Machine and method for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles

Abstract

A machine and a method for applying crimping spray pumps (12) to bottles (14), wherein a dip tube (20) of a crimping spray pump (12) is inserted into a respective bottle (14) and a crimping collar (18) is positioned on the neck (24) of a respective bottle (14) while the crimping spray pump (12) is held by a crimping sleeve (34), and wherein a lower edge (22) of the crimping collar (18) is crimped onto the neck (24) of the respective bottle (14) while the spray head (16) is retained by the crimping sleeve (34).

Description

[0001] "Machine and method for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles"

[0002] ★ ★ ★ ★

[0003] TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

[0004] Field of the Invention

[0005] The present invention generally relates to sealing bottles .

[0006] More specifically, the invention concerns a machine and a method for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles .

[0007] Description of the prior art

[0008] Perfume bottles or similar containers for nebulized substances are often equipped with spray pumps that are crimped onto the bottle necks.

[0009] A crimping spray pump is a common accessory for liquid containers and is used to dispense perfumes, cosmetics, and other sprayable products.

[0010] A crimping spray pump has a spray head operable by a finger and connected to a dip tube that extends inside the bottle. The crimping spray pump is secured to the bottle neck by a crimping collar with a lower edge that is deformed to engage a groove formed on the outer surface of the bottle neck. This ensures a stable attachment of the pump to the bottle and prevents tampering .

[0011] Typically, the dip tube is longer than the height of the bottle to allow liquid dispensation even when the liquid level is close to the bottom of the bottle.

[0012] During the application of pumps onto bottles, before crimping the collar, the dip tube tends to keep the crimping collar lifted from the bottle neck.

[0013] For this reason, before performing the final crimping that permanently secures the collar to the bottle neck, prior art solutions generally include a preliminary crimping phase. This preliminary crimping is intended to temporarily secure the collar to the bottle neck, ensuring that the collar is in a precise position relative to the bottle neck during a subsequent phase in which the final crimping is carried out.

[0014] Machines for applying crimping spray pumps according to the prior art typically include:

[0015] - an insertion station, where crimping spray pumps are placed onto respective bottles with their dip tubes inserted into the bottles, a preliminary crimping station, where a preliminary crimping of the crimping collars is performed, and

[0016] - a final crimping station, where the final crimping of the crimping collars is carried out, securing the crimping spray pumps onto the bottles.

[0017] The main problem of prior art solutions is that the need for three separate stations makes the machines complex, bulky, and prone to malfunctions.

[0018] Object and Summary of the Invention

[0019] The object of the present invention is to provide a machine for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles that overcomes the problems of the prior art.

[0020] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a machine having the features of claim 1.

[0021] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a method for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles as defined in claim 10.

[0022] The claims form an integral part of the teaching provided in relation to the invention.

[0023] Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine according to the present invention,

[0024] - Figure 2 is a schematic section of the crimping head indicated by arrow II in Figure 1,

[0025] - Figures 3-7 are schematic sections illustrating the operating sequence of the machine according to the present invention,

[0026] - Figure 8 is a perspective view of a crimping sleeve, and

[0027] - Figure 9 is a schematic view of a crimping spray pump .

[0028] It will be appreciated that the various figures may not be represented on the same scale. It will also be appreciated that some elements or components may not be shown to make others more visible and to simplify the understanding of the figures.

[0029] Detailed description

[0030] With reference to Figure 1, 10 indicates a machine for applying crimping spray pumps to bottles.

[0031] With reference to Figure 9, 12 indicates a crimping spray pump intended to be applied to a bottle 14. The crimping spray pump 12 has a spray head 16 operable by a finger and movable between an initial position and a spraying position. The crimping spray pump 12 includes a dip tube 20 extending inside the bottle 14. The crimping spray pump 12 is secured to the neck 24 of the bottle 14 by means of a crimping collar 18 having a lower edge 22, which is designed to be deformed to engage a groove 26 formed on the outer surface of the bottle neck 24.

[0032] With reference to Figure 2, the machine 10 includes a crimping head 30 comprising a body 32 and a crimping sleeve 34 fixed with respect to the body 32.

