US2681759A

US2681759A - Filling tube assembly

Info

Publication number: US2681759A
Application number: US141110A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ivan H Risser
Original assignee: U S BOTTLERS MACHINERY CO
Current assignee: U S BOTTLERS MACHINERY CO
Priority date: 1950-01-28
Filing date: 1950-01-28
Publication date: 1954-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1971-06-22

Description

June 22, 1954 l. H. Rlssr-:R

FILLING TUBE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 28, 1950 lm h 6 9 Nm n n 1 @j 1: Z "EN" flu/adv Patented June 22, 1954 UNITED STATES TNT OFFICE FILLING TUBE ASSEMBLY Application January 28, 1950, Serial No. 141,110

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a filling tube assembly and especially to a novel iilling tube assembly for so-called gravity feed machines in which successive bottles or containers are automatically filled to a predetermined lling height.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel lling tube assembly of extremely sturdy construction having a minimum number of parts which may be readily assembled or disassembled. This assembly is so designed and constructed that the component parts may be easily cleaned and maintained sanitary.

A further important object of the present invention is the provision of a novel iilling tube assembly that is so constructed and arranged as to minimize likelihood of damage, and if damaged for any reason such as due to misalignment of the bottle or container being lled with respect to the filling tube, such resultant damage is limited or coniined to the outer cylindrical tube. By reason of the novel construction and assembly, such tube may be readily replaced and the cost thereof and the time and labor required for its replacement are very low.

The present invention further comprehends the provision of a novel means and manner i effectively sealing the assembly against leakage.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, eiciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical cross-section through the novel filling tube assembly and showing it assembled in the base of a filling tank.

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal cross-section through the lower endof the tube assembly, the view being taken in a plane represented by the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.`

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the lower end. of the inner or vent tube and the tip and showing the discharge passage for dispensing the liquid.

Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of the structure oi Fig. 3, but with the tip rotated through approximately one-half revolution from the position of Fig. 3 to show the location oi the air vent in the tip and its connection to the Vent tube.

Referring to the disclosure in the drawing and especially to the embodiment therein selected to illustrate the present invention,` the novel iilling tube assembly comprises a threaded head or connector Iii for joining or mounting the assembly in an opening Ii provided in the base I2 of iilling tank I3. rfhis head and the opening for receiving it are preferably threaded for detachable or threaded connection whereby the entire filling tube assembly carried by the head can be quickly removed from the tank for cleansing or replacement. The head is provided with a relatively large and preferably centrally disposed bore or passage I4 through which the liquid I5 from the filling tank I3 flows by gravity during the lling operation.

Disposed within the bore I4 of the head is the upper end of an outer tube I6 and within this outer tube is an inner tube Il providing an air vent, the upper end I8 of the inner tube projecting a substantial amount above the head, through the depth of liquid I5 within the lling tank I3 and to a position approximately one-half inch or more above the normal filling level I9 in the tank. In the illustrative embodiment, the inner or vent tube II is shown substantially centered within the outer tube I6 to adjacent its lower end 20 where this inner or vent tube is bent in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the extreme lower end 2l is threaded or detachably mounted in a threaded port 22 in the upper end of the tip 23. This spacing between the tubular members I6 and il provides an annular passage for dispensing the liquid by gravity.

The assembled inner tube Il and tip 23 are held in their proper operative position and relationship by a split clamping head or tube mounting 24, the two sections of which are each provided or formed with a complementary recess to conformably receive and clampingly retain in iixed position the inner tube I'I by a pair of clamping screws 25. This head or tube mounting 24 is anchored and maintained in spaced relation with the head or connector I0 by a plurality of depending connecting rods 26`, the upper ends of which are suitably mounted in the clamping head and the lower ends secured or threadedly connected to the head or connector I0.

