CA1087033A - Method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container panInfo
- Publication number
- CA1087033A CA1087033A CA278,339A CA278339A CA1087033A CA 1087033 A CA1087033 A CA 1087033A CA 278339 A CA278339 A CA 278339A CA 1087033 A CA1087033 A CA 1087033A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- pan
- lid
- flange
- seam
- lip
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B7/00—Closing containers or receptacles after filling
- B65B7/16—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons
- B65B7/28—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons by applying separate preformed closures, e.g. lids, covers
- B65B7/2842—Securing closures on containers
- B65B7/285—Securing closures on containers by deformation of the closure
- B65B7/2857—Securing closures on containers by deformation of the closure and the container rim
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan are disclosed wherein a peripheral curled marginal edge on the lid and an outwardly directed peripheral rim on the pan are formed into a double seam by seam forming die means operative to substantially simultaneously form the seam about the full periphery of the container rather than a gradual circumferential forming of the seam as in conventional roll seaming processes.
A method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan are disclosed wherein a peripheral curled marginal edge on the lid and an outwardly directed peripheral rim on the pan are formed into a double seam by seam forming die means operative to substantially simultaneously form the seam about the full periphery of the container rather than a gradual circumferential forming of the seam as in conventional roll seaming processes.
Description
7~33 The present invention relates generally to apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan through a hermetic double lock seam wherein the seam is simul-taneously formed about the full periphery of the pan and conforms to predetermined dimensional tolerances. ;
In the packaging of consumer foo~ products, and in particular food products packa~ed in containers which may take ;~
the form of cylindrical cans or pan type containers, the seams formed to secure the covers or lids onto the can body or con-tainer pan must conform to ri~id ~overnmental specifications and standards to insure safe packaging of the food products, ;~
More particularly, such seams must insure that the contents of the container are hermetically sealed from the surrounding at-mosphere and that the seams are not susceptible to fracture or leakage during handling.
A double seam is conventionally defined as consisting of five thicknesses of material, generally three thicknesses of the lid material and two thicknesses of the pan side wall material upon which the lid is secured, the five thicknesses of material being interlocked or folded and pressed firmly together. The lid or cover is preformed with a downwardly curled edge, termed the cover hook, which may extend downwardly over the upper peri-pheral edge of the pan when the lid is placed thereon prior to seaming, the upper peripheral edge of the pan being formed with an outwardly directed rim portion, termed the body hook, lying in a plane substantially normal to the upstanding side walls of the pan. One known mamler of seaming the complementary cover hook and body hook portions of a lid and pan is to roll tuck the curled cover hook edge of the lid so that it underlies the rim or body hook of the pan by means of rollers caused to travel the full circumference of the pan in a first operation. The seam is 7~33 then completed during a second rolling operation during which rollers travel the circumference of the pan and press the seam folds downwardly in tight juxtaposition to the side wall of the pan. During formation of the seamt a compound linin~ or sealant ;~
which has previously been applied to the underside of the curled edge of the lid is squeezed into the spaces between the metal -~`
layers to insure a hermetic seal.
One problem which exists when forming a seam by roll -forming the seam peripherally of the pan is that any irregular- ;
10 ities in the metal thickness of the curled or hook edge of the ;
lid and the underlying pan edge may cause a bulge in the seam which is pushed along by the rollers as the juxtaposed metal thicknesses are compressed by the rollers. This may result in an irregular or "jumped" seam or wrinkling wherein the double seam is not rolled tight enough adjacent the cross over to effect adequate interlocking. ~ ;
When "loose" food products such as macaroni and cheese, ravioli, creamed chicken, beef stew, chili~ etc., are packaged in metallic containers to which lids are secured by seaming, addi-20 tional problems are presented. For example, when the pan portion , of a container is filled with such a loose food product, the sauce frequently will not wet the interior of the container pan.
When the seam is formed by conventional roll forming techniques, the pan containing the food product undergoes sufficient vibra-tion during seaming to cause the sauce to splash up the interior wall surfaces of the container pan and across the interface of the engaging surfaces of the lid and pan before the seam can be completed, with the result that a good hermetic seal is not ef-fected and the food product in the container may be contaminated.
With the method and apparatus of forming a double seam in accor-dance with the present invention, the double seam is simultan-eously formed about the full periphery of the pan and lid so ,, ~ 2- -~
,7~3~ :
that the contents of the container will not "crawl up" the con-tainer pan walls and across the interface of the contacting lid and pan surfaces before the seam is completed as results with gradual circumferential roll forming of the seam.
S The present invention in one aspect provides a method for securing a lid onto a container pan wherein the pan has an upstanding peripheral wall the upper marginal edge of which is -formed with a flange extending outwardly from the peripheral wall and lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the peripheral ~
10 wall, and wherein the lid has a peripheral marginal surface ~ ::
defining an outer depending lip, the lid being received on the pan with the marginal surface resting on the flange and with the flange being disposed interiorly of the depending lip and adjacent thereto. The method comprises the steps of simultaneously forming the depending lip on the lid into juxtaposed relation with the flange by engaging the full periphery of the depending lip by first die means and moving the first die means in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lip, thereafter simultaneously forming the full periphery of the flange and juxtaposed lip on the lid so that the juxtaposed lip of the lid lies against the upstanding peripheral wall of the pan with the marginal surface of the lid exposed outwardly of the flange by second die means moved in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the flange, and compressing the outwardly exposed marginal surface of the lid, the flange and the juxtaposed lip of the lid firmly against the upstanding wall of the pan by a continuing movement of the second die means in a second direction having a component acting substantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall whereby to simultaneously form a double lock seam about the full periphery of the lid and pan.
In a second aspect, the invention provides apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan wherein the lid has a peripheral .~
~ 87~3~
marginal surface the outer marginal edge of which is formed into a depending lip, and wherein the pan has an upstanding wall the upper edge of which forms an outwardly directed flan~e which ~-lies in ~ plane substantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall, the lid being disposed on the pan with the marginal surface over-lying the flange and with the depending lip disposed outwardly of and extending below the plane of the flange. The apparatus comprises first die means including a die fixture adapted to receive and support the pan and complementary lid, the first lO die means further including seam forming plate means supported j ~
peripherally of the pan and lid and movable in a plane substantially `
perpendicular to the depending lip on the lid, and means operatively associated with the forming plate means to effect movement thereof so as to engage the depending lip about the periphery thereof and simultaneously form it into underlying juxtaposed relation to the flange. The apparatus includes second die means including a lower die set adapted to receive and support the pan and rim after forming the lip into underlying juxtaposed relation to the flange, the second die means including final seam forming die means supported for movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the outwardly directed flange and for continuing~ ~
movement in a second direction having a component acting sub- -stantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall of the pan so as to form the full periphery of the flange and juxtaposed lip against the upstanding wall and thereafter press the full periphery of the juxtaposed thicknesses of the flange, marginal surface of the lid, and lip against the upstanding wall to complete the double seam.
Accordingly, it is one of the primary objects of the -present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan which assures consistent herme-tic seam formation within desired dimensional limitations.
~-4-`. , :
Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan through a double .
lock seam, which apparatus employs first and second seam forming .:
die means which are caused to unde.rgo positive controlled mo~ement 5 so as to provide predetermined dimensional control of the final .
seam.
A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of seam forming dies for simultaneously forming a double lock seam about the full periphery of a lid and associated container pan without having to move the forming dies circumferentially about the container pan as has heretofore been necessary with seam forming rollers. ;~i Further objects and advantages of the present invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, ~ :
will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the acco~panying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein: .
