ZA200707810B - A filler valve assembly - Google Patents

Description

I oo

THIS INVENTION relates to a filler valve assembly. The invention relates, more particularly, to a filler valve assembly suitable for filling bottles.

A known type of gravity feed filler valve assembly will now be briefly described. The valve assembly includes a bellows, defining a first and a second mouth at its operative top and bottom, respectively; a mounting arrangement for securing the bellows at its first mouth to a filler tank, the mounting arrangement defining therethrough at least one bellows inlet passage; an air displacement tube, extending through both the bellows and the mounting arrangement and fixed to the mounting arrangement; a valve end, carried by an operative bottom end of the air displacement tube; and a filler sleeve, secured to, and operatively depending from, the bellows at the second mouth and cooperating with the valve end.

The assembly is operatively mounted with its bellows below a bottom wall of a liquid containing filler tank. The assembly is henceforth described in its operative configuration with respect to such a tank.

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The bellows and the filler sleeve together define a liquid feed line. The air displacement tube is generally vertically disposed and the valve end defines an inlet of the air displacement tube. The filler sleeve is linearly displaceable with respect to the valve end between a first position and a second position, the second above the first, and such displacement is accommodated by compression and expansion of the bellows. The bottom end of the filler sleeve and the valve end cooperate as follows: With the filler sleeve in its first position, the outlet of the liquid feed line and the inlet of the air displacement tube are both shut off. With the filler sleeve in its second position, the said : outlet is partially open to permit liquid to pass through the liquid feed line and the said inlet.is open to permit air to pass through the air displacement tube.

The valve assembly includes also a washer-like seal disposed around the filler sieeve at a position above its bottom end.

In order to fill a bottle with liquid from the filler tank, the bottle is positioned with its opening directly below the filler sleeve and is then displaced upwardly, typically via a : lifting platform on which the bottle is supported. The filler sleeve enters the neck of the bottle until the rim of the neck sealingly abuts against the seal and further upward displacement of the bottle causes the filler sleeve to be displaced into its second position. Liquid feeds under gravity from the bellows, through the filler sleeve, and into the bottle, liquid in the bellows being replenished from the liquid tank. Air from the bottle is displaced via the air displacement tube.

Insofar as the configuration and operation of a filler valve assembly of the above general type are known, it will not be elaborated on herein in detail. Any reference hereinafter to a filler valve assembly is a reference to a filler valve assembly of this general type.

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According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a filler valve assembly, characterized in that it includes one way closing means for its at least one bellows inlet passage, permitting liquid flow only in the direction into the bellows.

In use of an existing filler valve assembly, rapid upward displacement of the filler sleeve by a bottle causes compression of the liquid filled bellows and a reduction of the volume of the space in the bellows. This results in at least some of the excess liquid in the ~~ bellows being pressure fed through the bellows inlet passage and back into the filler tank:

In use of the filler valve assembly of the invention, rapid upward displacement of the filler sleeve by a bottle also causes compression of the liquid filled bellows and a reduction of the volume of the space in the bellows. However, the one way closing means prevents passage of excess liquid through the bellows inlet passage into the filler tank. At least substantially all the excess liquid in the bellows is thus pressure fed into the bottle, resulting in a decreased filling time of the bottle. -

In a known type of filler valve assembly, the mounting arrangement includes a flow ring within the first mouth of its bellows, the ring carrying the air displacement tube. The flow ring defines therethrough two bellows inlet passages extending vertically through it and defines a bottom surface in which the outlets of the passages are defined. In a corresponding filler valve assembly, in accordance with the invention, the closing means may include a flexible washer-shaped valve closure secured around an inside edge thereof immediately below the bottom surface of the flow ring and disposed around the air displacement tube, the size of the washer-shaped valve closure being sufficient to : cover the outlets of the bellows inlet passages defined through the flow ring. With hydrostatic liquid pressure from the liquid in the tank acting on the top surface of the closure exceeding the liquid pressure in the bellows, a peripheral edge of the closure is deflected downwards, opening the outlets of the passages defined through the flow ring and permitting liquid to gravity feed from the tank into the bellows. However, upon rapid

C:Word Specs 158413 Filler Nozzle Compl Spec DHW/cve 9/12/2007 10:49 AM upward displacement of the filler sleeve by a bottle causing compression of the bellows, the liquid pressure in the bellows rises to a magnitude exceeding the hydrostatic pressure acting on the top surface of the closure, urging the closure against the bottom : surface of the flow ring, closing the outlets of the passages defined through the flow ring. The effect is pressure feeding of liquid from the bellows only into the bottle.

