US3093165A - Rotary filling machine and filling tubes therefor - Google Patents

Description

June l1, 1963 i. H. RlssER 3,093,165

ROTARY FILLING MACHINE: AND FILLING TUBES IHERFFOR Filed Aug. 2o, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1l, 1963 i. H. RlssER 3,093,165

ROTARY FILLING MACHINE AND FILLING TUBES THEREF'OR Filed Aug. 20, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /z/ i Z3 I Q/@ ww 15 13 @ggg 1.0

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ROTARY FILLING MACHINE AND FILLING TUBES THEREFOR Filed Aug. 20, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 @Wn/925W M United States Patent Olice Patented June 11, 1963 U.S. Boitiers of The present invention relates to rotary filling machines and especially to a novel means and mechanism -for the rapid lling of bottles or containers with dry wines accomplished with a minimum of turbulence and aeration of such wines.

Itis, therefore, van important object of the present invention to provide -a novel lling tube assembly for a high speed, rotary lling machine employing a plurality of said units and in which each container is lilled to a predetermined height by a vertically movable ffilling tube and in such manner that the tilling operation is carried out most effectively for the bottling of dry wines.

A `further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel iilling tube assembly for a rotary liller in which the containers to be lilled'travel in spaced relation and continuously in a horizontal plane on a rotary ller bed and the registering iilling -tubes are moved vertically into and out of the containers with the lower, ported end of each lling tube being projected to adjacent the bottom of the container from which position the main flow of wine or liquid to be bottled enters the container below the surface of the collected wine without undue turbulence and aeration of the contents during the illing operation.

In the disclosed embodiment and novel manner of lilling containers, the vertically movable lilling tube remains sealed against :dow until its discharge end or tip is lowered into the bottle and its sealing collar seats upon the neck and seals the interior of the bottle to the atmosphere. Thereupon the lling tube continues its travel downwardly in the bottle with its outlet ports in the tip remaining uncovered until the ytip is located adjacent the bottom of the bottle. In this downward travel with the outlet ports uncovered a small quantity of wine, sufficient to cover these ports when the tip is in its lowered position, is initially discharged and collects in the bottom ot the bottle, after which the filling tube continues its downward travel until the tip reaches adjacent the bottom whereupon -full flow is established from this lowered position.

The tip of the tilling tube remains in this lowered position until the bottle is substantially lilled whereupon the lling tube is elevated and the outlet ports are sealed against lfurther flow, after which the trilling tube assembly is withdrawn from the bottle. This entire llillin-g operation is elected with a minimum of turbulence and aeration of the wine after which the lilled bottle is capped or sealed.

The present invention further relates to a novel illing unit and to a novel means and manner of supplying dry wines to and lling containers therewith whereby aeration of the contents is reduced to a minimum.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of a novel reservoir or tank `for supplying wine in a quiescent state to a plurality of the novel lling tubes, the reservoir being so constructed and arranged whereby the velocity of the entering wine is most effectively reduced and must pass in a tortuous path to dissipate entrapped air before it is collected in a quiescent body from which it is supplied to the tilling tubes.

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.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l1 is a diagrammatic view, part in side relevation and part in vertical cross section, ot the novel lling unit of the present invention located upon a bottle to be lilled and also showing in dotted outline the manner in which the filling unit with its centering bell is moved into position for filling a bottle.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 'l but showing the filling tube partially lowered into a bottle.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but with the lilling tube lowered into the bottle in position for lilling.

IFIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view in vertical cross section through the centering bell housing and `associated parts positioned above -a bottle to be illed and with the iilling tube tip being lowered into the bottle.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view, .part in elevation and pant in vertical cross section, through the centering bell unit and showing it elevated above the bottle to be lilled with the lilling tube retracted and the centering bell housing rotated through an arc of approximately from the position shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view, part in elevation and part in vertical cross section, showing the novel reservoir or tank for supplying wine in a quiescent state to the novel lling units of a rotary lilling machine.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings in which an illustrative embodiment of the novel lilling unit is shown, the unit disclosed in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises `a centering bell housing 10 in which is embodied a iilling tube body 1,1 having a central, stepped bore 12 through which projects `an elongated lilling tube 13. The bore 12 in the upper end ot the body 11 is enlarged and threaded at 14 lto detachably receive a tube body guide 15 provided with a ilexible or resilient guide bushing 16 press-tted into the upper recessed end of the body guide 15 for the filling tube 13, with the guide bushing 16 encompassing the lling tube but permitting the latter to move vertically therein.

