Patent ID: 8586944

Claim:
A sterilization system for sterilizing an interior of a bottle having a neck, the sterilization system comprising: an electron beam emitter comprising a vacuum chamber having a width, an electron generator positioned within the vacuum chamber for generating electrons, and an elongate nozzle extending from the vacuum chamber along a longitudinal axis and having an exit window at a distal end of the nozzle, the nozzle having a width that is less than the width of the vacuum chamber and being inserted through the neck of the bottle for irradiating the interior with the electron beam, the electron generator being shaped and dimensioned, and positioned within the vacuum chamber to form and direct a narrow electron beam that enters and travels through the nozzle, and exits out the exit window; and a support for moving the bottle up and down to move the bottle relative to the nozzle to an extent that depend on a size of the bottle, a diameter of the bottle, or an intensity of the electron beam, the bottle being positioned on the support.