Abstract: A counter-pressure filler system includes a vertically-translatable platform capable of supporting a container, a pressurizable chamber having an entrance aperture, the chamber enclosing a seaming chuck and at least one seaming roller, a vertically-translatable enclosure comprising an upper portion configured to engage a portion of said chamber around the entrance aperture, thereby creating a pressurizable atmosphere within said vertically-translatable enclosure and the pressurizable chamber. The seaming chuck is configured to allow a beverage ingredient to pass therethrough and into said container.

Abstract: There is provided a filling-and-sealing device and a filling-and-sealing method capable of reducing an amount of use of a replacement gas used for replacing air in a container. The filling-and-sealing device includes a filling machine that fills a container with a content fluid; a sealing machine that seals the container transferred from the filling machine with a lid; a chamber that covers the filling machine and the sealing machine; a gassing system that replaces, in the chamber, a gas in the container with a carbon dioxide gas by introducing the carbon dioxide gas as a second replacement gas supplied from a tank; and a pre-gassing system that replaces the gas in the container with a first replacement gas that remains in the chamber containing the carbon dioxide gas before processing by the gassing system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and a method for decanting a beverage initially contained in one or more closed bottles into smaller containers. The device comprises an enclosure under an inert atmosphere, provided with an inlet port comprising receiving means, into which inlet port the neck of the bottles is fitted, and an outlet port through which the hermetically sealed containers are evacuated. The device contains an opening station for opening the bottles fitted into the receiving means, a collection vessel that collects the liquid flowing out of the bottles, a filling station for filling the containers from the collection vessel, and a sealing station for hermetically sealing the containers. In the method, the steps of opening and emptying the bottles, and of filling and hermetically sealing the containers, are all carried out under an inert atmosphere.

Abstract: The apparatus, for filling a flexible pouch having a bottom end, an opposite top end, and a pair of side edges extending between the bottom and top end, includes a filling station, a supply of compressed purging gas, and a gas purging station. The filling station includes a feeder that dispenses an amount of product into the pouch. The gas purge station is positioned subsequent to the filling station and includes a pair of gas lances. Each of the pair of gas lances have an outlet to discharge the purging gas into the pouch. The pair of gas lances being moveable between an inserted position and a withdrawn position. In the inserted position the pair of gas lances are disposed within the pouch a predetermined distance above the amount of product, and in the withdrawn position the pair of gas lances are provided above the top end of the pouch.

Abstract: A gas-filling packaging method using a track type gas-filling packaging machine includes a bag placing step in which a number of packaging bags set in a magazine in a stacked state are turned up one by one by a sucker and picking up and then passing the bag to a bag chuck, a bag opening/inflating step of opening the bag mouth and inflating the bottom of the bag by suckers, a bag filling step of lowering a synchronous funnel to be inserted into the bag and applying a receiving member of a bottom tapping unit to the bag, so that the bag is filled with a predetermined amount of article while the bottom is tapped, a deaeration/temporarily sealing step of inserting a deaeration nozzle into the bag to remove air in the bag and holding the bag mouth by a temporary heater.

Abstract: Affords a compound semiconductor substrate packaging method for preventing oxidation of the surface of compound semiconductor substrates.

Abstract: Machine for manufacturing flexible sheet material packagings, including an area for feeding a continuous web of flexible sheet material, a preforming area including an area for folding a bottom wall of the packaging, a welding area, an area for filling the packagings, an area for outputting the packagings, a first chemical decontamination treatment area using a gas, arranged between the preforming area and the filling area, and an outside chamber that surrounds the machine at least partially and is depressed atmospherically with respect to the first area. The outside chamber acts as an additional barrier between the first area and the outside.

