Filling a cartridge

Abstract

A transport holder vertically aligns a caulking cartridge, nozzle-down. The holder includes (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and an center passageway that is at least partially inverted frustum-shaped that forms a side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening; and or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper sleeve, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A transport holder to vertically align a cartridge, nozzle-down, comprising
 (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face oriented toward a caulking cartridge to be received by the holder and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening opposed to the lead face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and   (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion   
     
     
         2 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening. 
     
     
         3 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle at least greater than 15° at intersection with a plane of the lead face. 
     
     
         4 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle between 20° to 75° at intersection with a plane of the lead face. 
     
     
         5 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle between 40° to 60° at intersection with a plane of the lead face. 
     
     
         6 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein an intersection of a plane of the lead face and the plane of the side contact face defines an acute between 20° to 75°. 
     
     
         7 . The transport holder of  claim 1 , wherein an intersection of a plane of the lead face and the plane of the side contact face defines an acute between 40° to 60°. 
     
     
         8 . A nozzle-down filling system for filling cartridges with a viscous material, comprising a cartridge loading station comprising a transport holder adapted to receive the cartridge to vertically align the cartridge, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion;
 a filling station adapted to receive the cartridge with a viscous material;   a capping station to cap the cartridge; and   a conveyor adapted to receive a cartridge dispensed by the loading station and for conveying the cartridge in turn to the filling station and then the capping station.   
     
     
         9 . The nozzle-down filling system of  claim 8 , wherein a plane of the side contact face defines an acute angle at least greater than 15° tapering from the wider lead face opening to the narrower bottom face opening. 
     
     
         10 . A nozzle-down filling system to vertically align and seat a cartridge, nozzle-down for filling with a viscous material, comprising:
 (i) a transport holder comprising an upper channel, shaped to receive the cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to a bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve leading to the bottom face opening, the holder comprising a substantially cylindrical shape with a stepped center passageway that forms an annular stop collar and a lower face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and   (ii) a plurality of fitted cylinders each configured with an annular lip to seat against the annular stop collar of the holder to posture a selected and different sized cartridge so that a cartridge nozzle of the selected cartridge does not protrude from the holder bottom face.   
     
     
         11 . A method of filling a cartridge, comprising:
 vertically aligning a caulking cartridge in a transport holder, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar comprising a surface that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening to a channel that accommodates the cartridge nozzle; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical nozzle-down alignment to the lower plug portion;   advancing the transport holder and cartridge along an assembly line pathway to a station for filling the caulking cartridge; and   filling the cartridge with a viscous material.