The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 29, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 21, 1999
John L. Coughlin, Duxbury, MA (US);
Robert G. Melvin, II, Sandwich, MA (US);
Benthos, Inc., North Falmouth, MA (US);
Abstract
Method and apparatus by which misshapen crown caps on beverage containers, such as bottles traveling along high-speed bottling lines, may be detected. Bottles are arranged to travel directly beneath a magnetic proximity sensor head placed at a station along a conveyor. A photodetector indicates when a crown cap is properly positioned with respect to the magnetic proximity sensor. In the presence of a crown cap, the sensor head generates a signal having characteristic shapes indicative of properly shaped caps or those that are misshapen. The signal is monitored via algorithms for the presence of the characteristic shapes anticipated for properly shaped and misshapen crown caps and commands are generated in response to detecting reject crown caps. The signal may also be used to detect distorted bottles and to provide height information to a pressure detection station used in conjunction with the crown detector to enhance the rate of detection for poorly sealed bottles having otherwise properly shaped crown caps.