Patent ID: 6328928
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: B65B,B67C

Abstract:
A method of preparing and filling open ended bottles with a product comprising the steps of:disposing a plurality of said bottles in an upright disposition with the open end uppermost;providing a conveyor for conveying the bottles along a conveying path;loading a plurality of said upright bottles on said conveyor in a plurality of rows of bottles at a loading station along said conveying path with the longitudinal extent of each row being generally perpendicular to said conveying path;inverting each row of upright bottles on said conveyor at an inverting station along said conveyor path to an inverted position in which the open ends of said bottles in each row are lowermost;cleaning the inside of each inverted row of bottles at a cleaning station disposed along said conveying path;drying each inverted row of bottles on said conveyor at a first drying station disposed along said conveying path;providing a sterile enclosure along said conveying path;sterilizing each inverted row of bottles on said conveyor with a sterilizing agent at a sterilizing station in said sterile enclosure;drying the inside of each inverted row of bottles at a second drying station disposed in said sterile enclosure;uprighting each row of bottles on said conveyor at an uprighting station disposed along said conveying path from said inverted position to said upright position while each row of bottles is in said sterile enclosure;filling each row of upright bottles on said conveyor at a filling station with a product while each row of bottles is in said sterile enclosure;sealing the open end of the row of filled bottles on said conveyor at a sealing station while each row of bottles is in said sterile enclosure; andunloading each row of sealed upright bottles from said conveyor at an unloading station.