Patent ID: 6470922
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: B67C,F17C

Abstract:
A plant for filling containers, such as beverage bottles, with a liquid beverage with a filling machine, said filling machine comprising:apparatus configured and disposed to move containers into said filling machine to permit filling of containers with a liquid beverage; apparatus configured and disposed to withdraw containers filled with a liquid beverage from said filling machine; a supply arrangement configured and disposed to contain a supply of liquid beverage with which the containers are to be filled; a supply arrangement configured and disposed to contain a supply of protective gas to protect the liquid beverage in a filled container; at least one filling element configured and disposed to sealingly engage with the containers during filling; apparatus configured and disposed to introduce the liquid beverage into a container sealingly engaged with each said at least one filling element through each said at least one filling element into a container; at least one supply passage for the protective gas, configured to be opened and closed, and disposed between said protective gas supply tank and the interior of a container sealingly engaged with each said at least one filling element; conduit means configured and disposed to collect protective gas from a container filled with said protective gas upon the filling of a container with a liquid beverage; a first evacuation system configured and disposed to remove air by pumping the air from the interior of a container sealingly engaged with each said at least one filling element; apparatus configured and disposed to introduce the protective gas into a container sealingly engaged with each said at least one filling element subsequent to evacuation of the air from a container to pressurize a beverage container to a first pressure; apparatus configured and disposed to introduce liquid beverage into a container subsequent to the introduction of the protective gas into a container; said liquid beverage introducing apparatus comprising at least one supply passage for the liquid beverage configured to be disposed between said beverage supply tank and the interior of a container; a second evacuation system configured and disposed to remove the introduced protective gas by pumping the introduced protective gas from the interior of a container; said second evacuation system comprising an evacuation system being configured and disposed to be independent of said first, air, evacuation system; apparatus configured and disposed to treat the removed protective gas to recover at least a substantial portion of protective gas from the removed protective gas; apparatus to introduce the treated recovered protective gas into said protective gas supply arrangement; and control apparatus to control said filling machine.