Improvements in filler heads of pressurized bottles

Abstract: The head is determined by a valvular body defined by a housing (4) inside of which there is a sealer bushing (5) of the annular discharge outlet (7), which is crossed through by a vertical tube (8) whose bottom end can pene­ trate into the bottle (1) to be filled. The bushing (5) is axially connected to another segmented one (11) which pressed on the tube (8) by means of peripheral elastic rings (13.) Both bushings incor­ porate both elastic inside rings (14-15), one of the non­ slip type (14), which adjusts into the cylindrical peri­ phery of the tube (8.) Between the annular bed joint (6) of the sealer bushing (5) and the discharge outlet (7) there are two radial ducts (16-17) one (16) of which is connected to a discharge valve and the other (17) bifurcates to connect to both pressure (18) and vacuum (19) units of temporary and alternate operation. The bottle is pushed along its base in order to adjust hermetically to the discharge outlet (7) provided with an elastic bushing (3.)

Description: The present invention refers to improvements in filler heads for pressurized bottles. Filler heads for pressurized bottles to which the invention is related are especially applicable to the bottling of carbonated drinks and are of the known form grouped or combined with others in a carrousel so that the bottles to be filled accede in sequence. A conventional filler head mechanism of the type described in the prior art portion of claim 1 (FR-A-1,393,844) comprises a valve body arranged between a liquid tank of a filler and a discharge outlet, whereby the valve body comprises a vertically displaceable closing member being part of the lower portion of a vertical tube whose bottom end penetrates into a bottle to be filled and whose top end has an operation feeler. Said closing member is always moved together with the tube and carries a leakproof annular seal to disclose the discharge channel. According to this prior art, the bottle must be pressurized before being filled with liquid so that the gas pressure in the bottle and traction of a spring located around the tube raises the tube and thereby the closing member against pressure exerted on the closing member by the thereon located liquid, so as to allow opening of the outlet channel. The arrangement of FR-A-1,393,844 is disadvantageous in that a plurality of elements thereof are located within the liquid tank so that such (generally metal) elements may rust or otherwise react with the liquid contained in the tank, whereby sanitary and wear-out problems are caused, and so that it is rather difficult to adjust, repare and/or exchange the elements of the assembly located within the tank. Furthermore, the assembly comprises a great number of elements which are moreover related to each other in a rather complex manner and is therefore open to failures, wear-out and difficult to adjust. In accordance with the invention as claimed, all mechanisms which would be deteriorated by their contact with the liquid can be placed outside the liquid tank. Also, the operation of the system is automized by the balance of pressures and depends on that balance. Besides, it has the advantage that the pouring of the liquid is only done in the presence of a bottle and in perfect conditions of adjustment of the mouth of the head to the neck of the bottle since, in the contrary case, the discharge outlet remains blocked as, when there is no gas pressing against the bottom portion of the closing member, due to its friction coupling to the tube, it remains in its closing position although the tube is raised. One way of carrying out the invention is described in detail hereblow with reference to the figure being a side view of the filler head assembly in only one specific of the various possible embodiments. The figure shows a bottle 1 which is filled from a tank 2 containing a liquid, this tank being shared by various (not represented) heads forming a multiple carrousel. The neck of the bottle 1 adjusts hermetically against a flexible annular bushing 3 at the bottom portion of a discharge channel 7 of the head. Between the tank 2 and the discharge channel 7 there is a valvular body 4, inside which there is a closing bushing 5 which is vertically displcaeable and which has a peripheral leakproof annular seal 6 to selaingly close the discharge channel 7 in the lower portion of the body 4., and having the shape of an inverted truncated cone complementary to that of the closing bushing 5. Said bushing 5 is mounted on a vertical tube 8 whose bottom end penetrates into the bottle 1 to be filled and whose top end incorporates a feeler or follower 9 of an operating cam 10. The closing bushing 5 is connected by its top portion to a further bushing 11 which is longitudinally divided into two or more segemented sections 12 held together and engaged to the periphery of the tube 8, by means of elastic rings 13. These sections 12 form an annular casing and surround a supplementary member 14 acting as a friction coupling thereby allowing the closing member assembly 5, 11 to slide on the tube as hereinbelow described. The closing bushing 5 is engaged to the outer periphery of the tube 8 by flexible rings 15 located in an inner annular recess of said bushing 5. Between the annular seal 6 and the discharge channel 7 defined by a bushing