US 5,664,487 AGranted

Sanitary filling nozzle mount

AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.

InventorYutaka Kaneko

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Abstract

A sanitary nozzle mount for use with a filling apparatus for flowing food product includes elongated, hollow, slidably engageable inner and outer filling tubes and a spacer coupling adapted to secure the inner and outer tubes in axially spaced relation with one another. The tubes are adapted to secure therebetween a removable filling nozzle having a mounting portion having a generally circular cross-section and including an inwardly extending, circumferential mounting ring. The inner and outer filling tubes each include a mounting element extending outwardly therefrom, configured for engagement with the spacer coupling. The inner filling tube has a length dimension greater than the length dimension of the outer filling tube. The inner tube includes a nozzle receiving end which has a circumferential locking element and a guide element which are adapted to engage the nozzle mounting ring therebetween. The coupling is positionable between the inner and outer filling tube mounting elements, and the nozzle mounting ring is positionable between the inner filling tube locking element and guide element to position the outer filling tube in overlapping engagement with the filling nozzle and to secure the nozzle between the filling tubes.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A sanitary nozzle mount for use with a filling apparatus for flowing food product, the filling apparatus having a removable filling nozzle having a mounting portion and a nozzle portion, the nozzle portion having a generally circular cross-section and including an inwardly extending, circumferential mounting ring, the nozzle portion having a plurality of gore-like panels therein defined by a plurality of axial and angled, generally axial creases, the mount comprising:

an elongated, hollow, cylindrical outer filling tube, the outer filling tube having a length dimension, and including a mounting element extending outwardly therefrom;
an elongated, hollow, cylindrical inner filling tube, said inner filling tube having a length dimension greater than the length dimension of said outer filling tube, said inner filling tube having a nozzle receiving end having a circumferential locking element extending outwardly therefrom adapted to engage said nozzle mounting ring, said inner filling tube being concentrically positioned relative to said outer filling tube for sliding engagement therewith, said inner filling tube having a guide element extending outwardly therefrom adapted to engage said outer filling tube, said guide element being configured to maintain concentricity between said inner and outer filling tubes;
and
a removable spacer coupling adapted to fit between and engage said inner filling tube mounting element and said outer filling tube mounting element,
wherein when said coupling is positioned between said inner and outer filling tube mounting elements, and when said nozzle mounting ring is positioned intermediate said locking element and said guide element, said outer filling tube is positioned in overlapping engagement with said filling nozzle at about said mounting ring, to secure said nozzle between said inner and outer filling tubes.

2 more elements

A sanitary nozzle mount for use with a filling apparatus for liquid food product, the filling apparatus having at least one filling nozzle having a mounting portion having an inwardly extending, circumferential mounting ring, and a nozzle portion, the mount comprising:

inner and outer slidingly engageable, elongated, cylindrical filling tubes, said filling tubes being engageable with one another to secure the nozzle therebetween at respective nozzle receiving ends, said outer filling tube having a mounting element extending outwardly therefrom, said inner filling tube having a circumferential locking element extending outwardly from said nozzle receiving end adapted to engage said nozzle mounting ring, said inner filling tube having a guide element extending outwardly therefrom adapted to coact with said outer filling tube, said inner filling tube including a mounting element extending outwardly therefrom;
and
a removable spacer coupling adapted to fit between said inner filling tube mounting element and said outer filling tube mounting element to maintain said mounting elements in axially spaced relation to one another,
wherein said nozzle mounting ring is positionable intermediate said locking element and said guide element, and said outer filling tube is positionable in overlapping engagement with said nozzle to secure said nozzle between said inner and outer filling tubes, and wherein said spacer coupling is mountable between said filling tube mounting elements to position said outer tube in overlapping engagement with said nozzle to secure said nozzle between said inner and outer filling tubes.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.