Patents by Inventor Andrea Lupi

Andrea Lupi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8381777
    Abstract: A filling valve includes a hollow housing including a liquid chamber, a gas chamber, and a sliding valve assembly. The sliding valve assembly includes a hollow valve rod with an opening in the gas chamber at an upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod sliding in the housing between an open position where valve rod opens an aperture in the housing allowing liquid to flow from the liquid chamber through the aperture, and a closed position where the valve rod closes the aperture, and a sliding piston disposed in the housing between an open position where a lower end of the piston is spaced from the upper end of the valve rod allowing gas to pass from the gas chamber to the opening in the valve and a closed position where the lower end of the piston contacts the upper end of the valve rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Sidel Participations
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Roberto Cuoghi
  • Patent number: 8109299
    Abstract: A filling valve (12) including: a hollow housing (21); a moving valve assembly (24) slidingly mounted in the housing (21), the moving valve assembly (24) and the hollow housing (21) together defining a liquid chamber (30) and a gas chamber (32); a liquid inlet (46) for putting the liquid chamber (30) into communication with a liquid supply pipe (14); a gas inlet (47) for putting the gas chamber (32) into communication with a gas supply pipe (17); wherein the hollow housing (21) and the moving valve assembly (24) together define a medium chamber the (33) located between the liquid chamber (30) and the gas chamber (32), and wherein the filling valve (12) further comprises: a first diaphragm (35) linking the valve assembly (24) to the housing (21) between the liquid chamber (30) and the medium chamber (33), and a second diaphragm (36) linking the valve assembly (24) to the housing (21) between the gas chamber (32) and the medium chamber (33).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Sidel Participations
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Roberto Cuoghi
  • Patent number: 7963305
    Abstract: Filling valve (5) including: a hollow housing (11) having a valve seat (25); a moving valve rod (14) slidingly mounted in the housing (11) and having a sealing surface (23), the moving valve rod (14) and the hollow housing (11) together defining a liquid chamber (18); a liquid inlet (26) for putting the liquid chamber (18) into communication with a liquid supply pipe (6); a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a first, full-open position, in which the sealing surface (23) is spaced from the valve seat (25), thereby forming a passage (27) for the liquid; a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a second, closed position, in which the sealing surface (23) is in sealing contact with the valve seat (25), thereby closing the passage (27), and a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a third, predetermined, semi-open position in which the sealing surface (23) is spaced from the valve seat (25) but closer to the same than in the full-open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Sidel Participations
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Fabrizio Vaia
  • Publication number: 20090178728
    Abstract: A filling apparatus and method including a carrier for transporting containers and having a plurality of valves, each of the valves being opened for an individual, specific period of time to control a flow of liquid into the respective containers, while the containers are transported by the carrier. An exit feed path transports the containers after the containers have been filled, and a sensor, such as a camera, detects a level of liquid in the respective containers, while the containers are on the exit feed path. The sensor produces a signal that is stored as data representing the level of liquid for the individual containers. The data is then tracked and used for valve optimization. A period of time that each individual valve is opened for subsequent fillings is adjusted based on the signal and the historical performance of each valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicants: SIDEL, PRESSCO TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventors: Don W. COCHRAN, Roberto SCHIANCHI, Franco MUTTI, Andrea LUPI
  • Publication number: 20090100799
    Abstract: Filling valve (12) including: a hollow housing (21); a moving valve assembly (24) slidingly mounted in the housing (21), the moving valve assembly (24) and the hollow housing (21) together defining a liquid chamber (30) and a gas chamber (32); a liquid inlet (46) for putting the liquid chamber (30) into communication with a liquid supply pipe (14); a gas inlet (47) for putting the gas chamber (32) into communication with a gas supply pipe (17); wherein the hollow housing (21) and the moving valve assembly (24) together define a medium chamber the (33) located between the liquid chamber (30) and the gas chamber (32), and wherein the filling valve (12) further comprises: a first diaphragm (35) linking the valve assembly (24) to the housing (21) between the liquid chamber (30) and the medium chamber (33), and a second diaphragm (36) linking the valve assembly (24) to the housing (21) between the gas chamber (32) and the medium chamber (33).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: SIDEL