Abstract: A vacuum packaging system for packaging a vacuum apparatus includes a first accommodating room, a second container, a vacuum room, a first hatch, a second hatch, a delivery apparatus, a discharge device, and a heating apparatus. The delivery apparatus transports the vacuum apparatus from the first accommodating room to the vacuum room to the second accommodating room. The discharge device discharges a sealing element to seal an exhaust through hole of the vacuum apparatus. The heating apparatus is mounted on the inner wall of the vacuum room between the second hatch and the transport pipeline to heat and soften the sealing element.

Abstract: A machine consisting of a vertically mobile liquid manifold filling system, and a horizontally mobile carriage for maneuvering pallets under a multi-head filler, for simultaneously filling entire pallet tiers of empty containers, such as 2.5 gallon metal or plastic jugs, bottles, or pails, 5.0 gallon metal or plastic jugs, bottles or pails, or 30-55 gallon metal or plastic drums, requires only the labor to lift and place empty containers onto a pallet, instead of the conventional physical handling and palletizing, of heavy, prefilled containers.

Abstract: A system for triggering an oxygen scavenging film includes the means for emitting UV-C light, means associated with said light defining a film path, means for feeding an oxygen scavenging film into the system to trigger the oxygen scavenging film, means for feeding the triggered film to packaging means. The film may comprise an oxidizable organic compound and a transition metal catalyst.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling beverage containers under an inert-gas atmosphere. The apparatus includes a stationary filling tool (20) to which the containers (1) are moved and a device for filling the containers with inert gas prior to a beverage-filling procedure. A container engaging element (19) of the filling tool is mounted in a processing chamber (12) that is charged with inert gas and encloses the container (1) in a fill-ready position. The containers are moved through an entry sluice space (11), which can be shut off from the outside and from the processing chamber, by sluice doors (10.1, 10.2).

Abstract: Apparatus and method for purging air from open containers having a processing zone through which the containers are conveyed entering through an entrance point opening and exiting through an exit point during a residence time, including an injector for injecting a turbulent flow of purge gas into the processing zone and means for providing a laminar flow of purging gas into the processing zone, wherein the open portion of the container is exposed to the turbulent purge gas flow for at least 50 percent of the residence time.

Abstract: The plant comprises a conveyor (1) above which are disposed a device (3) for injecting liquefied gas into the containers and, on the downstream side of the device relative to the direction of travel of the conveyor, a device (4) for closing the containers, and a tunnel (5) for protecting the containers against the surrounding air and extending between the injecting device (3) and the closing device (4). Application in the packing of non-gaseous beverages and organic products in cans or bottles.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for providing an inert atmosphere in airtight packages, which apparatus is adaptable for use in a packaging line. The apparatus comprises an inerting minitunnel which is provided with a ramp for purging oxygen from the packages, and an inerting ramp. The apparatus can be used with any liquid, pasty, or solid product which is packaged in an airtight package.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging an item in a controlled atmosphere enclosure is provided. The apparatus includes a conveyor for continuously conveying a series of containers along a defined path. The path has sequentially oriented first and second portions, and defines a first side border and an opposite second side border. The apparatus introduces a covering material over the path of containers such that a space is created between the containers and the moving covering material. A vacuum gallery is disposed substantially adjacent the first border for applying a vacuum to the space only in the first portion of the path. A gas gallery is disposed substantially adjacent the second border for continuously introducing a selected gas into the space in both the first portion and the second portion of the path.

Abstract: A container filling system and method is disclosed which includes a filling valve which receives a product through an inlet port in the side of a vertically movable cylinder having a vertically moving plunger therein that opens and closes the port. While the port is open and product is metered into the pouch, steam is directed through the filling valve to purge air from the product and from the pouch and to clean the product from the plunger. The system also includes pouch spreading fingers which leads the filling valve cylinder into the pouch to assure proper opening of the pouch. A dynamic parallelogram linkage is provided to move the filling valve and finger operating mechanisms vertically as a unit and includes resilient means which raises the filling valve above the top of the pouch in the event the power means which actuates the linkage fails.