[0033] With reference to Figure 8, the crimping sleeve 34 includes a plurality of elastic arms 36 angularly spaced apart and having respective lower portions 37 configured to cooperate with the lower edge 22 of a crimping collar 18 of a crimping spray pump 12. The crimping sleeve 34 includes a closure ring 40 that is axially movable in contact with an outer surface of the crimping sleeve 34 to control the closure of the elastic arms 36.

[0034] With reference to Figure 2, the crimping sleeve 34 has a retaining seat 38 configured to receive the spray head 16 of a crimping spray pump 12.

[0035] As will be described in more detail below, the closure ring 40 is vertically movable with respect to the crimping sleeve 34 between a raised position, an intermediate position, and a lowered position, corresponding, respectively, to an open position, a retaining position, and a crimping position of the elastic arms 36.

[0036] With reference to Figure 2, the crimping head 30 includes an actuator assembly 42 carried by the body 32 and configured to control, step by step, the movement of the closure ring 40 between the raised position, the intermediate position, and the lowered position.

[0037] The actuator assembly 42 includes a first and a second pneumatic cylinder 44, 46 operatively connected to the closure ring 40 and having respective movement axes aligned vertically.

[0038] The first and second pneumatic cylinders 44, 46 have respective pistons 48, 50 movable within respective pneumatic chambers 52, 54 formed in the body 32 of the crimping head 30. The pistons 48, 50 are fixed to respective rods 56, 58, which are aligned along a vertical axis. The pneumatic chambers 52, 54 are connected to respective connectors 80, 82, 84 for compressed air intake and exhaust and are separated by a wall 86.

[0039] The pistons 48, 50 of the first and second pneumatic cylinders 44, 46 cooperate with each other in abutment relationship and can move vertically with respect to the body 32 independently of each other. The mutual abutment between the pistons 48, 50 can be achieved, for example, by a portion 88 fixed with respect to the rod 58 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46, which engages a freely slidable hole 90 formed in the piston 48 of the first pneumatic cylinder 44. The portion 88 is designed to rest against the bottom surface of the hole 90.

[0040] The rod 58 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46 is fixed to a support 92 that is vertically movable with respect to the body 32. The support 92 is located externally to the crimping sleeve 34 and is fixed to the closure ring 40.

[0041] Thus, the vertical movement of the rod 58 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46 controls the vertical movement of the closure ring 40 with respect to the crimping sleeve 34.

[0042] As will be described in more detail below, the first pneumatic cylinder 44 controls the movement of the closure ring 40 between the raised position and the intermediate position, while the second pneumatic cylinder 46 controls the movement of the closure ring 40 between the intermediate position and the lowered position .

[0043] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the crimping head 30 is carried by a vertically movable support 60 that moves along stationary vertical guides 94. The vertically movable support 60 is associated with a drive mechanism 62 that controls the vertical movement of the crimping head 30. The drive mechanism 62 may include a screw 96 rotating about a vertical axis and driven by an electric motor 98. The screw 96 may be engaged by a nut 100 fixed with respect to the vertically movable support 60, so that the rotation of the screw 96 controls the vertical movement of the nut 100, and consequently, of the vertically movable support 60 and the crimping head 30 fixed thereto.

[0044] With reference to Figure 1, the machine 10 includes a feed guide 64 configured to supply a row of crimping spray pumps 12. The feed guide 64 may be inclined, allowing the crimping spray pumps 12 to advance by gravity toward a pickup station.

[0045] With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the machine 10 may include a gripping member 66 configured to pick up a crimping spray pump 12 at one end of the feed guide 64 as shown in Figure 2 and position the crimping spray pump 12 beneath the crimping head 30 as sown in Figure 3.

[0046] With reference to Figures 1-5, the machine may also include a stretching device 68 comprising a clamp 70 configured to engage a dip tube 20 of a crimping spray pump 12 held by the crimping head 30. The clamp 70 is movable vertically between a raised position and a lowered position to perform a stretching operation on the dip tube 20, facilitating its insertion into a bottle 14.

[0047] The movement of the clamp 70 may be controlled by a second screw 102 rotating about a vertical axis and driven by an electric motor 104. The second screw 102 may be engaged by a nut 106 fixed with respect to the clamp 70, so that the rotation of the second screw 102 controls the vertical movement of the nut 106 and the clamp 70 fixed thereto.

