US3520321A - Venting valve for a beverage filler - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 01 hoe 3,520,321 Patented July 14, 1970 3,520,321 VENTING VALVE FOR A BEVERAGE FILLER Sigmund P. Skoli, Elmwood Park, Chester J. Witt, Deerfield, and Harry G. Mojonnier, River Forest, Ill., assignors to Mojonnier Bros. Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 692,233 Int. Cl. Gd 16/06; 1365b 31/00; B67d 5/54 US. Cl. 137-116 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Pressure controlling apparatus for a beverage filler in which two valve bodies are arranged to confine a flexible diaphragm therebetween, one of the valve bodies having a vent opening and respective connections with the gas space of the filler and with a source of gas under pressure and a channel joining these connections. The second valve body contains a biasing spring for urging the diaphram into closing relationship with the vent opening. A check-valve controlled line connects the second valve body with the gas source connections of the first valve body to employ the pressure of said source additively with the biasing spring and independently of the gas space pressure of the filler.

This invention relates generally to the art of packaging carbonated beverages and more particularly to apparatus for controlling the gas pressure in a filler bowl.

Early fillers were designed to introduce only carbonated water into the individual containers, the flavored syrup being filled in a separate, preliminary step. In this type of apparatus, a relief valve of the diaphragm type was found adequate for venting to the atmosphere those quantities of air passing into the filler from the individual containers being filled. However, upon the advent of apparatus designed to fill a complete beverage liquid, a system of float-operated valves became necessary for alternately venting and charging the filler bowl, the latter valve system being rugged and readily cleaned at the end of a filling run. The self-acting diaphragm relief valves employed earlier have proved unsatisfactory for use with the complete beverage system because they are easily fouled with sugar solutions, are difficult to wash clean, and are subject to occasional damage as a result of water accumulating inside the valve.

An important object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a pressure controller for beverage filling apparatus which alfords the simplicity of a diaphragm valve with the ruggedness and cleanability of floatoperated valves.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pressure controller for beverage filling apparatus.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following disclosure and drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partially in section, showing beveage filling equipment incorporating pressure control apparatus in accord with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, elevational view of the pressure controlling apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged view in central cross-section, showing the piloted valve employed in the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, specifically to FIG. 1, a beverage filler is shown to comprise a hollow, annular filler bowl 12 which is mounted for rotation with a vertical pipe 14. A suitable number of circularly arranged and angularly spaced filler nozzles 16 are reciprocably mounted on the filler bowl 12 in depending relationship for delivering a carbonated beverage liquid to individual bottles 18. The bottles 18 are supported by a platform 20 which is also mounted to rotate with pipe 14.

In compliance with the principles of the present invention, a gas, such as air or carbon dioxide, under pressure is admitted from a source 22 to the headspace of filler bowl 12 through a pressure controller indicated generally by the reference numeral 24. Advantageously, the pressurized gas passes from the source 22 through a conventional, self-relieving pressure regulator 26, regulator 26 including an indicating pressure gauge 28, a manual adjusting handle 30 and a relief port 32. In order that gas source 22 and regulator 26 may be mounted in a convenient location away from the beverage filler 10, the connection between controller 24 and regulator 26 is made by means of a rotary gland or pneumatic commutator 34. As will be appreciated, the commutator 34 is mounted on filler bowl 12 by a bracket or other similar structure, not shown.

Turning to FIG. 2, the controller 24 includes a diaphragm valve 36, a check valve 38 and, desirably an indicating pressure gauge 40. Continuing with reference to FIG. 2 and with supplementary reference to FIG. 3, the diaphragm valve 36 comprises a first valve body 42 and a second valve body 44 which valve bodies are clamped together by means of a lock ring 46 to confine a flexible, elastomeric diaphragm 4*8 therebetween. As is best shown in FIG. 3, the valve bodies 42 and 44 are fashioned with confronting flanges S0 and 52, and lock ring 46 is made to take a channel-shaped cross-section for grippingly receiving the flanges 50 and 52.

The valve body 42 is drilled and tapped with an internally threaded, relatively downwardly opening passageway 54 which receives one end of a cooperatively threaded pipe or conduit 56, the opposite end of conduit 56 being suitably afiixed to filler bowl 12 in communication with the gas space thereof, as is shown in FIG. 2. The valve body 42 is also drilled and tapped with a second, relatively upwardly opening passageway 58 which receives a cooperatively threaded pipe or conduit 60, passageways 54 and 58 being diametrically disposed and conduit 60 leading to a T fitting 62, as is shown in FIG. 2, to communicate the passageway 58 with the pressure regulator 26 through the check valve 38 and a cooperating conduit 64. Returning to FIG. 3, the valve body 42 is fashioned with an annular channel 66 which connects the passageways 58 and 54 for interchange of fluids therebetween. In addition, the valve body 42 includes a horizontally disposed, tubular vent passageway 68 which opens to the atmosphere through a conduit 70 connected therewith.

In compliance with the features of the present invention, the tubular vent passageway 68 is surrounded by a planar, annular seating land 72; and cooperatively, the valve body 42 is fabricated with a second, annular channel 74 which encompasses the seating land in peripheral communication with channel 66. In order that spurious quantities of liquid will not accumulate in the vicinity of the seating land 72, the land itself is disposed generally vertically and the cooperating channel 74 and diaphragm 48 are likewise disposed in generally vertical planes.

