US 2005/0235607 A1 · Beverage bottling plant for filling, closing, and packing beverage bottles

a beverage bottle cleaning machine being configured and disposed to clean empty beverage bottles;

a feed arrangement to supply empty beverage bottles to said beverage bottle cleaning machine;

a beverage filling machine being configured and disposed to fill empty beverage bottles with liquid beverage material;

said beverage filling machine comprising a plurality of beverage filling devices for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material;

at least one storage unit being configured and disposed to store a supply of liquid beverage material;

at least one supply line being configured and disposed to connect said at least one storage unit to said beverage filling machine to supply liquid beverage material to said beverage filling machine;

a first conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to move empty beverage bottles from said beverage bottle cleaning machine into said beverage filling machine;

said first conveyer arrangement comprising a star wheel structure;

a beverage bottle closing machine being configured and disposed to close tops of filled beverage bottles;

a second conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to move filled beverage bottles from said beverage filling machine into said beverage bottle closing machine;

said second conveyer arrangement comprising a star wheel structure;

a beverage bottle labeling machine being configured and disposed to label filled, closed beverage bottles;

a third conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to move filled, closed beverage bottles from said beverage bottle closing machine into said beverage bottle labeling machine;

said third conveyer arrangement comprising a star wheel structure;

a beverage bottle packaging station being configured and disposed to package labeled, filled, closed beverage bottles;

a fourth conveyor arrangement being configured and disposed to move labeled, filled, closed beverage bottles from said beverage bottle labeling machine to said beverage bottle packaging station;

said fourth conveyer arrangement comprising a linear conveyor structure being configured and disposed to arrange beverage bottles in groups;

and said beverage bottle packaging station comprising:

a dispenser hopper being configured and disposed to hold a supply of folded-flat dividers for dividing groups of beverage bottles;

a transfer device being configured and disposed to retrieve and open folded-flat dividers from said dispenser hopper;

said transfer device being configured and disposed to transfer opened dividers into a transfer position above said linear conveyor;

a divider centering and lowering device being configured and disposed to receive opened dividers from said transfer device at the transfer position;

said divider centering and lowering device being configured and disposed to be moved forward and backward in the direction of travel of groups of beverage bottles;

said divider centering and lowering device comprising a first portion and a second portion disposed opposite said first portion on opposite sides of said linear conveyor;

each of said first portion and said second portion comprising at least one centering unit configured and disposed to center an opened divider with respect to a corresponding group of beverage bottles;

each of said centering units being adjustable to handle different sizes of groups of beverage bottles;

and each of said centering units being configured and disposed to forcibly feed an opened divider into spaces between individual beverage bottles in a corresponding group of beverage bottles to divide the individual beverage bottles, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying empty beverage bottles to said beverage bottle cleaning machine;

cleaning empty beverage bottles;

transporting empty beverage bottles to said beverage filling machine;

filling empty beverage bottles with liquid beverage material;

transporting filled beverage bottles to said beverage bottle closing machine;

closing tops of filled beverage bottles;

transporting filled beverage bottles to said beverage bottle labeling machine;

attaching labels onto filled beverage bottles;

transporting filled beverage bottles to said beverage bottle packaging station;

arranging filled beverage bottles into groups of beverage bottles;

removing with said transfer device one of said flat dividers from said dispenser hopper;

opening the flat divider;

moving the opened divider into the transfer position in the divider centering and lowering device above a corresponding group of beverage bottles being transported through said beverage bottle packaging station on said linear conveyor;

centering the open divider with respect to the corresponding group of beverage bottles;

moving said divider centering and lowering device in the same direction and at essentially the same speed as the direction and speed of transport of the corresponding group of beverage bottles above the corresponding group of beverage bottles;

inserting, at least partly forcibly, said divider into the spaces between the beverage bottles of the corresponding group of beverage bottles;

moving said divider centering and lowering device in the opposite direction as the direction of transport of the corresponding group of beverage bottles back to the transfer position to receive another divider to divide a subsequent group of beverage bottles;

and

repeating said steps of retrieving, moving, and inserting the dividers for subsequent groups of beverage bottles.

Beverage bottling plant for filling, closing, and packing beverage bottles

Life of this patent

Beverage bottling plant for filling, closing, and packing beverage bottles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20