[0048] With reference to Figure 1, the machine 10 may include a rotary carousel 72 that rotates about a vertical axis and carries a plurality of supports 74 configured to receive respective bottles 14. The carousel 72 is step-operated to bring successive bottles 14 into an application station and to hold the bottles 14 stationary in the application station for the time necessary to apply the crimping spray pumps 12.

[0049] The operation of the previously described machine 10 is as follows.

[0050] With reference to Figure 2, in an initial phase, the crimping head 30 is in a raised position, and the pistons 48, 50 of the first and second pneumatic cylinders 44, 46 are both at their upper end positions. At this stage, the closure ring 40 is in the raised position, corresponding to an open position of the elastic arms 36 of the crimping sleeve 34. At this stage, the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34 is configured to receive a spray head 16 of a crimping spray pump 12 without interference.

[0051] With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the gripping member 66 picks up a crimping spray pump 12 from one end of the feed guide 64 (Figure 2) and positions it beneath the crimping head 30 (Figure 3) , with the spray head 16 aligned with the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34.

[0052] Then, the crimping head 30 is moved downward, and the spray head 16 is inserted into the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34 without interference.

[0053] With reference to Figure 4, when the spray head 16 is positioned in the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34, the upper part of the pneumatic chamber 52 of the first pneumatic cylinder 44 is pressurized to drive a downward stroke of the piston 48. The piston 48 of the first pneumatic cylinder 44 is supported by the piston 50 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46, so the downward stroke of the piston 48 of the first pneumatic cylinder 44 causes a downward stroke of the same magnitude for the piston 50 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46. This results in a downward movement of the closure ring 40, which moves from the raised position to the intermediate position .

[0054] The intermediate position of the closure ring 40 corresponds to the retaining position of the elastic arms 36 of the crimping sleeve 34. In this position, the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34 is slightly closed and holds the spray head 16 with slight interference .

[0055] Then, as shown in Figure 5, while the spray head 16 is retained in the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34, the stretching device 68 is activated. The clamp 70 of the stretching device 68 engages the upper portion of the dip tube 20 of the crimping spray pump 12 held by the crimping head 30 and moves downward to stretch the dip tube 20.

[0056] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 6, the crimping head 30 is moved downward to insert the dip tube 20 into a bottle 14 and to position the crimping collar 18 onto the neck 24 of the bottle 14.

[0057] Finally, as shown in Figure 7, after the dip tube 20 has been inserted into the bottle 14 and the crimping collar 18 has been placed onto the neck 24 of the bottle 14, and while the spray head 16 is retained in the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34, the upper part of the pneumatic chamber 54 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46 is pressurized to drive a downward stroke of the piston 50 of the second pneumatic cylinder 46. This causes a downward movement of the closure ring 40, which moves from the intermediate position to the lowered position .

[0058] The lowered position of the closure ring 40 corresponds to the crimping position of the elastic arms 36 of the crimping sleeve 34. At this stage, the lower edge 22 of the crimping collar 18 is deformed onto the neck 24 of the bottle 14.

[0059] At the end of the crimping phase, the lower portions of the pneumatic chambers 52, 54 are pressurized to return the pistons 48, 50 to their upper end positions, disengaging the crimping spray pump 12 from the crimping sleeve 34. The crimping head 30 is then raised, returning to the initial condition for a new cycle.

[0060] From the above description, it is clear that during operation, the machine 10 implements a method for applying crimping spray pumps 12 to bottles 14, comprising :

[0061] - providing a plurality of crimping spray pumps 12, each having a spray head 16, a crimping collar 18, and a dip tube 20, providing a plurality of bottles 14 with respective necks 24,

[0062] - providing a crimping head 30 including a crimping sleeve 34,

[0063] - inserting and retaining the spray head 16 of a crimping spray pump 12 in a retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34,

[0064] - inserting the dip tube 20 of the crimping spray pump 12 into a respective bottle 14 and positioning the crimping collar 18 onto the neck 24 of the respective bottle 14 while the crimping spray pump 12 is held by the crimping sleeve 34, and

[0065] - crimping a lower edge 22 of the crimping collar 18 onto the neck 24 of the respective bottle 14 while the spray head 16 is retained in the retaining seat 38 of the crimping sleeve 34.