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container pan hav~
ing a lid secured thereon in accordance with the method and ap-paratus of the present invention, portions being broken away for~`
clarity;
FIGURE 2 is a p.lan view of the lower die fixture por-tion of a first die employed in securing the lid to the container . .
pan of Figure l;
FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial transverse sectional view of the lower die fixture of Figure 2 shown in cooperation with an upper retainer die preparatory to forming the cover hook of the lid into underlying ~uxtaposed relation with the body hook ~.
on the pan;
FIGURE 3a is an enlarged partial sectional view il- .
lustrating the manner in which the lid is received on the pan -4a-preparatory to forming a double lock seam FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial transv~rse sectional view similar to Figure 3 but showing the elements of the lower die fixture after forming the cover hook on the lid into under-lying juxtaposed relation to the body hook on the pan;
FIGURE 4a is an enlarged partial sectional view show~
ing the lid and pan after partially forming the seam as in Figure 4;
- FIGURE 5 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 2 to show a typical guid~ rail and guide bolt for the seam forming plates;
FIGURE 6 is a foreshortened transverse sectional view ~
of a second die for completing the double seam between the lid `, and pan of Figure 1, the left~hand portion of Figure 6 showing ~ ;
the die elements prior to completing the seam and the right-hand portion of Figure 6 showing the die elements after completion of the seam;
FIGURE 6a is an enlarged partial sectional view show- :
ing the completed double seam between the lid and pan of the con-tainer of Figure l;
FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the lower portion of the ~ -seam forming die of Figure 6, taken substantially along the line : :.
7-7 of Figure 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows, a pan being shown in phantom supported in the lower die portion; :
and - FIGURE 8 is a bottom view of the upper portion of the seam forming die of Figure 6.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to .
~igure 1, a container having a double seam formed in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention is indi-cated generally at 10. The container 10 is rectangular in con-figuration and includes a lower pan portion, indi.cated generally 37~33 at 12, and an upper lid portion, indicated generally at 14.
The pan 12 has a planar bottom surface 16 the outer peripheral edge of which is formed into a downwardly concave trough 18.
The pan 12 includes upstanding side walls in the form of lon-gitudinal side walls 20 and 20' and transverse end walls one ofwhich is indicated at 22. In a preferred embodiment, the up-standing side walls of the pan 12 are formed integral with the bottom 16 and are integrally interconnected through smooth ra-dially rounded corner walls, three of which are shown at 24, 24', and 24''.
The upstanding side walls and smooth corner walls of the pan 12 are inclined slightly outwardly from vertical relative to the bottom 16 and terminate at their upper edges in a periph-erally continuous horizontal shelf or step 28 which is formed in-tegral at its outer marginal edge with a vertically disposed rimor rise 30. The uppermost marginal edge of the peripherally extending rim 30 is formed with an outwardly directed flange 32 ~Figure 3a) which lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the peripheral wall or rim 30 and becomes the body hook of the completed seam.
The flange 32 on the pan 12 serves to receive the lid 14 thereon and form a portion of the double lock seam securing the lid to the container pan to hermetically seal the lid onto the pan. To this end the lid 14 includes a central planar portion 36 and a peripheral planar surface 38 which may lie in a plane parallel to but spaced upwardly from the plane of the central portion 36. The outer marginal edge of the peripheral surface 38 is formed with a precurled cover hook 40 having a transverse curvature similar to the transverse curvature of the body hook portion 32 on the pan 12, as shown in Figure 3a, so that the cover hook effects surface engagement with the body hook 32 when dis-~L~87~;~3 posed thereon. The outer peripheral edge of the coVer hook 40 on the lid 14 is ~ormed into a depending lip 42 the plane of which ~
is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lid surface ;-38.
The container 10 is shown as a rectangular container to illustrate one embodiment of a container which has a lid secured thèreon in accordance with the present invention~ The container 10 illustrated in Figure 1 has a longitudinal length of approxi-mately 12 inches, a transverse width of approximately 10 inches, 10 and a vertical depth o~ approximately 2 1/4 inches~ A container ~-~
of this size may readily accommodate approximately 106 oz. o~ a food product such as macaroni and cheese. The particulax size of -the container 10 and the intended products to be packaged therein do not limit the present invention, it being appreciated that cqn-tainers of larger or smaller size may have lids secured thereon in accordance with the present inVention.
As noted, conventional methods for securing a lid to a container pan by forming a double lock seam employ seam forming rollers which are caused to travel the full circurmerence of the container during formation of the seam. With the pan 12 having a lid 14 disposed thereon as partially shown in Figure 3a, the present invention is directed to die means for simult~neously ef-fecting a hermetic double seal about the $ull periphery of the lid and pan. To this end, and with reference ~o Figures 2-4, a 25 first die means, indicated generally at 50, is shown for forming ~-the depending ed~e or lip portion 42 of the cover hook 4Q on the lid 14 into underlying juxtaposed relation to the outwardl~ dir-ected flange or body hook portion 32 of the pan 12.
The first die means 50 includes a lower die fixture, in-dicated generally at 52, and an upper retainer diel indicated gen-erally at 54. The lower die fixture 52 includes a base plate 56 upon which are mounted four side seam forming plates 58a, 58b, ,: ,, . . . . . .:
~87~33 6Oa and 6Ob and ~our identically shaped corner seam orming plates 62a, 62b, 62c and 62d. The side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a, b, and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are each sup-ported on a corresponding support or riser block such as shown at 60'a for ~he side seam forming plate 60a in Figures 3 and 4.
Noting Figure 2, the side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a,b are supported in opposed pairs so that the longitudinal axes of the side seam forming plates of one pair are parallel and inter- ;~;
sect the longitudinal axes of the other pair of opposed side seam forming plates at 90 angles. The corner seam forming plates 62a, b, c and d and their associated riser blocks are supported so that their longitudinal axes intersect the longitudinal axes of the adjacent side seam forming plates at 45 angles.
The side and corner seam forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d are supported for rectilinear movement parallel to the base plate 56, the side seam forming plates being movable in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes while the corner seam forming plates are movable in the direction of their longi-tudinal axes. To this end, each of the side end corner seam form-ing plates is interconnected to its associated riser block througha pair of parallel spaced guide rails 66 as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The guide rails 66 may be square in cross section and are received within correspondingly shaped channels formed with com-plementary portions in the opposed sliding surfaces of the seam forming plates and their associated riser blocks, such as exem-plified by the complementary channels 66a and 66b formed, respec-tively, in the seam forming plate 60a and underlying riser block 60'a shown in Figure 5. The side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a, b and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are retained on their respective riser blocks by suitable cap screws, such as in-dicated at 68, which are received through elongated slots 70 in the respective side and corner seam forming plates and are .. . .. - . , . :.
~87l~33 threadedly secured to the associated riser bloclcs. The elongated slots 70 may be of predetermined length to limit inward movement of the seam forming plates. Alternatively, stop members, such as indicated at 71 in Figure 2, may be mounted on the seam forming ~;
plates to limit inward movement thereof by abutment with the as-sociated riser blocks. The riser blocks, such as 60'a, are af- !
fixed to the base plate 56 by suitable means such as screws 72 and locating pins 74 as shown in Figure 4.
With reference to Figure 2, it can be seen that the side seam forming plates 58a, 58b, 60a and 60b and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are supported on the base plate 56 in a manner to define a substantially rectangular opening there-between. A rectangular lifter plate 76 is supported on the base plate 56 within the opening defined by the side and corner seam forming plates. The lifter plate 76 is mounted on the base plate ~6 for limited upward and downward movement relative to the base plate through four guide screws, one of which is shown at 78 in Figures 3 and 4. A coil compression spring 80 is interposed be- `
tween the lifter plate 76 and the base plate 56 proximate each of the guide screws 78 so as to bias the lifter plate 76 to its upper-most position relative to the base plate 56~ The li~ter plate 76 serves to assist in ejecting a container pan 12 after securing a lid 14 thereon.
The opening defined by the side and corner seam forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d and their associated riser blocks ;
is of sufficient size to receive a pan 12 and associated lid 14 -preparatory to securing the lid on the pan, with the lower surface of the peripheral trough 18 resting on the lifter plate 76. With a pan 12 and lid 14 disposed on the lifter plate 76 preparatory to ~ -seaming, the upper retainer die 54 is moved downwardly a predeter-mined distance such that a pilot plate 84 engages the peripheral surface 38 on the lid 14 and firmly positions the lid and pan ...... ~ . , .~87~33 against the lifter plate. The pilot plate 84 is affixed to a top support plate 86 which, in turn, may be suitably affixed to the vertically movable ram of a conventional forming press (not shown) having conventional control means operative to effect sel-ective vertical movement of the pilot plate 84 relative to thelower die ixture 52. The pilot plate 84 has a lower pilot sur-face 88 adapted to engage the peripheral sur~ace 38 on the lid 14 and has a peripheral recess 90 and adjacent shoulder surface 92 which engage the cover hook surface 40 on the lid to locate the lid and associated pan 12 relative to the side and corner seam orming plates.
