US2536746A - Filling valve - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 2, 1951 R HOLLlFlELD' 2,536,746

FILLING VALVE Filed June l, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 AIR COUNTER PESSURE ifi? 1 X31 l* 40 Law/mime Rlfolll'lld @@MMWM A TTOR'IVYS Jan 2, `1951 1 R. HOLLIFIELD 2*,536746 FILLING VALVE Filed June l, 1949 `4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

Lawrence z' /mwmwww A TTOPNEYS L. R. HOLLIFIELD FILLING VALVE Jan. 2, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June l, 1949 MQW A TTOP/VE YS Jan. 2, 1951 l.. R. HoLLlFlELD 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June l, 1949 IN V EN TOR. wwlfezzcejioll'ela? BY www, 4m fw w WM A TTOENEYS Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFICE FILLING VALVE Lawrence R. Holliield, Grover, N.,C. Application June 1, 1949, serial No. 96.574

3 Claims.

This invention relates to filling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for filling receptacles with gas-impregnated beverages.

In the bottling arts which relate to lling receptacles with carbonated beverages it is customary rst to introduce the syrup or avoring portion of the beverage and then to introduce carbonated Water. While the operation of partially flling a bottle with syrup presents few difculties, the introduction-of carbonated Water or other gasimpregnated liquid involves the inherent dimculty that the bottle must be pressurized to prevent foaming during the filling operation and this must be accomplished in a manner vconsistent with accurate liquid cut olf. As a matter of fact, foaming diiculties are the principal reasons why it has been customary to ll bottles with carbonated beverages by 'a two-stage operation involving first introducing the syrup and then the gas-impregnated liquid.

One of the more acute phases of the problem presented in introducing air under pressure and carbonated water into the bottle is that of get- -ting adequate cross-sectional area in the liquid conduits Which are required to be introduced into the mouth of the bottle. If the cross section of the filling stem is increased, adequate filling speed is achieved but the problem of centering the stem in the mouth of the bottle becomes acute and bottle breakage and stem damage increases. If the stem is reduced in size to reduce the centering problem then the reduced cross-sectional areas of the filling conduits result in serious reduction in lling speed. Furthermore, the length as well as the diameter of the liquid conduits which lead to the mouth of the bottle has an important bearing on lling speed.

Another problem arises because the filling valve assemblies have heretofore been located Within p the storage tank for the carbonated water so that any repair or maintenance of the valve assembly requires removal of and loss of all of the carbonated water in the tank.

It is an object of this. invention to overcome line 8 8 of Figure 2;

226-115) .i 2 It is a further object of this invention to pro--v vide a filling valve which may be mounted ex'l ternally of a carbonated Water supply tank and which may be isolated from the tank for removaland repair without loss of the tank contents. Additionally, the centered bell, nozzle and tube assembly of the present invention are ar# ranged for easy and convenient Vremoval for cleaning purposes. p

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein; Figure l is a view partially in elevation and partially in vertical section of a filling machine constructed in accordance with the teachings o the present invention; Figure 2 is a view in vertical section of a lling valve according to the present invention shown in its open or filling position;

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section similar to Figure 2 but taken at a viewpoint 90 away from that of Fig-ure 2 and showing the valve in its closed position;

Figure 4 is a view in sectiontaken along the line 4 4 of Figure 2; I Figure 5 is a view in `section taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a portion of the valve operating mechanism; f

Figure 7 is a fragmentary -view in elevationv of the valve operating mechanism showing the cam following lever which actuates the valve;

Figure 8 is a view in section taken along the Figure 9 is a view in section taken alongthe line 9 9 of Figure 3; and, f v Figure l0 is a View in sectionktaken along the line iil-l of Figure 3.

If now more detailed reference is made to Fig-- ure l, the broad operating principles of the machine can be understood. In filling bottles with soft drinks such as carbonated beverages, each bottle is rst partially vled with syrup approfpriate to the final beverage to be produced, is then filled with carbonated water to the desired level and is finally capped. The present machine is concerned with the second of these steps and K it should' therefore be understood that the bottles as they are fed onto the machine of Figure 1 are already partially filled with syrup and that after leaving the last station on the machine they will be capped. The machine as illustrated in Figure 1 includes a rotary table I0 driven from any suitable 3 power source, not shown, and provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced bottle raising cylinders II. The bottles are received successively on the machine at the station of the bottle raising cylinder indicated at A and each bottle begins to be raised as soon as it is in position on the respective cylinder II. By the time each bottle reaches station B it has been raised enough to be in sealing engagement with the filling Valve. As it is filled it continues to turn and as soon as the lling operation is complete the cylinder II is lowered and the bottle is ready for discharge as indicated at station C.