The valve body 44 is fashioned with a cylindrical cavity 76 which has an open end facing toward valve body 42 and which contains a generally horizontally disposed compression spring 78 for biasing the diaphragm 48 toward seating land 72 and vent opening 68. Advantageously, a compressor element 80 includes an abbreviated, reduced diameter stern portion 82 which serves as a spring locator for positioning a pressure foot portion 84 in resilient engagement with the diaphragm 48. As will be appreciated, gas pressure in the space defined by the combined cavities 66 and 74 may act, through the diaphragm 48, to compress spring 78 and separate the diaphragm from seating land 72. The valve body 44 additionally includes a drilled and tapped, generally downwardly opening passageway 86 which receives the cooperatively threaded end of the pipe or conduit 88, conduit 88 being connected with a T fitting 90 situated in fluid circuit between conduit 64 and check valve 38, as is shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the unvented side of diaphragm 48 is subjected to the sum of the pressure of spring 78 and the pressure of the gas source as regulated by regulator 26.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 2, check valve 38 comprises a valve body 91 surrounding a valve chamber 92. A perforated disc or spider 94 is aflixed in chamber 92 at the end of the check valve which is circuitwise adjacent pipe 60. The spider 94 retains a mobile valve ball 96 in the chamber 92 without obstructing the passage of fluids in the general direction from conduit 64 to conduit 60. The opposite end of chamber 92 is fashioned with a conical seat 98 which is shaped to receive valve ball 96 in flow-terminating relationship. Accordingly, when conditions are such that there is a tendency for fluid to flow from conduit 60 to conduit 64, the check valve 38 serves to arrest the passage of any significant quantity of such fluid. As will be appreciated, the check valve 38 thus prevents beverage and cleaning liquids from entering gas source 22 from the filler bowl 12.

Having thus described one construction of the invention, it is important now to state how the illustrated embodiment operates.

With the equipment assembled in accordance with the foregoing descriptions, operation of the beverage filler will be conditioned by manually setting the regulator 26 at the pressure desired in filler bowl 12. Commonly, this pressure will be on the order of 40-45 p.s.i.g. With substantially zero pressure in the filler bowl at its initial state, gas will flow from the source 22 through the regulator 26, the check valve 38, and the confluent channels of diaphragm valve 36 into the headspace of filler bowl 12 overlying the charge of beverage liquid.

Upon operation of the filler, the beverage liquid will be dispensed into the bottles 18 or similar containers; and air from these containers will pass into the headspace of filler bowl 12 gradually increasing the gas pressure therein. When the gas pressure in the filler bowl exceeds the pressure established at regulator 26, check valve 38 will close, preventing back flow toward the regulator. Then when the pressure in the filler bowl exceeds the combined pressure of spring 78 and the gas pressure of regulator 26, diaphragm 48 will move away from the seating land 72, opening the vent tube 68 and allowing the excess gas to escape to the atmosphere. This venting action will continue until the pressure in the filler bowl diminishes to a level below the combined force of spring 78 and the biasing gas pressure from regulator 26. At this point, diaphragm 48 will move into sealing engagement with seating land 72, terminating the venting action. Of course, when the pressure in the filler bowl diminishes to a value less than the pressure at regulator 26, check valve 38 will open to admit gas from the source 22. As will be appreciated, controller 24 thus isolates regulator 26 from the filler bowl 12. Furthermore, the controller 24 is piloted by the regulator 26. In addition, momentary turbulence in the filler bowl 12, as might tend to establish a liquid flow through the confluent channels of diaphragm valve 36, will be confined largely within that structure; and any such quantities of spurious liquid may drain back into the filler bowl from the confluent channels 66 and 74. Similarly, cleaning liquids drain readily from the diaphragm valve 36 into the filler bowl 12; and it is recognized that conduit 64 may be employed to introduce cleaning liquid into the diaphragm valve and through the connected elements of the filling system.

The specific embodiment herein shown and described is to be considered as being primarily illustrative. Various changes beyond those described will, no doubt, occur to those skilled in the art; and such changes are to be understood as forming a part of this invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a beverage filling apparatus, the improvement comprising: filler bowl means including a vessel having a liquid space and a gas space of fluctuating pressure over said liquid space; a source of gas under pressure; and a pressure controller including a first valve body having first passageway means opening therethrough and connected to said vessel in communication with the gas space thereof, second passageway means opening through said first valve body, a conduit connecting said second passageway means to said source of gas under pressure whereby to selectively introduce gas from said source into said vessel, a first channel in said first valve body connecting said first and second passageway means, and third passageway means opening through said first valve body to the atmosphere to define a vent, a second valve body confronting said first valve body and having a cavity with an open end facing toward said first valve body, said second valve body having passageway means connected to said conduit, a diaphragm member secured between said valve bodies on one side of said first channel for flexibly closing the open end of said cavity and cooperating with said third passageway means in selectively opening and closing the vent defined thereby, biasing means in said cavity engaging said diaphragm member to urge said diaphragm member towa d said third passageway means, and check-valve means in said conduit between said second passageway means and said second valve body passageway means operative to close said conduit when fluid forces from said second passage- 40 way means exceed the pressure of said gas source as a result of upward fluctuation in the pressure of said gas'space, whereby said diaphragm member is biased into the vent-closing position by the sum of the forces of said biasing means and the pressure of said gas source.

2. Apparatus according 'to claim 1 wherein said first valve body includes an annular, vertically disposed seating land which surrounds said third passageway means confronting said diaphragm member and wherein said first and second valve bodies mount said diaphragm member in substantially vertical condition.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and said second passageway means are diametrically disposed.

References Cited WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner D. J. ZOBKIV, Assistant Examiner

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