The outer tube or tubular member I6 is conformably received in and slidably carried at its.

upper end in the bore i4 in the head or connector il) and its lower end 2l encompasses and is telescoped upon the tip 23 carried by the lower end of the inner tube il. A relatively heavy coil spring 28 bears at its upper' end against an annular peripheral ange 29 on a packing seal retainer 30 spring-biased and held against the base or underside of the head or connector iii. This retainer is provided on its upper surface with a reduced annular upstanding collar 3i received in an annular recess or bore 32 in the head or connector I and retaining within this recess a pair of 0 ring seals 33 forming a packing to seal and prevent leakage between the interior of the head or connector l0 and the outer tube I6.

A spring retainer 34 against which the lower end of the spring seats, rests upon a split tube clamp 35 clamped or anchored onto the outer tube at a xed distance with relation to a shoulder 36 formed or provided on the tip adjacent its lower end and against which the lower end 2'! of the outer tube I6 is adapted to seat when the filling tube is in its lowered, inoperative position as shown in Fig. 1. Each retainer so and 34 is provided with a conical part 3l centering the opposite ends of the coil spring.

The tube clamp 35 comprises complementary split sections 38 adapted to be clamped on and securely affixed to the outer tube I6 by a pair of clamping screws 4i). This tube clamp is contoured or channelled to receive and securely retain the reduced upper end 4l of a moulded sealing member 42 preferably formed of natural or compounded synthetic rubber and adapted to seat against or be engaged by the neck or upper end of a bottle or container to be lled. The distance or spacing between the lower or under surface of this sealing member and the shoulder 36 governs the filling height of the liquid in the bottle or container being lled. In other words, this spacing will be accurately governed by the distance from the top of the bottle or container to be lled to the ultimate liquid level in the bottle. Longitudinal adjustment of the tube clamp 35 and its depending sealing member 42 upon the outer tubular member l may be accomplished by merely loosening the clamping screws 4i) and varying the position of this clamp and sealing member upon this outer tubular member by a sliding movement.

The tip is longitudinally slotted at 43 (Figs. l and l) with this slot at its upper end opening into the port or passage 22 aligned with the inner tube or air vent Il and at its lower end extending to the upper edge of an annular channel 44 disposed immediately above the shoulder 3B. This channel is adapted to receive an O ring valve seal 45 which seals against the interior of the extreme lower end '21 of the outer tube i5. At the side of the tip opposite to the slot 43, the tip is provided with an elongated slot or channel 4% extending from the upper end of the tip (Fig. 3) to a position spaced upwardly from the shoulder 38 and the valve seal 45. At its upper end this slot or channel 46 is aligned with and opens into the outer tube it to feed liquid from the filling tank i3 to the slot or channel by gravity, but it cannot escape therefrom until the outer tube I6 is elevated sufciently to uncover the slot. However, before the slot or channel 46 is uncovered, the air vent or slot 43 is uncovered whereby air may escape from the bottle through the inner tube Il before liquid ows by gravity through the outer tube I6.

From the above disclosure, it will be apparent that when the parts are assembled as in Fig. 1, the outer tube i6 and the tube clamp 35 and sealing member 42 are telescoped and bodily slidable upon the inner tube Il and its tip 23. Relative movement therebetween may be effected whenever the sealing member engages or is engaged by the open neck of a :bottle or other container. For example, the bottle or container may be elevated into contact with the sealing member 42 and upon such engagement further elevation of the bottle or container lifts the sealing member and outer tube i6 to rst uncover the air vent or slot 43 to allow for the escape of air from the interior of the bottle or container, and second to uncover the slot or port 46 through which gravitates or escapes the liquid from the interior of the outer tube I6. Or, the nlling tube assembly may be bodily lowered with the filling tank and the bottle retained stationary, in which event the iilling tube assembly operates in the same manner as above.

