US3455350A - Filling device for bottles or the like - Google Patents

Description

July 15, 1969 A. HINXLAGE 3,455,350

FILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JN VEN TOR ALOYS HINXLAGE BY Mu! M his ATTORNEY July 15, 1969 A. HINXLAGE FILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1967 FIG? \ VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR:

his ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,455,350 FILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES OR THE LIKE Aloys Hinxlage, Dortmund, Germany, assignor to Holstein & Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix G.m.b.H., Dortmund, Germany Filed Feb. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 618,258 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 5, 1966,

Int. Cl. B67d 3/26 U.S. Cl. 141367 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A filling device for bottles, cans and similar containers and provided with an arrangement whereby one and the same filling device can be used for filling containers having differently dimensioned open tops. The device includes a centering member having a recess into which an open top of a container is to be introduced and a plurality of concentric annular sealing members located in the recess and each having a different diameter so that, when an open top of a container is introduced into the recess, the open top will be sealingly engaged by the correspondingly dimensioned sealing member.

Cross-references to related applications An Apparatus for Filling Bottles or the Like in which my novel device can be utilized is disclosed in my prior application Ser. No. 220,205, filed on Aug. 29, 1962 and issued on Oct. 19, 1965, as patent 3,212,537.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a device for filling open-ended containers with liquids. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device which is suitable for filling bottles, cans and similar containers. Stillmore specifically, the invention relates to a device of the type outlined above which can be utilized for filling containers having differently dimensioned open tops without requiring adjustment for making possible the use of the device with such different containers.

Apparatus for filling bottles and similar containers with liquids is well known. Such an apparatus is, for instance, described in my above-mentoined patent 3,212,- 537. An indispensable part of each such apparatus is a centering arrangement which serves to center the bottle or other container with respect to the fluid-dispensing nozzle through which fluid is introduced into the-respective container. Apparatus of this type is widely used in the bottling and canning industry, and has been found to be very satisfactory with the exception of one rather significant disadvantage. Reference is here being had to the fact that, whenever the type of container which is being filled with liquid is to be changed, for instance if the apparatus has been used for filling bottles and is subsequently to be used for filling cans which, of course, have a larger opening, rather extensive adjustments to the apparatus are necessary. It will be understood that these devices operate at high speed and are capable of filling a great number of containers at one time. Thus, these devices include a large number of filling nozzles and a correspondingly large number of centering arrangements, each associated with one of the nozzles. In the prior art devices these centering arrangements are suitable only for use on a container having an opening of predetermined dimension. If the apparatus is to be used with a container having a differently dimensioned opening, then the centering arrangements of all the nozzles must be removed and differently configurated centering arrangements be substituted which are suitable for cooperation with the open- Patented July 15, 1969 See Summary of the invention The present invention provides an arrangement which overcomes these disadvantages.

More particularly, the present invention provides a filling device which can be utilized with bottles, cans and similar containers having variously-dimensioned open ends without, however, necessitating any adjustment to the device when a change-over occurs from a container having a smaller opening to a container having a larger opening or vice versa.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a device of this type which is particularly suitable for use in high speed automatic filling apparatus.

The device, in accordance with the present invention, is simple and very economical to construct, and it is highly reliable in operation.

In accordance with one feature of my invention I provide in an apparatus for filling liquids into bottles, cans and similar containers having differently dimensioned open tops, nozzle means provided with an outlet opening, and a centering member on said nozzle means. The centering member has a recess communicating with the outlet opening and this recess is provided with an open end.

Thus far, the device is rather conventional. However, it differs significantly from known arrangements of this type in that it is further provided with a plurality of concentric annular sealing members which are arranged within the aforementioned recess and which each have a different diameter. This assures that, when the open top of one of the containers to be filled is introduced into the recess of the centering member, it is sealingly engaged by that sealing member which has a dimension corresponding to the dimension of the open top of the container.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description ofspecific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Short description of the drawing FIG. 1 illustrates in vertical section the novel device when used for filling a bottle; and

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but illustrates the novel device when used for filling a container having a larger opening than the bottle shown in FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that reference numeral 1 indicates a centering member of generally ball-shaped configuration. This centering member is provided at its underside with an inwardly extending recess 5 which communicates at its upper end with a filling valve which is schematically illustrated in the drawing.

Arranged within the recess 5 downwardly of the upper end thereof is a first annular sealing member 2 having a predetermined diameter and a second annular sealing member 3 having a larger diameter than the sealing member 2, with which it is concentric. It is evident that suitable cutouts are provided in the wall bounding the recess 5, the sealing members 2 and 3 being located in the respective cutouts. Different materials are suitable for the sealing members 2 and 3, and such materials are well known in the art.