Clearly, various other configurations one way closing means for the bellows inlet passage may be provided and, as such, the invention extends to any filler valve assembly including the essential features of the filler valve assembly of the first aspect of the invention, as defined herein.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of converting an existing filler valve assembly, which includes installing one way closing means for its at least one bellows inlet passage, permitting liquid flow only in the direction into the bellows.

The invention is described below by way of an example of a filler valve assembly, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, and a method of converting an existing filler valve assembly, in accordance with the second aspect of the invention, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a vertical section through a filler valve assembly, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, in an operative configuration thereof with respect to aliquid filler tank, with a filler sleeve of the assembly in a first position thereof; and

Figure 2 shows a vertical section through the filler valve assembly of Figure 1, with the filler sleeve in a second position thereof.

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In the drawings, a liquid filler tank and a filler valve assembly, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, are designated by the reference numerals 10 and 12, respectively.

With reference particularly to Figure 1, the tank 10 includes a bottom wall 14 and defines therein a space 15, partially filled with liquid 16 for filling bottles. The bottom wall 14 defines therethrough a discharge aperture 17.

The valve assembly 12 includes a mounting arrangement 18, also referred to as a dairy union, including a first coupling 20, including a short vertically disposed pipe section 22 welded to the bottom wall 14 around the aperture 17 and defining therethrough a liquid feed passage 23, and a formation 24 defining a male screw thread; a second coupling in the form of a collar 26, defining a complementary female screw thread; and a flow ring 27.

The valve assembly 12 includes also a bellows 28 and a filler sleeve 30, together defining a liquid feed line. The bellows 28 defines therein a space 32 and a first mouth 34 and a second mouth 35 at its top and bottom, respectively. The flow ring 27 is in the first mouth 34 of the bellows 28. The top of the bellows 28 is secured to the coupling 20 by the collar 26. The filler sleeve 30 depends from the bottom of the bellows 28 and defines therethrough a liquid feed passage 36.

The valve assembly 12 includes also a vertically disposed air displacement tube 38, extending through and secured at approximately mid-length to the flow ring 27. The flow ring 27 defines vertically therethrough two opposite bellows inlet passages 42, each

C:Word Specs 158413 Filler Nozzle Compl Spec DHW/cve 9/12/2007 10:49 AM

. communicating between the passage 23 and the space 32 defined in the bellows 28, and a flat bottom surface 43. The passage 23 and the passages 42 permit gravity feeding of liquid 16 from the tank 10 into the space 32.

The valve assembly 12 includes also a valve end 44 carried at the bottom end of the air displacement tube 38. The bottom end of the filler sleeve 30 defines therein an outlet of the liquid feed line including the bellows 28 and the filler sleeve 30 which, in the configuration of the valve 12 shown, is closed off by the valve end 44. The valve end 44 defines an inlet 46 of the-air displacement tube 38 which, in the configuration shown, is closed off by the filler sleeve 30.

The valve assembly 12 includes also a washer-shaped silicon seal 48, disposed around the filler sleeve at a position above its bottom end, and four spacer washers 50 above the seal. The purpose of the seal and the spacer washers will be described below.

The assembly 12 includes also a stainless steel flange 52, machined as an integral part of the flow ring 27 disposed and welded around the air displacement tube 38, and closing means in the form of a washer-shaped rubber valve closure 54, also disposed around the air displacement tube 38 immediately below the bottom surface of the flow ring 27. A peripheral inner edge portion of the closure 54 particularly is held by the washer 52.

The filler sleeve 30 is linearly displaceable with respect to the air displacement tube 38 between a first position, as shown in Figure 1, and a second position, above the first, as shown in Figure 2. Such displacement is accommodated by compression and expansion of the bellows 28.

As was stated above, with the filler sleeve 30 in its first position, shown in Figure 1, the inlet 46 is closed off by the filler sleeve 30 and the outlet of the liquid feed line, defined within the bottom end of the filler sleeve 30, is closed off by the valve end 44. The

C:Word Specs 158413 Filler Nozzle Compl Spec DHW/cve 9/12/2007 10:49 AM passage 23 in the pipe section 22, the passages 42 in the flow ring 27, the space 32 in the bellows 28, and the passage 36 in the sleeve 30 all are filled with liquid 16.