The tube body guide 15 for the filling tube 13 encompasses this tube in spaced relation and is provided with external stepped reductions and externally threaded at 17 for detachably mounting it in the threaded bore 14 of the filling tube body 11 with the lower depending end 18 of the guide 15 provided with an annular recess to receive one end of a coiled packing ring spring 19. The other end of this spring seats upon. the upper end of a packing gland consisting of a plurality of chevron-type packing rings 20 with the lower or male member of .these rings bearing against an O-ring 20*al seated upon a. shoulder of an annular reduction Z1, the spring and rings all encompassing the filling tube 13 above said annular reduction in the central bore 12 of the encompassing lljng tube body 11.

Below this annular reduced portion 21 is -a nipple z2 threaded into the lower end of the lilling tube body 1v1 connected through a fiexible discharge or return hose 23 of relatively small internal diameter to `a vertical discharge pipe 24 provided with a laterally `opening orifice 24a having its outlet flattened to provide a relatively wide discharge orifice (FIGS. l, 2, 3 and 6). The nipple 22 opens into an annular space 26 about the filling tube and communicates with the upper end of an outer tube 27 disposed about and `spaced from the filling tube 13. The outer tube 27 is press-fitted into or anchored at its upper end in a lbushing 28 threadedly connected to the lower end of the filling tube body 11. A sealing gasket 29 is provided at the upper and lower ends of the Ifilling tube body 11 where it is threadedly connected to the tu-be body guide and the bushing 28.

About this outer tube 27 below the bushing 28 is provided a plurality of spacers of suitable or different thickness and designated generally by the reference character 30. Beneath these spacers is a rubber sealing collar or resilient sealer 31 pressdittted onto the tube 27, the lower end of which collar is `adapted to seat upon the upper end of the neck 32 of a bottle 33 to be lilled, with the lower end of the outer tube 27 projecting below and beyond the lower end of the collar.

The centering bell housing 10 carries at its lower end a centering bell 34 having a bore 35 for receiving the upper open end and neck 32 of a bottle 33 and is provided with a tapered lip 36 at its lower end for facilitating centering over the bottle to be filled. When filling some bottles this tapered lip 36 may contact the neck of the bottle, the centering bell 34 being vertically slidable in the lbell housing 10 but retained against dropping out of the housing by a sprin-gv retainer 37.

The upper end of the lfilling tube 13 (FIGS. l, 2, 3 and 6) is detachably mounted on and depends from a filling tube head 38 movably mounted on an inclined stationary cam track 39 by means of a guide rod head 40, guide roller 41` and a roller bearing 42. The guide rod head 40 is slidably mounted upon spaced vertical guide rods 43. The filling tube head 38 is hollow and `connected to a nipple 44 `and flexible tube 4S connected to an` annular sump or collecting chamber 46 in the filling tank or reservoir 25 whereby the liquid contents A flow by gravity and without turbulence into and through the filling tube 13 to the lower end 13EL thereof and outwardly through a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings or outlet ports 47 in the cylindrical wall 48 of a tip 49 threaded onto the externally threaded lower end 13a of the filling tube 13.

'I'his tip 49 is closed at its lower end 50 and thereabove is provided with an O-ring 50 adapted to have sealing contact with the lower end of the tube 27 which encompasses the filling tube 13, the cylindrical wall of the tip being adapted to form va sliding fit with the interior of the encompassing outer tube 27 when the filling tube 13 is in elevated, inoperative position as shown in FIG. 5.

The entire filling tube unit including the centering bell housing 10 and `its contained assembly is provided with a guide arm 51 having a part encompassing and connected to the bell housingA and with the laterally projecting arm slidably mounted upon and guided by the spaced vertical guide rods 43.

In a rotary filler of the type disclosed in which a plurality of my novel filling units are employed, the bottles or containers 33 to be filled are carried by a feed conveyor and are timed to a feed star by a feed worm (not disclosed). This feed star supplies the containers in sequence and in timed and spaced relation onto a ller bed 52 where each bottle registers with one of the novel filling tubes. For example, in one embodiment there are provided approximately forty-five of these filling tube units with the bottles to be filled thereby moving with the rotatable filler bed 52 about a vertical axis but in a horizontal plane with each -lling tube being vertically movable into and out of lling relation with its ibottle or container. This vertical movement of the filling tube units is controlled by a stationary cam track 39 upon which the filling tube heads 38 are supported and over which these heads move and from which they depend. When the containers are properly filled, a discharge star removes the filled bottles from the filler bed 52 and onto a conveyor that carries them away to be capped.

