LEAF SPRING FOR BOTTLE GRIPPING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A bottle gripping assembly comprising a pair of bottle gripping arms, each of the bottle gripping arms having a grip member such that when the grip members of the bottle gripping arms are moved toward each other, the pair of bottle gripping arms can grip a bottle therebetween. The bottle gripping assembly also includes a base for supporting the pair of bottle gripping arms, the base including an opening adjacent the pair of bottle gripping arms. The opening is configured to accept an actuator therethrough for actuating the bottle gripping arms to move the grip members of the bottle gripping arms toward each other. Each of the bottle gripping arms includes a leaf spring made of PEEK adapted to abut the actuator.

Claims

1. A bottle gripping assembly comprising: a pair of bottle gripping arms, each of the pair of bottle gripping arms having a grip member such that when the grip members of the pair of bottle gripping arms are moved toward each other, the pair of bottle gripping arms can grip a bottle therebetween; a base for supporting the pair of bottle gripping arms, the base including an opening adjacent the pair of bottle gripping arms, the opening being configured to accept an actuator therethrough for actuating the pair of bottle gripping arms to move the grip members of the pair of bottle gripping arms toward each other; and each of the pair of bottle gripping arms including a leaf spring made of PEEK adapted to abut the actuator.

2. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 1, further including: a spring extending between the pair of bottle gripping arms, the spring biasing the grip members of the pair of bottle gripping arms away from each other.

3. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 1, wherein: each of the pair of bottle gripping arms includes an inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess having end fingers defining a pair of opposite spring receiving slots; and opposite ends of the leaf spring made of PEEK are located within the spring receiving slots.

4. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 3, wherein: each leaf spring made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body having a top surface and a bottom surface, with the top surface including a pair of inner curved protrusions and a pair of outer curved protrusions extending from the top surface of the substantially flat body.

5. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 4, wherein: the pair of inner curved protrusions are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions.

6. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 1, wherein: each leaf spring made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body having a top surface and a bottom surface, with the top surface including a pair of inner curved protrusions and a pair of outer curved protrusions extending from the top surface of the substantially flat body.

7. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 6, wherein: the pair of inner curved protrusions are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions.

8. A bottle gripping assembly comprising: a bottle gripping arm, the bottle gripping arm having a grip member for gripping a bottle; the bottle gripping arm including an inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess having end fingers defining a pair of opposite spring receiving slots; and a leaf spring made of PEEK; opposite ends of the leaf spring made of PEEK are located within the spring receiving slots.

9. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 8, wherein: each leaf spring made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body having a top surface and a bottom surface, with the top surface including a pair of inner curved protrusions and a pair of outer curved protrusions extending from the top surface of the substantially flat body.

10. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 9, wherein: the pair of inner curved protrusions are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions.

11. A method of retrofitting a bottle gripping assembly comprising: providing a pair of bottle gripping arms, each of the bottle gripping arms having a grip member such that when the grip members of the bottle gripping arms are moved toward each other, the pair of bottle gripping arms can grip a bottle therebetween, each of the bottle gripping arms including a metal leaf spring adapted to abut an actuator; providing a base for supporting the pair of bottle gripping arms, the base including an opening adjacent the pair of bottle gripping arms, the opening being configured to accept the actuator therethrough for actuating the bottle gripping arms to move the grip members of the bottle gripping arms toward each other; removing the metal leaf spring from each of the bottle gripping arms; and inserting a leaf spring made of PEEK in a position formerly occupied by the metal leaf spring.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: a spring extends between the pair of bottle gripping arms, the spring biasing the grip members of the pair of bottle gripping arms away from each other.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein: each of the bottle gripping arms includes an inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess having end fingers defining a pair of opposite the spring receiving slots; and after the step of inserting, opposite ends of the leaf spring made of PEEK are located within the spring receiving slots.

14. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 13, wherein: each leaf spring made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body having a top surface and a bottom surface, with the top surface including a pair of inner curved protrusions and a pair of outer curved protrusions extending from the top surface of the substantially flat body.

15. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 14, wherein: the pair of inner curved protrusions are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions.

16. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 11, wherein: each leaf spring made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body having a top surface and a bottom surface, with the top surface including a pair of inner curved protrusions and a pair of outer curved protrusions extending from the top surface of the substantially flat body.

17. The bottle gripping assembly of claim 16, wherein: the pair of inner curved protrusions are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.

[0014] FIG. 1A is a top view of a prior art bottle gripping assembly.

[0015] FIG. 1B is a side view of the prior art bottle gripping assembly.

[0016] FIG. 2A is a side view of a prior art bottle gripping assembly holding a bottle.

[0017] FIG. 2B is a top view of multiple prior art bottle gripping assemblies on a filling wheel.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a top view of a grip arm of a bottle gripping assembly including a leaf spring of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the leaf spring of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 4B is a top view of the leaf spring of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4C is a side view of the leaf spring of the present invention.

[0022] The specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] For purposes of description herein, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

[0024] The reference number 12a (FIG. 3) generally designates a grip arm of the present invention. The grip arm 12a can be substituted for the grip arm 12 used in the bottle gripping assembly 10 of the prior art as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2B or any other similar bottle gripping assembly. For example, the grip arm 12a can also replace the grip arm of the inventive bottle gripping assembly as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/743,312 entitle BOTTLE GRIPPING ASSEMBLY, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the grip arm 12a of the present invention includes a new leaf spring 200 substituted for the vertically oriented leaf spring 32 of the prior art grip arm 12. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the leaf spring 200 of the present invention is located in inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess 26a and in particular within the spring receiving slots 30a defined by the end fingers 28a of the inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess 26a.

[0025] The illustrated leaf spring 200 of the present invention is made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and provides many advantages over the prior art leaf spring 32. PEEK was developed approximately 35-40 years ago and has never been used as the material of a leaf spring for a grip arm of a bottle gripping assembly. The leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK has a longer life span than the prior art leaf spring 32 and also does not dust or metal dust over time. Since no metal dust is created by the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK, a factory employing the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK does not need to be cleaned. Moreover, the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK lasts longer than the prior art leaf spring 32 such that the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK does not have to be replaced as often, thereby increasing the yearly output of a factory filling bottles and saving the factory potentially millions of dollars each year. While PEEK has been around for approximately 35-40 and the metal leaf spring 32 has been in use for over 30 years, no one has realized the millions of dollars in savings by using the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK until the realization of the present inventor.

[0026] In the illustrated example, the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK has generally the same dimensions of the prior art leaf spring 32. Therefore, the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK includes a substantially flat body 202 having a top surface 204 and a bottom surface 206. Opposite end edges 208 of the flat body 202 of leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK includes recesses 214. The leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK can includes a pair of inner curved protrusions 210 and a pair of outer curved protrusions 212 extending from the top surface 204 of the flat body 202. As illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C, the pair of inner curved protrusions 210 are taller than the pair of outer curved protrusions 212.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the top surface 204 of the flat body 202 of the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK faces the wall of the inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess 26a of the grip arm 12a. During sue of the grip arm 12a, the actuator 56s presses against the bottom surface 206 of the flat body 202 of the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK to move the grip arms 12a. The pair of inner curved protrusions 210 and the pair of outer curved protrusions 212 extending from the top surface 204 of the flat body 202 limit flexing of the leaf spring 200 of the present invention made of PEEK when the tops thereof will abut the wall of the inwardly facing C-shaped rear recess 26a of the grip arm 12a.

[0028] Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.