Patent ID: 7114535

Claim:
A continuous circular motion filling machine for filling containers conveyed thereto, said machine comprising: a conveyor configured to carry and convey containers to be filled; a rotating platform having an in-feed section disposed to receive containers from said conveyor and an out-feed section disposed to transfer filled containers from said rotating platform, said rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis; a filling turret disposed generally above said rotating platform and rotatable relative to said vertical rotating axis at a speed corresponding generally to that of said rotating platform, said filling turret further comprising a plurality of filling heads movable from a rest position to a filling position as said turret rotates between said in-feed and out-feed sections; each said filling head comprising a plurality of filling elements, said filling elements moving into engagement with the containers as said filling heads move to said filling position for filling the containers; a plurality of radially extensible and retractable indexing arms circumferentially spaced around said rotating platform, said indexing arms retracted at said in-feed section and subsequently extended as said rotating platform rotates so as to index the containers into groups on said rotating platform between said indexing arms, each said group associated with a respective said filling head and arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said filling elements of said respective filling head.