US 4,832,096 AGranted

Device and a method for the air-free filling of receptacles, in particular flexible bags

AssigneeBowater Packaging Limited

InventorFred R. Kohlbach

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Abstract

The device for the air-free filling in particular of flexible bags (1) under counterpressure consists of a filling pipe (5) which, with a sealing cone (9), can be guided into a filling and extraction connecting piece (2) of the bag. A filling valve (13) is provided in the direct proximity of the filling-pipe delivery orifice (4), which filling valve (13) is formed from a conical surface (15) of the filling-pipe inner wall (14) and a conical mating piece (18) which is provided on the end of a valve stem (17) which is guided in the filling pipe in axially movable manner. The product to be filled flows into the filling-pipe inner space (20) through a product feed line, and, via a longitudinal bore (19) made in the valve stem, a vacuum can be applied or a protective gas and also a sterilizing agent can be fed at the area around the delivery orifice (4). This device permits a complete, procedural separation between the product feed to the flexible bag and the evacuating, gassing and sterilizing operations required before or after filling.

Claims18

Dependent claims

Apparatus for filling a flexible bag having a body, a closed end, and an open end including a spout defining an opening in the bag, said apparatus comprising:

filling means for filling the bag, said filling means including a discharge nozzle;
inserting means for inserting said nozzle of said filling means into the spout of the bag;
attaching means for attaching the spout of the bag to said nozzle of said filling means;
moving means for moving the closed end of the bag toward the open end of the bag until the body of the bag is substantially collapsed onto itself, whereby the body of the bag is at least partially evacuated;
evacuating means for evacuating the spout and the body of the bag through said nozzle of said filling means;
supporting means for yieldingly supporting said moving means and hence the closed end of the bag while the bag is being substantially filled through said nozzle of said filling means, whereby the bag expands against a counterpressure as it is filled, said supporting means relieving the counterpressure exerted on the bag by moving said moving means away from the closed end of the bag after the bag has been substantially filled;
terminating means for terminating the filling of the bag;
detaching means for detaching the spout of the bag from said nozzle of said filling means;
and
removing means for removing said nozzle of said filling means from the spout of the bag.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.