The coil spring 28 is maintained under com pression between the spring retainer 3l] on the head l0, in which the upper end of the outer tube it is slidably received, and the spring clamp 34 cn the tube clamp 35, whereby the lower end 21 of this outer tube le is normally forcibly moved to its lowered, closed position in which the end 2'! engages the shoulder or seat 36 and sealing is effected thereby and through the sealing contact between the O ring 45 and the interior of the lower end of the outer tube I6. To unseat and raise the outer tube it from this sealing engagement, this tube and its sealing rubber 42 must be elevated with respect to the inner tube il and its tip 23, and this is accomplished each time the upper end or neck of a bottle or container engages the sealing rubber suiiiciently to cause the latter to be raised an amount sufiicient to uncover (l) the air vent and (2) the liquid passage.

When using prior types of filling tubes, in the event the bottle or container is not properly aligned with the iiller tube, damage may result to various parts thereof, and by reason of their construction and assembly considerable time, effort and expense is involved in order to disassemble the parts and replace those damaged. By means of the present novel construction and assembly and the sturdiness with which the parts are made, damage to the lling tube assembly is normally limited or localized to the outer tube I6 and it may be quickly and cheaply replaced. This cuter tube it is a single cylindrical member of uniform diameter and cross-section throughout. lt is inexpensive to produce and can be readily removed or replaced, when desired or required.

The parts are formed of a non-corrosive and easily cleaned material, the parts other than the flexible sealing members being preferably formed of stainless steel or other materials having a high resistance to corrosive influences and which may be readily cleansed and maintained sanitary.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A filling tube assembly for a gravity feed machine adapted to fill a bottle or container to a predetermined level with liquid from a filling tank, comprising a stationary housing member for connecting the assembly to the tank, an integral inner tube and an outer telescoping tube within the housing with the inner tube connected to the housing and retained in fixed position and providing an air vent extending through the assembly and through and above the liquid in the filling tank, and the encompassing outer tube providing a passage for the liquid, said outer tube being of uniform diameter and cross section and open only at the opposite ends with the upper end opening into the tank, an elongated, rigid tube tip detachably mounted on the lower end of the inner tube and having a longitudinal passage therein communicating with the inner tube and a pair of oppositely disposed, longitudinal slots, a peripheral shoulder providing a seat for the lower open end of the outer tube and a sealing ring engaging and sealing against the interior of the tube, one slot communicating with the passage in the inner tube and extending from a point spaced from the upper end of the tip to the peripheral shoulder, the other extending downwardly from the upper end of the tip to a point above the shoulder and sealing ring and the upper end opening into and communicating with the outer tube for the passage of liquid, a tube clamp and sealing member adjustably mounted on the outer tube and when disposed in adjusted position, contact of the sealing member with the neck of a container to be lled causes this sealing member, its clamp and the outer tube to be elevated upon the inner tube and tip whereby to successively uncover rst the lower end of the air vent slot and then the lower end of the liquid discharge slot and ll the container to a predetermined height, and an expansible` spring encompassing the outer tube and having its opposite ends bearing against the housing and the tube clamp to spring-bias the outer tube to its lowered closed position about the tip.

2. In a lling tube assembly for lling a container with liquid from the tank of a gravity feed machine, a filler head connected to the tank, an inner and an outer tube telescopically mounted in the filler head with the inner tube held stationary, an elongated, rigid tip detachably mounted upon the lower end of the inner tube and conformably received in and extending for a substantial distance into the outer tube, the tip having a passage therein communicating with the inner tube providing an air vent extending from the tip to above the liquid level in the tank, said tip having a pair of longitudinally extending peripheral slots, one communicating with the inner tube through the passage in the tip and the other open at its upper end for direct communication with the outer tube, the rst mentioned slot terminating below the lower end of the other, the o-uter tube being a straight tubular section of uniform diameter and cross section open only at its opposite ends and communicating at its upper end with the liquid in the tank and at its lower end communicating with the upper open end of its slot in the tip, means for mounting the inner tube stationary with respect to the head and tank, and means for slidably mounting the outer tube about the inner tube and about the tip with its upper end free and slidably received in the head in such manner that the outer tube may be quickly withdrawn and removed from the head and from about the inner tube and tip and replaced in the event of damage.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS