US 4,494,363 AGranted

Method and apparatus for aseptically filling containers

AssigneesFranRica Mfg. Inc., Container Technologies, Inc.

InventorsAlbert F. Rica, John C. Davis, Ronald J. Reiss

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Abstract

There is disclosed apparatus for aseptically filling a flexible container having a rigid fitment including a neck, outer flange surrounding the neck, a frangible membrane and an outer rim. The apparatus includes an enclosed filling chamber including a platen with an opening, clamping jaws for holding the fitment in the opening, a vacuum head and sealing unit for removing a lid loosely placed on the fitment and supporting it within the sealing chamber while the sealing chamber, fitment and lid are sterilized, a fill tube which is retractable within a housing and shiftable to a position in sealed engagement with the neck to introduce product into the container. After the container is filled, the fill tube is withdrawn and enclosed in its housing, the lid is transferred back onto the rim and heat sealed in place. The fitment is then unclamped to end the filling cycle.

Claims36

Dependent claims

The method of aseptically filling a container having a fitment therein, said fitment including a rigid neck, a flange on the outer periphery of said neck, a frangible diaphragm extending across said neck to seal the interior at said container and an exposed sealing rim adapted to receive a lid in heat sealed engagement disposed outwardly of said diaphragm, said frangible diaphragm being spaced inwardly from said sealing rim, said flexible container being sterilized, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an enclosed filling chamber with an opening;
securing said bag to the outside of said filling chamber by locking said flange against the chamber so that said fitment extends into and seals said opening;
holding a lid within said filling chamber apart from said fitment;
introducing steam into said filling chamber to sterilize said chamber, the exposed portion of said fitment and said lid while maintaining the interior of said flexible container free from steam;
maintaining a fill tube completely in an asceptic housing that is sealed from said chamber;
opening said housing and introducing said fill tube trough said chamber and
puncturing said frangible diaphragm with said fill tube;
establishing a sealed relationship between said fill tube and the inside of said neck in a region spaced inwardly from said rim;
introducing product through said fill tube into said flexible container;
withdrawing said fill tube from said neck completely into said housing and sealing said housing from said chamber;
transporting a lid into position across said rim;
heat sealing said lid to said rim while within said chamber;
and
removing the neck of said container from the opening of said filling chamber.

11 more elements

Apparatus for aseptically filling a flexible container having a rigid fitment secured thereto, said fitment comprising a neck, a flange on the outer periphery of said neck, an exposed sealing rim adapted to receive a lid in heat sealed relationship therewith, a frangible diaphragm extending across said neck to seal the interior of said container, said frangible diaphragm being spaced inwardly from said sealing rim, said apparatus comprising:

a filling chamber having a platen, said platen having an opening therethrough;
clamp jaw means disposed exteriorly of said filling chamber and engageable with the flange of a fitment for shifting said fitment to a position adjacent the said opening and locking said fitment against said platen surrounding the opening in said platen with the neck of said fitment being disposed in registry with and sealing said opening;
fill tube means extending into said chamber and disposed in alignment with said opening and movable toward and away from said opening, said fill tube means extending into said chamber and carrying a member for rupturing said frangible diaphragm;
said fill tube means comprises a fill tube disposed above said opening in said platen, the axis of said fill tube being perpendicular to said platen;
an asceptic housing for enclosing said fill tube in sealed communication with said filling chamber;
means for retracting said fill tube within said housing;
and
means for sealing said housing from said filling chamber;
said fill tube means having a portion for sealingly engaging the interior of said neck in a region spaced inwardly from said rim to prevent product discharged from said fill tube from contacting said rim;
means disposed within said filling chamber for holding a lid during the filling operation and for transporting a lid into contact with said rim;
means within said chamber for heat sealing said lid to said rim;
and
means within said chamber for introducing steam into said filling chamber.

10 more elements

A system for aseptically filling a flexible container, said system comprising the combination of a flexible container, said flexible container having walls, one of said walls having a fitment secured thereto, said fitment comprising a rigid neck, a flange on the outer periphery of said neck, an exposed sealing rim for receiving a lid in heat sealed relationship therewith, a frangible diaphragm extending across said neck to seal the interior of said container, said frangible diaphragm being spaced inwardly from said sealing rim, apparatus for filling said flexible container comprising:

a filling chamber having a platen, said platen having an opening therethrough;
clamp jaw means disposed exteriorly of said filling chamber engageable with the flange of a fitment for locking said fitment against said platen surrounding the opening in said platen with the neck of said fitment being disposed in registry with and sealing said opening;
fill tube means extending into said chamber and disposed in alignment with said opening and movable toward and away from said opening, said fill tube means carrying a member for rupturing said frangible diaphragm;
said fill tube means comprising a fill tube disposed above said opening in said platen, the axis of said fill tube being perpendicular to said platen;
an asceptic housing for enclosing said fill tube in sealed communication with said filling chamber;
means for retracting said fill tube within said housing;
and
means for sealing said housing from said filling chamber;
said fill tube means having a portion for sealingly engaging the interior of said neck in an area spaced inwardly from said rim to prevent product discharged from said fill tube from contacting said rim;
means disposed within said filling chamber holding a lid during the filling operation and for transporting a lid into contact with said rim;
means within said chamber for heat sealing said lid to said rim;
and
means for introducing sterilant into said filling chamber prior to rupture of said frangible diaphragm by said fill tube means to sterilize said chamber, said lid and the exposed portion of said fitment while the interior of said flexible container remains free from sterilant.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.