The details of the supplying of bottles to and the removal of the bottles from the raising cylinders I I and the operation of the raising cylinders themselves have not been described in detail since they are conventional and per se constitute no part of the present invention.

Centrally mounted on the table I9 is a tank Supporting casting I2 upon which a carbonated water supply tank I3 is mounted. This tank is supplied from below with carbonated water from a central pipe I4 leading through a seal I5 maintained in position by a collar I3. The pipe I4 is stationary and, of courseL the tank I3 rotates with the table ID so that the seal at I5 must be of the typeV which is leakproof under conditions of relative rotation. A depending boss II at the bottom of the tank I3 cooperates with the seal I5.

At the top of the tank I3 a dome cover I8 is provided. The dome cover is held in position by rods I9 and 2.0 which are threaded at the upper end and provided with nuts which bear on the margins of the dome. A spacerring 2| is located between the bottom ofl the dome and the top of the tank I3. This ring coacts with a flanged ring 22 so as to seal the top of the tank gas tight. In the middle of the dome IS there is located a tting 23 provided with packing at. 24 and 25 and with compression collars 25 and 2l for compressing the packing. The tting 23 receives a pipe 23 through which air unpressure is supplied to the top of the tank I3. As was the case in connection with pipe I4, the pipe 28 is stationary, whereas, of course, the dome, being attached to the tank I3, rotates.

A The tank I3 is provided with a plurality of valves` 29, two of which are shown in Figure 1*. Each of these valves is supplied through a channel 39 at the bottom of the tank I3 with carbonated water and through a stand pipe 3I, with air under pressure. to a plane above the full level of the carbonated water in the tank I3. During operation, a predetermined air pressure is maintained in the air space above the liquid in the tank I3. This pressure serves to maintain the CO2 dissolved in carbonated water and to effect certain control functions to be hereinafter more fully described.

As was explained in the preliminary portions of,v this specification, one of the principal advan tages of this invention is that the iilling valves are located exteriorly of the tank so that, in the event any of them require maintenancev or repair, they can be removed without the necessity of draining the tank I3 or of dismantling the apparatus as a whole. To this end. each of the valves 29 is connected to the respective pipes 39 and 3| by removable threaded collars 32 and 33 respectively. Between the threaded collar and the point of egress of the pipe 30 from the bottom of the tank I3, there is located a shut-off valve 34, A similar shut-off valve is associ- The stand pipes 3l extend ated with each stand pipe 3I. It is now apparent that to remove a valve 29 from the asembly only requires that the valves 34 and 35 be shut oi and that the collars 32 and 33 be removed. From a structural point of view, the valves 29 are held from brackets 36 extending from the base of the tank i3 and bolts connect the ears on the respective valves to the respective brackets.

A separate drain pipe for draining the tank I3 incident to cleaning operations is indicated at 3l. This pipe of course turns with the tank and is provided with a plug or valve, not shown, to keep it in normally closed condition.

It will be understood that during the course of travel oi each bottle from Station A through Station B to Station C, it will be raised and lowered and moved in a circular path for almost 360. Since there is a valve 29 for each raising cylinder II, it willY be appreciated that the operation of the valves can be made responsive either to the vertical movement of the bottle or to engagement with cams disposed in the circular path'in which the valves move. Actually, in the present instance, resort is had to both of these expedients and cams 38 and 39 are mounted from any iixed support adjacent the path of movement of the valves 29 so as to intercept the path of movement of the lever lil with which each valve 29. is equipped. The shifting of the position of the lever 4i) controls the escape of carbonated water from the valve into the bottle and the upward movement of they bottle controls theA positioning of the iilling stem.

If now reference is made to Figures 2, 3 and 8. an understanding of the lling valves 29 can be gained. Each valve is comprised of a main body portion 4I, a body portion cap 42, a separable lower body portion 43 and a bottlefengaging bell assembly 44. Disposed between the cap 4 2 and the main body portion 4I there is a flexible diaphragm 45. This diaphragm is connected through washers 46 and 4,1 and` threaded nut 48 to a threaded valve stem 49. At theV lower extremity of the valve stem 49, therev is disposed a pear valve 50 co-actingV with a seat 5I to control now from a chamber 52 centrally located within the main housing 4I below the diaphragm. The chamber 52 is connected by a port 53 with a channel 54 leading tothe carbonated liquid supply line 30 so that the chamber 52 is normally supplied with carbonated water at whatever pres` sure prevails within thetank I3. Since the pressure within the tank I3 is always above atmosf pheric pressure, the pressure within the chamber 52 will raise the diaphragm. and cause the pear valveV 53 to be closed under any conditions when atmospheric pressure prevails above the da` phragm.

