This invention relates to a bottle raiser. More particularly, it concerns a bottle raiser, wherein the bottle, which is to be raised, has been directed, on the basis of information about the bottle, into a receiving space of a dimensionalIy suitable size. The device is particularly suitable for use in connection with a reverse vending machine for bottles.

The term bottle includes in this connection any form of fluid container, which is used for storing consumer goods in connection with sales to an end user.

The raising of like bottles that are typically in a lying position, for example in order to be made ready for a subsequent packing operation, may be carried out by means of simple equipment known in itself.

A complication arises when the bottles that are handed in, are of different sizes and shapes. In principle, a bottle raiser for bottles that are not identical must be adapted to the kind of bottle. The bottle may tip over if it is not supported and fed stably forward onto a subsequent conveyor belt, for example.

In order to achieve a reliable raising of the bottles, it has turned out to be necessary to acquire information about the size and shape of the individual bottle before the bottle is received downstream by a machine, which is adapted for raising bottles of different sizes.

US 6012588 thus discloses a machine, in which a bottle stabilizer adjusts, on the basis of information about the bottle to be raised, the size of the receiving space for the bottle, so that the bottle remains standing. The bottle stabilizer then moves the bottle towards a stop in order to stabilize the bottle, after which the bottle, in its standing position, is fed out onto a downstream conveyor belt.

DE 10144518 discloses a corresponding device, in which axially movable guide controls adjust the size of the receiving opening to the incoming bottle before the guide controls withdraw and allow the bottle to be transported forwards in its standing position on a conveyor belt.

The devices according to the documents mentioned are relatively complicated and slow as the bottle must be moved essentially completely out of the device before the size of the receiving space can be adjusted for a new bottle.

The invention has as its object to remedy or reduce at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art. The object is achieved in accordance with the invention through the features specified in the description below and in the following Claims.

According to the invention, a bottle is directed, after the bottle has been identified, for example by determination of its size and shape, to a receiving space of a suitable dimension, with the aim of keeping the bottle in a standing position, after which the bottle in its standing position is fed out from the receiving space.

Thus, it may be a question of the bottle being directed to a corresponding receiving space of a suitable size, or a receiving space of a suitable size being brought forward to the supply track of the bottle before the bottle is fed into the receiving space.

In a preferred embodiment a rotor with a vertical axis of rotation is provided with a number of vertical receiving spaces of different sizes. The receiving spaces are open along the periphery of the rotor. A guide plate encircles a portion of the rotor, so that, whenever the respective receiving space is in a receiving position, the receiving space of the rotor is radially closed but is radially open when the receiving space is in its delivering position.

The bottle is fed into the receiving space of the rotor by means of a sloping track, for example. To the extent necessary, the bottle has, in advance, been oriented in such a way that the bottom of the bottle will be at the bottom when, preferably by its own weight, the bottle is moved freely down into the receiving space. When a bottle has been identified, the rotor turns about its vertical axis until a receiving space of a suitable size is located below the supply track. As soon as the bottle is in the receiving space, the rotor may turn forward a new receiving space corresponding to a new bottle, which is on its way.

As the rotor is rotated, the first bottle reaches the delivering position of the rotor, in which, for example by means of a conveyor belt, the bottle is moved, standing, out of the rotor.

Identification of bottles makes part of the prior art and is also described in the document initially mentioned. A person skilled in the art is also familiar with the necessary control equipment for enabling the rotor to be rotated into the correct position based on said identification.

Relative to the prior art, the invention provides a simplified device for bottle raising, which also enables an increase in the bottle-receiving rate. For example, one bottle raiser may receive bottles from more than one reverse vending machine.

In what follows is described a non-limiting example of a preferred embodiment which is visualized in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in perspective a bottle raiser as a bottle is on its way into the bottle raiser; Figure 2 shows, on a larger scale, a plan view of the rotor of the bottle raiser as a first bottle has arrived into the receiving space positioned in the entrance path;

Figure 3 shows the same as figure 2, but here the rotor is about to rotate forward a new receiving space into the entrance path;

Figure 4 shows the same as Figure 3, but here a larger bottle has arrived into a corresponding receiving space; and

Figure 5 shows the same as Figure 4, but here the rotor is rotated further, so that the first bottle is moved out of the rotor.

In the drawings the reference numeral 1 identifies a bottle raiser, which is arranged on a table 2. The table 2 is provided with a conveyor belt 4 level with the tabletop of the table 2.

A rotor 6 having a vertical central axis is arranged above the table 2 and is driven by a gear motor 8. The rotor 6 overlaps at least part of the conveyor belt 4.

A guide plate 10 encircles a portion of the rotor 6 and forms part of the structure 12 of the bottle raiser 1.

A supply conveyor 14 is arranged to transport a bottle 16', 16" from an upstream reverse vending machine, not shown, on to a sloping track 18 connecting the supply conveyor track 14 to the structure 12. The supply conveyor 14 and the sloping track 18 form a supply track for the bottle 16', 16" to the rotor 6.

The rotor 6 includes a number of receiving spaces 20', 20" which are distributed around the rotor 6. The receiving spaces 20' are smaller than the receiving spaces 20" as the receiving spaces 20' may have been adapted for bottles having volumes of up to one litre, for example, whereas the receiving spaces 20" may have been adapted for larger bottles.

When a first bottle 16 ' has been identified in the reverse vending machine, not shown, as being a smaller bottle 16', and the bottle 16' is on its way in the supply conveyor 14, the gear motor 8 rotates the rotor 6, so that a receiving space 20' corresponds to the supply track 14, 18.

The first bottle 16 ' is then moved down into the corresponding receiving space 20' . The rotor 6 may then immediately be rotated, so that the receiving space 20' involved is rotated away from the supply track 14, 18, or an identification of a second bottle 16" may be awaited. When the bottle 16" has been identified as being a large bottle, the gear motor 8 rotates the rotor so that a large receiving space 20" corresponds to the supply track 14, 18. The first bottle 16' is thereby moved on along the guide plate 10.

When the rotor 6 subsequently rotates to be able to receive a further bottle, not shown, the rotor 6 is rotated in such a manner that the receiving space 20' with the first bottle 16' arrives at the outlet side of the rotor 6, where the guide plate 10 no longer covers the receiving space 20' in question.

The conveyor 4 thereby carries along the first bottle 16' , standing, out of the rotor 6.