Patent ID: 7311125

Claim:
A beverage bottle handling and filling machine for filling beverage bottles with liquid beverage material, said beverage bottle handling and filling machine comprising: a rotary carousel; holding and filling arrangements disposed on the perimeter of said rotary carousel being configured to hold and fill beverage bottles with liquid beverage material; and each of said holding and filling arrangements comprising: a discharge opening to permit the flow of liquid beverage into a beverage bottle; a lifting device to lift a mouth of a beverage bottle into sealing engagement with said discharge opening; said lifting device comprising: a support and centering structure to hold a neck of a beverage bottle; and lifting rods being connected to said support and centering structure and being configured to be moved vertically to permit vertical movement of said support and centering structure; a piston/cylinder arrangement comprising a piston structure connected to said lifting device and a cylinder structure mounted in a stationary manner on said rotary carousel; said piston structure and said lifting device being vertically movable with respect to said cylinder structure; and said cylinder structure comprising: a flow duct to permit flow of pressure media into and out of said cylinder structure; a central passage being operatively connected to said flow duct to permit flow of pressure media into and out of a beverage bottle; a cylinder chamber being operatively connected to said flow duct and disposed adjacent said piston structure; and said cylinder chamber being configured to be filled with pressure media to exert a force on said piston structure to exert a lifting force on said lifting device to tighten the sealing engagement between said discharge opening and a mouth of a bottle.