The side and corner seam forming plates 58a, 58b, 60a, 60b and 62a~d are of a height such that movement thereof toward the pan 12 and associated lid 14 will effect abutment o~ the seam forming plates against the depending peripheral lip 42 on the lid.
Continued inward movement of the side and corner seam forming plates serves to form the depending lip 42 into underlying juxta-posed relation to the body hook 32 on the upstanding rim 30 of -the pan 12. Because the mating corners of the pan and lid are rounded, as shown in Figure l, the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are provided with radial concave forming surfaces 94a-d, re-spectively, which conform to the curvatures of the corners of the lip 42 on the lid 14 and are operative to engage the corners of the lip and form the lip under the body hook 32 of the pan when moved sufficiently inwardly.
To effect inward and outward movement of the side and corner forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d relative to the lip 42 on the lid 14, each of the forming plates has a control rod 98 connected thereto. To this end, each of the control rods 98 has a reduced inner end lO0 rotatably retained within a suitable bore in the associated seam forming plate by a retaining pin 102 (Figure 3) cooperable with an annular groove in the control rod.
:~87~33 The control rods 98 may be actuated by any sui~able means t~ ef-fect simultaneous movement of the side and corner seam forming plates relative to the lip 42 on the lid 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the control rods 98 are threaded along their lengths at 103 and are received through suitable complementary threaded bores in support blocks 104 such that simultaneous rotation of the control rods through conventional mechanical or electrical con~
nection, as indicated schematically by the dash line 105, will ef-fect simultaneous movement o the seam forming plates relative to the depending lip 42 on the lid 14 to form the lip 42 in under- ~ ;
lying juxtaposed relation to the body hook 32 on the pan 12, as shown in Figures 4 and 4a, whereafter the seam orming plates are retracted ~o positions as shown in Figure 3. During this initial ~tep in orming the double lock seam, the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 compress the bottom of the pan 12 and the lid 14 to phy-sically remove a substantial portion o any air within the pan.
To facilitate compression of the bottom 16 o the pan 12 and the central portion 36 of the lid 14 toward each other to re-move air from the space above the product within the pan during 20 the initial step of forming the lip 42 into underlying juxtaposed ;~
relation to the flange 32 on the container pan, the liter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 have pressure pads or bumpers 96 and 97, respectively, releasably secured centrally to their exposed inner surfaces. The pressure pads 96 and 97 may comprise circular convex shaped bumpers made of a suitable material, such as relatively hard rubber, and mounted on the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 through support shats 99 and 101, respectively, which are releas-ably secured within suitable openings in the liter plate and pilot plate. The pressure pads 96 and 97 are operative to engage the bottom 16 of the pan and upper lid 14 generally centrally thereof to compress the lid and bottom of the pan toward each other and displace a selected amount of the air disposed between the lid .'~
~L~87~1t33 and product within the pan during seaming.
By removing a substantial amount of the air "head" with-in the container pan underlying the lid 14 during hermetic secur-ing of the lid to the pan, subsequent fermentation of the food product will create intexnal gas pressure causing the lid to noticeably bulge. The noticeable bul~e is readily visually de-tected and thus provides a signal that the product within the container may be spoiled or otherwise unsuitable for its intended use. When packaging cold food products within the container 10, both of the pressure pads 96 and 97 are provided on the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84, respectively, as described. When packaging hot products within the containers 10, the pressure pad 97 on the upper pilot 84 need only be employed.
After the depending lip 42 on the lid 14 has been formed to underlie the body hook 32 of the pan 12 in juxtaposed relation therewith, the ram of the press (not shown) is raised to remove the pilot plate 84 from the lid 14 whereafter the lifter plate 76 will raise the pan and associated lid upwardly under the influence of the springs 80 to allow removal of the pan and par-tially seamed lid. The pan and associated lid are then moved tosecond die means, indicated generally at 106 in Figure 6, for completing the double seam.
The second die means 106 includes a lower die set, in-dicated generally at 108, and an upper final seam forming die, indicated at 110. With reference to Figures 6 and 7, the lower die set 108 is adapted to receive the pan 12 and associated lid 14 therein after having formed the cover hook 42 on the lid into underlying juxtaposed relation to the body hook 32 on the pan as shown in Figure 4a, preparatory to completing the double seam between the lid and pan. The lower die set 108 includes a sup-port plate 112 having a central rectangular opening 114 there-through of a size sufficient to receive the pan 12 therein. A
~l~87~33 yoke member 116 is mounted on the support plate 112 through lo cating pins 118 and screws 120 and extends around the periphery of the opening 114 so as to underlie the shelf 28 of the pan 12 and positively locate the pan relative to the support plate 112.
Four side cam blocks 122a, 122bt 122c and 122d and four corner die blocks 124a, 124b, 124c and 124d are mounted on the support plate 112 through mounting screws 126. The side cam blocks 122a-d and corner cam blocks 124a-d are spaced outwardly from the yoke 116 and extend generally peripherally thereabout as shown in Figure 7. Preferably, a locating bar or key 127 is re-ceived within a complementary channel in the support plate 112 rearwardly of each of the side and corner cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d to provide positive stops for the cam blocks. Each of the side cam blocks 122a-d has a cam surface 128a-d, respectively, formed thereon, while each of the corner cam blocks 124a-d has a cam surface 130a-d, respectively, formed thereon the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.
The upper final seam forming die 110 includes a mount- :;
ing plate 134 which is vertically aligned with the lower support plate 112 through four guide rods 136 each of which is secured in normal relation to the support plate 112 adjacent a corner there-of and is received upwardly through an axially aligned guide sleeve 138 received within a suitable bore in the mounting plate 134 to allow relative movement between the plates 112 and 134.
The lower die set 108 and upper final seam forming die 110 are mounted within a conventional forming press (not shown) so that the mounting plate 134 and support plate 112 may be moved toward and away from each other upon controlled movement of the ram of the press. . ..
A plurality of riser blocks 140a, 140b, 140c and 140d are fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the mounting plate 134 :
through mounting screws 142 so as to form opposite pairs of riser ~87~33 blocks as shown in Figure 8. Four corner riser blocks 144a, 144b, 144c and 144d are also mounted on the mounting plate 134 inter-posed between the riser blocks 14Oa-d and have the same vertical height as the riser blocks 140a-d. ~he riser blocks 140a-d sup-port side seam forming dies 146a, 146b, 146c and 146d, respec-tively, while the corner riser blocks 144a-d support corner seam forming dies 148a-d, respectively. With Figure 6 being represen-tative o~ the manner in which the side and corner seam forming dies 146a-d and 148a-d are mounted on their respective riser blocks, it can be seen that each seam forming die is attached to its associated riser block through a support screw 150 which is threadedly secured to the associated riser block and is received -through an elongated slot 152 in the seam forming die to allow horizontal movement of the seam forming dies. Each of the seam forming dies is generally L-shaped in transverse cross section and is biased against a complementary surface on the associated riser block, such as indicated at 154 in Figure 6, by means of a coil compression spring 156 disposed between the riser block and ~he head 158a of a screw 158 threadedly secured to the seam form-ing die as shown. With reference to Figure 8, it can be seen that the side seam ~orming dies 146a-d each have a pair of parallel spaced screws 158 secured thereto with associated biasing springs 156, while the corner seam forming dies 148a-d have only one guide screw 158 and associated biasing spring associated therewith.
The side and corner seam forming dies 146a-d and 148a-d have cam surfaces 160a-d and 162a-d, respectively, formed thereon which are cooperable with the cam surfaces 128a-d and 130a-d on the lower side and corner cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d, respec-tively, to effect inward movement of the seam forming dies when the mounting plate 134 is moved a predetermined distance toward the support plate 112, as will be described below.
A pilot plate 166 is supported on the mounting plate - - . . .; .. . . :. :. , : .. . .
