Abstract: A system is disclosed for detecting or inspecting for a lining of a container closure that is formed of a sheet metal and has a panel on an inside surface of the closure. The panel of the closure has a lining formed thereon. The system according to the present invention includes a conveyor for moving plural closures longitudinally and substantially through the system, a color sensor that inspects the panel of each one of the closures on the conveyor for a predetermined color, and a separator that is capable of removing closures that lack the predetermined color. The system may include an oven downstream from the sensor to bake the lining. Thus, the system automatically identifies and removes the closure having the deficient color from the conveyor. A corresponding method for identifying and removing a closure having a deficient color is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for detecting or inspecting for a lining of a container closure that is formed of a sheet metal and has a panel on an inside surface of the closure. The panel of the closure has a lining formed thereon. The system according to the present invention includes a conveyor for moving plural closures longitudinally and substantially through the system, a color sensor that inspects the panel of each one of the closures on the conveyor for a predetermined color, and a separator that is capable of removing closures that lack the predetermined color. The system may include an oven downstream from the sensor to bake the lining. Thus, the system automatically identifies and removes the closure having the deficient color from the conveyor. A corresponding method for identifying and removing a closure having a deficient color is also disclosed.

Abstract: When an inside-out can lid is detected in a lid row, an abutting block mounted on a pneumatic cylinder moves upward. The abutting block passes through the inside of a through-hole and pushes up the lid row in a position near the inside-out can lid. Then, the inside-out can lid is popped out of the lid row upward and is removed from the lid row.

Abstract: An apparatus having a pair of rollers disposed below an input hopper so that beverage bottles having caps thereon will be pulled between these rollers as they rotate in opposite directions, thereby compressing the bottles, and at the same time exploding the top off of the bottle. A screen is provided below the rollers for receiving the bottles and caps and the screen has openings therein larger than the caps and smaller than the bottles, whereby the caps will be collected below the screen and the bottles can pass on to a separate collection area.

Abstract: A reversed can end ejector system for detecting and ejecting a can end in reverse orientation with respect to a moving stack of otherwise similarly aligned and nested can ends is disclosed. The system utilizes a reversed end extractor bar having a hook formed at a lower end thereof. The bar is supported above the stack with a support frame so that the hook is free to ride on a cylindrical exterior ridged surface of the stack. When a reversely oriented end is encountered, the hook is sized to drop by gravity into the peripheral gap formed between the reversed end and adjacent non-reversed end. The extractor bar is pivotally connected to a mounting bar which is in turn pivotally connected to the support frame whereupon further advancement of a reversed end with the stack during hooked engagement causes the reversed end to be lifted and removed from the stack via controlled rotation of the extractor bar relative to the mounting bar and then both as a unit relative to the suppport frame.

Abstract: A conveying system for crowns used to cap containers having a portion thereof adapted to detect and eject bent crowns comprising a conveyor chute for permitting the gravity feed of bent and unbent crowns therethrough, a conventional crown orienting apparatus for orienting each crown to be in the same relationship and a transfer system between the conveyor chute and the crown orienting apparatus for transferring crowns between the conveyor chute and the crown orienting apparatus and wherein the transfer system has a movable bent crown detecting apparatus for stopping the movement of bent crowns therethrough but permitting the movement of unbent crowns therethrough.

Abstract: A sorting device suitable for sorting defective parts from a stream of parts is disclosed. The parts may be non-magnetic. A sorting disc having a number of recesses disposed around its periphery receives the parts to be sorted. A reject disc having a number of reject devices on its tangent to the sorting disc and rotates such that the peripheral speed of the reject devices at the point of tangency is the same as the speed of the recesses in the sorting disc. When a defective part is detected, the appropriate one of the reject devices is activated, withdrawing the defective part from the corresponding recess in the sorting disc.

Abstract: A bottle cap orienter has two rotating pin sorters, one positioned above and the other below a path over which randomly oriented bottle caps must travel. A stationary cam adjacent each sorter causes a plurality of pins at selected locations to project into the area of the path through which the bottle caps must travel. Thus, the projecting pins enter the cavity of the caps from above and below so that the caps are captured to rotate with the pin sorters. At one point in the rotation, the pins are withdrawn so that the caps are released to travel under their own inertia over a tangential path. The caps released by one of the pin sorters are inverted, so that all caps are ultimately oriented the same.

