US2274245A

US2274245A - Mixing method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2274245A
Application number: US354881A
Authority: US
Inventors: George W Newton
Original assignee: Crown Cork and Seal Co Inc
Current assignee: Crown Cork and Seal Co Inc
Priority date: 1939-07-05
Filing date: 1940-08-30
Publication date: 1942-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1959-02-24

Description

Feb. 24, 1942. G. w. NEWTON 2,274,245

MIXING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed July 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 #MMA Feb. 24, 1942. G. w. NEWTON MIXING vMETHOD AND APPARATUS original Filed July 5,v 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @mw Am Mhmm Patented Feb. 24, 1942 MIXING;r METHOD AND APPARATUS George W. Newton, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York Original application July 5, `1939, Serial No. 282,871. Divided and this application August 30, 1940, Serial No. 354,881

3 Claims.

usual to first Vow a quantity of syrup into the bottle or other container, and to then ll the remainder of the container with carbonated water.

Machines have heretofore been developed and used for mixing the relatively heavy syrup with i the upper strata of carbonated water. However, such prior machines are not altogether satisfactory under certain conditions, due to the fact that the bottles are moved somewhat too vigorously during the mixing process, with theresult that foaming of the contents occurs and continues for some moments after the mixing action t is completed.

The particular condition 'under which such foaming is most objectionable is in plants where light sensitive inspecting `mechanisms are used to scan the bottle for the purpose of ascertaining Whether any foreign matter is present in its contents. One widely used inspection machine rotates the bottles, kand then holds it against rotation as its contents continue to rotate, and While `the bottle is moving past a photoelectric cell. By this `arrangement the entire contents of the 4bottle are slowly swirled in front of the photoeleotric cell. In order to be completely effective inv detecting extremely nsmall fragments of foreign matter in the bottle contents, the inspection mechanism must be so sensitive to the passage` of light through they bottle that it will `respond to the differences in light transmission resulting from the movement of foam bubbles through the beverage and may discard such bottles, causing an entirely unnecessary waste. More particularly, foam. bubbles in the liquid cause the inspection machine to reject the bottle and foam bubbles which collect on the upper surface of the liquid in the bottle are drawn down into the vortex or meniscus that is formed by the liquid, making it impossible to properly inspect for floating particles of foreign matter.

An important obiectof the present invention is to provide a mixing apparatus and method which will thoroughly mix the contents of a container and, more particularly, will thoroughly mix all syrup in, a carbonated beverage, corr-k tainer with the carbonated water without undesirable and continuing foaming of the contents.

Another object of the present invention is to minimize the possibilities of foaming `of a carbonated beverage during a mixing operation.

It has been found that a basic reason for the ilow of bubbles through the liquid during mixing is the fact that the head space of the sealed container is filled with air or gas at substantially atmospheric pressure while theliquid contents contain gas in solution and under a much higher pressure. When the container is bodily moved during the mixing process, the gas in solution immediately moves to the low pressure area, and as this area moves about in the bottle due to the movement of the bottle, the foam bubbles go through a marked movement. Such movement, as indicated above, may continue until sometime after bodily movement of the bottle has ceased and may thereby `affect the inspection machine.

The present invention contemplates creating a pressure condition in the container head space `as by agitating the container contents prior to tilting or inverting. This agitation is preferably effectedby tapping the bottle or subjecting it to a blow of suiiicient force to cause gas in solution in the liquid to rise into the container head space so that this space, previously lled with air or gas at atmospheric pressure, will be lled with gas at substantially the same pressure as that of the gas in solution. Such agitation of the bottle contents must be performed after the container has been sealed and the most satisfactory results are obtained by performing this agitating step a few moments prior to the mixing operation. For example, the agitation to cause rise of gas into the container head space can be performed immediately after the bottle has been sealed, and While at least the upper portion of the water in the bottle is free of syrup and hence has a low surface tension, so that gas will have va full opportunity to quickly rise from the bottle contents prior to such bodily movement of the b-ottle as will cause flow of its contents within the bottle. i

The agitation of the container contents referred to above may obviously be used with mixing methods and apparatus other than those disclosed in the present application.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, wherein: y

Figure l is a plan view of the outfeed portion of a filling machine and a portion of a mixing machine 4constructed in accordance with the present invention. In this view the super-structures of the two machines are omitted.

Figure 2 is a vertical central sectional view through the mixing apparatus on a line extending from front to rear of the machine, and

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral |36 designates the outfeed portion of a beverage filling machine including the usual transfer dial ||9 which moves filled bottles B containing a lower layer of syrup and an upper body of carbonated Water from a rotary filling table, not shown, to the dial 260 which is beneath and associated with the crowning mechanism of the lling machine. After the bottles have been crowned and thereby sealed, they are engaged by the usual outfeed dial |35 which moves them to the straight-line outfeed conveyor |35a of the filling machine. From this conveyor they move to the infeed conveyor |44 of the mixing apparatus |20.

