Bottle-processing machine and method for cleaning the pump/nozzle protector of the bottle-processing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11358077-B2
Application number	US-201716099351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a bottle treatment machine including a pump/nozzle protector in the form of a screen. The screen includes an at least partially perforated surface and the screen is provided for passing a liquid of the bottle treatment machine therethrough. The bottle treatment machine further includes at least one scraper which rests at least partially on the at least partially perforated surface of the screen. The screen and the at least one scraper are arranged to be rotatable relative to one another. The present disclosure further relates to a method for cleaning the screen of the bottle treatment machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In a bottle treatment machine including a housing for receiving bottles to be treated and a liquid circulation circuit including a pump and a nozzle through which liquid to pasteurize and/or clean the bottles can be discharged, the bottle treatment machine further comprising:
an attachment device;
a pump/nozzle protection in form of a screen, wherein the screen is coupled to the attachment device, wherein the screen comprises an at least partially perforated surface, wherein the screen is a circular cylinder and the screen comprises a longitudinal axle, wherein the at least partially perforated surface of the screen corresponds to a shell of the circular cylinder, and wherein the screen is provided for passing the liquid of the bottle treatment machine therethrough; and
a scraper pair that is coupled to the attachment device and that comprises an internal scraper and an external scraper, the internal scraper being arranged within a volume of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper resting at least partially on an inner side of the shell of the circular cylinder, the external scraper being arranged outside the volume of the circular cylinder, the external scraper resting at least partially on an outer side of the shell of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper and the external scraper being arranged in opposed relationship with one another and being separated from one another by the shell of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper lying on a first shell line and the external scraper lying on a second shell line, the first shell line and the second shell line being different and being spaced apart from each other along the shell, and the screen and the scraper pair being arranged to be rotatable relative to one another for executing a cleaning process.

2. The bottle treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein:
the scraper pair comprises at least one of a metal material or a plastic material;
each scraper of the scraper pair comprises a scraper body and a scraper blade;
the scraper blade of each scraper of the scraper pair is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axle of the screen and applies a predefined force to the at least partially perforated surface of the screen; and
an angle between the scraper blade and a tangential plane of the circular cylinder is between 15° and 40°.

3. The bottle treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein the scraper pair is not movable relative to the housing of the bottle treatment machine and wherein the screen is rotatable relative to the scraper pair.

4. The bottle treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein the screen is not movable relative to the housing of the bottle treatment machine and wherein the scraper pair is rotatable relative to the screen for executing a cleaning process.

5. The bottle treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein the screen is arranged on a rotating device.

6. A method for cleaning a pump/nozzle protection of a bottle treatment machine to apply a liquid to bottles to pasteurize or clean the bottles, the bottle treatment machine comprising:
an attachment device;
the pump/nozzle protection in form of a screen, wherein the screen is coupled to the attachment device, wherein the screen comprises an at least partially perforated surface, wherein the screen is a circular cylinder and the screen comprises a longitudinal axle, wherein the at least partially perforated surface of the screen corresponds to a shell of the circular cylinder, and wherein the screen is provided for passing the liquid of the bottle treatment machine therethrough; and
a scraper pair that is coupled to the attachment device and that comprises an internal scraper and an external scraper, the internal scraper being arranged within a volume of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper resting at least partially on an inner side of the shell of the circular cylinder, the external scraper being arranged outside the volume of the circular cylinder, the external scraper resting at least partially on an outer side of the shell of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper and the external scraper being arranged in opposed relationship with one another and being separated from one another by the shell of the circular cylinder, the internal scraper lying on a first shell line and the external scraper lying on a second shell line, the first shell line and the second shell line being different and being spaced apart from each other along the shell, and the screen and the scraper pair being arranged to be rotatable relative to one another, wherein the method comprises:
passing the liquid of the bottle treatment machine through the screen; and
rotating one or more of the screen or the scraper pair of the bottle treatment machine for the cleaning of the screen.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the scraper pair comprises at least one of a metal material or plastic material;
each scraper of the scraper pair comprises a scraper body and a scraper blade;
the scraper blade of each scraper of the scraper pair is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axle of the screen and applies a predefined force to the at least partially perforated surface of the screen; and
an angle between the scraper blade and a tangential plane of the circular cylinder is between 15° and 40°.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the rotating of the one or more of the screen or the scraper pair comprises:
rotating the screen relative to the scraper pair for the cleaning of the screen, wherein the scraper pair is not movable relative to the bottle treatment machine.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the rotating of the one or more of the screen or the scraper pair comprises:
rotating the scraper pair relative to the screen for the cleaning of the screen, wherein the screen is not movable relative to the bottle treatment machine.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the rotating of the one or more of the screen or the scraper pair comprises:
rotating the screen and the scraper pair for the cleaning of the screen.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the screen is arranged on a rotating device.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Muenzer Jan
• Schubert Michael

Classifications

• A61L2103/23

  Containers other than laboratory or medical, e.g. bottles or mail · CPC title

• B01D33/466 Primary

  scrapers · CPC title

• A61L2/04 Primary

  Heat (radiation A61L2/08) · CPC title

• A23B70/30

  by heating · CPC title

• B08B1/32

  using rotary cleaning members · CPC title