Container filling machine

A filling machine having a stationary support structure, conveyor means for advancing containers along a generally horizontal path with adjacent container centers spaced apart a preselected conveyor pitch distance, at least one valved dispenser assembly having product inlet means and product outlet means for dispensing product into the containers as they are advanced by the conveyor means, the valved dispenser assembly including an elongated nozzle member having a longitudinal nozzle axis and the product outlet means at its lower end, a valve member slidably connected to the nozzle member for relative reciprocatory movement along the nozzle axis, crank means mounted on the stationary support structure for movement about a generally horizontal crank axis above the conveyor means and having an eccentric conconnected to the nozzle member to move the nozzle member in a generally upright closed loop course having horizontal and vertical components of movement, means for driving the crank means in timed relation with the conveyor means and such that the horizontal component of movement of the nozzle member is in the direction of movement of the conveyor means during a lower half of the closed loop course and in the opposite direction during the upper half of the closed loop course, dispenser control means mounted on the stationary support structure for angular oscillation about a generally horizontal swing axis above said crank axis, means connecting the dispenser control means to the valve member to cause the valve member and nozzle member to oscillate angularly about said swing axis as the nozzle member moves in said closed loop course, said last mentioned means including valve actuator means for controlling vertical movement of the valve member to effect relative reciprocation of the valve member and nozzle member along the nozzle axis when the nozzle member is moved through at least a portion of said closed loop course, and valve means on the valved dispenser assembly for controlling flow from the product inlet means to the product outlet means and operative in response to relative reciprocatory movement between the valve member and nozzle member to open the valve means and pass product from the product inlet means to the product outlet means during at least a portion of said lower half of the closed loop course of the nozzle member and to close and shut off flow of product from the product inlet means to the product outlet means during the remainder of the closed loop course.

A filling machine having a stationary support structure, conveyor means for advancing containers along a generally horizontal path with adjacent container centers spaced apart a preselected conveyor pitch distance, at least one valve dispenser assembly having product inlet means and product outlet means for dispensing product into the containers as they are advanced by the conveyor means, the valved dispenser assembly including an elongated nozzle member having a longitudinal nozzle axis and said product outlet means at its lower end, crank means mounted on the stationary support for rotation about a generally horizontal crank axis and having an eccentric connected to the nozzle member to move the nozzle member in a generally upright closed loop course having horizontal and vertical components of movement, means for driving the crank means in timed relation with the conveyor means and such that the horizontal component of movement of the nozzle member is in the direction of movement of the conveyor means during the lower half of the closed PG,22 loop course and in the opposite direction during the upper half of the closed loop course, dispenser control means mounted on the stationary support structure for angular oscillation about a generally horizontal swing axis above said crank axis, means connecting the nozzle member and the dispenser control means for relative sliding movement in a direction paralleling the nozzle axis to cause the nozzle member to oscillate angularly about the swing axis and reciprocate relative to the dispenser control means as the nozzle member is moved in said closed loop course, valve means on the nozzle member movable between a closed position blocking flow from the product inlet to the product outlet and an open position for passing product from the product inlet to the product outlet, and valve actuator means for moving the valve means to its open position as the nozzle member moves through at least a portion of the lower half of said closed loop course of the nozzle member and to its closed position during the remainder of the closed loop course.