EP1981803A2

EP1981803A2 - Filling machine with pivotable bottle support and filling under-counter pressure or without counter-pressure

Info

Publication number: EP1981803A2
Application number: EP06808914A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gabriele Stocchi
Original assignee: Sacmi Filling SpA
Current assignee: Sacmi Filling SpA
Priority date: 2005-10-07
Filing date: 2006-10-02
Publication date: 2008-10-22
Also published as: US20080223477A1; ITBO20050599A1; WO2007042880A2; WO2007042880A3

Abstract

A universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids characterized by the fact that the fork (1) is articulated on a fulcrum (2) to allow the bottle (3') inclination during the lifting operation to optimize the aseptic filling process of carbonated drinking liquids by reducing their turbulence.

Description

Universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids

Technological field

The present invention refers to the technological field of filling valves.

Specifically, it refers to the aseptic filling of drinking liquids.

International classification of reference: B67 c.

State of the art

In the prior patent literature the WO 2005/003018 application stands

out. Such application features a valve for the aseptic filling of flat drinking

liquids. In said document the state of the art is described as follows: it is

known that for the aseptic bottling of drinking liquids a pressurized filling

chamber with sterile gas is used.

At the current state of the art, it is now possible to ensure complete

sterility of the gas flows employed, but not the complete sterility of the

environment inside said pressurized chamber.

It is of course evident that the filling chamber, before being sterilized,

is occupied by the outside atmosphere, whose presence is gradually reduced

with injection of sterile gas flows. The presence of atmospheric residuals

cannot be completely removed without employing full vacuum conditions.

Said system does now ensure the asepticity of the area between the exit

mouth of the sterile product and the mouth of the container to be filled. In said zone, the flow of drinking liquid comes into touch with outside

atmosphere, and the level of asepticity of the process decreases.

Furthermore, at the end of the filling process, the neck-space of the

filled container is occupied by the atmospheric content of the filling chamber

that generally includes a considerable percentage of oxygen. Said residual

oxygen, inside the final package, causes undesired oxidation effects that alter

the organoleptic of the drinking products.

The invention object of the application WO 2005/003018 suggests an

optimal solution to guarantee the aseptic filling even in the critical zone

included between the mouth of the container and the filling valve exit mouth

of the product. It is exactly in said critical area that a special continuous flow

of sterile gas is needed to protect the product entering each container.

Furthermore, the continuous flow of inert and sterile gas minimizes the

amount of oxygen in the neck space of the filled container. The filling valve

described in WO 2005/003018 has given excellent results for the aseptic

bottling of flat drinking liquids.

The problem to be solved is the bottling of carbonated liquids when

using the same filling valve. The solution proposed in the present invention is

the design of a universal valve that would allow the aseptic bottling of flat

liquids as well as the aseptic bottling of carbonated liquids . The great practical benefit of this invention is quite evident: it allows

considerable savings in the purchase and running costs of bottling plants and

also reduces the filler overall dimensions since a single machine can perform

filling of both flat and carbonated liquids.

Description

The invention is now disclosed with reference to the pictures of the

drawings attached as an unrestricted example.

Pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 point out the state of the art published in

the international patent WO 2005/003018.

Picture 8 shows schematically the vertical positioning of a bottle 3 held

by the fork 1 in horizontal position located by the filling valve V for the

aseptic filling of flat liquids. We can notice the flow of sterile air that comes

out of the valve and surrounds the neck of the bottle keeping it isolated from

the atmosphere. The fork 1, articulated on the fulcrum 2, is kept in horizontal

position by the fixed contrasting element 4 below. The lifting equipment 9 is

kept in a lower position by the contrast spring 8.

Picture 9 shows the beginning of the aseptic filling phase of the flat

liquid coming out the valve V and entering the bottle 3. The flow of sterile

gas surrounds coaxially the liquid coming from the valve, thus keeping the

liquid isolated from the atmosphere. It should also be pointed out that by increasing the filling level of the liquid inside the bottle 3, its gas content is

freely discharged outside.

Picture 10 shows the final phase of the aseptic filling operation: the

flow of sterile gas has prevented the direct contact with the outside

atmosphere throughout the entire filling process of the flat liquid.

Picture 11 shows the same valve V with the same gripping fork 1 still

in horizontal position holding a different bottle 3' in vertical position that

needs to be filled with a different process of aseptic bottling of carbonated

drinking liquid.