7C~33 134 through a plurality of support screws, one of which is indi-cated at 168 in ~'igure 6, so that the pilot plate may move verti-cally relative to the mounting plate. The pilot plate is normal-ly biased downwardly by its own weight to a position as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6. The pilot plate 166 has a lower surface contour adapted to engage the planar peripheral sur-face 38 and a portion of the cover hook surface 40 on the lid 14 when the mounting plate 134 is moved downwardly to a position as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6 so that the pilot plate -maintains the lid and associated pan in relatively fixed positionwithin the yoke 116. Preferably, a pressure pad 170 (Figure 8), which is similar to the aforedescribed pressure pads 96 and 97, is releasably mounted on the lower central surface of the pilot plate 66 to engage and depress the lid 14 in a similar manner to the pressure pad 97 during completion of the double lock seaming.
To complete the double lock seam between the lid 14 and pan 12 after the cover hook 42 and body hook 32 are formed as in Figure 4a, the pan and associated lid are placed within the yoke 116 on the support plate 112 while the mounting plate 34 is raised above the lower die set 108. The mounting plate 134 is then moved downwardly to effect engagement of the pilot plate 116 with the lid 14 as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6. Further downward movement of the mounting plate 134 causes the seam form-ing dies 146a-d and 148a-d to engage and form the generally hori-zontally disposed body hook 32 of pan 12 and the underlying jux-taposed cover hook 42 of the lid 14 to a position wherein the cover hook 42 lies against the upstanding rim 30 of the pan 12, as shown in Figure 6a.
Continued downward movement of the mountlng plate 134 effects engagement of the cam surfaces 160a-d and 162a-d on the side and corner seam forming dies with the underlying cam sur-faces 128a-d and 130a-d on the cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d, re-spectively, so as to move the seam forming dies horizontally or .. , ... , ...: .~. ... . . .. .. ..
: , ., . . . . :. .
.. . . . . .
~L~87~33 in a directioll perpendicular to the ~lane of the upstanding rim30 on the pan 12 whereby to firmly compress the juxtaposed edges forming the sea~ to simultaneously complete the double seam about the full periphery o~ the container 10. Preferably, a sea~ing compound compatible with the food product within the pan 12 is applied to the under surface of the cover area 40 on the lid 14 prior to forming the double lock seam so that the sealant flows into any spaces internally of the seam. Upon completing the double lock seam between the lid 14 and pan 12 of the container 10, the mounting plate 134 is raised from the support plate 112 sufficiently to allow removal of the completed pan.
Thus, in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention for securing a lid to a container pan by seaming, a double lock seam is formed simultaneously about the full periphery o~f the container. As a result, the vibrations ~enerally attendant with conventional rol~ s~eaming methods where-in rollers are caused to gradually travel the full circumference of the container are eliminated. This is particularly important with metallic containers wherein the sauces of loose or flowable food products may splash up the sides of the containers and across the interface of the engaging lid and pan seam surfaces prior to completion of the seam due to vibration of the container pan caused by the moving seam roller, with the result that con-tamination of the food product may result or an incomplete non-hermetic seal may be formed.
While a preferred embodiment of the present inventionhas been illustrated and described, it will be obvious that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. For example, while the illus-trated embodiment of the apparatus for securing the lid 14 to thecontainer pan 12 has been described in conjunction with the rec-tangular pan 12 and lid 14, the apparatus could be modified to ,, ; ., : ~.,: ..
:~87~33 ;..~ :-secure a nonrectangular shaped lid to a complementary shapedcontainer pan, the lid and pan having marginal peripheral edges formed to define a cover hook or depending lip and a body hook -;
or peripehral flange surface, respectively. Various features of the invention are defined in the following claims.
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In the packaging of consumer foo~ products, and in particular food products packa~ed in containers which may take ;~
the form of cylindrical cans or pan type containers, the seams formed to secure the covers or lids onto the can body or con-tainer pan must conform to ri~id ~overnmental specifications and standards to insure safe packaging of the food products, ;~
More particularly, such seams must insure that the contents of the container are hermetically sealed from the surrounding at-mosphere and that the seams are not susceptible to fracture or leakage during handling.
A double seam is conventionally defined as consisting of five thicknesses of material, generally three thicknesses of the lid material and two thicknesses of the pan side wall material upon which the lid is secured, the five thicknesses of material being interlocked or folded and pressed firmly together. The lid or cover is preformed with a downwardly curled edge, termed the cover hook, which may extend downwardly over the upper peri-pheral edge of the pan when the lid is placed thereon prior to seaming, the upper peripheral edge of the pan being formed with an outwardly directed rim portion, termed the body hook, lying in a plane substantially normal to the upstanding side walls of the pan. One known mamler of seaming the complementary cover hook and body hook portions of a lid and pan is to roll tuck the curled cover hook edge of the lid so that it underlies the rim or body hook of the pan by means of rollers caused to travel the full circumference of the pan in a first operation. The seam is 7~33 then completed during a second rolling operation during which rollers travel the circumference of the pan and press the seam folds downwardly in tight juxtaposition to the side wall of the pan. During formation of the seamt a compound linin~ or sealant ;~
which has previously been applied to the underside of the curled edge of the lid is squeezed into the spaces between the metal -~`
layers to insure a hermetic seal.
One problem which exists when forming a seam by roll -forming the seam peripherally of the pan is that any irregular- ;
10 ities in the metal thickness of the curled or hook edge of the ;
lid and the underlying pan edge may cause a bulge in the seam which is pushed along by the rollers as the juxtaposed metal thicknesses are compressed by the rollers. This may result in an irregular or "jumped" seam or wrinkling wherein the double seam is not rolled tight enough adjacent the cross over to effect adequate interlocking. ~ ;
When "loose" food products such as macaroni and cheese, ravioli, creamed chicken, beef stew, chili~ etc., are packaged in metallic containers to which lids are secured by seaming, addi-20 tional problems are presented. For example, when the pan portion , of a container is filled with such a loose food product, the sauce frequently will not wet the interior of the container pan.
When the seam is formed by conventional roll forming techniques, the pan containing the food product undergoes sufficient vibra-tion during seaming to cause the sauce to splash up the interior wall surfaces of the container pan and across the interface of the engaging surfaces of the lid and pan before the seam can be completed, with the result that a good hermetic seal is not ef-fected and the food product in the container may be contaminated.
With the method and apparatus of forming a double seam in accor-dance with the present invention, the double seam is simultan-eously formed about the full periphery of the pan and lid so ,, ~ 2- -~
,7~3~ :
that the contents of the container will not "crawl up" the con-tainer pan walls and across the interface of the contacting lid and pan surfaces before the seam is completed as results with gradual circumferential roll forming of the seam.
S The present invention in one aspect provides a method for securing a lid onto a container pan wherein the pan has an upstanding peripheral wall the upper marginal edge of which is -formed with a flange extending outwardly from the peripheral wall and lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the peripheral ~
10 wall, and wherein the lid has a peripheral marginal surface ~ ::
defining an outer depending lip, the lid being received on the pan with the marginal surface resting on the flange and with the flange being disposed interiorly of the depending lip and adjacent thereto. The method comprises the steps of simultaneously forming the depending lip on the lid into juxtaposed relation with the flange by engaging the full periphery of the depending lip by first die means and moving the first die means in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lip, thereafter simultaneously forming the full periphery of the flange and juxtaposed lip on the lid so that the juxtaposed lip of the lid lies against the upstanding peripheral wall of the pan with the marginal surface of the lid exposed outwardly of the flange by second die means moved in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the flange, and compressing the outwardly exposed marginal surface of the lid, the flange and the juxtaposed lip of the lid firmly against the upstanding wall of the pan by a continuing movement of the second die means in a second direction having a component acting substantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall whereby to simultaneously form a double lock seam about the full periphery of the lid and pan.
