Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.

Mark R Tipping

Dan M Hayes

An inclined trough assembly ( ) or gob scoop ( ) for conveying, by gravity, formable gobs of glass at an elevated temperature to a section of a glass container forming machine of the I.S. type. The trough assembly has a trough member ( ) configured, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing V and a manifold ( ) at least partly underlying the trough member and having a configuration, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing U. The trough member is inserted into the manifold partly to the bottom thereof, and the manifold has a compressed air inlet ( ) for receiving compressed or fan air to flow along the manifold in cooling contact with the trough member. The trough member has an opposed pair of legs ( ) joined at the bottoms thereof in a bight ( ), the upper free ends of the legs being spaced apart a greater distance than the width of gobs of the largest size in a wide range of sizes of gobs to be passed through the trough assembly, the bight having a radius greater than that of the gobs of the smallest size in the range of sizes. The trough member has a plurality of apertures ( ) extending therethrough. The gobs scoops ( ) have a cross-sectional configuration generally of an upwardly facing V with a curved member ( ) that has a curved bight ( ) from which curved opposed legs ( ) extends upwardly.

Apparatus for conveying gobs of glass to a glass container forming machine

An inclined trough assembly ( ) for conveying, by gravity, formable gobs of glass at an elevated temperature to a section of a glass container forming machine of the I.S. type, the trough assembly having a trough member ( ) configured, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing V and a manifold ( ) at least partly underlying the trough member and having a configuration, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing U. The trough member is inserted into the manifold partly to the bottom thereof, and the manifold has a compressed air inlet ( ) for receiving compressed or fan air to flow along the manifold in cooling contact with the trough member to cool the trough member and thereby reduce the coefficient of friction between the gobs of glass flowing through the trough assembly and the trough member thereof. The trough member has an opposed pair of legs ( ) joined at the bottoms thereof in a bight ( ), the upper free ends of the legs being spaced apart a greater distance than the width of gobs of the largest size in a wide range of sizes of gobs to be passed through the trough assembly, the bight having a radius greater than the width of gobs of the smallest size in the range of sizes. The trough member has a plurality of apertures ( ) extending therethrough, to permit compressed or fan air flowing in the manifold to flow into the trough member, to thereby further cool the trough member and at least partly levitate the gobs in the trough member to further reduce frictional forces acting on the gobs as they flow through the trough assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Bowling Green, OH, United States of America

Mark R Tipping