VENT TUBE APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHODS WITH TRACEABLE CAP FOR VENT TUBE INTRUSION DETECTION

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a non-traceable vent tube and a traceable vent tube cap apparatus, system and methods incorporating a traceable material such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag or a magnet for use in conjunction with a filling machine during container filling operations for a quicker and more accurate detection of the location of the non-traceable vent tube or the traceable vent tube cap after becoming detached from a filling machine during filling operations, and to increase the safety of the filling operation and reduce costs and time when a malfunction occurs.

Claims

1. A traceable vent tube cap apparatus for use in filling a container in a filling machine in which a non-traceable vent tube is attached to the filling machine, and is configured to vent a gas from the container during the filling process, comprising: a traceable vent tube cap, said traceable vent tube cap being hollow and configured to vent a gas from the container during the filling process, said traceable vent tube cap being configured to be attached to an existing non-traceable vent tube; and an indicator, said indicator being housed in said traceable vent tube cap, such that if said non-traceable vent tube or said traceable vent tube cap detaches from said filling machine, said non-traceable vent tube or said traceable vent tube cap can be detected using an indicator detection system.

2. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said indicator is a magnet and said indicator detection system can detect magnets.

3. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said container is a glass bottle or an aluminum can.

4. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said indicator is a Radio Frequency Identification tag and said indicator detection system is a Radio Frequency Identification reader.

5. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said container is a glass bottle or an aluminum can.

6. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said during the filling process means as a product enters the container.

7. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said housed in said vent tube head means enclosed during an injection molded process.

8. The traceable vent tube cap apparatus in claim 1, wherein said housed in said vent tube head means attached during a machining process.

9. A container filling system for use in filling a container in which a non-traceable vent tube is attached to a filling machine, a traceable vent tube cap is attached to said non-traceable vent tube, and said non-traceable vent tube and traceable vent tube cap are configured to vent a gas from the container during the filling process, and the system is configured to determine when said non-traceable vent tube or traceable vent tube cap malfunctions, comprising: a non-traceable vent tube, said non-traceable vent tube being hollow and configured to vent a gas from the container during the filling process, a traceable vent tube cap, said traceable vent tube cap attached to one end of said non-traceable vent tube, said traceable vent tube cap having an indicator, said indicator being housed in said traceable vent tube cap; and an indicator detection system, said indicator detection system comprising a detector, such that if said non-traceable vent tube or said traceable vent tube cap detaches from said filling machine, said non-traceable vent tube or said traceable vent tube cap can be detected using said indicator detection system.

10. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said indicator is a magnet and said indicator detection system can detect magnets.

11. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said container is a glass bottle or an aluminum can.

12. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said indicator is a Radio Frequency Identification tag and said indicator detection system is a Radio Frequency Identification reader.

13. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said container is a glass bottle or an aluminum can.

14. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said during the filling process means as a product enters the container.

15. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said housed in said vent tube head means enclosed during an injection molded process.

16. The container filling system in claim 9, wherein said housed in said vent tube head means attached during a machining process.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0021] In order to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings in filling operations, the present disclosure utilizes apparatus, system and/or methods for determining the location of a vent tube or a replaceable vent tube cap when the vent tube malfunctions and becomes detached from a filling machine and, in special cases, falls or intrudes into a container being filled. In particular, the disclosure utilizes a vent tube or vent tube cap modified with a traceable material, such as an RFID tag or a magnet, and can incorporate a system and methods for scanning a filling machine, as well as food or beverage containers, using sensing technologies, such as RFID or magnetic technologies.

[0022] The present disclosure solves the problems facing the packaging industry, and in particular, the beverage filling industry as described above. The present disclosure incorporates a solution for consistent detection of vent tube intrusion into a container, which exceeds the current standards at specific beverage manufacturing plants.

[0023] The present disclosure incorporates a solution for a vent tube by allowing for a replaceable vent tube cap containing a traceable material, such as a magnet or an RFID tag, to be attached to a vent tube thereby providing a consistent detection of inadvertent vent tube intrusion into a container, which exceeds the current standards at specific beverage manufacturing plants.

[0024] At large automated beverage manufacturing plants, aluminum cans are a commonly used container for product. As described above, when a plastic vent tube falls into aluminum can as it is being filled, the inductive and capacitive technologies normally used to detect metal vent tube, cannot detect the plastic foreign object through the aluminum can. As a result expensive X-ray systems are used or product is considered waste.

[0025] The present disclosure solves this inherent problem by incorporating or implementing an RFID tag or a magnet into each vent tube or replaceable vent tube cap and utilizing an associated monitoring system. The incorporated RFID tag or magnet can be used on metal, metal-plastic hybrid, ball cage, and plastic vent tubes or replaceable vent tube caps with the same result. By placing an in-line identification gate or RFID or magnetic scanner or reader after the filling process occurs, and a continuous monitoring system on the filling machine any such vent tube or vent tube cap can be reliably tracked if it becomes detached from the filling machine during the filling process.

[0026] By tagging the vent tube or replaceable vent tube cap with an RFID transponder, magnet or other tagging technologies, routine consistency checks will not have to be performed. Further, other materials may now be considered as containers for the packaging side of the manufacturing facilities.

[0027] The vent tube detection system used in conjunction with the present disclosure has several components, such as chips, tags, readers and antennas. By incorporating an RFID tag, magnet or transponder or other tagging technology into the vent tube, the vent tube or vent tube cap can be tracked using the same transponder or tag reading system as described above. Since, in the case of an RFID tag, the transponder is created by attaching a small silicon chip to a small flexible antenna, the chip can be used to record and store information. To read the transponder and locate the specific vent tube, the RFID reader sends out a radio signal to be absorbed by the antenna and reflected back as a return signal delivering information from the transponder chip memory.

[0028] In use, the container filling machine operates in its normal manner with empty containers sent down a conveyor to the filling section of the system. The vent tube is then lowered (or the empty container is raised) to come in contact or near contact with the container. The container is filled with the product as described above, and the vent tube is separated from the filled container. The filled container is then covered and/or sealed. This filling process fills thousands of containers each minute. In the present disclosure, a traceable vent tube cap can be attached to an existing vent tube to allow standard vent tubes to become traceable vent tubes.

[0029] If, during these high-speed operations, a vent tube malfunctions (i.e., detaches or sheers from the filling machine, and falls into the container), the RFID transponder or magnet incorporated into the vent tube or replaceable vent tube cap will likewise fall into the filled container. Using the vent tube detection system, the system can have immediate information that the vent tube has detached from the filling system and precisely which container the vent tube or vent tube cap is located. Depending on the type of system and the indicator being used, the reader of the vent tube detection system can be anywhere from 1 foot to 20 to 30 feet from the location of the container or filling machine. Further, handheld RFID tag or magnetic readers can be used at the time of the malfunction to assist in finding the broken vent tube.

[0030] The vent tube or vent tube cap detection system can be set up at various locations in the filling plant in order to make sure that a vent tube or vent tube cap has not been accidentally been misplaced into a filled container before the container is shipped out of the plant.

[0031] These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.

DRAWINGS

[0032] The preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to the limit the disclosure, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a filling machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates an inspection system for inspecting empty and full containers in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0035] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a vent tube incorporating indicators in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary indicator detection system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary replaceable and/or traceable vent tube cap incorporating an indicator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.