form of a slotted groove for receiving a control bolt arranged on a clamping arm, or in the form of a control bolt for penetration into a slotted groove arranged on a control arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Stefan Spandl, Bruno Landler
  • Patent number: 11891207
    Abstract: A container treatment machine comprises a treatment unit, for the treatment of containers, and container receptacles, in which containers can be received such that they can rotate about an axis, the container treatment machine comprising a camera, for capturing an image of a container transported upstream of the treatment unit in a container receptacle, and an alignment module, the alignment module being designed to rotate a container into a target position by actuating the container receptacle. The alignment module comprises a neural network, which, by processing the image of a container transported upstream of the treatment unit in a container receptacle, can determine a necessary rotation of the container from the current position of same to the target position, and the alignment module can control the rotation of the container receptacle on the basis of the determined rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Herbert Kolb
  • Publication number: 20240010384
    Abstract: A container includes a base, a neck portion, and a body positioned between the base and the neck portion. The base includes a plurality of feet with a plurality of recesses positioned between the plurality of feet. The body includes a plurality of ribs, a plurality of channels, and a plurality of support columns. The plurality of ribs extend around a periphery of the body and along at least a portion of a height of the body. The plurality of channels extend around the periphery and are positioned between the plurality of ribs. The plurality of support columns are spaced about the periphery and extend along at least a portion of the height of the body. Each of the plurality of support columns includes a plurality of protrusions that are vertically aligned. Each of the plurality of protrusions is disposed within a respective one of the plurality of channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Krones Inc.
    Inventors: Chase Nicolette Parda, James William Cushman