Guide member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124403-B2
Application number	US-201916269284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Feb 6, 2019
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A guide member including: an upper main body that is positioned so as to enclose the filling valve and so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the filling port; and a lower main body that is positioned so as to enclose the upper main body and is configured to be slidable on the surface of the upper main body. The lower main body is provided with an abutting portion that protrudes inward relative to the inner surface of the lower main body and that is configured to abut against at least an opening portion of the container mounted on the container supporting unit, and the guide member is configured to allow the container to be lifted while keeping the abutting portion abutted against the opening portion, thereby guiding the opening portion to an appropriate position relative to the filling port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A guide member that is attachable to a filling valve of a filler device for filling a container with a product, the guide member comprising:
an upper main body having an inner surface and an outer surface, the upper main body positioned to permit the filling valve to pass through the inner surface of the upper main body, and be movable in a vertical direction relative to the filling valve; and
a lower main body slidably coupled to the upper main body, configured to be slidable on the outer surface of the upper main body,
wherein the lower main body is provided with an abutting portion that protrudes inward relative to an inner surface of the lower main body and that is configured to abut against at least an opening portion of the container for filling,
the guide member is configured to allow the container to be lifted while keeping the abutting portion abutted against the opening portion, thereby guiding the opening portion to an appropriate position relative to the filling valve,
wherein a lower outward protruding portion that protrudes outward is provided at a lower end of the upper main body,
an inward protruding portion that protrudes inward is provided at an upper end of the lower main body,
the upper main body and the lower main body are configured to be slidable on each other along a common axis such that at least the lower outward protruding portion slides on the inner surface of the lower main body, or the inward protruding portion slides on the outer surface of the upper main body,
the lower main body is configured such that the inward protruding portion and the lower outward protruding portion engage each other due to the weight of the lower main body,
wherein an upper outward protruding portion that protrudes outward is provided at an upper end of the upper main body, and
the upper main body is configured such that the inward protruding portion and the upper outward protruding portion engage each other when the lower main body is pushed up.

2. A filler device for filling a container with a product stored in a filler bowl, the filler device comprising:
a filling valve for filling the container with the product and provided with a filling port configured to be opened and closed;
a container supporting unit configured to be lifted and lowered relative to the filling valve such that the filling port opens when the container supporting unit is lifted and closes when the container supporting unit is lowered; and
a guide member comprising:
an upper main body having an inner surface and an outer surface, the upper main body positioned to permit the filling valve to pass through the inner surface of the upper main body, and be movable in a vertical direction relative to the filling valve; and
a lower main body slidably coupled to the upper main body, configured to be slidable on the outer surface of the upper main body,
wherein the lower main body is provided with an abutting portion that protrudes inward relative to an inner surface of the lower main body and that is configured to abut against at least an opening portion of the container for filling, and
the guide member is configured to allow the container to be lifted while keeping the abutting portion abutted against the opening portion, thereby guiding the opening portion to an appropriate position relative to the filling valve,

wherein the filling valve further includes:
a housing that is tubular and penetrates through a bottom surface of the filler bowl;
an outer valve body that is tubular and is inserted into the housing;
an inner valve body that is tubular, an upper end thereof being fixed to the housing, and is inserted into the outer valve body, and wherein the filling port is provided in a lower end of the inner valve body; and
a biasing unit that biases the outer valve body downward relative to the housing, the outer valve body is provided with a press-target portion that is configured to be pressed upward by an opening portion of the container,

the filling valve is configured such that an opening of the container mounted on the container supporting unit presses the press-target portion and moves the outer valve body upward as a result of the container supporting unit being lifted thereby opening the filling port, and the outer valve body is moved downward as a result of the container supporting unit being lowered thereby closing the filling port by a lower end of the outer valve body,
the biasing unit includes compression coil springs provided between the housing and the press-target portion,
the compression coil springs include an upper spring having an upper end fixed to an upper fixing portion provided at a position closer to the housing than the press-target portion, and a lower spring having a lower end fixed to a lower fixing portion provided at a position closer to the press-target portion than the housing,
a lower end of the upper spring and an upper end of the lower spring are coupled to each other by a coupling portion that is provided so as to be slidable on an outer surface of the outer valve body,
the upper main body includes an upper case and a lower case that is detachably attached to the upper case,
the upper case is located above the lower fixing portion, and is configured to be restricted from moving downward upon a lower end of the upper case coming into contact with the lower fixing portion, and
the lower case is configured to extend downward relative to the lower fixing portion, and is configured to allow the press-target portion to slide on an inner surface of the lower case.

3. The filler device according to claim 2 ,
wherein respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion, the lower fixing portion, and the coupling portion of the filling valve are larger than diameters of the upper spring and the lower spring,
an inner diameter of the upper case is larger than the respective outer diameters of the upper fixing portion, the lower fixing portion, and the coupling portion, and the upper case is configured to be slidable at least on the coupling portion,
an inner diameter of the lower case is larger than an outer diameter of the press-target portion, and the lower case is configured to be slidable at least on the press-target portion, and
a length of the upper case is such that, when the lower end of the upper case covers at least a portion of the lower fixing portion, the upper end of the upper case covers the coupling portion, but does not cover the housing, whereas when the upper end of the upper case covers at least a portion of the housing, the lower end of the upper case covers the coupling portion, but does not cover the lower fixing portion.

Assignees

• Suntory Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Fujikake Jun
• KELLEY Kristofer

Classifications

• B65B37/02

  by gravity flow · CPC title

• B67C2003/266

  Means for centering the container with the filling head · CPC title

• B67C3/2637 Primary

  comprising a liquid valve opened by relative movement between the container and the filling head · CPC title

• B65B39/004

  moving linearly · CPC title

• B65B39/12 Primary

  movable towards or away from container or wrapper during filling or depositing · CPC title