Patent Application
20240327110
Embodiments of the technology relate to a rack system for draining viscous liquids from containers.
Plastic containers are typically used to contain viscous liquids such as lubricants and coolants. The plastic containers are useful in the production, sale, and use of these viscous liquids. The plastic containers are typically of a portable size, such as a gallon or quart, and are often manufactured from high-density polyethylene. Given the viscous nature of these liquids, it can be challenging to completely drain the liquids from the containers. This challenge is particularly acute in the production of the viscous liquids on a large scale involving thousands of containers because there are situations in which a batch of containers containing a viscous liquid must be drained. Such situations can arise, for instance, when packaging is damaged, when the product has expired, or when the product must be repurposed. Therefore, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for draining viscous liquids from containers.
The present disclosure is generally directed to a drainage system for draining viscous liquids from containers. In one example embodiment, an apparatus can comprise: (a) a collection tote into which viscous liquid is drained, the collection tote comprising a base, at least one wall, and a top opening; (b) a funnel placed on the top opening of the collection tote; and (c) a rack disposed on the funnel, the rack comprising a support bar extending horizontally across at least a portion of the funnel, the support bar comprising a plurality of tabs attached to and extending from the support bar.
The foregoing apparatus can include one or more of the following features. The apparatus can include a perforated plate disposed on the funnel wherein the rack is disposed on the perforated plate. Each of the plurality of tabs can comprise a tab longitudinal axis, the tab longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of tabs forming an acute angle with a support bar longitudinal axis of the support bar. The acute angle can be greater than 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees. Each of the plurality of tabs can comprise a length, a width, and a thickness, wherein the width is greater than or equal to 1 inch and less than or equal to 1.5 inches. The length of the tab can be parallel to the tab longitudinal axis and can be greater than or equal to 2 inches and less than or equal to 5 inches. Each of the plurality of tabs can be joined to the support bar by a base weld, and wherein each of the plurality of tabs has a tab protrusion located at a displacement distance from the base weld, the displacement distance being parallel to the tab longitudinal axis. When a container is placed onto one of the plurality of tabs, the tab protrusion displaces an opening of the container from the support bar by the displacement distance. The rack can further comprise a second support bar extending across at least a portion of the funnel and a second plurality of tabs attached to and extending from the second support bar, wherein the second support bar is spaced apart from the support bar by a distance that is greater than or equal to 5 inches and less than or equal to 18 inches. The rack can be fabricated with aluminum, stainless steel, other metal alloys, composites, and plastics.
In another example embodiment, a method for simultaneously draining a plurality of containers can comprise: (a) placing a funnel onto a collection tote; (b) placing a rack onto the funnel, the rack comprising a support bar extending horizontally across at least a portion of the funnel, the support bar comprising a plurality of tabs attached to and extending from the support bar; (c) using a cap removal tool to remove caps from the plurality of containers; (d) placing the plurality of containers in an inverted position onto the rack, wherein an opening of each container of the plurality of containers is placed onto a tab of the plurality of tabs; (c) draining viscous fluid from the plurality of containers into the collection tote; and (f) recycling the plurality of containers.
The foregoing method can comprise one or more of the following aspects. Each of the plurality of tabs can comprise a tab longitudinal axis, the tab longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of tabs forming an acute angle with a support bar longitudinal axis of the support bar. The acute angle can be greater than 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees. Each of the plurality of tabs can comprise a length, a width, and a thickness, wherein the width is greater than or equal to 1 inch and less than or equal to 1.5 inches. Each of the plurality of tabs can be joined to the support bar by a base weld, and wherein each of the plurality of tabs has a tab protrusion located at a displacement distance from the base weld, the displacement distance being parallel to the tab longitudinal axis. When a container of the plurality of containers is placed onto one of the plurality of tabs, the tab protrusion can displace an opening of the container from the support bar by the displacement distance. The displacement distance can be at least ⅛ of an inch and less than 2 inches. The container can remain on the tab until a drip rate of the viscous fluid draining from the container is less than three drips per minute. The cap removal tool can comprise: (a) a rotary motor that turns a drive shaft; and (b) a socket that attaches to the drive shaft, the socket being shaped to engage the caps of the plurality of containers, wherein the socket comprises knurling on an inner face of the socket. The socket can be detached from the drive shaft and a second socket can be attached to the drive shaft, the second socket having knurling of a second size that meshes with grooves on a second container cap.
The foregoing embodiments are non-limiting examples and other aspects and embodiments will be described herein. The foregoing summary is provided to introduce various concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify required or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is the summary intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The accompanying drawings illustrate only example embodiments of apparatus and methods for draining viscous liquids from containers. Therefore, the examples provided are not to be considered limiting of the scope of this disclosure. The principles illustrated in the example embodiments of the drawings can be applied to alternate methods and apparatus. Additionally, the elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the example embodiments. Certain dimensions or positions may be exaggerated to help visually convey such principles. In the drawings, the same reference numerals used in different embodiments designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily identical, elements.
The example embodiments discussed herein are directed to an improved method and system for draining viscous liquid, such as lubricants and coolants, from containers. As explained above, where viscous liquids, such as lubricants and coolants, are manufactured on a large scale, situations arise in which it is necessary to drain a large number of containers containing the viscous liquid. Such situations can include damaged labeling, expired product, or product that is to be repurposed. It can be challenging to drain the viscous liquids from many containers. When the need arises to drain many containers containing viscous liquids, it can often require hours to drain such liquids from each individual container when the liquids have a high viscosity. Sufficient draining of the viscous liquid from the containers is necessary to be able to efficiently recycle the containers. One industry standard for recycling plastic containers sets a minimum of less than three drips per minute from the container. In other words, the container must be sufficiently drained so that when in an inverted position, there are less than three drips per minute of any residual liquid falling from the opening of the container.
