Patent GB-674480-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to an apparatus for cleansing containers, for example, bottles
IPC: B08B9/34
Filed: 1950-06-13
Abstract: 674,480. Bottle washing machines. BARRY-WEHMILLER MACHINERY CO. June 13, 1950 [Jan. 11, 1950], No. 14709/50. Class 138 (i). [Also in Group XXIX] Relates to an apparatus for cleansing containers e.g. bottles, including bottle holders adapted to receive inverted bottles, nozzles arranged to project streams of liquid into and onto the bottles, a supply pipe for delivering liquid under pressure to the nozzles and a valve device for distributing liquid to the nozzles and comprising a valve housing having discharge ports communicating with the respective nozzles, a rotary valve having a series of distributing ports separated from each other and arranged to successively register with the discharge ports and means for rotating the valve to repeatedly deliver liquid to each of the nozzles, wherein the rotary valve provides for repeated cyclic distribution through the several discharge ports with relatively long intervals for drainage of used liquid from each of the inverted bottles while fresh liquid is injected into and onto the other bottles. The machine, Fig. 2, comprises an endless step-by-step chain conveyer having rows of bottle holders 10, which loosely receive inverted bottles 13, and six rows of upper and lower pipes, 14, 11, provided with nozzles 15, 12, respectively. The pipes 14, 11 connect by pipes 22, 20, respectively with a distributing valve device supplied with cleansing liquid under pressure by a pipe 18. The valve device, Fig. 3, comprises a cylindrical housing 16 having a liquid inlet 17 and six pairs of diametrically opposed discharge ports 21, 19 communicating with the pipes 22, 20, respectively. Rotatable continuously within the housing 16, by means of a shaft 26 and sprocket 28, is a cylindrical valve member 23. The valve 23 is provided with six pairs of diametrically opposed distributing ports 24 which pairs are arranged spirally around the periphery of the member along its length so that only one pair of ports can communicate with a pair of discharge ports 19, 21 at any one time. In operation the conveyer halts a row of bottles under an upper and lower set of nozzles and after another step halts that row of bottles under the next set of upper and lower nozzles. While under one set of upper and lower nozzles the rotating valve causes liquid to be injected from a nozzle 12 into a bottle through its mouth and onto its bottom by a nozzle 15, the two jets counterbalancing one. another to prevent the loose bottle from being pushed out of its holder. As the valve rotates the liquid is cut-off from the row of bottles and is then supplied to the next row and so on, and this allows for jetted bottles to drain. While the conveyer is at rest the valve rotates several times so that the bottles in any row are jetted and drained several times the draining occurring during the interval while another row of bottles is being jetted. This operation is carried out throughout the six sets of jetting positions so that the bottles are accordingly jetted many times. By this arrangement jetting of a bottle is unhindered by water draining therefrom. Since the ports 24 are preferably elongated to provide large areas for rapid discharge of liquid therethrough, excessive shocks that may occur due to sudden or abrupt closing of these ports are prevented by forming the closing sides of the ports with reduced extensions 25. The invention is not limited to use only with a step-by-step conveyer.