[0066] The machine 10 allows both the positioning of crimping spray pumps 12 onto respective bottles 14 and the crimping operation to be performed in a single station . Compared to prior art solutions that require an insertion station, a preliminary crimping station, and a final crimping station, the machine according to the present invention is significantly simpler and more compact.

[0067] The machine according to the present invention considerably reduces the risk of malfunctions due to positioning errors of crimping spray pumps 12 on their respective bottles 14. Naturally, without departing from the principle of the invention, the construction details and embodiments may be widely varied from what has been described and shown, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A machine for applying crimping spray pumps (12) to bottles (14) , comprising a crimping head (30) including :- a body ( 32 ) ,- a crimping sleeve (34) fixed with respect to the body (32) and including a plurality of elastic arms (36) angularly spaced from each other, wherein the crimping sleeve (34) has a retaining seat (38) configured to receive a spray head (16) of a crimping spray pump (12) , and wherein the elastic arms (36) have respective lower portions (37) configured to cooperate with a lower edge (22) of a crimping collar (18) of a crimping spray pump (12) ,- a closure ring (40) cooperating with an outer surface of the crimping sleeve (34) and vertically movable with respect to the crimping sleeve (34) between a raised position, an intermediate position, and a lowered position, corresponding, respectively, to an open position, a retaining position, and a crimping position of said elastic arms (36) , and- an actuator assembly (42) carried by the body (32) and configured to control, step by step, the movement of said closure ring (40) between the raised position, the intermediate position, and the lowered position .

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein - during operation - in said open position, said retaining seat (38) is configured to receive a spray head (16) of a crimping spray pump (12) without interference, in the retaining position said retaining seat (38) holds said spray head (16) , and in said crimping position said lower portions (37) of said elastic arms (36) deform inwardthe lower edge (22) of the crimping collar (18) of a crimping spray pump (12) while the spray head (16) is retained in said retaining seat (38) .

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said actuator assembly (42) comprises a first and a second pneumatic cylinder (44, 46) operatively connected to said closure ring (40) and having respective movement axes vertically aligned with each other.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein the first pneumatic cylinder (44) controls the movement of the closure ring (40) between the raised position and the intermediate position, and the second pneumatic cylinder (46) controls the movement of the closure ring (40) between the intermediate position and the lowered position .

5. A machine according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said first and second pneumatic cylinders (44, 46) have respective pistons (48, 50) movable within respective pneumatic chambers (52, 54) and cooperating with each other in abutment relationship.

6. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the crimping head (30) is carried by a vertically movable support (60) associated with a drive mechanism (62) that controls a vertical displacement of the crimping head (30) .

7. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a feed guide (64) configured to supply a row of crimping spray pumps (12) , and a gripping member (66) configured to pick up a crimping spray pump (12) from one end of said feed guide (64) and to position acrimping spray pump (12) beneath the crimping head (30) .

8. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a stretching device (68) including a clamp (70) configured to engage a dip tube (20) of a crimping spray pump (12) held by said crimping head (30) and movable in a vertical direction between a raised position and a lowered position to perform the stretching of said dip tube (20) .

9. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a carousel (72) rotating stepwise about a vertical axis and carrying a plurality of supports (74) configured to receive respective bottles (14) .

10. A method for applying crimping spray pumps (12) to bottles (14) , comprising:- providing a plurality of crimping spray pumps (12) each having a spray head (16) , a crimping collar (18) , and a dip tube (20) ,- providing a plurality of bottles (14) having respective necks (24) , providing a crimping head (30) including a crimping sleeve (34) ,- inserting and retaining the spray head (16) of a crimping spray pump (12) in a retaining seat (38) of the crimping sleeve (34) ,- inserting the dip tube (20) of the crimping spray pump (12) into a respective bottle (14) and positioning the crimping collar (18) on the neck (24) of the respective bottle (14) while the crimping spray pump (12) is held by the crimping sleeve (34) , and- crimping a lower edge (22) of the crimping collar (18) onto the neck (24) of the respective bottle (14)while said spray head (16) is retained in said retaining seat (38) of the crimping sleeve (34) .

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