Ball Corporation

Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.

Greg E Robinson

Otis H Willoughby

Howard C Chasteen

Mark A Jacober

Anthony J Scott

Dean L Johnson

David J Bonfoey

Joseph C Hanna

An apparatus and method of making and applying threaded twist-off neck finishes for metal containers is provided. More specifically, the present invention relations to apparatus and methods used to form metallic bottles with threaded necks adapted to receive selectively removable threaded closures. The threaded neck may be formed by interconnecting a threaded outsert to a metallic bottle. Alternatively, the threaded neck may be formed as an integral portion of the neck of the bottle.

Method and apparatus for forming a threaded neck on a metallic bottle

Beverage container

A method and apparatus for providing a contoured design confirguration in the wall of an open ended container workpiece employs plural molds on a rotating turret an which a plurality of molds are provided with each mold having an inwardly facing wall having the desired configuration. The workpiece is delivered from a pneumatic conveyor and vacuum star wheel into an open mold which then closes and the interior of the workpiece is pressurized with air. A rotary wand moves into the workpiece and discharges high velocity rotating liquid jets against the inner wall surface of the workpiece to forcefully move the wall outwardly into conforming contact with the inner wall surface of the mold to effect permanent reshaping of the workpiece into the desired configuration. Spent workfluid is continuously removed from the workpiece while the high velocity liquid jets are impinging on the inner surface of the workpiece so that static pressure does not build up in the workpiece nor play any substantial part in the reshaping operation which is effected solely by the impact force of the high velocity jets. Upon completion of the shaping of the wall, the finished container is removed from the mold and conveyed by a vacuum starwheel to a pneumatic removal corner.

Can shaping apparatus and method

Method and apparatus for reshaping a container body

Can shaping apparatus

A method and apparatus for reshaping a container body (e.g., a metal, drawn and ironed container body) utilizing a floating mechanism for imparting an axial load is disclosed. In one embodiment, a container may have a substantially cylindrical sidewall with an inner surface and outer surface, where a shape defining means has a contoured surface positionable with respect to a container sidewall. When a floating mechanism imparts an axial load, a fluid seal is maintained allowing sidewall deformation by means of a directed pressurized fluid.

The present invention provides an apparatus for shaping/embossing thin-walled work pieces, and is particularly apt for realizing complex and non-uniform shapes/designs in cylindrical metal container bodies. In one application, at least one pressurized fluid stream is ejected directly against one side of container body sidewall with a configured surface provided on the other side of the container body sidewall to achieve the desired shaping/embossing. At least one of the pressurized fluid stream and configured surface may be disposed for rotational and/or longitudinal motion. Such driven motion can be utilized to achieve progressive helical working of a cylindrical metal container body, thereby yielding the desired shaping/embossing.

Metal container body shaping/embossing

A method and apparatus for reshaping a container body (e.g., a metal, drawn and ironed container body) utilizing multiple fluids is disclosed. One fluid applies a generally low fluid pressure to the surface to be reshaped, while the other fluid applies a generally high fluid impact pressure to the surface to reform the same by changing its shape. In one embodiment, the interior of a drawn and ironed container body is pressurized with an appropriate gas (e.g., air) and a nozzle is introduced into the interior of the container body to apply a concentrated force to the interior surface of the container body with a high velocity liquid stream (e.g., water).

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Greg E Robinson