BOTTLE CELL WITH LINING FOR A CLEANING MACHINE

Abstract

A bottle cell of metal for use in a bottle cleaning apparatus, wherein the bottle cell comprises a lining which is preferably made of plastics.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority of German Application No. 102009021295.7, filed May 14, 2009. The entire text of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE:

The present disclosure refers to a bottle cell of metal for use in a bottle cleaning apparatus.

BACKGROUND

To clean bottles made of glass or plastics, such as PET, in a cleaning machine, the bottles are slid into a bottle cell positioned on a bottle cell carrier, and are transported through the cleaning machine. Bottle cells made either of metal or of plastics are known from the prior art.

FIG. 1 shows, for instance, a cross section of such a conventional bottle cell 120 of metal with a bottle neck receiving means 100. The bottle neck receiving means 100 is configured such that during the cleaning process it loosely holds a bottle in the area of its opening with the head upside down.

In particular, the bottle cell 120 has a bottle receiving side or an end 122 provided at the bottle receiving side as well as a head-sided end 121. The bottle 130 is slid into the bottle cell 120 via the bottle receiving side 122. The bottle neck receiving means 100, which normally protects the bottle in the area of its opening during transport through the cleaning machine against damage, is positioned on the head-sided end 121 of the bottle cell 120. This, however, is not applicable to the bottle body. As a rule, the bottle 130 does not completely fill the interior of the bottle cell 120 on the one hand and, consequently, is spaced apart at a certain distance 140 from the inside of the bottle cell 120 of metal. Since, on the other hand, the bottle is not fixed in the area of its opening in the bottle neck receiving means, it can move in the bottle cell and thereby get into contact with the metal of the bottle cell 120 while being transported through the cleaning machine.

Furthermore, when the bottle is inserted into or removed from the bottle cell, it may get into contact with the metal. Due to the metal contact the bottle body may get damaged.

The drawbacks of the bottle cells made of plastics are that they are less robust with respect to the bottle cells of metal and show less stability. Wear in bottle cells made of plastics is high. Parts, e.g. broken glass, may get embedded in the plastic material and then damage bottles. The bottle cells of plastics must be exchanged frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Faced with the drawbacks of the prior art, it is the object of the present disclosure to avoid said drawbacks. On the one hand, damage to the bottle to be cleaned due to contact of the bottle body with the metal of the bottle cell shall be prevented. On the other hand, the bottle cells should be stable so that they need not be exchanged so often.

The bottle cell of metal according to the disclosure comprises a lining that is preferably made of plastics.

The lining may here line the bottle cell completely or partly. The lining must be configured such that contact between bottle body and metal of the bottle cell is avoided.

The lining of the bottle cell is preferably made of plastics. As an alternative, however, other materials may also be used as long as it is ensured that bottles do not get damaged if in permanent contact with said material.

Both during insertion of the bottle into the bottle cell and during subsequent movements of the bottle in the bottle cell in the cleaning process and also during removal from the bottle cell, the bottle does not get into contact with the metal of the bottle cell owing to the lining.

According to a preferred development of the above-described disclosure the lining can be fastened in the bottle cell in a permanent way, so that the lining cannot be removed from the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the stability of the bottle cell is increased in that the lining and the bottle cell form a fixed unit.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the lining can be fastened in the bottle cell such that the lining can be removed. This has the advantage that already existing bottle cells in cleaning machines can be easily retrofitted in that the lining can be used and exchanged again.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the lining is configured such that the bottle cell is lined all over the surface in the interior of the cell. This has the advantage that the bottle cell can receive bottles of different sizes. The received bottle will only contact the lining, but not the metal of the bottle cell.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the lining can line the bottle cell only in part and may be configured such that it comprises at least three webs that are provided such that they extend in the bottle cell in the longitudinal direction thereof. The term extending in longitudinal direction means in the present context that the webs can extend from the head-sided end of the bottle cell towards the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side. The at least three webs must be arranged in the interior of the bottle cell such that a contact between bottle body and metal of the bottle cell is avoided despite a possible movement of the bottle in the bottle cell.

The number of three webs should here represent a minimum number, so that any contact between bottle and metal of the bottle cell is prevented. Especially with round bottle cells the number of the webs may be three. The number of webs may also be greater than three, particularly four, to prevent contact between bottle and side walls of the bottle cell for instance in the case of square or octagonal bottle cells. The advantage of this further preferred development of the above-described disclosure is that the lining is made more efficient in that material is saved.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the at least three webs may be provided such that they are positioned in the bottle cell on the side surface of said cell. With this development the webs are in contact with the metal of the side surface of the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the webs do not break when loaded.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the at least three webs can be provided such that they extend over the whole longitudinal direction of the bottle cell. In this development the webs extend from the head-sided end of the bottle cell up to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side. Since the position of the center of gravity of the bottle can vary along the longitudinal direction of the bottle cell, contact between bottle and metal of the bottle cell is thereby prevented in principle during movements of the bottle in the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the bottle cell can receive bottles of different sizes and the lining is made more efficient.

According to another preferred development of the above-described disclosure a fastening means may be provided on at least one of the webs for fastening the lining to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side. For instance, such a fastening means may consist of a groove into which the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell can be slid. Since the lining is fastened by means of the fastening means to at least one of the webs on the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side, a form closure is created that prevents a situation where the lining gets detached due to the movements of the bottle inside the bottle cell. This has the advantage that the lining is fastened in the bottle cell.

