Patent ID: 8726946
Filing Date: 2014-05-20
Classification: B67C

Abstract:
1. A method of filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid under counterpressure, using a filling machine which has, on a rotor, a plurality of filling elements, a bowl that is common to the filling elements, whereby the interior of the bowl forms a liquid space which is occupied by the liquid being bottled and a headspace above the liquid for an inert gas under a pressure or a filling pressure, and at least one return gas duct which is common to the filling elements or to each of a group of filling elements, whereby before the filling, the interior of the container is pressurized by means of a controlled gas path of each filling element with inert gas originating from the headspace of the bowl and at the filling pressure, and during the filling at least some of the inert gas is displaced from the containers by the incoming liquid into the at least one return gas duct, wherein the individual container is pressurized from at least one additional gas duct that functions as a gas sink and is common to the filling element or a group of filling elements, which additional gas duct is connected by means of at least one gas connection to the headspace of the bowl.