The wine or liquid to be bottled is pumped in a controlled manner from a vat or source of supply to the lower end of an upwardly opening conduit or inlet and upwardly through stepped enlargements in this conduit whereby the wine or liquid entering the reservoir is maintained in a quiescent state. This reservoir is provided with multiple ball'les whereby the entering wine passes in a tortuous path and is relieved of entrapped air and lcollected and maintained in a quiescent state in which condition it is supplied by gravity to the multiple filling tubes.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wine from a vat or suitable source of supply enters the valved supply line 53 and its passage into the inlet pipe 54 where its passage is automatically controlled through suitable valve means 55 actuated or under control of a float valve 56 in the top of the reservoir or filling tank 25. The wine from the inlet pipe 54 passes upwardly through a centrally arranged and vertically disposed passage or conduit 57 provided with stepped enlargements at 58, 59 and 60 whereby the velocity of the liquid entering the tank or reservoir is substantially reduced. As shown by the arrows, the entering liquid supply entering from the upper enlargement 60 and outwardly flared or lfunnel-shaped discharge 61 cannot enter directly into the upper portion of the tank by reason of a horizontally arranged baille 62 provided -with a peripheral, downwardly and outwardly directed flange or skirt `63. Although this baille has Ia centrally arranged opening 64 for the escape of entrapped air, direct access through this opening is prevented by a depending, spaced and horizontally arranged baille 65 of greater dimensions than the `opening 64 so that liquid entering and passing through this opening must first take a tortuous path about the baille 65.

The annular side wall -66 of the tank or reservoir 25 is stepped downwardly and inwardly toward the inwardly inclined base 67 directing the liquid into the annular sump or collecting chamber 46 of the reservoir 25 from which the liquid enters each of the flexible tubes 45 and flows into its connected filling tube 13. The normal liquid level in the reservoir or tank is shown by the dotted line 68 adjacent the top of the tank. Encompassing but spaced from the upper portion 69 of the side wall 66 of the tank or reservoir 25 is an annular wall 70 forming an annular collecting space 71 in the base of which are mounted the vertical discharge pipes 24, there being one `of these pipes for each return hose 23. Into this annular space is withdrawn through each flexible return hose 23 air from the bottle to be filled and any liquid that may be withdrawn with this air through the annular space between the filling tube 13 and the encompassing or outer tube 27. The flattened discharge orifices 24e discharge this air and contained liquid over the top of the liquid collected in the annular collecting space 71 with the collected liquid flowing back into the tank or reservoir 25 through restricted ports 71a and air escaping through suitable vents in the cover B.

ln the operation of the present rotary filling machine, liquid such as dry wine t0 be bottled flows into and is collected in a quiescent state in the -tan'k or reservoir 25 with the wine flowing by gravity from the annular collecting chamber yor sump 46 in Ithe base of lthe reservoir into fthe plural flexible tubes 45 each connected to a filling tube 13 for passage Ato a bottle or container 33 to be filled to a predetermined height and specified quantity of the liquid. The filling tube units are of substantial weight for vertical movement land carried in spaced relation with the rotary filling machine designated generally by the reference numeral 72.

The bottles for containers 33 to be filled `'are fed tol the filling machine 72 by a conventional conveyor and directed by a conventional feed star (not disclosed) in spaced relation onto the filler bed 52 of the rotating machine. On this filler b'ed each container -is disposed beneath und aligned with an elevated filling tube unit and filling tube head 38 (see dotted outline 'in FIG. l) both carried by the rotary fil-ling machine, and these containers lof a predetermined capacity filled by its filling tube 13 during each revolution of the machine. 'Ilo raise and lower the filling tube units and filling tube heads 38 :and direct the filling tube of each unit into a container 33 to be filled, its filling tube head 38 is carried yover the stationary elevated cam track 39 `and in following the contour of the stationary cam track each filling tube head land its depending filling ltube and filling tube unit is 'lowered for filling and elevated when filling has been accomplished, and when lowered the filling tube 13 :enters .the neck of a container and fills it to a predetermined depth, then is elevated and Withdrawn from the filled container which continues in its travel upon the filler bed 52 until it is directed from the filler bed 'by a discharge ystar lonto la discharge conveyor for delivery to sealing apparatus (not shown). Each filling tube head yand filling tube unit is of substantial weight 4and thus closely [follows the -contour 'of the cam track which is sufficiently steep to effectively se'al each bottle as the filling tube 13 is lowered into the bottle.

