Filling valve

An apparatus comprising a filling valve, said filling valve comprising a valve seat, an axially-movable valve tappet extending through said valve seat and having an axial portion that defines a product-delivery space through which filling product flows, first seal-elements that cooperate to form a first seal-seat, and second seal-elements that cooperate to form a second seal-seat, said second seal-seat being disposed downstream from said first seal-seat at an outlet end of said filling valve so that liquid product flows from said first seal-set, through said product-delivery space, to said second seal-seat, wherein said first seal-seat and said second seal-seat are arranged on said valve tappet in such a way that, in response to a closing movement of said valve tappet, said first seal-seat closes before said second seal-seat, and wherein said first seal-seat, after having been closed as a result of said closing movement, permits further axial movement of said valve tappet to permit closing of said second seal-seat.

A method for filling a container with a liquid-filling product, said method comprising delivering said liquid filling-product to a filling valve, moving a valve tappet along an axial direction of said filling valve to thereby cause first and second seal-seats thereof to undergo a state transition at times separated by a time delay, said state transition being selected from the group consisting of a transition from an open state to a closed state and a transition from a closed state to an open state.