Abstract: A method for measuring a curvature of a reflective surface includes the steps of directing a pair of collimated light beams onto a substantially smooth portion of the reflective surface and measuring the separation of the light beam images reflected from the surface as a representation of the curvature of the surface. An apparatus utilizing this method includes a pair of lasers for producing respective collimated light beams, a laser mount arranged to direct the separate light beams from the lasers as substantially parallel light beams onto a substantially smooth portion of a reflective surface being measured to produce respective bright spots on the surface, receiving images of the bright spots onto a diffuse target surface, viewing these bright spot images with a sensor to produce a light intensity pattern encompassing the spots and calculating the separation of the bright spot images from the light intensity pattern as a measure of the curvature of the surface.

Abstract: A rotary feeder for articles is provided and consists of a rotating bowl that has a domed floor and an upper ledge, an inclined stationary ramp that will carry the articles from the domed floor to the upper ledge, a stationary guide ring that has an exit port and a device for rejecting improper positioned articles before the articles are discharged from the exit ramp of the guide ring, the device including an air jet positioned radially inward from the pathway provided by the ledge and oriented to direct an air jet angled downward and radially outward toward both said ledge and the stationery guide ring or wall structure whereby crown side up caps are blown off said ledge back into said bowl and cavity side up caps are retained on the ledge and passed on to the exit port.

Abstract: A reversed can end ejector system is provided for detecting and ejecting a can end in reverse orientation with respect to a moving stack of otherwise similarly aligned and nested can ends. This system comprises an optical detection apparatus including a light-emitting portion for emitting light in a direction toward the path of travel and a light-detecting portion located adjacent said path of travel. The optical detection apparatus is responsive to one of the presence or absence of light incidence upon its light-detecting portion for producing a control signal. An ejector is movable relative to the stack for contacting and ejecting a reversed can end therefrom and an actuator is coupled with the ejector and responsive to the control signal for driving the ejector in a direction for contacting and ejecting the reversed can end from the stack.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method of rejecting articles, such as can closures, are disclosed. The rejection of articles is obtained by variation in the length of a reciprocating member. In one mode of operation, a register of a multiregister counter is activated by an upstream sensor when a defective article is detected, and an actuator shortens the reciprocating member for a single upstroke after a prdetermined number of strokes of the reciprocating member to provide rejection of the defective article. In a second mode of operation, a predetermined number of articles are rejected upon every start-up of the apparatus to provide for rejection of questionable quality articles produced during start-up of the apparatus. In either mode of operation, the position of the variable length reciprocating stacking member can be determined by a proximity detector, to correctly time the lengthening or shortening of the variable length member.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, methods and machinery are provided for automatically inspecting shaped, lined closures and rejecting those which fail to meet pre-established criteria for shape and seal. Specifically, shaped closures having concave interior portions and resilient sealing liners are supplied to an inspection station comprising one or more female inspection nests for receiving individual closures and one or more respective male inspection heads for insertion into the concave portions of respective closures. The inspection heads are provided with exterior shapes approximating the interiors of ideal closures so that penetration into the closure indicates the conformity of the closure to the ideal. Preferably, the inspection head is connected to a source of pressurized fluid for testing both the depth of penetration and the adequacy of the sealing ring.

Abstract: The depth of thread in a roll-on closure is tested by determining the radial distance between the peak and valley defining a profile of the external surface of the threaded section. Apparatus for measuring the peak includes a first sensor broad enough to span the valley. Apparatus for measuring the valley includes a sensor able to fit into the valley. The container with the closure thereon is rotated to permit the latter sensor to enter to the full depth of the thread valley in case the point at which that sensor first encounters the surface of the closure is in a shallow end of the valley or not in the valley at all. If the second sensor moves far enough relative to the first sensor and in a radial direction with respect to the closure, the apparatus will respond to such relative movement as indicating that the closure has a predetermined thread depth.