JP2006518317A5

JP2006518317A5 -

Info

Publication number: JP2006518317A5
Application number: JP2006503651A
Authority: JP
Filing date: 2004-02-18
Publication date: 2007-03-15

Claims

A system for aseptically filling a container having a filling port,
A membrane above the filling port of the container,
Means for filling the inside of the container with sterilization vapor;
The membrane retains the sterilizing steam only in the container for a time sufficient to sterilize the inner contact portion and membrane of the container,
Filling device for filling the product into the container without removing the membrane, its sterilization vapor is released from the container through the membrane before filling the container, and the portion of the filling device where the sterilization vapor contacts the product is sterilized To do,
Cap mounting mechanism for mounting the cap on the container without removing the membrane,
A system consisting of

The system of claim 1 wherein the membrane is an elastic body selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, natural rubber, butadiene, nitrile, sulfone, isoprene, polyurethane, and viton.

The system of claim 1 wherein the spring loaded insert replaces the conventional sealing material on the filling device and retains the membrane placed in the filling port during insertion of a portion of the filling machine.

The system of claim 1 , wherein the membrane opens more than about 10% of the mouth area.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the spring loaded insert provides a vapor seal associated with the membrane.

In addition, to or from the filling device, the conveyor includes a means for filling and filling, and the conveyor is partially or fully covered with a cover surrounding the sterilization vapor for sterilizing the outer surface of the container. 4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the system is fitted.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the sterilizing vapor is exhausted through a leak valve of the filling device.

In a method adapted to make a non-sterile filling line a sterile filling line,
Placing a membrane adjacent to the filling port of the container, a first condition in which the membrane is substantially impermeable to vapor and a second in which the membrane is moved so that a long member can be inserted into the container. The membrane is configured to be placed in a state;
Providing a sterilization medium delivery member; configuring the sterilization medium delivery member to fill the interior of the container with the sterilization medium by configuring the membrane to be disposed in the second state;
Configuring the membrane to be placed in a first state, thereby substantially holding the sterilization medium within the container;
Configuring the filling valve to be substantially sealed against a portion of the surface of the membrane;
The configuration of the filling valve is such that the membrane can be placed in the second state, the sterilization medium can be discharged from the container, and the container can be filled with the product,
Providing a second valve, the second valve being configured such that the sterilization medium flows from the container;
A method consisting of:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the sterilizing medium passes through at least a portion of the fill valve, thereby substantially sterilizing at least a portion of the fill valve.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of filling the container with the sterilizing medium is performed in a substantially enclosed portion of the filling line.

The step of configuring the fill valve to substantially seal at a portion of the surface of the membrane is configured to attach a faced member to the fill valve so that the faced member forms a seal with a portion of the membrane. 9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of attaching the faced member to the filling valve includes attaching a springed face member to the filling valve.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of providing the second valve includes providing a leak valve to configure the sterilization medium to flow from the container.

The step of configuring the filling valve to move the membrane so that the sterilizing medium can be removed from the bottle and filled into the bottle includes providing a collar member, the collar member being removed from the first state. 9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method is configured to move at least a portion of.

further,
Transporting the container from the filling position to a non-sterile environment capping position, the container contents being substantially free of microbial contamination while the container is being transported prior to capping the container;
The method of claim 8 comprising:

further,
Carrying the container from a position where the container is filled with sterilization medium to the filling position, and that the container is substantially sealed with a sterilization medium inside the container while the container is being carried;
The method of claim 8 comprising:

further,
Sterilize the filling valve using at least one of the following sterilization steps: applying UV irradiation to the filling valve, adding steam to the filling valve, washing the filling valve with hot water, in a bath containing a disinfectant Cleaning the filling valve with,
The method of claim 9 comprising:

further,
Providing a cover, configured to allow the sterilization medium to flow around the filling valve,
The method of claim 9 comprising:

further,
Placing a cap on the membrane so that after the cap is placed on the membrane, the membrane becomes integral with the cap;
The method of claim 8 comprising:

The system of claim 1 wherein the sterilization vapor is retained within the container when the container is transported between a position where the container is filled with sterilization vapor and the filling position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the material of the membrane is an elastic body selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, natural rubber, butadiene, nitrile, sulfone series, isoprene, polyurethane, and viton.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the membrane opens more than about 10% of the area of the filling mouth during the filling step.

The method further comprises pressing the membrane segment closely against the inner wall of the container to accelerate the discharge of sterilization vapor by eliminating a gap between the membrane segment and the inside of the container. 14 methods.

The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of wetting the membrane with a fluid, wherein the wet membrane has a high ability to prevent entry of contaminants.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fluid includes a sterilizing agent and a thickening agent that increases the viscosity of the fluid.

The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of heating the container, wherein the heating increases the internal pressure of the gas in the container and enhances the function of preventing entry of contaminants into the container.

The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of sterilizing the outer surface of the membrane prior to the capping step.