Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With soil removing – coating – lubricating – sterilizing and/or... – With cleaning – coating or drying means
Patent
1996-04-15
1999-04-27
Walczak, David J.
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With soil removing, coating, lubricating, sterilizing and/or...
With cleaning, coating or drying means
141 11, 141 85, 141 89, 141 91, 141 94, 141168, 141171, 134 72, 134 73, B65B 104
Patent
active
058968997
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method for sterile bottling of beverages according to the generic clause of claim 1 as well as to an apparatus for carrying out said method according to the generic clause of claim 13.
DE-pat. 733 623 already discloses the measure of sterilizing, subsequent to the treatment with warm lye/liquor, the bottles within the washing machine by spraying into said bottles a liquid having a temperature of from 85.degree. to more than 100.degree. Celsius or steam by means of several spray nozzles, which are arranged one behind the other and which are located outside of the bottle orifice. Subsequently, the bottles are cooled down in several steps by sterilized water or sterilized air and, finally, they are discharged onto a conveyor belt. By means of this conveyor belt, the bottles are transported to a filling machine and then to a closing machine, tunnel like covers being used for the purpose of keeping the bottles sterile. However, it turned out that a completely sterile transport cannot be achieved so that it will happen again and again that bottles with germs originating from the ambient air are introduced in the filling machine. In addition, the covers prevent rapid access in the case of disturbances on the conveyor belt, and, consequently, they cannot be accepted in modern high-efficiency bottling plants including between the separate machines the conventional multi-path transport means, bottle uniting means and bottle distributing means.
A similar situation exists in the case of the method according to DE-pat. 24 37 588, where the sterilization in the washing machine is effected by spraying hot water having a temperature of from 85 to 95.degree. Celsius onto the inner and outer sides of the bottles. Following this, the bottles are discharged from the washing machine immediately and, maintaining a temperature of from 65 to 70.degree. Celsius, they are transported to the filling machine; in the course of this transport a laminar aeration system is supposed to provide a sterile shield against the surroundings. In spite of these complicated measures taken in the area of bottle transport and in spite of the additional heating, a formation of germs in the cleaned bottles cannot be prevented completely in this case either, and access to the conveyor system is barred to a large extent. Hence, this kind of sterile bottling of beverages could not gain acceptance in practice; it is not suitable for use in a modern high-efficiency plant.
Furthermore, German-Offenlegungsschrift 40 36 290 discloses that the bottles, which have been cleaned in the washing machine by means of lye and transported--without being shielded--to the filling machine, are sterilized, directly before the beverage flows in, by introducing steam via the reflux gas tubes of the filling members projecting into the bottles. The germs, which penetrated into the bottles already in the washing machine due to fresh-water spraying as well as in the unprotected and, consequently, easily accessible transport area and which are detrimental to the beverage, can be destroyed in this way to a large extent. The amount of energy consumed in the steam treatment period of approx. 2 seconds, which is normally used in practice, is comparatively small and, simultaneously, also the filling member is re-sterilized prior to each bottling operation. However, this course of action does not always suffice to destroy specific beverage pests, in particular the spores of moulds, with the desired high destruction rate. Although this could be remedied by an extension of the steam treatment period, such an extension of time would result in an expensive increase in the size of the filling machine as well as in intense heating of the filling members and of the glass bottles, and this may impair the taste of the beverage and increase the bottle fracture rate. In all other respects, this method is well suited for modern high-efficiency plants.
Finally, it has also been suggested that, as an alternative to the above-described sterilization within the filli
REFERENCES:
patent: 2029303 (1936-02-01), Ball
patent: 3143120 (1964-08-01), Unthank
patent: 3839843 (1974-10-01), Stewart, Jr.
patent: 4154624 (1979-05-01), Wahl et al.
patent: 4409775 (1983-10-01), Brody et al.
patent: 4635662 (1987-01-01), Totten
patent: 4643330 (1987-02-01), Kennedy
patent: 4917267 (1990-04-01), Laverdure
patent: 5251424 (1993-10-01), Zener et al.
patent: 5285801 (1994-02-01), Klenk
patent: 5558135 (1996-09-01), Kronseder et al.
Krones AG Hermann Kronseder Maschinenfabrik
Maust Timothy L.
Walczak David J.
LandOfFree
Method and an apparatus for sterile bottling of beverages does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and an apparatus for sterile bottling of beverages, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and an apparatus for sterile bottling of beverages will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-677957