Preferably, in such a development a fastening means may be provided on each of the webs for fastening the lining to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side. This has the advantage that the stability of the lining is further increased because the intrinsic movement of the webs towards the metal of the bottle cell and away from the metal is suppressed.

According to another preferred development of the above-described disclosure the fastening means can be provided such that the at least three webs can be prestressed from the head-sided end of the bottle cell to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side. Upon loading the webs will not flex. This has the advantage that the webs do not break.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure the bottle cell may be provided on its end at the bottle receiving side with at least one notch adapted to receive a projection.

According to a further preferred development of the above-described disclosure a projection which is adapted to engage into the notch on the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side is formed on the fastening means on the at least one of said webs. The lining is thereby fixed, and a movement of the webs along the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell is suppressed. This offers the advantage of an enhanced stability of the lining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure shall be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle cell according to a seventh embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration showing a top view on the bottle receiving side of the bottle cell shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a lining according to an eighth embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an end of a bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side and of part of the lining according to a ninth embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

According to one embodiment (not shown) a prior-art bottle cell, as is e.g. shown in FIG. 1, is lined all over the surface. The lining is here made of plastics.

According to a second embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the lining is permanently fastened in the bottle cell.

According to a third embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the lining is fastened in the bottle cell such that the lining can be removed.

According to a fourth embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the lining is configured such that the bottle cell is lined all over the surface in the interior of the cell.

According to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure the bottle cell is lined in part, as shown in FIG. 2. In comparison with the prior art the bottle cell 220 has a lining comprising webs 210 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bottle cell 220. In this embodiment the webs 210 are spaced apart from the bottle cell 220.

The cross section of the bottle cell is here shaped in any desired way. For instance, it may have a round, square or octagonal cross-section.

According to a sixth embodiment (not shown) of the disclosure the webs abut on the side surfaces of the bottle cell.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a seventh embodiment of the bottle cell according to the disclosure. The webs 310 extend continuously from the head-sided end 321 of the bottle cell 320 to the end 322 of the bottle cell 320 provided at the bottle-receiving side. In this embodiment the webs 310 abut on the side surfaces of the bottle cell. FIG. 3 further shows a fastening means 311. The fastening means 311 is configured such that the ends of the webs on the bottle receiving side of the bottle cell form a groove, so that the end of the web grips around the bottle cell from the inside to the outside and the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell is slid into the groove, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a top view on the bottle receiving side 422 of the embodiment according to FIG. 3. In FIG. 4 four webs 410 are shown that are arranged such that the bottle 430 is kept away by the webs 410 from the metal of the bottle cell 420.

As an alternative thereto and by analogy with the fifth embodiment, the webs may also be provided at a distance from the side surface of the bottle cell 320.

Number, distribution and position of the webs can each time be adapted to the cross section of the bottle cell. It must just be ensured in this instance that a bottle which can move within the bottle cell gets only into contact with the webs and does not get into contact with the bottle cell.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a lining according to an eight embodiment comprising at least three webs 510 and a fastening means 511. The fastening means 511 may be provided on one or several webs. With the help of the fastening means 511 the lining can be fastened to the end of the bottle cell at the bottle receiving side.

The fastening means 511 is configured such that the ends of the webs at the bottle receiving side of the bottle cell form a groove, so that the end of the web grips around the bottle cell from the inside to the outside and the bottle receiving edge of the bottle cell is slid into the groove, respectively. This creates a form closure through which the webs 510 extended from the head-sided end of the bottle cell to the bottle receiving side of the bottle cell can be prestressed. The prestressed webs are then more robust with respect to pressure loads and can then no longer be flexed. This increases the stability of the webs and thus that of the lining on the one hand and the webs cannot break on the other hand.

One or more of the at least three webs are fixed according to a ninth embodiment of the disclosure such that a movement of the one web or of the plurality of webs along the bottle receiving edge is suppressed. As shown in FIG. 6, the fastening means 611 is provided for this purpose with a projection 612 which engages into a notch 623 matching said projection on the end 622 of the bottle cell 620 provided at the bottle receiving side.

Claims

1. A bottle cell of metal for use in a bottle cleaning apparatus, comprising a lining.

2. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is permanently fastened in the bottle cell.

3. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is removably fastened in the bottle cell.

4. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is configured such that the bottle cell is lined all over the surface in the interior of the cell.

5. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is configured such that it comprises at least three webs that are provided such that they extend in the bottle cell in the longitudinal direction thereof.

6. The bottle cell according to claim 5, wherein the at least three webs are provided such that they are positioned in the bottle cell on a side surface thereof.

7. The bottle cell according to claim 5, wherein the at least three webs are provided such that they extend over the whole longitudinal direction of the bottle cell.

8. The bottle cell according to claim 7, wherein a fastening means is provided on at least one of the webs for fastening the lining to an end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.

9. The bottle cell according to claim 8, wherein a fastening means is provided on each of the webs for fastening the lining to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.

10. The bottle cell according to claim 8, wherein the fastening means is provided such that the at least three webs can be prestressed from a head-sided end of the bottle cell up to the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side.

11. The bottle cell according to claim 8 claims 8 to 10, wherein the bottle cells on their end provided at the bottle receiving side comprise at least one notch which is adapted to receive a projection.

12. The bottle cell according to claim 11, wherein the projection which is adapted to engage into the notch on the end of the bottle cell provided at the bottle receiving side is formed on the fastening means on the at least one of the webs.

13. The bottle cell according to claim 1, wherein the lining is made of plastics.