Within the cap 42 and above the diaphragm, there is provided a cavity 55 which communicates through a channel 56 to a vertical channel 5l which, through a channel 58, leads to a Valve 59. The valve 59 is provided with a. T-shaped cavity comprised of channels 69. 6I and 62, seeFigure 5. If the Valve 59 is in the Figure 5 position, channel 5S communicates through channels 60 and. 62 with a channel 63 leading to` a vertical channel 64. Vertical channel 64 leads to air inlet pipe 33, see Figure 8. Leading from ther plug valve 59 there is a channel 65 which vents to atmosphere at 56 below the axis of the valve 59 (see Figure 6). Thus it is possible, when the valve 59 is in the Figure 5 position, to admit air under pressure. through the. channel I4v which, through channel 63, valve 59 and channel 58, can reach the channel 51. Upon reaching the channel 51, it can pass through channel 56 into the cavity 55 and exert a pressure on the top of the diaphragm equal to the pressure of the carbonated liquid below the diaphragm in the cavity 52. Under these conditions the weight of the pear valve will cause it to unset so that liquid occupying the cavity 52 may discharge into the space below the pear valve. When, however, the valve 6| is turned 90 in an anti-clockwise direction from the Figure position, the cavity 55 is placed in communication with atmosphere since itcan vent through the channels 56, 51, 56, 6|, E0 and 65. The air pressure in the tank |3 is not lost, however, due to the fact that the channel 62 of the valve 59 which previously registered with ,the channel 63, is now blocked and the body of the valve 59 blocks the channel 63 so that the air pressure in channels 64 and 63 is maintained.

From the foregoing it can be seen that when air under pressure is admitted to the chamber 55, the pear valve 5U can be moved to the open position shown in Figure 2, whereas, when channel 55 is vented to atmosphere, the pressure in the chamber 52 is sufficient to bias the diaphragm to the Figure 3 position and close the pear valve 50.

- In view of the fact that the pear valve 50 controls egress of carbonated water from the chamber 52, it is apparent that during the filling of a bottle, the pear valve should be open. It is likewise apparent that while the pear valve is open, a substantial positive air pressure should exist within the bottle to be lled so that evolution of the CO2 and resultant foaming can be prevented. Tothis latter end, the main housing 4| of each valve 29 is provided with a channel 61- which leads through a gasket 68 into a registering channel 69 located in the lower body portion 43 of the valve assembly 29. The channel 69 extends radially to a central channel 10 and the central channel 10 is internally threaded at one end to receive a hollow externally threaded stern 3| which functions as the air supply stem to the bottle. To maintain a seal between the lower body portion 43 and the main valve body 4|,4- a flanged sleeve 12 is provided, the threads of which engage a threaded boss 13 at the base of the main valve portion 4|. When the threaded sleeve 12 is drawn up to a sufficient extent the gasket 68 is sufficiently compressed to effect a liquid and pressure tight seal between the elements 43 and 4|.

' If now reference is made to Figure l0, it will be seen that the liquid issuing from the chamber 52 upon entering the lower body portion 43 is distributed into a plurality of apertures or channels 14. These channels lead to an annular space or header chamber indicated at 15 in Figure 2, which space or chamber is defined between a resilient annular gasket 16 projecting from the base of the part 43 and co-acting with a land 11 disposed on the top of the bell assembly element 44. It is considered desirable that the gasket 16 be made of rubber, either natural or synthetic, and that it be of sufficient thickness so that it can be compressed tightly against the land 11 when the bottle is in the Figure 2 position so that the-space 15 is positively sealed.

If now reference is made to Figure 9, it will be seen that the header chamber 15 discharges into a plurality of channels 18 arranged in circumferentially spaced relationship in an annulus surrounding the stem 1|. The portion of the bell assembly element 44 which is provided with the channels -18 and which receives the stem 11 is metal and the underside thereof defines a cavity in which there is seated a rubber or rubber-like bottle-engaging bell 19. The bottle-engaging bell is provided with a flared mouth and isintended to seat tightly against the mouth of the bottle as indicated in Figure 2.

