Patents by Inventor Guenter Frankenberger

Guenter Frankenberger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130216430
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for sterilising containers including a movable carrier on which a plurality of sterilisation units are provided, which sterilisation units respectively include a charge carrier source, as well as a rod-like body that is designed such that it can be inserted into the inner space of the containers through a mouth, with an exit window provided on the rod-like body, through which exit window the charge carriers can exit, with a plurality of holding units for holding the containers, the holding units being movable relative to the rod-like bodies in a longitudinal direction of the rod-like bodies. The apparatus includes a protection device that causes the rod-like bodies to be at least partially arranged within the protective bodies in a specified mode of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventors: Josef Knott, Guenter Frankenberger, Hans Scheuren
  • Patent number: 8449819
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for disinfecting container closures, comprising a housing and comprising a transport path which is arranged inside the housing and along which the closures are transported, wherein the transport path has at least partially a spiral configuration. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a supply device for supplying to the housing a gaseous medium for disinfecting the container closures, and at least one displacement device is provided which can move with respect to the housing and which transports the container closures along the spiral transport path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Klaus Buchhauser, Guenter Frankenberger, Sebastian Klepatz
  • Patent number: 8375684
    Abstract: An apparatus for closing containers includes a movable closing head for applying closures to the containers and is arranged in the interior of a sterile chamber of the apparatus and arranged to move in a longitudinal direction (L) of the containers to be closed. At least one wall is provided which delimits the sterile chamber, wherein the closing device is arranged on a carrier which is arranged partially inside the sterile chamber and partially outside the sterile chamber, and extends through the wall and moves in the longitudinal direction (L) relative to the wall. Arranged in the interior of the sterile chamber is a first sealing element which is elastic in the longitudinal direction (L) and which seals off from the sterile chamber a region of the outer periphery of the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Klaus Buchhauser, Guenter Frankenberger
  • Patent number: 8375683
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating containers includes a housing, inside which a sterile chamber is formed. A treatment element is arranged inside the housing and is rotatable about a predefined axis. The treatment element is arranged on a carrier inside the housing, and has a drive device for driving the treatment element. The drive device is arranged at least partially outside the sterile chamber and includes at least a first drive element arranged outside the sterile chamber for generating rotational movements, and a second drive element arranged inside the sterile chamber. The first drive element and the second drive element cooperate in a contactless manner to generate rotational movement of the treatment element. The drive elements in each case have at least one magnetisable element and preferably at least the second drive element is displaceable in the direction of its axis of rotation relative to the sterile chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Krones AG
    Inventors: Erwin Knieling, Markus Schoenfelder, Andreas Dewert, Manfred Ziegler, Guenter Frankenberger, Volker Stammel
  • Publication number: 20120180938
    Abstract: A device and method for applying elastic film sleeves to containers, where a plurality of stretching units for stretching the film sleeves and a plurality of removal units for removing the containers that have been provided with the film sleeves are mounted on a labeling carousel. Furthermore, a label dispenser is provided for equipping the stretching units with the film sleeves. Due to the fact that the removal units include gripping units that can be moved back and forth with respect to the labeling carousel between a gripping position for gripping the containers and an avoidance position for avoiding a collision with the label dispenser, the size and shape of the gripping units can be varied flexibly. Also, an evasion movement of the stretching units in the area of the label dispenser is dispensable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Stefan Scherl, Christian Holzer, Günter Frankenberger
  • Publication number: 20120180431
    Abstract: A device and a method for applying elastic film sleeves to containers, including a plurality of revolving stretching units for receiving and stretching the film sleeves so that the containers can be slid into the film sleeves. The stretching units include spreading fingers driven by servo motors, such that the stretching of the film sleeves can be optimized independently of a circulation speed of the stretching units and flexibly adapted to different film types and container sizes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Stefan Scherl, Christian Holzer, Tino Sickert, Johannes Weiss, Günter Frankenberger, Albert Heitzer
  • Publication number: 20110247301
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for closing containers with closures comprising a closing head (2) that attaches the closures to the containers, wherein said closing head (2) can be moved relative to the closures with a first movement type and is arranged within a sterile space (8) with a first movement unit (4) for producing a movement of the closure with the first movement type, wherein said first movement unit (4) is arranged at least partially outside the sterile space (8), wherein the sterile space (8) is bounded by at least one first wall (12) and the device comprises a ring-shaped channel (14) into which said first wall (12) protrudes, wherein the ring-shaped channel (14) can be moved relative to the first wall (12) and can be filled with a fluid medium, and wherein the first movement unit (4) is arranged within the channel (14) at least in sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Inventors: Klaus Buchhauser, Guenter Frankenberger
  • Publication number: 20110083405
    Abstract: A method and a device for screw capping vessels, in particular bottles, by measuring the power consumption of a linear drive system for lifting and lowering the closing head in a pick phase for picking up the respective closing cap and/or in a screw phase for screwing on the closing cap being, and by comparing that measured power consumption with at least one characteristic value of the power consumption to detect an imminent or occurred incorrect closure. In this manner, vessels can be closed at a low error rate and possibly incorrectly closed vessels can be discharged from a continuous product stream at a low error rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: KRONES AG
    Inventors: ANDREAS DEWERT, KLAUS BUCHHAUSER, GÜNTER FRANKENBERGER
  • Publication number: 20100126116
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for closing containers, comprising a closing device (2) which applies closures to the containers, wherein this closing device comprises a movable closing head (22) for applying closures to the containers and is arranged in the interior of a sterile chamber (4) of the apparatus (1) and can move in a longitudinal direction (L) of the containers to be closed, and wherein at least one wall (12) is provided which delimits the sterile chamber (4), wherein the closing device (2) is arranged on a carrier (6) which is arranged partially inside the sterile chamber (4) and partially outside the sterile chamber (4), extends through the wall (12) and moves in the longitudinal direction (L) relative to the wall (12), and wherein arranged in the interior of the sterile chamber (4) is a first sealing element (10) which is elastic in the longitudinal direction (L) and which seals off from the sterile chamber (4) a region (6a) of the outer periphery of the carrier (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Inventors: Klaus Buchhauser, Guenter Frankenberger
  • Publication number: 20090077930
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for disinfecting container closures, comprising a housing and comprising a transport path which is arranged inside the housing and along which the closures are transported, wherein the transport path has at least partially a spiral configuration. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a supply device for supplying to the housing a gaseous medium for disinfecting the container closures, and at least one displacement device is provided which can move with respect to the housing and which transports the container closures along the spiral transport path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Klaus Buchhauser, Guenter Frankenberger, Sebastian Klepatz