Patent US3572007A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3572007A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus for sealing two-piece containers
Assignee: Monsanto Co
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Filing: 1969-03-25
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Granted: 1971-03-23
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Expires: 1989-03-25
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for permanently sealing a plastic cover member to a plastic receptacle. The receptacle is disposed in a worktable and moved to a plurality of work stations. At one of such work stations, a cover member is disposed on the receptacle and at another of said work stations, a flange on the cover member is heated and urged into a groove on the receptacle to thereby permanently seal the cover member to the receptacle. Thereafter, the container in the form of a unitary member is removed from the worktable.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard K Shelby
- 👤 Jay W Rapp
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 08:11
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D11/00; B29; B29C; B29C57/00; B29C57/12; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/18; B29C65/24; B29C65/30; B29C65/305; B29C65/56; B29C65/567; B29C65/78; B29C65/7858; B29C65/7879; B29C65/7882; B29C65/80; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/13; B29C66/135; B29C66/1352; B29C66/50; B29C66/51; B29C66/54; B29C66/542; B29C66/80; B29C66/81; B29C66/814; B29C66/8141; B29C66/81411; B29C66/81425; B29C66/81427; B29C66/81431; B29C66/818; B29C66/8182; B29C66/81821; B29C66/83; B29C66/832; B29C66/8322; B65B; B65B7/00; B65B7/16; B65B7/28; B65B7/2842; B65B7/285; B65B7/2857; B65B7/2878; B29C66/02; B29C66/024; B29C66/0242; B29C66/81421; B29C66/81422; B29C66/81423; B65D2543/00; B65D2543/00009; B65D2543/00425
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
325 words
Apparatus for permanently sealing a cover member having an outwardly flaring lip and a downturned flange along its outer margin to a receptacle having an outwardly flaring lip and downturned flange forming a groove along the upper margin of the receptacle; said apparatus comprising drive means, a wheel operatively connected to said drive means for rotation thereby in a series of substantially equal partial revolutions, at least four work stations disposed around the periphery of said wheel, said wheel including a rim having openings therethrough spaced from each other around the periphery of said wheel in such position that at the end of each of said partial revolutions each of said stations has a respective one of said openings disposed thereat, dispensing means at the first of said stations for introducing a receptacle into each of said openings when said opening is disposed at said one station, means at the second of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel, operable by said drive means in timed relation to said rotation of said wheel for disposing a cover member on said container in a closurewise position when the container is disposed at said second station, means at the third of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for turning said flange on said cover member inwardly toward and within the groove of the receptacle when said receptacle is disposed at said third station, heating means for heating the terminal edge portion of the flange on said cover member during movement of said wheel from said third station to said fourth station to a sufficiently high temperature to render said terminal edge portion readily deformable and sealed in the groove of said receptacle, and means at the fourth of said work stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for discharging the sealed receptacle and cover member outwardly from said apparatus when said receptacle is disposed at said fourth station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
325 words
Apparatus for permanently sealing a cover member having an outwardly flaring lip and a downturned flange along its outer margin to a receptacle having an outwardly flaring lip and downturned flange forming a groove along the upper margin of the receptacle; said apparatus comprising drive means, a wheel operatively connected to said drive means for rotation thereby in a series of substantially equal partial revolutions, at least four work stations disposed around the periphery of said wheel, said wheel including a rim having openings therethrough spaced from each other around the periphery of said wheel in such position that at the end of each of said partial revolutions each of said stations has a respective one of said openings disposed thereat, dispensing means at the first of said stations for introducing a receptacle into each of said openings when said opening is disposed at said one station, means at the second of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel, operable by said drive means in timed relation to said rotation of said wheel for disposing a cover member on said container in a closurewise position when the container is disposed at said second station, means at the third of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for turning said flange on said cover member inwardly toward and within the groove of the receptacle when said receptacle is disposed at said third station, heating means for heating the terminal edge portion of the flange on said cover member during movement of said wheel from said third station to said fourth station to a sufficiently high temperature to render said terminal edge portion readily deformable and sealed in the groove of said receptacle, and means at the fourth of said work stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for discharging the sealed receptacle and cover member outwardly from said apparatus when said receptacle is disposed at said fourth station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said openings in said rim have female die means in one end portion thereof, and in which the means at said third station includes a plunger reciprocable by said drive means into and out of engagement with said cover member when said cover members are disposed on said containers at said Third station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said openings in said rim have female die means in one end portion thereof, and in which said female die means includes an enlarged portion and an inwardly sloping other portion, and in which the cover members are located so that portions of the flanges on the cover members are disposed in juxtaposition to said enlarged portions of said dies, and the terminal edge portions of said flanges are disposed in abutting engagement with said inwardly sloping portions of said female die means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, and in which said heating means are mounted in the rim of said wheel surrounding each of said openings in a position to heat said terminal edge portions of said cover member to said sufficient temperature during movement of said container and cover member with said wheel from said third work station to said fourth work station.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1 and in which the means at the first work station for introducing a receptacle into each of the openings includes a movable arm, which removes the receptacles from the dispensing means and guides the same into said opening, said movable arm moving in timed relationship to the wheel through an arc for a predetermined distance.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that means is provided between the first and second work stations for introducing material into the container as it moves between the first and second work stations, said last named means including a movable arm which moves in timed relation to the wheel through an arc of a predetermined distance.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
