Beverage bottle closing apparatus configured to close beverage bottles in a beverage bottling plant

A rotary screwtop container capping arrangement configured to screw screw caps onto screwtop containers having neck rings configured to support the containers during capping, said screwtop container capping arrangement comprising:

• a rotor having a central, vertical axis of rotation;
• a plurality of container capping stations being disposed on the periphery of said rotor;
• each of said container capping stations comprising:
• a screw capper being configured to screw screw caps onto screwtop containers;
• a container holding element being configured and disposed to receive and hold a neck ring of a threaded mouth portion of a screwtop container to hold and support the screwtop container;
• a lifting element being configured and disposed to lift said container holding element in a first, lifting, direction toward its corresponding screw capper to permit capping of a screwtop container, and to move said container holding element in a second lowering direction away from its corresponding screw capper upon a screwtop container being capped;
• a resilient member being disposed on said lifting element;
• and
• said resilient member being engaged with said container holding element to resiliently apply force to said container holding element to:
• raise a screwtop container toward said screw capper, press a screwtop container into engagement with said screw capper, and maintain engagement of a screwtop container with said screw capper during capping of a screwtop container by said screw capper;
• a cam arrangement being configured and disposed to lift each said lifting element in a first, lifting, direction toward its corresponding screw capper, and to hold each said container holding element in a position to permit a screw cap to be screwed onto a screwtop container, and further being configured and disposed to move each said lifting element in a second, lowering, direction away from its corresponding screw capper upon screwtop containers being capped by said screw capper;
• said cam arrangement comprising:
• a cam roller being mounted on a lower end of said lifting element;
• a stationary guide structure comprising a control groove therein being configured and disposed to receive said cam roller, and to permit rotation of said cam roller within said control groove;
• said control groove comprising a top control surface and a bottom control surface;
• said cam roller being disposed within said control groove of said stationary guide structure between said top control surface and said bottom control surface, wherein said top control surface is disposed above said cam roller and said bottom control surface is disposed below said cam roller;
• said bottom control surface comprising at least one upwardly sloping portion being configured and disposed to contact and force said cam roller in an ascending movement from a lowered position in said stationary guide structure to force said lifting element in the first, lifting, direction toward its corresponding screw head;
• said top control surface comprising at least one downwardly sloping portion being configured and disposed to contact and force said cam roller in a descending movement from a raised position in said stationary guide structure to force said lifting element in the second, lowering, direction away from its corresponding screw head upon screwtop containers being capped with a screw cap;
• and
• said control groove being configured and disposed to run uninterruptedly around the central rotational axis in a substantially circular path to continuously control the vertical position of said cam roller.