Owens-illinois, Inc.

Other

Esco Precision, Inc.

Thomas E Doherty

Stephen W Amberg

Theodor Esser

William F Herzog

A bicycle rack and a cargo rack are disclosed, which can operate together as a single unit. The rack articulates in a variety of ways such as to allow access to the vehicle while mounted with bicycles in the rear and to ease access to the roof for placement and removal of cargo.

Combination bicycle and cargo rack

An endoscopic biopsy forceps mechanism encompassing a device of integrally designed parts for selectively opening and closing the biopsy forceps cutting jaws of the forceps and dramatically reduce the number of individual parts in the entire device thereby rendering a forcep mechanism of a more simplified construction, more reliable in operation and concurrently reduce the manufacturing and assembly costs.

Endoscopic biopsy forceps - disposable

An endoscopic biopsy forceps device incorporating a novel and unique camming arrangement for selectively opening and closing the biopsy cutting jaws of the biopsy forceps which will render the entire device of a simpler construction and reliable in operation, while concurrently making it considerably less expensive to produce.

Endoscopic biopsy forceps

Apparatus for forming the rim on a foam plastic container such as a cup by use of a segmented rim former. The cavity in the rim former is contoured so as to produce a curled rim that is flat on the top. The flat top of the rim is parallel to the bottom of the cup. The apparatus comprises a segmented rim former with a combination of linear and curved surfaces that form a noncircular container rim.

Apparatus to form a flat-topped rim on a thin-walled foam plastic

The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a plastic sleeve to a rigid base article, such as a glass bottle. A blank of plastic is wrapped around a mandrel and seamed to form a plastic sleeve. The bottle to which the sleeve is to be applied is preheated and longitudinally aligned over the mandrel. A pressurized fluid is introduced between the plastic sleeve and the mandrel to form a fluid cushion upon which the plastic sleeve can slide without binding or wrinkling. As the pressurized fluid is introduced, a stripper sleeve is actuated to engage the lower edge of the plastic sleeve and block the passage of the pressurized fluid therefrom. Thus, the plastic sleeve is inflated slightly about the mandrel. Then the stripper sleeve is moved upwardly to telescope the plastic sleeve onto the aligned bottle. A gasket is secured to the upper base of the mandrel, upon which the bottle rests during the transfer operation. The gasket tends to direct the flow of the pressurized fluid toward the sleeve and away from the gap between the mandrel and the inwardly curving lower end of the bottle. Also, additional pressurized fluid is introduced through apertures formed in the upper base of the mandrel to prevent the plastic sleeve from collapsing. When the stripper sleeve is fully extended and the plastic sleeve covers the bottle, the heat of the bottle causes the plastic sleeve to shrink slightly such that it is held in position relative to the bottle until it is subjected to a final thermoconstrictive operation.

Apparatus for applying plastic sleeves to glass bottles

A fabricated cup or nestable container having a unitary sidewall formed from a double-ended sheet of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material, the inner suface of which is adapted to contact a liquid product to be contained in said container. The ends of the sheet are joined to one another forming a liquid-tight seam extending from the top to the bottom of said container. An open mouth at the top is defined by the upper portion of the sidewall. The container sidewall tapers inwardly and downwardly from the open mouth for a major portion of the height of said container. The thickness of the sidewall increases continuously and progressively over this major portion from a lesser thickness at the top thereof to a greater thickness at the bottom thereof. The density of the sidewall continuously and progressively decreases over this major portion from a greater density at the top thereof to a lesser density at the bottom thereof. A separate bottom closure may be joined in a liquid-tight manner to the lower end of the container sidewall to form a two-piece container. Alternately, a bottom closure may be formed from an integral extension of the sidewall by shrinking and sealing the extension to produce a one-piece cup.

Nestable foam cup

A method for controlling the movement of a web of material. The web material advances in a forward direction, thus creating an unsupported loop which characterizes the festoon arrangement of the invention. Web material is advanced into the festoon depending upon the size of the festoon. Web material is withdrawn and returned to the festoon on an intermittent basis independently of the flow of material into the festoon.

Method for controlling a web of material

A fabricated cup or other nestable container in which the sidewall is formed from a rectangular sheet-like blank of a thermoplastic material, particularly an expanded thermoplastic material, the blank having its ends joined to one another in a liquid-tight seam extending the full height thereof to form a sleeve, the blank having a relatively high degree of orientation or heat-shrinkability extending circumferentially of the sleeve, the fabrication of the sidewall from the sleeve being accomplished by telescoping the sleeve over a generally frusto-conically shaped mandrel, by exposing the sleeve to heat to cause it to shrink to conform to the configuration of the mandrel and by stripping the shrunken sleeve from the mandrel. A two-piece container may be formed from such a sidewall by affixing an end closure element to the bottom or smaller end of the sidewall. A one-piece container may also be formed in this manner by using a blank of sufficient height so that a substantial portion of the sleeve formed therefrom extends beyond the smaller end of the forming mandrel, such substantial portion, when the sleeve is exposed to heat, being shrinkable to form an annular planar portion disposed transversely of the longitudinal axis of the mandrel and a relatively small tubulation which extends longitudinally from the interior of the annular planar portion and which, by the application of pressure thereto while at elevated temperature, may be caused to collapse and fuse together to close the bottom of the container in a liquid-tight manner. A container of this type may be used to advantage to contain any liquid or other fluent product therein in face-to-face contact with the interior surface of the sidewall thereof, and when the container is fabricated from an expanded material, because of the insulating characteristics of such material, a container fabricated therefrom may be used to particular advantage as a hand-holdable cup for coffee or other hot beverage. The container fabricating apparatus includes a continuously moving conveyor having a plurality of spaced mandrels having an external configuration corresponding to the internal configuration of the containers. Subassemblies acting in timed relationship with the main conveyor (a) pre-heat the mandrels, (b) form cylindrical sleeve blanks from a continuous web of thermoplastic material and telescope the sleeve blanks onto the mandrels, (c) simultaneously cut bottom disc closures from two continuous webs of thermoplastic material and deliver the discs serially to the mandrels, (d) subject the mandrels carrying the sleeve blanks and discs to heat to shrink each sleeve blank about a mandrel in overlapped relationship with a bottom disc, (e) fuse the disc to the overlapping portion sidewalls of the container and (f) form a curved rim at the top of the cup to complete formation.