seal of flexible material 3 there are ducts 16 and 17. The duct 16 temporarily and alternately communicates with a pressure unit 18 or a vacuum unit 19. The other duct ends in a decompression valve 20. The discharge channel 7 which ends in the flexible annular bushing 3, closes against the neck of the bottle 1 to be filled which is pushed towards the head by means of a rising platform upon which said bottle 1 rests. The liquid presses from above on said closing member assembly 5, 11. The elevation of the bushing 5 entails the opening of the flow of liquid to the bottle 1 only when the bottle 1 has been pressurized through said duct 16 in communication with the pressure unit 18. When these pressures acting on the top and on the bottom of the closing meber assembly 5, 11 are balanced, the descense and subsequent rise of the tube by the adjustable cam 10 results in a vertical displacement of of the closing bushing 5 for filling the bottle 1 up to the bottom end of the tube 8. Once the bottle 1 has been filled, the cam 10 forces the tube 8 to effect a downward movement thereby forcing the closing bushing to seal the discharge channel 7. In this movement the bottom end of the tube 8 submerges into the liquid to a certain level, and upon exerting an overpressure to the inside of the bottle 1 by means of the pressure unit 18, the liquid situated above the bottom end of the tube 8 returns to the tank 2 through the tube 8 itsself which incorporates a unidirectional valve 28. Before removing the bottle 1 the inside pressure is discharged by operating the decompression valve 20. The eventual loss of pressure in the inside of the bottle 1 establishes the automatic closing of the bushing 5 due to the descompensation of the pressures exerted on the top and bottom thereof. The process of filling the bottle 1 begins thus, with the arrival of the bottle to a platform which rises so that the neck of the bottle 1 is hermetically applied against the flexible seal 3. Thereafter, by means of the vacuum unit 19 and by activation of the valve 25 by means of a cam 24, the air contained in the bottle 1 to be filled is removed. This step is optional and depends on the properties of the liquid to be filled into the bottle 1 i.e. it is done when air may have detrimental effects on the liquid. Then, by means of the pressure gas unit 18, carbon dioxide or the like under pressure, is transmitted to the inside of the bottle 1 which is balanced with the pressure in the tank 2. Therafter, by means of the cam 10 the tube descends into the bottle 1 and then rises about 5mm by action of said cam 10. Due to the balance of pressures obtained on both sides of the leakproof annular seal 6, the closing bushing 5 does not offer any resistance against being raised so that the rise of the tube 8 also raises the bushing 5 and the seal is separated from the discharge channel 7, thus allowing the liquid to flow into the bottle 1. The elevation of the closing bushing 5 together with the tube 8 is ensured by the rubbing caused by the flexible rings 15 which is advantageously increased by the supplementary element 14 of silicone or by the pressure that the sections 12 of the bushing 11 exert due to the effect of the compressing force of the elastic rings 13. Once the closing bushing 6 is opened, the liquid flows from the tank 2 into the bottle 1, and the gas contained in the bottle 1 evacuates into the tank 2 through the tube 8 and duct 27. The bttle 1 is filled until the liquid reaches the bottom end of the tube 8, whereafter the entry of liquid ceases due to that gas cannot longer evacuate through the tube 8. The adjustment of the filling level 26 is obtained afterwards by lowering the tube 8 to a corresponding lower level and thereby introducing the bottom end of the tube 8 into the liquid, whereby the closing bushing 5 simultaneously descends so that the flow of liquid into the bottle is stopped. Then, through the duct 16 and by means of the operation of the valve 23 by a cam 22, the pressure unit 18 injects gas at a pressure slightly higher than the filling pressure, whereby excess liquid is evacuated through the tube 8 exactly to the desired level 26 where the bottom end of the tube 8 is positioned, as hereinabove explained. Once the bottle 1 has been filled, by means of a cam 21, the descompression valve 20 is operated which eliminates the gas pressure from the inside of the bottle 1 whereafter the tube 8 is raised until its bottom end is situated above the the lower end of the discharge channel 7. As the bottle 1 has been despressurized, no pressure is exerted against the bottom of the closing bushing 5 so that the pressure of the liqiuid on the top of the closing member assembly 5, 11 does not allow the assembly 5, 11 to rise with the tube 8, so that the closing member 5 blocks the outlet 7 due to the friction coupling-like engagement of the assembly 5,11 which is only raised when gas pressure is exerted against its bottom. Then, the bottle 1 is removed by lowering the platform that held and pressed it against the bushing 3 Furthermore, when the bottle 1 breaks or does not adjust perfectly to the flexible annular bushing 3, the closing bushing 5 remains closed or immediately closes if the liquid was already flowing from the tank 2 to the bottle 1 as the closing member assembly 5, 11 opens only when the bottle 1 is correctly pressurized.