In the operation of the filler tube assembly the wine for liquid to be bottled is sealed against fi'ow as shown in FIG. 5 until the filling tube unit is lowered over the empty container and the resilient sealer Ior sealing collar 31 seats upon the open upper end of the neck 32 of the bottle 33. As the fil-ling tube |13 is movable vertically and relative to the encompassing parts iu the centering bell housing 10, it continues its downward movement whereupon the cylindrical portion 48 of the tip 49 on the `lower end 132L of this filling tube is withdrawn lfrom the lower end of the encompassing tube 27, thereby breaking the seal [effected by the `O-ring and uncovering the outlet ports 47 (FIG. 4). Wine or liquid in a relatively small quantity but sufficient to cover these ports 47 when the tip -49 and filling tube 13 lare lowered to adjacent the bottom yof the bottle flows from the outlet ports `47.

This initial flow is caused by the lstatic head which tends to gently force the liquid loutward-ly through the ports 47 against the inner wall of the bottle from where the wine flows downwardly land collects in the bottom. This ystatic head which results in initial flow is dissipated' as the air in the bottle sealed to the atmosphere is being forced upwardly through the annular spa-ce between the filling tube 13 and encompassing `outer tube 27, into the space 26 and out through the ynipple 22 Iand the relatively small internal dia-meter flexible return hose 23, through the discharge pipe 24 and out through the orifice 2,4a into the annular collecting space 71 the tank Ior reservoir 25.

The restricted return hose 23 is raised and lowered with the filling unit land Ithis hose and the larger tube 13 function as a U-tube, with the level of the liquid collected in the smaller or restricted hose dropping as one end of this hose is lowered with the filler assembly, its other end being retained above the liquid level i-n the tank.

The initial flow from the fil-ling tube 13 begins when this tube and the filling tube unit have been lowered upon a bottle, as shown in FIG. 4, and the :lower end or1 the depending filling tube lis forced downwardly by the filling tube head 38 out of the lower end of :the 'encompassing tube 27 to expose the discharge ports `47. At such time the lower end of the tube 27 is also open for the discharge of the entrapped air. As the entrapped air in the bottle is relieved before the main fiow of the gravity fed liquid commences and this lai-r with any entrained liquid can only be relieved through the restricted lannular passage between 6 'the concentric tubes 13 and 27 vand through the restricted opening in the return hose 23, there is a time lag between the initial flow .and the main flow while the entrapped air is relieved.

Before the main flow through the filling tube 13 and the outlet ports `47 of the tip 49 begins, the air in the bottle must be removed. In `such removal the static head through the filling tube 13 forces some wine upwardly through the reduced annular column in the outer tube 27 through which `escapes collected air. In the filling `operation this time l'ag in which the collected is dissipated through this reduced annular column or space in the Iouter tube 27 land through the small inter-nal diameter of the flexible return hose 23 requires approximately one second which is sufficient .to permit the tip 49 to reach approximately the bottom of the bottle 33 whereupon the main flow from the filling tube 13 commences.

This bottom flow of the wine in the filling :operation is highly important to prevent turbulence and the entrainment of lair in dry wines.

In one commercial :embodiment of the present invention, two :hundred and twenty-tive bottles are filled per minute with the rotary filling machine provided with forty-five filling tubes so that the rotary filler bed 52, the filling tube heads 38 land filler tube units with the filler tubes 13 make ve revolutions each minute. In this embodiment, the filling operation for forty-five bottles requires a maximum of twelve seconds to complete, including approximately one second required to move each bottle .to filling position, approximately one second to flower the filling tube, the filling tube yis maintained lowered for approximately four seconds, approximately four seconds is required to slowly raise the filling tube into the encompassing outer tube 27 and complete the filling operation, approximately one second to completely withdraw the filling tube from the bottle and -approximately one second to withdraw for remove the filled bottle. The lag period between the initial flow land before the main flow commences is between one and two seconds.