In a second aspect, the invention provides apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan wherein the lid has a peripheral .~
~ 87~3~
marginal surface the outer marginal edge of which is formed into a depending lip, and wherein the pan has an upstanding wall the upper edge of which forms an outwardly directed flan~e which ~-lies in ~ plane substantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall, the lid being disposed on the pan with the marginal surface over-lying the flange and with the depending lip disposed outwardly of and extending below the plane of the flange. The apparatus comprises first die means including a die fixture adapted to receive and support the pan and complementary lid, the first lO die means further including seam forming plate means supported j ~
peripherally of the pan and lid and movable in a plane substantially `
perpendicular to the depending lip on the lid, and means operatively associated with the forming plate means to effect movement thereof so as to engage the depending lip about the periphery thereof and simultaneously form it into underlying juxtaposed relation to the flange. The apparatus includes second die means including a lower die set adapted to receive and support the pan and rim after forming the lip into underlying juxtaposed relation to the flange, the second die means including final seam forming die means supported for movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the outwardly directed flange and for continuing~ ~
movement in a second direction having a component acting sub- -stantially perpendicular to the upstanding wall of the pan so as to form the full periphery of the flange and juxtaposed lip against the upstanding wall and thereafter press the full periphery of the juxtaposed thicknesses of the flange, marginal surface of the lid, and lip against the upstanding wall to complete the double seam.
Accordingly, it is one of the primary objects of the -present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan which assures consistent herme-tic seam formation within desired dimensional limitations.
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Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan through a double .
lock seam, which apparatus employs first and second seam forming .:
die means which are caused to unde.rgo positive controlled mo~ement 5 so as to provide predetermined dimensional control of the final .
seam.
A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of seam forming dies for simultaneously forming a double lock seam about the full periphery of a lid and associated container pan without having to move the forming dies circumferentially about the container pan as has heretofore been necessary with seam forming rollers. ;~i Further objects and advantages of the present invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, ~ :
will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the acco~panying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein: .
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container pan hav~
ing a lid secured thereon in accordance with the method and ap-paratus of the present invention, portions being broken away for~`
clarity;
FIGURE 2 is a p.lan view of the lower die fixture por-tion of a first die employed in securing the lid to the container . .
pan of Figure l;
FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial transverse sectional view of the lower die fixture of Figure 2 shown in cooperation with an upper retainer die preparatory to forming the cover hook of the lid into underlying ~uxtaposed relation with the body hook ~.
on the pan;
FIGURE 3a is an enlarged partial sectional view il- .
lustrating the manner in which the lid is received on the pan -4a-preparatory to forming a double lock seam FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial transv~rse sectional view similar to Figure 3 but showing the elements of the lower die fixture after forming the cover hook on the lid into under-lying juxtaposed relation to the body hook on the pan;
FIGURE 4a is an enlarged partial sectional view show~
ing the lid and pan after partially forming the seam as in Figure 4;
- FIGURE 5 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 2 to show a typical guid~ rail and guide bolt for the seam forming plates;
FIGURE 6 is a foreshortened transverse sectional view ~
of a second die for completing the double seam between the lid `, and pan of Figure 1, the left~hand portion of Figure 6 showing ~ ;
the die elements prior to completing the seam and the right-hand portion of Figure 6 showing the die elements after completion of the seam;
FIGURE 6a is an enlarged partial sectional view show- :
ing the completed double seam between the lid and pan of the con-tainer of Figure l;
FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the lower portion of the ~ -seam forming die of Figure 6, taken substantially along the line : :.
7-7 of Figure 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows, a pan being shown in phantom supported in the lower die portion; :
and - FIGURE 8 is a bottom view of the upper portion of the seam forming die of Figure 6.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to .
~igure 1, a container having a double seam formed in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention is indi-cated generally at 10. The container 10 is rectangular in con-figuration and includes a lower pan portion, indi.cated generally 37~33 at 12, and an upper lid portion, indicated generally at 14.
The pan 12 has a planar bottom surface 16 the outer peripheral edge of which is formed into a downwardly concave trough 18.
The pan 12 includes upstanding side walls in the form of lon-gitudinal side walls 20 and 20' and transverse end walls one ofwhich is indicated at 22. In a preferred embodiment, the up-standing side walls of the pan 12 are formed integral with the bottom 16 and are integrally interconnected through smooth ra-dially rounded corner walls, three of which are shown at 24, 24', and 24''.
The upstanding side walls and smooth corner walls of the pan 12 are inclined slightly outwardly from vertical relative to the bottom 16 and terminate at their upper edges in a periph-erally continuous horizontal shelf or step 28 which is formed in-tegral at its outer marginal edge with a vertically disposed rimor rise 30. The uppermost marginal edge of the peripherally extending rim 30 is formed with an outwardly directed flange 32 ~Figure 3a) which lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the peripheral wall or rim 30 and becomes the body hook of the completed seam.
The flange 32 on the pan 12 serves to receive the lid 14 thereon and form a portion of the double lock seam securing the lid to the container pan to hermetically seal the lid onto the pan. To this end the lid 14 includes a central planar portion 36 and a peripheral planar surface 38 which may lie in a plane parallel to but spaced upwardly from the plane of the central portion 36. The outer marginal edge of the peripheral surface 38 is formed with a precurled cover hook 40 having a transverse curvature similar to the transverse curvature of the body hook portion 32 on the pan 12, as shown in Figure 3a, so that the cover hook effects surface engagement with the body hook 32 when dis-~L~87~;~3 posed thereon. The outer peripheral edge of the coVer hook 40 on the lid 14 is ~ormed into a depending lip 42 the plane of which ~
is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lid surface ;-38.
The container 10 is shown as a rectangular container to illustrate one embodiment of a container which has a lid secured thèreon in accordance with the present invention~ The container 10 illustrated in Figure 1 has a longitudinal length of approxi-mately 12 inches, a transverse width of approximately 10 inches, 10 and a vertical depth o~ approximately 2 1/4 inches~ A container ~-~
of this size may readily accommodate approximately 106 oz. o~ a food product such as macaroni and cheese. The particulax size of -the container 10 and the intended products to be packaged therein do not limit the present invention, it being appreciated that cqn-tainers of larger or smaller size may have lids secured thereon in accordance with the present inVention.
As noted, conventional methods for securing a lid to a container pan by forming a double lock seam employ seam forming rollers which are caused to travel the full circurmerence of the container during formation of the seam. With the pan 12 having a lid 14 disposed thereon as partially shown in Figure 3a, the present invention is directed to die means for simult~neously ef-fecting a hermetic double seal about the $ull periphery of the lid and pan. To this end, and with reference ~o Figures 2-4, a 25 first die means, indicated generally at 50, is shown for forming ~-the depending ed~e or lip portion 42 of the cover hook 4Q on the lid 14 into underlying juxtaposed relation to the outwardl~ dir-ected flange or body hook portion 32 of the pan 12.
The first die means 50 includes a lower die fixture, in-dicated generally at 52, and an upper retainer diel indicated gen-erally at 54. The lower die fixture 52 includes a base plate 56 upon which are mounted four side seam forming plates 58a, 58b, ,: ,, . . . . . .:
~87~33 6Oa and 6Ob and ~our identically shaped corner seam orming plates 62a, 62b, 62c and 62d. The side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a, b, and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are each sup-ported on a corresponding support or riser block such as shown at 60'a for ~he side seam forming plate 60a in Figures 3 and 4.
Noting Figure 2, the side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a,b are supported in opposed pairs so that the longitudinal axes of the side seam forming plates of one pair are parallel and inter- ;~;
sect the longitudinal axes of the other pair of opposed side seam forming plates at 90 angles. The corner seam forming plates 62a, b, c and d and their associated riser blocks are supported so that their longitudinal axes intersect the longitudinal axes of the adjacent side seam forming plates at 45 angles.
The side and corner seam forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d are supported for rectilinear movement parallel to the base plate 56, the side seam forming plates being movable in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes while the corner seam forming plates are movable in the direction of their longi-tudinal axes. To this end, each of the side end corner seam form-ing plates is interconnected to its associated riser block througha pair of parallel spaced guide rails 66 as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The guide rails 66 may be square in cross section and are received within correspondingly shaped channels formed with com-plementary portions in the opposed sliding surfaces of the seam forming plates and their associated riser blocks, such as exem-plified by the complementary channels 66a and 66b formed, respec-tively, in the seam forming plate 60a and underlying riser block 60'a shown in Figure 5. The side seam forming plates 58a, b and 60a, b and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are retained on their respective riser blocks by suitable cap screws, such as in-dicated at 68, which are received through elongated slots 70 in the respective side and corner seam forming plates and are .. . .. - . , . :.