The ability to meet the three drips per minute standard is important, because it allows the plastic container to be recycled through normal recycling channels for plastic containers. In contrast, if the amount of residual liquid in the container exceeds the three drips per minute standard, the container may need to be handled as hazardous waste. Handling the container as hazardous waste eliminates the opportunity to recycle the container and involves higher handling costs.
In addition to the desire to recycle the plastic container, the viscous liquid drained from the containers also can often be recycled or repurposed for other products. Draining the viscous liquid from the containers for recycling or repurposing allows the manufacturer to recover some its costs. Accordingly, draining of substantially all of the viscous liquid from the containers improves efficiency and reduces waste of the viscous liquid.
Given the challenges with handling viscous liquids and the substantial time required to drain viscous liquids from containers, improved approaches to draining containers would be beneficial. In particular, the ability to drain viscous liquid from many containers simultaneously would improve the efficiency of the draining process. Furthermore, the ability to leave the containers in a draining position unattended by a worker so that workers can complete other tasks while the containers are draining would be beneficial. A system that drains viscous liquid from many containers while avoiding spilling of the viscous liquid would also be beneficial. Finally, a system that thoroughly drains viscous liquid from many containers allowing the containers to be recycled more easily is desirable.
The apparatus and methods of the following description address one or more of the foregoing problems with the handling of containers containing viscous liquids. While example embodiments are provided in the descriptions that follow, it should be understood that modifications to the embodiments described herein are within the scope of this disclosure. In the following paragraphs, particular embodiments will be described in further detail by way of example with reference to the drawings. In the description, well-known components, methods, and/or processing techniques are omitted or briefly described. Furthermore, reference to various feature(s) of the embodiments is not to suggest that all embodiments must include the referenced feature(s).
Referring now to
Referring now to
The rack 130 has a series of tabs 136 on which the openings of containers are placed in an inverted position. In the example rack 130 of
As shown in the example of
In the example rack 130, the tabs are attached to the support bars with one or more base welds 140. However, in other example embodiments the tabs can be formed on the rack through other means. For example, the tabs could be material that is integral with the support bars and is bent in an upward orientation from the support bars when the rack is fabricated. In yet other embodiments, the tabs can be joined to the support bars with other attachment means such as rivets or other types of fasteners.
Another feature of the tabs 136 that facilitates flow of the viscous fluid from the containers when the containers are placed in an inverted position on the rack is a tab protrusion 142. The tab protrusion 142 extends horizontally from the tab 136 at a displacement distance 144 above the support bars. The tab protrusion 142 prevents a container from sliding down onto the tab until the container engages the top surface of the support bars. As illustrated in
The position of the displacement distance 144 can be selected to suit a particular application and should be selected to maintain a clear flow path for the viscous fluid flowing out of the container's opening. As examples, the displacement distance can be in the range of ⅛ of an inch to 1 inch from the base of the tab where it is attached to the support bar.
In the example illustrated in
Other example embodiments of racks to be used in drainage systems are illustrated in
Tabs 236 of
In
As compared to the rack 230 of
Tabs 336 of
The example racks described herein can be fabricated from any of a variety of materials that are sufficiently rigid to form a structure that will support a plurality of containers while viscous liquid is drained from the containers. Example materials for fabricating the racks include aluminum, steel, other alloys, as well as various plastics.
Referring now to
For any figure shown and described herein, one or more of the components may be omitted, added, repeated, and/or substituted. Accordingly, embodiments shown in a particular figure should not be considered limited to the specific arrangements of components shown in such figure. Further, if a component of a figure is described but not expressly shown or labeled in that figure, the label used for a corresponding component in another figure can be inferred to that component. Conversely, if a component in a figure is labeled but not described, the description for such component can be substantially the same as the description for the corresponding component in another figure.
With respect to the example methods described herein, it should be understood that in alternate embodiments, certain steps of the methods may be performed in a different order, may be performed in parallel, or may be omitted. Moreover, in alternate embodiments additional steps may be added to the example methods described herein. Accordingly, the example methods provided herein should be viewed as illustrative and not limiting of the disclosure.
Terms such as “first” and “second” are used merely to distinguish one element (or state of an element) from another. Such terms are not meant to denote a preference and are not meant to limit the embodiments described herein. In the example embodiments described herein, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.
The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include plural alternatives, e.g., at least one. The terms “including”, “with”, and “having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language), unless specified otherwise.
Values, ranges, or features may be expressed herein as “about”, from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such values, or ranges are expressed, other embodiments disclosed include the specific value recited, from the one particular value, and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that there are a number of values disclosed therein, and that each value is also herein disclosed as “about” that particular value in addition to the value itself. In another aspect, use of the term “about” means±20% of the stated value, ±15% of the stated value, ±10% of the stated value, ±5% of the stated value, ±3% of the stated value, or ±1% of the stated value.
Although embodiments described herein are made with reference to example embodiments, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example embodiments described herein are not limited to any specifically discussed application and that the embodiments described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. From the description of the example embodiments, equivalents of the elements shown therein will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and ways of constructing other embodiments using the present disclosure will suggest themselves to practitioners of the art. Therefore, the scope of the example embodiments is not limited herein.
