Method and apparatus for capping bottles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for capping blown containers is provided. The top surfaces of a snap-on cap are preferably engaged sequentially by pressure members that traverse different segments thereof. The pressure members urge the cap over the neck of a container as they traverse the cap. The pressure members are preferably mounted to a support that is positioned above an initially loosely capped container, and resiliently urge the cap in a downward direction. The pressure exerted by each pressure member on the cap may be adjustable. The surfaces of the pressure members for engaging the cap are preferably substantially spherical.

1 . A method of applying a push-on cap to a neck portion of a container comprising: 
 positioning a cap on the neck portion of the container,    sequentially engaging said cap with a plurality of pressure members; and    moving said container relative to said pressure members such that said pressure members traverse different portions of said cap while applying pressure to said cap, thereby pushing said cap over said neck portion.    
   
   
       2 . A method as described in  claim 1 , wherein the cap and neck portion include complementary locking elements, including the step of pushing the cap downwardly such that said complementary locking elements are engaged.  
   
   
       3 . A method as described in  claim 2 , wherein said cap includes an annular valve member and said neck portion includes a rim for engaging the valve member, including the step of pushing the cap downwardly such that the annular valve member sealingly engages the rim.  
   
   
       4 . A method as described in  claim 3 , including causing said pressure members to resiliently urge said cap over said neck portion.  
   
   
       5 . A method as described in  claim 4 , wherein the step of sequentially engaging the cap with pressure members includes contacting said cap with spherical surfaces on said pressure members.  
   
   
       6 . A method as described in  claim 1 , wherein said cap and said neck portion are threaded, the threads of said cap moving over the threads of said neck portion as said cap is pushed over said neck portion.  
   
   
       7 . A method as described in  claim 3 , including causing said pressure members to traverse a central portion and at least one side portion of the top surface of said cap, said pressure members being caused to traverse a path over at least a portion of said annular valve member.  
   
   
       8 - 26 . (canceled)  
   
   
       27 . A method for applying a cap to a container having a neck portion including a rim, the cap having a top surface, a skirt extending downwardly from said top surface, and an annular valve member extending downwardly from said top surface and within said skirt, comprising: 
 applying said cap to said neck portion of said container such that said skirt extends over said rim;    moving said container along a selected path;    applying pressure to a first portion of said top surface of said cap during a first time period as said container moves along said path;    applying pressure to a second portion of said top surface of said cap during a second time period as said container moves along said path, said second time period being at least partially later than said first time period, and    applying pressure to a third portion of said top surface of said cap during a third time period as said container moves along said path, said third time period being at least partially later than said second time period,    whereby said skirt is urged over said rim and said annular valve member is urged within said rim.    
   
   
       28 . A method as described in  claim 27  wherein pressure is applied to at least two of said first, second and third portions of said top surface at the same time.  
   
   
       29 . A method as described in  claim 28  wherein, in applying pressure to said first, second and third portions of said top surface, first, second and third pressure members are urged into resilient engagement with said top surface.  
   
   
       30 . A method as described in  claim 29  wherein said pressure members include spherical surfaces, including engaging said top surface of said case with said spherical surfaces.  
   
   
       31 . A method as described in  claim 27  wherein said first portion of said top surface of said cap includes a first path including a center portion of said top surface, and said second and third portions of said top surface of said cap include second and third paths extending over the outer edges of a path of travel of said annular valve member.