Foreign bottle rejection device

Abstract

The present invention therefore provides a very simple and inexpensive device and system for detecting and rejecting or ejecting non-standard bottles from a line composed of standard and non-standard bottles. The device can be quickly adjusted as required to detect and reject by contact bottles based on differences between the types of bottles such as diameter, buffer zones, neck diameters, shoulder heights, etc. The device is inexpensive, requires little space or maintenance and can be adapted to handle many types of non-standard bottles.

1 . A device for detecting and ejecting non-standard bottles from a stream comprising both standard and non-standard bottles travelling in single file along a conveyor, said device comprising a station which includes conveyor means to transport said bottles to and through said station and bottle detection and ejection means located and maintained above said conveyor means at a height intermediate the height of a standard bottle and adapted to avoid contact with standard bottles but to contact and eject non-standard bottles travelling through said station.  
   
   
       2 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein said detection and ejection means is a member is located at a height above said conveyor so as to contact the said bottles above about their centers of gravity.  
   
   
       3 . A device according to  claim 2  wherein said detection and ejection member is located to contact said bottles at about a shoulder or neck thereof.  
   
   
       4 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein said detection and ejection member is made of a rigid material and the upstream extremity thereof which contacts said bottles is chamfered.  
   
   
       5 . A device according to  claim 1  which includes a receptacle arranged to receive ejected bottles.  
   
   
       6 . In a system for washing returnable and reusable standard beverage bottles and re-filling same with a beverage, which bottles are transported to the various activities in a single file and wherein standard bottles are returned for use in combination with a number of non-standard bottles, the latter are required to be separated out from the former, the improvement comprising passing a mixture comprising both standard and non-standard bottles travelling in single file along a conveyor, said device comprising a station which includes conveyor means to transport said bottles to and through said station and detection and ejection means maintained above said conveyor means at a height intermediate the height of a standard bottle and adapted to avoid contact with standard bottles but to contact, detect and eject non-standard bottles travelling through said station.