US 11,702,236 B2
Beverage filling method and apparatus
Atsushi Hayakawa, Tokyo (JP); Takaharu Hirooka, Tokyo (JP); Takaki Maekawa, Tokyo (JP); and Hitoshi Takaku, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 28, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/445,110.
Application 15/445,110 is a division of application No. 14/143,637, filed on Dec. 30, 2013, granted, now 9,617,135.
Application 14/143,637 is a division of application No. 12/993,727, granted, now 9,108,835, previously published as PCT/JP2009/059183, filed on May 19, 2009.
Claims priority of application No. 2008-131978 (JP), filed on May 20, 2008; application No. 2008-334563 (JP), filed on Dec. 26, 2008; application No. 2009-026035 (JP), filed on Feb. 6, 2009; application No. 2009-026036 (JP), filed on Feb. 6, 2009; and application No. 2009-033813 (JP), filed on Feb. 17, 2009.
Prior Publication US 2017/0166341 A1, Jun. 15, 2017
Int. Cl. B65B 55/10 (2006.01); B65B 3/02 (2006.01); B67C 3/24 (2006.01); B67C 7/00 (2006.01); A61L 2/18 (2006.01); A61L 2/20 (2006.01); A61L 2/26 (2006.01); B67C 3/22 (2006.01)
CPC B65B 55/10 (2013.01) [A61L 2/186 (2013.01); A61L 2/208 (2013.01); A61L 2/26 (2013.01); B65B 3/022 (2013.01); B67C 3/242 (2013.01); B67C 7/0073 (2013.01); A61L 2202/23 (2013.01); B65B 55/103 (2013.01); B67C 2003/227 (2013.01); B67C 2003/228 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A beverage filling apparatus comprising:
a molding section configured to mold a bottle from a heated preform through a blow molding process;
an inspection section configured to inspect the bottle;
a sterilization section configured to sterilize the bottle molded in the molding section with hydrogen peroxide mist or hydrogen peroxide gas;
a filling section configured to fill the bottle sterilized in the sterilization section with a beverage and then sealing the bottle, the molding section, the inspection section, the sterilization section and the filling section being coupled continuously with each other;
a first air exhaust duct coupled to an atmosphere shutoff chamber, which is disposed between the inspection section and the sterilization section, the first air exhaust duct being configured to exhaust hydrogen peroxide mist or hydrogen gas out of the atmosphere shutoff chamber in contact with an upstream portion of the sterilization section preventing a contamination of an interior of the sterilization section, the first air exhaust duct being configured to exhaust an air in the inspection section, an air exhaust blower being provided and associated with the first air exhaust duct, the air exhaust blower maintaining an interior of the atmosphere shutoff chamber at a pressure substantially equal to atmospheric pressure;
a second air exhaust duct coupled to a portion adjacent to the atmosphere shutoff chamber in a chamber which covers the sterilization section, the second air exhaust duct being connected to the first air exhaust duct and being exhausted by the air exhaust blower for the first air exhaust duct;
a bottle travelling section configured to continuously move the bottle on a travelling path from the molding section to the filling section through the inspection section and the sterilization section, wherein the bottle travelling section is provided with a plurality of wheels disposed in a row from the molding section toward the filling section;
wherein grippers turn around the wheels while gripping a bottle neck portion and moving the bottle from an upstream side wheel to a downstream side wheel; and
wherein the bottle is moved with the bottle neck portion directed upward, a lower end of a spray tube is opened toward the bottle neck portion, a part of the mist or gas of the hydrogen peroxide supplied into the spray tube is continuously blown toward the bottle neck portion through the spray tube, wherein the blown mist or gas of the hydrogen peroxide flows into the moving bottle, and sterilizes an inner surface of the bottle, and a remaining part of the mist or gas of the hydrogen peroxide flows outside of the bottle to sterilize simultaneously an outer surface of the bottle.