Picture 12 shows the lifting phase of the bottle by the fork I₅ which,

being freely articulated on fulcrum 2, takes an oblique position because of its

own weight. It should be observed that the limit to the fork inclination is

given by the rear fixed contrast element 7. Still in said picture 12 it can be

noticed that the gripping fork 1 lifts the bottle 3' by means of the lifting

equipment 9 specifically designed to perform vertical excursions on its fixed

guide 10.

Picture 13 highlights the beginning of carbonated liquids bottling

inside the bottle 3' in inclined position. The ring of the bottle 3', lifted in

inclined position, is placed against the lower oblique surface 6 of the

hermetic sealing ring 5 to allow the preliminary entry of a process gas such as

carbon dioxide fed through the special coaxial conduit of the filling valve. The shutter of the liquid is closed and only carbon dioxide enters the inclined

bottle 3'.

In the following picture 14 while the liquid gets in contact with the

inner part of the inclined bottle 3', in order to reduce the turbulence during

filling, the air and the carbon dioxide 12 are discharged through the same

duct through which the carbon dioxide was let in.

Picture 15 shows the conclusion of the bottling operation.

The clearness of the picture highlights the production and simple

functioning of the valve that is the object of the present invention. It should

be pointed out that the inventive core of the present invention is the

articulation fulcrum 2 that allows the inclination of the bottle 3 ' during the

filling of drinking carbonated liquids.

The inclined position that the bottle 3 ' takes by gravity is exploited to

lower the turbulence during filling. The liquid fed by the valve V gets in

touch with the inner surface of the inclined bottle 3', and its laminar flow

reduces the turbulence of the bottling process of carbonated liquids.

In pictures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 each single detail is marked as

follows:

1 indicates the gripping fork of the bottles.

2 indicates the fulcrum allowing the inclination of the fork and

therefore the inclination of the lifted bottles. 3 indicates a bottle to be filled aseptically with flat liquids.

3' indicates a bottle to be filled aseptically with carbonated liquids

employing the same filling valve.

4 indicates a fixed contrasting element that keeps the fork in horizontal

position, and hence the bottle in vertical position during the filling of

flat liquids.

5 indicates a hermetic sealing ring applied on the valve V.

6 indicates the lower surface of said sealing ring to guarantee the

hermetic conditions during the bottling of carbonated liquids.

7 indicates the fixed rear contrast element that limits the obliquity of

the fork and defines the inclined position of the bottle during the filling

process of carbonated liquids.

8 indicates a contrast spring that keeps in lowered position the lifting

equipment of the gripping fork 1.

9 indicates the lifting equipment of the fork 1.

10 indicates the fixed guide for vertical sliding of said lifting

equipment 8.

11 indicates a flat liquid.

11 ' indicates a carbonated liquid.

12 indicates the snifting during the bottling of carbonated liquids

through the same duct fit for carbon dioxide entry. V is a valve for the aseptic bottling.

R indicates the rotating filling machine of bottling plant set up

peripherally with a plurality of aseptic filling valves for both flat and

carbonated liquids.

The invention of course allows several variations both in terms of

dimensioning and structural proportioning of the various components, and of

the technological choices of the materials used in the manufacturing process.

Any technician skilled in this technological field, now that the

inventive combinations have been disclosed, will be able to realize without

effort valves for the aseptic bottling of carbonated or flat liquids having the

same original design and functional characteristics as the ones described,

shown and claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1) A universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids

characterized by the fact that the fork (1) is kept in horizontal position resting

on the lower fixed contrast element (4) to ensure the vertical position of the

bottle (3) during the process of aseptic bottling of flat feeding liquids.

2) A universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids, as in

claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fork (1) is articulated on fulcrum

(2) to allow the bottle (3') inclination during the lifting operation to optimize

the aseptic filling process of carbonated drinking liquids by reducing their

turbulence.

3) A universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids, as in

previous claims, characterized by the fact that the sealing ring (5) presents

the lower surface (6) with a pre-set obliquity that defines the exact inclination

of the body of the bottle (3') to optimize the aseptic bottling process of

carbonated liquids by reducing their turbulence.

4) A universal valve for the aseptic filling of drinking liquids, as in

previous claims, characterized by the fact that the rear fixed contrast (7)

limits the inclination of the gripping fork (1) and defines the limits of the

obliquity of the body of the lifted bottle (3').