The stem 1| terminates in a generally frusto conical end portionwhich provides a ange at (see Figure 2). The metal portion of the bell assembly 44 defines a sleeve bearing 8| so that the bell is free to slide up and down on the stem' 1| and this bearing terminates in a ared portion 62 which can be seen and understood in both of Figures 2 and 3. s

It will be noted that the resilient portion 19 of the bell assembly 44 terminates in a skirt which depends below the lower extremity of the stem 1l. Thus as the raising cylinder raises the bottle toward filling position, the bottle mouth engages the inner resilient surface of the bell 19 which has a centering effect on the bottle before the mouth of the bottle is required to receive the end of the stem 1|. This centering effect has been found tobe important in preventing bent stems and bottle breakage. The limited universal movement afforded the bell assembly 44 by the clearance between the bearing 8| and the stem 1| has no effect on the seal between the land 11 and the gasket 16 and in view of the provision of header chamber 15, it is not necessary that the channel 14 register with the channels 18. 1 In conjunction with the description of Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, reference was made to the valve 59 and the two positions which it occupies during the operation of the device. The means by which the valve 59 is moved from one position to the other will now be explained. The valve 59 in` cludes a stem portion 83 of square cross section (see Figure 6) which is received in its operating lever which is the cam follower 46 (see Figure 7). The cam follower 40 is provided with a locking bolt 84 by which it is drawn into tight engage--` ment with the square stem 83 of the valve 59. During the movement of the valve assembly 29 in the circular path which it follows as a result of the rotation of the table I6, the upper arm 85 of the earn follower 4i) strikes the stationary cam 38 which moves it to the Figure '1 position at Station A and moves the valve 59 to the Figure 5 position. This results in the filling of a bottle. By the time the bottle has been filled, the whole valve assembly has moved to the position of cam 39 and that cam strikes the lower ar-m 36 of the cam followerv49 and moves the valve 59 90 in a counter-clockwise direction as it isviewed in Figure 5. This is a venting position consistent with and precedent to the discharge of the bottle from the conveyor and precedent to the reception of another bottle by that valve for filling.

The structure of the apparatus disclosed in the drawings has now been sufficiently described so that its operation may be fully understood. When a bottle is received at Station A, bearing in mind that it is already partly filled with syrup, it is moved by the table I0 to Station B andv during that movement the raising cylinder I raises it from a position below the bell mouth of the sealing member 19 tothe position shown in Figure 2. Thus the. assembly 44 is raised from the Figure 3 to the Figure 2 position during the course of movement of the bottle from the station at which it is received on the conveyor to the station at which the filling operation begins. One highly important feature of the present invention isthe 7 guiding of the bell assembly 44` on the'stem-ll which adords a limited measure of universal adjustment and assures the centering of thestem 'Il within the bottle whereby bottle breakage is greatly reduced and eiiicient operation is enhanced. When the bottle has fully pressed the bell assembly 44 to its uppermost position, the land l'- tightly engages the lower surface of the gasket 'i5 and seals the header chamber i5y so that liquid may flow from the chamber 52, through the channels 14, into the chamber 15, through the channels 'I8 and along theedges oi" the bottle in distributed fashion into its interior. Thusfwhen the assembly 441s in the Figure 2 position. the arm 85 of the cam 40 is biased to the; Figure 'i' position, air is admitted to the chamber 55' and the filling operation begins. Foam ingl within the bottle, is prevented because the air; pressure existing in the chamber 55 likewise exists in the bottle due to the channels 61, 69 and.'l 'l0 and the hollow interior of the stem 7l, As the; bottley fills, the liquid willV eventually rise to the level of the port 8l provided in the stem 1i adjacent its lower end and this alone will stop the filling operation,` although at the same time the arm 86 will strike the cam 39 and vent chamber 55-to atmosphere causing closure of the pear valve 50. As this occurs the raising cylinder Il will lowerv the bottle to the position shown at the right-hand of Figure 1 atl Station C, whereupon the bottle is removed from the machine for cap-y ping.

In view oi the fact that the air under pressure within the bottle is vented through the stem 'il during filling and in view of the fact that there is a continuous airV passage from the bottle packing; to the tank i3, it isv apparent that perfect equilibrium exists, since the pressure loss in the tank I3 is exactly compensated by the air returningk to the tank through the pipe 3|. When,- however, the liquid gets above the level of the portk 81, further venting is not possible and the introduction of additional` liquid would cause suchY an extreme pressure rise as to immediately snap theV diaphragm d5 to its upper position whereby to close the pear valve.