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Roberto Cuoghi
  • Publication number: 20080283788
    Abstract: Filling valve (5) including: a hollow housing (11) having a valve seat (25); a moving valve rod (14) slidingly mounted in the housing (11) and having a sealing surface (23), the moving valve rod (14) and the hollow housing. (11) together defining a liquid chamber (18); a liquid inlet (26) for putting the liquid chamber (18) into communication with a liquid supply pipe (6); a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a first, full-open position, in which the sealing surface (23) is spaced from the valve seat (25), thereby forming a passage (27) for the liquid; a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a second, closed position, in which the sealing surface (23) is in sealing contact with the valve seat (25), thereby closing the passage (27), and a device for putting the valve rod (14) in a third, predetermined, semi-open position in which the sealing surface (23) is spaced from the valve seat (25) but closer to the same than in the full-open position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: SIDEL
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Fabrizio Vaia
  • Publication number: 20080210334
    Abstract: Filling valve (12) including:—a hollow housing (21); a moving valve assembly (24) slidingly mounted in the housing (21), the moving valve assembly (24) and the hollow housing (21) together defining a liquid chamber (30) and a gas chamber (32); a liquid inlet (46) for putting the liquid chamber (30) into communication with a liquid supply pipe (14); a gas inlet (47) for putting the gas chamber (32) into communication with a gas supply pipe (17); wherein the moving valve assembly (24) includes: a hollow valve rod (25) provided with a through hole (43) opening in the gas chamber (32) at an upper end (37) of the valve rod (25), the valve rod being slideable with respect of the housing (21) between an open position in which the valve rod (25) opens an aperture (23) in the housing (21), thereby allowing liquid to flow from the liquid chamber (30) through the aperture (23), and a closed position in which the valve rod (25) closes the aperture (23), and a piston (26) slidingly mounted in the housing between an open p
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: SIDEL
    Inventors: Andrea Lupi, Roberto Cuoghi
  • Publication number: 20070107801
    Abstract: A filling apparatus and method including a carrier for transporting containers and having a plurality of valves, each of the valves being opened for an individual, specific period of time to control a flow of liquid into the respective containers, while the containers are transported by the carrier. An exit feed path transports the containers after the containers have been filled, and a sensor, such as a camera, detects a level of liquid in the respective containers, while the containers are on the exit feed path. The sensor produces a signal that is stored as data representing the level of liquid for the individual containers. The data is then tracked and used for valve optimization. A period of time that each individual valve is opened for subsequent fillings is adjusted based on the signal and the historical performance of each valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Don Cochran, Roberto Schianchi, Franco Mutti, Andrea Lupi
  • Publication number: 20060245673
    Abstract: Table (1) for a container handling machine (2), comprising:. a housing (3) having an upper panel (4) and a lower panel (5) spaced apart, a plurality of barrels (7) mounted onto the housing (3), said barrels (7) being adapted for receiving functional elements (8) of said container handling machine (2), a network (10) of stiffeners (9) mounted in the housing (3) between the upper panel (4) and the lower panel (5), and including stiffeners (9) interconnecting the barrels (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Inventor: Andrea Lupi
  • Patent number: 6736172
    Abstract: A machine for filling containers includes a series of filling stations, each of which is equipped with an impervious chamber for receiving a container to be filled. The chamber is opened in order to load or unload the container and closed in order to control the atmosphere in the chamber during the filling process. The chamber is delimited by an upper head section, which has a filling spout, by an essentially cylindrical lateral wall and by a base wall. The filling machine has element for modifying the volume of the closed chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Sidel
    Inventors: Didier Chetaille, Rodolphe Saint-Martin, Andrea Lupi