In this commercial embodiment the filling tube `13 has an internal diameter of approximately 2%4 inch and an external diameter of approximately "1/2 inch. Due to the enlarged internal diameter of the cylindrical portion 48 of the tip 49 over that of thle internal diameter of the filling tube 13, the velocity of the liquid! flow into the bottle being filled is maintained low. The inner dilameter of the flexible return hose 23 which connects with the annular space between the filling tube 13 and the encompassing outer tube 27 is iapproximately V16 inch vand thus substantially smaller than the filling tube 13.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

l. In a rotary filling machine for bottling liquids such as dry wines with a minimum of entrained air, a resevoir for receiving and supplying the liquid to be bottled in said machine, an inlet, a conduit rising from said inlet 4and connected to the base of said reservoir :for vertical flow upwardly into said reservoir, said conduit having stepped enlargements to decrease the velocity and turbulence of the liquid entering said reservoir, a collecting chamber encompassing but separated from said conduit the liquid flowing by gravity from said collecting chamber for bottling, and bafiies provided in said reservoir for directing the entering' liquid in a tortuous path to said collecting chamber whereby the liquid in said collecting chamber is in a quiescent state and substantially free of entrapped air.

2. In a rotary filling machine for bottling liquids such as dry wines with a minimum of entrained air, a reservoir for receiving and supplying the liquid to be bottled in said machine, an inlet, a conduit rising from said inlet and provided with stepped enlargements connected to the bottom of the reservoir -for decreasing the velocity and turbulence of the entering liquid, a collecting chamber in the base of said reservoir but separated from said inlet for receiving the liquid in a quiescent state, and bafiles in said reservoir for directing the upward flow of the entering liquid in a tortuous path, said conduit `and baffles being so constructed and arranged that the velocity and turbulence of the entering liquid is reduced, entrapped air is liberated and the liquid entering the collecting chamber from which the liquid is Withdrawn for bottling is in a quiescent state.

3. In a rotary filling machine yfor bottling liquids such as dry wines with a minimum of entrained air, a reservoir for receiving and supplying the liquid to be bottled in said machine, an inlet for the liquid, a conduit rising from said inlet and connected to the base of said reservoir for vertical ow upwardly into said reservoir, said conduit having stepped enlargements to decrease the velocity and turbulence of the liquid entering said reservoir, a collecting chamber in the base of but separated from the conduit for said reservoir, the liquid flowing by gravity from said collecting chamber for bottling, baflies provided in said reservoir for directing the entering liquid in a tortuous path to said collecting chamber whereby the liquid in said collecting chamber is in a quiescent state, a filling assembly comprising a filling head communicating with and withdrawing liquid from the bottom of said collecting chamber by gravity, a stationary cam track over which the head is moved and by which the head is lowered during filling of a bottle and elevated when the bottle has been filled, a filling tube unit including a filling tube depending from and carried by said head with its lower end movable vertically in said unit and into and out of a bottle to be filled, -a centering bell housing siidably mounted in said unit and in which said filling tube is slidably mounted, a tube mounted in said centering bell and encompassing and spaced from the filling tube to provide an annular restricted passage therebetween, a fiexible sealing collar carried on the lower end of said encompassing tube for sealing contact with the neck of the bottle, a filling tip on the lower end of said filling tube, said tip being provided with a sealing ring and one or more outlet ports above said ring, said tip being telescopically received in the encompassing tube with the lower end of the encompassing tube engaging the sealing ring to cover the ports and seal the annular restricted passage, a return hose communicating with said restricted lannular space and of a smaller internal diameter than the internal diameter of the filling tube for the escape through said restricted passage and return hose of air and entrained liquid from the bottle during the initial part of the filling operation when a limited quantity of liquid enters the ybottle through the uncovered outlet ports after which the tip is lowered to adjacent the bottom of -the bottle and liquid issues through said ports beneath the collected liquid until the bottle is filled, said cam track and filling head lowering and raising said tip in a predetermined timed sequence.