~87l~33 threadedly secured to the associated riser bloclcs. The elongated slots 70 may be of predetermined length to limit inward movement of the seam forming plates. Alternatively, stop members, such as indicated at 71 in Figure 2, may be mounted on the seam forming ~;
plates to limit inward movement thereof by abutment with the as-sociated riser blocks. The riser blocks, such as 60'a, are af- !
fixed to the base plate 56 by suitable means such as screws 72 and locating pins 74 as shown in Figure 4.
With reference to Figure 2, it can be seen that the side seam forming plates 58a, 58b, 60a and 60b and the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are supported on the base plate 56 in a manner to define a substantially rectangular opening there-between. A rectangular lifter plate 76 is supported on the base plate 56 within the opening defined by the side and corner seam forming plates. The lifter plate 76 is mounted on the base plate ~6 for limited upward and downward movement relative to the base plate through four guide screws, one of which is shown at 78 in Figures 3 and 4. A coil compression spring 80 is interposed be- `
tween the lifter plate 76 and the base plate 56 proximate each of the guide screws 78 so as to bias the lifter plate 76 to its upper-most position relative to the base plate 56~ The li~ter plate 76 serves to assist in ejecting a container pan 12 after securing a lid 14 thereon.
The opening defined by the side and corner seam forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d and their associated riser blocks ;
is of sufficient size to receive a pan 12 and associated lid 14 -preparatory to securing the lid on the pan, with the lower surface of the peripheral trough 18 resting on the lifter plate 76. With a pan 12 and lid 14 disposed on the lifter plate 76 preparatory to ~ -seaming, the upper retainer die 54 is moved downwardly a predeter-mined distance such that a pilot plate 84 engages the peripheral surface 38 on the lid 14 and firmly positions the lid and pan ...... ~ . , .~87~33 against the lifter plate. The pilot plate 84 is affixed to a top support plate 86 which, in turn, may be suitably affixed to the vertically movable ram of a conventional forming press (not shown) having conventional control means operative to effect sel-ective vertical movement of the pilot plate 84 relative to thelower die ixture 52. The pilot plate 84 has a lower pilot sur-face 88 adapted to engage the peripheral sur~ace 38 on the lid 14 and has a peripheral recess 90 and adjacent shoulder surface 92 which engage the cover hook surface 40 on the lid to locate the lid and associated pan 12 relative to the side and corner seam orming plates.
The side and corner seam forming plates 58a, 58b, 60a, 60b and 62a~d are of a height such that movement thereof toward the pan 12 and associated lid 14 will effect abutment o~ the seam forming plates against the depending peripheral lip 42 on the lid.
Continued inward movement of the side and corner seam forming plates serves to form the depending lip 42 into underlying juxta-posed relation to the body hook 32 on the upstanding rim 30 of -the pan 12. Because the mating corners of the pan and lid are rounded, as shown in Figure l, the corner seam forming plates 62a-d are provided with radial concave forming surfaces 94a-d, re-spectively, which conform to the curvatures of the corners of the lip 42 on the lid 14 and are operative to engage the corners of the lip and form the lip under the body hook 32 of the pan when moved sufficiently inwardly.
To effect inward and outward movement of the side and corner forming plates 58a, b, 60a, b and 62a-d relative to the lip 42 on the lid 14, each of the forming plates has a control rod 98 connected thereto. To this end, each of the control rods 98 has a reduced inner end lO0 rotatably retained within a suitable bore in the associated seam forming plate by a retaining pin 102 (Figure 3) cooperable with an annular groove in the control rod.
:~87~33 The control rods 98 may be actuated by any sui~able means t~ ef-fect simultaneous movement of the side and corner seam forming plates relative to the lip 42 on the lid 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the control rods 98 are threaded along their lengths at 103 and are received through suitable complementary threaded bores in support blocks 104 such that simultaneous rotation of the control rods through conventional mechanical or electrical con~
nection, as indicated schematically by the dash line 105, will ef-fect simultaneous movement o the seam forming plates relative to the depending lip 42 on the lid 14 to form the lip 42 in under- ~ ;
lying juxtaposed relation to the body hook 32 on the pan 12, as shown in Figures 4 and 4a, whereafter the seam orming plates are retracted ~o positions as shown in Figure 3. During this initial ~tep in orming the double lock seam, the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 compress the bottom of the pan 12 and the lid 14 to phy-sically remove a substantial portion o any air within the pan.
To facilitate compression of the bottom 16 o the pan 12 and the central portion 36 of the lid 14 toward each other to re-move air from the space above the product within the pan during 20 the initial step of forming the lip 42 into underlying juxtaposed ;~
relation to the flange 32 on the container pan, the liter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 have pressure pads or bumpers 96 and 97, respectively, releasably secured centrally to their exposed inner surfaces. The pressure pads 96 and 97 may comprise circular convex shaped bumpers made of a suitable material, such as relatively hard rubber, and mounted on the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84 through support shats 99 and 101, respectively, which are releas-ably secured within suitable openings in the liter plate and pilot plate. The pressure pads 96 and 97 are operative to engage the bottom 16 of the pan and upper lid 14 generally centrally thereof to compress the lid and bottom of the pan toward each other and displace a selected amount of the air disposed between the lid .'~
~L~87~1t33 and product within the pan during seaming.
By removing a substantial amount of the air "head" with-in the container pan underlying the lid 14 during hermetic secur-ing of the lid to the pan, subsequent fermentation of the food product will create intexnal gas pressure causing the lid to noticeably bulge. The noticeable bul~e is readily visually de-tected and thus provides a signal that the product within the container may be spoiled or otherwise unsuitable for its intended use. When packaging cold food products within the container 10, both of the pressure pads 96 and 97 are provided on the lifter plate 76 and pilot plate 84, respectively, as described. When packaging hot products within the containers 10, the pressure pad 97 on the upper pilot 84 need only be employed.
After the depending lip 42 on the lid 14 has been formed to underlie the body hook 32 of the pan 12 in juxtaposed relation therewith, the ram of the press (not shown) is raised to remove the pilot plate 84 from the lid 14 whereafter the lifter plate 76 will raise the pan and associated lid upwardly under the influence of the springs 80 to allow removal of the pan and par-tially seamed lid. The pan and associated lid are then moved tosecond die means, indicated generally at 106 in Figure 6, for completing the double seam.
The second die means 106 includes a lower die set, in-dicated generally at 108, and an upper final seam forming die, indicated at 110. With reference to Figures 6 and 7, the lower die set 108 is adapted to receive the pan 12 and associated lid 14 therein after having formed the cover hook 42 on the lid into underlying juxtaposed relation to the body hook 32 on the pan as shown in Figure 4a, preparatory to completing the double seam between the lid and pan. The lower die set 108 includes a sup-port plate 112 having a central rectangular opening 114 there-through of a size sufficient to receive the pan 12 therein. A
~l~87~33 yoke member 116 is mounted on the support plate 112 through lo cating pins 118 and screws 120 and extends around the periphery of the opening 114 so as to underlie the shelf 28 of the pan 12 and positively locate the pan relative to the support plate 112.
Four side cam blocks 122a, 122bt 122c and 122d and four corner die blocks 124a, 124b, 124c and 124d are mounted on the support plate 112 through mounting screws 126. The side cam blocks 122a-d and corner cam blocks 124a-d are spaced outwardly from the yoke 116 and extend generally peripherally thereabout as shown in Figure 7. Preferably, a locating bar or key 127 is re-ceived within a complementary channel in the support plate 112 rearwardly of each of the side and corner cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d to provide positive stops for the cam blocks. Each of the side cam blocks 122a-d has a cam surface 128a-d, respectively, formed thereon, while each of the corner cam blocks 124a-d has a cam surface 130a-d, respectively, formed thereon the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.
