Sterilization method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179952-B2
Application number	US-202217930737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2022
Priority date	Mar 12, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

A sterilization method includes a sterilizer supplying step of supplying a sterilizer to a sterile zone conveyor while the sterile zone conveyor is being rotated, and a sterile water supplying step of supplying sterile water to the sterile zone conveyor while the sterile zone conveyor is being rotated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sterilization method for an outlet-side structure disposed on an outlet side of a filling chamber in which a filling device to fill contents into bottles is disposed,
the outlet-side structure including:
an outlet chamber that includes a sterile zone chamber, which inside is kept in a sterile state, disposed downstream of the filling chamber and connected to the filling chamber; and a gray zone chamber, that isolates a sterile atmosphere and a non-sterile atmosphere from each other, disposed downstream of the sterile zone chamber and connected to the sterile zone chamber; and
a non-sterile zone, that is a zone where fungi may exist connected to the outlet chamber,
the sterile zone chamber including a cap fitting device disposed therein to fit a cap to the bottles filled with the contents and a sterile zone conveyor disposed therein to convey the bottles fitted with the cap,
the gray zone chamber including a gray zone conveyor disposed therein to receive the bottles from the sterile zone conveyor and to convey the bottles,
the non-sterile zone including a non-sterile zone conveyor disposed therein to receive the bottles from the gray zone conveyor and to convey the bottles,
wherein the sterilization method comprises:
a sterilizer supplying step of supplying the sterilizer to the sterile zone conveyor while the sterile zone conveyor is being rotated, before the production of product bottles; and
a sterile water supplying step of supplying sterile water to the sterile zone conveyor while the sterile zone conveyor is being rotated, before the production of product bottles;
a pressure in the filling chamber is set to be higher than that in the sterile zone chamber, and a pressure in the sterile zone chamber is set to be higher than that in the gray zone chamber.

2. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gray zone conveyor includes multiple intermediate conveyors, and
in the sterilizer supplying step and the sterile water supplying step, from among the multiple intermediate conveyors, an upstream-stage intermediate conveyor on a side closer to the sterile zone conveyor is rotated, and a downstream-stage intermediate conveyor on a side closer to the non-sterile zone conveyor is stopped.

3. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a storage section in which the sterilizer is stored is formed in the sterile zone chamber and the gray zone chamber, and
in the sterilizer supplying step, the sterile zone conveyor and the gray zone conveyor are rotated while at least part of each of the sterile zone conveyor and the gray zone conveyor is immersed in the sterilizer inside the storage section.

4. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gray zone conveyor is formed by a single conveyor, and
the gray zone conveyor is stopped in the sterilizer supplying step and the sterile water supplying step.

5. The sterilization method according to claim 4 ,
wherein a storage section in which the sterilizer is stored is formed in the sterile zone chamber and the gray zone chamber, and
in the sterilizer supplying step, the sterile zone conveyor is rotated while at least part of the sterile zone conveyor is immersed in the sterilizer inside the storage section.

6. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein temperature of the sterilizer is 50° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower in the sterilizer supplying step.

7. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sterilizer contains sodium hydroxide.

8. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the non-sterile zone conveyor is stopped in the sterilizer supplying step.

9. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the non-sterile zone conveyor is stopped in the sterile water supplying step.

10. The sterilization method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sterile zone chamber has a volume of 0.3 m 3 or more and 5 m 3 or less, and a supply amount of the sterilizer supplied to the sterile zone chamber is 1.2 m 3 /h or more and 12 m 3 /h or less.

Assignees

• Dainippon Printing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayakawa Atsushi

Classifications

• B67C2003/228

  Aseptic features · CPC title

• B67C2003/2694

  by enclosing a set of containers in a chamber · CPC title

• B67C7/0073

  Sterilising, aseptic filling and closing (B67C3/2642 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B67C7/004

  the containers travelling along a circular path · CPC title

• B67C7/002

  General lay-out of bottle-handling machines · CPC title