A device for selecting and discarding pucks (2,3) for holding bottles (1) with a support and travel plane (110), a plurality of teeth (120) where the teeth (120) are arranged in the plane (110) to form a routing path towards a discarding path (OUT2) for discarding empty pucks (2) without a bottle (1) and a routing path towards an exit path (OUT3) for outputting full pucks (3) containing a bottle (1).

A container clamping and holding arrangement for moving containers, such as bottles, cans, and similar containers, for holding products, such as beverages. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

The present invention relates to a transport wheel arrangement for handling cylindrical bodies, comprising a base body (104), a negative pressure source which is intended to provide a negative pressure for holding the cylindrical bodies, a disc-shaped wheel body (102) which is rotatably mounted about its central axis (R1) on the base body (104), a drive device which is designed to set the wheel body (102) in rotary motion, at least one receiving assembly (112) for holding a cylindrical body, comprising a shaft (114) which receives a line (120) for conducting the negative pressure, a contact member (116) provided radially outside the shaft (114) which is designed to present a contact surface for a held cylindrical body, and a suction cup member (116) which is connected to the line (120) for conducting the negative pressure and is designed to hold a cylindrical body by means of this negative pressure; and a control unit which is designed to control the operation of the drive device and, if necessary, the vacuum source, wherein the transport wheel arrangement further comprises a displacement apparatus (122) which is designed to displace the contact element (116) and the suction cup element (118) of the receiving assembly (112) or at least one of the plurality of receiving assemblies (112) in a coordinated manner with respect to the wheel body (102).

The present invention provides a device for grouping containers, comprising a plurality of transfer pallets for conveying containers upright on a pallet surface and a first transfer device comprising a first transfer platform and an infeed manipulator, wherein the pallet surface of each transfer pallet has a plurality of ridge-like elevations forming a support surface for the containers, and wherein the first transfer platform has a comb-shaped outlet area configured for allowing the ridge-like elevations of the pallet surface to pass through the intermediate spaces of the comb-shaped outlet area for taking over the at least one container.

An air-driven container twisting system is configured for changing orientation of containers moving through a material-handling system. The air-driven container twisting system may include a container guide that extends through an air drive arrangement with the container guide configured to direct containers longitudinally while simultaneously rotating the containers while moving through the air-driven container twisting system without the need of declining elevation change and gravity assist.

A coating carrier for use with a glass coating apparatus includes a coating base comprising a plurality of spindle connector receiving features. Each spindle connector receiving feature includes a cavity that is sized to movably receive a spindle connector of a glass body support assembly that is configured to support a glass container body.

Holding device for holding beverage bottles and other containers during labeling of beverage bottles and other containers with a label, or during printing of beverage bottles and other containers. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

A machine for automatically positioning objects is disclosed. The machine has one inlet conveyor to transport objects in a lying position; a detector system to identify the orientation and/or shape of the objects; a robotic collection device to collect and position the objects according to information received by the detector system; a transfer conveyor having transfer fasteners arranged in fixed positions along a periphery of the transfer conveyor defining a closed loop around a tilted axis; an outlet conveyor to receive and transport the objects in an upright position; and a transfer fastener seat for the objects at each transfer fastener. The conveyor moves the fasteners seats because of the movement of the transfer conveyor between an upper receiving position, in which the object is held in a lying position, and a lower delivery position, in which the object is held in an upright position. The transfer conveyor and the outlet conveyor are synchronized.

An apparatus for bundling containers includes a linear conveyor, a guide element, conveying elements, and application elements, each of which applies adhesive to a portion of a container surface, The conveying elements are driven and controllable to travel along the conveyor and to circulate along the guide element. Each conveying element has a container guide that rotates relative to the conveying element. The guide element has a feed strand with central, transition, and end sections that merge into each other. The central section is further from the central axis than the end section. The distance from end section to central axis is such that containers circulating on the end section are brought into contact with adhesive on a surface of an adjacent container.

A column of cups guided by their rims in elongated slots is spaced into desired cup pitch by one or more linear stars from which the cups can be transferred for packaging. The linear stars have lugs engaging and spacing the cups. In another aspect of the invention, cups are manipulated into patterns for final grouping and packaging and by a plurality of cup orienting pickers engaging, inverting and re-orienting the cups. In one final packaged cup group of two or more layers, alternating cups in each layer are inverted and a top lid of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a top lid of a cup in a bottom layer, while a bottom of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a bottom of a cup in a lower layer, and in an alternating pattern.