Circular motion filling machine and method

A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:

• a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive empty containers and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
• a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed filling elements movable between a rest position and a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections;
• a plurality of radially extensible and retractable indexing arms circumferentially spaced around said rotating platform, said indexing arms retracted at said in-feed section and subsequently extended as said rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on said rotating platform between said indexing arms, each said group arranged in a desired pattern and spacing between adjacent said indexing arms corresponding to a pattern and spacing of said filling elements;
• and
• wherein said filling elements are movable from said rest position to said filling position subsequent to indexing of the containers by said indexing arms for filling the containers.

A method for filling containers in an automated filling operation, comprising:

• conveying a generally continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers to an in-feed section of a circular filling machine;
• at the in-feed section, transferring the continuous stream of containers onto a generally circular rotating path;
• after said transferring, indexing the continuous stream of containers on the circular rotating path into groups having a desired number of containers in each group;
• after said indexing, engaging the containers with respective rotating filling elements;
• and filling the containers with the filling elements as there are conveyed along an arcuate portion of the circular rotating path.

A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising:

• a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive empty containers and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis;
• a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed filling elements movable vertically between a rest position and a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections, each filling element contacting a respective one of the containers when in said filling position;
• an in-feed guide element disposed generally at said in-feed section so as to guide the containers from said conveyor onto said rotating platform in a desired pattern, said in-feed guide element extending around at least a portion of the circumference of said rotating platform;
• and
• each of said filling elements moving vertically downward from said rest position to said filling position before the respective one of the containers is moved beyond said in-feed guide elements.

A method for filling containers in an automated filling operation, comprising:

• conveying a generally continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers to an in-feed section of a circular filling machine;
• at the in-feed section, transferring the continuous stream of adjacent contacting containers onto a generally circular rotating path and conveying the articles around the rotating path in adjacent contact with each other;
• indexing the continuous stream of containers on the circular rotating path into groups having a desired number of containers in each group such that a circumferential space is defined between the containers of different groups;
• after said transferring, engaging the containers with respective rotating filling elements;
• and
• filling the containers with the filling elements as they are conveyed along an arcuate portion of the circular rotating path.