With the filler sleeve 30 in its second position, as shown in Figure 2, the air inlet 46 is exposed and the outlet of the liquid feed line defined within the bottom end of the filler sleeve 30 is exposed at two opposite positions, effectively defining two outlets 56 of the liquid feed line.

With reference particularly to Figure 2, using a conventional lifting arrangement (not shown), a bottle 60 (shown partially, in broken lines), which had been positioned below the filler sleeve 30, has been displaced upwards with respect to the valve assembly 12 to displace the filler sleeve into its second position, particularly by a rim 62 of the bottle 60 acting on the seal 48. The rim 62 seals airtight against the seal 48.

Rapid upward displacement of the bottle 60 causes compression of the bellows 28 and a reduction of the volume of the space 32. At the onset of such compression, the flexible valve closure 54 is biased under pressure of the liquid inside the bellows 28 against the bottom surface of the flow ring 27, thus closing off the outlets of the passages 42. As such, reverse flow of liquid from the bellows 28 into the tank 10 is prevented. Further such displacement of the sleeve 30 and, accordingly, compression of the bellows 28, causes pressure feeding of liquid from the bellows 28 into the bottle 60. Air inside the bottle 60 escapes via the air inlet 46 and the air displacement tube 38.

Should such pressure feeding not fill the bottle 60 up to the required level, further filling will occur through gravity feeding. When the pressure in the bellows 28 is relieved through flow of liquid out of it into the bottle 60 to the extent that the hydrostatic pressure acting on the top surface of the closure 54 exceeds the pressure inside the bellows, the closure 54 deflects downwards (as shown in broken lines) and opens the passages 42, permitting liquid 16 to gravity feed from the tank 10 into the bellows.

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The spacer washers 50 are used in conventional fashion to set the filling level of a bottle via the filler valve assembly 12.

In use of an existing filler valve assembly, which does not include the valve closure 54, initial compression of the bellows causes at least some of the liquid therein to be pressure fed into the associated tank. In the valve assembly 12, such pressure feeding is prevented, thus insuring that all pressure feeding occurs into the bottle 60. As such, the closure-54 results in a decreased filling time of the bottle 60. In practice, this clearly may facilitate higher productivity of a bottling operation.

Clearly, the valve assembly 12 may be formed by converting an existing filler valve assembly by the installation of the closure 54 and the flange 52. This would be an example of the method of converting a flow control valve, in accordance with the second aspect of the invention.

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Claims (4)

Rl oe CLAIMS

1. A gravity feed filler valve assembly including a bellows, defining a first and a second mouth at its operative top and bottom, respectively; a mounting arrangement for securing the bellows at its first mouth to a filler tank, the mounting arrangement defining therethrough at least one bellows inlet passage; an air displacement tube, extending through both the bellows and the mounting arrangement and fixed to the mounting arrangement; a valve end, carried by an operative bottom end of the air displacement tube; and a filler sleeve, secured to and operatively depending from the bellows at the second mouth and cooperating with the valve end, characterized in that it includes one way closing means for the at least one bellows inlet passage, permitting liquid flow only in the direction into the bellows.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the mounting arrangement includes a flow ring within the first mouth of the bellows, the ring carrying the air displacement tube, defining a flat bottom surface, and defining therethrough two bellows inlet passages, characterized in that the closing means includes a flexible washer-shaped valve closure secured around an inside edge thereof immediately below the bottom surface of the flow ring and disposed around the air displacement tube, the size of the washer-shaped valve closure being sufficient to cover the outlets of the passages defined through the flow ring.

3. A method of converting a filler valve assembly, the valve including a bellows, defining a first and a second mouth at its operative top and bottom, respectively; ’ C:Word Specs 158413 Filler Nozzie Compl Spec DHW/cve 9/12/2007 10:49 AM a mounting arrangement for securing the bellows at its first mouth to a filler : tank, the mounting arrangement defining therethrough at least one bellows inlet passage; an air displacement tube, extending through both the bellows and the mounting arrangement and fixed to the mounting arrangement; a valve end, carried by an operative bottom end of-the air displacement tube; and a filler sleeve, secured to and operatively depending from the bellows at the second mouth and cooperating with the valve end, the method including installing one way closing means for the at least one bellows inlet passage, permitting liquid flow only in the direction into the bellows.

4. A valve assembly as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. DATED THIS 12™ DAY OF py 200 4 S & ADAMS ng C:Word Specs 158413 Filler Nozzle Compl Spec DHW/cve 9/12/2007 10:49 AM