124 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that each of the receptacles are supported by a shiftable plate when disposed in the openings formed in said wheel, means for shifting said plate to a position where the upper margins of the receptacle are disposed above the heating means when the receptacle is moving between the first and third work stations, means for lowering the plate when the receptacle reaches the third station so the upper margins thereof are moved into intimate contact with the heating means, and means for shifting the plate to a position where the receptacle is expelled from the opening when the receptacle has moved to the fourth work station in the direction of rotation of said wheel.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further characterized in that the heating means is designed to heat the flange of said cover member to a temperature below the orientation temperature so that the flange on said cover member is disposed in the groove on said receptacle thereby forming a mechanical seal therebetween.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further characterized in that the heating means is designed to heat the flange of said cover member to a temperature above the orientation temperature so that the flange on said cover member is disposed in the groove on said receptacle and fused to the flange on said receptacle thereby forming a heat seal therebetween.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
274 words
Apparatus for permanently sealing a cover member having an outwardly flaring lip and a downturned flange along its outer margin to a receptacle having an outwardly flaring lip and downturned flange forming a groove along the upper margin of the receptacle; said apparatus comprising drive means, a wheel operatively connected to said drive means for rotation thereby in a series of partial revolutions, a plurality of work stations disposed around the periphery of said wheel, said wheel having openings therethrough spaced from each other around the periphery of said wheel in such position that at the end of each of said partial revolutions each of said stations has a respective one of said openings disposed thereat, means at one of said work stations for introducing a receptacle into each of said openings when said opening is disposed at said one station, means at a second of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel, for disposing a cover mEmber on said container in a closurewise position, means at a third work station in the direction of rotation of said wheel for turning said flange on said cover member inwardly toward and within the groove of the receptacle, heating means for heating the terminal edge portion of the flange on said cover member during movement of said wheel toward a fourth work station to a sufficiently high temperature to render said terminal edge portion readily deformable and sealed in the groove of said receptacle, and means at the fourth of said work stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for discharging the sealed receptacle and cover member outwardly from said apparatus.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
274 words
Apparatus for permanently sealing a cover member having an outwardly flaring lip and a downturned flange along its outer margin to a receptacle having an outwardly flaring lip and downturned flange forming a groove along the upper margin of the receptacle; said apparatus comprising drive means, a wheel operatively connected to said drive means for rotation thereby in a series of partial revolutions, a plurality of work stations disposed around the periphery of said wheel, said wheel having openings therethrough spaced from each other around the periphery of said wheel in such position that at the end of each of said partial revolutions each of said stations has a respective one of said openings disposed thereat, means at one of said work stations for introducing a receptacle into each of said openings when said opening is disposed at said one station, means at a second of said stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel, for disposing a cover mEmber on said container in a closurewise position, means at a third work station in the direction of rotation of said wheel for turning said flange on said cover member inwardly toward and within the groove of the receptacle, heating means for heating the terminal edge portion of the flange on said cover member during movement of said wheel toward a fourth work station to a sufficiently high temperature to render said terminal edge portion readily deformable and sealed in the groove of said receptacle, and means at the fourth of said work stations in the direction of rotation of said wheel for discharging the sealed receptacle and cover member outwardly from said apparatus.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 10, and in which said openings have female die means in one end portion thereof, and in which the means at said third station includes a plunger reciprocable by said drive means into and out of engagement with said cover member when said cover members are disposed on said containers at said third station.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
91 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 10, and in which said openings in said rim have female die means in one end portion thereof, and in which said female die means includes an enlarged portion and an inwardly sloping other portion, and in which the cover members are so located so that portions of the flanges on the cover members are disposed in juxtaposition to said enlarged portions of said dies, and the terminal edge portions of said flanges are disposed in abutting engagement with said inwardly sloping portions of said dies.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 10, and in which said heating means are located to heat said terminal edge portions of said cover member to said sufficient temperature during movement of said container and cover member with said wheel from said third work station to said fourth work station.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 10 and in which the means at the first work station for introducing a receptacle into each of the openings includes a movable arm, which removes the receptacles from the dispensing means and guides the same into said opening, said movable arm moving in timed relationship to the wheel through an arc for a predetermined distance.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 10, further characterized in that means is provided between the first and second work stations for introducing material into the container as it moves between the first and second work stations, said last named means including a movable arm which moves in timed relation to the wheel through an arc of a predetermined distance.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
124 words
The apparatus as defined in claim 10 further characterized in that each of the receptacles are supported by a shiftable plate when disposed in the openings formed in said wheel, means for shifting said plate to a position where the upper margins of the receptacle are disposed above the heating means when the receptacle is moving between the first and third work stations, means for lowering the plate when the receptacle reaches the third station so the upper margins thereof are moved into intimate contact with the heating means, and means for shifting the plate to a position where the receptacle is expelled from the opening when the receptacle has moved to the fourth work station in the direction of rotation of said wheel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-03-22 | 1974-09-21 | 1975-03-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-03-22 | 1978-09-21 | 1979-03-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-03-22 | 1982-09-21 | 1983-03-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |