US1030139A - Bottle rinsing and sterilizing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

A. G. STEER.

BOTTLE RINSTNG ASD STEHILIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. L911 LUSOJSQ, Patented June 18,1912.

3 SHEETSSHBET 1,

A. G. STEBR. BOTTLE MNSING AND SI'EHILlZlNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY .20, 1911.

1,030,139 Patented June 18,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. G. STEER. BOTTLE RINSING AND STERILIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

- Patented June 18, 1912.

3 SHBETS-SHEET 3.

ran t me PATN rain.

ALFRED G. sTE ER, O-F LANSDOWNE,- PhrNNSYLVJ-LNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 DAIBYMENE":

SUPPL'Y CO., 01" LANSDOWNE,- PENNSYLVANIA, .A' CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

me ias,

To all wltom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, ALrRnn G. SrnEn, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lansdowne, Delaware county, Pennsyl- 5, Vania, have invented certain Improvements 'Q for bottles, and consists of an apparatus especially designed for use in thecleansing of .mi lk bottles wherein hot water, preferably under steam presspre, is forced into the bottles, thoroughly washing and rinsing the same, and when such rinsing operation is complete, live steam is forced into the bottles for the purpose of effecting a complete sterilization of the same. This operation of rinsing and sterilizing the bottles follows a preliminary soak in a bath of cleansing liquid and a scrubbing of the interior of the bottles effected by a brush or other suitable means. These and other features of my invention are more fully described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

. Figure 1, is a sectional elevation of apparatusembodying my. invention; Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the same, looking 1n the direction of the arrow m, Fig. 1; Fig. 3,

is an end elevation, lookingin the direction of the arrow y, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, is a diagrammatic view illustrating the piping for the steam and hot water, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, are views illustrating details ofmy invention. I

In the drawings herewith, 1 represents a suitable tank for hot Water, in which a coil or elongated section of ipe with return bends, indicated at 2, is disposed. This hot water maybe initially heated by live steam delivered from r a pipe 3, connected to a main steam pipe 4:, leading from a suitable source of supply, boiler or the like. The brush employed for the scrubbing operation may be driven by a steam turbine and when such apparatus is employed. the exhaust steam therefrom may discharge into the tank of water to heat the same. the apparatus is in operation, however, the steam employed to force the water into the bottles will maintain the desired heat there for;

{Ab ve h k, or at paint onve e t.- thereto, a suitable guideway may be pro- Specification of Letters hateht. Application med'ma ae, 1911. Serial No. 629,650.

nor'rngn RII'ISINGLAND. srnaitlzitte arranarns.

videcl formed of rails 5, for the introduction ofa case 6 carrying a series of bottles Patented June ltd, 1912..

disposed in an inverted position, and in'the structure I have devised it is quite possible and practicable to wash twenty pints or a dozen quarts at a single time, the cases being capable of containing either number. The bottles may be supported by-suit'able racks or trays 6 having rings or-collars or similar devices receivin the necks of the bottles in the manner siibstantially as indicated in the drawings. I may also and preferably provide a casing 7 forminga chamber receiving the case of bottles and in which the rinsing and sterilizing operations are carried out; the ends of such casing through which the bottle carrying cases may be introduced and removed having movable doors 7 hinged thereto.

Below the rails for the bottle carrier tubular manifolds indicated at 8 and 9 may be disposed;the manifold 8 having three pipes 10 projecting therefrom, with a series of apertures 11, four in number, through which water and steam, and steam alone, may emerge in'the form of jets; while the manifold 9 has. four pipes 12 projecting therefrom, with a series of apertures 11, five in number, through which water and steam, and steam alone, may emerge in the form of jets. The jets from the pipes 9 are arranged to register with quart size bottles so that the jets may be properly directed thereto, while the ets from the pipes 11 are arranged to register with the pint size bottles so that the jets may be properly direct-ed thereto. The manifolds may be connected at one end by a U-shaped pipe 13, and at the opposite end by a, U -shaped pipe 14; the pipe 13 having a three-way valve 15, whereby the delivery of steam to either manifold may be accomplished, or the steam inlet cut ofi entirely, while the pipe 1 1 has a pair of check valves 16 and 17 which are brought into operation when steam is directed into either manifold for passage to' the pipes carried thereby having the-jetting apertures; such check valves .preventingpassage of steam to the COll or conduit 2 in the tank or the other manifold. The coil orconduit 2 disposed in thetank for the reception of a charge of water to be dischargedinto the bottlesiisprpvided with a check valve 18 normally opn, so that said coil may fill with water during the intervals in the operation of apparatus While steam is being jetted into the i bottles.