The upper final seam forming die 110 includes a mount- :;
ing plate 134 which is vertically aligned with the lower support plate 112 through four guide rods 136 each of which is secured in normal relation to the support plate 112 adjacent a corner there-of and is received upwardly through an axially aligned guide sleeve 138 received within a suitable bore in the mounting plate 134 to allow relative movement between the plates 112 and 134.
The lower die set 108 and upper final seam forming die 110 are mounted within a conventional forming press (not shown) so that the mounting plate 134 and support plate 112 may be moved toward and away from each other upon controlled movement of the ram of the press. . ..
A plurality of riser blocks 140a, 140b, 140c and 140d are fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the mounting plate 134 :
through mounting screws 142 so as to form opposite pairs of riser ~87~33 blocks as shown in Figure 8. Four corner riser blocks 144a, 144b, 144c and 144d are also mounted on the mounting plate 134 inter-posed between the riser blocks 14Oa-d and have the same vertical height as the riser blocks 140a-d. ~he riser blocks 140a-d sup-port side seam forming dies 146a, 146b, 146c and 146d, respec-tively, while the corner riser blocks 144a-d support corner seam forming dies 148a-d, respectively. With Figure 6 being represen-tative o~ the manner in which the side and corner seam forming dies 146a-d and 148a-d are mounted on their respective riser blocks, it can be seen that each seam forming die is attached to its associated riser block through a support screw 150 which is threadedly secured to the associated riser block and is received -through an elongated slot 152 in the seam forming die to allow horizontal movement of the seam forming dies. Each of the seam forming dies is generally L-shaped in transverse cross section and is biased against a complementary surface on the associated riser block, such as indicated at 154 in Figure 6, by means of a coil compression spring 156 disposed between the riser block and ~he head 158a of a screw 158 threadedly secured to the seam form-ing die as shown. With reference to Figure 8, it can be seen that the side seam ~orming dies 146a-d each have a pair of parallel spaced screws 158 secured thereto with associated biasing springs 156, while the corner seam forming dies 148a-d have only one guide screw 158 and associated biasing spring associated therewith.
The side and corner seam forming dies 146a-d and 148a-d have cam surfaces 160a-d and 162a-d, respectively, formed thereon which are cooperable with the cam surfaces 128a-d and 130a-d on the lower side and corner cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d, respec-tively, to effect inward movement of the seam forming dies when the mounting plate 134 is moved a predetermined distance toward the support plate 112, as will be described below.
A pilot plate 166 is supported on the mounting plate - - . . .; .. . . :. :. , : .. . .
7C~33 134 through a plurality of support screws, one of which is indi-cated at 168 in ~'igure 6, so that the pilot plate may move verti-cally relative to the mounting plate. The pilot plate is normal-ly biased downwardly by its own weight to a position as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6. The pilot plate 166 has a lower surface contour adapted to engage the planar peripheral sur-face 38 and a portion of the cover hook surface 40 on the lid 14 when the mounting plate 134 is moved downwardly to a position as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6 so that the pilot plate -maintains the lid and associated pan in relatively fixed positionwithin the yoke 116. Preferably, a pressure pad 170 (Figure 8), which is similar to the aforedescribed pressure pads 96 and 97, is releasably mounted on the lower central surface of the pilot plate 66 to engage and depress the lid 14 in a similar manner to the pressure pad 97 during completion of the double lock seaming.
To complete the double lock seam between the lid 14 and pan 12 after the cover hook 42 and body hook 32 are formed as in Figure 4a, the pan and associated lid are placed within the yoke 116 on the support plate 112 while the mounting plate 34 is raised above the lower die set 108. The mounting plate 134 is then moved downwardly to effect engagement of the pilot plate 116 with the lid 14 as shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 6. Further downward movement of the mounting plate 134 causes the seam form-ing dies 146a-d and 148a-d to engage and form the generally hori-zontally disposed body hook 32 of pan 12 and the underlying jux-taposed cover hook 42 of the lid 14 to a position wherein the cover hook 42 lies against the upstanding rim 30 of the pan 12, as shown in Figure 6a.
Continued downward movement of the mountlng plate 134 effects engagement of the cam surfaces 160a-d and 162a-d on the side and corner seam forming dies with the underlying cam sur-faces 128a-d and 130a-d on the cam blocks 122a-d and 124a-d, re-spectively, so as to move the seam forming dies horizontally or .. , ... , ...: .~. ... . . .. .. ..
: , ., . . . . :. .
.. . . . . .
~L~87~33 in a directioll perpendicular to the ~lane of the upstanding rim30 on the pan 12 whereby to firmly compress the juxtaposed edges forming the sea~ to simultaneously complete the double seam about the full periphery o~ the container 10. Preferably, a sea~ing compound compatible with the food product within the pan 12 is applied to the under surface of the cover area 40 on the lid 14 prior to forming the double lock seam so that the sealant flows into any spaces internally of the seam. Upon completing the double lock seam between the lid 14 and pan 12 of the container 10, the mounting plate 134 is raised from the support plate 112 sufficiently to allow removal of the completed pan.
Thus, in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention for securing a lid to a container pan by seaming, a double lock seam is formed simultaneously about the full periphery o~f the container. As a result, the vibrations ~enerally attendant with conventional rol~ s~eaming methods where-in rollers are caused to gradually travel the full circumference of the container are eliminated. This is particularly important with metallic containers wherein the sauces of loose or flowable food products may splash up the sides of the containers and across the interface of the engaging lid and pan seam surfaces prior to completion of the seam due to vibration of the container pan caused by the moving seam roller, with the result that con-tamination of the food product may result or an incomplete non-hermetic seal may be formed.
While a preferred embodiment of the present inventionhas been illustrated and described, it will be obvious that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. For example, while the illus-trated embodiment of the apparatus for securing the lid 14 to thecontainer pan 12 has been described in conjunction with the rec-tangular pan 12 and lid 14, the apparatus could be modified to ,, ; ., : ~.,: ..
:~87~33 ;..~ :-secure a nonrectangular shaped lid to a complementary shapedcontainer pan, the lid and pan having marginal peripheral edges formed to define a cover hook or depending lip and a body hook -;
or peripehral flange surface, respectively. Various features of the invention are defined in the following claims.
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Claims (16)
1. A method for securing a lid onto a container pan wherein the pan has an upstanding peripheral wall the upper marginal edge of which is formed into a flange extending outwardly from said peripheral wall and lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to said peripheral wall, and wherein the lid has a peripheral marginal surface defining an outer depending lip, said lid being received on said pan with said marginal surface resting on said flange and with said flange being disposed interiorly of said depending lip and adjacent thereto, said method comprising the steps of: simultaneously forming said depending lip on said lid into juxtaposed relation with said flange by engaging the full periphery of said depending lip by first die means and moving said first die means in a direction substantially perpendicular to said lip, thereafter simultaneously forming the full periphery of said flange and juxtaposed lip on said lid so that said juxtaposed lip of said lid lies against the upstanding peripheral wall of said pan with said marginal surface of said lid exposed outwardly of said flange by second die means moved in a first direction substantially perpendicular to said flange, and compressing said outwardly exposed marginal surface of said lid, said flange and said juxtaposed lip of said lid firmly against said upstanding wall of said pan by a continuing movement of said second die means in a second direction having a component acting substantially perpendicular to said upstanding wall whereby to simultaneously form a double lock seam about the full periphery of said lid and pan.
2. The method of Claim 1 wherein said exposed marginal surface of said lid, said flange and said juxtaposed lip are compressed against said upstanding wall a predetermined amount so as to form a double lock seam of predetermined width about the full periphery of said lid and pan.
3. The method as defined in Claim 1 wherein said first die means includes pan support means adapted to receive said pan thereon with a lid disposed on said pan prior to seaming, pilot plate means adapted to engage the outer surface of said lid and position said pan against said pan support means, and a plurality of seam forming plates operatively associated with said pan sup-port means and extending about the periphery of a pan received on said pan support means, said seam forming plates being adapted for simultaneous movement to engage said depending lip on said lid and effect said forming of said lip into underlying contacting relation with said flange, and means for effecting selective movement of said seam forming plates.