Mixing apparatus |29 is of the type disclosed in my above-mentioned original application, Serial No. 282,871. Such mixing apparatus may be generally described in connection with Figure 2 as comprising a stationary base portion |2| having a fixed post |22 extending upwardly from its rearward portion and on which a table |23 is mounted for rotation by any suitable drive means. Table |23 is provided with a plurality of upstanding housings |24 spaced about its periphery and having horizontal shafts |25 journalled in their upper ends. Each shaft |25 carries a container supporting element or device |26 including a base portion |16 having a bottle platform |32 rotatable therein. Each element |26 also includes a reciprocable upper and clamping arm or head |98 having a rotatable portion adapted to engage the cap of the container so that the clamped container can rotate with platform |32. The shafts |25 are adapted to be rotated to move the elements |26 radially of table |23, all as described in said original application.

As is fully disclosed in said original applioation, the clamping head |98 of the bottle support |26 will be raised during the insertion of the bottle but will immediately descend to rmly clamp the bottle upon the bottle platform |32. Subsequently, the bottle will be turned to the inverted position shown at the right of Figure 2 so that the bottle platform |32 which is rotatable in the supporting element |26.will contact with a continuously moving belt |33 driven by a motor assembly 226, belt |33 being mounted to pass about a wheel 224 journalled on the upper portion of post |22. As a result, the bottle will be spun while inverted and while the rotary table v|23 is moving through approximately half a revolution. Before the bottle supporting element |26 again approaches the front table |29a, the supporting element |26 will be turned radially with shaft |25 to restore the bottle to upright position, the clamping arm |98 will lift to the position shown at the left of Figure 2, and the bottle will be removed from the bottle supporting platform |32 by the outfeed dial |42.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 3, a tapping arm |34 is secured in a collar 25|! which is rotatable upon a stud 25| secured in the guide plate 252 which surrounds the outfeed dial |35 of the filling machine |36. A coil spring 253 has its upper end secured in the underside of the collar 250, while its lower end is fixed in the lower and headed end 254 of the stationary stud 25|. The tapping arm |34 extends through a slot 255 formed in the depending skirt 256 of the guide plate 252 so that its outer end is in the path of movement of bottles moving about the outfeed dial |35. In operation, a bottle moving in one of the pockets of the outfeed dial |35 will swing the tapping arm |34 against the action of spring 253 from the solid line position of Figure 1 to the dotted line position of the same view. When the bottle has then moved past the end of the tapping arm, the latter will be swung backwardly by the spring 253 to strike the succeeding bottle so as to agitate the contents of the bottle and cause gas to be released from the carbonated liquid therein and to rise into the head space to create a pressure condition within the head space approximating the pressure of the gas in solution in the carbonated liquid.

The tension of the spring 253 may be adjusted by rotating the stud 25| and locking it in adjusted position by the lock nut illustrated in Figure 3.

The position of the tapping arm |34 may be varied from that illustrated in Figure 1, that is, the tapping arm may be positioned at a point closer to the crowning mechanism dial 260, or it may be placed at some point closer to the mixing apparatus. However, the tapping arm |34 should be positioned at a su'icient distance in advance of the mixing apparatus that the rise of gas resulting from agitation of the bottle contents by the tapping arm will be completed prior to the movement of the bottle onto a bottle supporting platform |26 of the mixing apparatus.

As has been stated above, the tapping operation just described is of considerable efficacy in preventing undue foaming of a carbonated liquid during the bodily movement of a bottle which occurs during a mixing process because, as hereinbefore stated, it increases the pressure in the container head space, and thereby minimizes the rise of foam bubbles during the mixing operation, and further insures that there will be no continuing rising of foam bubbles occurring during the movement of the bottle through an inspection machine.

It will be observed that by the above structure and method the contents of a bottle will be agitated and the head space pressure increased before mixing by bodily movement of the container. Obviously, the mixer which can be used adjacent the tapping mechanism is not limited to that disclosed in the drawings.

It will be understood that the terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description alone, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims.

I claim:

1. The method of mixing the contents of a closed container having therein a lower strata of syrup, a superposed body of carbonated water and with the headspace filled with a gaseous fluid at substantially atmospheric pressure, comprising subjecting the container to a blow while the latter is upright and the syrup is not mingled with the upper portion of the body of water so that the `surface tension of the water is at a minimum, the blow being of sufcient force to cause a portion of the gas in the carbonated water to bubble to the surface of the water to establish a higher pressure in the container headspace. n

2. The method of mixing they contents of a closed container having therein a lower strata of syrup, a superposed body of carbonated water and with the headspace lled with a gaseous uid at substantially atmospheric pressure, comprising subjecting the container to a blow while the latter is upright and the syrup is not mingled with the upper portion of the body of water so that the surface tension of the water is at a mini` mum, the blow being of suicient force to cause a n portion of the gas in the carbonated water to 3. In combination, means to ll a container with a lower layer of syrup and a superposed body of carbonated water with the upper portion of the water free of syrup to have a low surface tension, means to seal the container in the open atmosphere so that its headspace will contain a gaseous uid at substantially atmospheric pressure, means to impart a blow to the container while in the above described condition, the blow being of sucient force to cause gas to rise fromI the carbonated Water and into the-container headspace to establish a higher pressure in the headspace while the surface tension of the upper portion of the liquid contents is low, and means to bodily move the container to the syrup and water after the headspace pressure has thus been increased so that bubbling of gas during such bodily movement will be minimized.

GEORGE w.v NEWTON.