4. Filling mechanism for a rotary filling machine having a liquid reservoir from which the liquid flows by gravity for filling bottles or other containers with a liquid while maintaining said liquid with a minimum of turbulence and aeration and a rotary filler bed upon which the containers to be filled are carried in a horizontal plane during filling, comprising a filling tube assembly for filling said containers with a liquid with a minimum of turbulence and entrained air, a cam track carrying said filling tube assembly and lowering said assembly to fill a container and elevating said assembly when the container has been filled, said assembly including a supporting head mounted on said track, a filling tube unit having a filling tube carried at one end by said head and connected with the reservoir with the other end depending and vertically slidable in said unit with its depending end adapted to enter the fill opening of a container, a tube in said unit encompassing the filling tube `and providing a restricted passage therebetween, a return hose having a substantially smaller internal diameter than said filling tube and communicating with the restricted passage, the lower end of said filling tube being closed but adjacent to this closed end provided with one or more outlet ports for the passage of the liquid during filling, said lower end adapted to be telescopically received in the encompassing tube and provided with sealing means for sealing the telescoped ends of the filling tube and the encompassing tube except during the filling operation, and a sealing ring on said encompassing tube for sealing Contact -with the container about its fill opening preparatory to the filling operation, whereby when the lower end of the filling tube enters the container and the sealing ring on the encompassing tube seals the fill opening to the outside atmosphere, the encompassing tube remains stationary with the weight of said unit maintaining said sealing means in sealing contact with the container while the filling tube continues to move downwardly in the container to break the seal between the adjacent ends of said tubes and uncover the ports whereupon a limited quantity of the liquid flows into the container Awhile the air entrapped in the container together with entrained liquid escapes through the restricted annular space and the return hose to the reservoir, and delays full iiow through the outlet ports until the filling tube is fully lowered and these ports are disposed adjacent the bottom of the container, said reservoir having a separate chamber and said return hose having an outlet for discharging the entrapped air and entrained liquid exhausted from the container laterally into the upper portion of said separate chamber, in which the entrained liquid is separated from the entrapped air, and ports in the bottom of said separate chamber for returning the liquid collected therein to the reservoir.

5. In beverage bottle filling apparatus provided with an upright, generally cylindrical filler tank having a horizontal bottom wall and a vertical side wall connected thereto, said bottom wall being provided with an inlet opening in the central portion thereof and a liquid supply line connected to said inlet for directing liquid into the tank and with sufficient force that the liquid normally has a large number of iga-s bubbles therein, said side wall being provided with la series of `outlet openings in the lower portion thereof adjacent said bottom wall and thereby spaced from and surrounding said inlet opening and communicating with corresponding outlet conduits, the combination with said tank, of structure for forcing the liquid to rise in the tank to a sufiicient level to cause the bubbles to -pass upwardly 4from the liquid prior to passage of the later into said outlet openings, said structure including an annular battle disposed within the tank yand having a lower annular edge substantially complementally engaging the upper face of said bottom wall of the tank and disposed in completely surrounding relationship to said inlet opening and between the latter and said outlet openings, said bafe extending upwardly in the tank `and provided with an upper annular edge lying in a horizontal plane `at a height to cause the liquid entering the tank from the supply line through said inlet opening, to travel upwardly la sufficient distance that when the liquid passes over the upper edge of the bafiie and descends downwardly toward said outlet openings in the side wall of the tank, substantially all of the gas bubbles in the liquid continue upward movement thereof whereby the liquid drained from the tank through said outlet conduits is substantially free of gas bubbles.

6. In beverage bottle filling apparatus provided with an upright, generally cylindrical filler tank having a horizontal bottom wall and a vertical side wall connected thereto, said bottom wall being provided with a circular boss presenting an annular fiange spaced from said side wall, said boss having an inlet opening in the central portion thereof and a liquid supply line connected to said inlet for directing liquid into the tank and with sufficient force that the liquid normally has a large number of gas bubbles therein, said side wall being provided with a series of outlet openings in the lower portion thereof adjacent said bottom wall and thereby spaced from and surrounding said inlet opening and communicating with corresponding outlet conduits, the combination with `said tank, tof structure for forcing the liquid to rise in the tank to `a suicient level to cause the bubbles to pass upwardly from the liquid prior to passage of the latter into said outlet openings, said structure including an annular bafe disposed within the tank `and having a lower annular edge substantially cornplementally engaging the llange Iof vsaid boss and the upper face of said bottom wall yof the tank and disposed in completely surrounding relationship to said inlet opening and between the latter 10 and said outlet openings, said baille extending upwardly in the tank and provided with an upper `annular edge lying in a horizontal plane at a height to cause the liquid entering the tank from the supply line through said inlet opening, to travel upwardly a sulicient distance that when the liquid passes over the upper edge of the baille and descends downwardly toward lsaid outlet openings in the 10 side wall of the tank, substantially all of the gas bubbles in the liquid continue upward :movement thereof whereby the liquid drained from the tank through said outlet conduits is substantially free of gas bubbles.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,629 yFranc et al. Dec. 25, 1900 781,038 Warren Jan. 3l, 1905 1,547,823 Risser July 28, 1925 2,199,565 Kantor May 7, 1940 2,771,915 Harkey et al. Nov. 27, 1956 2,839,094 Reno June 17, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 501,031 Canada Mar. 30, 1954

