Filler

Details Filler Filler

2000-08-30

2001-10-30

Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)

Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea

Multiple passage filling means for diverse materials or flows

With flue or vent externally returning to supply

C141S040000, C141S302000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06308752

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a filler, and more particularly, to a filler which allows a preliminary substitution of a vessel interior by a gas before a filling operation takes place.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
A filler is known in the art which allows a preliminary substitution of a vessel interior by a gas before a filling operation takes place and including a storage tank for storing an inactive and a liquid, a supply of genuine inactive, a filling valve connected to the storage tank and the supply, a receptacle disposed below the filling valve and on which a vessel is placed, the filling valve comprising a liquid passage connected to the storage tank for feeding the liquid into a vessel, a liquid valve for opening and closing the liquid passage, a first gas passage connected to the storage tank for feeding the inactive into the vessel, a first gas valve for opening and closing the first gas passage, a second gas passage connected to the supply for feeding the genuine inactive into the vessel, a second gas valve for opening and closing the second gas passage, a gas discharge passage providing a communication between the interior of the vessel and an exterior thereof, and a first gas discharge valve for opening and closing the gas discharge passage (Japanese Patent No. 2,615,218).
In the above filler, a preliminary substitution of a vessel interior with an inactive takes place by opening the first gas discharge valve and the first gas valve, and is followed by a proper substitution by the genuine inactive by opening the second gas valve to pressurize the interior of the vessel while closing the first gas discharge valve and the first gas valve, and is then followed by a pressurization to pressurize the interior of the vessel with the inactive by opening the first gas valve while closing the second gas valve. When a pressure balance is reached between the vessel and the storage tank, the liquid valve is automatically opened to perform a filling operation, and when a given quantity of the liquid is filled into the vessel to close the liquid valve and the first gas valve, the gas discharge valve is opened to perform a snift operation.
In the filler, the genuine inactive is discharged into the storage tank during the proper substitution to be reused as the inactive during the preliminary substitution, and thus a filling operation can take place through the substitution of the vessel interior with a high concentration gas while achieving a saving in the gas consumption.
However, because the pressure of the genuine inactive in the supply is chosen to be lower than the pressure within the storage tank, in order to achieve a pressure balance between the vessel and the storage tank to open the liquid valve, it is required that subsequent to the substitution with the genuine inactive, the first gas valve be opened again to feed the inactive into the vessel, resulting in an actual gas concentration within the vessel on the order of 95%.
More specifically, referring to
FIG. 5
which illustrates a conventional gas-charging filling operation, a pressurizer valve
137
(first gas valve) is opened and closed directly by operating a lever F; and a filling valve
112
(liquid valve) is allowed to be opened without being opened by the operation of the lever F, but is closed directly by the lever F. In particular, the filling valve
112
(liquid valve) continues to be seated on a valve element D even after it is released from the action of the lever F which urges it forcibly, and is automatically opened upon reaching a pressure balance between a canister
102
(vessel) and a circular reservoir
104
(storage tank).
Accordingly, if the lever F is operated to open the pressurizer valve
137
(first gas valve) and to release the filling valve
112
(liquid valve) under the condition that the interior of the canister
102
(vessel) is pressurized to a higher level than the circular reservoir
104
(storage tank), the genuine inactive within the canister
102
(vessel) would pass not only into a top space within the circular reservoir (storage tank) through a return gas pipe
114
(first gas passage), but also drives the filling valve
112
(liquid valve) up energetically to be released into a beverage (liquid) within the circular reservoir
104
(storage tank) through a liquid passage
113
to cause a bubbling in the beverage (liquid), which is undesirable. Thus, there has been a need in the conventional filler to assure a pressure balance with the internal pressure of the storage tank by using the inactive within the storage tank to pressurize the vessel interior in order to avoid such risk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a filler which allows a filling operation to take place under a condition that a high concentration gas is substituted into a vessel interior.
Specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a filler including a storage tank for storing a first gas and a liquid, a supply of a second gas, a filling valve connected to the storage tank and the supply, a receptacle disposed below the filling valve and on which a vessel is placed, means for detecting a quantity of liquid filled, the filling valve comprising a liquid passage connected to the storage tank for feeding the liquid into a vessel, a liquid valve for opening and closing the liquid passage, a first gas passage connected to the storage tank for feeding the inactive into the vessel, a first gas valve for opening and closing the first gas passage, a second gas passage connected to the supply for feeding the genuine inactive into the vessel, a second gas valve for opening and closing the second gas passage, a first gas discharge passage providing a communication between the interior of the vessel and an exterior thereof, and a first gas discharge valve for opening and closing the first gas discharge passage, and a controller for receiving a signal from the filled volume detecting means and for closing the liquid passage when the filled volume in the vessel reaches a given value; characterized in that the pressure of the second gas from the supply is equal to or higher than the pressure in the storage tank, the controller being adapted to control at least the liquid valve such that upon completion of a preliminary substitution of a vessel interior with the first gas by opening the first gas discharge valve and the first gas valve, followed by a proper substitution of the vessel interior with the second gas by opening the second gas valve and the first gas discharge valve while closing the first gas valve, and subsequently followed by a pressurization of the vessel interior to a pressure equal to or higher than the pressure in the storage tank, the controller subsequently allowing the liquid valve to be opened as the second gas valve is closed and the first gas valve is opened to fill the vessel with the liquid while discharging the gas in the vessel to the storage tank through the first gas passage, the controller closing the liquid valve to stop a filling operation when the filled volume in the vessel reaches a given value.
In accordance with the present invention, the first gas comprises an inactive and the second gas comprises a genuine inactive, whereby the preliminary substitution takes place with the inactive and the proper substitution takes place with the genuine inactive, which is also used in the pressurization.
During the pressurization, the controller closes the liquid valve, and accordingly, the genuine inactive in the vessel cannot be released into the storage tank through the liquid valve.
Consequently, a filling operation can take place while the vessel interior is substituted with the gas of a higher concentration than in the conventional practice.
Above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the attached drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5501253 (1996-03-01), Weiss
patent: 6189578 (2001-02-01), Clusserath
patent: 26

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Filler does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Filler, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Filler will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2593633