Claims: A counter pressure filler head being operatively connected to a tank (2) with a liquid for filling bottles (1) and to a pressure unit (18) by means of a first valve (23), the head comprising a valvular body (4) having a passageway therein with an inlet in communication with the tank (2) and an outlet (7) adapted to be sealingly positioned over the mouth of a bottle (1) so as to fill the bottle (1) with liquid from the tank (2), a vertically displaceble tube (8) extending into the bottle (1) when the tube (8) is in a lower position, and the top portion of the tube (8) communicating with head space of the tank (2) for venting gases from the bottle (1) and bearing an operation feeler (9) for displacing the tube (8), a closing member assembly (5, 11) being mounted on the tube (8) to sealingly close in cooperation with an annular seal (6) the outlet (7) of said passageway when located in a lower position, and being displaceable with the tube (8) to an upper position allowing the liquid to flow into the bottle (1) when the pressure in the bottle (1) is higher than atmospheric pressure as a result of opening the first valve (23) of the pressure unit (18), characterized in that said closing member assembly (5, 11) is mounted on said tube (8) in a friction coupling-like manner such that, when said tube (8) is raised, said closing member assembly (5, 11) slides on said tube (8) and thus does not open said liquid outlet (7) when the gas pressure furnished by said pressure unit (18) and pressing against the bottom surface of said closing member assembly (5, 11) is unsufficiently high to compensate in combination with the friction between said assembly (5, 11) and said tube (8), the liquid pressure in said passageway pressing on said closing member assembly (5, 11) whilst, when said gas pressure pressing against the bottom surface of said closing member assembly (5, 11) is sufficient to overcome said liquid pressure acting on said closing member assembly (5, 11) said assembly (5, 11) is raised together with said tube (8) due to the combined forces of said gas pressure and said friction between said tube (8) and said closing member assembly (5, 11). A filler head according to claim 1, characterized in that said valvular body (4) is remote from and outside said tank (2) and in that said tube (8) is connected to said tank (2) by means of a duct (27). A filler head according to claim 1, characterized in that said tube (8) and thus the closing member assembly (5, 11) is raised and lowered by action of a cam (10) so that said tube (8) vents gases from said bottle (1) when the liquid level in the bottle (1) is below the lower end of the tube (8) whereby the tube is capable of expelling excess liquid residing above the lower end of said tube (8). A filler head according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing member assembly (5, 11) is a bushing (5) acting as closing member of said outlet (7) and being friction coupling-like engaged to said tube (8) by means of flexible rings (15) surrounding said bushing (5). A filler head according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing member assembly (5, 11) furthermore comprises a second bushing (11) being friction coupling-like engaged to said tube (8) by means of flexible rings (14) and connected to the top portion of said first bushing (5). A filler head according to claim 5, characterized in that said second bushing (11) is divided longitudinally into at least two sections (12). A filler head according to any of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, characterized in that friction coupling of said closing member assembly (5, 11) comprising a first bushing (5) and a second bushing (11) on said tube (8) is provided substantially by said second bushing (11) to which said first bushing (5) is connected. A filler head according to claim 1, characterized in that said outlet (7) is communicated to said pressure unit (18) by a duct (16) in said valvular body (4). A filler head according to claims 1 and 8, characterized in that said first duct (16) is additionally selectively connected to a vaccuum unit (19) and a thereto corresponding second valve (25) in such a manner that said duct (16) is communicated to said pressure unit (18) by opening said first valve (23) when said bottle (1) is to be pressurized, and when said first valve (23) is closed alternatively to said vacuum unit (19) by opening said second valve (25) when gas is to be evacuated from the bottle (1) prior to filling. A filler head according to claim 1, characterized in that said outlet (7) is connected to a decompression valve (20) through a second duct (17) in said valvular body (4) for providing communication between the outlet and the atmosphere when the bottle (1) is to be depressurized. A filler head according to any of claims 1, 8, 10, characterized in that said outlet (7) has the shape of an inverted truncated cone and is located at the bottom portion of said valvular body (4).

Inventors: ROZIER ALAIN, ROZIER, ALAIN
Applicants: PERRIER IBERICA, PERRIER IBERICA, S.A.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B67C3
IPC codes: B67C3, B24B53