Water bottle lifting, rotating, and mounting apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for lifting, rotating, and mounting a water bottle into a water cooler, the apparatus having a motorized mechanism for securely gripping the bottle, a motorized mechanism for raising and lowering the bottle, and a motorized mechanism for rotationally inverting the bottle, the apparatus enabling a person with limited physical strength to lift and move a full upright water bottle from the floor, invert the bottle, and place it neck down into the well of a water cooler.

1 . An apparatus for lifting a bottle containing a liquid from an upright position to an inverted position comprising: 
 a base supporting a rigid frame including an elevator rail extending vertically upward from said base;    a threaded rod rotatably journaled on said frame;    an elevator motor means mounted on said base and coupled to rotationally drive said threaded rod;    an elevator assembly comprising a horizontal sleeve, a bracket slidably engaging said elevator rail, and a threaded nut meshed with said threaded rod so that the rotation of said threaded rod by said elevator motor moves said elevator assembly in an upward or a downward direction guided by said elevator rail;    a bottle support shaft rotatably supported within said horizontal sleeve;    bottle grasping means at one end of said bottle support shaft for embracing and supporting the bottle;    bottle rotating means at the opposite end of said bottle support shaft for rotating the bottle in a vertical plane with respect to said elevator assembly, said bottle rotating means operating independently from the vertical movement of said elevator assembly.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said bottle rotating means comprises a rotator motor supported by said elevator assembly interconnected to the opposite end of said bottle support shaft by a rotator coupling means, thereby enabling said rotator motor to rotationally drive said bottle support shaft.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said rotator coupling means comprises a sheave mounted to the output shaft of said rotator motor, a sheave mounted to the other end of said bottle support shaft, and a belt rotationally coupling said sheaves to one another.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said bottle grasping means comprises a pair of gripper arms adapted to grip the bottle pivotably mounted to the one end of said bottle support shaft, a gripper motor supported by said elevator assembly, and an interconnecting gripper coupling enabling said gripper motor to actuate said gripper arms inwardly and outwardly with respect to the bottle.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said gripper coupling includes a cam for translating the rotational movement of said gripper motor to the translational movement required to pivot said gripper arms about the one end of said bottle support shaft.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said bottle grasping means further comprises locking means and unlocking means to retain said gripper arms in contact with the bottle while the bottle is lifted and rotated and to release said gripper arms after the bottle is set into a water cooler, respectively.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further including wheels supporting said base to enable said mechanism to be moved to a position to receive the bottle in the lower upright position thereof, said wheels additionally enabling the mechanism to move across a floor surface while holding the elevated bottle to a position whereby the inverted bottle may be placed into a water cooler.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said base includes means for straddling the bottle to permit the gripping means to support and embrace the bottle.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a reduction gear means interconnects said elevator motor to said threaded rod.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said elevator assembly further comprises rotatable bushings in engagement with said bracket and said elevator rail, and means for adjusting the pressure of said bushings on said elevator rail.  
   
   
       11 . An apparatus for lifting a bottle containing a liquid from an upright position to an inverted position comprising: 
 a base supporting a rigid frame including an elevator rail extending vertically upward from said base;    a threaded rod rotatably journaled on said frame;    an elevator motor mounted on said base coupled to rotationally drive said threaded rod;    an elevator assembly comprising a horizontal sleeve, a bracket slidably engaging said elevator rail, and a threaded nut meshed with said threaded rod so that the rotation of said threaded rod by said elevator motor will move said elevator assembly in an upward or a downward direction guided by said elevator rail;    a bottle support shaft rotatably supported within said horizontal sleeve;    bottle grasping means at one end of said bottle support shaft for embracing and supporting the bottle;    bottle rotating means at the other end of said bottle support shaft for turning the bottle in a vertical plane with respect to said elevator assembly, said bottle rotating means comprising a rotator motor supported by said elevator assembly rotationally coupled to the other end said bottle support shaft to rotationally drive said bottle support shaft.    
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said bottle grasping means comprises a pair of gripper arms adapted to grip the bottle pivotably mounted to the one end of said bottle support shaft, a gripper motor supported by said elevator assembly, and a coupling interconnecting between said gripper motor and said gripper arms, said coupling including a cam for translating the rotational movement of said gripper motor to actuate said gripper arms inwardly and outwardly with respect to the bottle.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further including wheels supporting said base to enable said mechanism to be moved to a position to receive the bottle in a lower upright position thereof, said wheels additionally enabling the mechanism to move across a floor surface while holding the elevated bottle to a position whereby the inverted bottle may be placed into a water cooler.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said bottle grasping means further comprises locking and unlocking means to retain said gripper arms in contact with the bottle while the bottle is lifted and rotated and to release said gripper arms after the bottle is set into a water cooler, respectively.  
   
   
       15 . An apparatus for lifting a bottle containing a liquid from an upright position to an inverted position comprising: 
 a base supporting a rigid frame including an elevator rail extending vertically upward from said base;    a threaded rod rotatably journaled on said frame;    an elevator motor mounted on said base coupled to rotationally drive said threaded rod;    an elevator assembly comprising a horizontal sleeve, a bracket slidably engaging said elevator rail, and a threaded nut meshed with said threaded rod so that the rotation of said threaded rod by said elevator motor will move said elevator assembly in an upward or a downward direction guided by said elevator rail;    a bottle support shaft rotatably supported within said horizontal sleeve;    bottle grasping means at one end of said bottle support shaft for embracing and supporting the bottle, said bottle grasping means comprising a pair of gripper arms adapted to grip the bottle pivotably mounted to the one end of said bottle support shaft, a gripper motor supported by said elevator assembly, and an interconnecting coupling including a cam for translating the rotational movement of said gripper motor to actuate said gripper arms inwardly and outwardly with respect to the bottle, said bottle grasping means further comprising locking means to retain said gripper arms in contact with the bottle while the bottle is lifted and rotated and unlocking means to release the bottle after the bottle is set into a water cooler;    bottle rotating means at the other end of said bottle support shaft for turning the bottle in a vertical plane with respect to said elevator assembly, said bottle rotating means operating independently from the vertical movement of said elevator assembly.    
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said bottle rotating means comprises a rotator motor supported by said elevator assembly rotationally coupled to the other end said bottle support shaft to rotationally drive said bottle support shaft.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further including wheels supporting said base to enable said mechanism to be moved to a position to receive the bottle in a lower upright position thereof, said wheels additionally enabling the mechanism to move across a floor surface while holding the elevated bottle to a position whereby the inverted bottle may be placed into a water cooler.