Patent ID: 8621824

Claim:
An apparatus for sterilizing bottles with a gaseous sterilant, said apparatus comprised of: moving means for continuously moving bottles one after another along a path, each of said bottles having an interior; a sterilant feed conduit connected at one end to a source of gaseous sterilant of a predetermined concentration; conveying means for conveying said gaseous sterilant along said sterilant feed conduit; and an assembly for distributing a predetermined amount of said gaseous sterilant from said source of gaseous sterilant to each of said bottles when said bottles are disposed along a first portion of said path, said assembly including: a plurality of injectors movable with said bottles wherein one of said plurality of injectors is associated with each of said bottles as said bottle moves along said first portion of said path, said injector fluidly connected to said source of gaseous sterilant when said bottle associated with said injector is disposed along said first portion of said path such that said predetermined amount of said gaseous sterilant is conveyed around said bottle and into said interior of said bottle, said injector movable between a first position and a second position relative to said bottle as said bottle moves along said path, said injector disposed above said bottle when said injector is in said first position and said injector disposed within said interior of said bottle when said injector is in said second position such that said predetermined amount of said gaseous sterilant is conveyed into said interior of said bottle, and a slide for moving each of said plurality of injectors between said first position and said second position, said slide having a roller attached thereto, said roller dimensioned to move within a generally continuous guide slot as said bottles move along said first portion of said path.