4. The method as defined in Claim 3 wherein said pan and associated lid include substantially straight side edges and rounded corner edges, and wherein said seam forming plates in-clude side seam forming plates juxtaposed to said side edges of said pan when supported on said pan support means, and corner seam forming plates juxtaposed to said rounded corner edges.
5. The method as defined in Claim 1 including the step of selectively compressing said lid and the bottom of said pan toward each other to remove air within said container pan during forming of said depending lip on said lid into juxtaposed relation with said flange.
6. The method as defined in Claim 2 wherein said second die means includes pan support means adapted to support a pan and associated lid after said depending lip on said lid is formed into juxtaposed underlying relation with said flange, said second die means including seam forming die means extending peri-pherally of a pan and associated lid when supported on said pan support means, said seam forming die means being movable in a first direction relative to said pan support means to engage said flange and underlying juxtaposed lip and effect said forming thereof to positions wherein said underlying lip lies against said upstanding wall of said pan, said seam forming die means being further movable in a second direction having a component sub-stantially normal to said peripheral wall of said pan to effect said compressing against said upstanding wall to form said double seam.
7. The method as defined in Claim 6 including cam block means supported by said pan support means and adapted for co-operation with said seam forming die means to effect movement thereof in said second direction after said forming die means is moved in said first direction a predetermined distance.
8. The method as defined in Claim 6 wherein said second die means includes pilot plate means adapted to engage said lid when its associated pan is disposed on said pan support means, said pilot plate means serving to bias said lid and pan against said pan support means.
9. Apparatus for securing a lid to a container pan wherein the lid has a peripheral marginal surface the outer marginal edge of which is formed into a depending lip, and wherein the pan has an upstanding wall the upper edge of which forms an outwardly directed flange which lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to said upstanding wall, said lid being disposed on said pan with said marginal surface overlying said flange and with said depending lip disposed outwardly of and extending below the plane of said flange, said apparatus comprising, first die means including a die fixture adapted to receive and support said pan and complementary lid, said first die means further including seam forming plate means supported peripherally of said pan and lid and movable in a plane substantially perpendicular to said depending lip so as to engage said depending lip about the periphery thereof and simultaneously form it into underlying juxtaposed relation to said flange, and second die means including a lower die set adapted to receive and support said pan and rim after forming said lip into said underlying juxtaposed relation to said flange, said second die means including final seam forming die means supported for movement in a first direction substantially perpendicular to said outwardly directed flange and for continuing movement in a second direction having a component acting substantially perpendicular to said upstanding wall of said pan so as to form the full periphery of said flange and juxtaposed lip against said upstanding wall and thereafter press the full periphery of said juxtaposed thicknesses of said flange, marginal surface of said lid, and said lip against said upstanding wall to complete said double seam.
10. Apparatus as defined in Claim 9 wherein said pan and associated lid include substantially straight side edges and rounded corner edges, and wherein said seam forming plates include side seam forming plates juxtaposed to said side edges of said pan when supported on said pan support means, and corner seam forming plates juxtaposed to said rounded corner edges.
11. Apparatus as defined in Claim 9 wherein said first die means includes pan support means having a lift plate adapted to receive said pan thereon, and pilot plate means adapted to engage the outer surface of said lid and position said pan against said lift plate.
12. Apparatus as defined in Claim 11 wherein said lift plate means includes means biasing said lift plate toward said pilot plate so as to place a lid and pan interposed therebetween in a state of compression.
13. Apparatus as defined in Claim 9 wherein said second die means includes pan support means adapted to support a pan and associated lid after said depending lip on said lid is formed into juxtaposed underlying relation with said flange, said final seam forming die means including a plurality of seam forming dies extending peripherally of a pan and associated lid when supported on said pan support means, said seam forming dies being movable in said direction substantially normal to said flange to engage said flange and underlying juxtaposed lip and effect said forming thereof to positions wherein said underlying lip lies against said upstanding wall of said pan, said seam forming dies being further movable in said direction having a component substantially normal to said upstanding wall of said pan to press said juxtaposed thicknesses against said upstanding wall to complete said double seam.
14. Apparatus as defined in Claim 13 including cam block means supported by said pan support means of said second die means for cooperation with said seam forming dies to effect movement thereof in said second direction after said forming die means is moved in said first direction a predetermined distance.
15. Apparatus as defined in Claim 14 wherein said second die means includes pilot plate means adapted to engage said lid when its associated pan is disposed on said pan support means, said pilot plate means serving to position said lid and pan against said pan support means.
16. Apparatus as defined in Claim 9 wherein said first die means includes means for compressing the bottom of said pan and said lid toward each other to remove air from said pan during forming of said depending lip into underlying juxtaposed relation to said flange.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US707,754 | 1976-07-22 | ||
| US05/707,754 US4088086A (en) | 1976-07-22 | 1976-07-22 | Method for seaming a lid to a container pan |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1087033A true CA1087033A (en) | 1980-10-07 |
Family
ID=24843043
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA278,339A Expired CA1087033A (en) | 1976-07-22 | 1977-05-13 | Method and apparatus for seaming a lid to a container pan |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (2) | US4088086A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU512301B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1087033A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2728542A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1550539A (en) |
Families Citing this family (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4975132A (en) * | 1987-10-30 | 1990-12-04 | Tri-Tech Systems International, Inc. | Plastic closures for containers and cans and methods and apparatus for producing such closures |
| AU656314B2 (en) * | 1989-12-28 | 1995-02-02 | Innovative Closures, Inc. | Tamper evident caps and methods for producing such caps |
| DE29914967U1 (en) * | 1999-08-26 | 2000-10-05 | Kuka Schweissanlagen Gmbh | Flaring device with a multi-axis manipulator |
| RU2164887C1 (en) * | 2000-03-24 | 2001-04-10 | Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "Водолей 2001" | Jar for food and method of its making |
| AU2002217858A1 (en) * | 2000-11-22 | 2002-06-03 | Raptor Consulting, Inc. | Container forming method and product |
| US20030021920A1 (en) * | 2002-08-06 | 2003-01-30 | Williamson James T. | Container forming method and product |
| US7107928B2 (en) * | 2003-05-12 | 2006-09-19 | Ball Corporation | Selectively deformable container end closure |
| DE102006050371A1 (en) * | 2006-10-25 | 2008-04-30 | BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH | Flanging arrangement for connecting a container wall along a lower edge strip of the wall to a base comprises a flanging tool with flange segments arranged along an outer edge of the base in a receiving position of the arrangement |
Family Cites Families (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US180356A (en) * | 1876-07-25 | Improvement in making metallic cans | ||
| US1422192A (en) * | 1919-07-02 | 1922-07-11 | Theodore F Fitzsimons | Can-body-ending machine |
| US1647698A (en) * | 1926-05-21 | 1927-11-01 | Continental Can Co | Process of seaming square cans |
| US1707655A (en) * | 1927-08-08 | 1929-04-02 | Chicago Metallic Mfg Co | Baking pan |
| US2241711A (en) * | 1939-05-08 | 1941-05-13 | Container Corp | Container sealing machine |
| US2578731A (en) * | 1946-03-12 | 1951-12-18 | American Can Co | Container end assembling machine |
| US2578734A (en) * | 1949-07-18 | 1951-12-18 | Upjohn Co | Dehalogenation of steroids |
| ES327969A1 (en) * | 1965-06-18 | 1967-04-01 | Futs Metalliques Gallay S A | Improvements in the manufacture of drums and other metal containers. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
-
1976
- 1976-07-22 US US05/707,754 patent/US4088086A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1977
- 1977-05-13 CA CA278,339A patent/CA1087033A/en not_active Expired
- 1977-05-18 GB GB20858/77A patent/GB1550539A/en not_active Expired
- 1977-05-23 AU AU25396/77A patent/AU512301B2/en not_active Expired
- 1977-06-24 DE DE19772728542 patent/DE2728542A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1977-12-22 US US05/863,520 patent/US4136627A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB1550539A (en) | 1979-08-15 |
| US4136627A (en) | 1979-01-30 |
| DE2728542A1 (en) | 1978-01-26 |
| AU512301B2 (en) | 1980-10-02 |
| AU2539677A (en) | 1978-11-30 |
| US4088086A (en) | 1978-05-09 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |