US 4,259,999 AGranted

Gas precharged, liquid filling machine operating with dual rows of containers

AssigneeShibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd.

InventorYoshinobu Wada

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A gas precharged, liquid filling machine operating with dual rows of containers includes a pair of concentrically disposed inner and outer rows of container receptacles, and an array of pairs of inner and outer gas precharged, filling mechanisms which are disposed directly above the respective rows of container receptacles. The pair of inner and outer filling mechanisms each include a valve which is independently operated, in accordance with the presence or absence of a container, by means of coaxially disposed rotary shafts. Snifter mechanisms for both filling mechanisms are simultaneously operated by a common snifter shaft. Each pair of inner and outer container receptacles, which are modularized, are mounted on a common elevating member in a manner to permit their elastic downward displacement in response to undue stresses applied thereto, thus avoiding the risk that the containers or bottles may be broken. This, in conjunction with the "no bottle-no filling" feature, completely prevents the liquid and pressurizing gas from splashing to the surrounding environment.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A machine for filling containers with a pressurized liquid, comprising:

a reservoir for containing a liquid and a gas under pressure;
a filling table supported for rotation about a vertical axis;
a plurality of pairs of radially aligned container support members mounted on said table and forming two circular rows concentric with said axis;
a filler mechanism spaced vertically above each of said pairs of container support members and supported for rotation therewith about said axis, each of said filler mechanisms having a pair of valved filler heads respectively disposed above the pair of container support members for sealing engagement with the tops of containers on said container support members, said filler mechanisms communicating with said reservoir whereby containers can be filled with the liquid when the valves of said filler heads are open;
means on said table for vertically raising said container support members to move the containers on said container support members into said sealing engagement with said filler heads;
snifter means associated with said filler heads for discharging pressurized gas from a filled container to the atmosphere;
container detector means for detecting the presence or absence of containers on said container support members;
filler valve operating means for each pair of valved filler heads, said filler valve operating means comprising first and second, coaxial, independently rotatable shafts, first connecting means operatively connecting said first shaft to the valve of one of said pair of valved filler heads and second connecting means operatively connecting said second shaft to the valve of the other of said pair of valved filler heads so that said valves can be independently opened and closed by independent rotation of said first and second shafts;
and
means operable in response to said container detector means to independently rotate said first and second shafts to open said valves only when containers are present on the container support members associated with the valves.

7 more elements

A machine for filling containers with a pressurized liquid, comprising:

a reservoir for containing a liquid and a gas under pressure;
a filling table supported for rotation about a vertical axis;
a plurality of pairs of radially aligned container support members mounted on said table and forming two circular rows concentric with said axis;
a filler mechanism spaced vertically above each of said pairs of container support members and supported for rotation therewith about said axis, each of said filler mechanisms having a pair of valved filler heads respectively disposed above the pair of container support members for sealing engagement with the tops of containers on said container support members, said filler mechanisms communicating with said reservoir whereby containers can be filled with the liquid when the valves of said filler heads are open;
means on said table for vertically raising said container support members to move the containers on said container support members into said sealing engagement with said filler heads;
container detector means for detecting the presence or absence of containers on said container support members;
filler valve operating means for each pair of valve filler heads including means for independently opening and closing the valves of said filler heads in response to said container detector means so that said valves are opened only when containers are present on the container support members associated with the valves;
a snifter mechanism for each pair of valved filler heads for discharging pressurized gas from a filled container to the atmosphere, said snifter mechanism including means defining a pair of passages for communicating with the upper ends of containers which are in sealing engagement with the filler heads, a pair of snifter valves each associated with one of said passages for controlling the discharge of said pressurized gas from one of the containers, a movable snifter shaft, a pair of cams on said snifter shaft and which engage said snifter valves to open or close same simultaneously in response to movement of said snifter shaft.

5 more elements

A machine for filling containers with a pressurized liquid, comprising:

a reservoir for containing a liquid and a gas under pressure;
a filling table supported for rotation about a vertical axis;
a plurality of pairs of radially aligned container support members mounted on said table and forming two circular rows concentric with said axis;
a filler mechanism spaced vertically above each of said pairs of container support members and supported for rotation therewith about said axis, each of said filler mechanisms having a pair of valved filler heads respectively disposed above the pair of container support members for sealing engagement with the tops of containers on said container support members, said filler mechanisms communicating with said reservoir whereby containers can be filled with the liquid when the valves of said filler heads are open;
means on said table for vertically raising said container support members to move the containers on said container support members into said sealing engagement with said filler heads;
container detector means for detecting the presence or absence of containers on said container support members;
filler valve operating means for each pair of valved filler heads, said filler valve operating means comprising first and second, coaxial, independently rotatable shafts, first connecting means operatively connecting said first shaft to the valve of one of said pair of valved filler heads and second connecting means operatively connecting said second shaft to the valve of the other of said pair of valved filler heads so that said valves can be independently opened and closed by independent rotation of said first and second shafts;
means operable in response to said container detector means to independently rotate said first and second shafts to open said valves only when containers are present on the container support members associated with the valves;
a snifter mechanism for each pair of valved filler heads for discharging pressurized gas from a filled container to the atmosphere, said snifter mechanism including means defining a pair of passages for communicating with the upper ends of containers which are in sealing engagement with the filler heads, a pair of snifter valves each associated with one of said passages for controlling the discharge of said pressurized gas from one of the containers, a movable snifter shaft, a pair of cams on said snifter shaft and which engage said snifter valves to open or close same simultaneously in response to movement of said snifter shaft.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/051,028Filed 22 Jun 1979
Priority: JP 53-174553[U]15 Dec 1978
Granted: 7 Apr 1981
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B67C 3/28
Details: flow-control devices, e.g. using valves
B67C 3/08
Using counterpressure, i.e. filling while the container is under pressure: and subsequently lowering the counterpressure
B67C 3/10
Using counterpressure, i.e. filling while the container is under pressure: preliminary filling with inert gases, e.g. carbon dioxide
B67C 3/225
Details: means for filling simultaneously, e.g. in a rotary filling apparatus or multiple rows of containers