Container-treatment machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10246202-B2
Application number	US-201615203071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2016
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A method for treating kegs in a container-treatment machine includes passing a first keg through a first set of treatment stations on the container-treatment machine and passing a second keg through a second set of treatment stations on the container-treatment machine. The first and second sets depend on a condition of the first and second kegs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising a container-treatment machine for treating kegs that have valve closures that are pressed by a ram during treatment of said keg, said apparatus comprising parallel first and second transport devices for transporting said kegs, a filling station and a cleaning station arranged between said first and second transport devices and being configured to use a ram to press a valve closure of a keg, and first and second intermediate conveyors that convey said kegs to said filling and cleaning stations respectively and that extend between said first and second transport devices, wherein said intermediate conveyors convey said kegs in contrary directions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said container-treatment device is configured to operate said first and second transport paths and at least one of said intermediate conveyors to define a serpentine path along which a container meanders through said container-treatment machine.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cleaning station comprises a a main cleaning module at which kegs arrive after having passed through a pre-cleaning module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cleaning station comprises a pre-cleaning module at which kegs arrive before proceeding to a main cleaning module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cleaning station comprises an external cleaning station that cleans the outside of a keg.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein comprises further comprising a buffer module for station for holding and pausing kegs when throughputs of said filling and cleaning stations do not match.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cleaning station comprises a sterilization station.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an inspection-and-test station that is configured to receive said kegs after said kegs have been processed by said cleaning station.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an inspection-and-test station that controls feeding of kegs to said cleaning station.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third transport device, wherein said third transport device is arranged in parallel adjacent to said first transport device, wherein said third transport device conveys in a direction contrary to that of said first transport device, wherein said third transport device is connected to said intermediate conveyor.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a third transport device, wherein said third transport device is arranged in parallel adjacent to said first transport device, wherein said third transport device conveys in a direction contrary to that of said first transport device, and wherein said inspection-and-test station connects to said third transport device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a third transport device, wherein said third transport device is arranged in parallel adjacent to said first transport device, wherein said third transport device conveys in a direction contrary to that of said first transport device, and wherein said inspection-and-test station controls said third transport device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third transport device and a container discharge station, wherein said third transport device is arranged in parallel adjacent to said first transport device, wherein said third transport device conveys in a direction contrary to that of said first transport device, and wherein said third transport device connects to said container discharge station.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising switchable deflection-elements that are arranged in a connection region between said first and second transport devices and said intermediate conveyors.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said deflection elements are mounted on said intermediate conveyors.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said intermediate conveyors are configured to have reversible conveyor directions.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second transport devices comprise elliptically displaceable lifting beams.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising stop elements arranged in conjunction with said intermediate conveyors.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising guide elements that are arranged in conjunction with said intermediate conveyors.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transfer conveyor with no associated cleaning station or filling station arranged between said transport devices, wherein said transfer conveyor transfers kegs from one transport device to another.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third transport device, wherein said third transport device is arranged in parallel adjacent to said first transport device, wherein said third transport device conveys in a direction contrary to that of said first transport device, and wherein said third transport device is connected a separate transfer conveyor.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a frame that removably holds said cleaning station and said filling station, said cleaning station and said filling station being detachable from said frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a frame that holds said intermediate conveyors, said intermediate conveyors being detachable from said frame.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first conveying device conveys in a first direction and wherein said second conveying device conveys in said first direction.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second transport devices comprise endless conveyor-belts.

26. A method comprising
using a container-treatment machine for treating kegs in a container-treatment machine that have valve closures that are pressed by a ram during treatment of said keg, said container-treatment machine having
parallel first and second transport devices for transporting said kegs,
treatment stations that include a filling station and at least one cleaning station arranged between said first and second transport devices and being configured to use a ram to press a valve closure of a keg, said treatment stations being arranged between parallel first and second transport devices, wherein at least one of said treatment stations is configured to use a ram to press a valve closure of a keg, and
first and second intermediate conveyors that convey said kegs to said filling and cleaning stations respectively, wherein said conveyors extend between said first and second transport devices, and wherein said intermediate conveyors convey said kegs in contrary directions,
said method further comprising passing kegs through different treatment stations based on a condition of said kegs.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said container-treatment machine comprises a fluid interface that couples automatically to fluid interfaces on said cleaning station and on said filling station when said cleaning station and said filling station are pushed into a frame.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said container-treatment device accommodates a plurality of treatment modules that can be latched or pushed into a frame between said first and second transport devices.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 , said container-treatment device accommodates a plurality of treatment modules that can brought together as a comb

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• Froehlich Heinrich-Dieter
• Matheyka Thomas

Classifications

• B65B3/04 Primary

  Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles · CPC title

• B08B9/0826

  the containers being brought to the cleaning device · CPC title

• B67C3/00

  Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids · CPC title

• B65B55/24

  Cleaning of, or removing dust from, containers, wrappers, or packaging {; Preventing of fouling} · CPC title

• B65B57/04

  and operating to control, or to stop, the feed of such material, containers, or packages · CPC title