Patent ID: 7219480

Claim:
A method of capping containers, comprising the steps of: providing a capping machine including a rotatably driven turret, and a plurality of capping heads; serially directing a plurality of containers onto said turret of said capping machine, and moving said container about a generally circular path; operating said capping heads to apply closures to respective ones of said containers as said containers are moved about said circular path; providing a dispensing nozzle having a generally elongate configuration and extending from a position outwardly of said generally circular path for disposition of said free end portion between each said container and the respective one of said closures just prior to application of each of said closures to the respective one of said containers, with a free end portion of said dispensing nozzle intersecting said circular path, and with a downwardly open discharge opening defined by said dispensing nozzle being positioned at said circular path to direct liquid nitrogen downwardly into each said container when each container and respective one of said closures are respectively positioned, dispensing discrete liquid nitrogen doses from said dispensing nozzle into the head space of each said container received by said capping machine after it is received by said turret and, where the liquid nitrogen is dispensed above said container contents, just prior to application of a respective closure thereto, where a control system electronically coordinates liquid nitrogen dispensing with operation of said capping machine, where dispensing liquid nitrogen is integrated electrically and mechanically with the capping machine, permitting dispensing liquid nitrogen to be operated intermittently and to facilitate consistent operation and dispensing of liquid nitrogen, where the liquid nitrogen is dispensed at or in close relationship to the theoretical point at which the container is positioned for closure application, said liquid nitrogen gasifying attendant to container closing.