Patent GB-810992-A (GB)
Title: Improved counter pressure filler
IPC: B67C3/06
Filed: 1956-10-25
Abstract: 810,992. Bottling. CROWN CORK & SEAL CO. Inc. Oct. 25, 1956 [Oct. 26, 1955], No. 32594/56. Class 125(2). In a counterpressure filling machine having a rotating annular liquid and gas reservoir 14 carrying filling heads 20 each having liquid and gas valves 16, 18 disposed in liquid and gas passages 26, 22 and actuated by a cam 44, rotated step by step by trips spaced round the machine engaging an operating arm 46, the liquid passage contains means adjacent valve 16 to stop the flow of liquid when the head space pressure equals the liquid pressure at the end of filling due to the liquid occluding vent holes 222 in gas passage 22. As shown in Fig. 22, the means consists of a mesh 220 just below valve 16 of sufficient fineness to stop the flow due to the viscosity and surface tension of the liquid. As shown in Fig. 26, the passage 225 leading from the reservoir to the valve 16 is of sufficient area to permit rapid filling but is sufficiently narrow to stop the flow of liquid, upon equalization of pressure, due to the viscosity and surface tension of the liquid. Gas passage and gas valve. A boss 68 is secured in the middle of the liquid passage 26 and has screwed into its lower half the lower half 22 of the gas passage provided with vent holes 222. Fixed in its upper half is a tube 98 communicating with tube 22 and extending upwardly into the reservoir 14. On the top of the tube 98 is a cap 168 having a gasket engaging the top of the tube, a lateral aperture and a spring 210 urging it upwardly to open the valve. The valve is moved down to closed position by a cam surface 152 on cam 44. Liquid valve. Surrounding tube 98 is a member 194 on the outside of which is slidably mounted an actuating sleeve 108, the lower end of which is out-turned at 110 to take into a groove in a rubber gasket 104 the lower edge of which abuts the filling head around the upper edge of the liquid-passage. The inner part 100 of the gasket is clamped between the boss 68 and the member 94. The upper end of sleeve 108 carries a cylindrical member 186 on which bears a spring 206 urging the actuating sleeve upwards to open the liquid valve. The valve is urged downwards to closed position by a cam surface 154 on cam 44. Operation. A bottle is presented to the filling head and seals against a gasket 54, liquid valve 16 being held closed by cam 154 and gas valve 18 being held closed by the gas pressure. The first trip turns cam 44 part way so that a slot in the cam co-operates with a head 184 on the gas valve to lift it and counterpressure flows into the bottle. Meanwhile cam surface 154 has cleared the liquid valve actuating sleeve but the valve itself is still held closed by the liquid pressure and only opens when counterpressure has been established. The next trip then moves the cam 44 to the filling position shown in Fig. 8 in which surface 154 allows the liquid valve to open fully and surface 152 allows the gas valve to open to a less extent than during counterpressuring for the flow of gas displaced from the bottle. The head 184 is aligned with an aperture 162 in cam 44 so that, if a bottle should leak or burst, the gas pressure can close the gas valve against the force of spring 210. In these circumstances, the liquid pressure will also close the liquid valve against spring 206. When filling is complete, the head space pressure rises and the mesh 220 stops the liquid flow to prevent over-filling. The next trip then moves the cam to its original position in which cam surfaces 152, 154 positively close the gas and liquid valves and a trip then actuates a snifter 24 to snift the head space, the bottle being then removed.