Centering device for bottle filling machines

A bottle centering and sealing device for use on a bottle filling machine which includes a centering cup having a nonmetallic housing with a conical shaped recess in the bottom thereof. A cylindrical seal is carried adjacent the top of the recess which provides a seal between the top of the bottle and the bottom of a filling tank when the bottle is raised for filling liquid therein. The centering cup is supported on a horizontally extending arm which rides up vertically on a guide rail. The centering cup is loosely carried within the horizontal arm for aiding in aligning the bottle relative to the filling spout and vent tube forming part of the filling mechanism. A bearing is interposed between said arm and said guide rail for producing a retarding force against the raising of said centering cup when a bottle strikes said centering cup off center.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a bottle centering device and more 
particularly to a bottle centering device which positively centers and 
seals a bottle relative to a filling valve forming a part of a beverage 
filling machine. 
Most bottle filling machines utilize a stirrup for lifting a bottle up to a 
filling valve that has a small protruding vent tube that must extend into 
the mouth of the bottle so as to remove air from the bottle as the bottle 
is being filled. Some of these machines are equipped with centering 
devices which aid in shifting the bottles on the stirrups as they are 
raised to the filling position in order to insure that the tops of the 
bottles do not strike the vent tubes. An example of a bottle aligning 
device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,989. In this particular device, 
a centering cup engages the shoulder of the bottle as it is raised to the 
filling position for aligning the bottle relative to the filling valve and 
the vent tube. One problem with such a device is that it will not 
accommodate short-necked bottles. 
Another example of a bottle centering device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,856,059 wherein as the bottle is raised it engages a centering device 
that is pivoted rearwardly out of the path of the bottle as the bottle is 
lifted to its filling device. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,206 discloses another centering device that is 
supported on a pair of pivotal arms. As a result of the centering cup 
being supported on pivotal arms, as the cup is raised it moves about a 
radius rather than on a direct vertical line. This presents a problem in 
tolerances in that the centering cup and bottle have to first clear the 
bottom of the vent tube 16, then be raised without striking the spreader 
washer and subsequently be properly positioned relative to the fluid 
valve. 
The most commonly used centering device known to applicant is disclosed in 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,640 which includes a centering cup that is positioned 
directly adjacent the bottom of the filling tank. One problem with such 
devices is that the centering of the bottle does not place until after the 
vent tube has entered the neck of the bottle. If the bottle is not 
properly aligned, it could bend the vent tube as well as chip or break the 
top of the bottle. 
Still another example of a centering device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,183,964 wherein a centering cup is carried directly on a filling tube 
11. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,299 instead of raising the bottles to a filling 
valve, the entire filling mechanism is lowered down on the top of the 
bottle. 
It is important that a satisfactory device be used for positioning the 
mouth of the bottle in proper position to accept the vent tube. If not, 
the bottle is often knocked off the stirrup by the mouth missing the vent 
tube, the bottle is broken by striking the vent tube and/or the bottle can 
be cracked. If the bottle is cracked it can explode when pressure is 
applied thereto during the filling operation. When the bottle crown ring 
is chipped on contact with the vent tube, such, in turn, can cause the 
rubber or plastic seals that are provided for holding the pressure as the 
bottle is being filled, to be cut. 
These malfunctions are not only expensive as a result of loss of bottles, 
but interfere with production rates. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention pertains to a bottle centering and sealing device for use on 
a bottle filling machine which is provided with a filling tank. A filler 
valve is carried in the bottom wall of the filling tank with the vent tube 
projecting vertically below the bottom wall of the tank. A platform is 
used for elevating a bottle which is to be filled vertically to a filling 
position wherein the vent tube is inserted within the neck of the bottle 
and the top of the bottle is in alignment with a filling valve. The 
centering device includes a centering cup which has a housing with a 
recess provided therein for receiving a top of a bottle when elevated on 
the platform. The recess has a conical shaped portion adjacent the bottom 
of the housing which terminates in a cylindrical portion adjacent the top 
thereof. The conical shaped portion is inclined inwardly from the bottom 
of the housing toward the top of the housing. A sealing ring is carried 
within the cylindrical portion of the housing and provides a seal between 
the top of the bottle and the tank when the bottle is raised to the 
filling position. A horizontally extending arm is utilized for supporting 
the centering cup. The inner end of the horizontally extending arm has an 
opening therein slightly larger than an external surface on the housing 
for receiving the housing. An O-ring is utilized for loosely securing the 
housing to the inner end of the arm within the opening for aiding in 
aligning the top of the bottle in the housing when the bottle is raised 
for filling. The other end of the arm rides up and down on a vertically 
extending guide bracket. A bearing is interposed between the other end of 
the horizontally extending arm and the guide bracket for producing a low 
friction contact between the arm and the guide bracket when the bottle is 
properly aligned. 
However, when the bottle strikes the centering cup off center on the 
inclined surface of the housing the bearing tends to bind against the 
guide bracket. This retarding force causes the bottle to slide over the 
inclined surface to the center of the cup. 
Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide 
a centering cup which can be utilized with many different types and styles 
of bottles for centering the bottles relative to vent tubes and filling 
valves associated with filling machines. 
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a 
centering cup which aligns a bottle relative to a vent tube and other 
filling components as the bottle is raised vertically on a stirrup. 
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a 
centering cup which is permitted to be raised vertically along with a 
bottle as it moved to its filling position. 
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a 
centering cup which minimizes the chance of the bottle hanging up in the 
filling valve and centering cup as the bottle is lowered after filling. 
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a 
centering cup which aids in aligning bottles relative to a filling 
mechanism in addition to producing a positive seal between the top of the 
bottle and the filling mechanism. 
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a 
bottle centering and sealing device which substantially eliminates the 
problem of aligning the open tops of bottles with the filling mechanism. 
These and other ojects and advantages of the invention will become apparent 
upon reference to the following specification, attendant claims, and 
drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a bowl or tank 10 
of a bottle filling machine having liquid 12 carried therein. Extending 
through a bottom wall 14 of the tank is a valve mechanism 16 which 
dispenses the liquid from the tank. The valve mechanism 16 may be any 
suitable conventional construction, and one suitable valve is described in 
more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,027. A similar valve and mechanism for 
operating the valve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,880. A nipple 18 
is carried adjacent the bottom of the valve for dispensing the liquid from 
the tank into a bottle upon activating the valve mechanism 16. Extending 
downwardly through the bottom of the tank 14 and the nipple 18 is a vent 
tube 20 which allows the air to escape from the bottle during the filling 
operation. As the liquid is dispensed through the nipple 18 into the 
bottle it strikes a spreader washer 22 which causes the liquid to run down 
the inner walls of the bottle during the filling operation. 
In normal operation of the bottle filling machine, a bottle 24 is supported 
on a stirrup 26 which automatically raises the bottle upwardly to the 
bottom of the tank so that the liquid can be dispensed therefrom through 
the valve mechanism into the bottle. In placing the bottles 24 on the 
stirrups 26 they are often not in proper alignment with the filling valve 
and vent tube 20. As a result, as the bottle is raised the bottle will 
strike the vent tube causing one or more of the following malfunctions. 
When the bottle strikes the vent tube it can be knocked off the stirrup 26 
by the mouth missing the vent tube, the bottle can be broken by striking 
the vent tube, the bottle can be cracked on striking the vent tube which 
could cause the bottle to explode when pressure is applied during filling, 
the bottle crown ring can be chipped on contact with the vent tube causing 
cutting of the rubber or plastic seals normally provided with the filling 
mechanism, and/or the bottle can strike the spreader washer which, in 
turn, would affect the flow of liquid into the bottle. Some times when the 
bottle strikes the vent tube it will bend the vent tube badly often 
destroying it. 
These malfunctions are not only expensive as a result of loss of bottles, 
fluid and machine parts, but also affect the production rate of the 
filling machine. 
The centering and sealing device constructed in accordance with the present 
invention includes a plastic housing 28 which may be constructed of any 
suitable material such as nylon and has an inclined conical shaped inner 
wall 30 which defines a conical shaped recess that terminates in a 
cylindrical recess defined by the cylindrical wall 32. A radially 
extending flange 34 is provided adjacent the top of the inner wall of the 
housing. 
The outer wall of the housing 28 has a reduced cylindrical surface 36 
directly adjacent an outwardly extending wall portion 38 that is provided 
adjacent the bottom of the housing. Positioned directly above the reduced 
surface 36 is a groove 40 in which an O-ring 42 is carried. 
The upper part of the housing tapers inwardly and terminates in a reduced 
diameter cylindrical portion 46 which is adapted to fit within a 
cylindrical opening provided in an aligning ferrule 48 which is carried on 
the bottom of the filling tank. The aligning ferrule 48 has a conical 
inner surface 50 provided adjacent the bottom of the inner wall 50. A 
flexible relatively hard rubber cylindrical seal 52 is carried within the 
upper portion of the housing and has a radially extending flange 54 which 
abuts against the flange 34 of the housing for securing the seal therein. 
The seal 52 extends upwardly beyond the top of the housing 28 as best 
illustrated in FIG. 3. The seal has a cylindrical opening therein through 
which nipple 18 extending downwardly from the bottom of the filling tank 
passes. 
A horizontally extending arm 58 is provided for supporting the housing 28. 
The arm 58 has a hole provided in an inner end thereof so that the housing 
can slip therethrough and be secured thereto between the O-ring 42 and the 
outwardly extending flange 38 provided adjacent the bottom of the housing. 
The opening is slightly greater than the external diameter of the reduced 
portion 36 of the housing so that there is a loose fit therebetween. In 
one particular embodiment there is a difference of one thirty-second inch 
between the external diameter of the reduced portion 36 and the diameter 
of the hole carried in the horizontal arm 58. The loose fit between the 
arm and the housing 26 permits the centering cup to continue operating 
properly and prevents it from hanging up in the aligning ferrule 48 even 
if the cup assembly becomes slightly out of alignment. 
