GB650702A - Improvements in or relating to an apparatus for filling containers, for example, bottles with carbonated liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

650,702. Bottling-machines. STEVENS, A. H. (Liquid Carbonic Corporation.). Dec. 1, 1947, No. 31680. [Class 125(ii)] A container filling machine, e.g. for bottling carbonated beverages, comprises a valve admitting liquid to the container when sealed under pressure control of fluid .also admitted and a secondary valve for cutting off fluid flow to the container and valve operating means whilst gradually venting the top of the container before it is unsealed. A ring-shaped rotary bottle filling tank 1 with filling valves 2 surrounds a liquid check tank 3 containing an open-bottomed cylinder 4 into which air under pressure is introduced maintaining a predetermined liquid level in the tanks 1, 3. A bottle is raised by mechanism (not shown) to engage the gasket 32 of a receiving belt 31 which then slides up a filling tube 13; the depending stud 25 of an annular valve 22 is thus lifted and by engagement of the top of the bell with a gasket 28 the bottle is placed into communication through a chamber 21 of the filling valve and passages 24, 35, of a control valve housing 34 with a pipe 6 leading to cylinder 4. Air under pressure is also transmitted through pipes 17 to a space 19 thus depressing a diaphragm 18 supporting the stem 15 of a liquid delivery valve 14 at the end of the filling tube 13 so that liquid is discharged into the bottle. By the time the bottle has been filled to a level determined by the level maintained in tank 3, the tank has reached a position in which the outer end of the control valve stem is engaged by an arcuate cam 51 which closes the valve and cuts off the pressure cylinder from space 21 and the bottle. Also, movement of the valve stem has removed the rear face of the valve from a seat 43 and brought passage 24, and thereby space 21 and the bottle, into communication with atmosphere through valve stem passages 48<SP>1</SP>, 47, 48 a channel 41 and a bleeder port. The liquid valve 14 accordingly closes and when the bottle is unsealed the pressure within has already dropped sufficiently to obviate foaming.