1. An apparatus for perforating and collapsing a plastic container comprises:
a housing;
a first rotating drum member configured to rotate in a first direction;
a plurality of evenly-spaced spike strips provided around a circumference of the first rotating drum member, each spike strip extending along a length of the first rotating drum member;
a second rotating drum member configured to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a plurality of evenly-spaced crimp bars provided around a circumference of the second rotating drum member, each crimp bar extending along a length of the second rotating drum member;
a structural frame mounted to the second rotating drum member and configured to vary a size of a clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member, the clearance configured to receive the plastic container; and
a stationary comb mounted perpendicular to a bottom of the first rotating drum member.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first rotating drum member is oriented parallel to the second rotating drum member with respect to a width of the apparatus.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each spike strip comprises a plurality of ribbed spikes configured to puncture and tear a surface of the plastic container in order to expel trapped gases.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each crimp bar comprises a plurality of protrusions and groove, the protrusions configured to collapse and deform the plastic container and the grooves configured to allow the ribbed spikes to pass the crimp bar without contacting the second rotating drum member.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a stabilizer plate including a plurality of evenly-spaced coil springs mounted a length of the stabilizer plate, the stabilizer plate configured to exert a positive, inward pressure on the structural frame to maintain a forward position of the second rotating member for maximum compaction and perforation of the plastic container passing through the clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the structural frame comprises an upper rail, a lower rail, and a c-frame slidably engaged with the upper rail and the lower rail, wherein the second rotating drum is configured to axially translate within a slot of the structural frame such that a clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member is variable.
7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the stationary comb is configured to abut and remove a plastic container impaled on the ribbed spikes as the first rotating drum member rotates.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a manual drive wheel configured to actuate the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein an exterior of the housing includes a handle configured to rotate the manual drive wheel.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a container deposit door configured to receive the plastic container, the container deposit door including a wall having a downwardly sloped surface such that the plastic bottle can roll down the wall by gravity and enter the clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the downwardly sloped surface of the container deposit door includes a protrusion configured to contact and rotate the plastic container 180 degrees such that the plastic container falls into the clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member in an orientation substantially parallel to the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the container deposit door includes an interlock that prevents access to the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member when the container deposit door is open.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of sprockets configured to rotate the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member at a same speed when the manual drive wheel is operated.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a collection container configured to receive perforated and collapsed plastic containers.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a container access door configured to facilitate removal of the collection container to empty the perforated and collapsed plastic containers.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to perforate and collapse the plastic container without a source of electricity.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one flexible grabber configured to facilitate feeding plastic beverage containers into the clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a height of the at least one flexible grabber is greater than a height of the spike strips and a height of the crimp bars.
19. A method for perforating and collapsing a plastic container, the method comprising:
depositing the plastic container in a container deposit door in the housing of the apparatus of claim 1; and
manually rotating a drive wheel to actuate the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member such that the plastic bottle is perforated and collapsed between the plurality of spike strips and the plurality of crimp bars.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A tag label producing apparatus comprising:
at least one feeding roller that feeds a tag medium including an RFID circuit element comprising an IC circuit part that stores information and a tag antenna that transmits and receives information;
a printing device that performs desired printing on said tag medium or on a print-receiving medium bonded thereto; and
an apparatus antenna located downstream from said printing device in a transport direction along a feeding path of said feeding roller, that transmits and receives information to and from said RFID circuit element by wireless communication; wherein:
said feeding roller includes a nearest roller located at a substantially same position in said transport direction as said printing device along said feeding path, or located downstream from said printing device in said transport direction, said nearest roller being closest to said apparatus antenna,
said tag label producing apparatus further comprises a coordination control portion that controls in coordination said feeding roller, said printing device, and said apparatus antenna, such that information transmissionreception is performed between said RFID circuit element and said apparatus antenna when said IC circuit part of said RFID circuit element provided to said tag medium is fed downstream in said transport direction from a segment from said nearest roller to said apparatus antenna along said feeding path.
2. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
said coordination control portion performs control such that said information transmissionreception is performed when said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from a segment from said nearest roller to a center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
3. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
said tag medium includes a tag tape where a plural of RFID tag insertion bodies are arranged at regular intervals, said RFID tag insertion body comprising said RFID circuit element disposed on an antenna base in a manner that the position of said IC circuit part is farther downstream in said transport direction than a center line of said antenna base in said transport direction,
said feeding roller feeds said tag tape, and
said coordination control portion performs control such that said information transmissionreception is performed when said tag tape is fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from the segment from said nearest roller to the center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
4. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
said print-receiving medium is a print-receiving tape to be bonded to said tag tape,
said printing device performs desired printing said print-receiving tape,
said feeding roller includes:
a pressure roller that presses said print-receiving tape against said printing device; and
a bonding roller located downstream from said pressure roller in said transport direction with respect to said feeding path, that bonds said tag tape and said print-receiving tape,
said nearest roller is said bonding roller, and
said coordination control portion performs control such that said information transmissionreception is performed when said tag tape and said print-receiving tape are fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from the segment from said bonding roller to the center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
5. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
said printing device performs desired printing on said tag tape,
said feeding roller includes:
a pressure roller that presses said tag tape against said printing device; and
an intermediate feeding roller located downstream from said pressure roller in said transport direction with respect to said feeding path,
said nearest roller is said intermediate feeding roller,
said coordination control portion performs control such that said information transmissionreception is performed when said tag tape is fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from a segment from said intermediate feeding roller to the center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
6. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a driving shaft that drives a driving roller disposed opposing said bonding roller or said intermediate feeding roller across the tape feeding path.
7. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
said printing device performs desired printing on said tag tape,
said feeding roller includes a pressure roller that presses said tag tape against said printing device,
said nearest roller is said pressure roller, and
said coordination control portion performs control such that said information transmissionreception is performed when said tag tape is fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from a segment from said pressure roller to the center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
8. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
said coordination control portion controls in coordination said feeding roller, said printing device, and said apparatus antenna, such that information transmissionreception is performed after decelerating a feeding speed of said tag tape when said tag tape is fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from said segment from said nearest roller to said center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
9. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:
said coordination control portion controls in coordination said feeding roller, said printing device, and said apparatus antenna, such that information transmissionreception is performed after stopping the feeding of said tag tape when said tag tape is fed such that said IC circuit part is transported downstream in said transport direction from said segment from said nearest roller to said center position of said apparatus antenna along said transport direction.
10. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a cutting device that cuts an entire thickness of said tag tape in which information transmissionreception by using said apparatus antenna and a printing by said printing device are completed so as to produce a RFID label with print, said cutting device being disposed at a portion between said nearest roller and said apparatus antenna along said feeding path.
11. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a half-cutting device that partially cuts in a thickness direction of said tag tape in which information transmissionreception by using said apparatus antenna and a printing by said printing device are completed so as to produce a RFID label with print, said half-cutting device being disposed at a portion between said nearest roller and said apparatus antenna along said feeding path.
12. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
at least one of said feeding roller is a roller with a step, said roller with a step including a contacting part that comes in contact with said RFID circuit element of said tag tape, said contacting part having a shape with greater recess than other parts.