Abstract: Air is flushed from containers by surrounding the container open tops with a layer of flushing gas and directing a high velocity jet of flushing gas downwardly through the layer into the open top containers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for bottom filling a measured quantity of a particulate product in a pouch by first moving a closed pouch into an air-free atmosphere; opening the pouch and spreading its mouth with a pivoted filling tube guide; lowering a filling tube into the pouch until lower gates of the tube are positioned near the bottom of the pouch; loading the filling tube with a measured quantity of particulate product when the gates are closed; thereafter opening the gates, releasing a jet of air-free gas into the bottom of the pouch, and continuing to introduce the high pressure air-free gas into the pouch as the filling tube is raised out of the pouch and the product is being transferred from the filling tube to the pouch with the air-free gas purging air from the pouch and the product; and sealing the air-free filled pouch while in the air-free atmosphere.

Abstract: In an apparatus for filling pouches with measured quantities of a product, a product filling assembly is disclosed to have a pocket for receiving a measured quantity of the product, means for purging air from the product, means for registering the pouch with the product containing pocket, and means for discharging product from the pocket into the pouch. More than one pocket may be incorporated into a turret assembly, with each of the pockets having doors at the bottoms thereof which are opened to cause the product to gravitate into the pouch. The pouch-filling apparatus of the present invention may further include a magazine for supporting a plurality of empty pouches and pinch rollers for firmly squeezing a pouch and moving the pouch into a carrying means for carrying the pouch to the product filling assembly.

Abstract: A method of packaging a substantially air-free product in an air-free pouch by first flattening and squeezing air from the pouch thereby reducing the pouch headspace prior to moving the pouch into a substantially air-free atmosphere. The pouch is then opened in the air-free atmosphere, is filled with an air-free product, is sealed within the air-free atmosphere, and is subsequently discharged therefrom. The opening of the pouch is aided, and additional air is purged from the pouch, by directing jets of high pressure air-free gas into the pouch during opening and filling of the pouch.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for purging air from the headspace of filled flexible containers and from the interstices in the product when the containers are filled with particulates. The method includes the steps of moving the upper open end of the containers through a steam tunnel while directing a flow of low velocity steam within the range of about 0.5 to 5 feet per second into and around the open ends of the containers to purge air therefrom. When air is entrained in a particulate product in the container, the low velocity steam cooperates with a jet of high velocity steam, within the velocity range of about 5 to 20 ft./sec., that is directed into the product for purging both the interstitial air and the headspace air from the container or pouch. In one embodiment of the invention a baffle is disposed above the open end of each particulate filled container to direct the steam-air mixture transversely out of the container for entrainment and flushing to the atmosphere by the low velocity steam.

Abstract: In packing a sterile filling material under aseptic conditions, a pre-fabricated container is arranged in a holder device which is arranged on a conveyor belt which latter is translatable through a tunnel wherein a sterile atmosphere is maintained by a sterilizing electronic spray. In this tunnel and in the presence of this sterile atmosphere the filling and closing of the container is carried out.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for excluding a noncondensible gas from voids in a particulate product and thereafter filling the degassed product into a container. If the product includes only entrapped voids, a liquid is directed upwardly through the product in a degassing chamber to purge noncondensible gases from the voids. The upper end of the chamber is then closed at a point below the liquid level and the lower end of the chamber is opened to discharge the degassed product and liquid into a separating mechanism which causes the product to gravitate into the container and the liquid to be collected in a sump for recirculation.If the product is a low free liquid porous food product that includes both entrapped and occluded voids, the degassing chamber is first closed and vacuumized. The liquid is then directed upwardly through the product in the degassing chamber while vacuumization continues.

Abstract: A packaging apparatus for forming, filling and gas flushing, evacuating and sealing packaging materials to produce low-oxygen content packages. The apparatus contains a conveyor for transferring packaging containers from a container forming work station to various intermediate work stations to an evacuating and sealing station and thence to an exit station of the packaging machine. A protective gas-confining cover is provided over the path followed by the containers, and gas-flushing means are provided for the filler materials and the containers.