GB2204571A

GB2204571A - Apparatus for filling containers

Info

Publication number: GB2204571A
Application number: GB08808903A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Friedrich Rademacher
Original assignee: Holstein und Kappert GmbH; Holstein und Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix GmbH
Current assignee: Holstein und Kappert GmbH; Holstein und Kappert Maschinenfabrik Phonix GmbH
Priority date: 1987-04-16
Filing date: 1988-04-15
Publication date: 1988-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 2008-04-15
Also published as: DE8705631U1; DE3713013C2; GB2204571B; GB8808903D0; DE3713013A1

Description

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS 2 2 0 J 5 7 1 The present invention

relates to apparatus for filling containers such as bottles and the like with a support which surrounds the vessel at the neck collar, which can be lifted by means of a lifting device and can be moved against the filling head, wherein the lifting device is locked during the filling stage.

In the filling of containers which have a neck collar in the vicinity of the opening, as is the case e.g. with plastics bottles, it has already been proposed that the containers should be gripped by means of a gripping and/or supporting device, raised and then pressed against the filling element or filling head of a surrounding filling machine. In order to do this it is necessary to take up the vertical forces occurring particularly in the case of counterpressure filling, for which correspondingly large curved tracks and lifting devices are necessary. This can result in the fact that the normal lifting device for raising the bottles in filling machines, which stands on a corresponding lifting plate, can only be used in reverse and thus in effect the same robust construction must be used. Such an arrangement is known for example from DE-OS 35 06 250.

In this case an attempt is also made to select a piston cylinder arrangement which takes up the pressure produced during the filling process, and thus the vertical forces acting on the bottle, which can press the bottle away from the filling head. Obviously considerable counterpressures are necessary here and these require a particularly stable and large supporting and lifting device.

Other devices for the filling of containers of this type are known in which the bottles are held, lifted and pressed against the filling heads by curve and roller controlled supports which grip their neck collars. In this case,as soon as the desired height is reached a hook unit is inserted into the lateral support and thus fixes its height. By engaging such a stop the vertical forces are partly taken up, insofar as the lateral portion of the support is concerned. As the support itself engages the neck collar of the bottles in the form of a bracket throughout the filling process and is subject to the pressure conditions occurring therein, such brackets must be provided with correspondingly stable supports. This is a considerable disadvantage particularly in relation to masses which are both rotating and being moved back and forth (up and down) in the vertical plane.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate or is minimize the disadvantages mentioned herein in the introduction and thus to achieve an improvement in particular in the simplicity and lightness of such a support, wherein the vertical forces during the filling process are taken up by the neck caller itself largely centrally thereto.

By this means a particularly simple and lightweight construction of the lifting device and supporting element can be achieved. In order to achieve the object underlying the invention it is proposed in the case of a device of the type mentioned in the introduction that the support should be constructed as a partial support for the neck collar and work in conjunction with a second support supplementing this which likewise engages the neck collar of the container which is to be raised and thus simultaneously also supports the partial support during the filling process and takes up the vertical forces produced during the filling process.

Z As already described above, a considerable simplification in the lifting device and the supporting element is achieved by this means.Furthermore, the vessel is fully engaged on two opposing sides and in this way is optimally held and centred. The partial support and the entire support effectively engage 1 in the axis of the container, whereby an effective seal with the filling head is ensured during the filling process.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention it is proposed that the supplementary support be mounted on the filling head and/or the filling machine container in such a way that it can be swung in and out. In this context it has been found advantageous that the supplementary support should be constructed in the form of a double lever with a centrally located neck collar support and the double lever should engage beneath the outer surface of the partial support.

It is further proposed that the supplementary support should be capable of being swung beneath the partial support in free fall and be swung away from this region by means of a guide curve. For simple and reliable swinging and engaging of the double lever and the support it is finally proposed that the partial support should be capable of movement away from its own supporting position by means of a curved track, that the supplementary support should be capable of being swung in under free fall and that the partial support should be capable of being lowered into its own supporting position by release from the curved track.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Fig. 1 is a fragmentary cross-section through a device forming an embodiment of the invention; and t Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

According to the cross-section of the embodiment proposed by way of example in Figure 1, by the filling device comprises an annular container 1 of a rotary filling machine, which is not illustrated further, but having filling heads 2 located thereon which each have a centering sleeve 3 which can be moved in an axial direction against the force of a spring. Towards the centre of the filiing machine, that is to the side of the vertical axis through filling head 2, is located a lifting device 4 for lifting bottles 5 which are to be filled. In the vicinity of the upper opening these bottles 5 have a neck collar 6 which is engaged by a first Support as partial Support 7 which is screwed to lifting device 4. Lifting device 4 is also equipped with a guide roller 8 which is mounted So as to move back and forth along a curved track 9.

A second, supplementary support 10 acts in concert with partial support 7 and this can be mounted on filling head 2 or filling machine container 1 in such a way that it can be swung in and out. This support 10 is constructed in such a way that it normally lies in the lower position as a result of the influence of gravity and as shown in the drawing, and thus engages the neck collar 6 of bottle 5 from beneath. Support 10 is constructed a double lever 11 with a centrally located neck collar support 101. Double lever 11 has a catch 12 to stop partial support 7 which is located opposite the guide track. In order to control support 10 by means of catch 12 double lever 11 also has a guide shaft or bolt 13 and the filling machine has a corresponding control track 14.

Method of operation:

When there is no bottle in the filiing machine lifting device 4 is in the lower position so that it can engage an incoming bottle 5 with partial lower support 7.

As soon as a bottle has been seized beneath neck collar 6, j is 21) lifting device 4 moves with guide roller 8 along curved track 9 towards filling head 2 or centering sleeve 3 located there which can be moved slightly in an axial direction against the force of a spring. Thus lifting device 4 overshoots its stroke by a few millimetres with the result that support 10 is displaced with catch 12 and lies beneath partial support 7 or beneath neck collar 6. Lifting device 4 then falls back into its own supporting position whereby neck collar 6 and partial support 7 are centred and fixed in height at the same time. The vertical forces which are now produced during the filling process or in the course of counterpressure filling are taken up directly by catch 12 which is located parallel to the axis of bottle 5 so that all the forces are taken up by annular container 1 or filling head 2 of the filling machine and additional supporting forces, for example, from a strengthened lifting device or curved track, are not necessary.

When the filling process is complete, guide roller 6 falls back into the vicinity of curved track 9 which then slightly lifts this with the lifting device and partial support 7 so that guide shaft or bolts 13 are almost free hanging as a result of moving towards control track 14 and can be swung outwards from the area of the bottle without force. The lifting device with the filled bottle thereupon falls back in order to deliver it to the delivery side at the filling machine for further processing, for example for the closing process.

Claims

CLAIMS is 1. A device for filling containers, such as bottles and the like

each having a collar in its neck re gion, including a support for engaging the container on the neck collar, which can be lifted by means of a lifting device and moved against the filling head of a filling machine, wherein the lifting device is locked during the filling process, characterised in that the support is constructed as a partial support for each neck collar which acts in concert with a second support supplementing this which also engages the lifted container beneath the neck collar and thus simultaneously both supports the first partial support during the filling process and resists or takes-up the vertical forces produced by the filling process.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the second or supplementary support is mounted on the filling head and/or the filling machine container in such a way that it can be swung in and out of its operative, supporting position.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the supplementary support is constructed as a double lever with a centrally located neck collar support wherein the double lever is engageable beneath the outer surfaces of the partial support.
4. A.device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, in which the supplementary support can be swung to a region beneath the partial support in free fall under the action of gravity and can be swung away cut of said position by means of a curved guide. c
5. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which the partial support is moveable away from the supporting 1 1 14 position by means of a curved track, the supplementary support may be swung into place in free fall and the partial support can be lowered from the supporting position by release from the curved track.
6. A filling machine including a device for filling containers substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

ill j Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66.1?1 High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Paten office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent. Con. 1/87. -