Claims (1)

1. 3. IN A ROTARY FILLING MACHINE FOR BOTTLING LIQUIDS SUCH AS DRY WINES WITH A MINIMUM OF ENTRAINED AIR, A RESERVOIR FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPLYING THE LIQUID TO BE BOTTLED IN SAID MACHINE, AND INLET FOR THE LIQUID, A CONDUIT RISING FROM SAID INLET AND CONNECTED TO THE BASE OF SAID RESERVOIR FOR VERTICAL FLOW UPWARDLY INTO SAID RESERVOIR, SAID CONDUIT HAVING STEPPED ENLARGEMENTS TO DECREASE THE VELOCITY AND TURBULENCE OF THE LIQUID ENTERING SAID RESERVOIR, A COLLECTING CHAMBER IN THE BASE OF BUT SEPARATED FROM THE CONDUIT FOR SAID RESERVOIR, THE LIQUID FLOWING BY GRAVITY FROM SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER FOR BOTTLING, BAFFLES PROVIDED IN SAID RESERVOIR FOR DIRECTING THE ENTERING LIQUID IN A TORTUOUS PATH TO SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER WHEREBY THE LIQUID IN SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER IS IN A QUIESCENT STATE, A FILLING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FILLING HEAD COMMUNICATING WITH AND WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER BY GRAVITY, A STATIONARY CAM TRACK OVER WHICH THE HEAD IS MOVED AND BY WHICH THE HEAD IS LOWERED DURING FILLING OF A BOTTLE AND ELEVATED WHEN THE BOTTLE HAS BEEN FILLED, A FILLING TUBE UNIT INCLUDING A FILLING TUBE DEPENDING FROM AND CARRIED BY SAID HEAD WITH ITS LOWER END MOVABLE VERTICALLY IN SAID UNIT AND INTO AND OUT OF A BOTTLE TO BE FILLED, A CENTERING BELL HOUSING SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID UNIT AND IN WHICH SAID FILLING TUBE IS SLIDABLY MOUNTED, A TUBE MOUNTED IN SAID CENTERING BELL AND ENCOMPASSING AND SPACED FROM THE FILLING TUBE TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR RESTRICTED PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN, A FLEXIBLE SEALING COLLAR CARRIED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID ENCOMPASSING TUBE FOR SEALING CONTACT WITH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE, A FILLING TIP ON THE LOWER END OF SAID FILLING TUBE, SAID TIP BEING PROVIDED WITH A SEALING RING AND ONE OR MORE OUTLET PORTS ABOVE SAID RING, SAID TIP BEING TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED IN THE ENCOMPASSING TUBE WITH THE LOWER END OF THE ENCOMPASSING TUBE ENGAGING THE SEALING RING TO COVER THE PORTS AND SEAL THE ANNULAR RESTRICTED PASSAGE, A RETURN HOSE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RESTRICTED ANNULAR SPACE AND OF A SMALLER INTERNAL DIAMETER THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE FILLING TUBE FOR THE ESCAPE THROUGH SAID RESTRICTED PASSAGE AND RETURN HOSE OF AIR AND ENTRAINED LIQUID FROM THE BOTTLE DURING THE INITIAL PART OF THE FILLING OPERATION WHEN A LIMITED QUANTITY OF LIQUID ENTERS THE BOTTLE THROUGH THE UNCOVERED OUTLET PORTS AFTER WHICH THE TIP IS LOWERED TO ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE AND LIQUID ISSUES THROUGH SAID PORTS BENEATH THE COLLECTED LIQUID UNTIL THE BOTTLE IS FILLED, SAID CAM TRACK AND FILLING HEAD LOWERING AND RAISING SAID TIP IN A PREDETERMINED TIMED SEQUENCE.

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