Kenneth J Barker

US Patent:

20040237472, Dec 2, 2004

Filed:

Jun 29, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/878204

Inventors:

Gilbert De Cardenas - Pasadena CA, US
Kenneth Barker - Willard UT, US

International Classification:

B65B007/28

US Classification:

053/399000, 053/329200, 053/133100, 053/282000, 053/420000, 053/442000, 053/053000, 053/585000

Abstract:

An automated container production line for automatically removing, orienting, filling, sealing and providing a label and applying a straw to the outside of the labeled container is provided which utilizes a novel orienting conveyor for receiving unoriented containers from a supply bin and orienting the containers for a plurality of novel short production lines having a positioning screw conveyor which intermittently starts and stops the advancement of the containers as groups of containers in which various groups of containers are simultaneously filled, sealed, inspected and then subsequently transported to a sleeving device for adding labels, a heat shrink tunnel for fastening the sleeve to the container and then to a novel straw applicator for subsequently attaching a straw to the outside of the container. The novel automated container filling, sealing and inspecting production line includes a computer program for controlling the production line in conjunction with various sensor devices for determining whether the containers are properly aligned, properly filled, properly sealed and completed in accordance with the highest quality control standards to not only assure product quality but also assure that containers not meeting specifications are removed from the production line and not processed further.