The horizontally extending arm 58 has its inner end secured by means of 
bolts 60 to the top of a substantially H-shaped nylon bearing block 62. 
The nylon block 62 is positioned between a pair of laterally spaced 
vertically extending guide rails 64 and 66. The upper ends of the guide 
rails 64 and 66 are welded to a horizontally extending member 68 which is 
bolted to the bottom of the tank 14 by means of a bolt 71. The inner end 
of the horizontally extending member 68 has a semicircular recess provided 
therein with a pair of inwardly extending flanges 70 and 72. The inwardly 
extending flanges 70 and 72 engage the radially extending flange of the 
aligning ferrule 48 holding the aligning ferrule in position adjacent the 
bottom of the filling tank. 
A bolt 74 extends between the guide rails 64 and 66 adjacent the bottom 
thereof for securing the nylon block between the guide rails 64 and 66. 
In operation, as the stirrup 26 is raised, lifting the bottle 24 upwardly 
if the bottle is out of alignment with the vent tube 20 it strikes the 
incline edge 30 of the inner wall of the housing 28 and is forced to the 
center of the housing 28. The bottle continues rising until the top 
thereof engages a bottom surface of the seal 52. At this time, the entire 
centering cup begins to rise in a vertical path provided by the guide 
rails 66 and 64 and the nylon block carried therebetween. When it is 
raised to its filling position, such as illustrated in FIG. 2, the top of 
the bottle presses against the bottom of the seal 52 with the top of the 
seal presses against the bottom of the filling tank. As a result of the 
relatively narrow surface of the seal 52, the pressure required to make 
the seal between the top of the bottle and the bottom of the tank is 
reduced as compared to that normally required with most bottle filling 
apparatus. 
When the bottle reaches the filling position the liquid flows through the 
nozzle 18 engaging the spreader washer 22 and is directed along the inner 
walls of the bottle 24. After the bottle has been filled, the stirrup 26 
begins lowering the bottle 24. When the guide block 62 strikes the bolt 74 
carried between the guide rails 64 and 66, the downward descent of the 
centering cup stops abruptly causing the momentum of the bottle to pull 
the bottle from the rubber seal 52 minimizing the possibility of the 
bottle hanging up therein. 
As a result of the H-shaped configuration of the block 62 and the nesting 
of the guide rails 64 and 66 in the slots provided therein, a retarding 
force is normally applied to the centering cup until the bottle has been 
properly centered. If the bottle engages the inclined inner wall 30 of the 
centering cup, it tends to cause binding between the H-shaped block 62 and 
the guide rails 64 and 66 until it is shifted to the center of the cup 
wherein it engages the seal 52. In one particular embodiment the inner 
wall 30 extends upwardly and inwardly at an angle of approximately 
45.degree.. The external diameter of the reduced surface 36 is 1 and 31/32 
inches wherein the internal diameter of the hole provided in the inner end 
of the horizontally extending arm 58 is 2 inches in diameter. It is also 
noted that the O-ring 42 is positioned slightly above the arm 58 so as to 
provide a loose fit between the arm 58 and the centering cup. 
In order to remove the centering cup, it is only necessary to slip the 
flexible O-ring 42 out of the groove and drop the entire housing 28 
through the hole provided in the arm 58. The plastic housing 28 of the 
centering cup may be constructed of any suitable material such as Delron, 
manufactured by E. I. Dupont Co., high molecular weight polyethylene or 
nylon. As a result of the inclined surface 30 being of a plastic material, 
the bottle tends to slide thereacross with a minimum amount of friction 
and binding during the centering operation prior to being shifted upwardly 
to engage the sealing washer 52. 
FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment for the guide rails 64 and 66. 
In the device shown in FIG. 5, the inner end of the arm 58 is welded to a 
sleeve 76 that encircles a square-shaped shaft 78. The upper end of the 
shaft 78 is welded to the same horizontal member 68. Positioned within the 
sleeve 76 is a bearing member 80 which has a square-shaped hole provided 
therein permitting the sleeve 76 and the arm 58 to ride up and down on the 
shaft during the filling operation similar to that described in connection 
with the block 62. In one particular embodiment the bearing material 
includes a woven teflon dacron fabric with a fiberglass resin backing. As 
a result of the bearing material 80 carried within the sleeve 76 there is 
relatively low frictional contact between the bearing material and the 
shaft 78 permitting the arm 58 to be raised and lowered on the shaft 78 
when the bottle is properly aligned. There is, however, a retarding force 
imparted to the cup when the bottle is not properly centered which aids in 
centering the bottle. It is to be understood, of course, that other types 
of conventional bearing material could be utilized. 
Another advantage of the centering cup constructed in accordance with the 
present invention is that prior to the bottle being raised it acts as an 
umbrella over the top of the bottle so that in the event that an adjacent 
bottle explodes causing glass to be thrown, the centering cup would 
minimize the chances of the glass entering into the bottle. 
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using 
specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it 
is to be understood that changes and variations may be without departing 
from the spirit or scope of the following claims.