Pick-up head assembly for use in apparatus for fabricating thermoplastic

A fabricating apparatus for cuplike containers, including a continuously moving conveyor defining a closed path and having a plurality of spaced mandrels with an external configuration corresponding to the internal configuration of the containers. Processing assemblies located adjacent to a main conveyor act in timed relationship with the main conveyor to (a) preheat the mandrels, (b) form cylindrical sleeve blanks from a continuous web of thermoplastic material and telescope the sleeve blanks onto the mandrels, (c) simultaneously cut bottom disc closures from two continuous webs of thermoplastic material and deliver the discs serially to the mandrels, (d) rotate the mandrels carrying the sleeve blanks and discs as they are subjected to heat to shrink each sleeve blank about a mandrel in overlapped relationship with a bottom disc, (e) fuse the disc to the overlapping portion sidewalls of the container and (f) form a curved rim at the top of the cup to complete formation.

Apparatus for fabricating thermoplastic containers

An apparatus for cutting the bottom disc used in the manufacture of disposable drinking containers. A web of foam plastic container bottom material is fed through a rotary cutting die. Discs of foam plastic material are then sequentially positioned so that they can be affixed to container sidewalls which are moving in seriatim fashion past the cutting apparatus. The direction of movement of the web of foam plastic material through the cutting apparatus is periodically reversed so that the maximum number bottom discs can be cut from the web of material. The method of moving the web of material in an intermittent flow plus the movement of the severed discs is also set forth in detail.

Container bottom cutting apparatus and method

An arrangement for cleaning paint rollers after their use. The paint roller is held between bearings within an enclosure, and is freely rotatable on said bearings. The enclosure communicates with a source of cleansing fluid which is directed through an elongated orifice along the length of the roller. The orifice in the enclosure is displaced above the axis of the roller, and the force of the cleansing fluid impinging on the surface of the roller, causes the roller to rotate and become cleansed on the surface thereof.

Paint roller cleaning apparatus

Method and apparatus for forming thermoplastic containers

A fabricated cup or other nestable container in which the sidewall is formed from a rectangular sheet-like blank of a thermoplastic material, particularly an expanded thermoplastic material, the blank having its ends joined to one another in a liquid-tight seam extending the full height thereof to form a sleeve, the blank having a relatively high degree of orientation or heat-shrinkability extending circumferentially of the sleeve, the fabrication of the sidewall from the sleeve being accomplished by telescoping the sleeve over a generally frusto-conically shaped mandrel, by exposing the sleeve to heat to cause it shrink to conform to the configuration of the mandrel and by stripping the shrunken sleeve from the mandrel. A two-piece container may also be formed from such a sidewall by affixing an end closure element to the bottom or smaller end of the sidewall. A one-piece container may also be formed in this manner by using a blank of sufficient height so that a substantial portion of the sleeve formed therefrom extends beyond the smaller end of the forming mandrel, such substantial portion, when the sleeve is exposed to heat, being shrinkable to form an annular planar portion disposed transversely of the longitudinal axis of the mandrel and a relatively small tubulation which extends longitudinally from the interior of the annular planar portion and which, by the application of pressure thereto while at elevated temperature, may be caused to collapse and fuse together to close the bottom of the container in a liquid-tight manner. A container of this type may be used to advantage to contain any liquid or other fluent product therein in face to face contact with the interior surface of the sidewall thereof, and when the container is fabricated from an expanded material, because of the insulating characteristics of such material, a container fabricated therefrom may be used to particular advantage as a handholdable cup for coffee or other hot beverage.

Nestable fabricated thermoplastic container

A sleeve forming method wherein a rectangular sheet of thermoplastic material is formed into a tubular shape having overlapped end portions that are sealed together by directing heated air between the end portions to soften their facing surface and pressing the end portions together to form a seam. The seam preferably is liquid-tight, so that the sleeve may be utilized to form the sidewall of a cup or nestable container wherein the sleeve is heat-shrunk about a generally frusto-conically shaped mandrel to give the container sidewall its desired shape. A two-piece container can be formed by sealing a bottom disc member to the end of the sidewall, and a one-piece container can be formed by collapsing and fusing the end of the sidewall sleeve to close the bottom of the container.

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Setauket, NY, United States of America

Thomas E Doherty