Method and apparatus for filling beverage bottles, in a beverage bottling plant, with a beverage material comprising a carbonated water component and a liquid flavoring component, and method and apparatus for filling containers, in a container filling plant, with a material comprising a first ingredient and a second ingredient

Abstract

A method and apparatus for filling beverage bottles, in a beverage bottling plant, with a beverage material comprising a carbonated water component and a liquid flavoring component, and method and apparatus for filling containers, in a container filling plant, with a material comprising a first ingredient and a second ingredient. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Description

CONTINUING APPLICATION DATA[0001]This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of International Patent Application No. PCT / EP2007 / 007818, filed on Sep. 7, 2007, which claims priority from Federal Republic of Germany Patent Application No. 10 2006 045 987.3, filed on Sep. 27, 2006. International Patent Application No. PCT / EP2007 / 007818 was pending as of the filing date of this application. The United States was an elected state in International Patent Application No. PCT / EP2007 / 007818.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The present application relates to a method and apparatus for filling beverage bottles, in a beverage bottling plant, with a beverage material comprising a carbonated water component and a liquid flavoring component, and method and apparatus for filling containers, in a container filling plant, with a material comprising a first ingredient and a second ingredient.[0004]2. Background Information[0005]Background information is for informational purposes onl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]An object of the present application is to describe a method for the filling of bottles or similar containers with a liquid that is produced by the mixing of at least two ingredients, which (method) makes it possible to accomplish this filling with reduced effort and expense in terms of construction. The present application teaches that this object can be accomplished by a method for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid consisting of at least two ingredients, whereby the ingredients are mixed with one another during the filling of the respective container and the mixing ratio of the ingredients is controlled by measurement of the quantity of at least one ingredient fed into the respective container by a flow meter. The mixing of the ingredients takes place in the individual container, and that the mixing of the ingredients takes place during the filling so that at least one ingredient is fed into the individual container using the flow meter to control the quantity or volume. The ingredient fed into the container at the end of the filling process is introduced into the container to control the fill level. The present application also teaches that this object can be accomplished by a method for the filling of bottles or similar containers with a liquid comprising at least two ingredients, whereby the ingredients are mixed with one another during the filling of the individual container and the mixing ratio of the ingredients is controlled by measuring the quantity of at least one ingredient fed into the individual container with a flow meter. The mixing of the ingredients takes place in the individual container, and that to control the mixing ratio for the at least two ingredients a common flow meter is used, through which these ingredients flow at different times.SUMMARY

[0011]In one basic realization of the present application, the mixing of the ingredients takes place in the individual container, whereby the filling of the respective container, i.e. the controlled, dosed dispensing of the at least two ingredients in the quantity or volume required for the desired mixture, takes place with the use of a single flow meter which is associated with the individual filling position or the individual filling element. Because on a filling machine with a plurality of filling systems or filling elements, only one such flow meter is required for each filling element, the filling of even more than one ingredient of a liquid that is formed by mixing is possible without an elevated construction expense and with overall reduced costs.

Problems solved by technology

This method is intended for the filling of cans and is not suitable for the filling of containers, for example containers made of glass with empty volumes that fluctuate significantly, because with this method it is not possible to achieve a constant fill level.

On filling machines that employ a rotary construction with high capacity and have a plurality of filling elements, these designs require or desire a significant effort in terms of construction.

In one possible embodiment, the liquids being bottled are to be bottled in glass containers or bottles using a hot bottling process, because the empty volume of glass containers fluctuates greatly as a result of manufacturing tolerances, for example, and a purely volume-controlled filling would result in very different fill levels, which would be unacceptable to the final consumer.

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