Filling valve for beverage container filling machine

A filling valve for filling a container with liquid from a pressurized bowl, said valve comprising:

• a housing;
• a filling orifice through said housing, through which liquid can be fed;
• a valve seat in said housing and around said filling orifice;
• a liquid flow valve element in said housing and shiftable onto and off said valve seat for selectively closing and opening said filling orifice, respectively;
• a gas flow conduit comprising:
• a gas flow tube extending from above said liquid flow valve element, through said liquid flow valve element and extending below said liquid flow valve element to be below said valve seat;
• a first gas flow opening in said gas flow tube above said valve seat;
• a second gas flow opening in said gas flow tube below said valve seat;
• said gas flow tube joining said first and said second gas flow openings;
• said gas flow conduit being shiftable axially together with said liquid flow valve element, with respect to said housing;
• a cover for closing said first gas flow opening;
• said cover comprising:
• a closure element shaped for blocking said first gas flow opening and being movable between a first position away from said first gas flow opening and a second position at and blocking said first gas flow opening;
• a support for said closure element;
• first biasing means connecting said closure element support and said closure element for normally biasing said closure element against moving to its said second position;
• said first biasing means has the characteristic that upon a predetermined gas pressure differential developing between the interior of said bowl at said first gas flow opening, on the one hand, and at said second gas flow opening, on the other hand, said closure element is urged to its said second position by the gas flow through said first gas flow opening to said second gas flow opening, and the bias of said first biasing means is overcome;
• second biasing means connecting said closure element support and said gas flow tube for biasing said support in a direction to normally move said closure element away from its said second position.