` Upon reference to. Figures 2 and 3 it canbe seen that the main body portion ti oi each valve isconnected by bolts to the body portion 42 whereby the latter may be easily and conveniently removed for cleaning and repairing when necessary. The entire rollerv body portion and bell assembly are likewise easily removed for cleaning or repairing by simply unscrewing the threaded sleeve 12.

It should bev emphasized that one of the important features of this invention isv the factthat the lling valves are disposed wholly without the tank and that the valves are arranged forindi vidua-l removal from the tank assembly without requiring the discharge of the tank contents,

` What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for iilling receptacles with gas impregnatedY liquids that-'comprises a valve body, a hollow stem depending from said body, a bell assembly mounted for free sliding movement alongsaidV stem from a low positionin which the skirt of the bell depends below the end of the stem to a high position in which the bell is in.

marginal sealing engagement with a portion oi" the valve body and denes therewith a header chamber, said bell assembly having a plurality of circumferentially spaced channels extending therethrough from said header chamber to the spacel within said bell assembly adjacent thel stem, a: supply tank: for gasimpregnated liquid having a liquid space and a compressed air space; a4 first valve in said valve body, first means es tablishing a passageway between said first valve' and the compressed air space of said tank, second means establishing a passageway between said iirst valve and' atmosphere, third means estab-v lishing a passageway between said first valve and the hollow interior of said stem, a second valve, fourth means establishing a passageway between' the liquid space in said tank and said second valve, fifth means establishing a passageway bei tween said second valve and said header cham'lber. a diaphragm for controlling the operatio'nor said second valve, one side of said diaphragm bea ing exposed to the pressure in the passageway established by said fourth means, and the other side of the diaphragm being exposed to the pres# sure in the passageway established by said third means, and means for selectively adjusting saidA rirst'valve from a position closing the passageway estalilishedl by said first means and connecting the passageway established by said third' means to that established by said second means to a position closing the passageway established by said second means and connecting the passage-y ways ofthe first and third means.

2. Apparatus for filling receptacles with gas impregnated liquids that comprises a rotatable supply tank for gas impregnated liquid having a liquid space and a compressed air space, a plurality of valve. bodies each located exteriorly of said tank for rotation therewith, a hollow stein depending from each valve body, a bell assembly mountedfor sliding movement along each stem from a low position in which the skirt of the bell depends below the end of the stem to a high position in which the bell is in marginal sealing engagement with a portion of the valve body and defines therewith a header chamber, each bell assembly having a plurality of circumferf entially spaced channels extending therethrough' from said header chamber to the space within said bell assembly adjacent the stem, a rst valve in each valve body, first means establishing a passageway between each rst valve and" the; compressed air space of said tank, second means establishing a passageway between each first valve and atmosphere, third means establishing. a passageway between each iirst valve and the' hollow interior of said stein, a second valve in each valve body, fourth means establishing a ing exposed" to the pressure in the passageway olf established bythe respective third means, anda means responsive to rotation of said tank foi: cyclically adjusting successive rst valves from a position closing the respective passageway estab= lished' by said' rst means and connecting the passageway established by said third means to: that established by said second means to at po-p sition. closing the passageway established by saidl second means and connecting the passagewaysfoff the iirst and third means.

3. Apparatus for lling receptacles',v with gasd impregnatedliquids that comprises a central taulemounted for rotation, said tank havingv a liquid space and a space for gas under pressure, av plurality of circumferentially-spaced valve assent#r blies arranged. exteriorly of the tank adjacent 9 I 1) its margin, means detachably connecting each tank for repair or maintenance without the valve assembly for rotation with the tank, a comnecessity of draining the tank. pressed gas conduit leading from the gas space LAWRENCE R. HOLLIFIELD. of said tank to each of the valve assemblies, another conduit leading from the liquid spacet of 5 REFERENCES CITED Sad tank t0 each 0f the Valve assembhfs' a' re' The following references are of record in the movable connection between each of said conle of this patent:

duits and the respective valve assembly and a shut-01T valve in each conduit between the tank UNITED STATES PATENTS and the respective removable connection whereby 10 Number Name Date the valve assembly may be separated from the 1,919,665 Muller July 25, 1933 2,334,933 Kantor Nov. 23, 1943

Images