1, I A pipe 19 leading froml'the source of steam supply is connected with a pipe 20;

one end of which latter pipe isattached to the three-way valve 15, While the opposite end ofjsaid pipe 20 is attached to the coil or conduit 2 invthe tank. On each side 'of this connection of the pipe 19 with the pipe 20 is a plunger valve, indicated at 21- and a 22, both of which valves may be controlled by a suitable lever 23, so that either one may be opened while ,theother remains closed. These valves are preferably of the check type and when closed they are held to,

their seats not only by means of suitable springs but also by reason of the pressure ofv steam within said pipe 20. They may be raised from their-seats against the steam pressure by'the arms24 controlled by the ,lever 23, upon rocking the latter, such arms engaging heads carried by the whereby live steam ma of the manifolds 8 or 9,,as the case'may be, depending upon the. position of the sa1d three-wayvalve, which may be operated by.

thereto and. discharges through the aper stems 26 of said valves.

conduit 2 into the manifolds, thence to, the .pipes connected thereto, and from the latter in the form of jets; certain of said, jets delivering water to the bottles, while other jets rinse the outside of the bottles.- The attendant jwitne'ssingthis operation will,

discover, following the discharge of; the supply of-water which has collected in the 'coilor conduit 2, a vaporous body within the said bottles, being a saturated'body of [the steam employed to force the water,fand

as soon as this is apparent the valve 21 should be closed and thevalve 22 opened, v j be" -del1 vered through the three-way va ve15finto one a handle 27. .The live steam entering said manifold, j passes to. the pipes connected tures of'the same in theform of jets into the bottlesf'one of the check valves in the pipe 14, connected to the oppositeend of said manifold preventing escape of the steam through the water line, or to the other manifold. While this is going on,- the coil or conduit 2 in the tank is filling with water through the normally open check .valve 18, so that when one set of bottles has beenpushed away from the rinsing point and theapparatus is ready to receive 60" another set of bottles, there will be sufiicient water in said coil or conduit for delivery to the manifolds, 'and thence to the pipes through which it is jetted to rinse the bottles. The water should be at a temperature of about 150- F.,and should have been at grangement in which'8 and 9 represent the If, as illustrated inthediagram, Fig. 4, the valve 21 be opened, steam pressure will. enter to force the water from thecoil'or.

such temperature for some little time, a half hour, for instance,'before the rinsing opera- 'tion commences. 3 It will be seen therefore thatthe bottles are thoroughly rinsed andraised to a sufiicifent degree of heat to stand the introduction of live steam to effeotsterilization" before such steam is? admitted thereto. 7 I

I" have shown "separate manifolds with pipes projecting therefrom having apertures to effect a jet-ting operation'of the water and steam, or the steam alon'er- It will be evident, however, that the manifolds and .the

pipes may be made in a singlecasting, and in Figs. 9 and10, I have shown such ar- 30 manifold portions thereof with a web 10 between the same, havingpassages 12 with jetting apertures 11. j

It will be understood that the casing 7 1 will catch any excess water or condensed steam and return it to the tank, and that such casing may be provided with a pipe 28 to carry off any excess of vapor present in such chamber during the sterilization operation. f

While I have shown valves 21 and 22 controlling the d'elivery'of steam, which valves are arranged to open against the pressure of the steam, it will beunderstood that such efiected'by asingle. threej control may be Way valve. v .ilclaim'z g j 1. In bottle rinsing and sterilizing apparatus", the combination of a bottle support;

a plurality of jetting devices placedto denation of a bottle support; an apertured pipe placed to deliver fluid to the bottles on the support; a conduit; means for automatically permitting the flow of water into the conduit upon the formation of a vacuum therein; means for delivering steam directly to the apertured pipe or to said conduit to discharge the water therein'through said ap ertured pipe; means for controlling the de--" livery of such steam, and a check .valve placed to prevent the passage of fluid to said conduit from said apertured pipe. 125 3.' In bottle rinsing apparatus, the combination of a bottle support; a plurality of 'ap'-' ertured pipes placed to deliver fluid tothe bottles on saidsupport; aplurality of manifolds connected, to said apertured pipes; a. ,30 j

ply, and connected to the manifolds; a check valve connected to automatically admit Water from the source through said conduit under predetermined conditions; means for delivering steam to said conduit to discharge the contents thereof through the apertured pipes; a valve controlling the delivery of such steamthroughthe conduit; means for delivering steam to the manifolds independently of the conduit; and means for preventing the passage of steam-from the manifolds to the conduit.

4:. The combination of a water containing tank; a jetting device; a conduit submerged in the water of the tank and connected to the jetting device; a source of steam supply connected both to the conduit and to the jetting device; means for automatically admitting water from the tank to the'conduit upon the formation of a vacuum in the latter; means for preventing the flow of fluid from. the jetting device to the conduit; and means for delivering steam to the pipe or to the jetting. device at will.

5. The combination of a water containing tank; a jetting device; a conduitsubmerged in the Water of the tank and connected to the jetting device; a source of steam supply connected both to the conduit and to the jetting device; a check valveconnected to the conduit to admit water thereto from the tank; means for preventing the flow of fluid from the jetting device to the conduit; and means for delivering steam to the pipe or to the jetting device at will.

6. The combination in a rinsing and sterilizing apparatus, of a water containing tank;

a -conduit therein having a check valve placed to permit of flow from the tank; a pair of manifolds, each having a set of apertured' discharge pipes; a pipe, including a check valve, connecting each of the manifolds with the conduit in the tank; a steam supply pipe; a valve interposed between the said steam supply pipe and the conduit; means for connecting said steam supply pipe with both of the manifolds; and means for delivering steam into either manifold at W1 In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED e. STEER.

Witnesses:

MURRAY C. BoYER, ARTHUR J. PURSSELL.

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