It will be evident, of course, that the showing of only two sealing members in FIG. 1, namely the sealing members 2 and 3, is intended merely as illustrative of the fact that a desired number of such sealing members can be provided, this number being governed by the different dimensions on the various types of containers which are to be filled with an apparatus utilizing my novel device.

FIG. 1 shows my device in conjunction with a bottle 7 which is to be filled with the liquid. It will be noticed that the upper edge of bottle 7 which surrounds the open end of the latter is in sealing engagement with the smallerdiameter sealing member 2, whereas the larger-diameter sealing member 3 is not in use at this time.

An air-return tube 4 extends through the recess 5 from the filler valve and into the open top of the bottle 7. In accordance with the invention the air-return tube 4 is advantageously removable from the filler valve to which it may be releasably secured by a suitable friction-type or clamping type connection, for instance, by being pushed into frictional engagement with an O-ring located in an annular groove provided in the outlet opening of the filler valve. In this manner the air-return tube 4 can be readily exchanged, and this is desirable since the radially extending deflector 9 which is carried by the air-return tube 4 is too small for use in filling a container having a larger opening than the bottle 7.

FIG. 2 shows the device of FIG. 1, like elements being identified with like reference numerals. The difference in FIG. 2 over the showing of FIG. 1 resides in the fact that in FIG. 2 the device is shown in conjunction with a can or similar container 6 having an open top which is larger than that of the bottle 7 shown in FIG. 1. It is evident from FIG. 2 that with a container whose open top is dimensioned in the manner shown in FIG. 2, it is the sealing member 3 which sealingly engages the upper end of the container 6 while the sealing member 2 is not in use at this time. It will be further evident from this juxtaposition of the use of the novel device with the container 6 as opposed to its use with the bottle 7, that a plurality of sealing members corresponding to the ones indicated with reference numerals 2 and 3 can be provided, as long as each such sealing member is dimensioned so that it can cooperate with the open top of a correspondingly dimensioned container.

FIG. 2 also shows that an air-return tube 4' has been substituted for the air-return tube 4 of FIG. 1, this airreturn tube 4' having a radially extending deflector 8 which is considerably larger than the deflector 9 shown in FIG. 1, in keeping with the larger dimension of the open top of container 6. As mentioned before, a suitable friction-or other type of connection may be provided for securing the air-return tubes 4 and 4' to the schematically illustrated filler valve so that, when a change-over from the bottles 7 to the cans 6 or vice versa is to be effected, a substitution of the air-return tubes 4' for the air-return tubes 4 or vice versa can be accomplished quickly and with a minimum loss of time.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of devices differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a filling device for bottles or the like, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are'intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. In an apparatus for filling liquids into bottles, cans and similar containers having differently dimensioned open tops, the combination of nozzle means having an outlet opening; a centering member on said nozzle means having a recess communicating with said outlet opening and being provided with an open end, said recess being dimensioned and configurated for accommodating and centering the differently dimensioned open tops of different containers which are introduced into said open end; a plurality of concentric annular sealing members arranged within said recess and each having a different diameter so that, when the open top of one of said containers is introduced into said recess and centered thereby, the correspondingly dimensioned sealing member can sealingly engage said open top; and air-return tube means being exchangable with a return tube means of different shape in accordance with the difference in dimensions of the open tops of the different containers which are introduced into said open end of said recess of said centering member.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said recess is bounded by a circumferential wall provided with a plurality of annular cutouts each accommodating one of said sealing members.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said recess is elongated inwardly away from said open end, and wherein said cutouts and thereby said sealing members are spaced from one another in the direction of elongation of said recess.

4. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sealing members consist of elastomeric material.

5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said recess is elongated and bounded by a peripheral wall, and wherein said wall is provided with two concentric annular cutouts spaced from one another in the direction of elongation of said recess and each accommodating one of said sealing members.

6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4; said air-return tube means having upper end means adapted to be placed into communication with said outlet opening of said nozzle means and lower end portion means extending through said recess and into the open top of a container which is located in said recess.

7. In an apparatus as defined in claim 6; and further comprising deflector means carried by said air-return tube means in the region of said lower end portion means thereof so as to be located in said open top of said container.

8. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said air-return tube means includes at least two tubes of different lengths each of which may be substituted for the other in said apparatus.

9. In an apparatus as defined in claim -8, wherein said tubes each carry one of said deflector means, and wherein each of said deflector means is differently dimensioned, said tubes being selectively connectable with said nozzle means and said centering member.

10. In an apparatus as defined in claim 6; and further comprising quick-release coupling means provided in said nozzle means for releasably connecting said tube means thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,575 2/1937 Musick 1 41367 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,396,754- 3/1955 France.

455,269 10/ 1936' Great Britain.

HOUSTON S. BELL, In, Primary Examiner

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